Scotland Educational Trip 2018 - Day 3

4/30/2018

At the library of Robert Gordon's College (From left: Mrs Ho, Dr Lee, Mrs Lam, Principal Man)

Day 3 of the visit still proves to be unusual in different ways - the weather is still oddly sunny; and the schools we went to impressed us all to a point where we didn't remember the last time we had this feeling after a school visit (I hope you don't get too jealous reading this report...).

Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen, welcomed us warmly by their very friendly Principal and Junior School Head. In the end of the briefing session, we approached the Principal and Junior School head to present our souvenirs to them. The latter was even impressed by our poetry book "Wordiology" !

Their hospitality came with the equality impressive campus as we were guided through it. The photo/text rich environment convinced us that the school has been offering a lot for the children in their course of learning. This strongly enhances students' sense of ownership to their school. And we could sense that teachers there put in extra efforts to improve students' wellbeing in addition to academic excellence. And fortunately, YWPS has been doing just that!

In the tour, we were brought to different floors to visit different rooms where some of them had lessons on-going. We took the chance to interact with their students and were greatly impressed by the children's confidence, presentability and happiness, which was easily observable.

James and I during the maths lesson

A maths lesson

I had the fortune to join in a P.6 maths class and take a peek at how the teacher led the class to do a mental calculation exercise.

Q1: As far as you can see from this short clip, how does their maths lesson differ from yours at school?

Group photo at the entrance of High School of Dundee

Fortunes can sometimes come in twins. In the afternoon we were equally, if not even so, awestruck by another excellent school - High School of Dundee. Like the last school, High School of Dundee offers quality education from nursery till secondary, with a long long history. Again, we enjoyed the rare privilege to speak to some of the students.

Mrs Lam interacted with students during a class

The love of selfie is globalised!

A P.4 boy showed me his own designed game...

This P.4 boy was excited to explain to me his work during the ICT lesson. I am not very good at Information and Computer Technology myself, but what he showed me was truly interesting and he seemed to be quite proud of what he did. That was a good sign of learning.

Q2: Are you always ready and comfortable to share with a visitor what you are good at?

A boy at a reading class at High School of Dundee

YOU MAY, YOU CAN

You may not be the brightest star
among all those privileged in class.

You may not get the scores from words
as success is hardly measured in certs.

Still you can own glimmering eyes,
seeking for more, asking big "Why's".

Still you can pass this very spirit down,
using obstacles to build your playground.

This is a rather raw poem I wrote during my jet-lag, inspired by the Dundee boy above. More or less having the meaning of the saying "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain." Got confused further? Well, all I wanted to say was "what an extraordinary day we had in Scotland!"

Write you tomorrow!

Dr H C Lee

23 Comments

Geoff Wong 6A(30)

5/1/2018 09:42:44 am

Dr.Lee:
Thanks for sharing about your wonderful journey in day 3. Now, I want to answer your questions first:
Q1: The largest difference is that we yell out the answer loudly in Hong Kong school, however, Scotland students write down the answer and show it to the teacher(s).
Q2: Of course! As a student ambassador, my mission is sharing something I am good at to the visitor. I am always ready to share with him/her.
After reading your passage, I have really known more about the education in Scotland. It is definitely 100% big difference between typical Hong Kong schools and Scotland schools. Personally speaking, Hong Kong ones are more traditional, yet Scotland ones are more free, and somehow much more relaxing. Hong Kong schools may learn from them, frankly.

Colman Wong 6B 30

5/2/2018 05:50:10 pm

Yeah... Most of my classmates hate school because ... idk

Timothy Lam

5/1/2018 12:06:09 pm

As a student ambassador, I'm supposed to be ready to share the history of the school to visitors almost immediately, but about myself...that could be something I can learn from!

Vincent Song 6C 25

5/1/2018 01:59:11 pm

Hi guys! It's me again!
I am truly fascinated. Fascinated with how the boy in the High School of Dundee could manage to make that game in just two lessons. How long is each lesson? I think Dr.Lee didn't mention that. Also, I wonder which website that boy was using to make the game. Scratch? But it doesn't seem like it. And—Oh! I forgot to mention my interesting observation. If you go to clip 2 at 11 seconds and at 35 seconds, you would find out that the boy and those who are sitting next to him are all using Internet Explorer (unless my eyes judged wrongly). Does that show something? I don't know. Anyway, just a boring observation.
Now, for Dr.Lee's first question. Well, their maths lesson differ from our school a lot. Our teachers won't read out the question and let us write down the answers on a board. Most of the time, they just invite students to solve questions on the blackboard, or explaining the techniques to do them. Plus, their maths lesson is different from ours as there are girls in their school, while we are a boy's school. Yep.
As for the second question, I'm gonna give a big YES. I love sharing with visitors what I think I'm good at. Basically as I like to talk a lot. I talk a minimum million words per day.
Just kidding. BYE!

Maria

5/1/2018 02:11:25 pm

Vincent, I am glad to read your response but I doubt if you really speak a minimum million words per day ! Ha Ha Ha !

Cayden Wong 6C27

5/2/2018 06:07:28 am

Vincent, I have to again remind you that your comment can be seen by the whole world! This is a public website!! Please don't start with "Hi guys! It's me again!"

Ethan Chan 6C (3)

5/2/2018 09:22:28 am

Yeah, good luck on speaking that much without being completely dehydrated.

5/1/2018 03:37:59 pm

What a day! Two great school visits on one day! But first things first, I am totally jealous right NOW!(Sorry, Dr Lee) It truely seems like a uniquely fantastic experience for all of you! That library in the first photo make s me drool... All those books make Ying Wa's library seem like a baby's toy room! (No offence).
I remember reading about Robert Gordon's college somewhere in the past, but I'm sure it's even greater in flesh. Their education methods and scheme seem really similar with our's at Ying Wa. Looking at the scottish students in the photos, I realize that even though they are ahalf a world away, they are actually not that different from us! ( Except the cultural difference, of course. To answer Dr Lee's first question, I not only realize their method of answering their questions are to write them down, I also realize that their questions are alot easier than the one we have to face.(poor us)
School of Dundee is also equally fantastic, look at their school complex ! What a historical and fun place to be educated! I'm sooo jealous right now! I am surprised that they also have ITC lessons , which I assume are similar to our IT lessons.Now to answer Dr Lee's second question, I would have to admit that I am never ready and comfortable what I am good at , because I totally have no idea how to start a conversastion with strangers, not even making small talk (exspecially small talk!) That is why I am currently borrowing books from the public library such as "The Art of Conversation to improve myself.
I think that poem is ...great! But I like the saying much more, it really gets me thinking, I should really agree with Dr Lee's last statement, they really had an extraordinary day in Scotland, I'm already impatient about the next one!
P.S.:Dr Lee, a question here, what did you mean by writing your poem during your "jet-lag" ?, THX.

Dr H C Lee

5/1/2018 04:32:36 pm

Haven't you had jet-lag before Cayden ? I was extremely drowsy last night when I wrote the article, including the verse in the end...What a journey!

Amos Tsai

5/1/2018 04:30:36 pm

Q1 they have cool desks, they write down their answers and ageeing with Cayden they have easier math questions.
Q2 Hmmm.. NO! I tend to have really hardworking saliva glands and I have a lot of spit in my mouth when I'm nervous so I can't speak very well, especially to FOREIGN VISITORS.
I saw a lot of similarities between our schools, we both have a long history, we both provide education for young and senior students alike, and *OF COURSE* we both produce great students.
Glad to see Vincent observing so carefully, and to know that he finally knows how to spell "basically" instead of "basicly". Oops did I say too much! Bye!

Luke Cheung

5/1/2018 05:16:08 pm

New day, new things, the school's outside is very cool, and much more bigger than our YWPS+YWC campus, it made me think of an amazing architecture ... I'm sorry, but I could not remember what was the architecture's name.
The students don't sit two-by-two, they sit in groups, and to answer Dr.Lee's first question, I have an answer: The teacher asks a question, and the students answer. The teacher then says the answer to the students.
The Battlegrounds game made by Angus was totally amazing! It could be a game for everyone in the world to play ! Scotland kids are amazing !
Well, to answer Dr Lee's second question, I need to say that I may get a bit shy and scared sometimes, so I force myself to be brave and talk to the visitor.
By far, Scotland is amazing ! Hope you all can enjoy the remaining days of the trip !

Chu Tin Hang 6B 07

5/1/2018 09:27:59 pm

Wow! I think that both Robert Gordon’s College and High School of Dundee are really impressive! What impressed me the most was the ICT lessons. I really want these lessons in YWPS one day! To answer Dr Lee’s first question, the teacher didn’t write anything on the whiteboard and the students wrote the answer down quietly instead of shouting it out like a band of rioters. By the way, Dr Lee’s poem was really beautiful! I hope we can see more of these in the future!

5/2/2018 05:48:43 pm

"Like a band of rioters"... Good one Chu

Ethan Chan 6C(3) link

5/2/2018 09:21:10 am

The weather is good and the students are nice... what could go wrong?
the campus of both schools look clean and neat, plus the people there seem to show a lot of hospitality to you guys(and gals).For question one, the Math lessons are much, much more easier( if you're good at English, that is). For question two,(insert Italian accent here) A--YES! In fact, i would be honored to do so. So, yeah. Again, what could go wrong? Well, the weather(in the future, that is).

Colman Wong 6B(30)

5/2/2018 05:33:27 pm

Wow, the schools are awesome :)
The students are pretty nice (unlike some particular people I've met in my class).

For question one, well the math lessons are wey(way) more easier (if you're good at English ;) ) plus in Hong Kong us students practically shout the answer out or the teacher picks one of us to answer. There, all students have a chance to answer by raising up the whiteboard which the student has written the answer on.

For question two, YES I WOULD!
But unfortunately, I haven't really found out what I'm good at (except learning when I'm focused xD)

Lucas Lam

5/2/2018 10:04:08 pm

For me, Day 3 seems like the most memorable day(I think) in Scotland,Dr Lee.This trip seems to make me insane about it, to be honest.And two school visits in one day?!Dr Lee, you just can't enjoy this marvelous events without us there!Oops. I'm sorry that I was too exaggerated.
The first photo really caught my eyes.That made our library look like an ant in the woods!Ohhhhh, my eyes glistened when I saw the immense bookshelves with thousands of books hanging, like sweet grapes hanging from their vines.(P.S I'm just using that "sweet grapes" part as an exaggeration, but I'm not interested in eating grapes.Seriously.)I can't resist at thinking about finding myself there, savoring at the books of the "paradise of the books".
For the first question, the students need to write their math answers on their own boards with markers.As a very normal student(except my big temper), their questions were a lot easier than us.The questions (I think) are only suitable for P.3 students, but not for P.6 students.Poor us!
As for Question 2, I'm not so sure about that.It depends on how much time that I can prepare for(maybe not even a second).You know, I'm incredibly shy.
I'm done it now.Signing out to another comment(Maybe not)!

Vincent Yin 6E30

5/2/2018 10:06:35 pm

Wow! What a great day for Dr.Lee and the principal,I think Dr.Lee really shall learn more about Computer Technology if you are not well at it.Therefore,you can use computer programs to make some fun and creative learning games!(Although I may not have the chance to try it) Also,I have some suggestion. I think that the school can also make a trip to Scotland.So,we can try the school lessons that you are having.However,I may not have a chance to experience any of them because I am P6!!!

Ian wing 6E 27

5/4/2018 10:18:19 pm

I think the maths questions are far more easier there.They also write the answers on boards, not books,which we usually write on.
To answer Q2, I would definitely share with others because you are proud of it,why not to show it to others?

Ambrose Young 6B (31)

5/4/2018 10:28:24 pm

Like what Geoff had said, the largest difference between Hong Kong schools and Scottish schools is that in Scotland they never yell out the answers. Instead, they write it down and show it to the teacher. I think we really should learn from them!
As for the second question, I think I am sometimes too nervous to even answer simple questions, let alone show a guest what I'm good at!
The IT lesson seems fun . If we had those game making lessons then it would be great!
We students have something to learn from, and now so does the teachers.

Eddie Lee 6A (17)

5/6/2018 09:38:21 pm

It is definitely an amazing journey! To be honest, Hong Kong's educational system is diffrent from Scottland's. In Hong Kong, the lessons are less interactive in the classroom, but luckily, I still feel delighted and enjoy my school life every day.

It's time for me to answer your questions!

Q1: In our class, we need to answer our Maths teacher's questions within a few seconds(Awwww...). However, the Scottland teacher in the video gives time to all the classmates to think and answer the questions.

Q2: Yes, of course! I'm ready at any time!

Thanks for you sharing this trip!

Jacob Wong 6A 29

5/7/2018 10:04:26 pm

I hope you enjoyed the visit to Robert Gordon's College. For Q.1, the first difference is that the teacher will need one of us to answer the question;Secondly, the teacher won't need us to write down on a board with a marker and show it to him/her. For Q.2, for me, I will be nervous because I am not like other students, when people ask them things they would be excited, but if me , I would be scared to say something wrong to the person who asked me the question. So, I thought the visit to the college looks interesting to me, because I already saw some differences comparing their school with
our school.

Desmond Lam 6E

5/8/2018 03:57:23 pm

Dr Lee,thanks for your wonderful sharing and I found that the education system is different from Hong Kong.The schools could let the students to have confidence and happiness while learning is a pretty good thing and we should learn from them.Just like your two questions.The first one is the teacher speaks the question to the students and the students write down the answer on their small whiteboard,it's quite different from us.Also,the boy in the video told the visitors what he was good at confidently and I think I have to learn from him as I might can't do that very often and fluently.So,we have to learn from Scotland in these categories.

Matthew Yu

5/8/2018 09:03:07 pm

Thank you for the wonderful sharing. I think that the education system is quite different from Hong Kong's. The teachers there communicate much with the students in their lessons. I hope that I could have lessons with them once.
For the questions, no 1: In Scotland, they never yell out the answers. Instead, they write it down and show it to the teacher.
no 2: I will be very nervous to speak as I am always afraid that I will say something wrong

Scotland Educational Trip 2018 - Day 3

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