今天这篇“天行人不断学习系列七之化学学科探索篇”的作者是天行化学组学科组长吴四华Sally老师。这次学习交流，让Sally老师看到了自己在教中存在的不足，也深刻体会到了比成绩更重要的是培养学生的兴趣、化学素养和思维方式。Birkdale学校学习之旅收获很多，也有待于Sally老师日后一一去践行，相信会如她所说，成为更优秀的天行老师，培养出更优秀的天行学子。
这次英国Birkdale学校学习之旅，感触很多。首先，非常感谢学校给我这次学习交流的机会，我也很庆幸自己选择了天行，我相信一个懂得投资老师、愿意投资老师的学校，必将成为一所能够长远发展的一流学校。其次，这次学习交流，确实让我看到了自己的教学中存在的不足，让我体会到我们真正要教会学生的并不是知识本身，而是一种学习能力和思维方式。然后，这次学习让我对我们新校区的实验室设计有了一些思路，这里的实验室设计非常科学实用。最后，让我感触很深的是，老师们的分享心态和合作精神。
I have gained a lot when I came back from the study journey in Birkdale School. Firstly, I appreciate Teensen for providing me the chance of exchange. I’m glad I have chosen Teensen, and I believe that a school does well in cultivating their teachers will definitely develop to a top school in the long run. Secondly, I do find the shortcomings in my teaching, and I realize that it is the ability of study and the way of thinking that are what the students should grasp, not only the knowledge itself. Meanwhile, the scientific and useful laboratories in Birkdale inspire me the design of ours in new campus. Finally, I am greatly impressed by selfless sharing and tacit cooperation of teachers in Birkdale.
▲Sally老师与Birkdale化学组老师在实验室合影留念
培养学生的兴趣、化学素养和思维方式
在来英国Birkdale学校之前，我觉得教学最主要的目的就是教会学生知识，让学生取得好成绩，我会很耐心的把化学原理讲的非常清楚，从本质上去分析一些问题，让学生知其然并知其所以然。相对于国内化学，A-Level化学的确更科学，从体制内转学过来的黄同学，经常会两眼发亮，不由的感叹：这才是学化学。（在体制内，有大量的知识是要去记住的，知识点很多但是比较零散，学完感觉只见树木不见森林。但是在A-level化学中，她感觉自己学通了，之前老师让她记住的知识她现在知道该如何去解释，加之很多常数和元素周期表考试时都会提供，并不用去记住，只要会用就可以，她觉得学起来更轻松但是学得更明白了，整个知识体系也非常清晰。）在教学过程中，我不停的边教边总结，尽可能让学生少走弯路，学生做实验比较费时间，我就会针对性的去选择一些考试常考的实验，以腾出时间让学生多做题，为考试做好准备。这次高三1班共4人参加CAIE化学考试，取得2A* 1A 1B，成绩还不错，但是我总感觉自己的教学中还欠缺一些东西。来Birkdale学习之后，我深刻意识到，比成绩更重要的是培养学生的兴趣、化学素养和思维方式。这些能力培养好了，学生的成绩自然就不会差，而且只有具备这些能力，我们的学生才能在以后化学之路上走的更远。
Before I came to Birkdale School, I thought the main teaching purpose is to teach students well in class and then they perform well in exams. I will explain the principles of chemistry clearly and patiently, analyze problems in essence, and let students know what it is and how it comes. Compared with chemistry in ordinary high school, A-Level chemistry is indeed more scientific. Huang, a student transfers from in-system high school, often expresses the amazement with a gleam in her eyes, This is the real chemistry. In ordinary high schools, students are supposed to remember large quantities of knowledge. From these scattered points, she fails to see the wood for the trees. While in A-level chemistry, she has a thorough understanding. She is able to explain the knowledge which she is asked to remember before. Then, constants and periodic table will be provided in exams, and she is only supposed to use them. The whole knowledge system becomes clear, so it is easier for her to learn chemistry. I have kept summarizing in my approach to the learning process so that students could save twists and turns. Since it takes time to make experiments, I would choose experiments frequently tested so that students could save time to prepare for exams. Four students attended CAIE chemistry test this time, and got 2A* 1A 1B. Grades are good but I always feel something inadequate in my teaching. When I come to Birkdale, I realize that the most important is to cultivate their interests, chemical literacy as well as ways of thinking, instead of scores. Within these, they will do a good job in exams. And only within these can our students go even further in chemistry.
怎么样来培养学生的这些能力呢？那就是充分体现化学是一门以实验为基础的科学。很多知识看似很简单，总以为我们自己教给学生就可以了，但其实并不然，学生通过实验得出来一些现象，然后自己来一步一步的探究原理，才更能引发他们的兴趣，培养他们的探究能力。Birkdale的学生参加牛津AQA考试局（英国最大的考试局）的考试，化学并不考操作实验，只考理论实验。但是老师们非常重视平时的实验，他们总共整理出12个非常具有代表性的实验，这些实验有些是按实验步骤做，也有些是为了达到实验目标学生自己来设计实验，通过这些实验，可以全面锻炼学生所需要的各种化学实验技能，特别是探究能力，给学生奠定了很好的化学基础。例如：在学习影响化学反应速率的因素时，他们不会直接理论上告诉学生有哪些因素，而是让学生去先做这个实验，同一个化学反应，在不同温度下反应速率怎么变，不同反应物浓度下反应速率又会怎么变化的，有无催化剂反应速率又怎样变化。学生根据实验结果，自己来总结影响反应速率的因素有哪些，然后再一起从理论上去解释原理。在这个过程中，既引发了学生的兴趣，也锻炼了学生的探究能力，最重要的是，学生亲自做了这个实验，有了视觉、听觉和触觉各方面的印象，对知识掌握非常好。
So how to cultivate students in these aspects? The key is to fully embody that chemistry is a science based on experiments. Most knowledge seems very simple, and we always think it is enough to teach by ourselves, but in fact, it is not. Students get phenomena through experiments, and explore the basic step by step, which could arouse their interests and cultivate their exploration ability. Students in Birkdale take the test of Oxford AQA, the largest Examination Bureau in the UK. Although operation experiments are not on the list of exam, but only theoretical experiments, teachers still attach great importance to ordinary experiments. They sort out 12 representative experiments in total. Some experiments are requested experimental steps, and some are designed by students themselves to achieve the objectives. The experiments could fully exercise their chemical experiment skills, especially the ability of inquiry, which builds a good chemical foundation for students. For example, when it turns to the factors affecting the chemical reaction rate, teachers will not directly tell the students in theory, but to let them make experiments firstly. The experiments aim at the same chemical reaction, to learn how the reaction rate changes under different temperatures, and what about under different reactant concentrations, or with or without catalyst. According to the results, students will summarize the factors and explain the theory together. The process not only arouses the their interests, but also exercises their inquiry ability. Most importantly, students have done experiments in person, so they have a good command of knowledge with the impression of vision, hearing and touch.
▲探究不同氢氧化物溶解度的差异
这边每个学科都有几个专用教室，化学专用教室就是化学实验室。这里的实验室设计非常好，每个空间充分利用，所有仪器分类放置，四周是水槽、实验台和储物柜，中间的台面既是实验台又是课桌，因此实验室既可以用来做实验，也可以用来上理论课；实验室还有专门的管理员，会很细心的为老师准备演示实验和学生实验所需要的仪器和试剂。实验准备室有很多柜子和置物架，所有的东西归类非常清楚，而且贴好了标签，即使实验老师不在，任课老师也能很快的找到所需要的仪器或试剂；他们还有很多非常实用的仪器，专门用来收纳和洗涤，准备室有通风设备，即使放了很多试剂，空气质量还是很不错，整个实验室和准备室的设计非常值得借鉴。
Each subject in Birkdale is equipped with several dedicated classrooms, and for chemistry is the chemistry laboratory. The labs are well designed and fully utilized. All instruments are placed in categories. There are water tanks, experiment tables and lockers around, and the table in the middle is both the experiment table and the desk. Therefore, students could make experiments and have theoretical lessons in the laboratory. There are special administrators for each room, who will carefully prepare the instruments and reagents for teachers to make the demonstration experiments and for students as well. Cabinets and shelves are provided in the preparation room. All the things are classified with labels. Even if the administrators is out, teachers can quickly find the required instruments or reagents. There are also practical instruments specially used for storage and washing. The preparation room is equipped with ventilation equipment. The air is quite good even with many reagents. The design of the whole laboratory and preparation room is worth learning.
▲分类放好的各种仪器
▲统一放置在实验室的护目镜
▲科学实用的实验室
▲储藏室里存放的试剂
老师之间热衷于分享与合作
最后，我想谈下老师们的分享心态和合作精神，A-Level化学课每周8节，一个班的化学课通常是两位老师一起上，各自负责几个部分，合作的非常好。这样一方面减轻了老师的备课量；另一方面，也在一定程度上减少了学生的遗忘，节约了复习时间。老师们全力配合、共同培养，取得了不错的效果。另外，这里的老师非常乐于分享，会毫不吝啬的把自己多年教学经验总结出来的东西与你分享，他们真正的热爱教育事业，也培养出优秀的学生进入了牛剑。
In the end, I would like to talk about the selfless sharing and tacit cooperation of teachers in Birkdale. There are 8 A-Level chemistry lessons every week. Each lesson for one class is usually held by two teachers jointly. They are responsible for different parts and cooperate well with each other. It not only lessens the preparation for teachers, but also slows down the forgetting for students to a certain extent, and saves their review time. The joint cooperation and cultivation achieve good results. In addition, teachers here are willing to share teaching experience they have accumulated for years. They possess true love towards education, and help excellent students to Oxford University and Cambridge University.
▲老师们整洁清晰的板书
▲图书馆里的书籍
总之，这次学习收获很多，有待于以后一一去践行，希望自己能成为更优秀的天行老师，培养出更优秀的天行学子，也期待天行成为一流的国际学校。
Above all, I gain valuable experience from the journey, and it will be practiced gradually in the future. I hope to be a better teacher and cultivate better students in Teensen. May Teensen become a top international school.
End
撰写：Sally 吴四华
编辑：Wendy 贾西贝
翻译：Sydia 熊文琪
朗读：Lucas 高旭东
Irene 巫倩宇
主编：Jane 肖 依
总编：Gary 高 陆
来源：天行一中
