Breaking the boundaries of disciplines through the extension of the classroom into daily life

Based on the training objectives of the school, national curriculum standards, subject universality needs, and characteristic curriculum construction, the senior high school department has developed subject expansion courses in three fields themed “me and myself”, “me and society”, and “me and nature”, with the focus on the “Discovery+” curriculum of Yinghua, breaking down subject barriers, and relating the curriculum to life. Upon the full utilization of life and social resources the heuristic, exploratory and discussion-based teaching model enables students to participate more in extended learning and comprehensively enhances their core competencies.

As the only school in Tianjin with coaches for five subject gold medal competitions to offer comprehensive competition courses, Yinghua provides a platform for students who have extra strength and subject expertise to deeply explore the subject.

Led by a team of professional competition coaches, we provide stepwise academic guidance to students, with outstanding students and alumni as assistants to share experience of competitions with other students. Competition experience and awareness will provide strong support for students to challenge the strengthening basic disciplines program.

Upon the full integration of internal and external competition resources, we help students recognize abstract disciplinary laws and essence, establish disciplinary thinking, enhance academic ability, innovative thinking, and time planning ability, cultivate good learning habits and strong willpower, learn to constantly find ways to solve problems and break through bottlenecks, and meet the selections of high-end talents for future development.

The senior high school department has been implementing school-based national curriculum for the steady improvement of students’ learning abilities; School-based courses are designed with distinctive features to increasingly enrich course resources; Through a variety of club activities and courses, students have been inspired to explore and help them improve their self-directed learning and innovation abilities in a new learning experience; Through diversified comprehensive practical courses, we can break through the limitations of textbooks, classrooms, and schools, effectively cultivate students’ insight, thinking ability, and decision-making ability; Ultimately, the career planning courses based on students’ future development will help them discover their potential strengths and plan career development paths that suit them.

Based on the concept and theoretical basis of the curriculum system, the “Discovery-Growth-Discovery” curriculum system comes as a curriculum system architecture of “two branches, three levels, three categories, and seven course groups”.

Two branches: The disciplinary branch and experiential branch that cover academic courses such as Chinese, mathematics, English, physics, art, and sports, as well as experiential courses such as club courses, comprehensive practical projects, moral education courses, and study tours.

Three levels: The basic series, extended series, and customized series that divide all courses into three levels to meet the differentiated needs of students.

Three categories: the compulsory courses, selective compulsory courses, and independent elective courses to meet the needs of talent selection for the new college entrance examination and the requirements of national curriculum standards.

Seven course groups: The scientific exploration course group, humanities literacy course group, intelligent technology course group, art aesthetics course group, healthy life course group, international awareness course group, and self-discovery course group that integrate courses with the same attributes and characteristics from all courses to helping students’ in-depth explorations in their fields of interest.

The curriculum system themed “Discovery Growth Discovery” in Yinghua Senior High School

Based on the national curriculum reform and the school’s educational philosophy of “discovering myself in Yinghua”, upon the integration of the mandatory elements of the national curriculum with the school’s educational characteristics, the senior high school department organically established the unique "Discovery Growth Discovery" curriculum system of Yinghua in five dimensions that cover “school-based implementation of the national curriculum, distinctive design of school-based curriculum, rich and colorful student club activities, diverse comprehensive practical project courses, and student career planning courses” for students to meet the needs of individual development, tap into their own potential, enrich their core competencies upon their own choices through experience, and comprehensively promote their independent and personalized learning. The curriculum system architecture of “Discovery-Growth-Discovery” includes two branches, three levels, three categories, and seven course groups.