Friendly Exchange between the Korean Delegation and the International Department of the High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University

On December 26, 2024, a delegation of teachers and students from Daejeon Foreign Language High School in South Korea visited our school. The delegation, consisting of three Korean teachers and thirty-six Korean students, engaged in warm and friendly exchanges with international students from our affiliated high school and students from the AP program classes.

Daejeon Foreign Language High School is a prestigious foreign language secondary school in South Korea, renowned for its distinguished faculty and students’ exceptional proficiency in multiple foreign languages. The school visited our campus once at the end of last year, during which the two schools forged a deep friendship. Thus, the leaders and teachers of both schools greeted each other like old friends during this visit, bringing a warm touch to the cold winter day.

At 9:30 a.m., Assistant Principal Xu Lan welcomed the Korean delegation on behalf of the school and introduced its educational philosophy and international programs.

Subsequently, led by Deputy Director Yu Yuefang and teachers Li Meng and Pu Tianbo, the Korean delegation toured the East Campus, visiting the Xingtan (Apricot Altar), Science and Technology Innovation Laboratory, greenhouse, art classroom, music classroom, Qian Xuesen Memorial Hall, and Sanwei Bookstore.

Sitting cross-legged on floor cushions, the Korean teachers and students learned famous quotes from The Analects of Confucius under Teacher Li Meng’s guidance, recreating the scene of Confucius teaching his disciples in ancient times.

They then visited the Science and Technology Innovation Laboratory, where Teacher Zhang Cheng led them to experience the process of producing electronic recording greeting cards alongside Chinese students.

In the greenhouse, the Korean visitors listened to Teacher Rui Lei explain the process of hatching chicks without eggshells and had a close interaction with the greenhouse’s "beloved" pigeons.

During their tour of the art and music classrooms, a talented Korean student spontaneously played the Korean folk song Arirang on a guzheng (Chinese zither).

Later, the Korean delegation moved to the West Campus and attended six unique AP characteristic courses of the affiliated high school in small groups.

In the AP Biology class, Teacher Fu Xinyue introduced the regulatory role of plant hormones—auxins—in plant phototropism in English. During the practice session, Teacher Fu used the Xicheng Multi-School Platform in conjunction with dot matrix pens to promptly identify and comment on students’ questions. The Korean students were amazed by the high level of information modernization in our school’s classrooms.

In the Grade 11 Honor Program Literature class, students watched the play Hamlet starring Andrew Scott, and Teacher Hu Xiaolin analyzed the content, significance, and literary techniques of Hamlet’s seven soliloquies.

In the Art History class, students first compared Western and Eastern art through an open dialogue, followed by a lecture on the new art piece The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Finally, a team activity—a dictation competition—was held.

In the Computer Science class, Teacher Lian Jie introduced algorithms and programming problems in AP Computer Principles, as well as corresponding classic exam questions.

In the Psychology class, Teacher Zhang Huateng guided Korean and Chinese students to learn about knowledge related to personality disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders, including symptom manifestations and potential causes. Common symptoms among adolescents resonated strongly with the Korean students.

In the Microeconomics class, Teacher Peng Zihao led Chinese and Korean students to study and discuss oligopolistic markets and taught them to use game theory to predict corporate behaviors.

After the group classes, Korean students paired up with AP program students for exchanges and shared a delicious lunch in the school canteen.

At the end of the morning’s visit, Chinese and Korean teachers reluctantly bid each other farewell. The delegation from Daejeon Foreign Language High School expressed that they had gained a great deal from this visit and hoped to have more opportunities for in-depth exchanges with our school in the future. This visit by the Korean teachers and students further enhanced mutual understanding and friendship, laying a solid foundation for long-term cooperation and future development between the two schools.