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1、NothingOldSchoolAboutthisNewSchoolAtfirstglanceBeijing'sNewSchoolofCollaborativeLearningdoesnotappearextraordinary.Handfulsofchildrenhuddlearoundtables,expressionsofquietconcentrationontheirfaces.Theyworkbythemselves,occasionallyaskingquestionsoftheirteacherswhopatientlymaketheirwaybetweenthe
2、students.Maps,studymaterials,andstudentartworklinethewalls.ApairofturquoiseiMacshumquietlyonadeskinthecorner.ButasIamshownaroundbyschoolheadmasterJonZatkin,54,aSanFrancisco-nativewhohasbeenlivinginChinaforthepast13years,evidenceoftheuniquenatureoftheNewSchool'scurriculumisslowlyrevealed.Onkin
3、dergartenwallcharts,theEnglishalphabet'sABCisdisplayednexttothebopomofoofChina'spinyinphoneticsystem.Inthelibrary,copiesofKipling,HawthorneandShakespeareshareshelf-spacewithLuXunandclassicsofancientChineseliterature.Postersaroundtheschoolurgereaderstohonorthe"pledgeofthejunzi"-aConfucianterme
4、quatingroughlytotheEnglish"gentleman,"advocatingcleanliness,cooperationandtolerance.Outofthemorethan15internationalschoolsinBeijing,theNewSchoolofCollaborativeLearning,arelativenewcomerontheschoolcircuit,istheonlyonethataimstoproducetotallybilingual(Chinese-English)students.Eachsubjectistaugh
5、tinbothMandarinandEnglish,regardlessofthechild'snativetongue.Additionally,oneperiodofeverydayiscompletelydevotedtoChineselanguagelearning.Ofits72students,approximately40percentarefromtheUnitedStates;26percentfromKorea;17percentfromJapanandtheremainderfromEuropeandAfrica.Anumberhavealreadybeen
6、enrolledattheNewSchoolforfourtofiveyears.SomecameknowingneitherChinesenorEnglish,includingIraZaka,a14-year-oldAlbaniangirl,whoisnowtrilingual."Childrenlapuplanguageslikepuppieslapupmilk,andtheyoungertheyarethefastertheylearn,"observesZatkin,whoholdsadegreeinlinguisticsandhasa12-year-olddaught
7、erwhoattendstheschool.Theentireschool,whichwasfoundedsixyearsago,seemscarefullycraftednotonlytoprovideabilingualandmulticulturaleducationalenvironment,buttofostertheimpressionthatsuchanenvironmentisanormal,necessaryandpositiveaspectofmodernli