In order to better meet our students' needs and provide a larger variety of educational resources, we set out developing the core competencies, which is easier to manage for Chinese students, design and construct a new curricular system, an attempt of structural reform from the supply front by Tsinghua University High School.
From a series of in-depth seminars with professionals, we have gradually established and completed a featured curricular system, which emphasizes on moral education and fostering talents, to develop students' disciplinary and cross-disciplinary competencies.
Considering the potential, diversity and differences between our students and the others, we have reintegrated the national curricula and established "fundamental, extensive and research courses" which are aiming at students of different abilities and interests.
We have designed and developed a social participation course for enhancing students' disciplinary and cross-disciplinary competencies, dealing with the relationship between self and society, fostering the required moral codes and behaviors of citizens, enhancing the sense of social responsibility, innovativeness and practical skills. We hope that students will realize their individual values and make contributions to the society, becoming citizens with ideals and responsibilities.
The social participation course includes a comprehensive course and a social practice course.
The comprehensive course, contrary to the tradition division of subjects, consists of coursed from two or more subjects. It breaks the boundary between disciplines and helps students to learn things in a whole and systematic way; starting from real life, our course is highly practical and beneficial for students to do-it-themselves creatively. For instance, the tour to Old Summer Palace, the visit to university laboratory, cultural explorations, leadership training courses, science-technology and international securities, and many more.
The social practice course, featuring comprehensiveness, practicality, reality and experience, advocates an interactive method for students to experience, participate and cooperate, with an aim to provide an open and individualized platform to practice and innovate. For example, the courses include autonomous course, class activities, club and societies, military training, outward bound and community service.
We have designed and constructed an autonomous development course for helping students to manage their study and life efficiently, realizing individual values, discovering their potential and dealing with an ever-changing circumstance. We also hope that students are successful in their high quality lives with a clear outlook.
The autonomous development course includes a bridging course and a career course.
The bridging course, based on the students' effective management of their study and life, aims at understanding and discovering their individual values, thus further clarifying their goals and direction of life.
The bridging courses are divided into three categories:
● IB, A-LEVEL, and AP – a bridging course for overseas education;
● Chinese advanced placement (CAP) – a bridging course from high school to university;
● An integrated course of all required knowledge over eight years (from the fifth grade to senior year in high school).
The career course, or the career planning course, aims at enhancing students' capacity to know themselves, develop their body and mind, and plan for their future. The required qualities for this course are: cherishing life, cultivating personality, and managing to plan for their career. Different career courses are implemented upon students of different grades, including humanistic cultivation, general studies of society, methodology, time management and psychological development.
