Elite Education

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Schloss Krumbach International School (SKIS) is a co-educational boarding school for students of 12-19 years old, located in an ancient Austrian castle. SKIS provides high-quality international education throughout Grades 7 to 12 (Middle School and High School) and is the only school in Austria accredited to offer both IB Diploma Programme and A-Level Diploma, in addition to its CIS candidacy and a membership in the DofE programme.

1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural

facilities.

A young school, in a historical setting. A small school, growing fast. We are SKIS, an eclectic community of world citizens. We all speak at least two languages and value our diversity.

Schloss Krumbach International School is a co-educational boarding school (Grades 7-12), located in a beautiful 13th century castle. An Austrian Hogwarts, or so they say.

Mission

At Schloss Krumbach International School, we provide young people with the freedom to develop as unique individuals, while instilling a sense of social and political responsibility.

Discover yourself by working together!

Make your study rhythm:

To educate, develop, and inspire our students to reach their full potential and contribute to the creation of a better and more peaceful world by providing a first-class education in a multicultural environment.

Vision

Schloss Krumbach International School provides a holistic education in a place where all students feel confident and cared for. Having received a first-class education in an open-minded international and multicultural environment, our students become thoughtful, active, and caring members of local, national, and global communities.

2. Kindly describe the various courses offered by the school and their salient features.

Schloss Krumbach International School offers a holistic education, intended to educate the “whole person”. We offer all students a broad, balanced range of academic subjects supported by a strong personal and social education program, counseling services, and a learning support team. Academic rigor is promoted throughout the school and the school’s future external examination results and university placement will demonstrate our commitment to providing a successful, progressive learning environment.

Educational Programmes at SKIS:

3. Please mention what steps are you taking beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students.

Schloss Krumbach International School is a unique combination of academic excellence, physical development, extracurricular diversity and a true family environment for students to grow and prosper.

First of all, there is friendship. At SKIS, everybody is friends with everybody. And yes, this is not an exaggeration. Students quickly learn to appreciate and respect their peers, sharing rooms, working on student leadership together, organizing events and creative projects. Then there is support. We believe in the talents and potential of our students, even if they themselves are not as confident yet. Apart from setting our eyes on world’s top notch universities and academic achievements, we offer a range of after-school activities to track and nurture unique sides of the students’ characters. Whatever they choose to focus on, we make sure they become the best of the best.

Join Filip Damjanovic, PE teacher, as he walks you through our sports and recreation policies at SKIS:

4. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the students’ interest towards education?

Schloss Krumbach International School provides more than education in the main subjects. Outside of school hours, students can pursue their interests in clubs that give them the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and engage in real practice.

For example, our system of supervised homework time. Also, as a school that successfully provides bilingual education throughout the whole middle school period, we believe in and work with innovative teaching methods. This includes a concept developed exclusively by our school – so-called supervised homework time. What does this mean? In accordance with a specially designed schedule, all of our teachers are assigned a supervised homework duty every week. Basically, on-duty teachers stay at school after the end of the classes and spend time with the students at the classrooms to respond to any questions students might have. In a way, this concept is a form of an after-school program, a kind of extra learning mode because students do their homework with access to teachers, even beyond the school day time.

5. What are the career opportunities available to the students after completion of their courses?

At Schloss Krumbach International School, we believe a child’s school years should be a time when they identify passions that can lead to a future profession. The school’s teachers and staff are there to help students find their professional calling. After graduating from Schloss Krumbach, students may apply to universities around the world. SKIS Career Counseling Team helps students explore the potential college venues to facilitate their choice of the Diploma subjects or A – Level subjects. Both programmes provide high-quality international education in English language and are recognised by the universities worldwide. We are happy to assist you in deciding on which of the two programmes suits you the best.

6. Please enlighten us about the school’s major awards/achievements, its accomplished/renowned alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

Here at Schloss Krumbach International School, our mission is to educate, support and inspire our students to fully reach their potential in a place where all students feel confident and cared for.

WE ARE AUSTRIA’S ONLY SCHOOL WITH ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ACCOLADES:

• IB World School offering IB Diploma Programme
• Austria’s only Cambridge Assessment International Education School offering Advanced Level (A- Level Diploma)
• Duke of Edinburgh (DoE) Award center
• Member of the CIS (Council of International Schools)

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1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural facilities.

The private Kindergarten Schmetterling was founded in 2002 in Vienna, originally with only one kindergarten group. Nowadays the kindergarten has 24 groups in 4 modern locations across Vienna. These locations are in Neustift am Walde, Heiligenstadt, Dornbach and Heumarkt, directly in the heart of Vienna. The private Kindergarten Schmetterling is a family business (second generation) run by the Dorn family and their team.

The Kindergarten Schmetterling developed the Kindergarten Schmetterling Education/Pedagogy. It is based on the Viennese curriculum and integrates established elements from the Montessori education as well as sensory integration, psychomotor activity, elementary music education, art education, media education, social education and linguistics.

An appreciative mindset is very important to us. Every child has his/her own rhythm and personal approach to materials and humans. Our learning opportunities address the children’s emotional, social, physical, and cognitive areas, thus promoting the development of their entire personality.

We guide the children through their first years and help them open the doors to many areas of life. We agree to an educational partnership with the parents, meaning that we work very closely with each other.

A regular exchange of information is essential for us since one can only cater to the child when one knows what is going on. However, we cannot and do not wish to replace a parental role. We can only be active in accompanying –  parents and children.

Our pedagogues synchronize the pedagogical focuses, curricula, and educational objectives to fit the children’s stage of development. Based on the analysis of various situations, child-centered projects and plans are formed and dynamically adapted, also with the help of a monthly reflection on the main focuses. To ensure quality management, the location manager continuously checks the legal bases, the Viennese curriculum, and the guidelines of implementing pedagogical concepts. Thanks to the pedagogues and assistants’ frequent training (obligatory further education), new scientific/academic knowledge, current pedagogical trends, regional structures, and social changes are always valued and integrated into our daily work with the children.

By attending interface meetings at schools and kindergartens, the transitions can be reflected upon and constantly improved.

The child’s needs are always a priority for us!

2. Kindly mention about the prominent personality of the school and his/her role in the development of the school.

Christoph Dorn built the kindergarten together with his mother. Mr. Dorn is a founding member of the association and has supported the kindergarten on a voluntary basis from day one.

Mr. Dorn has been employed by the association since 2009 and has been the sole managing director since 2014. Mr. Dorn was largely responsible for the expansion of the kindergarten to three locations and has significantly shaped the orientation (bilingual concept, daily, freshly cooked food, eco-label certification etc.).

Mr. Dorn has completed two technical studies and a variety of pedagogical training. In addition to his role as managing director of the kindergarten, Mr. Dorn is also chairman of the supervisory board of the Supporting association Vindobini.

3. Kindly describe about the various courses offered by the school and their salient features.

Courses have a long tradition at Schmetterling. The individual interests of the children are addressed in the courses offered in the afternoon. The courses vary each year and per location. Schmetterling has offered the following courses in recent years:

• Early Musical Education
• Concentration and coordination training
• Cooking for children
• Yoga for children
• Science course
• English as a foreign language
• German as a foreign language
• Dancing
• Sports courses
• Nature Experience

4. Please mention what steps are you taking beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students?

Schmetterling offers much more and is constantly developing the educational concept. What is special about Schmetterling is the bilingual care in German and English (full-time), the daily home-cooked meals with an organic content of 80%, a higher care ratio in the groups, weekly excursions for the older children, inter-group school preparation in a separate course, modern and bright rooms, …

All caregivers must undergo annual further training to stay up to date with the latest pedagogical developments. In addition, Schmetterling employs its own pedagogical quality manager.

5. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the students’ interest towards education?

Children of kindergarten age are basically interested and curious. Schmetterling picks up on this natural curiosity and tries to give the children the necessary security to be able to develop freely.

For this reason, we use the Berlin settling-in model and the relationship partnership with the parents is particularly important to us. In the development meetings, which take place twice a year, the needs of the children are addressed.

In addition, a speech therapist and an occupational therapist visit Schmetterling every week.

6. How are you providing financial assistance to the students in need?

Schmetterling supports families in financial need with a free or low-cost kindergarten place.

In individual cases, donations were also collected for these families.

7. What are the career opportunities available to the students after completion of their courses?

Schmetterling offers kindergarten places at four locations, and children up to the age of six are cared for. Due to the full-time bilingual care, the children also can go to purely English-language elementary schools (e.g., American International School Vienna, Vienna Elementary School).

Schmetterling is often chosen by parents who are only staying in Austria with their children for a few years. The children of these families stay in the international context when attending Schmetterling, but also get to experience the German language and Austrian culture. This gives the children a broad spectrum and prepares them for international challenges.

8. How the school tackled Covid-19, share your experience.

All kindergartens were open throughout the Covid-19 period and there was always at least one group of children attending at each site. Schmetterling cared for the children in very small groups during the lockdown. For the children in their final year of kindergarten, shelter was provided to prepare them for school. For the other children, there was a comprehensive folder with craft ideas, songs and much more. The caregivers were also in telephone exchange with the parents.

The staff at Schmetterling had to test themselves two to five times a week, depending on the incidence. In individual months, compulsory testing for children was implemented.

9. Please enlighten us about the school’s major awards/achievements, its accomplished/renowned alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

At Schmetterling, the topic of environmental education is very important. Schmetterling is EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) certified and proudly bears the Austrian Ecolabel.

Some of the children’s parents are ambassadors, Austrian politicians, major entrepreneurs, and public figures.

10. Kindly elaborate about the future of the school in the same.

We are currently working on organic certification, which should be achieved by the beginning of 2023.

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International Highschool Herzogberg was founded in 2017 and immediately gained approval for a secondary program at national level and at the same initiated the authorization process to become an IB World School. A team of international educators was put together and sent to the supplementary training courses of the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization). Since April 2019, International Highschool Herzogberg is authorized as IB World School.

The school is located on a 12000m² property on the outskirts of Vienna, near the forests of the Wienerwald, but still close to all the cultural highlights of Vienna. The students can reach the inner city of Vienna within 30 minutes, but can also enjoy the landscape and lovely community of the quaint village of Perchtoldsdorf.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to create a school environment that provides every student with the opportunities for ideal development, so our students will not only excel academically but also develop into humble, self-confident adults, well-adjusted to the challenges of an ever-changing global society. We strive to encourage compassionate action and global engagement, so graduates of our school will passionately contribute towards creating a better world. To achieve these goals, we commit to constant reflection and self-improvement to serve as an example for lifelong learning.

Courses Offered

The IB program was chosen as a suitable pathway for the high school as the IBO’s goals align with the governing body overseeing all education programs (childcare and school programs for 1-18 years are offered). They also fit the working methods of the students as well as the requirements of universities and today’s lifestyles through:

• Individualization through working in small groups
• High academic achievement with the opportunity to focus on individual strengths
• Education for self-reliance and independence
• Ideal preparation for the university of choice
• Opportunity to learn German and English at a high level
• Scientific inquiry, research, and written expression at the university level
• A degree with a bilingual diploma

Students begin exploring and planning their university or professional career choices from the 10th grade, the Pre-IB class. In consultation with teachers and the school counsellor, they then select 6 subjects for the International Baccalaureate that fit in with their future plans.

The school’s aim is to prepare them in terms of content, but also enable access to the universities of their choice worldwide. Students take 6 subjects for their Diploma, and the school offers a range of subjects to allow students to focus on languages, arts, or the sciences. Of the 6 courses, students have to take 3 subjects at a higher level compared to the UK A levels, which many universities consider in the admissions process.

In addition, students complete 120 hours of creative, sporting, and social projects or activities over 1.5 years, as this is necessary both for the IB Diploma and for admission to many universities. Furthermore, the subject TOK (Theory of Knowledge) must be completed, in which philosophical principles as well as the creation and processing of large questions and theories are taught.

Students also write a thesis of 4000 words, the Extended Essay in one of the six subjects,, and this is submitted to the IBO before the final examinations. This also ensures that students who choose a university career have internalized the skills required for scientific work and research activities.

Prominent Individual

One of the prominent personalities of the school since its founding is Mag. Nicola Kovacic-Klackl (headteacher, mediator, counsellor). She is also the founder, director, and chairwoman of the governing organization of the Montessori International Campus – Austria, which oversees the Montessori Children’s House, the Montessori International School for 1- to 15-year-olds as well as International Highschool Herzogberg.

A second prominent personality is Mag. Lukas Slepecki-Dobner who is head of the IB Programme of International Highschool Herzogberg. As well as teaching English and mathematics, he was a key part of the founding team and developed and coordinated the program with a particular focus on providing individual support to students, both academically and in their personal development.

The special feature of this founding team lies in creating an environment which allows all members of the school community, both staff and students, to develop and learn. The school’s culture is built on mutual understanding and respect on all levels, and this acts as a solid foundation for both academic success but also personal growth.

Beyond the Traditional Curriculum

• Student and team health: The students and all team members are provided with a biological snack appropriate to their age group. At lunchtime, the school chef cooks a vegetarian lunch consisting of organic ingredients, which ensures efficiency and well-being throughout the day.
• In addition to the IB Counsellor, a personal coach is also available for all students from 10th grade onward to help deal with learning problems or stress at an early stage and to coach the young people socially.
• A 1-hectare plot with green areas and a small forest invites students to take breaks or work outdoors in learning places in nature. In the summer, teachers aim to shift lessons outdoors to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful skyline of Vienna.
•  Animals are located on the school grounds – dogs are available onsite to provide support to students with anxiety or in emotional distress.

Steps for Student Motivation and Growth

By working in small groups and with close support of the homeroom teacher, the school ensures that no student is left behind. Through individual conversations and regular counselling, students discuss and learn how to create a positive attitude to work, deal with stress, apply different learning methods and maintain personal well-being. The most decisive difference, however, lies in the pre-counseling of all students throughout primary level and the junior high school, in which the focus lies on independence and self-control. Here scientific work is also taught at an early age. These factors provide a foundation allowing students to succeed when entering the Highschool.

For financial support, the school has a safety fund, which enables students in need to continue attending school until graduation if a family experiences financial difficulties. Furthermore, in the past, the parent community has shown great cohesion and has helped to find solutions in difficult times.

Career Prospects

The aim of the International Highschool Herzogberg is to prepare students for tertiary education and professional life. Scientific work but also orientation and specialization on students’ strengths during their time at school contributes to the goal of getting a place at their university of choice.

If a student decides against attending a university after graduation, they still have tools such as lifelong learning, organization, awareness of strengths, independence, and deep academic know-how from the 6 chosen subjects at their disposal. This allows for a fluid transition into working life.

Feedback from former students has shown that they are well prepared for succeeding in different contexts and adept at functioning well in team environments.

School & Covid-19

The school was fortunate to be able to get through Covid well thanks to good cooperation with the parent community. The school’s investments in IT technologies paid off as there was already a digital infrastructure in place when the first lockdown began. This allowed a quick transition to digital learning with students maintaining personal contact with teachers throughout all remote learning periods.

During the different phases of Covid-19, the school reacted swiftly to the changing situations and found solutions quickly, so that the needs of students and parents were met throughout. In particular, the willingness of the entire pedagogical team to find hybrid solutions, in which students could be taught on-site and from home in parallel, ensured that no students were disadvantaged.

Awards and Achievements

Since the International Highschool Herzogberg is a very young school, it does not yet have any university graduates. However, the high average point score of all IB Diploma’s and the fact that so far all students have achieved a Diploma on their first attempt shows the good cooperation between students, the staff, and parents.

It is also striking that many graduates have opted for the fields of medicine, economics, and law, some even for 2 courses in parallel. This indicates that the school’s graduates acquire a passion for learning.

Upcoming Plans

Since the class sizes will remain at most 16 students, there are no plans to enlarge the school. Since this year, the school has been working on setting up a well-being program for the team to ensure continuity and a great working atmosphere for employees after a draining period during Covid-19. In the annual evaluation over the summer holidays, the school continues to improve the quality in all areas for instance implementing state-of-the-art learning methods or new coaching methods to ensure the highest quality of learning and development for the students.

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1. Kindly brief us in short about you and your journey since the beginning of your career.

I started my career as a teachers at a prominent Boarding Schools in Malaysia in 1991 and has been in the education field ever since. After 6 years at 2 government schools, I ventured as a pioneering staff in setting up a private Sixth Form College, Koley Yayasan UEM – that was modeled after Winchester College, England in 1998. I grew into the educational management position fairly rapidly and had international education exposure, strategic planning as I moved into the tertiary and higher education with Sunway Education Group in 2008.

Sunway Education Group (SEG) was instrumental in shaping my understanding of the transition between the secondary school to tertiary education, up to the highest PhD level. As Government and Corporate Liaison Head for all 7 institutions under SEG, I became very familiar with the government’s policies and procedures governing the Private Higher Educations in Malaysia as well as its aspirations / strategies to make Malaysia an Education Hub in the region.

This experience brought me into another venture to set up a private education institution – KYS Business School (KYSB), Ayer Keroh, Melaka – this time on the foundation of transnational education. KYSB was set up in collaboration with 3 leading NZ Universities – University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Canterbury, Christ Church in 2013. Some 800 students went through the Chartered Accountancy Pathway Programme by the time I left the College in 2019.

And now I am heading Melaka International School as Principal that could be my last formal employment before retirement.

2. How do you use technology in the classroom?

For various obvious purposes which include:

1. Communication with students and parents;
2. planning and designing learning experiences;
3. as tools for the teaching and learning processes;
4. up-to-date resources for worldwide research work/project;
5. assessments – especially formative after the Pandemic

Since technology now is the driving force behind all advancement, it is critical that students are exposed to and trained to develop their skills with the availability of technological tools for life-long learning purposes, hence the ‘how’ of using technology in the classroom is almost unlimited.

3. What has been one of your greatest contributions to the institution you have worked in for their development?

I feel the opportunity for institutions and their students to transfer overseas – in particular to NZ Universities while I was at KYS Business School was one of the highlights of my career. Not only there is a transnational educational collaboration with tremendous benefits for participating universities, but it also exposes students to new educational philosophies and systems, social and economic situations, and cultures of different nations. Earning a degree is one, but more importantly, growing up holistically and optimizing the new ‘world’ invaluable experience helps stretches an individual’s true potential and talent.

4. Please tell us about your organization in brief.

Melaka International School was set up in 1993 with a Vision of Every Student A Success Story – one that deeply touches me. I truly believe in this slogan and we are trying our best to be as inclusive within our capacity and resources to accommodate a vast variety of mixed ability students at MIS. We aspire to educate students so that they could achieve their own individual potential – and NOT necessarily score As’ in all examinations – education truly for growth and personal development that is life-long in nature.

5. How have you dealt with challenges, and what are some ways you have resolved them?

Challenges, more often than not, carries along opportunities. The obvious challenge we have all faced over the last 2 years was confronting the Cov-19 Pandemic. Based on this situation alone some of the ways that have been employed to mitigate the difficulties include the following in brief:

1. Effective and affective communication with all stakeholders;
2. being flexible yet practical and sensible in the management strategy;
3. putting in place SOPs that are manageable and focused in managing challenges;
4. collaborate more closely, seek advice form main partners such as curriculum provider – Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE);
5. learning from best practices from other schools / institution – alternatives to existing practices;
6. benchmarking our institution with the standards that we aspire to achieve during the tumultuous time, and
7. emphasizing transparency and teamwork and in achieving aims and goals.

The above in many ways has brought along changes in the management and organization of the school that would prepare MIS for more of the same in the future.

6. What motivates you?

The success of students, staff and the institution at large. Small successes should spur on more progress as well as highlighting our strength as a strategy to give confidence and motivation to all involved. SUCCESS must be shared and celebrated to create the positive growth mentality and motivational impact in any organization.

7. Being in the industry for a long time, enlighten us with the educational scenario of your country and the ever-changing education sector.       

Technological advancement, strategic educational planning as well as national HR planning all critically affect the landscape of education in Malaysia. While the strategic educational planning takes much consideration the needs of the HR for the future of the nation, educational foundations and philosophy of knowledge acquisition and individual growth MUST remain a priority. Individual must be allowed and provided with the opportunity to thrive in an environment that supports both the STEM as well as the humanities and social sciences domain of knowledge.

Needless to explain, while technology develops so will the gap in the provision of sophisticated delivery of education between the rural and city expand. Political commitment on the provision of the IT infrastructure, training of teachers, building of more modern, self contained schools in the rural areas are but some matters that need desperate addressing.

And of course there is the issue on the standard of education that is available in Malaysia at all levels. I feel, and as we can observe in the more developed nations, the link between the universities and the industry must be improved, enhanced to ensure that researches that are carried out at the academia is directly relevant to the present world and marketable for the benefit of all.

8. Who has most influenced you to become an educator/administrator, and how did they influence you?

My parents and teachers.

To make a difference anywhere, you must first make a difference in the people… the nation is built through honest, sincere teachers /educators who help produce leaders..

9. What are your professional goals for the next 5-10 years?

To continue contribute in the field of education in particular early childhood and primary education. These are the areas that I have not been really exposed to, and had the opportunity to delve in deeply over the years.

10. What message would you like to portray the student across universally?

For all to enjoy the endeavor of seeking knowledge for its own sake and for a true understanding of the world around them. Perhaps also aspire to push the frontier of knowledge for the betterment of themselves, their community and the world at large.

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Astonishing leaders have already been produced by conservative educational methods. Nevertheless, improvements in education are considered necessary to strike a balance in securing the best professional options for pupils. A tried-and-true approach to establishing a profession is a good way to advance, but is it still applicable in today’s world where everything changes so quickly?

A leader should always look for great opportunities for improvement in educational methods, technological advancement, and value addition in the students. People should be aware of your existence, expertise in any particular area, and your ability to serve society leader behind the ideology is Dato Professor Dr. Noor Inayah Ya’akub, is the President and Vice-Chancellor of Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL).

About Dato Professor Dr. Noor Inayah Ya’akub

A qualified Advocate & Solicitor High Court of Malaya and Syarie lawyer State of Negeri Sembilan, Dato Prof obtained her Bachelor’s in Law from International Islamic University in 1993 and later obtained he second degree in Shariah law in 1994.

She received her Master’s in Comparative Civil & Banking Law from the University of Bristol in 1997 and her Ph.D. in Comparative Civil & Islamic Banking Law of Guarantee from the Law Faculty at the University of Manchester, England in 2005. She also has more than 20 years of experience in teaching Islamic Law, Syariah and Conventional Banking Law, Takaful and Insurance Law, Equity & Trust Law, and Business Law and Ethics.

Some of her hobbies are watching sports and movies, playing badminton, and bowling.

About Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur

Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur is the only infrastructure university in Malaysia providing quality education and excellent professional services to both Malaysian and international students in various areas, such as Engineering, Business, Communication, Language Studies, Architecture, Biotechnology, Information Technology, and many more. We have already been awarded five stars by the Talent Development Bank for being the first choice of employers in their search for graduates.

Our graduates are the first choice of many big conglomerates globally, such as Microsoft, Shell, PETRONAS, and many more. Being an infrastructure university, our international students make up 50% of the overall student strength. Around 60 of our homegrown academic programs are not only accredited by the local accreditation bodies but also by top professional bodies globally. This reflects our students’ ability to not just work in Malaysia but to work globally and makes us the preferred choice of international students all over the world.

The culture that we inculcate at our university is beyond races and religions and nurtures social cohesion and harmony. All of our faculties are well-qualified professionals. Even during the pandemic, we offered a hybrid type of delivery and assessment method of the curriculum. Our students are well-equipped with serving the public as well as the community once they have completed their studies. We recently ranked in the top five universities in applied education and also rank 12th in the list of top universities all over Asia.

One of the leading private universities and the only infrastructure university in Malaysia, Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur has been providing quality education and professional services in various fields for the last 20 years. A five-star rated university, IUKL has been the first choice for many corporate giants globally and has been offering various globally accredited programs to its students.

Behind the rapid growth and success of the university, lies the diligent effort and pioneering leadership of Dato Professor Dr. Noor Inayah Ya’akub, President & ViceChancellor of IUKL. A qualified advocate and multifaceted leader, Dr. Noor Inayah Ya’akub has always been focused on building innovative curriculum and enhancing the leadership and entrepreneurial skillsets of her students.

Roadmap Drawn for the Future

In terms of my future roadmap, I have set up six goals that are related to each other for my university. The first goal is to produce quality students with innovative and entrepreneurship skillsets through innovative curriculums and various learning programs as I don’t think that a good student without entrepreneurial skills is relevant. The second goal is to ensure that all students understand that they are relevant, are referred to, and are respected. People should be aware of your existence, expertise in any particular area, and your ability to serve society. I am also very particular about sustainable governance, which not only caters to the financial or digital sector but also the IT infrastructure.

I am also very particular about the factor that students and staff must ensure that the research work they are undertaking is really meaningful. I always encourage my staff to go for meaningful research that is meant to serve society and can bring changes to society and lifestyle. These are some of the long-term goals for the university.

Now coming to the short-term goals, I want to ensure that the university is practicing good governance that is transparent and academic oriented. Starting from budgeting and the cost of sales to your expectations from your colleagues to achieve academic outcomes, everything must be transparent. Coming to myself, I want to do beyond the pandemic era where students up to a certain extent are more interested in earning a living and are no longer interested to come to the university and attend offline classes. We must be innovative to provide education where students can learn as well as earn something at the same time.

The Idea of Success

I believe that to become a good leader, you need to produce leaders. I have always inculcated leadership values in all my subordinates. I also like to be more creative and innovative so that we can easily adapt to the current situation and prepare our students to have a better future where they not only possess good academic merits but also are trained to apply their knowledge to solve problems.

So, I always link knowledge and wisdom in all my students and colleagues as for me, academic qualifications are not sufficient, and we must be able to apply our knowledge to make everlasting and sustainable decisions. I have always been clear about what I believe and walk the talk. I always take decisions based on current scenarios as for me, we cannot predict what is going to happen tomorrow. I believe that nothing is impossible and we must go back to our roots and try again in case of a hiccup.

Awards & Recognition

• Ranked Number 22 in the Top 300 Most Influential Women for Islamic Finance by UK Cambridge Financial Association in 2019 and 2020
• Awarded the prestigious TokohMaalHijrah Federal Territory for a distinguished scholar category in 2019
• Best Business Law Professor by the Golden Globe Tigers Award Malaysia 2019

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1. Kindly brief us in short about you and your journey since the beginning of your career.

My name is Xiaochao Guo, and I’m the founder of That’s Mandarin Chinese Language School. I started teaching Chinese nearly 20 years ago to foreign students in Beijing. Back then I realized that most beginners struggled with the same problem: new Chinese words are really, really hard to memorize!

When you start learning Chinese, the new words don’t make any sense at first – they are just a bunch of sounds. It’s not easy to make your brain process them into meaningful words. But you can help your brain by building connections. That’s how I came up with a technique we now use at That’s Mandarin, called Link Words.

For example, there was one student in my class who just couldn’t remember the Chinese numbers from 1 to 6. His name was Leo. So I told him to link number 6 to his name, “六 (liù) – Leo”, and it worked! He used the same trick for other numbers, finding “link words”, and quickly mastered all the numbers.

Another method I always used in class was storytelling techniques. We see the world more vividly through stories; and in class, a good story makes the students forget that they are studying, and learn effortlessly.

It all started when I arrived at one private corporate class early and sat down to read the magazine in the lobby. There was a riddle in it about a  young man in a sports car passing by a bus stop in heavy rain. There were 3 people waiting there: his good friend who once saved his life, an old lady that looked very ill, and a beautiful girl. The man had only 1 free seat. Who should he offer a ride to, and why?

I liked the simplicity of this story and used it in class. The student loved it, and since then the story grew into a whole series — episodes at the hospital, the coffee shop, and so on. Each time my students expanded the riddle and rebuilt the story as they wanted.

These and other methods helped my students learn Chinese quickly and start speaking from day 1. Not to boast, but at one point a whole university group of language exchange students joined my classes.

Then I decided it was time to open a school. In 2005, That’s Mandarin school was founded, and more teachers joined the team.

The Chinese name of the school, 思道睿 (Sīdàoruì), echoes the English word “story”.

2. How do you use technology in the classroom?

Very soon we realized that Chinese writing affects learning speed a lot. When Chinese learners take notes, their focus is not on the teacher and the conversation, but on their notebook and notes. So we thought of a way to ‘relieve’ the students from this cognitive overload during the class, by creating a digital platform where the teacher would take class notes in a digital format, to be easily (and forever!) accessed and reviewed by students.

This was a game-changer. So many students shared that in the past, their classes in brick-and-mortar classrooms were too fast-paced and difficult to follow. The teacher would write the characters on a whiteboard, and the students would be so busy copying them correctly into their notebooks, that the precious class time would be gone, and the student’s focus on conversation and speaking would be completely lost. But Mandarin Café (this was the name of our first platform) took away that unnecessary level of difficulty. We also built the system in a way that students could click on any unfamiliar word and see its translation, which also sped up communication — a sure way to have a sense of progress in class.

This was back in 2010. And in 2020, we upgraded the system to an advanced learning platform, NihaoCafe. Now all our students and teachers use it for online and offline classes.

Apart from digital notes, we also added a rich library of content for all HSK levels. It even features our own, newly produced HSK-graded TV series with famous actors! There are also hundreds of custom articles, videos, audio and comic books, vocabulary and grammar exercises, etc.

We also use time-proven methods such as Link Words and storytelling techniques, to make sure our students can learn Chinese faster and in a more meaningful way, related to their daily lives and study goals.

3. What has been one of your greatest contributions to the institution you have worked in for their development?

No doubt, it was the decision to re-build the online learning platform, NihaoCafe. We updated it just before the pandemic, and this way all our students could easily switch to online classes and continue learning all over the world. Until now, language students still cannot come to China to study, but we have so many online learners who connect with our teachers online and say that their dream is to come to China one day and learn at our physical schools.

The story of NihaoCafe was featured in ChinaDaily:
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202207/15/WS62d0fc14a310fd2b29e6c928_2.html

4. Please tell us about your organization in brief.

As a premier Chinese Language School, we’ve been delivering excellence in Chinese teaching since 2005 to more than 50,000 students of different nationalities.

We provide Chinese classes in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Milan, as well as anywhere in the world via NihaoCafe.

The school motto is:

“打破一切常规、交流至上”

Dǎpò yīqiè chángguī, jiāoliú zhì shàng

“Break all conventions and just communicate”

As already mentioned, in 2010, That’s Mandarin became the first Chinese language school to combine advanced teaching methods online and offline. Later, we also expanded our Chinese Link Words technique into a book for Chinese beginners. The book helps students remember new words better and faster than traditional learning methods.

5. How have you dealt with challenges, and what are some ways you have resolved them?

Here’s a quote from Abigale Wan, That’s Mandarin Managing Director:

“When Covid-19 started, we quickly shifted most of our classes to online – even for students who were in China but couldn’t come to the school. To give you a rough idea, we used to have around 70% of students taking offline classes, and 30% online. Now, only 30 per cent of our students take classes offline, and the rest have switched to online programs.”

In a way, this crisis gave a boost to our online courses, and made our students understand that we live in a new digital era where online format can offer a quite satisfactory experience. Of course, being in China in person and practicing Chinese day by day is wonderful, if a student can come to China and study here — but online learning has proven to be an effective alternative for the students who don’t have that chance.

Abigale also says, “Many Chinese language schools didn’t survive, and with borders closed, more are likely to close down soon. The only reason our school was able to survive is NihaoCafe — a learning space developed specifically for Chinese language learners.”

https://studytravel.network/magazine/issues/817/articles/28806

After the pandemic, a few of our former competitors joined That’s Mandarin.

6.  What motivates you?

I think my biggest motivation is seeing how students from all over the world, all walks of life, succeed in learning Chinese and improve day by day. Also, our cultural events are a great motivation — it’s always amazing to meet with learners who show interest in the Chinese culture, even absolute beginners. Sharing culture is a way to connect beyond the language.

7. Being in the industry for a long time, enlighten us with the educational scenario of your country and the ever-changing education sector.

We believe that interest in the Chinese language is going to strengthen in the future. Especially when the borders open up!

At the same time, big changes are coming in the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Exam) system, and we’re getting ready for this as well, both with NihaoCafe and with our paperback textbooks. The exams are going to get harder in the beginning, but easier at higher levels — so the learning process is going to become more balanced.

8. Who has most influenced you to become an educator/administrator, and how did they influence you?

Most certainly the students! Students are the best critics. They’ve helped us shape our teaching style and methods. As they say, when the teacher’s pace is too fast, he/she’ll be the only person to catch up. So knowing how hard it is to learn Chinese, we’ve tried to look at the process through the students’ eyes, and make it as comfortable and ‘making sense’ as possible.

9. What are your professional goals for the next 5-10 years?

Now that NihaoCafe is up and running, we keep updating and improving it.

At the same time, in the past year we’ve been working on a completely new project —a platform for young Chinese learners, NihaoKids. We see big potential in it.

This platform is quite different from NihaoCafe, and designed specifically for young learners, so they can learn Chinese in bite-sized, game-like lessons.

We’re also dreaming of opening more campuses around the world. Ideally, a campus in every big city! (Haha.) At the moment, the biggest language course provider in China are university language courses. They are good, but the class size can sometimes reach 20-30 people. So we’d like to give the learners an option: if they want to learn the ‘traditional’ way, they can choose a university course, and if they need to learn Chinese fast with focus on communication —  they can come to us.

10. What message would you like to portray the student across universally?

“Every language contains a unique worldview.”

Language doesn’t just provide you with tools to communicate, but also with an insight into how people see the world.

If you a foreigner living in China, Chinese language won’t only help you get things done — in many ways, it can help you understand how people think, what drives their actions, and to bring you closer to the people around you. Our biggest dream is to help learners all around the world build these connections with China and Chinese people.

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About Emily

I grew up in Hong Kong. I graduated as a Ford Scholar and Terman Scholar from Stanford University with a BS degree in Industrial Engineering. Then I went to Harvard for an MBA. I was a management consultant for about ten years before my son was born. I became a stay-home mom. To keep my mind busy when my son was an infant, I wrote a book about business basics, which was subsequently published by Wiley and Sons in five languages.

Dawn of her Career

As my son grew, I became fascinated by education, which is supposed to be the new “rocket science.” I wanted a multi-language, progressive school for my son, but I couldn’t find one in Hong Kong. Eventually, I met three other moms who had the same frustrations. We decided to open our own school. So, that’s how I got into education. We founded Dalton School in Hong Kong, which now includes a boutique kindergarten and a charitable elementary school in collaboration with Tsinghua University Primary School. The same philosophy guides Dalton School Hong Kong as The Dalton School in New York, and we were very grateful that their administration came to Hong Kong for our opening to show support. We are in the middle of planning our expansion into a small charitable secondary school. It was a real learning experience starting a school from scratch and playing a role in everything from curriculum to bathroom fixtures decisions.

We relocated for my husband’s business ten years ago, but I remained involved with Dalton School Hong Kong at the board level. My son attended the International School of Beijing (ISB), and I was elected as a Trustee on the Board at ISB. It was a new experience as, unlike Dalton Hong Kong, ISB is a very established school.

Our family relocated to Shanghai a few years later. So, my son transferred to Shanghai American School (SAS), and I was elected as a Trustee on the SAS Board. SAS is another new experience; it is much bigger than ISB and has two campuses. SAS is also the oldest international school in China. We celebrated our 110^th year this year. In the past few years, I have chaired the Human Resources Committee, Trusteeship Committee, and Head of School Search and Transition Committee. I have been serving as Board Chair since last year. I have been growing and learning a lot in school governance.

Contribution of Technology in Education

International school boards focus on strategy. So, in the last few years, a vital part of the strategy (and reality) for schools in China is the technology to support distance learning. For me, technology is not just computer hardware and software but also human resources like how to support teachers who are not used to online teaching, curriculum planning to engage students online, and screen-time balancing, especially for the younger kids. It took much effort by the school administration, faculty, and staff, but SAS can now switch from in-person to distance learning at more or less a moment’s notice.

Teaching Technology in K-12 Schools

I think technology is changing so fast that K-12 teachers, or anyone, can’t be well-versed in all key aspects. So, I feel we must tap into expert resources beyond our immediate community. Some leading universities are doing great work helping the K-12 sector. For example, my son attended a fantastic interactive online course called Stanford e-China, offered by SPICE at Stanford. During the course, he interacted with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and Stanford professors on technologies changing the world, like green technology, e-currencies, and more. I think this kind of program from tertiary institutions supporting K-12 is critical to getting our students ready for the 21st century. I heard Fudan University Finance School is also launching a course along these lines.

I also think that while technology will no doubt continue to play a key role in the 21st century, we must remember to educate a “whole child,” which means we cannot forget humanities and the arts. K-12 schools can also tap into professionals for support. For example, the world-famous artist Fernando Botero (his works are displayed next to Picasso’s) has an office that welcomes opportunities to speak to students for free on art and art history, sometimes including hands-on studio experience for even little children. These are resources that many schools are not tapping into.

Instead of telling our children to learn, I also believe that parents should model lifelong learning and community engagement for their children through their actions. I have much respect for parents active in the Parents Teachers Students Association, as they are setting a great example for the children. For me, besides serving on school boards, I also serve as a fund-raising advisor for the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Registry. The Registry was founded by one of my best friends and a most amazing surgeon Dr. Ava Kwong. One focus of the registry is public education and awareness to improve the knowledge of hereditary cancers in the general public. I enjoy getting educated and helping others get educated on critical issues.

Visionary Leader

I seek to contribute by making decisions genuinely guided by the institution’s mission. For example, one of SAS’s missions is life-long learning. So, whenever we have key decisions to make, we will ask ourselves, “how does this align with life-long learning? Are we learning? What can we learn from the best practices of others?”

Hitches Faced Along the Journey

I think supporting the needs of the different stakeholders in the ever-changing and utterly unpredictable COVID context in the past few years has been a real challenge for many schools. It is a challenge in Shanghai and Hong Kong even now. These are difficult situations for everyone, and the only way to a reasonable compromise is empathy, trust, and unity, which requires factual, continuous, transparent, and timely communications and a constant reminder that, as a school, community safety and student learning must come first.

Motivation for the Motivator

I am a natural workaholic. So, I will spend every minute of my time working whenever there is a responsibility to fulfill, service to complete, or promise to keep. But what makes me happy is to see progress, especially progress made to challenging problems, and to work in partnership with my peers and team. What demotivates or infuriates me is hypocrisy, politics, and lack of professionalism.

Current Educational Scenario of China

In China, for many international schools, changing demographics is one of the biggest challenges and opportunities. With many companies reducing the ex-pats they send to China, either because they are replacing ex-pats with locals or downsizing their China business, international schools are beginning to have many more local Chinese families who may not be familiar with international school philosophies, visions, and missions. This causes conflicts. For example, some families may want more Chinese classes or more homework than what an international education seeks to offer. But this is also an opportunity to integrate the host country’s language and culture more into the school, which is conducive to global citizenship and international understanding, breaking what was sometimes described as the “international school bubble.”

Her Torchbearer

I would say Sir Ken Robinson and my family influenced me the most. Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talks are among the most popular TED talks of all time, and his books are bestsellers. I stumbled upon these videos when my son was about three, and they got me thinking about the education system I have taken for granted. His talks and books shed light on the problems of our current education system and a vision of how it can be improved, all with a sense of British humor. For example, the current system of putting students into grades by age is based on the assembly line batching system during the industrial age. His talks made a significant impact on me. They inspired me to found Dalton in Hong Kong.

My family is the other significant influence. I had no interest in education before my son was born. I was more into a career in strategy and consulting. But the mother’s instinct to provide the best for one’s child, observation of how the world has changed since my time in school, and the lack of logic in elements of the traditional education system that I went through made me deeply interested in how education should work for my son and many like him. I am grateful that my husband has been very supportive.

Life Lesson for All

I like the SAS’ mission statement a lot: have the courage to live your dreams, pursue life-long learning, and be guided by integrity and empathy. Time flies. So, make use of it well.