At the elementary school level, courses and teaching activities center on cultivating interest, acquiring basic learning skills, and guiding methods of thought. By collaborating on lesson plans teachers of different subjects get to know the progress and focus of each subject, which is taught as a part of an integrated whole. In this way, teachers can better help students build knowledge associations as well as inspire and guide them to think more creatively and independently.
Science and math are taught jointly by Chinese and foreign teachers to utilize and retain the strengths of American education in guiding students' interest in science and mathematics.
In order to teach two languages and cultures, instruction emphasizes language usage and fundamentals of culture to help students at this stage develop their cultural awareness.
For example, the SEL course.
The SEL course uses a caring and respectful atmosphere to cultivate students' emotion and cognition and control, psychological self-regulation, and interpersonal communication; academic learning abilities such as independent problem solving, goal management, and teamwork are also improved by learning and applying social and emotional management skills to the healthy development of students' personalities and intelligence.