The design of the group assignment decisions

Regarding how to support Chinese international students to adapt to UK student- centered learning

Our group assignment opts to focus on a specific issue, which is how Chinese international students can adapt to the student-centered teaching philosophy in the UK. This issue is very practical and significant! When Chinese students first arrive in the UK, they do often encounter difficulties in adapting to the shift from a "teacher-led" to a "student-centered" educational model.

The first part is a quiz.

This quiz tests whether you have a good understanding of the subject and whether you comply with the educational concept of student-centeredness by calculating whether you are at level A, B or C (Goodwin, 2024) . This is to lead us to our topic.

Initially, our group intended to place it at the end. The purpose was to conduct a small test after reading the entire blog to assess how much we had understood about the learner-centered learning theory in the UK. However, after some reconsideration, we decided to conduct the test at the beginning instead. This way, we could have a general understanding of this concept and lay a foundation for the subsequent content.

The second part is an understanding of student-centered teaching in the UK.

This part is designed from two aspects: what is the student-centered teaching method and why it is a challenge for Chinese international students. It comprehensively examines this issue while critically reflecting on the differences between the two countries. Then, we compared the education systems of the UK and China from the following three aspects at that time.

1.  Classroom structure

•  United Kingdom: Usually "Introduction-Exploration-Report-Feedback" four-paragraph, leaving enough time for students to interact and show.

•  China: Mostly the process of "review-lecture-practice-assignment", the classroom rhythm is compact, and the interaction between teachers and students is relatively limited.

2.  Teaching resources

•  UK: Focus on interdisciplinary projects, combining community, museums, laboratories and other off-campus resources.

•  China: Mainly relying on textbooks and teaching aids, school-based courses and off-campus resource development are relatively lacking.

3.  Classroom atmosphere

•  Britain: open and diverse, encouraging students to express different views; mistakes are regarded as "learning opportunities".

•  China: rigorous, orderly, emphasizing the "correct answer"; mistakes are often regarded as "should be avoided" mistakes.

The last part is the video.

1. Real cases, intuitive resonance.

Through specific cases of Chinese students' learning experience, the video presents the real difficulties they encounter in British classrooms due to differences in culture and thinking - such as the fear of questioning or putting forward different views in public. This kind of "other mountain stone" example can make students who have just entered the school or are preparing to go abroad quickly resonate and see their own shadow, so that they are more motivated to take the initiative to adjust (Yu, 2019) .

2. Operational advice and motivation are also important.

Instead of empty preaching, the video combines the real feedback of international students to give specific and feasible strategies - such as how to ask questions in class, how to interpret critical homework requirements, and how to turn failure into growth opportunities (Cogan, 2024) . Knowledge points and emotional motivation are both important, so that the audience can not only "know why" but also "know how to do it".

The video gathers case demonstrations, research arguments, emotional resonance and practical guidance. It not only helps Chinese international students quickly understand and internalize the key thinking and participation methods of the "British learner-centered" model, but also provides support and encouragement at the psychological level. It is a high-quality reference for starting and adapting to British higher education.

AI Acknowledgement Statement

In the process of writing this article, the content structure and language are supplemented with the help of ChatGPT. All generated texts are read, proofread word by word by me and edited and supplemented according to actual needs to ensure the accuracy of the information, the consistency of logic and the relevance of the content. The views, design principles and analysis expounded in the article all come from my personal knowledge reserve and independent thinking. I only refer to AI suggestions in form and wording, aiming to maintain the originality and academic integrity of the work.

References

Cogan, N.A., Liu, X., Chin-Van Chau, Y., Kelly, S.W., Anderson, T., Flynn, C., Scott, L., Zaglis, A. & Corrigan, P. (2024) ‘The taboo of mental health problems, stigma and fear of disclosure among Asian international students: implications for help-seeking, guidance and support’, British journal of guidance & counselling, 52(4), pp. 697–715.

Goodwin, J.R. (2024) ‘What’s the Difference? A Comparison of Student-Centered Teaching Methods’, Education sciences, 14(7), p. 736.

Yu, Q., Foroudi, P. & Gupta, S. (2019) ‘Far apart yet close by: Social media and acculturation among international students in the UK’, Technological forecasting & social change, 145pp. 493–502.