PBL - Shenzhen International Foundation College

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PBL: Awakening Students' Inner Drive

For many years, SIFC has been deeply committed to the PBL (Project-Based Learning) teaching methodology. Through problem-driven learning in real-world contexts, PBL not only stimulates students' interest in learning but also cultivates essential skills for the future, such as critical thinking, interdisciplinary integration, and the ability to solve complex problems.

As educators often say, "Interest is the best teacher," and one of the key missions of education is to "awaken" students' inner motivation. In this process, project-based learning engages students through authentic tasks and challenges, encouraging active exploration and deep participation while transforming knowledge into practical skills—a crucial component in nurturing future talent.

The annual PBL exhibition, held once each semester, is a unique highlight at SIFC. It serves not only as an evaluation of students' learning outcomes but also as an opportunity to reignite their sense of curiosity. Here, theory meets reality, rationality intersects with emotion, and the practical blends with the imaginative, creating a feast of ideas filled with wisdom and creativity. The charm of PBL lies in its ability to not only awaken students' potential for introspection but also inspire their desire to explore the world beyond, infusing their growth journey with boundless momentum.

PBL Exhibition

@SIFC

描述

PBL Exhibition

@SIFC

描述

PBL Exhibition

@SIFC

描述

Creating A Super Marine Creature That Eats Ocean Trash

“Can we create a super marine organism that consumes ocean waste and secretes nutrients required by marine life to protect the ocean ecosystem?”

—— Sophia Mou

The entire marine ecosystem is facing unprecedented challenges. Microplastics, chemical toxins, heavy metals, and oil spills are omnipresent, threatening ecological balance and human health.Sophia and her team have put forward a bold and creative hypothesis — to use biotechnology to engineer a super marine organism specifically designed to clean up ocean pollutants.

They envision this super organism could possess purification capabilities similar to certain microorganisms in nature, but with higher efficiency and stronger adaptability, allowing it to survive and function effectively in various marine environments. The path ahead is full of challenges, but their project demonstrates an inspiring sense of responsibility and passion for environmental protection!

How to prevent sexual assault and exploitation of young people?

“The definition of sexual harassment is much broader than we might imagine. It can include someone staring at you, whistling at you, or any behavior that makes you feel uncomfortable—all of these can be considered sexual harassment. We need to be vigilant in identifying it and courageous enough to say ‘no’. ”

—— Ivy Zhang

Real-life cases such as the Bao Yuming case and Lin Yihan's novel The First Love of Fang Siqi, which address the issues of sexual abuse and exploitation of teenagers, have drawn attention from students like Evelyn Zhao and Ivy Zhang. These events not only expose the harsh realities of sexual violence against adolescents but also evoke empathy for the victims and prompt reflection on the current state of sex education.

On one hand, researchers like Evelyn provide practical self-protection strategies for young people. On the other hand, they are committed to raising public awareness about the precise definition of "sexual harassment" within schools and communities. Through education, they aim to enhance understanding and ultimately reduce the occurrence of such tragedies at their root cause.

How to improve the power generation efficiency of urban power plants?

“We have discovered three ways to improve the power generation efficiency of cities. More importantly, I think I've found the direction for my future major and career!”

—— George Liu

"How to Improve the Efficiency of Urban Power Plants?" is a physics project initiated by George Liu, Skye Qi, and Parzival Chen. They identified the issue of energy waste in urban power generation and screened out three of the most feasible solutions from 15 initial ideas: integrating renewable energy, leveraging smart grid technology, and adopting hybrid power generation that combines heat production with electricity generation.

At the PBL exhibition, the small-scale simulated power station they developed and built themselves drew the attention of the principal and teachers. Their academic enthusiasm and innovative spirit inspired all the students and faculty present, encouraging everyone to reflect on and care about their communities, cities, and even their own values through their practical actions.

How do mindset

change our lives?

“When a fixed mindset shifts to a growth mindset, anyone can overcome learned helplessness and achieve a certain level of success.”

—— Calmete Zhao

Calmete vividly remembers struggling with learned helplessness during her elementary school years until a teacher completely transformed her. Out of curiosity about the psychological principles behind this transformation, she decided to conduct research on the topic.

In her project presentation, she introduced two key concepts: "fixed mindset" and "growth mindset," explaining the vastly different outcomes that each type of thinking can bring.

Calmete emphasized that a growth mindset not only helps students overcome obstacles in their studies and improve academic performance but also cultivates their courage and resilience to face future life challenges. She encouraged both students and teachers to practice and master the growth mindset to unlock their potential and achieve self-transcendence. Her perspective resonated deeply with the teachers present.

How to improve the structural stability of the bridge?

“As I passed by bridges of various sizes, I had never thought about why they are so stable. This time, I actually explored how to build a bridge from multiple perspectives, including physics, ecology, and economics. It was really fascinating!”

—— Jody Kuang

The "Bridge" project is the one with the largest number of participants and the widest interdisciplinary span in the entire school. As such, it has attracted the involvement of six teachers from different disciplines—social sciences, mathematics, science, art, and language—who have provided students with comprehensive professional support.

This interdisciplinary collaboration has completely broken down the barriers of traditional education. Clearly, the students have gone beyond the structural aspects of bridges and are considering how they can effectively alleviate traffic congestion and enhance urban operational efficiency. They are also exploring the resilience of bridges in the face of natural disasters and the harmonious coexistence of bridge construction with the natural environment.

At the exhibition, under the guidance of their art teacher, the students carefully created a bridge installation using materials such as stones, plaster, cement, resin, ultra-light clay, artificial grass powder, and plants. Every detail reflects the collision and integration of rational thinking and artistic inspiration.

How to reduce gender stereotypes?

“A single phrase of ‘girls can't learn math well’ has killed so many dreams. We cannot let gender stereotypes take away a world that should be diverse and rich. ”

——Yuki Pan

This group designed a series of interactive games to guide people in discovering the gender stereotypes lurking in their subconscious, serving as a reminder to teachers and students that such biases are omnipresent.

Many of us have likely heard comments like "girls can't excel in math" or "how can boys study ballet," but few of us have considered the frightening consequences of these statements. Several students shared that they had indeed lost opportunities to explore their interests because of such remarks.

The group emphasized that this research is infused with feminist and egalitarian ideals but does not aim to incite gender antagonism. Instead, it seeks to genuinely enhance public awareness and broaden perspectives, working together to build a campus and society that are diverse, respectful, and understanding.

Interest is the best teacher

One of the most important tasks for educators is to "awaken" students' intrinsic motivation. At the same time, cultivating students' interdisciplinary thinking and problem-solving skills is an essential part of project-based learning (PBL).

In addition to the examples mentioned above, there were many more PBL presentations covering fields such as chemistry, economics, English literature, Chinese language and literature, and art. Due to space limitations, they cannot all be detailed here.

The educational philosophy of SIFC—to "awaken" and "ignite" students' potential—is best demonstrated through these more than 30 vibrant projects. These projects encourage students to discover their curiosity and sense of mission, transcend disciplinary boundaries, and embrace innovation and practice.

Many teachers expressed that this feast of knowledge also "awakened" their long-dormant curiosity.

When chemistry teacher Gin Cao heard students at the social sciences booth explaining how a "growth mindset" can influence academic performance, she nodded in agreement: "We really need these moments of 'shining eyes.' It's this 'light' that guides us forward."

As time passes, people often have their innate curiosity buried by learning tasks, work, or even daily trivialities. However, it is precisely this curiosity that drives us to explore the unknown and challenge the status quo.

The PBL project exhibition at Shenzhen International Preparatory Academy serves as a reminder to all of us—no matter when—to always maintain our curiosity and love for the world. It encourages us to reclaim that pure sense of wonder and rediscover the 'light' in our eyes.