沪江携手剑桥 首批雅思课出炉

1. It is well-known that Cambridge University Press is the world's oldest publishing house and the second-largest university press in the world, what motivates you to cooperate with a Chinese online educational platform to produce online courses?

Thank you, Sophie. I should say that we are the world’ s oldest publishing house. We have been publishing for 430 years to remain in business, to publish for that time, for that length of time, you have to be open, to innovation, flexibility and the ways of doing it. For us, we have (been) watching we have being operational and refocusing China for many years. We have watched with great interest the growth of internet usage in China and the growth of online education in China. We are very excited - the flexibility, the rich experience and the content that online education affords Chinese learners. So for us the company is always an organization that has always embraced innovation. Its mission is to advance knowledge, learning and research, the opportunity to work in a new space.

2. Since 2010, Cambridge has provided electronic book content through the website Cambridge Books Online, you are the pioneer in the field of publishing. You must be very scrupulous in choosing partners, among so many organizations in China, why did you choose Hujiang?

For us, we have watched with great interest in Hujiang’s growth, we have conversations and meetings with Hujiang for months and years. We are, when we look at the scale of Hujiang-its growth and the quality of what it does and how it does it. Hujiang is a very much natural partner for us. Skill and quality, the focus on users and attention paid to them. ... And that is what we value. So, I have valued it for 430 years. So as I said, we have spent much time going to know each other, and the impression has grown fair. 

3. In regard to IELTS, it is jointly managed by Cambridge English Language Assessment, the British Council and IDP Education, and Cambridge University Press published some past papers together with Cambridge English Language Assessment, which are indispensable to IELTS candidates. The content developers of Unlock have integrated the key skills for preparing IELTS into this series of book, could you share the core spirit of designing? And would you like to recommend the outstanding features of Unlock?

The core spirit is that in creating Unlock, we have allied to the common European Framework of language, so that learners and teachers are always covering the language that they need to cover at each level, and that is the key. So (with) the Common European Framework, learners can determine what level they need to be on to pass the international exams or prepare for the exams and teachers can determine what they need to teach, that’s one of the key things. The key features within Unlock are that is, with our sister organization, Cambridge English Assessment, which is called Corpus, a large database of which we can officially use. So we have identified through research, the key vocabulary and skills that learners need to prepare for the exams of different levels. It has focused on academic skills, preparing the students to prepare for the exams. A key skill in academic study is critical thinking, it has quite unique focus on critical thinking, providing learners with building blocks to grasp information, analyze and present. -which is the key skills that learners can use in their exams and study. So we have called this critical thinking. The book also provide exercises very interesting for foreign learning... And last it has very strong video vision on it, using documentary video on the scope of education, which contain interesting topics and stories that engage users. The key features of this research are research-based, critical thinking, opportunity for practical exercises and exams and the very strong appealing content.

4. The IELTS department at Hujiang is researching and developing online courses based the Unlock, we couldn’t fail to notice the “critical thinking” section in the map, could you share the importance of cultivating students’ critical thinking?

So Sophie, as you say, critical thinking is very important in western education. What critical thinking means is to enables (us) to identify correct data and how to gather it, to analyze and to formulate your own opinion, and then to be able to communicate your opinion, which is required at higher levels of academic study overseas. Critical thinking is the defining behavior and skill that students need in higher education. So with unlock, we’ve built building blocks which help students work through learning English. As they work to build the critical thinking skills from analysis, ultimately truly appreciation by creating and formulating your own opinions. We’ve built our building blocks vary carefully that learners prepare for both the study and exams, borrow examples and accumulate skills they will find useful in university, or perhaps just in an international communication.

5. In the process of development, our research group face a multitude of resources, printed and digital, so the art of selection is essential, what do you suggest? Why?

Well, there’re multiple, as you said, there’re multiple components that are available in Unlock, the key is to focus on, obviously, students’ book in that the students’ book contains reading materials, exercises and practice. Then there’s the teachers’ book which has got additional resources, exercises, reading materials and projects and that’s what would help Hujiang and tutors carry out this activity. There’s online workbook or interactivities which allow foreign practice online for students. Self-pace, open media, pleasure and skills and resources. Then there’s something which we can usually use in this platform, which is a presentat on plus, which brings all of these together in an interactive, almost perfect brings together teachers’ book, students’ book, high techniques and practice. For me, those are key elements. But I should say there’re many components

6. Now, the demo class of Unlock has been produced, would you like to send your wishes and regards to the potential learners?

I’m Paul Colbert, the global sales director for ELT of Cambridge University Press. I’m delighted you have chosen to study Unlock with Hujiang. We are very excited on this bold new step. We wish you every success with your study and your future.