Feature: lessons learned as Chinese teachers take over English school

A typical English schoolroom is on the front line in a unique experiment to determine what happens when East meets West.

Fly over a team of teachers from China, gather 50 typical British teenage students and introduce them to traditional Chinese teaching methods. It was bound to end in tears, but so far the tears have come from the teachers, shocked at the reaction of 13 and 14-year-old boys and girls to their style of teaching.

The month-long experiment has been captured by cameras zooming in on the daily 12-hour school days and recording reactions of teachers and students.

Televising the results across the nation has fuelled a debate among students, parents, and teachers about which teaching method is best.

The three-part series, 'Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School', is looking at whether British schools can be taught a lesson from China's high-ranking education system. In the latest episode, students were shown rebelling against the harsh regime of long days and strict discipline. The Chinese teachers struggle to deliver their lessons, with at least one teacher in tears.

Neil Strowger, headmaster at Bohunt School in Hampshire where the experiment has taken place, said: "As a school we are always looking at how we can innovate and improve the ways we teach students. We've been teaching Mandarin for the last 20 years and have an exchange program with schools in China, so we are very interested in the country's education practice, as well as its history and culture.

"Some students did find the Chinese way of teaching a challenge and much of that was because the Chinese school day is longer than ours and the teaching approach very different.

"Students did enjoy the experience and took a lot from it. The Chinese teachers did too. I've recently been contacted by one of them, who wrote to say how much she liked the school and enjoyed her time with the children. She also thought the experience had improved her as a teacher."

"Once the series has finished, we will be looking at what we might learn from the series and I'm sure the Chinese teachers will do the same."

A BBC spokesperson said: "For several years some of the East Asian countries have beaten the UK on core subjects in international league tables, and we wanted to explore if their approach could be transferred to the UK classroom.

"This bold project explores the differences not just in curriculum and teaching style, but in culture. This series has delivered thought-provoking content and has started a discussion about education practice in the UK."

Britain's Open University, which is monitoring reaction, has received mixed responses from people eager to comment on the experiment.

Ian Smith wrote: "One of the words on the gates of this school is "respect" and this was sadly lacking, as shown by the behavior of many pupils. The head teacher clearly wants the Chinese method to fail when he should be taking a more objective approach ... I'm infuriated over the lack of respect."

Newly qualified teacher Rachael Wade commented: "This program is about highlighting the differences between attitudes and culture rather than the education systems. I am quite concerned about the attitude of the head teacher of the school to suggest the reason for the failing of the Chinese school lies solely with the method and delivery. This is clearly a very successful method in China where students not only respect elders from a young age, but also the importance of education and knowledge, and this is something that has to be taught in the home as well as in school. Ultimate responsibility for a child's welfare, attitudes, behavior, and discipline lies with parents."

An infuriated Jo Quman said: "The reason why Chinese students excel is not because of the Chinese method of teaching. They would excel with any method of teaching. The reason is because their parents, family, and society has taught them to be ambitious and put as much effort as possible into being the best. It's this effort that helps them excel. If the British method of teaching was applied to Chinese and British kids, the British wouldn't stand a chance."

In the final episode next week, the students sit tests, with the results showing whether Chinese or English teaching methods produced the best results. Endit