Education of the future

Featuring cutting-edge equipment, new classrooms encourage creative thinking and an interest in the sciences among high-school students across the country, Xing Wen reports.

Growing up in a remote town in Northwest China's Gansu province, 12-year-old schoolgirl Liao Wenting was surprised to find that the head-mounted displays and robotics that she had seen in sci-fi films could be within arms' reach.

Her school, the Wenxian No 2 High School, which is located at the foot of rolling hills in Bikou town of Wenxian county, has recently built a high-tech-empowered classroom.

The classroom, covering 137 square meters, features multimedia teaching systems, virtual reality headsets, 3D printing equipment and other high-tech gadgets. Students can also experience such technologies as augmented reality, laser cutting and educational robotics.

Its construction was completed in December 2022. Since then, the school has opened two elective courses in the classroom, graphical programming and 3D printing, each of which has attracted 120 and 20 students, respectively.

The facility, donated by the All-China Journalists Association and tech giant Tencent, is the first such high-tech-empowered classroom in Gansu.

Additionally, Tencent will offer free training services for the school's information technology teachers and organize regular scientific and technological competitions to motivate youngsters and inspire continuous exploration in the field of technology.

Ran Lingli, an information technology teacher with the school, says that the high-tech-empowered classroom, which allows students to have a more hands-on experience with high-tech equipment, is more likely to stimulate their creativity.

"I used to ply them with instructions on how to use software like Word and Excel in my class."

"However, in our newly built classroom, we encourage students to explore their creativity and turn their ideas into reality. With access to resources like the 3D printer, students can bring the objects in their minds to life," says Ran.

Recently, Ma Feiya, a 12-year-old student at the school, had the opportunity to use the 3D printer to create a pencil case with intricate designs.

"It was an incredibly exciting experience to see my model come to life," she exclaims. "I am eager to continue exploring the possibilities of this field in the classroom."

For Xu Wei, president of the school, the improved hardware facilities in the classroom and the free online educational resources provided by Tencent are a timely boost for the school's development.