How China Studies Supports STEM Learning at WAB 

This week on the podcast, Stephen Taylor, Director of Innovation inLearning and Teaching, and Wenjing Wang, China Studies Director, joined us to talk about how the China Studies program supports STEM learning at WAB. 

Their conversation highlighted how STEM learning becomes more meaningful when it is connected to authentic contexts. Through China Studies trips and collaborative projects, students move beyond the classroom to investigate real systems and challenges in our host country. From visits to the Yellow River to fieldwork in Inner Mongolia, students engage directly with environmental systems, real-world data, and community issues. These experiences help them connect what they are learning in class with the world around them, whether they are studying water systems, desertification, organic farming, or sustainability. 

What makes this innovative is that this applied approach is an integrated part of WAB’s STEM program. Alongside the thoughtful use of technology, we innovate by allowing STEM learning to happen through direct experience: out in the field, alongside experts, and in response to real-world questions. 

As students collect data, observe change, ask questions, and test ideas in the field, they begin to see themselves as researchers and problem solvers. They use  the concepts they have learned to make sense of real conditions and propose potential solutions. 

The podcast also explores how partnerships with hospitals, research institutions, and other experts enrich this work even further. Through WAB’s collaboration with Beijing Tiantan Hospital, for example, students in the Neuroscience Club have had opportunities to engage with experts in brain science through presentations, exhibitions, and on-site visits. These moments help students see STEM as a living field of inquiry and give them a clearer sense of what future careers might look like in practice. 

Also in Elementary School, Grade 2 students deepened their learning by visiting the Beijing Planetarium and then exploring an interactive space-science exhibition created by the China Studies team right here on campus. Hands-on stations with constellations, moon phases, planets, and ancient Chinese stargazing tools helped young learners experience abstract space concepts in concrete, memorable ways. 

When students see how their learning can be put into action, it becomes more relevant, memorable, and inspiring. They deepen their understanding when they apply their learning in real contexts, and this is where the innovative power of China Studies really shows. It is part of our larger commitment to learning that is intentional, connected, and grounded in the world around us. Through the work of the China Studies team, students learn with and from where we live, discovering how STEM can help them better understand their environment and imagine how they might shape the future. 

This year, through our Innovation Series, in collaboration with Stephen Taylor, our Director of Innovation, we’ll be sharing stories and examples of what innovation looks like across WAB. We’ll share stories from classrooms, examples from alumni, and insights from global partners. Our hope is that together, we can build a clearer picture of how innovation at WAB helps our students become better learners and prepared for life beyond WAB.