Ready to take on the world

The list is wide-ranging and impressive: an investigation into pollution levels of the Suzhou River in Shanghai that requires regular on-site surveys of water quality; the impact of China's entry to the World Trade Organisation on the country's car industry; a study of Buddhist architecture in Shanghai.

These projects sound like the the work of university researchers, but are in fact topics tackled by Shixi Middle School senior pupils in Shanghai. The school, located in the Jingan district, launched project-based studies in 1995, becoming one of the first in the city to take such an approach to education, and helping to pave the way for city-wide reforms which are replacing rote-learning with active participation.

As Yang Anlan, Shixi Middle School principal, told Education Post: 'Project learning is instrumental in changing the examination-driven style of teaching. In doing projects, students can develop both critical thinking and problem-solving skills.'

Shanghai has been actively promoting educational change since 1988. In 1998, as part of the municipal government's second phase of reform, a new curriculum was introduced for all students in primary (ages six to 12), junior middle (12 to 15) and senior middle schools (15 to 18). This is divided into three sections for all levels: elementary, developmental and investigative.

Elementary comprises traditional subjects, such as Chinese, English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, history, geography and music, and mostly employs whole-class teaching.

In the developmental section, students choose elective subjects, such as health education, environmental education, drama, journalism, astronomy and photography.