The Beginning of Junyi
Junyi School for Innovative Learning was built in 2008
by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Association.
Mission
Bilingualism and Global Citizenship
Connect with Nature and the Local Environment
Positive Thinking and Innovation
At the Junyi School of Innovation, we strive to create a diverse learning environment for our students. We put our mission and values into practice by cultivating good character, critical thinking skills, the arts and humanities, individuals with passion, confidence and global views that will help shape their abilities to live and connect with the world.
Curriculum Goal
By encouraging the development of each child’s sense of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness throughout different stages of development, Waldorf education aims to inspire each student’s love of learning for life. The curriculum offers age appropriate, balanced approach to education that integrates the arts and academics for children. Waldorf education also strives to educate the whole child —thinking, feeling and willing (doing), which would engage a child’s head, heart, and hands. Instead of introducing technology to children at a young age, we value human interaction as the essential basis for younger children's learning and growth.
Our ultimate goal is to help our children become creative, independent, moral individuals, and replace traditional one-sided, knowledge-centric public education with a full-spectrum, learner-centric new education system, so they may respect each other and understand the meaning and purpose of life.
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Weekly Curriculum
For a continuous period of three weeks, each theme of Main Lesson is completed through storytelling, songs, rhymes, games and painting for two hours in the morning, so the students can be immersed with just one topic, and have their attention focused to one subject only. -
Art Classes
In art classes, students may develop a healthy body and mind through wet-on-wet water painting, beeswax crayon drawing, clay modeling, woodworking, body movement and drama. These classes bring vitality to learning and promote patience, perseverance and creative thinking along with developing keen senses. -
Festivals
Annual Festivals is one of the key elements of yearly rhythm in Waldorf School, which also plays an important role in connecting the school with student’s families. The ritual celebration allows students and their parents to present their love and respect to the Nature and mother Earth through drama, musical singing or dancing movements. -
Main Lesson Books
Instead of standard textbook, our student produces his/her Lesson Book in class with notes or illustration of own experiences, which ensure their learning will be thoroughly absorbed before writing it down. The one-of-a-kind Lesson Books are also a proof of each student’s learning progress and are treasured for years. -
Evaluation
Though enormous workload, Waldorf teachers willingly provide End of School Year Report for each student as record and evaluation of their learning progress, relationship between self and peer, ability development of body and mind. Parents will be able to see a complete outlook of their children’s development..
To realize the core values of Bilingual Skills and International Exposure, along with fostering Innovation and Positive Character Traits, Junyi recruits more English teachers than standard requirement, including several native-speaker teachers, to build bilingual environment on campus. In terms of English curriculum, we use mixed-age grouping in class, so the teachers may address to each students’ level according to their abilities. In addition, our English teachers may choose different topics like My Taitung, Our Taiwan and the World for each school year, and arrange related activities to encourage students to share their final report in English, thus provide the motivation to sharpen their English skills in all aspects.
As Junyi hopes to keep up with the most current educational trend, especially for English learning, in 2017 we were introduced Learning Management System by BigByte Education, our long-time partner for annual Huatung English camps. After considering the benefits it may bring to Junyi’s faculty and students, Chairman Yen decides to introduce the new system to Junyi at any cost, hoping that our students from Huatung region may have access to the same resource that was available only in big cities. As BigByte has extensive experience in creating Whole Language Environment in past two decades, with its help Junyi will start using the same materials that comply with America’s Common Core State Standard, together with online learning tool, Reading A-Z, we aim to witness an innovative breakthrough by creating Whole Language Environment here in Huatung region, where our students may have a chance to cultivate necessary ability to bridge with the world.
The most valuable resources in Hualien-Taitung region are its indigenous culture and natural environment. At Junyi, we hope to combine both elements into curriculum design and make Outdoor Education one of Junyi Experimental High school’s featured programs; at the same time to help students understand the importance of respect and protecting our land. Additionally, the challenges students face and overcome during outdoor activities will build up their characters and bring positive impact in their lives.
Though in-class training, Grade 7 to Grade 9 students will learn to identify trekking and camping gears, map reading technique and also basic skill and courtesy required in the wild. We hope that each Junyi student will be open to challenge and swim across the Flowing Lake, climb up the Dulan Mountain, ride bicycle through YuChang Highway and conquer Chiaming Lake during middle school.
As the curriculum extends to high school, Junyi reaches out for professional guidance from Taitung University Professors Wen Zhoumou and Zhuang Xinyu, and the Fire Council’s Mr. Chen Guojiang, together with Master shipbuilder Wen Zhirong , Junyi team successfully coordinates the most challenging project by far: Kayak Building. The teachers would lead the students to learn about Taiwan’s geography, oceanography, and the relationship between humans and the sea. Master shipbuilder Wen Zhirong would teach students the knowhow to handle the tools they would need to build their kayaks, and numerous collaboration works with building development and progress. We hope that by the end of each school year, the high school students would be able to bring the Kayak and sail in the Pacific Ocean.
Chairman Yen encourages the high school students: “The challenge you face today will be a link to future life experiences. I hope that from your time here, you will find motivation and courage in the future. I believe that you are strong. With the help of the wonderful teachers around you, you can accomplish anything. One day you will be on your own, facing problems all the time. I hope that you will treasure your memories and experiences from school and be grateful for what you have; those will help you with future difficulties. Cherish these times, and keep them forever in your heart.”
