“The wild elephants are moving northwards probably because the climate in their original habitat is becoming hotter. They can’t stand the heat, so some of them left to search for a new place to live. Such climate change is caused by increasing carbon dioxide emission. A lot of human activities, such as driving cars and using air-conditioners, will cause carbon dioxide emission.”

This was not a class, but a knowledge expansion session after a funny quiz, “where did the elephants go,” given to first and second graders by Zhang Hong, principal of Bantian Experimental School in Longgang District. Thanks to the combination of news topics that kids were interested in and the form of oral Q&As instead of paper exams, the funny quiz was well-received by the students — they rushed to raise hands to answer questions, listened attentively to the after-quiz session, and laughed upon learning funny details about the life of wild elephants.

Designed by Zhang and implemented by the school’s curriculum center, the funny quiz aims to increase students’ involvement in discussions and expand their knowledge beyond the textbooks.

For Zhang, a seasoned educator, encouraging students’ well-rounded development should always be one of the school’s and teachers’ priorities, and that knowledge beyond the textbooks is equally important as textbook knowledge. He hopes that with paper- and pencil-free quizzes like this one, students can experience greater happiness while acquiring knowledge.

(Yu Yuanfan)