Our Educational Approach and Pedagogies

The Yew Chung Approach to Early Childhood Education – Centering Emergent Curriculum, Child-Led Inquiry, and Multilingualism, which distils the 12 Values of YCYW’S approach to early childhood education, is the culmination of YCYW’s decades of practical experience and refinement in early childhood educational practice in the Hong Kong SAR and the Chinese mainland.

Through decades of evolution and refinement, YCYW has crafted a distinctive early childhood education pedagogy tailored to China. It harmoniously blends traditional Chinese Confucianism with John Dewey's Western theory of "Progressive Education". The YCYW pedagogy is deeply rooted in Chinese cultural traditions and values, yet embraces a global perspective, rendering it unique among international early childhood education pedagogies.

Dr Stephanie C. Sanders-Smith from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in the United States, conducted extensive research on the Yew Chung pedagogy, and wrote The Yew Chung Approach to Early Childhood Education. The book discusses how Yew Chung’s student-led, emergent curriculum approach, underpinned by the 12 Values, supports multicultural learners within a multilingual learning context and nurtures global citizens. The values and pedagogy have also proven effective when implemented at the primary and secondary levels, as well as in other cultures.

The English version was published by Routledge, a prominent academic publisher, and the Traditional Chinese version and the Simplified Chinese version have been published and distributed by Chung Hwa Education (a subsidiary of Chung Hwa Book Company). The Chinese edition of this publication will facilitate the dissemination of the Yew Chung philosophy in early childhood education throughout China and all Chinese-reading communities.

Professor Kathy Sylva, an early childhood education expert at the University of Oxford, highly praised the book and believes that the Yew Chung Approach offers a unique and innovative perspective for the education field worldwide.

Throughout its 90 years, YCYW has won acclaim for its pioneering spirit. The 12 Values is at the heart of our Yew Chung Yew Wah Early Childhood Education. The 12 Values approach centres on strong relationships that encourage the inner-transformation
of young learners as they acquire knowledge, personal skills and character traits of a global citizen. We embed the 12 Values in the design of the indoor and outdoor learning environments, as well as in the intentional daily interactions and routines of school life.

Dr Stephanie C. Sanders-Smith, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been researching, refining and articulating the Yew Chung Yew Wah 12 Values approach in Early Childhood Education since 2016. This ongoing research provides great insight into our approach to early childhood education. The 12 Values are set out in a pyramid that visually demonstrates the interplay between these areas.

These 12 Values are a distillation of our rich educational experience spanning over 90 years, to present a clear purpose and path. They represent a framework for constant, dynamic evolution. They are a set of aspirations to guide educators. These values will be extended to our Primary and Secondary operations and a wider community as we move forward.