"Well, kids, today we have experienced the human breathing phenomenon through our own observations, and learned the relevant knowledge of the respiratory process. Finally, Teacher Xiaoqi also taught everyone how to protect their respiratory system. Do you all remember this knowledge?" At 3:20 pm on February 4th, a primary school science literacy class had just ended. But this class was not in a classroom, it was being broadcasted live through the internet. The live broadcast page showed that over 130,000 kids nationwide were learning from this class online. This was a carefully prepared live science literacy class by Xueersi Online School, a subsidiary of TAL Education Group.

Xueersi Online School Science Literacy Live Class in Session

After a twenty-minute break, the highly anticipated master class started as scheduled. The lecturer for this class was Geng Shuo, a lecturer at the Humanities College of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the "national treasure guardian" from the CCTV program "National Treasure." As he watched the number of viewers "soar" during the live broadcast, Geng laughed, saying that he had never taught so many kids before and felt a bit nervous. But he quickly adjusted his state and began his humanities literacy course with the theme "Returning to Historical Scenes with the Help of Cultural Relics."

"National Treasure" guardian Geng Shuo teaching humanities literacy class to kids nationwide

In recent days, the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic has touched the hearts of everyone. The Ministry of Education issued a notice specifically requesting the postponement of the start of the 2020 spring semester to prevent the spread of the epidemic on campus. In actively supporting the deployment of the "suspension of classes but not suspension of study" work in various places, Xueersi Online School has launched free live broadcast classes and self-study courses synchronized with the school schedule from Monday to Friday. Children nationwide can watch for free via the Xueersi Online School app, as well as platforms like China Education Television and Study Strong Country.

What's surprising is that Xueersi Online School has carefully designed the curriculum for each day and grade, and the rich master classes and literacy classes are a major highlight.

The "Master Class" series at Xueersi Online School boasts a star-studded lineup. In the first week's class schedule, there were courses such as Associate Professor Feng Yong from the Department of Pathogenic Biology at Wuhan University lecturing on virus prevention, commentator Ji Lianhai from the TV program "Lecture Room" commenting on the top three famous ministers of the Qianlong Dynasty, academician Hu Wenrui from the Chinese Academy of Sciences guiding an exploration of the mysteries of the universe, Lin Ming, chief project engineer of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge island and tunnel project, talking about how the "super bridge" was built, Lu Wu, a member of the Antarctic scientific expedition team, lecturing on "Going to Antarctica," historian Li Tianfei giving in-depth lectures on "Journey to the West," commentator Yu Gengzhong from the "Lecture Room" lecturing on ancient Chinese health and epidemic prevention, and Yan Yu, director of the Strategic Cooperation Office of the School of Economics at Peking University, lecturing on "The Source of World Civilization," and many other rich and diverse topics covering astronomy, geography, history, and literature, among other fields. The person in charge of Xueersi Online School introduced that in the next few weeks, historians Qian Wenzhong and Wang Liqun, renowned writer Liu Xinwu, military expert Zhang Zhaozhong, and psychologist Yin Pu, and other experts in various fields will have their courses appearing on the Xueersi Online School platform.

In addition, Xueersi Online School has arranged a rich literacy curriculum tailored to the age characteristics and learning needs of primary school students, including science classes, programming classes, Go classes, painting classes, and physical education classes. For students in the third year of junior high school and the third year of senior high school, thinking and comprehensive classes for each subject have been arranged to help students consolidate key and difficult points and enhance their overall abilities.

Online live classes have solved the problem for parents, but what they didn't expect is that they themselves have not been "let off." Xueersi Online School's course schedule also includes parent classes in the evening, such as the February 4th evening parent class with the topic "Playing with Concentration, Overcoming Distraction and Fidgeting in Class," much anticipated by parents. A netizen with the username "Lingfan" commented, "During this special winter vacation, I didn't expect to be urged by my child to attend classes, but it's actually very rewarding."

In addition to Xueersi Online School, other education brands under TAL Education Group have also joined the ranks to help with the "suspension of classes but not suspension of study" and assist children in joyful learning.

TAL Education Group's intelligent inclusive self-learning platform, Xueersi Light Course, has long been dedicated to subject and literacy training for students aged 3-12. In response to the epidemic, Xueersi Light Course has launched a 30-day free membership course, covering a wide range of content such as Chinese language, math and science thinking, fun English, astronomy and geography, famous classics, artistic cultivation, and growth and health. Xueersi Light Course currently offers more than 80 free courses, totaling over 1000 lectures and over 9200 minutes of total course time, with over 100 new courses planned to be launched in the coming year. For example, "Dynasty Songs" takes time as a clue, from the three emperors and five kings to the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, explaining interesting historical stories, characters, culture, idioms, common sense, and character to children. The content of "365 Questions About the World" covers five main themes, using a "story + life + knowledge" model to cultivate children's scientific exploration spirit, problem-solving abilities, and independent thinking while learning multi-dimensional encyclopedic knowledge. Currently, Xueersi Light Course, in partnership with national IPTV, OTT, radio and television, operators, and cable channels, has promoted course content to television screens, covering 31 provinces and municipalities directly under the central government. In addition, local education departments at all levels such as Shanxi Province and Xi'an City have also included TAL Education Group and Xueersi Light Course as recommended high-quality resources.

Dr. Panda, a beloved cartoon character, has become a science popularization mentor. In the science popularization short film "Dr. Panda Views the World: Novel Coronavirus" released on January 30th, Dr. Panda used vivid and interesting animations and easy-to-understand science knowledge to explain the formation, transmission, hazards, and preventive measures of the novel coronavirus. This allows children to willingly stay at home, no longer resist wearing masks, and develop good habits of washing hands and maintaining hygiene. In addition, Dr. Panda announced that from now until February 17th, up to 120 encyclopedia knowledge classes will be open to all children nationwide for free.

This year's winter vacation may be longer than usual, but no winter cannot be crossed, and no spring will not arrive. A person in charge of TAL Education Group said that TAL Education Group will spare no effort to launch more high-quality literacy courses, allowing children to have a happy and fulfilling holiday.