Exploring Grief and Resilience: A Literary Inquiry into Shi Tiesheng
An Inside IB Article.
How can literature help us understand the complexities of human emotion?
This question shaped Ms Luo Fei’s recent Year 7 Chinese Language lesson—an experience that moved beyond the classroom and into the heart of autumn. At our Academy, inquiry-based learning is more than a method; it’s a philosophy. This lesson exemplified how the IB approach transforms reading into a deeply personal and collaborative journey. Rather than simply analysing literary devices, students explored themes of loss, maternal love and acceptance—connecting text to life in ways that foster empathy and resilience
Preparation began before the lesson. Students received a Self-Study Guide designed to spark curiosity and independent thinking:
- Map the mother’s character using textual evidence.
- Explore related works such as The Silk Tree and My Bond with the Temple of Earth for context on Shi Tiesheng’s life and philosophy.
- Respond to the prompt: Identify the moment in the text that resonates most with you—and explain why.
This pre-work shifted students from passive readers to active investigators of the text’s emotional depth.
The Lesson: Learning Beyond Walls
The class gathered in the Xuezhi Pavilion garden—a deliberate break from routine. “The crisp autumn air and golden light became our co-teachers,” Ms Luo reflected.
Students engaged in collaborative close reading, voices growing in confidence as they wrestled with Shi Tiesheng’s rhythm and tone. Discussion centred on their hypotheses:
- Why is the mother so insistent on seeing the chrysanthemums?
- What does the title truly signify?
Ideas evolved through dialogue, revealing the mother’s quiet strength and the narrator’s inner turmoil.
A Tactile Connection
A pivotal moment came with a sensory task: Find an object in the garden that represents autumn for you.
Students returned with brittle leaves, seedpods and fading flowers. Holding these tokens, “autumn” became tangible. One student observed: “It’s beautiful, but it’s also dying. Maybe that’s what he saw—beauty and sadness together.”
This embodied learning bridged the author’s world and their own.
Conclusion: Why It Matters
The lesson ended not with answers, but with reflective silence and a discussion of the essay’s closing injunction: Live well.
Students didn’t just understand the text—they felt its emotional core. Their autumn tokens symbolised fragility, memory and hope for renewal.
This experience reflects our commitment to innovative IB teaching: creating conditions for discovery, empathy and intellectual growth. At our Academy, literature is not just studied—it is lived.
