Message from the Head of School – April 12, 2019
Scaffolding at BIS
I attended the Grade 9 Personal Project presentation yesterday. The presentation informed both parents and students about the MYP culminating student-generated personal project for Grade 10 students. It is a major piece of independent work that is defined by the student’s passion, interest and confidence in the skills he/she has accumulated over the past few years in the Middle Years Program. What resonated with me about the project is that it is based on many best practices within education today. It provides space for creativity and passion, assessment is transparent, the project follows the design cycle which provides the basis for all good learning. The project also helps our students to further develop their Approaches to Learning skills in that over the next 12 months, they must manage their time, organize their schedule, communicate effectively, and make decisions which will allow them to complete the task well and on time.
Our Grade 5 students have begun their journey into “How We Express Ourselves” for their Exhibition and will present their inquiry next month. Thank you to Ibu Nadia and Ibu Nyoman for their facilitation throughout this student driven unit. Grade 10 students enjoyed a week of learning, experiencing and interning at a business in and around Denpasar. Many thanks to Ibu Rachael for facilitating the students to find a placement which fits their developing passions and interests.
Scaffolds are structures which help people get to a higher level. Here’s a picture of a scaffold made out of bamboo here in SE Asia.
In education we talk about scaffolding concepts and skills for students. Our teachers at the Bali Island School provide the scaffolding required for our students to feel confident as they master skills and concepts and ready themselves to climb to the next challenge on their learning journey.
The examples of long term projects above, require so much scaffolding, so many check-ins and supportive conversations. This is what our faculty is good at. Faculty members routinely assess where your child’s learning is and then plan their teaching to advance the learning. Time is take to space learning and consolidate learning, cementing the learning in preparation for the next level. This is an example of the power of a Bali Island School education.
Next week, BIS will welcome accreditation officers from the Ministry of Education here in Indonesia as well as from the Council of International Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Our host country community members will exercise their democratic muscles by voting on the National Election Day. Please help us welcome our guests and good luck to all Indonesians for the week ahead!
Have a great weekend!
Garth