Central to an IB education at any level is the area of
Inquiry. Inquiry is a path to thinking and learning which is often unfamiliar
to adults schooled in a more traditional system. Since it is so basic to our
eduation system, it would be interesting to set out a piece of homework for
ourselves as parents and adults. As IB
parents imagine that the Central Idea or Statement of Inquiry for you is How Children Learn Best Is a Refection of the World We Live In Today. In doing this, you would quickly come upon
the concepts of inter-connectedness and the knowledge economy supported by
technology. You would take into account shorter attention spans and
individualizing learning for different styles of learning. You would see why
flexibility in learning is important to promote learning rather than assuming
that all children must do exactly the same thing in the same way. Most of all,
you would confront the question of “Why is it important to learn this?”
These are areas
which teachers explore with every unit plan. Our students learn by doing and by
working collaboratively. It is to share these experiences that we have Back to
School events in primary and middle school which give you a taste of this learning
environment – through the use of manipulatives, Ipads, group discussions. I
hope that what you experience demonstrate why learning in this way is more
effective and lasting.
Databases
The school subscribes to a number of online resources. The online academic journal Jstor makes
available scholarly articles used by teachers and Diploma Level students. The Britannica Online is regularly used
by primary and middle school students. Across the primary school, Tumblebooks make available a wealth of
books to students and parents – a resource that is specially useful during
vacations.
Green School
We periodically
test our air quality which shows that air inside the school campus is
significantly cleaner than the surrounding areas, providing a healthier
environment for our children.
Star Students
A number of our students have made us proud over the past
few weeks. Radhika Sharma from Form 12 competed against writers from around the
country to win a national award from Katha for her poetry writing on domestic
violence.
Three students
from the middle school, Prachi Sharma, Aditya Jain and Samarth Modi
participated in the India round of the World Scholars Cup,
competing against
100 teams. They were chosen to go through to the final round in Bangkok in the
summer.
You can read their accounts elsewhere in
this blog.
Star Educators
We are delighted that a second member of our staff Ms S
Indira has been invited by the IB to join a worldwide educator network as a
workshop trainer and school visit team leader.
She will go on special training to Bali for this. In addition to her and
our PYP Coordinator Vandana Parashar also an IBEN trainer, we have ten DP
teachers who are recognised IB examiners.
Calendar Changes
Please note that there is a slight change in Sports Day
which has moved from 26th February to
19th February. This is because we
have been informed by the IB that we can expect the MYP authorization team to
come to school in early March. Students and teachers are well prepared for this
and final preparations will be under way in end February.
Upcoming Events
With senior school students having just finished their
examinations, we look forward to seeing their parents in school for the PTM and
an introduction to the IB Diploma programme for Grade 10 parents and students.
Careers Day for senior school students will see an introduction to some popular
career areas in business, media, technology, medicine etc via an interaction
with practitioners.
The primary school meanwhile is preparing for Grandparents
Day and Early Learners for Rhyme Time Day – which will for the first time take
place in the amphitheatre.
As always the next
few weeks are packed with interesting learning opportunities at every level.
Dr. Shalini Advani
School Director