The Termly Magazine of Bangkok Patana School
Bangkok Patana Issue 65 Term 1, December 2021
Magazine
WELL-BEING What We Learned from Tokyo
LEARNING Collaborative Teaching
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP Life After Patana Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS
LEARNING
CONTENTS
Issue 65, Term 1, December 2021
WELL-BEING
Thailand’s Official Specialized
8 Important Skills and Lessons Learned During CSL 10 What We Learned from Tokyo 2020 12 The Impact of Moving ECAs to Live Online Lessons
Dental Hospital
8 Pediatric Dentists - Oral checkup for Babies & Children - Children & Teen Braces
16 LEARNING 14 Professional Learning for Future Readiness 16 Collaboration and Co-teaching for Successful Learning 18 Aspirational Mathematics 20 Preparing for Success After Bangkok Patana
Sedative Dentistry
20 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
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22 Inspired to Develop a New Generation of Talent 24 Global Citizenship – In Play! 25 CAS Project Spotlight: The Union Newspaper 26 Primary Poem: Hope
- BIDH offers Sleep & IV Sedation for Dentophobia & Dental Anxiety - Hospital-based Safety & International Sterilization Standards
Dental Cosmetic Experts
Award-winning Aesthetics Dentists - Digital Smile Transformations - Implant Teeth Replacements - Invisible Braces for Adults Bangkok International Dental Hospital (BIDH) Sukhumvit Soi 2, Khlong Toei, Ploenchit area, Bangkok 10110
Scan for Patana Staff & Family Specials
Front Cover: Artwork by Kanitkanda (Didi) Mahathorn, Year 13
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www.DentalHospitalThailand.com
L ELAORBNAI LN C G GI T I Z E N S H I P
FOREWORD
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hank you for the opportunity to write the foreword for the Bangkok Patana Term magazine! As I write this, I am just about to finish my first half term as a new Foundation Stage 1 teacher; I have loved my Bangkok Patana experience so far and am looking forward to a whole new experience now we are together again on site. A highlight of my first half term was definitely Tiger Spirit Day. In Foundation Stage we used the week leading up to the day to explore kindness and teach the children how to say and sign ‘thank you’ to the many different members of staff who keep our school safe, clean, and healthy. The initial provocation of saying thank you evolved to exploring kindness towards all, including our teachers, parents, friends, animals and the environment. I was so impressed with their learning and felt so refreshed by their innocent and wholesome outlook on the world around them. It reminded me that children are inherently kind. I recently met up with a friend who has been struggling with her well-being as a result of some difficult professional relationships. I spent time listening and supporting her to unpick the web of complicated issues. She summarised her current predicament using a phrase
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that stuck with me: ‘there just is not a culture of kindness’. In light of my recent introduction to Performance Management and reflecting on the whole school objective of promoting, valuing, and nurturing well-being in our community to support student learning, I have started to evaluate and reflect on how I could contribute to a strong culture of kindness in my own professional life. The more I reflect, the more I realise how much power we have as educators to influence our children, parents and colleagues and create a culture of kindness. The phrase ‘if you can be anything
Editor: Shana Kongmun Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2411 Email: shkn@patana.ac.th Advertisement: Finn Balslev Tel: 081-866-2577 Email: finn@scandmedia.com
in this world, be kind’ can frequently be seen on social media, and I believe now more than ever, it rings true. Here are some ideas I have read that have me thinking about how I can contribute to a stronger culture of kindness: Set an example – We set high expectations for all our children. Set high expectations for yourself too. Role model unconditional kindness to those around you, as often as possible. Smile – There are many TED talks on the power of a smile and for good reason. Even when it seems like the last thing you want to do, it lifts you and others up and spreads positivity. Forgive – We encourage children to try, make mistakes and learn from them. Adults make mistakes too. Forgive others and hope that any mistakes were a great learning experience for them. Listen – Give someone your undivided attention. Be present and allow them the time to fully communicate before a response. Laugh – An unexpected laugh is a simple but powerful act of kindness, humanity and connection. Be kind to yourself – Catch yourself when your inner voice is not demonstrating the high standards of kindness you want to show others. – Michael Dolan-Hodgson
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WELL-BEING WELL-BEING
IMPORTANT SKILLS AND LESSONS LEARNED DURING CSL By Matt Conroy, Secondary Social and Emotional Counsellor
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sincerely hope you are reading this article looking back on an extended period of Continuing Student Learning and that those experiences are becoming a distant memory. As a parent, I remember longing for those days to end and the resumption of day to day, face to face teaching. There was a feeling that excessive screen time and social isolation was having a detrimental impact on our sons and daughters. Whilst I am relieved that we have returned to a degree of normality and I genuinely believe that in-school teaching trumps CSL in very many regards. I think there were some advantages that helped our students and maybe it will be possible to revisit some of them again in the future: Sleep – Wake ups were later as a result of not having to travel to school. 8
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It is scientifically proven that teenagers need more sleep and one possible benefit of the CSL structure may have been additional shut-eye. Life Skills – In my work as a counsellor, I actively spoke to many students who were taking responsibility for themselves. Cooking their own breakfast and lunch, maybe even preparing meals for siblings too. These skills were often supplemented with creative lessons which promoted cooking in the home and I am sure students will have a greater repertoire of meals they can make than they ever would when reliant on school meals and the snack bar. Organisation – For me and my wife there were days when we both had to be at work and as such our children spent an increased amount of time home alone. It was amazing to see how they took responsibility for their time, used a watch and set alarms to ensure they were present for lessons on time. They
gave themselves time to eat breakfast, be ready for registration organised with what they need. They developed an autonomy in how they structured their day that does not exist in school when they are told where to go, when to go and what to do. Independence – I genuinely feel that the ability to focus without adults and teachers hovering in the background will make these students better learners and, more importantly, better workers going into the adult world. Developing independent learners is a key ethos at Bangkok Patana and CSL offered an unexpected route for students to take much greater responsibility for their own learning. Along with independence came the opportunity for flexibility, students had much more choice of how to structure their day with increased freetime after school to allocate their time for homework, relaxation and exercise. Future Skills – There is no doubt
that IT skills have blossomed as a result of CSL and it is staggering what students of an incredibly young age have achieved using a wide array of IT programmes including Teams, Google Drive, MathsPad and Powerpoint. These students are now incredibly well placed to enter an inter-connected work place that will feature an increased element of remote work and collaboration. Confidence – Some students genuinely thrived in a remote learning environment. There is a growing body of evidence to show that shy kids, hyperactive kids and highly creative students may have done better with remote learning than in the physical classroom. For those students for whom social santion might be fraught with anxiety, it is possible to envisage that a CSL environment was more conducive to them contributing and collaborating in lessons. Also, having a ‘chat’ option to discretely message a teacher and ask for help without drawing the attention of the whole class may have assisted student in asking for help. Resilience and Adaptability – Looking back I think we need to give all our students a great deal of credit for overcoming the extended period of CSL. Evidence suggests that we all need a degree of stability and certainly in our lives to prosper. The last eighteen months have given little opportunity for that; but through the creativity and ingenuity of remote learning, students were able to access a stability of education and maintain contact with friends and peers through MS Teams. I do feel the need to acknowledge that we have been very fortunate within the Bangkok Patana community to live in an environment where our students have had access to safe homes, with plentiful food and access to high quality IT. These benefits will not have been mirrored everywhere. Moving forward, I sincerely hope that we do not totally forget about CSL. Whilst it may not be a successful model for an extended period of teaching, an occasional day of remote learning within an academic year might actually offer some benefits. TERM 1 – 2021/22
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LEARNING WELL-BEING
TOKYO 2020 What We Learned from Artistic Gymnastics and How It Helped Us Through CSL By Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski, Head Gymnastics Coach
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tarting a new school year online was never going to be an easy feat but as we near the end of Term 1, it is important to reflect on the good, the bad and maybe even the ugly! For many families, the summer break would have been very different to ‘normal’. Luckily, however, we all had Tokyo 2020 to provide some much-needed entertainment and inspiration! The buzz that came from watching athletes from around the world come together for a common cause was infectious and the uplifting stories and tales of athletes overcoming adversity was a major motivation boost. For me, joining Bangkok Patana School this past summer has been a great experience. Of course, it wasn’t the school start that I initially envisioned, and it certainly came with its challenges. Still, it has been important to remain optimistic and take away the positives from every situation. For example, my 10
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two-week hotel quarantine wasn’t the ideal summer holiday; however, I gained uninterrupted time to binge watch the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, particularly the Artistic Gymnastics events! The Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) and Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) events were filled with jaw-dropping, gutwrenching moments, taking spectators through a whirlwind of emotions! The gymnastics world witnessed new young athletes establish themselves on the world stage as the ones to watch as well as seeing veteran gymnasts hanging up their handguards after their final competitive performance. Through all the ups and downs, lessons have been learned and history made. Let’s have a look at some of the key takeaways from Tokyo 2020 gymnastics and consider how these lessons helped the gymnastics community through lockdown number three and beyond!
Bangkok Patana Magazine
1. SHOWING UP FOR YOUR TEAM In the team finals, we saw numerous examples of athletes really showing up for their team! Angelina Melnikova was last up on floor with what must have felt like the weight of the world on her shoulders, knowing she needed to pull an extraordinary performance out of the bag to secure Russia (ROC) the Team Gold! And…she went out fighting! It was evident that she had done enough as she broke down in tears after successfully completing her final tumbling pass. Likewise, Team USA stepped up to the mark and fought to the end, walking away with Silver after Simone Biles surprised the world by withdrawing from the Team final in the first rotation. Yet despite Biles struggles, she still came out to cheer on her teammates, help carry their equipment, bring them water and give them emotional support. These are only a handful of examples of how the Tokyo athletes showed up for their teammates when the pressure was high! Bangkok Patana gymnasts learned that even though they were out of the gym hall, they still showed up for their team. The Academy’s Continuing Student Learning (CSL) sessions enabled student-athletes to keep active and encouraged them to keep those connections with other Tiger gymnasts. As a team, we prioritised taking care of both body and mind and no matter the CSL challenges thrown our way, we all shared a unifying passion for gymnastics.
2. MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS! I briefly mentioned Simon Biles as an example of showing up for her team, yet Biles has taught the world much more than being a good sportswoman. She also highlighted the importance of putting mental health first, standing up for what’s right and not reducing herself to a robot. As I’m sure you read in the news, Simone was struck with a bad case of the “twisties”. She immediately recognised the physical and mental dangers and stated her needs. Biles was predicted to clear up to six Olympic gold medals, an unimaginable amount of pressure, yet she took a pause and placed her worth as a person above the value of a medal. So, what lessons did we learn from Simone Biles, and how did we use these lessons to navigate our way through CSL? We decided we needed a common goal to work towards to help maintain motivation and communication throughout the team. We launched the 2021 Virtual FOBISIA Gymnastics Invitational, a new, innovative competition which enabled gymnasts throughout South East Asia to take part, regardless where they were training. Having this event to work towards provided a positive incentive for Bangkok Patana gymnasts to attend the FOBISIA online training sessions and this centrepiece on our calendar helped the Academy to keep a sense of community throughout the Term 1 CSL period.
3. BOUNCING BACK FROM SETBACKS Throughout the Tokyo 2020 Gymnastics, we were spoiled with uplifting stories of gymnasts bouncing back from adversity. For example, Arthur Dalaloyan of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team surprised the world by competing at the Olympics following a torn achilles, which he sustained at the European Championships in April 2021! An army of doctors said he wouldn’t be ready in time, but he set his mind to it, hit his routines and helped secure Team ROC the team gold! Another example of overcoming challenges is Rebeca Andrade, who, prior to the Games, had three reconstructive knee surgeries, yet claimed the all-around Silver. Some gymnasts even faced setbacks during the Games, such as seven-time Olympic medallist Kohei Uchimura from Japan and defending gold medallist Epke Zonderland from the Netherlands, who both fell off the high bar during the apparatus qualifications round. The disappointment of one mistake following five years of training for this one event is unimaginable, yet both athletes held their heads high, proud in their achievements in making the Olympic stage. Bangkok Patana gymnasts learned from watching these athletes bounce back that they, too, can bounce back. After months of being out of the gym, they have also experienced setbacks, some may have lost flexibility or strength, while others a particular skill. Some may have faced mental blocks, but what is important to hold on to is that these setbacks are completely normal. We have reminded our student-athletes to not put too much pressure on themselves to bounce back to pre-lockdown levels but, instead, enjoy the process of regaining and relearning skills. TERM 1 – 2021/22
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LEARNING WELL-BEING
THE IMPACT OF MOVING ECAS TO LIVE ONLINE LESSONS By Cindy Adair, Cross Campus Assistant Principal Extra-Curricular Activities and Sports
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s we faced the re-opening of school for the 2021/22 academic year online, and the prospect of students missing out on their favourite extra-curricular activities once again, we decided to shift to a LIVE model and create a programme to get students up and active after school. Our fantastic Academy coaches were up for the challenge and so we launched a pilot programme in August. When we discussed our plans, we estimated we might get 20 – 30 students join each call… imagine our delight when over 150 students dialled in on Day 1! Our programme was offered free of charge with no sign-up required in advance – students just needed to turn up and have fun. It was fantastic to see our students but also their parents, helpers and even pets on screen getting involved in dance, football, tennis, fitness, gymnastics, zumba, cooking and more! As one Secondary student put it, “The online ECAs helped me relax after a long day of online learning dealing with technical glitches and lots of screentime. I stayed connected to my friends and coaches and kept my fitness and well-being on track. I feel like I have a chance of getting back to where I was by participating in this programme. I also loved getting the House-points, my friends from my Tutor group and I did it together – we wanted to win Tutor Group of the Term”. It isn’t just the students who benefit – our coaches and teachers really enjoyed re-connecting with students and seeing them smile, laugh and have fun. Not to mention their pride in mastering the world of LIVE broadcasting. It was touching to see students post messages on MS Teams saying, “So nice to see my coaches – I miss you!”. Students were resourceful in adapting to the space and equipment they had available. No basketball? Use a balloon. Not got a kettlebell? Fill an old backpack with tinned food or heavy books. Where there is a will there is a way! After a successful pilot programme in August, we published our September schedule, which included some of our most popular regular ECA offerings such as singing, Minecraft and more cooking. We were also able to offer a range of pre-selected ECAs that students really value including International Award, 12
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Junior Achievement, orchestra among others. Our mantra became ‘why cancel when you can go LIVE online’? On 3rd September I got an excited Teams message from Mr Clarke our Head of Outdoor Education saying, “I got 97 students on my call yesterday, which is amazing. There is certainly an appetite for extra-curriculum based learning!” Another afternoon, I dropped into a Books and Cakes ECA call and saw students from Year 6-13 chatting away, sharing their love of literature and catching up. It’s not often students from such a range of Year groups get to socialise and share their passions. Professor Michael Kocet PhD, of the Chicago School of Psychology writes, “Having hobbies can be essential to maintaining mental health and wellness. In a period of so much uncertainty, hobbies provide people with a sense of accomplishment that is satisfying and comforting.” Professor Kocet loves to cook and refers to this as ‘culinary therapy’, enjoying not just the act of cooking but also gifting his baked treats to friends and family. One of the highlights of the programme was seeing the students really commit to the activities in pursuit of Virtual Medals and House points. Day in and day out they showed up online at 3.00 pm to try the various activities, even those they would not normally choose to do. Footballers danced their hearts out, gymnasts showed us their skills in the kitchen and swimmers can really Sing! Students earned virtual medals at home, in quarantine and overseas. Students received silver, gold and platinum medals based on their attendance, and were thrilled to receive gifts at home. With students back in school, they may be more willing try their hand at ECAs they never would have gone for after giving it a virtual try first. TERM 1 – 2021/22
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LEARNING LEARNING
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR FUTURE READINESS By Glenn Malcolm, Primary ICT Teacher, Cross Campus Advisor Computing What is on the horizon within the professional learning space for educational technology? Modernity in the technological sense is such a movable beast that the age of an application, process or piece of hardware has a lifespan of around two years before a newer, more socially connected version takes hold. In educational circles this timeline is somewhat longer. To this end, we all carry with us between one and four constantly updating devices to divide the work, play, entertainment and other digital lifestyle corners of our lives. This may be a phone, laptop, tablet, watch or fitness tracker that have similar lifespans. The newness of our personal devices outstrip what we use day-to-day in the classroom. This has always been the case, yet nowadays these are increasingly becoming attached to us and smaller still in the form of nanotechnology.(1) This inter-device refresh is a relatively new paradigm with as many pluses as there are minuses. One major aspect for teachers and students is how we understand the seamlessness of how hardware ‘talks’ to one another and how one piece of media interacts with the software across all the others. This 14
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‘talk’ is of great interest for me. As for all of us with a multitude of linked devices, we are creating masses of ‘talk’ in the form of data points that lives in various guises. How these devices interact with one another is called interoperability and as our students get older, their understanding of this process is paramount in terms of this inter-device data transfer that carries their identities with it. Reading this, you may reflect on your own arsenal of technology and ask ‘how is all this interlinked?’ Some of you may already know and utilise this data to better your family’s lives. The Technology Department, on the other hand, is exploring data as a mode to streamline a school’s day-to-day processes with an eye on successful interoperability of software and hardware. The outcome from a recent meeting made me reflect on this general understanding of data flows within school because a key phrase in educational technology that is taken from broader industry is called ‘Future Readiness’. Just how ‘Future Ready’ are our classrooms? And, looking into how we can manage and simplify data streams in school is one of those ideas that can be applied to the likes of assessment and ‘on-demand’ target setting. This data management brings me full circle to my role at
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Bangkok Patana. If we are not exploring the future possibilities, then how can I offer a learned answer as to what is current? If we haven’t explored the cul-de-sacs as well as the roads to success, how can we know how data interlinks? How ‘future ready’ are we as a community?
Understanding interoperability allows creative freedom regardless of application or platform Lately, educational technology companies and the education branches of the big tech firms have all built very solid accreditation services and qualifications with different creative pathways. Over the last few years at Bangkok Patana we have focused on Google Educator Certification and across the school we have seen 26 staff members achieve Level 1 with four of us at Level 2, one as a Certified Trainer and one as an Innovator. This year we have a huge boost with a further 19 signed up to become Level 1 by Christmas - the largest cohort so far. The process this year is to set clear targets for technology advocates as well as those with an interest in educational technology to achieve accreditation in one of the four strands below by the year’s end. How can we achieve this? We will have a rolling programme for staff to attend both for advocates and interested parties for the four main areas:
• Google Certified Educator (2) – Level 1, 2, Trainer and Coach (numbers above) • Microsoft Innovative Educator (3) (MIE & MIEE (MIE Experts of which Bangkok Patana has two)) and another five signed up so far this term. • Apple Teacher (4) that utilises the #EverybodyCanCreate resources in iOS and iPadOS, currently four with another three this term in Primary. • Adobe (3 and an AEL: Adobe Education Leader). (5) A further three signed up this term for Adobe Creative Educator. The interest is growing at a fantastic pace. In the Primary School there are also individual programmes for Seesaw where ambassadors lead the use of this data-rich platform to provide intrinsic support for all staff.
How do these qualifications help Bankok Patana, the staff and the students? It all comes back to data, interoperability and ‘future readiness’. All these programmes are designed to be used on multiple devices across the age ranges on different platforms and for different audiences. Therefore, this level of cross-platform use requires teachers to test their knowledge and understand the best methods of application within the classroom. It also trains teachers to re-evaluate paper-based resources, digitise them and bring collaboration to the forefront alongside the likes of automation to individualise learning journeys. The other long-term goal would be to use the outstanding professional learning resources from Microsoft to bring the number of Microsoft Innovator Educator Programmes (MIEE) to such a level that Bangkok Patana can apply to become a Microsoft showcase school. This would be an almighty milestone as it would mean we would be the only school to have achieved this in Thailand. With the school’s recent investment towards Data Insights, we are in a very positive position towards bridging the interoperability gap and bringing the understanding of future readiness to the fore. TERM 1 – 2021/22
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L ELAORBNAI LN C G GI T I Z E N S H I P LEARNING
COLLABORATION AND CO-TEACHING FOR SUCCESSFUL LEARNING By Nicola Crompton, Senior Teacher – Leader of Student Support Services and Claire Myers, Assistant Leader of Learning, Language Acquisition
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s a non-selective school, and one which values diversity and inclusion, we treat all students as individuals, recognising they each possess different strengths, as well as areas for growth. Students have different needs at different times, with some needing more or additional support to be successful learners. Within the Primary School, we have a combined team of specialists, including counsellors, EAL instructors and teachers, Learning Support Teachers, including support for those who excel academically, and a Speech and Language Therapist. They work with their teaching colleagues to meet the diverse language, social and emotional and academic needs of our students. One of the ways in which we achieve this is to practice collaborative teaching, also known as co-teaching, throughout the Primary School. This is where the adult support from a specialist teacher is taken, whenever possible, into the classroom and where the students are supported alongside their peers. What is collaborative teaching? Collaborative teaching involves a specialist teacher or instructor and a class teacher co-planning and co-delivering the 16
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teaching instruction and taking shared responsibility for all students’ learning. Why do we advocate for collaborative teaching? We have seen the positive impact for both staff and students. When teachers share their experience, knowledge and skills there is significant potential for professional growth and upskilling of teaching practice. Students benefit from more direct adult attention, interaction and feedback when there are two or more members of staff working within a lesson. Practising key skills, knowledge or language within their classroom supports contextualisation of skills. There are benefits to teachers having a slightly different expertise and key intentions in the lesson. For example, the class teacher may be focusing on teaching specific scientific content and the other on reinforcing scientific language. A great deal of research validates our own observational evidence. In 2016, Professor John Hattie found ‘collective teacher efficacy’ (the shared belief by school staff that they can achieve more by working together and sharing expertise) to be the most effective strategy for increasing student achievement. Earlier, in 2014, Linda Darling-Hammond and Dion Burns
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Some quotes from Primary School teachers: “For me, if every lesson had two teachers, the learning would be doubled. Co-teaching is a perfect way to conduct onsite, live professional development. We all approach activities differently and, because of that, two minds will always work better than one!” “Collaborative teaching is an opportunity to learn from each other and share best practices. Lessons work best when we are both invested in the planning of the lesson. Where one teacher plans and both co-instruct, we don’t have the same understanding of the lesson.”
stated that, “more than any other policy area, actions that support collaborative learning among teachers appear to hold promise for improving the quality of teaching” (p. v). (1). During CSL, we continued to provide similar models of support to students, with our specialist staff joining class lessons and breakout groups. This allowed us to maintain the support we can provide to groups and individuals. It has been proved that, while effective, collaborative teaching is not as simple as putting two teachers in the same room and asking them to teach together. Time is needed to establish relationships and norms of working. Both adults need to have confidence in one another’s abilities, value the time that co-planning takes and be prepared to share responsibility for the learning process. To support this, we planned and delivered a staff CPL session back in March 2021. This was very well attended by teachers and instructors from across the Primary School. The same session was then provided to our new teaching colleagues in November. As more teachers embrace the concept of collaborative teaching and all that it encompasses, our impact on student learning is ever increasing.
“Co-teaching is most effective when relationships are good between the teachers, when they trust each other and are both willing to collaborate. A feeling of vulnerability on both parts is one of the challenges co-teachers face.”
And from the children: “I really like it when there is more than one teacher in my classroom. It means if I ever need to ask about the learning, there is probably a teacher at my desk or near my desk to help me. If the teacher wasn’t nearby, I probably wouldn’t ask - I would just guess.” “Sometimes, I finish my task quickly and the other teacher in the room will look at what I’ve done then give me an extension. It might be different to my friends so we can’t help each other with these ones. I love it when this happens!”
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L ELAORBNAI LN C G GI T I Z E N S H I P LEARNING
ASPIRATIONAL MATHEMATICS By Dr Scott Tooley, Head of Mathematics
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ne of the problems teachers had with teaching at a distance was making sure that the level of challenge was right for our students. Communication was significantly more difficult without students in the classroom, so it was imperative that resources were prepared appropriately to make sure that students were supported, not only when struggling, but also challenged if coasting. The collaborative approach to planning in Mathematics allows teachers the time to make sure that all these elements are included in every lesson. Whilst the topic of a lesson may be familiar, the height of the ceiling to which students can aspire within a task is certainly a big part of what teachers consider. Online lessons in Mathematics followed a format that included a starter for students to work on as they joined, the main learning intention broken down by success criteria that students should be aiming for, a teacher taught aspect to the lesson and main task, a form of support as required (often in video format) and finally an enrichment task. This allowed the students’
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learning experience to be as close as possible to being in the classroom. Differentiation has been an important element of a teacher’s toolkit for many years now and remains a key factor in making sure that students are challenged within their lessons. Without a doubt, having a faculty full of teachers that teach all levels of Maths throughout all the Secondary Key Stages means that all students should feel that they are supported when they struggle and challenged to aspire further when they are successful. Experience tells us what students find difficult and what concepts will impact on future learning, so we support these learning challenges with planned strategies such as retrieval practice and formative assessment. All students can have success in Mathematics, and it is our job to make sure that they experience the joy of getting a question correct or finding the solution to a problem. When we are looking to deepen a student’s understanding of mathematics this does not need to be done by learning the subject faster. Spending time questioning why something works, how it is connected to something
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else and where it might go in the future is what makes better mathematicians. This deepening is supported by planning carefully to consider what questions should be asked and with what tasks a student should engage. The best way to support a student in developing their learning is by tailoring the questions that need to be asked to scaffold the student towards a deeper understanding. By doing this with students at an early age, they will develop the ability to be able to ask their own questions as they mature mathematically, helping them to be independent in their learning. When some students were asked what they thought about the enrichment aspect to their lessons they said: I think mathematical enrichment is a great way to help further the learning for students who are already comfortable with the work that classes are primarily focused on; it challenges them and allows them to improve their skills in math beyond what is normally taught within the curriculum. – Caylah Yang
In my opinion, enrichment questions are very useful and efficient. It allows us to further enhance our knowledge on the topic we are studying and also maths in general. Enriched questions are also a lot more challenging, forcing us to extend our thinking as well as finding another strategy to approach it in order to find the solution. – Porngarun (Gui-Chai) Tangchaiyawong Enrichment maths energises me as it nimbly tickles my brain! – Vachiravich (Turbo) Phantratanamongkol
When we began the safe return of students to the classroom, I was excited to engage with my students in a way that we all prefer as teachers. Schools were created to have students in them and whilst teaching online allowed us all to learn new skills, there is certainly nothing better than having a class in front of you, expectant that you can help them on their learning journey.
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LEARNING LEARNING
PREPARING FOR SUCCESS AFTER BANGKOK PATANA By Kevin Keller, Head of Careers and University Counselling
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hen students think about university counsellors and the work that we do, their minds immediately jump to scouring university websites, attending endless virtual sessions with university representatives, picking apart personal statements and submitting important documents. While this is the case for much of our work with students in Year 13, I’m often careful to remind them that our role is much more than that. From the early years of Secondary School, all the way through to graduation day, our Careers and Universities Counselling faculty is actively engaged with students to holistically prepare them for success and meet their goals in higher education. Beginning in Year 7 and throughout their time in Secondary School, students hear from university counsellors on topics stemming from personal values, life as an adult, career choices and, of course, university selection. It is important for students to understand that there is a distinct link between their selfawareness, personally and academically, and their future happiness and success. We encourage students to start thinking about what makes them happy, what skills help them achieve success and in which types of environments do they thrive. Choosing a career is a daunting process. Many of our students are challenged by the idea of choosing something to do for the rest of their lives. At many points during their time at Bangkok Patana, we invite guest speakers and others to discuss the non-linear paths to career success, reinforcing the idea
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that life is not linear; there are twists and turns along the way that make the journey more interesting and help us learn more about ourselves. As we know, life after school, or as it is more commonly known “adulting,” can be equally challenging and rewarding. Building critical thinking skills that guide a thoughtful decision-making process is an important part navigating this exciting journey. Work with Key Stage 3 students centres on preparing them for a life of work by linking goal setting, priorities and personal finance skills. Of course, all of this leads to our work supporting university applications in later years. We are so lucky to be a part of a community that nurtures our students
personally and academically. Of course, university environments can be drastically different and serve as real challenges for our students as they transition into adulthood. As university counsellors, we help our students through what sometimes is the first realisation of the wider world and the trials and tribulations that may appear on their road to success. While most of our students achieve fantastic university admission results, many are faced with life’s first denials. Applying to the most selective global universities in competition with the world’s ablest students can be a thrilling but sometimes disappointing process and I am acutely aware of the word “counsellor” in my title during
Bangkok Patana Magazine
these difficult conversations. Through our work, we help students cope with their feelings and help them realise that while the path may not be as they envisioned, there is greatness still to come. University counselling may not be taught in a classroom but we encourage critical thinking in their responses, instil resilience, encourage determination, and assertiveness to self-advocate when necessary. Universities expect their new students to be prepared for new surroundings, with skills of interacting with increasingly diverse populations and the humility to actively learn through thoughtful debate. The Careers and University Counselling team at Bangkok Patana provide detailed guidance based on decades of experience in university admissions as well as the support necessary to build the skills crucial to success. The rollercoaster of life requires focusing on personal skills – assertiveness, resilience, critical thinking – and regularly putting them to use. Skills are like muscles and should be “worked out” regularly. As teachers and counsellors, we can support reasonable risk-taking
The Careers and University Counselling team at Bangkok Patana provide detailed guidance based on decades of experience in university admission as well as the support necessary to build the skills crucial to success. and creating an environment where students feel comfortable making mistakes. As parents, we can support our children through guiding them along a path instead of clearing a path through life. Universities and employers are looking for independent, confident, and innovative young people and while some may find these skills come naturally, others find that they need to be developed. Yes, the university counselling process culminates in the very exciting
process of applying to universities, but it is the result of months and years of thoughtful preparation and self-assessment. Starting the process of thoughtful goal setting early on in Secondary School encourages students to be aware of and understand the influence of the present on their future. The big goals of our students require a “big picture” approach and our Careers and Universities team will be there to remind them every step of the way.
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ALUMNI STORIES LIFE AFTER PATANA
INSPIRED TO DEVELOP A NEW GENERATION OF TALENT Weerada Suchartikul, Graduating Class of 1997
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eerada Sucharitkul took lessons learned during her time in the IB programme with her as she faced the challenges of university and started her own business. A member of the first graduating class of Bangkok Patana in 1997, Weerada looks back on her time here and how it inspired her to start her own business and work to develop future leaders in South East Asia. “I am Thai but with dual citizenship British nationality, I have lived most of my adult life in the UK and even growing up we lived a lot of my childhood overseas. Before my father retired as
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a diplomat, we lived in Canberra in Australia, the Netherlands, Indonesia and Malaysia. That’s the funny thing about international students, we have lived all over.” “I was a member of the first graduating class and the first IB programme at Bangkok Patana. The majority of my childhood was abroad so going to an international school was a good fit for me. It was my first experience of IB and actually the first time I had heard of it. At the time, it was one of the few schools in Bangkok to offer IB; my father felt it was important for me to get a British education.”
“I loved the breadth of subjects offered in IB and found the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) very interesting. The outside of school experiences were the ones I valued the most through different CAS activities. I taught children at an international kindergarten and taught English to students in grades 4 - 6 at one of the local schools nearby. That was the spark that inspired to do what I do now. Those experiences really stayed with me and enriched me as a person long after graduating.” “After graduating I went to the International Economics programme at Thammasat University, it was a new
Bangkok Patana Magazine
programme at the time. My parents wanted to me to understand the Thai culture a bit more and get to know people here. I went to McGill University in Canada for six months as an exchange student and that gave me a taste for living overseas. After Thammasat I received the Matsushita Panasonic scholarship from Panasonic to earn my first Master’s degree in International Relations at the International University of Japan.” “I have two half brothers in the UK and my father’s wish was to connect with that side of my family – so I applied for and received a scholarship to attend Cambridge where I earned my Master’s degree of Philosophy in Management.” “I co-founded FilmDoo in the UK. Initially we started out as a film distribution platform with an idea to help people connect and discover the world. Then we started to see that 80 percent of our hits were coming from language related searches. I saw this is an opportunity to use video content for language learning to its full potential. Learning by video gives context, helps create empathy and allows people to learn effectively and interact. It’s a more natural way for children to learn language. To learn a language you have to live a language, you can read it but you also need to hear it and use it.” “We started experimenting with technology that can take any film into an interactive game; it’s a flexible technology that can be used for any video content. It’s gameified learning – interactive learning while they are watching a video. We found that younger students spend four hours a day watching online content, that’s the way they learn and interact with their peers. So, we decided, let them learn where they are. Give them films and videos they can watch for homework, ultimately it encourages them to interact more frequently with learning content. We started off with language learning but now we are using it with K-12 subjects, as well as training such as multicultural leadership and diversity inclusion.” “Since 2015, FilmDoo now has
over 300,000 registered users from 194 countries and over 4,000 films. We partner with major organisations across technology, film, language learning and edtech.” LOOKING FORWARD “I want to spend more time in Thailand in the next ten years; I would like to expand my business – the mission ethos is what I have always believed; the greater good of building bridges, inspiring empathy in other people’s cultures, promoting diversity and better integration of gender, race is key to my belief system. I want to be in a position to help develop a new generation of SE Asian talent, definitely helping more
females and allowing them to follow their own path.” “I want to show that being a failure is a role model in itself, to inspire younger generations that it’s ok to struggle, it’s ok to try and it’s ok to stand up for yourself. I want to be in that position to share my experience, especially in SE Asia; to inspire them to go on to their path and be more empathetic leaders. I would love to start my own investment fund to actively go out and help female entrepreneurs because I know how hard it is to raise capital – I didn’t have the network and the connections to get started. I would love to help upcoming independent filmmakers with film projects in Thailand and SE Asia. I hope to help others get started on their own path.”
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LEARNING GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
ALUMNI STORIES LIFE AFTER PATANA
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP – IN PLAY! Florence (Flo) Lacrosse, Graduating Class of 2017
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rad’17 alum Florence (Flo) Lacrosse was always ready to seize opportunities while at Bangkok Patana. Whether it was taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, acting as Senior Delegate, working on the Student Environmental Committee, or playing on the volleyball team among others, Florence threw herself into the Patana community wholeheartedly. She has taken this enthusiasm for joining and passion for community to her life after Bangkok Patana. Flo, as she likes to be called, is a native of Belgium but spent 13 years at Bangkok Patana. She has taken the value of global citizenship to heart, having earned a BSc in Environmental Science and Climate Change at Leiden University College in the Netherlands. She is currently working on her Master’s in Marine Science and Society having also completed several different exchange programmes with the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. “Some of my favourite things at Bangkok Patana were the many different opportunities presented to us, whether that was field trips, extra-currciculars, lunch-time clubs or Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. I have always loved jumping at every opportunity presented at me, whether that was joining a million clubs, sports teams and productions at Bangkok Patana, or now volunteering to manage sport, conservation and environmental teams/offices. As a result, I’m lucky to have had even more great opportunities come my way... and I hardly ever say no. One of the most important things I learned while at Bangkok Patana was the importance of being a global citizen and continuously 24
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expanding my world view.” “I earned a BSc in Environmental Science and Climate Change at Leiden University College in the Hague. I also was fortunate enough to do an exchange programme in climate governance, energy engineering and management, marine science and more at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Currently I am working as an intern at the Maritime Earth Observation. My current position was proposed to me the day I had to submit an internship for my MSc programme in Marine Science and Society at Université Côte d’Azur. I said yes and was working for them the very next week. I am working with the European Space Agency (ESA) to democratise access to CEO products for environmental monitoring. I am looking forward to working as a marine
consultancy intern shortly, scuba-diving in Marine Protected Areas and artificial reefs to monitor the marine environment.” “I continue to say yes to opportunities at work, whether that’s helping them care for their donkeys (I know, very random) or presenting as a key-note speaker at ESA’s annual conference.” “My education and career goals make it clear that I enjoy spending time outdoors, going on adventures in the ocean or on land, playing various sports (hiking, snorkelling, kayaking, yoga, touch rugby, cycling etc) and my family Recently, I was selected to attend the IUCN World Conservation Congress as a “Young Champion” for nature conservation. Continuing to have a positive impact on people and the planet, and working outdoors are my long-term goals. “
Bangkok Patana Magazine
CAS PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: THE UNION NEWSPAPER By Meja Stalberg, Norramon (Cc) Nuntiruj, Luanne Poh and Rie Aiyama, Year 12 Students
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he Union (https://theunioninternational. com) is Thailand’s first student-run, interscholastic newspaper. It was founded at Ruamrudee International School (RIS) by passionate students looking to establish a platform where third-culture students can connect with likeminded individuals. The Union currently has active chapters at Bangkok Patana School, Bangkok Prep, Shrewsbury, King Mongkut’s International Demonstration School (KMIDS) and International Community School (ICS). The Union’s Bangkok Patana chapter is a CAS Project that focuses on the under-representation of third culture kids. We participated in Bangkok Patana’s CAT/CAS Fair, where we shared more about our organisation and recruited new members interested in getting involved with our numerous activities. Because our CAS Project is newly formed, it has been both gratifying and inspiring for our executive board to see more students sign up to join our
community and raise innovative ideas amongst like-minded people across Thailand and Southeast Asia. Last year, we hosted a university panel titled “Getting into the Right College: How They Did It”. It was a conduit for students attending top universities – including Harvard and Stanford – to pass on their insights and advice on topics such as the challenges ahead, daunting application processes and university life. We also recently concluded the “Raise Your Voice: Exploring Youth Identities’’ multimedia competition, receiving 130 plus responses from all over Southeast Asia. The contest opened up opportunities for students to delve deeper into what has shaped their identities today, and to express themselves through a variety of creative media. We are now focusing on building up our team for the 2021/22 school year. We have ambitious plans: our interscholastic team is working on hosting a continuation of our annual university panel,
as well as pioneering our new “The Unity Podcast”, where we host discussions and light-hearted conversations with thirdculture kids making a difference in their communities. We have also commenced regular activities this year and our team is hard at work writing and editing articles, creating content and managing our social media platforms! As international school students, we at The Union understand the pressures of shaping an identity for ourselves, especially when a myriad of experiences and cultures can cause conflict. Being a thirdculture kid comes with its unique brand of challenges, but The Union strives to enable us to empower each other to truly express ourselves. For more on The Union, find us here:Website: theunioninternational. com; Instagram: @theunioninternational and @theunity.podcast If you’re interested in joining us, contact Luanne Poh via email or Teams TERM 1 – 2021/22
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HOPE By Narida (Nia) Ekaraphanich, Year 6 You can see the world as an infinite rainbow,
You need to remember that there is always hope….
Or a charcoal, boundless sky,
Gaze through the treetops and you’ll see an effulgent trail of faith streaking past like a dazzling meteor.
Clouding you like evil devils, ready to be released. Everyone can see the shine in their boon companion’s eyes, But may not realise the fragile heart struggling to choke the demons within,
Have you ever witnessed the last breadth of aspiration stretching within you? During the darkest shadows of life, Believe in yourself,
Yet, in every stake, situation, crisis and matter, And you’ll voyage far, There is always…... hope, Optimism is the key to unlocking your brilliant future. Above the elevated pinnacle of the sky, Hope is the answer to a blissful mindset. Below the profound sputter of the Earth,
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