Term 3 Magazine June 2019

The Termly Magazine of Bangkok Patana School

Bangkok Patana

Magazine

Issue 58 Term 3, June 2019

Congratulations Class of 2019

WELL-BEING

The Primary Well-Being Room

LEARNING

Visual Arts in Key Stage 3

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Unmasking the Truth About Masks

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS

LEARNING

CONTENTS

Issue 58, Term 3, June 2019

WELL-BEING 8 Congratulations Class of 2019 12 The Primary WellBeing Room 16 Project Based Learning in Primary School 30 Winning Poem: Virgo

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LEARNING

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10 Visiting Authors to our Libraries 14 Visual Arts in Key Stage 3 19 Teacher Learning Communities 20 How Self-Directed, Playful Learning Supports Brain Function 24 Play Is Just for Foundation Stage Students, Right?

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP 22 Ahtletes Recognised at the Sports Awards 26 Nicolette Quekett: Pioneer International Teacher 28 Pirawat (Putt) Punyagupta 29 Unmasking the Truth About Masks 30 Winning Poem: Virgo

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Front cover: Artwork by Yunnan Dumnernchanvanich, 11C

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L ELAORBNAI LN C G GI T I Z E N S H I P

FOREWORD A

s both a parent and a member of staff at Bangkok Patana School, I am honoured to be introducing this, the final magazine of the academic year.

What is home? That is the question that many of us as parents will have to face in one way or another. This is intensified as parents of international school children for whom home can mean many things and many places. As we have made the various transitions that have brought us here, one feature that stands out for me is the importance of a sense of belonging and community.

As a former international school student myself, having lived in a variety of countries, working on a daily basis with international school children, and also as a parent of international school children, I am reminded constantly of the value of having a place to call ‘home’.

With every move we have made, our family has created a new home - a place where we can draw upon, and hopefully contribute to, the community around us to grow as individuals. Bangkok Patana has made this a rewarding experience, welcoming us with warmth and friendship at every level.

We could not have asked for more attentive and caring teachers who have nurtured the love of learning in both of my

643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 Email: reception@patana.ac.th www.patana.ac.th

daughters. They have been challenged academically and find their curiosity piqued in so many, varied ways, across all their subjects. In addition to this, the pervading atmosphere at Patana has encouraged them to explore their creativity and push themselves to try new sports and activities.

I have seen my girls grow in their confidence and resilience during their time here. None of this would have been possible without the exemplary commitment to my daughters’ well-being that their teachers and coaches have shown beyond the four walls of their classrooms.

A home is not one thing; it is a balance of many aspects that combine to create a warm and happy place. The upheaval of moving countries and living apart as a family could have been far worse if it had not been for the welcoming nature of the Patana community.

Instead, my daughters (and, if I’m honest, myself) have blossomed here. We have been able to befriend some of the most kind-hearted individuals, and I have enjoyed working with some incredibly inspirational colleagues.

Thank you, Patana, for being our home for the last two years. – Lieve Perera, Careers & University counsellor, Student Welfare counsellor

Editor: Shana Kongmun Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Email: shkn@patana.ac.th Advertisement: Finn Balslev Tel: 081-866-2577 Email: finn@scandmedia.com

Design & Production: Scand-Media Corp., Ltd. Tel: +66 (0) 2943 7166-8 Fax: +66 (0) 2943 7169 www.scandmedia.com

Bangkok Patana Magazine is the termly publication of Bangkok Patana School published three times per year and distributed to 2,000 members of the School community. Reproduction of articles, artwork and illustrations by written permission only.

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LEARNING

WELL-BEING

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2019

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Bangkok Patana Magazine

TERM 3 – 2018/19

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LEARNING

VISITING AUTHORS TO OUR LIBRARIES Primary School – Author Visit by Karin Littlewood

Reflection by Hannah McLaughlin, Class Teacher, 3H

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n March we were incredibly lucky to have a visit from author and illustrator Karin Littlewood. She shared her book, ‘Immi’, with us and told us about how she illustrates and writes books. She introduced us to the idea of ‘story seeds’: these are pictures that could be the idea for a story. The students completed six story seeds of their own and hung them on a necklace. The idea is that you put that necklace on from time to time and see which picture you want to talk about.

Eventually, a story will start to grow in your mind. When it makes you tingle with excitement, then that is the story that 10

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you are ready to write.

Later, they took their seeds and began to gradually build up to the publication of their very own stories. The students started by drawing their story on either a ‘Story S’, or a story mountain to sequence their ideas and add effective vocabulary and ideas down around images.

Next came the oral storytelling, in which they spent a long time practicing and improving their story orally, and even filmed final narratives. The final step was to learn how to fold and cut paper to create their own books, and then the children relished the opportunity to present their stories in their chosen way within these books!

What a wonderful end to an amazing half term, in which the children were able to demonstrate their learning in the most creative, imaginative way possible!

Bangkok Patana Magazine

Secondary School – Author Visit by Nicky Singer Reflection by Stephen Murgatroyd, Head of Libraries

At the beginning of Term 3, the students in Years 7-10 were fortunate to have the author Nicky Singer visit the school to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for writing with them – ‘stories are life’. She used four of her books; Island, Knight Crew, Survival Game and Feather Boy to illustrate her presentations, which were highly engaging and informative. It is wonderful for the Library to be able to support the students in this way – bringing in professionals, who are passionate about what they do, to talk to the students and to show them real life applications for the skills and knowledge they are learning in the classroom.

Nicky, used her vast experience and anecdotal storytelling skills to capture the imaginations of the students. She was able to share her writing process, research tips and how to generate new ideas (never have a pencil and paper, always go for a walk!) The Year 7 students were treated to a direct comparison between a written piece and how it translated onto film, while the Year 10 students were introduced to opera as a storytelling medium; one that they had not considered before but were wholly enthusiastic about afterwards!

The Year 9 students were given real life insight into how the ‘Creative Campaigns’ that they had been working on in class might work in the ‘real world’ with some honest and priceless feedback. The Year 8 students were given an eye-opening journey into the life of a refugee and how to write from another person’s perspective, whilst looking into the challenges facing the planet at the moment regarding global warming and its impact on our eco-system.

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THE YEAR 6 RESIDENTIAL VISIT WELL-BEING

THE PRIMARY WELLBEING ROOM Nicola Crompton, Senior Teacher and Leader Student Support Services

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t Bangkok Patana School we recognise that emotional well-being is central to a child’s healthy development and the important role we play in supporting the wellbeing of our students. We know that good mental health is closely linked with educational outcomes; a research study in the UK published by the Department for Education found that student well-being predicted their later academic progression and engagement in school.

Further studies from the University of London’s Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre have shown that students with higher levels of well-being make more progress and are more engaged in school. We also know that worldwide there has been a rise in the number of mental health issues affecting young people, in particular emotional issues including anxiety and depression.

This year, to acknowledge the part we play in developing student well-being, we opened the Well-Being Room.

The room offers students time and space to develop their well-being away from their classroom environment. A working party of school staff, including counsellors and those with experience in teaching mindfulness, was established in 2017/18 to plan the physical design of the room and how it could be used. Ideas for resources were shared and the room was opened towards the end of last year.

The room is divided into two zones. One is set up for 12

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physical activities that promote well-being such as yoga, meditation and relaxation. The other zone is a multi-purpose space which is used for activities such as mindfulness colouring, PSHE (Physical, Social, Healthy and Environent) and circle time learning. There are activities which are more exploratory, such as small world play and crafts.

Wherever possible, natural materials have been chosen which allow children to manipulate them for their own

Bangkok Patana Magazine

“I used the Well-Being Room with my group today and it was very successful. The group responded really positively to being in there and were excited to go in and to be able to return there next week,” explained one Learning Support Teacher.

“I just wanted to wax-lyrical about how enamoured I was by the Well-Being Room yesterday. I think I’ve bored everyone I’ve seen with how much I loved it! I took the class over yesterday as a whole during that PSHE lesson.

The session itself was brilliant, but for me, the following lessons were what sealed the deal; they were so calm and productive with their learning,” said a Year 6 teacher.

The students seem to be equally happy about the space:

“I like reading to the toy animals because it makes me feel calm and relaxed.”

“I like taking off my shoes, it makes me feel like I am at home.” – Year 1 students “I found it peaceful and a place to rest to rest my mind.”

“I find it very peaceful and relaxing. I sat on comfy chairs and relaxed as I read a book.” –Y4 students

purposes. Calming colours have also been used as this is in line with research that shows how colour can affect our mood and general well-being. The room is big enough for whole classes, and can also be booked by teachers wishing to use it for paired or group sessions. The room is also used by staff leading Yoga and Mindfulness ECAs. Feedback on the space from both students and staff has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We like to go there for chill time and to play with the sand. It’s good for pretending to do imaginary cooking. It’s fun and at the same time relaxing.”

“I like hanging out there. It’s a good place to be quiet and think.” – Y6 students We will continue to seek feedback on ways to develop the room and how it is used. Plans for 2019/ 20 include enhancing the space with additional resources and the creation of a herb garden.

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WELL-BEING

LEARNING

VISUAL ARTS IN KEY STAGE 3 Christopher Ferne, Curriculum Leader for Secondary Visual Arts

‘Art is powerful in giving our young people a voice.

We craft opportunities so that everyone can express themselves skilfully and responsibly.’ – Visual Arts Department Vision

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s part of a recent student survey, all Key Stage 3 students were asked to write down what they valued the most about studying Art. Here were some of their responses: Being free to express myself whilst having a clear direction.

Expert Art knowledge and support from my teacher.

Learning new skills and techniques.

Sharing my artwork with my friends and family We are happy to find that the views of our students are in line with what we know to be the important benefits of Art study - improved communication,

acquisition of vital practical skills and the development of individual thinking and problem solving skills. These benefits go far beyond being directly applicable to Art making and are transferable across student learning at school.

ART PROJECTS START WITH CREATIVE SCENARIOS Students value the chance to communicate their own ideas and to have fun expressing themselves whilst showcasing what they have learnt.

We design our projects with this in mind. Each project is theme based and presents a creative scenario

for students to address. Examples of creative scenarios are: ‘A local gallery requires submissions for a new exhibition entitled Global Impact. Your artwork should promote positive discussion’ ‘You are a designer for a new Thai Science Fiction Movie. The studio requires Futuristic Sala models that fuse traditional Thai design with SteamPunk Stylistic features... ’ Using Creative Scenarios as a launch pad provides classes with a common starting point and goal to measure their success whilst also providing enough flexibility for independent expression.

A shared destination with freedom for discovery and individual expression, supported by teachers, creates a collaborative learning environment and inspires students to take ownership of their project work.

ALL PROJECTS FOLLOW A CREATIVE PROCESS Each class project leads students through a creative process requiring them to develop their artwork from initial ideas right through to final realisation.

This starts with recording observations, through drawing, note taking and photography. Following this, students reflect on their recordings and expand on this initial work by exploring the potential and suitability of a variety of materials and ways of working. Once successful development has taken place students resolve their project by creating a purposeful final art piece. This process enables students to manage their entire project and is supported throughout by class teaching, feedback and differentiated success criteria. This provides support tailored for each ability level.

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Bangkok Patana Magazine

students this supports their motivation to excel. We find that when expectations are made challenging yet attainable unlocking personal creative potential is something all our students can share.

SHARING SUCCESS

We ladder the success criteria so that it builds across the ability range. Students start by looking at the support provided in line with their own target level and then can consider the opportunity to build on that and exceed. For many

Art can deliver positive messages and generate meaningful discussions when placed in public environments.

There are many opportunities to share student performance with the community and reward all students with the sense of achievement they deserve by showcasing the outcome of their hard work. This year we have new displays in many areas of the school including an impressive healthy eating display

of large scale acrylic painting in the Canteen and Snack Bars. We also have a Secondary Art Instagram page (@bangkok_patana_secondary_art).

This has proven extremely popular with so many students and community members viewing student artwork and supporting and inspiring each other. Each September we transform the front of school into an exhibition space with our annual Key Stage 3 Art Exhibition.

OUR PRIVILEGE AS ART TEACHERS Our students impress us every day with their innovation and maturity and it is a real privilege to provide them with a platform for their expressive and creative development and to guide them towards expressing themselves so as to have a positive impact on their local community and the wider world.

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WELL-BEING

WELL-BEING

PROJECT BASED LEARNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

A Robot to Remove Plastic?

Daniel Ferguson and Torres Chou, 3D

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magine eating plastic. Not tasty. Not nutritious. Disgusting. And deadly.

When we were asked to choose a project that would help the world, we decided that we wanted to try to take plastic out of the ocean. We remember going snorkelling and sadly, all we saw in the ocean was plastic and not very many fish at all.

Boyan Slat wanted to do the same thing and he designed a machine that would collect plastic in the oceans. He wanted to help after seeing more plastic bags than fish while diving in Greece.

A baby whale was found in the Philippines and had 40 kg of plastic in 16

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its tummy. The plastic weighed as much as our weight put together. Deplorable, right?

Are you inspired to improve global sustainability?

We are! We hate what has happened to this whale and what is happening to marine life in our oceans. In Project Based Learning, we collaborated and devised a driving question which was linked to these things. This was our driving question: How can we design a robot to remove plastics from the ocean?

First of all, we were inquisitive and researched to find if there are any robots being used today to clear the oceans,

rivers or lakes of plastic. We discovered that a 12 year old girl, named Anna Du, had designed a robot. We also researched many different robot designs.

After this we researched the problems plastic creates in our oceans. We found that the fish eat plastic because they think its food. Horrendous‌right? Some people eat fish and could therefore also be eating plastic which could cause serious health problems. This cannot continue.

We visited our Science expert, Mr Matt Baker, and he talked to us about plastics and how they are not biodegradable. We wrote to the

Bangkok Patana Magazine

Tote Bags

Varissa Asavathiratham and Nia Ekaraphanich, 3A

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e would like to ask you a question, do you use tote bags?

We do hope that you ALWAYS use tote bags. In Project-Based Learning we devised a driving question – How can we persuade supermarkets to stop using plastic bags?

First of all, we researched the problems plastic creates. We did this using books, websites and videos. We sent formal emails to the Surfing Scientist and Ms Helen Thew and asked them if they could tell us more about the problem because they are the experts.

We visited supermarkets including The Gourmet Market and observed their use of plastic bags. We interviewed the staff there. It was great to see them making efforts to reduce the number of plastic bags they use and they hope to gradually stop using them altogether.

We wrote to various stores asking about their use of plastic bags and they told us they are all still using them but they are making changes. It was wonderful to

Surfing Scientist and he explained this to us also. Mr Glenn Malcolm kindly showed us how to make a robot using a programme called Scratch. We then drew our design, labelled it and attached an explanation of how it works. It has grabbers and vacuums to collect and suck up the plastic.

We also made models of our robots.

Following this, we sent details to robotic companies and asked if they would consider making our robot and develop our ideas.

We hope they will respond to our request very soon.

Helping marine life is in our DNA!

receive a response from Khun Piyapong at Central Department Store. We gathered all of this information to create a persuasive letter and then emailed this to different supermarkets, inviting them to respond by either visiting us or by sending a reply.

Here is our persuasive text…

If 5580 plastic bags are used in one day and not recycled, then in 2050, people believe that there will be more plastic in the sea than fish! Would you like that to happen? There is no doubt that if people don’t start recycling and reusing plastic then the oceans wonderful, outstanding and glorious beauty will start to fade away.

It’s clear that plastic surely is a problem. Shockingly, you should know

is that it is non-biodegradable which means it cannot convert back to water and carbondioxide. Overwhelmingly, an estimate of between 15 and 51 trillion microplastics were in the oceans in 2014. It’s much worse now! Is it really worth it?

The truth is that turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish so when they feast on their meal, they actually eat the plastic and as a result, they die. Dead. Gone forever. The problem is that plastic is made up of atoms which are linked, the sea creatures cannot unlink these so it will stick around in their stomach for a long time and they will eventually die.

In addition, the question of whether or not seals are endangered is obviously a yes! All around the world, seals have been strangled in plastic and, as a consequence, they die. Dead. Gone forever. The number of seals is falling even when it’s not their fault. Imagine if

All around the world, seals have been strangled in plastic and, as a consequence, they die.

Dead. Gone forever.

that marine life now eat plastic, so if we consume the marine life, the rotten plastic will not only harm the fish, it will harm us too!

To make matters worse, all around the globe, there are about a million plastic bottles, a million disposable cups and 2 million plastic bags bought every minute of every day. Is this making anything better?

Sadly, approximately five percent of plastic bags are recycled and so the remaining 95 percent is plastic that is not recycled.

Furthermore, the problem with plastic

you were the seal, how would this make you feel? Lobsters are also suffering.

Sadly, there was a lobster with a Pepsi logo stuck permanently on its back.

Even worse, not only is plastic harming marine life, but also our lovely birds too! The majority of the harmed seagulls are babies, and as the elegant seagulls swoop down to encounter their food, the truth is that they actually eat plastic, gain weight, can’t fly back up and miserably die.

Birds now use plastic to make their nests. The problem is that plastic is made out of the same element we use to make

TERM 3 – 2018/19

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WELL-BEING

WELL-BEING petrol. This is very harmful to the birds’ existence.

In conclusion, nature is too beautiful and precious to be carelessly destroyed.

Plastics are a major problem for marine life and our beloved bird life and……

US! Please join us and help save our world by thinking, “Is this really necessary?” before using anything made out of plastic.

To finish off, we’d like to share some of the responses we recently received from Tesco Lotus and Villa market. Khun Patikorn, from Tesco Lotus, said that they have rewarded their customers with more than 3 billion green points and they have two plastic bag free stores in Thailand.

They said, “Let’s do this together.” We are very excited about this.

Khun Ploy from Villa Supermarket

also sent us a reply saying they have plastic free campaigns on the fourth and 14th of every month, they said they want to eventually have plasticfree campaigns every day AND they are introducing tote bags and paper bags to every customer.

We are pleased to read about these developments and look forward to working on this with them in the future. We are extremely passionate and incredibly inspired to improve global sustainability.

We wonder if you are now reflecting on your own behaviour, if you are passionate about making changes and approach this devastating problem with rigour.

We have absolutely no doubt you are!

Snack Healthy

Chris Clare and Victoria Hudson, 3H

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e would like to share our Project-Based Learning with you and show you how we are collaborative, confident communicators, passionate, resourceful as well as ethical and informed.

First of all, we created a mind map of our interests and discovered that we are both interested in cooking. We then came up with a driving question which couldn’t be answered in just one step. It was, ‘How can we create a wider variety of healthy snacks for the snack bar at school?

We researched healthy foods with Khun Waree in the Library. We also

wrote to Jamie Oliver and his team gave us some good tips. We made a non-chronological report about protein, vitamins, vegetables/fruits and carbohydrates. We decided to make a snack that has lots of carbohydrates in it because carbohydrate give you energy and children and teachers need lots of energy at school.

We emailed Chef Autumn, asking if she could show us how to cook healthy snacks. She replied, ‘Yes.’ We went with Ms Keri and our mums to the Commons in Thonglor to cook with her. We made pita chips, hummus and quinoa energy balls.

We decided to make a snack that has lots of carbohydrates in it because carbohydrate give you energy and children and teachers need lots of energy at school.

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On Saturday 8th December 2018, we visited the The Marriott Hotel Bangkok to meet with the Food and Beverage Manager. We made healthy cookies with Chef Dang and salad with Chef Toto. Then we looked at the ingredients we had used in these recipes and put together a survey.

We asked Year 3 students which ingredients they liked. We put the most popular ingredients together to make a healthy snack.

We made a chocolatey granola bar but it turned out very crumbly! We shared it with our class and someone said it was crumbly but good and someone complained it was too bitter. After receiving the feedback, we changed the recipe slightly and created another cookie using mashed banana, dark chocolate chips, rolled oats and vanilla extract. It was just right! We shared it with our class and they loved it. We gave it to Miss Lorraine, and she really liked it!

We then researched packaging and pricing. We thought that the packaging should be the same as the cookies that are currently sold in the snack bar – the packaging is paper.

For the pricing, we thought it should also be the same, which is 20 baht.

If it was more expensive then students might buy the other cookies and not ours.

Then we visited Khun Prim, the school nutritionist, and presented our proposal to her. She was very positive and her boss said ‘yes’ to selling our cookies. We were so happy to hear this. We then went to the Canteen in Secondary School to show our amazing chefs how to cook the snack.

They are experts at this now.

Very soon, we will launch the snack in the snack bars. We will put up advertisements around the school and have a free tasting day for students.

We hope students like our delicious Choco-Nana snack.

We hope you have an opportunity to try our Choco-Nana snack too.

Bangkok Patana Magazine

LEARNING

TEACHER LEARNING COMMUNITIES Lindsay Tyrrell, Learning and Teaching Advisor, Secondary School

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eacher Learning Communities (TLCs) were initially introduced to Bangkok Patana by world-renowned educator Dylan Wiliam during his visit in 2015. Over the past four years, we have worked to develop and adapt the model in our Secondary School to be one of the most powerful vehicles of continued professional learning for our colleagues.

A TLC is a group of teachers who meet regularly to share their expertise and discuss evidence-based techniques with the collective goal of improving student learning. We currently have 38 teachers in six different TLCs across the Secondary School who meet every half term to explore teaching strategies, share resources and discuss theories. In addition to the regular meetings, they observe one another teaching to see ideas in action and to support the development of learning opportunities for their students. TLCs have inspired teachers to embrace new approaches and they have facilitated an increase in collaboration both within and across subjects in our large school.

The flexibility of the model enables us to adapt our TLCs to ensure they can have the highest possible impact on student learning in the current educational climate, whilst being mindful of cognitive loading. Together we have progressed from foci originally suggested by Dylan Wiliam, such as activating students as owners of their learning, to identifying and exploring what is most relevant for our students here at Patana. This year TLCs have investigated ways in which teachers can challenge all students in their lessons, how to encourage more critical thinking across the curriculum and worked on developing effective questioning styles, to name a few.

“One of best things about being in a TLC for me is the opportunity to work with colleagues from different subjects, observe the strategies they use in their lessons and engage in professional dialogue. I can then implement the things I have learned in my own teaching in order to enhance the learning of my students.” – Hannah Davis, English Teacher.

With this ever-evolving model, we look forward to next academic year and the possibilities our TLCs can explore in our endeavour to provide exciting, engaging and challenging teaching for all our students.

Each TLC has a pedagogical focus that is supported by academic reading and research carried out by the participants.

“As a biologist, one of things I am doing is teaching a new language all the time. Being part of a TLC means I have opportunities to observe teachers in World Languages and to see the experts delivering new language. I can also observe, practice and embed a range of ways to challenge students in my classes.” – Joel Lodge, Biology Teacher.

“If we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve, not because they are not good enough but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve.” – Dylan Wiliam.

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LEARNING

HOW SELF-DIRECTED, PLAYFUL LEARNING SUPPORTS BRAIN FUNCTION Sarah Gaughan, Leader of Excellence in Teaching and Learning

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study by psychologists at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver has found that children who spend more time taking part in less-structured activities have more highly-developed brain function.

We all know that when children have opportunities to lead their own learning they are much more engaged and motivated. This is why teachers across the globe no longer teach ‘at’ children but encourage them to contribute, reflect and have responsibility for their own learning.

The study concludes that when children spend more time in structured activities, they don’t develop key skills

of working towards goals, making decisions and regulating their behaviour.

This is resonating with educators, advocating the importance of free play in classrooms beyond early years. So how are we responding to this?

Early Years educators have, for many years, taken a play-based approach to learning because we know that it has the best results for our students. We are now seeing that this not only applies to children under five years of age, but also has a huge positive impact on the motivation and engagement of students throughout Primary and into Secondary. In fact, adults who explore and ‘play around with things’

are fast becoming the most successful people in today’s changing economic world. Inventor James Dyson is a good example.

What is Bangkok Patana School doing to provide purposeful, playful, exploratory learning whilst maintaining a well-balanced curriculum in which children make the expected progress?

ACTIVE START: Year 1 students have responded very well to the new ‘Active’ approach to learning when they arrive in school. All students have regular opportunities to use open-ended, exploratory areas and resources in which to follow their interests; they design, make, research and create whatever they wish. Teachers see a much higher level of engagement, imaginative thinking and problem solving when children are self-motivated to achieve what they set out to do.

ACTIVE END: Year 2 Curriculum Enrichment time has now been replaced with a much more student led ‘Active End’ to the day.

Students have a weekly opportunity to be self-directed learners during this time.

Similarly to Year 1, there is a wealth of open-ended resources available during this time. So far, children have put on their own performances, designed their own games, opened a hair salon and conducted flight distance experiments with paper aeroplanes to name just a few examples of the student led activities taking place!

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Bangkok Patana Magazine

What is the role of the adult during this time? Adults are on hand to ‘scaffold’ the learning. This includes encouraging the development of Characteristics of Effective Learning such as perseverance, problem solving, critical thinking, focus, predicting and reviewing. Adults also

encourage cross-curricular links in play and exploration such as mathematics, scientific skills and the inclusion of reading and writing opportunities. Teachers also observe and support communication, collaboration and social relationships throughout.

CURRICULUM REVIEWING: Throughout the Primary School teachers and leaders are continually reviewing curriculum opportunities in response to relevant educational research. We replace ‘adult led’ learning with more ‘student led’ opportunities, celebrating the learning process over the outcome.

This enables students to become more independent, make decisions and have autonomy over their learning as much as possible.

How can we develop a progression of play based learning, ensuring that it is age appropriate in Key Stage 2? Teachers from across the Primary School have formed a ‘Play Working Party’ to collaborate on this.

Most recently, Year 6 students enjoyed a much more play-based, exploratory entry point to Term 3’s learning theme ‘Changing Me’.

For further information on the research study, see the following article online: bpsnet.patana.ac.th/Go/?to=1004 TERM 3 – 2018/19

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LEARNING

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

AHTLETES RECOGNISED AT THE SPORTS AWARDS

Cindy Adair-Bolakoso, Cross Campus Assistant Principal, Extracurricular Activities and Sports

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he annual Sports Awards ceremony is a chance to celebrate all the fantastic achievements of our studentathletes in the Secondary School and our year-long Academies. The evening is divided into three sections: Our Junior Awards recognised the Most Valuable Player, Most Improved and Tiger Spirit winners from each seasonal team in the Under 13 and Under 15 age group.

Our major awards take place over dinner and we recognise the Junior Sports Boy and Girl of the Year, the Senior Sports Boy and Girl of the Year and the Individual Sports Boy and Girl of the Year. We also recognise the contribution of our student coaches and celebrate outstanding displays of sportsmanship.

Additionally, in a new tradition we started in 2017/18, we present Thai flags to all students who have represented Thailand in their sport this year. This part of the evening also includes a speech from two of our departing Seniors.

The final part of the evening is the Senior Awards which recognises the Most Valuable Player, Most Improved and Tiger Spirit winners from each seasonal team in the Junior Varsity and Varsity age groups.

The Sports Awards evening is also a chance to bid farewell to our Year 13 student-athletes and pay tribute to our wonderful coaches who sacrifice a lot of their personal time to ensure a range of wonderful sporting opportunities

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are available for Bangkok Patana students.

As you can see from the photographs, it’s a night of glitz and glamour, a chance for those students we usually only see in sports kit to dress up and celebrate with their friends, coaches and parents. Congratulations to all those who took part in a team in 2018/19, we look forward to seeing you again at trials in Season 1.

• Junior Sports Girl of the Year - Anna Meller • Junior Sports Boys of the Year - William Ahl and Shawn Richardson • Senior Sports Girl of the Year - Moniqa Nielsen • Senior Sports Boy of the Year - Alessandro Miotto • Individual Sports Girl of the Year - Pawinee (Balloon) Ruamrak • Individual Sports Boy of the Year - Conor Kelly Thai Flag Recipients: Prim Pingkarawat - Swimming, Purich (Mel) Dhiranusornkit - Ice Hockey, Penn (Penne) Charusorn - Tennis, Pawinee (Balloon) Ruamrak - Tennis, ML Weka Bhanubandh - Sailing, Christopher Marsh - Sailing Conor Kelly - Golf

Bangkok Patana Magazine

TERM 3 – 2018/19

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LEARNING

PLAY IS JUST FOR FOUNDATION STAGE STUDENTS, RIGHT? Sarah Gaughan, Leader of Excellence in Teaching and Learning

T

ry telling our Year 6 students who’ve just played their way into their new learning theme that play is just for Foundation Stage – they’ll be most disappointed! When we think of play, most of us think that it is only appropriate for our youngest children.

In fact, what we are seeing from our older students paints a very different picture.

Following the article (in this issue) How Self Directed, Playful Learning Supports Brain Function, we now look at an example of how we are developing play, ensuring that it is age appropriate and engaging for all.

This term, Year 6 learned all about ‘Changes’. They covered a range of topics which allowed them to explore how their bodies work and change as they grow. With a play-based approach in mind, we decided to kick 24

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start their learning in a very different way. Each class had the opportunity to explore an array of activities using playdough, role play, junk modelling and interactive ICT activities. It gave our students a chance to share what they already know about the human body and changes before they began their unit of learning. This sounds like a fun day in Foundation Stage for children half this age but what we actually observed on the day with our older students was truly wonderful!

What did play look like for our Year 6 students?

It looked just as fun as it would have in Foundation Stage; however, we understood that the learning needed to be at an age-appropriate level with higher expectations. Children were given thought-provoking and supportive materials to inspire them to be playful and

exploratory; learning about the body with independence and sharing their knowledge with excitement.

They embarked upon some first aid training, pieced together human body models with intricate organs and role played with the help of medical kits and uniforms. “I was amazed at the complexity of the play dough organs and the attention to detail,” said Mark Verde Assistant Principal, Learning and Curriculum.

As an Early Years teacher myself, I went along to Year 6 to observe the play and make comparisons to what I’m used to seeing play look like.

What delighted me most was the enthusiasm from every student. They were motivated and engaged, using complex, medical language in role play.

Collaboration was an essential part of the play. Children worked well together

Bangkok Patana Magazine

and skills the children have already shown. Teachers get a clearer picture of current understanding and can therefore plan lessons more effectively.

If this article has left you wanting to know even more about play and how to make the most out of it at home, then please look out for our play-based learning workshops in the next academic year.

Some of our staff reflect on the experience:

to get the most out of their learning.

One particular group pretended to respond to a medical emergency. Here is a snippet of the language they were using: “I’ll be the first responder so I’ll get there first ok? You can be the doctor when the paramedics get him to the hospital”.

“His temperature is 110! He’s unconscious.”

“Guys, why don’t we have a plot twist? Maybe he can die.”

“Ok, I think he’s dead, we need to do CPR. 3,2,1, stand clear, shocking.”

“He’s alive, quickly put him into the recovery position.”

This group continued their imaginative play for over an hour! The students thought of new problems and solutions, different roles and possible events. One child even set up a pretend intravenous drip using a plastic syringe and masking tape.

Not only is this very high quality communication demonstrating the children’s imaginations, but it also informs teachers what students already know about this subject and their interests. This enables them to plan accordingly and ensure lessons build upon the language

“Once they got used to being self-directed, they loved the freedom to explore and create without set parameters. Role playing was a huge success, the students loved the use of the props. They used their own knowledge, interests and experiences to inspire the play. Because everyone was doing it, there wasn’t that sense of embarrassment. All students were extremely motivated, active and engaged throughout!

Personally, I have had the most amazing day and have loved every moment of it. Many of my students left school that day on a real high, they even chose to talk about the experience during their 3 way conferences. Genuinely, one of my best days ever as a teacher.” – Carly Peart, Leader of Learning and Curriculum in Year 6 “I was unsure if all of the children would want to engage in imaginative role play. I thought maybe they would think they were too old to ‘play’. This wasn’t the case at all, they were all excited to be involved and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”

– Tim Jones, Year 6 Teacher “Perhaps the most powerful thing that we have seen as a result of this play-based approach, is how excited the children now are about the new learning theme. This motivation will no doubt have a huge impact on the rest of their learning in the coming weeks.” – Jason Cooper, Primary Principal TERM 3 – 2018/19

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

ALUMNI STORIES

LIFE AFTER PATANA

A

ndy Homden first met Nicky Quekett in 2007 when, at the age of 88, she flew from Perth in Western Australia to Bangkok, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Bangkok Patana School, where she had been principal in the 1960s. Nicky belongs to what has been described as the Greatest Generation: the people who grew up during the great depression, joined the armed forces during the second world war and raised their families in the tough, yet hopeful period of post-war reconstruction.

Born Nicolette Bodmer in 1919, the daughter of a British university lecturer at Rhodes University, she grew up in semirural South Africa, where, by the time war broke out, she was establishing her own riding school. After service in the WAAF in East Africa, she married BOAC officer Bill Quekett whom she met in Kenya while working for East Africa Airlines. The Queketts were an early example of what would come to be called a Third Culture family, travelling expatriates who made their home wherever they found themselves.

As Bill was posted throughout the middle east and south east Asia, she qualified as a teacher in 1955, and worked thereafter wherever the family found itself, ending up as Principal of Bangkok Patana School in the late 60s.

Moving to Perth, Western Australia, in 1970, she worked for a further 17 years until she retired.

Then, at the age of 67, and after the death of her husband, she took what might be now called a gap

Nicolette Quekett: Pioneer International Teacher Andy Homden (reprinted from International Teacher Magazine)

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Bangkok Patana Magazine

that engulfed them as they unfolded in 1989, culminating in her precipitous flight to leave the country when it became all too apparent she had to get out.

This is a book that all teachers who have been fortunate enough to work overseas should read. We’ve all had our ups and downs. Nicky’s work and life puts it all into perspective. Her Letters gently, but forcefully highlight the importance of an often undervalued profession. For Nicky, teaching is a vocation that opens up countless doors to innumerable people often in the most unexpected ways. One gets the feeling that she learned as much from

Her resourcefulness and patience in the most trying of circumstances is inspirational. Her upbringing and life during one of the most turbulent periods of world history taught her patience, resilience and the ability to cope. year. China was beginning to change rapidly under the leadership of Deng Xiao Ping, and had started reaching out to the world. Nicky responded, leaving her family behind in Perth, for south central China, where she worked as a teacher of English in the provincial town of Yezhou, some 7 hours’ drive from Guilin and started to write letters home to family and friends.

This collection of letters, now published as Letters from China paints a vivid portrait of life of rural life, in a country then on the verge of fundamental change. Her new Chinese friends – both lecturers and students – were recovering from the trauma of the cultural revolution, and were about to deal with the nightmare of the Tiananmen Square uprising, which occurred during her second tour to China in June 1989. Intrigued by the views, beliefs and culture of those she taught and colleagues she taught with, she conveys the horror of events

her students as they did from her – she is a true life-long learner.

You can see why Nicky became a successful school principal. Self reliant, hard working, determined, sensible (a quality so undervalued these days!)

and compassionate, she coordinated and consoled in equal measure during her time in China. Her resourcefulness and patience in the most trying of circumstances is inspirational. Her upbringing and life during one of the most turbulent periods of world history taught her patience, resilience and the ability to cope. She needed it all when she was in China. She takes the hand she is dealt, makes the best of it and gets on with things.

The Spartan conditions of rural China in the late 1980s would have seen younger people, half her age, accustomed to the luxury of the Baby Boom and post Baby Boom lifestyle, turn on their heels and flee. Early 21st Century expatriates expect every comfort, even in remote settings. Not so Nicky Quekett, who is made of much tougher stuff! Cold baths, mouldy rooms, shocking food, crude sanitary conditions, impossible heat and humidity were all par for the course, and all taken in her stride. Desperately missing her family, she nevertheless delighted in writing about the country she was discovering and coming to love, while conveying the feelings she had for the students in her charge, who were all so desperate to learn.

Travel – by car, train or river launch – was never anything less than an adventure. All hardships were met with equanimity: “It is amazing how comfortable one can be with practically no mod-cons and no gadgets. So simple. Much less to wash up”.

If we want to learn, teach and lead by example, Nicky Quekett’s is a pretty good one to follow.

Nicky lives in Fremantle, West Australia. At the age of 96 she is an avid correspondent, wonderful raconteur, campaigner and always a teacher. She has written three books since 1999.

Her autobiography, Columbines for Harold is beautifully written, though sadly out of print.

Visiting Bangkok? Want to come back for noodles? To book your alumni visit, get in touch at alumni@patana.ac.th TERM 3 – 2018/19

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

LUX ET VERITAS AT YALE

LIFE AFTER PATANA

Pirawat (Putt) Punyagupta

W

hen the incoming freshman first raises his eyes and gazes at the acid-washed cobblestone walls of the university in which he will soon enroll, the reaction is always akin to the experience of protagonist Dink Stover from Owen Johnson’s Stover at Yale, where beneath his breath, he utters, “this is it – this is Yale.” My reaction was no different.

As I descended upon Old Campus in August last year – nominally, the oldest and most historic part of the university where freshmen live together their first year – I was overwhelmed by the historicity, the tradition and the wealth of knowledge at my fingertips. Despite the fact that now, six months later, the rose-tinted vision of the initial few weeks has, for the most part, dissipated, I am still by all means grateful for and incredibly appreciative of my everyday experiences here.

I rapidly chose to take advantage of Yale’s status as one of the progenitors of what we now deem a “liberal education.”

I enrolled in the Directed Studies program in my first semester, an intense interdisciplinary introduction to the foundational literary, historical and philosophical tenets of western thought and civilisation, although this has not precluded me from exploring courses in the fields of quantitative reasoning and the sciences, both of which are also highly salient and well-taught.

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Outside of the classroom, I joined the Yale Political Union, the central forum for political discussion at Yale, and am Chief Whip of one of its constituent parties. I also write and edit for the Yale Review of International Studies and partake in work with some cultural organisations.

Yale has shaped its structural elements such to cultivate a unique social sphere, its hallmark being the residential college system. These fourteen different residential colleges are microcosms of the Yale community, and students are randomly assigned to live in one of the fourteen upon enrolment. These colleges act as support networks in themselves, with students having access not only to unique events and amenities but ample academic and social advisors, as well as freshman counsellors for students in their first year. I would also

be amiss if I did not give credit to Yale’s extensive library system, the second largest in North America housing over fifteen million books.

Of course, an institution of such a magnitude – filled to the brim with individuals possessing that age-old zeal for pursuing every opportunity and aspiration to the fullest – does of course have its characteristic flaws. Many feel pressure, stress and imposter syndrome. At times, the allpervading sense of immense possibility that one feels is so consuming that it can – and it does – bring to heel many students as they fathom whether their worth is ever enough for this intellectual arena, where every corner, nook and cranny of every building seems to whisper some centuriesold historical truth. But it is precisely these moments that are formative, for my peers here are those who would cushion a fall and make it less painful, rather than complacently walk past while prioritising intellectual betterment over genuine human connection. It would be highly amiss if I did not thank my upperclassmen from Patana for the generous help in ensuring my move here went swimmingly – Rita (Patana Grad ’13, Yale ’17), Pong (Patana Grad ’14, Yale ’18) and Shogun (Patana Grad ’15, Yale ’19).

So yes, college, is it what you make of it, and it is with this caveat that I respond to Stover’s statement above. This is Yale, but this is not “it.” I would be highly naive to believe that the culmination of every great author read, every scientific law observed, and every historical fact interrogated lies before me in the form of charred cobblestone and Yale Blue Sweaters, because this is a place where we realise that the unexamined life is but an intellectual death, an immoral nonchalance for which only the Gates of Hell serve a fitting home. It is the duty of the Yale student to constantly examine – picking up the work of those authors, those laws, and historical facts, and using them as an impetus to pursue those twin symbols of greatness enshrined in Yale’s motto: Lux et Veritas – Light and Truth.

Bangkok Patana Magazine

UNMASKING THE TRUTH ABOUT MASKS Teeramet Yupoonsup, 6D

I

’ve always loved masks. As time has gone on, my curiosity about their purpose has grown. Oh, did I mention? I’m also a time traveller. When I last transported, I encountered some hidden faces of the past. The year is 4091, but it won’t be for long...

At noon on the 6th of March, 1621, I arrived in an unknown location. Squinting in the sun, I ripped off my protective mask and took a long, much-needed breath of fresh air. Seeing that I had landed in a wide plain surrounded by lush green trees and several grand buildings made of stone, I wondered where my temporal voyage had taken me.

As I crouched down in the grass, I observed crowds flocking to one of the stone buildings, chattering about some sort of ‘theatre entertainment’. Curiously, I got up and followed them, trying to stay inconspicuous.

Shrouded in darkness, I found a quiet corner in the crowded theatre. From my hiding place, I had a clear view of the stage. Without warning, deafening music swelled and the lights flashed like lightning strikes. Costumed actors appeared from behind the curtain, wearing vivid masks, designed with many unique features and colours and adorned with intricate jewellery. Transfixed, I stared at the masks. Before my eyes, a dramatic war tale unfolded.

After the audience had gone, I sneaked backstage - I had to get a closer look at the masks. I could hear the actors behind a door. Trembling, I slowly reached out for one: a white monkey mask outlined with red, green and gold. I held it, mesmerised; I felt the weight of centuries of performances coursing through my body.

I was still lost in my thoughts when the door opened. “Stop thief!” Startled, I dashed out of the theatre. Footsteps echoed behind me; he was catching up! The daylight hit my eyes, blinding me as I raced towards the trees. Just when I thought I’d escaped, a hand, cold and hard, gripped my shoulder.

All of a sudden, the images around me collapsed into nothingness. Swirling through time-space, I gripped my prize tightly.

Next thing I knew, I had landed in a garden. Gazing around an eerie neighbourhood, I looked up. It was night-time, and the moon was full in the sky. Grotesque masked figures lined the streets. Many of them were laughing.

Who were these monsters?

“Trick or Treat!” cried one.

Suddenly, it dawned on me.

Halloween. It must be! I’d read about this ancient custom, but had never witnessed it. The juxtaposition of laughing voices with the terrifying masks confused me.

Was I in the 16th Century when people believed they were impersonating the souls of the dead? If so, why were there masks of horror movie characters?

Before I could ask, a portal opened at my feet. I jumped through and ended back here in 4091. Masks seem to be everywhere and are used for many purposes throughout history, such as for entertainment, to protect the face, or for disguise. What masks will I encounter next?

TERM 3 – 2018/19

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WELL-BEING

VIRGO

By Palis (Fresh) Pisuttisarun, 12T You were my “friend” –

but that word feels to me like fitting our favourite Constellation into a firefly:

condensing aeons of Starlight into a lone dew, a droplet too tame to possess much power of

the Cosmic exhibit that ignited the night sky

in wild streaks of raven-lilac and wasp-yellow like fireworks blooming beneath the brim of my eyelids.

If only – this overused stub of a syllable

weren’t so worn and weathered,

hadn’t been so readily dispensed to call anyone that looked twice your way – I might have used it to describe

the Gravity that had me

reeling into your Orbit

and you into mine.

But “friend” – you called me, so “friend”, I became.

You became the Sun:

my favourite Star of all.

And by Morning, your ripe Sunrays

had kissed my skin an ethereal presence

in which I both lost and found myself, all at once; my home and my adventure.

With each layer we peeled off one another –

scabs we shared from the same wounds – we burned even brighter

like shy Stars being stripped of their gaseous Atmospheres.

Then,

by Midday, at the

Zenith of your heat, I felt that your fire had evaporated the vein in my mind that once separated 30

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Magic and Madness.

And when those mixed, they boiled into Love –

and a most dangerous fever it was to fall in love with the Sun. Because it was only a matter of time before the Sun sets.

Spiralling into an obsession-fuelled Inferno, I had never noticed your radiant company inching

across the sky in apathy, nor realized until the Twilight of my ceaseless passion, that your lemon-gold Morning Light had

expired into a bruising bergamot as you sunk into the ground, as surely as you had risen out of it.

So barrelling

across the horizon I went –

fingers desperately clawing to conjure up any force

large enough to slow your descent – palms outstretched as if to catch a scarlet leaf trembling downwards in a tempestuous Autumn.

Because I had once thought that you –

like the lengthening shadow beneath me – would never, ever leave my side.

Your eyes became the moon –

a dull, blemished reflection of the celestial Rays that I once bathed in:

a cool, metallic glow that I would have found beautiful, had I not known the warmth of your Daylight in all its Stellar glory.

Out came the stars –

and they too seemed beautiful, twinkling through the void that you left me, but these other stars –

they were distant. Nebulous. Never to be the Star that you were to me:

close and life-giving and momentous.