We will be including the Characteristics of Effec tive Learning (CoEL) in the Primary School re ports from December this year.
“The Characteristics of Effective Learning describe be haviours children use in order to learn. To learn well, chil dren must approach opportunities with curiosity, energy and enthusiasm. Effective learning must be meaningful to a child, so that they are able to use what they have learned and apply it in new situations. These abilities and attitudes of strong learners will support them to learn well and make good progress in all the Areas of Learning and Development.” (Birth to Five Matters)
Hang on a minute! These behaviours apply to all learn ers no matter what age, right? Let’s take a closer look at them in the hexagon configuration below. We can see
that they are broken into three areas (Motivation, En gagement and Thinking).
Actually, critical thinking was named a key 21st Centu ry skill in 2008 by OPEC. One needs to be able to think critically to take part in the world without being swayed by social media influences or “fake” facts. And where would innovation be without new ideas and methods?
Being inquisitive about the world motivates us to find out how its systems and lifeforms work. Children do this through playing and exploring. I, like many others, spent a long time as a child watching spiders, worms and other bugs which helped me develop an appreciation for the natural world and wanting to know more about how it works. How can worms move without legs? Do all spi ders build webs?
The key to success in our pursuits is motivation. If you
can get yourself motivated, you will be less likely to give up and it will be easier to maintain concentration. Watch children at play. They will immerse themselves in activities, such as building/water play/problem solving for a long time if they are truly motivated.
We wanted to emphasise the overall child before re porting on specific subjects. After all, your child is more than a reader, writer or mathematician. The Characteris tics weave through all subjects and areas of life. Imagine learning to play chess. What would happen if you gave up, because you kept losing? You would never improve or enjoy playing the game. However, if you were pre pared to keep trying, get involved and concentrate, play with what you know, make links, choose novel ways to do things, you will start to win a few games.
“If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.” Gary Kasporov
ready know which characteristic they will be focusing on and building on.
Question: What benefits do you expect to see for our students?
Joe: Students will not just be aware of their learning, they will become more aware of how they learn. These characteristics are applicable to different areas of school life – such as lessons, break times, ECAS and more –and students will be demonstrating them without directly realising it.
Question: What is your key message about the impor tance of the Characteristics?
Joe: Embrace them! Ask questions about them and en gage with them.
If you wish to learn more about the characteristics, please read the Curriculum page here, compiled by Joe Bower.
The Characteristics are well established in the Foun dation Stage, and wish to have them equally well es tablished across the Primary School. This year, we have appointed Joe Bower to work on this.
Question: What will we see in place in terms of the Characteristics this year?
Joe: Each class will display these characteristics and bring them to the forefront of the students’ learning. For example, emphasising that in today’s particular Science lesson we are going to be making links, the students al
1:10 PM, 16 DECEMBER 1995
The saddest noise ever; the bell ringing to signal the end of lunch time. It immediately brings the many conversa tions, games and activities that are happening simultaneously to an end — devastating. It’s the last class of the year, meaning that the next time the bell rings, we will officially be on holiday. Mrs Stewart has written an entire thesis on the blackboard today. It will take a while for me to write all of this down. Looks like she’s about to run out of chalk… There it goes! She’s walking out of the class now, probably next door to get more from Mr Brown. Charles has pulled out his polaroid camera and is taking a photo of the board. Smart! I’ll just do it the old-fashioned way and scribble it down as fast as I can. I bet school will be so much easier in the future; they’ll probably be able to beam class notes into each other’s brains. Okay, I’m done. And there goes the bell. Yes!
1:10 PM, 16 DECEMBER 2022
Crowds of students evacuate the lounge; lunch time must be over. Everyone in the class opens their laptops and begins clicking through the files of last week’s lesson. Why can’t I access this file? It’s taking ages to load. Oh, my screen just went black. The battery must be dead, but I don’t have my charger with me. Perhaps Charles will let me borrow his, we have the same laptop after all. It must have been so much easier in the past, when everyone just used pen and paper. There wouldn’t have been any of these technical problems. Looks like Mrs Stewart has set a task for us to do over the holiday. Yay? I hear someone behind me clicking their mouse a little too intensely; they must be secretly playing a game. Besides the hypnotic taps of keyboard keys, we’re completely silent as we do our work. And, all at once, the tapping stops, which means it must be time to go home!
2:30
The ride home in the school bus is loud, chatter coming from all directions. The bus is one of the only places where students of all different ages can come together as a kind of family. The older students at the back of the bus are trying to convince the younger kids that aliens invented Mars Bars. The students my age are telling jokes and trying to make each other spit their drink out. I look outside the window to see all of the cars passing by. I notice they’re putting up a new billboard. I know every single billboard on the trip to and from school. Maybe someday they’ll use huge televisions and won’t have to send workers all the way up there to change the images. We’re at the curve; just three more speed bumps until we’re home. As soon as the bus comes to a halt, I hurl myself out the door and wave to the other kids who will be dropped off right after me. “See you guys at the park, 6 o’clock sharp!” They nod and cheer as the door closes behind me.
2:30 PM, 16 DECEMBER 2022
On the bus ride home, most of the older students are sitting in the back; some of them are on their phone and one of them is already doing their homework on a tablet. The younger students are talking and giggling in the front; two of them are playing an aggressive game of thumb war¬¬¬¬ but they can’t let it get too out of hand because there’s a camera at the front of the bus. As I gaze out the window, I can see dozens of intimidating skyscrapers towering above us, all seemingly competing with one another. I wonder how much more sunlight there was back when all of these buildings didn’t exist yet. No! An email has appeared from Mrs Stewart on my lock screen, informing me that we have more homework tasks for the holidays. Arriving at the steps in front of my house, I wave to everyone left on the bus. “I’ll message you guys!” I wonder how people ever made plans in the past before mobile phones existed; it must’ve been exhausting!
This week, we meet the questioning TLC group. “Our TLC aims to foster targeted discussion and reflection on a range of evidence based questioning strategies. We are going to be exploring how teachers can maxim ise their questioning efficacy, both as a tool to promote and encourage students’ thinking and to assess students’ understanding. Ideally, good questioning should enable teachers to encourage and promote higher order and elaborate thinking, as well as connected, flexible think ing which considers a range of perspectives; skills which allow students to thrive and develop in such a wide va riety of ways.
As a group, we are also focusing on how to embed and hone a real ‘Culture of Questioning’ – using methods which role model and empower students to de velop their own skills in questioning. In turn, this means that students can not only answer a range of questions with confidence and flexibility, but also are able to en gage in the formulation of their own effective questions. These skills and strategies will build confidence and knowledge, both in the classroom and in the worlds of higher education, work, family and democracy, as our students strive to develop as curious, reflective Global Citizens.”
Academic professional reading can be hard going (remember when you were studying in university or college), that’s why we recently created the Books and Burritos programme for academic staff. This staff Book Club firstly involved staff voting on a range of cur rent books on Teaching and Learning. The book that won the popular vote was Daniel T Willingham’s “Why Don’t Students Like School?” a fascinating look into the neuro science of learning and what motivates, as opposed to what deflates, students in the classroom.
Staff were able to opt to receive a digital, audio or “old school paper” copy of the book and had two months to read it at their leisure. The group contribut ed questions and comments to a collaborative google doc, to later be used to guide their discussions. We also set-up a Teams channel to stay connected and cheer each-other on when life getting in the way of our read ing momentum (Netflix, marking, doom scrolling on our phones, etc…)
This professional learning opportunity culminated in a Burrito lunch last Wednesday, which saw almost 40 staff take over the Cross Campus staffroom and engage in lively discussion and debate about the book and its
premise. The depth of discussion was very impressive in deed and it was clear there were some immediate takeaways, which could be applied to the classroom tomor row and others that were excellent food for thought and required more in-depth discussion.
“I listened to this book and had the physical book to look at. I would not have read this book without the group - this is brilliant.” -Rachel Stead (Primary Music)
“I liked having the opportunity to talk with someone in the leadership team, something I wouldn’t usually get to do in a small group setting. It made me feel heard and more part of the Patana teaching team.” -Kylie Beer (Primary Teacher)
“ I really liked the format of the discussion questions being there as prompts but not having to be strictly adhered to. It was brilliant to have discussions with colleagues from other parts of the school with whom I would not normally have opportunities to talk through teaching ideas.” -Lindsay Tyrrell (Secondary English)
“I really like the book club as a way to connect with other colleagues and hear about some really high quality strategies they use - which I would never had heard about - we have such a wealth of experience here.” -Zoe Edmunds (Primary PE)
“I really enjoyed getting back into reading about education again, as I haven’t prioritised that for a while. It was nice to know I was reading it for a reason :o) Thank you ever so much for starting this club, I would love for this to be a regular cycle that repeats several times a year. -Victoria Hyman (Secondary Science)
The FOBISIA Gymnastics Invitational 2022 is taking place in the Sports Hall – come along and witness the fabulous BPS Tiger gymnasts compete in the first international competition in years!
Schedule provided overleaf.
According to the World Bank, the average life expectancy of somebody in the UK is 80.9 years old. A Gap Year is roughly 1/ 80th of that.
Twelve years ago, my nephew left the comforts of his UK childhood home and boarded a flight to Bangkok, the first destination on his Gap Year and the first time he’d ever travelled alone. When I collected him from the airport, he was kitted out with heavy walking boots and an oversized rucksack, and his face resembled a rabbit’s caught in the headlights. In the back of my head, I heard his mother’s voice nagging me ‘Keep him safe and don’t let him get malaria’- sigh!
Like many 18-year-old UK students who’ve just finished Year 13, my nephew wanted to take a break from his studies to pursue new interests, develop new skills and explore the world. So, he took a Gap Year and became a ‘Gapper’.
Considering how incredibly structured a school day is, with every minute allocated a location, a lesson, a set of activities and an end of year goal in the form of exams, jumping into a Gap Year without a plan is not a good idea.
One suggested planning approach is to create a 12-month version of Stanford University’s Odyssey Plan (If you are reading this article, I definitely encourage you to watch the video and create your own one). The year (or 3/ 6/ 9 months) should be split into four 3-month (or equivalent) chunks that contain activities and experienc es that will make you feel enriched and fulfilled.
Volunteering - support a worthwhile cause and gain valuable experience along the way. This could be taking part in a wildlife conservation project, teaching children or construction. Consider the Service aspect of the CAS programme for ideas.
Travel - explore the world, discover new cultures, practice the IB language you studied, and develop your independent living skills at the same time. Do consider your budget. Travelling around South East Asia will be
much more affordable than Inter Railing across Western Europe.
Paid Employment - earn money and gain new skills. You could work on a farm in Australia, a backpacker hostel in New Zealand, teach English online or coach soccer at an international school. There is nothing like receiving money that you have earned yourself.
Work Experience - gain relevant experience and skills for a particular career or subject that you plan to study. This will look great on your college application and pro vide you with contacts in the industry, and with invalua ble soft skills and insights into the world of work.
Part-time courses – learn something new; learn a new language, learn how to programme, how to budget, try a new sport or musical instrument, learn a new practical skill such as mechanics, carpentry, or cookery. Check out our Supercurricular Engagements pages in our Ca reers and Universities Firefly page for some ideas.
During his three months in Thailand, he completed a Thai cooking course, became a confident Muay Thai boxer, taught English in a rural primary school, volun teered at an adventure camp on the Burmese border, became a certified scuba diver and made many, many new friends along the way. He developed soft skills such as budgeting, communication, self-organisation, time-management, problem-solving, determination and adaptability- skills that served him well later at university and in the work place. He used to cook Khao Man Gai for his housemates, making him very popular! Fortunate ly for me, he didn’t get malaria!
Twelve years on, my nephew is very happily married, a proud father and owner of two cute dogs. On his kitch en wall is a photo of him surround by smiling friends on a beach on the Great Ocean Road wearing flips flops, and a gaudy Thai-dye tee-shirt. To this day, he describes his Gap Year as one of the best times of life. I am con fident he will be saying this when he’s 80.90 years old.
‘A pet rescue home has the same number of parrots, cats and dogs. When the owner of the home looks at all her pets she can count 30 legs. How many cats are there?’
This is just one question a number of Year 5 and 6 Bangkok Patana students were asked when they participated in The Primary Mathematics Challenge in November. The PMC is a fun and exciting competition, designed to encour age enthusiastic mathematicians to tackle challenging problem solving and reasoning questions.
Congratulations to all those who took part! We were awarded 18 Bronze certificates, 7 Silver and 6 Gold!
This column follows in the style of the famed BBC podcast which features a celebrity every week – here we feature our own Bangkok Patana celebrities! What eight songs, one luxury item and one book would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?
Today Secondary English Teacher, Elizabeth Newman, is stuck on a desert island.
MS ELIZABETH, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?
Days Life This - Van Morrison
Detectorists - Johnny Flynn
This Mus Be The Place - Talking Heads
Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits
Click to listen to Ms Elizabeth’s playlist
Coffee and TV - Blur
Green Eyes - Coldplay
Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake
This Is The Day - The The
PICK ONE LUXURY ITEM YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU. THIS ITEM MUST BE INANIMATE AND OF NO USE IN ESCAPING THE ISLAND OR ALLOWING COMMUNICATION FROM OUTSIDE.
Cadbury’s Dairy Milk
WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Catch the real Desert Island Discs on BBC. What are you listening to? Have a list of your own? Let us know! Contact STML with your favourites.
If your child(ren) (currently in Years 9, 10 or 11) study a language outside of school, either a Home Language or a Foreign Language, and would like to consider taking an (I) GCSE exam in that language this academic year, do contact Celine Courenq, Head of Faculty World Lan guages (ceco@patana.ac.th) before the 13th December. In your email, can you please include:
-the full name of your child(ren)
-the tutor group
-the language you wish your child(ren) to be entered for -the syllabus code of the exam (for example "Cambridge IGCSE Chinese - Second Language (0523)")
The Call of Duty (CoD) series is a world wide gaming phenomenon, with millions of copies sold every year. While 2021’s release, Vanguard, wasn’t quite as well received, this latest entry – Modern War fare II – is proving to be hugely popular. A sequel to the recent Modern Warfare reboot (and not to be confused with the original Modern Warfare 2, from back in 2009), the game is an online shooter which features – unsurprisingly – extreme violence, rendered in realistic graphics.
Amid the explosions and potential po litical nature of the plot, there’s much for parents to be aware of.
In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as offensive chat/ messaging and in-game purchases. Our next PTG Tech Talk is coming up on the 9th of December and you can sign up here. In the session we will be discussing how social media apps use persuasive design to keep you coming back for more, and our Student Digital Leaders will be giving tips on how they, and your children, can strive to achieve a balanced digital diet. Hope you can make it.
Have a great weekend.
Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration
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