PATANA NEWS
Friday 24th November 2023 Volume 26 Issue 13
Cognitive Assesments in Primary By Peter Taylder
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Also in this issue... Firm Foundations in Foundation Stage Page 4 KS3 Strings Festival at Bangkok Patana Page 5 The Green Stall Awards Page 6 Wildlife Spotting with Coke Page 8 Community Engagement in ActionPage 12 United Wardrobe
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Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS Bangkok Patana School News
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Cognitive Assesments In Primary Peter Taylder, Senior Teacher, Leading Student Progress
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his September we tested all Year 4, 5 and 6 students with a cognitive abilities test called CAT4. Cognitive ability tests are used to help schools understand students’ current abilities and likely academic potential. The tests do assess some knowledge; however, their main purpose is to assess how well the students’ can reason and make relationships between words, numbers, shapes and objects, i.e. using one’s imagination and reasoning. CAT4 assesses the ability to reason with and manipulate four types of mental processing. These four types are:
average SAS for an international school is 106. Our results suggest that our Year 5 and 6 students are currently more able than students of the same age in other international schools.
“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”- Albert Einstein HOW DO WE USE THE RESULTS? We use the results to see if a student’s attainment matches their cognitive ability as indicated by their CAT4 results; for exam-
Verbal reasoning – thinking with words Quantitative reasoning – thinking with number Non-Verbal reasoning – thinking with shapes Spatial reasoning – thinking with shapes and space WHY DO WE WANT TO USE THEM IN PRIMARY? We have introduced CAT4 into Primary School to support us with our school mission to ensure our students reach their full potential. It is also a common assessment in international schools around the world. In fact, when a student leaves Bangkok Patana for a new school in another country, the new school often requests the student’s CAT4 results. WHAT CAN WE TELL FROM OUR STUDENTS’ RESULTS? Let’s take a look at our students’ results before looking at what the different types of questions assess. The results are represented as a standardised age score (SAS). SAS takes the child’s age on the day of the test into account, so an older child would need to get more questions correct than a younger child to achieve the same SAS. The national average is 100. A score below 100 means the student’s SAS is below the national average, whereas a score of more than 100 means the student’s SAS is above the national average. The scores range from 70 to 141. According to GL Assessment (the creators of CAT4) the
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ple, if a student scores highly in the test, but in the class their attainment is average or slightly above average. We then take a closer look at the student and their learning to figure out what this mismatch might be, which can range from: not being interested in what is being taught or how something is taught to a change in friendships or home-life. Once the cause has been established we can begin to work on a solution with the student, family, teaching method or lesson content. Also, if a student scores below 85, we will check that they are receiving the correct kind of intervention and/or support to help them to continue to learn. This year’s results mean that we will consider how we challenge our students in all areas of the curriculum; for example, when reading in ‘literacy circles’ the students may discuss an issue relating to social justice; in Art, they may be considering how different objects fit together and what the best use of space is and how to create a specific mood; when writing poetry, they may play with words and their meanings.
WHAT DO THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF QUESTIONS ASSESS? Spatial Reasoning The Spatial section is designed to assess how well students can create and retain mental images of precise shapes and
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objects, and then manipulate these in their minds. This ability is critical to working in many spatial careers, e.g. engineering, physical sciences, mathematics and architecture.
assessed are general knowledge, e.g., that an ankle is a joint, word knowledge, e.g., that ‘cold’ can mean a virus or a low temperature and language development, e.g. that some words can be verbs or nouns.
Quantitative Reasoning The questions in this test assess the same basic reasoning processes that are assessed in the equivalent Verbal Analogies test, namely, identifying relationships and creating further examples of them. The questions also assess basic arithmetic knowledge, e,g, 6 is twice 3 and flexibility in identifying and being aware of numerical relationships, e.g., that 7 might be twice 3 ad plus 1 or four times 2 minus 1.
Non-Verbal Reasoning The non-verbal section measures basic reasoning such as identifying similarities and relationships by using shapes and designs rather than words or numbers. For this reason, it provides a means by which those with a spatial bias can demon-
The set of four scores obtained from assessment with CAT4 provides a profile of a student’s abilities, as well as providing an overall summary score of his or her reasoning abilities
across the four areas. Here is a video explainer.
WHAT NEXT? strate how effectively they can engage in general reasoning.
Verbal Reasoning This section assesses general verbal reasoning and the ability to extract general principles from specific examples by identifying similarities and relationships between concepts. Also,
Because the data from the tests is reliable for two years, we will not need to test our current Year 4 and 5 students until September 2025. Therefore: • September 2024 we will test Year 4 only • September 2025 we will start the cycle for Year 4 and Year 6. This year we are looking into other GL Assessments which assess reading, and the students’ attitudes to themselves and school (PASS). The data from all the tests can be analysed together to ensure we are doing our best to help the students reach their potential. If you are interested in learning more about the tests, please watch this video.
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Firm Foundations in Foundation Stage Carol Ashworth Leader of Learning and Curriculum
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emodelled in 2017, our Foundation Stage buildings are both unique and incredible. Their fluid and natural shape designed with a futuristic feel surrounded by lush, green, gardens are places full of excitement, awe, and wonder. These buildings are where our youngest learners start their Bangkok Patana learning journey. They are a place where magic happens, where laughter and learning go together. They are enabling environments; learning habitats and it is where our youngest students build the foundations for lifelong, learning characteristics. Dylan Williams says, ‘that pedagogy trumps curriculum’ and this is so true, but when the pedagogy and curriculum work harmoniously together with the unique child at the centre of all that you do, the result is happy, motivated, and engaged learners who feel a sense of autonomy, agency and belonging. The curriculum guidance of Foundation Stage is called ‘Birth to 5 Matters’. Brain research shows that at birth, the average baby’s brain is about a quarter of the size of the average adult brain. Incredibly, it doubles in size in the first year. It keeps growing to about 80% of adult size by age 3 and 90% – nearly full grown – by age
5. (First Thing First 2023). So, now we add in ‘the third teacher’ as identified by the Reggio Emilia approach, our environment. Reggio Emilia is a town in Italy, where post war parents decided they wanted a different approach to learning for their children. They built their own school and enlisted the help of local teacher and psychologist Loris Malaguzzi. Today this approach is widely recog4
nised across the world. By working in close partnership with parents we find out about children’s interests and what motivates them. We use Seesaw to share information in a two-way conversation that includes the voice of the child. Parents receive a weekly blog post via Seesaw. Our focus child planning means that the information parents share, feeds directly into our thinking on challenge, next steps, and possible lines of development. “Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. “ -Loris Malaguzzi
Through our environment planning, we give learners agency about shaping the environment and we will enlist children in setting up. We ask open ended questions such as “I wonder what we need for our new roleplay?” Children who have been part of the creation of a learning area, understand how to look after and maintain it. A nursery child, one of our youngest learners says, “I like playing with the dinosaurs in the sand”. Their grown up says “Knowing that my child feels excited about going to school, and finding things that they have choice over, makes such a difference”. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, relate to others, set their own goals and solve problems. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.
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KS3 Strings Festival at Bangkok Patana Krisztina Ujhazy, Secondary Music Teacher
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angkok Patana hosted five international schools in Bangkok last weekend at the annual KS3 Strings Orchestra Festival last weekend: Shrewsbury International School, St Andrews International School, International Community School, Thai-Chinese International School and International Christian School of Nonthaburi. This year 110 talented students and their dedicated teachers were making music together, each school’s teacher conducting the piece they suggested to include in the repertoire. They spent two days rehearsing and concluded the Festival with a gala concert on Saturday at the Rosamund Stuetzel Theatre. The repertoire stretched through a range of musical periods and genres including some baroque and contemporary pieces, Scottish folk music and an arrange‘The Festival was an amazing experience. We were joined ment of some famous tunes from the Harry Potter movies. by five other schools from Bangkok. As the musicians gathered on stage, tuning their instruments and finding their place, the exhilaration was clear. The audience took their seats and then there was silence as the first note was struck. As we played the late King’s anthem, the audience stood up with respect. Once the music started, the high and low notes joined together to create spine-chilling tunes. The sound of all the instruments uniting was simply magical. Looking down from the stage, I noticed the enjoyment from the audience as they smiled and swayed to the music. A student from another was school sitting next to me, the different schools were scattered around the stage, everyone mixing together. At the end of the performance, all the parents and children gathered together for photos, and snacks. Overall, this was a great experience, all the practice hours and hard work were worth it just for that moment.’ ‘My experience as a member of the string festival for the second year in a row has been no less amazing, the experiences that come with being in a formal orchestra are unforgettable, including the amount of hours we spent practising our songs with dedication and diligence. I enjoyed the playing more than the technicalities of the stage setting, but this event made me feel like a professional violinist, with proper obligations. The discipline required for this concert is incredible, and I felt like my energy had been sapped on the first day, (probably because I didn’t sleep). But in the end, all the hard work I had put into making music paid off as multiple different schools came together to create a musical masterpiece.’
-Hailey Hongngamlert, Year 8
This experience I had in the series of two productive and tiring but fun days with about 110 musical students from five international schools was exciting and phenomenal. We are super lucky since our international school has a musical tradition for strings that brought a festival for all of us. I really enjoyed making new friends during this period. -Tat Sen Davis (Dave) Cheung, Year 7
-Oluwatobiloba (Joshua) Sanusi, Year 9
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Countries Battle It Out to Claim Green Credentials Ana Bolakoso, SEC KS3 Rep
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ne of the highlights of International Day at Bangkok Patana is without a doubt the Food Hall. So many delicious cuisines to sample from around the world. A huge thank you to each and every family who helped to purchase, prepare and serve food throughout the day – we (and our stomachs) appreciate you! Several years ago the Student Environmental Committee became concerned about the amount of single use plastic and waste being created by International Day, and so introduced the Green Stall Awards to encourage each country to think about sustainability. Over the years this has seen several major initiatives including:
JOINT 1ST PLACE INDONESIA and MALAYSIA
• The move to plates that can be recycled
• The move to serve “finger food” to avoid the need for utensils • The move away from individually packaged items • The move toward bringing your own reusable water bottle
The Green Stall Awards are hotly contested with countries fighting hard to be innovative in the ways they reduce, reuse, and recycle and also in how they present their food. This year the team from China upcycled old Moon Cake boxes to create an attractive display as their food stall back-drop, infusing Mondrian’s design philosophy into a traditional Chinese giant panda artwork This beautiful display breathed new life into this otherwise single-use packaging. Meanwhile the team from Indonesia made a community connection and upcycled cartons for their back-drop, which will later be donated to local organic vegetable sellers - ‘The Happy Grocers’ to become reusable egg cartons which are often exchanged between buyers and sellers up to 3 – 4 times! Whilst the culture show was underway, a team of discerning judges from the SEC began their tour of all the stalls, discussing with each stall how they incorporated their green initiatives whilst also balancing the realities of serving such large quantities and maintaining food safety. The SEC were ecstatic to see the mass improvement across all the countries, making it a very tough decision. Following plenty of debate, the SEC are pleased to announce this year’s winners (drumroll please…). In joint first place we have Indonesia and Malaysia, China in a close second and Germany third. Honourable mention to Vietnam for their sustainable efforts. 6
2ND PLACE CHINA
3RD PLACE GERMANY
HONOURABLE MENTION VIETNAM
Congratulations to our winners, we look forward to your efforts next year as we focus on incorporating locally sourced produce and complete elimination of single use plastics.
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Wildlife Spotting with Coke DA BEARS! Alexander Coke Smith V, Secondary Environmental Sciences Leader
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think my passion for the bears of the world is not only due to the fact that my hometown is Chicago. I simply love bears. Their raw power is only surpassed by their charismatic cuteness. While the cubs appear cuddly and sweet, I think most would respectfully fear the wrath of an irritated momma bear. Now why would be writing this week’s column about bears? Are there bears in Thailand? This is a question I heard as recently as this morning when sharing this past weekend’s images of one of Thailand’s bear species that I encountered in Kaeng Krachan National Park. Kermode Black Bear
Malayan Sun bear
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Giant Panda Bear. No doubt this is by far the most difficult bear to see in the wild. Found only in the Qinling Mountains and surrounding ranges of central China. My family and I tracked wild Pandas some 12 years ago and had an amazing encounter with a giant boar (male bear) feeding on bamboo in the snow.
There are eight species of Ursids, otherwise known as Brown Bears. Brown Bears bears. I have made it my life are actually common in much goal to see all of the world’s of their range. The species is the same on all continents species of bears in their natural with perhaps North habitats and I finally made this America being the life goal this past summer in Ecbest place to try for uador when I finally saw and them – Yellowstone photographed my final bear is great! But much of species. So, this week’s colEurope has populaumn will highlight the world’s tions in some of the bear species, starting with the wilder areas. two species that call Thailand Sloth Bears. These scruffy little black bears are found home. in India and Sri Lanka and can be a challenge to see as Malayan Sun Bear and well. There are a couple of locations where they can be Asiatic Black Bear. These seen fairly easily so if you would like to know more, give are the two species of bears me a contact! Yala National Park is a good starting point. one can hope to see here in Polar Bears. These are perhaps the most expensive Thailand. Both are extremely shy and while perhaps not ex- bears to see in the wild. I mean, you have to travel to actly rare in the right habitat, some of the most norththey can be very difficult to ern and remote places see. The best place to see the on earth to get them. But Sun Bear is of course Kaeng while you are there you Krachan’s Bang Krang Camp have a good chance of where they are regular visitors seeing many. While in to the canteen. Khao Yai is Svalbard, we saw 13 in the place for the Asiatic Black a few days! Churchill Bear although I have only Canada is a great spot too. seen them there once myself. Bangkok Patana School News
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Spectacled or Andean Bear. This is another very difficult bear to see, although sightings have been increasing greatly in the past few years. These amazing ursids are South America’s only species and can be found in the Andes Mountains of Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. I finally got this one last summer! American Black Bear. These are so common in the USA and Canada that they can be considered a pest in many areas. They are not endangered in most of their range and seem to do well around humans. But as is the case with all of the bear species, they are poached heavily for their body parts and bile for fake cultural medicines.
Spectacled Bear
Srilankan Sloth Bear
Grizzly Bear and her cubs
Vietnamese Black Bear
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To claim your Lost items
UNTIL 1
st
DECEMBER ONLY TERM 1 LOST PROPERTY
poster by Emily Tooley
LOSTPROPERTY@PATANA.AC.TH
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Community Engagement in Action United Wardrobe- A Sustainable Revolution in By Yoochan Hwang, Year 11, BPS Economist Club in Collaboration with the Mercy Centre
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n a world characterised by consumerism, where fashion trends shift rapidly, our planet is burdened with the detrimental consequences of the fast fashion industry. Recognising the urgent need for change, I initiated the ‘United Wardrobe’ project within the BPS economist club. This endeavour was born out of a simple observation: a wardrobe overflowing with clothing that no longer fit. The idea was to create a platform for students to donate their unwanted and unused clothing, thereby promoting sustainability through circular economy principles and supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). THE BIRTH OF UNITED WARDROBE My journey with the United Wardrobe project began during a summer vacation, as I confronted the excess of clothing I had accumulated over the years. In a eureka moment, the concept of a donation box within our school took shape. The aim was to establish a simple, convenient mechanism for students to contribute their surplus garments while fostering an ethos of altruism and sustainability. THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF FAST FASHION To further underline the significance of this project, it was vital to educate ourselves and our peers about the perils of fast fashion. The fast fashion industry has not only accelerated the depletion of finite resources but also perpetuated exploitative labour practices. It has led to the generation of a massive amount of textile waste, contributing to environmental degradation. United Wardrobe was designed to counteract these issues by promoting a shift toward a more sustainable fashion model. CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SDGS The United Wardrobe project’s foundation lies in the principles of the circular economy. In a linear economy,
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we take, make, and dispose of clothing, but a circular economy aims to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible. Our project aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1, 10, 12 and also SDG 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14 by reducing waste and promoting the reutilization of clothing, we are taking concrete steps to support a more sustainable future. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS With unwavering support from our school community, especially from Ms Ferguson, we successfully installed the United Wardrobe donation box on October 31, 2023. The response from students and staff alike has been heartening. The donation box stands as a symbol of our collective commitment to fostering positive change in the world. EXPANDING OUR REACH United Wardrobe is not meant to be confined within the walls of our school. Our vision is to encourage other international schools to adopt a similar project. By creating a network of schools united under the banner of sustainable fashion, we can significantly extend the impact of our endeavour. Together, we can be the driving force for change, channelling small acts of kindness into meaningful support for those in need. United Wardrobe is more than just a donation box; it’s a symbol of hope, sustainability, and compassion. It serves as a reminder that each of us, through our small acts, can bring about significant positive change. This project is a testament to the power of collective action, education, and our unwavering commitment to making a difference in the world. As we move forward, let United Wardrobe stand as an embodiment of the change we wish to see, one garment at a time.
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n Fashion UNITED WARDROBE’S FIRST DONATION On October 31st, BPS Economist installed a clothing donation box, and we received a greater number of clothes than we had expected. However, due to unexpected heavy rainfall for the past few weeks, half of the donated clothes were wet despite our careful preparation. Given the hot weather in Thailand, wet clothes can quickly become mouldy, so we needed to take immediate action. At the end of the week, we discovered that our school had a laundry room next to the kitchen and on 18th November, starting at 8:00 am, we gathered the wet clothes
from the donation box, washed, dried and sorted them into categories such as tops, bottoms, dresses, bags and
swimwear. The process took longer than expected, as much as eight hours and our successful outcome is shown below: On the day, our hard work paid off, and we were able to deliver six boxes to Mercy Centre. Despite the physical challenges we faced, there was a sense of pride among us. I would like to express our gratitude to all the team members who dedicated themselves to this challenge throughout the day. Special thanks to Chongrong, Ethan and Charya. It is great to turn our ideas into practice and we are looking forward to making greater contributions to the community. Our team truly appreciates the school’s strong support.
PTG UPDATE
JOIN US IN WELCOMING MA’CHERIESOUR NEW PTG COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
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COMMUNITY
TO MO
The British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy (BCTFN) proudly presents
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25 November 2023, 10 AM to 9 PM Bangkok Patana School Food and Drinks Meet Father Christmas Live Entertainment!
Children’s Games and Rides Raffles and Shopping
Scan and Save on Early Bird Tickets
Thank you to our Fair Partner
Adults THB 300 | Children under 12 years THB 150 *All proceeds to BCTFN Thai Charities
www.ploenchitfair.org | bctfn1992@gmail.com
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COMMUNITY
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COMMUNITY
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