Your guide to
Senior School The British International School Shanghai, Pudong
CONTENTS 5
Our story
6
First, a little background
8
Setting the scene
10
The main plot line
12
Character development
14
Textbook heroes
16
Thinking outside the book
18
Happily ever after
20
Find out more
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Want to hear our story?
Welcome to our guide to Senior School the final stage of learning at The British International School Shanghai. This guide is purposefully written for students because we believe it is important that Senior School students make their own decisions, and develop individual learning styles. We know that you as parents will want to have a role in your child’s continuing education and hope that you will read this guide with your son or daughter, and offer them personal advice along the way. At school, we also offer guidance to our students about the best curriculum choices for them. This guide is a little different from those that precede it because Senior School is all about the International Baccalaureate.
YOUR GUIDE TO SENIOR SCHOOL
FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Students in Years 12 and 13, aged between
Our curriculum and how we teach it
offer the International Baccalaureate (IB),
16 and 19, form our Senior School. We
a comprehensive and rigorous two-year
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IB qualifications recognised in 75 countries worldwide
academic programme designed for pre-
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High Performance Learning
university students.
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Global Classroom
Why is the IB so good? Because it prepares you for university better than any other programme. Wherever you wish to study in the world, the IB is highly respected and widely accepted by universities. In fact, no other qualification is accepted by so many institutions in so many countries. The British International School Shanghai has its IB programme reviewed every five years. At our last review in 2011, our IB programme was highly commended in every single aspect. Our bespoke approach to education – High Performance Learning – is the perfect accompaniment to the IB. At this most important phase of learning, it will assist you to enhance the Advanced Cognitive Performance Characteristics (ACPC), such as selfregulatory process and the ability to deal with complex and multi-step problems, so important to your success in the IB. The Global Classroom, connecting you with students and teachers around the world at other Nord Anglia Education Schools, is an enviable platform for sharing and debating ideas, and broadening the scope of your understanding of different cultures and the wider global community.
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Our bespoke approach to education is the perfect accompaniment to the IB
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YOUR GUIDE TO SENIOR SCHOOL
SETTING THE SCENE
Martin is a truly internationally minded student in every way. Fluent in Chinese,
Creating the best learning environment for your child
to fulfil his career aspirations to become a successful business manager. Driving
English and Swedish, and with a High Performance Target of 37, he is well on track
Martin to succeed is the opportunity to work with others and to be able to make key decisions about his future. Working in collaboration with others is key to the success of our IB students. Giving them the dedicated space and the right environment to be able to do this effectively is central to the design of our IB workspace. With room for lecture work, small study spaces and group meeting rooms, it really is a place they can call their own. Our new Learning Centre at the heart of the school provides resources and space for reflection. Access to the newest technology and multimedia resources can be found in the Hive or in numerous IT suites. The Design Technology classrooms and workshops contain the latest design hardware and software. The Performing Arts Centre houses Drama and Music together under one roof, with practice
rooms, access to instruments and a brand new 400 seat auditorium. Sporting facilities are in abundance here, with two sports halls and a gymnasium (or martial arts hall), full-size playing field for rugby and football, swimming pool, and courts for tennis, basketball and netball. The Hub serves international cuisine with cold or hot food options. Senior students can also use the coffee shop, Aspretto, providing another area for open discussion or quiet reflection. Our quiet suburban location helps you to keep the focus on study. Everything you need can be found on campus and other temptations for time or attention are just out of reach!
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YOUR GUIDE TO SENIOR SCHOOL
THE MAIN PLOT LINE Taking education into your own hands
Studying for the IB is quite different from the study you have been used to so far. Now that you have reached this stage of your education, you are able to make important decisions about the learning you will do. You are also required to be quite autonomous in your study, although our dedicated IB teachers are here to guide you along the way. Studying for the IB places expectations on you that are designed to prepare you for university. These include doing your own research in study periods and home time, being honest in your academic research, and using reliable sources that are properly referenced. As well as the individual subjects you study at IB level, you are also assessed on what is known as the IB Core. This is made up of Creativity, Action, Service (CAS), Theory of Knowledge (TOK), and the Extended Essay (EE). All three offer skills and experiences you won’t find in other programmes. You are also required to study two languages, something that is vital for your future success in today’s global society. One more thing: the school uniform is gone. In its place, we require you to respect a formal business dress code, another element that we believe will assist you in your understanding of the expectations that face you in your future career. We promise you that all your hard work will be worth it. Students who complete our IB programme emerge as enriched, internationally-minded adults. They are prepared for university, employment, and life outside of school.
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YOUR GUIDE TO SENIOR SCHOOL
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Since joining the school Chansu has
Well-rounded learning, well-rounded students
the speed of settling in to life here. Chansu is
impressed his teachers and peers alike with
interested in computer related works and his dream is to become a software engineer for Google. He has already made an impact on the school community, particularly through his involvement in our Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) programme. The IB organisation sets the qualities that excelling students must display. Of course, as you have progressed through our school, you will already know the importance of these attributes through our High Performance Learning Values, Attitudes and Attributes (VAA) and Advanced Cognitive Performance Characteristics (ACPC). You will have also had plenty of opportunities to explore them practically. In IB, you are asked to display these qualities across your learning. They include being: • • • • • • • • • •
Inquirers Knowledgeable Thinkers Communicators Principled Open-minded Caring Risk-takers Balanced Reflective
You may recognise some of these characteristics already in yourself. This can stand you in good stead to strengthen those which already exist and strive to discover the others. Our CAS programme offers many meaningful activities to help you along the way.
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YOUR GUIDE TO SENIOR SCHOOL
TEXTBOOK HEROES
You have some important decisions about subject to make before you start the IB.
Daily routine of subjects and activities
However, where the IB comes into its own is in its three Core Components which
The IB allows you to make individual subject choices, but within set parameters.
you are also required to study to develop more rounded abilities that set you apart from other university candidates. You will make provisional subject choices for the IB in the second half of Year 11 or before joining the school. The IB Diploma requires that you study six subjects – at least three, but no more than four, at higher level (HL) and up to three at standard level (SL). Within this choice, a second language is compulsory. Our team of teachers, IB coordinators and advisors are on hand to help you make the right choices, available for advice and direction at any point in the decision process. More information on the subject areas can be found in the Senior School Options Guide. By getting involved in the three compulsory core components of the IB you will develop into a rounded individual, with more than just academic achievements to your name. The core components are: Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) – encouraging you to develop your own individual talents, focusing on what you do best. You will have one timetabled session each week in which to plan and organise activities. However, what happens outside the timetable will be more important. Over the two years of the IB programme, you will devote at least 150 hours to the three elements: Creativity, Action, and Service. Creativity might involve anything from music to art or drama. Action will be something physical or sports
based. Service will see you doing something for the local community or environment. Theory of Knowledge (TOK) - designed to develop critical thinking skills and enhance your powers of reasoning and argument. TOK will help you become an active rather than a passive learner. You are expected to gain an understanding of what it means to know something, for example as a scientist or an artist or a historian. This means recognising how different forms of knowledge relate to one another. You will be encouraged to compare and contrast your attitudes and perceptions with other students from different cultural backgrounds. This does not involve challenging their beliefs, but rather asking you to justify or validate your knowledge. Extended Essay (EE) – an opportunity for you to become knowledgeable about a chosen subject and topic through research and self-directed inquiry. It is a 4,000 word research essay on a subject between the three elements: Creativity, Action and Service. Working on this essay, you will learn how to communicate ideas clearly and with confidence in a way that is balanced, open-minded and reflective. You will learn to cite sources using Harvard author-date style and manage their research by writing précis, annotated bibliographies, outlines and drafts. This knowledge will be extremely valuable when it comes to writing in university.
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YOUR GUIDE TO SENIOR SCHOOL
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOOK Connecting with the world around us
As an IB student in our Senior School, you will play a strong leadership role within the school, as well as in the broader community. While this is an intense time of academic learning, it is vitally important, both for your final IB results, as well as for you personally, that you deepen your understanding of your place in the global community. Your future success depends upon it. There are many leadership positions open to you in Senior School. From Head Boy and Head Girl and their deputies, to Service Ambassadors, House Captains and Arts Leader. You may also take on a leadership role in one of our Service committees in areas like the environment, charities and business. As one of the three core components of the IB, CAS participation is a key element of your studies in Senior School. However, the IB adds a new dimension to your participation. Whatever projects or activities you choose to do, the IB requires that you reflect upon them to truly understand their impact on you personally and on the wider community. In Senior School you will attend one Service trip each year, to destinations far afield in China, and internationally. During any service trip you will work on a project essential to the community, and which will have lasting benefits. We encourage you to become autonomous in your decisions about the activities you choose to take part in and lead, and will assist you to make your ideas work. There are many examples of our students doing this, including a small group of Senior students who organised their own Service trip to the Philippines to assist in rebuilding following a typhoon, and within the school, an aspiring designer who volunteered to develop our Weblog.
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YOUR GUIDE TO SENIOR SCHOOL
HAPPILY EVER AFTER Success stories
Vivian arrived here in Year 9 and since then has become immersed in the school community by taking part in several Co-Curricular Activities - IB Choir, Environmental Group, Model United Nations and the Service project he supported in Lijiang. After his success at IGCSE obtaining 6 A* grades, he is showing great potential for ITGS and is predicted to achieve a 7 at the end of the IB course. Vivian is an inquirer in the truest sense of the word, destined for future success. Although the emphasis is on you, the student, to make the most of your education, there are plenty of people who want you to succeed. Our teachers and curriculum leaders are here to lend a helping hand whenever you need it. Make sure you take advantage of that assistance. Our team includes the IB Coordinator who will track your progress and who may be the first person you go to with a general question or concern. Subject teachers are vital to your success, and it is essential that you build a good relationship with them, working together to achieve your best results. If you have any questions, issues or concerns about a specific subject, talking with the Head of School may give you a fresh perspective, and your Form tutors are also always sympathetic to concerns and issues you may have. As part of the IB programme you are assigned an Extended Essay supervisor to advise you on this core element of the IB, as well as a CAS coordinator who will help you to find and select activities. Our Higher Education Advisor
is here to assist you with the many important decisions about future academic study you will make during Senior School. They will lead you through the necessary procedures, and help you to work out what best suits you. Our Head of School, Deputy Head of School, as well as the Principal are also here to offer advice and help, for interview practice, or just to act as a sounding board when you need it. We believe in celebrating successes, and throughout the two years of Senior School your ongoing achievements will be acknowledged and celebrated in assembly, during our special Award Assembly each term, and regularly on our Weblog. While you will have already left Senior School before your IB results are known, we celebrate that achievement, as well as your progress to university or work, in assembly and on the website and Weblog, inspiring those who follow in your footsteps. As alumni, you are always a welcome visitor to The British International School Shanghai Pudong Campus.
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YOUR GUIDE TO SENIOR SCHOOL
FIND OUT MORE
The best way to find out about what we can offer you and your child is by visiting us and experiencing for yourself our welcoming school environment. The Pudong Campus of The British International School Shanghai is open to visitors year-round, and our friendly admissions team is always on hand to answer your questions. To book a visit or ask a question: +86 21 5812 7455 admissions@bisspudong.com Skype The International Baccalaureate Organisation – www.ibo.org Senior School Options Guide – available from our Admissions Office
Read more about our school and keep up to date with news and events online at: bisspudong.com weblog.bisspudong.com facebook.com/BISSPudong twitter.com/BISSPudong 600 Cambridge Forest New Town, 2729 Hunan Road, Pudong 201315
CENTRAL SHANGHAI
HONGQIAO AIRPORT
PUDONG AIRPORT
THE BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, PUDONG CAMPUS
Read more Our Senior School Option guide will help choosing the right subjects at IB
* Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals in this document.
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