Curriculum Innovation

Curriculum Innovation>> ISB Students’ Creative Projects for Innovation Day

The International School of Beijing (ISB) hosted its second annual Innovation Day on March 24, giving hundreds of middle school students the opportunity to showcase their creativity in the pursuit of their passions. Under the theme of “One Day, One Goal, One Project,” students brainstormed ideas to develop a project or product to exhibit to the ISB community.

Working individually or in groups, students were engaged in various projects including writing a children’s book, programming a computer game, writing and performing a song as well as creating an app.

Serena L and Ashley L, two students from Grade eight and Grade six respectively, worked together to create a song called 24-carat memories on that day.

“We want people to feel calm and nostalgic when they listen to our song,” Serena said.

Ashley added, “We feel like there aren’t a lot of songs that reflect the singer’s emotions or experience. We want to create something authentic and meaningful that will make people reflect on what we have to share.”

Fred Schafer, ISB middle school assistant principal, said, “Innovation Day is an opportunity for all our middle school students to develop their passions and find out what they really want to learn with teachers. We don’t tell kids what they learn that day; they get to choose.”

Grade six students Minjoo K and Suri S thought upcycling clothes would be a great way to raise awareness about a global issue.

They went to Shanghai for a middle school Global Issues Network (GIN) Conference on March 5 and 6 where they learned more about upcycling from Bunny Yan, founder of boutique upcycled fashion store The Squirrelz.

Suri said, “We have learned from her different ways to upcycle clothes. We can combine men’s shirts with denim to create a skirt. We can utilize used zippers and sewing to create clothes or cut off sleeves and add patterns from another shirt to make an upcycled t-shirt.”

“As middle school students, we’re constantly growing and need new to buy new clothes regularly. We feel it is a good idea to reuse old clothes and send a message to the community that old clothes aren’t necessarily unfashionable. They can be new and pretty,” Minjoo said.

ISB middle school principal Jon Hill said, “Innovation Day allows students to explore their talents and interests outside their comfort zone in a fun, supportive environment, while also teaching them skills essential for success in the 21st century.”