Campus Development >> Remodelled Gymnasium at TIS By Nicholas Strong, TIS Athletic Director On Monday, October 10th the doors were officially opened to the newly remodelled gymnasium at Tianjin International School (TIS). Dozens of students and staff came into school that Monday morning to see for themselves the transformation that took nearly 5 months to complete. The Physical Education (PE) Department loved being able to use the gymnasium for classes again and the gym opened just in time to kick off Season 2 Athletics at TIS. In recent years, we had discovered a variety of issues with the gymnasium including various leaks in the roof, a foundation in need of repair, and various cracks in our gym floor creating safety hazards to all students and athletes. To correct these issues, a major construction project began in June to repair the roof, completely tear out and lay a new foundation for the gymnasium, install a new gymnasium floor, and install the first rock wall that TIS has ever had. Of course, everyone was motivated for the construction to happen in anticipation of the end result, however, a 5-month construction project on a school’s gymnasium does not come without a cost. Our staff and students together dug deep to find some grit and creativity to get through 3 months of school without a gymnasium. We are proud of the patience displayed by many as we shared limited spaces for PE classes, entertained our students during inside recess without a venue for them to adequately run and release pent up energy, shared office spaces while PE offices were off limits due to the construction, and even held volleyball practice outside on the soccer field 3 days a week for our fall high school volleyball teams.
Campus Development >> The Third Teacher By Sarah Gaughan, Leader of Learning Foundation Stage Bangkok Patana School Why is the learning environment so crucial to effective Early Years practice? Yes, it’s true: good teachers can, and often do, make the most of any learning space. They do this by applying their knowledge of how children learn when considering setting up learning opportunities. However, to have had the privilege to take this knowledge and implement theories about learning into the design of the building, right down to the colour scheme, is a chance many teachers seldom get throughout their careers.
The TIS Eagles now have a beautiful gym to call home again and we love being able to use the gym for PE classes as well as host athletic competitions in our gymnasium. Each one of our high school basketball and middle school volleyball teams have been able to enjoy a home game or two in the new gymnasium. There seems to be an added excitement in each of our teams and maybe a small bit of home court advantage as we enjoy these first games inside the new TIS gymnasium. That added excitement and home court advantage might not be enough to help us win every contest on the schedule this year, but win or lose we will surely look good inside our new gymnasium. As of the writing of this article we have been using the new gymnasium for one month, but it sure seems much longer than that. It is amazing how the normal school routines of our students and staff can fall right back into place while enjoying the beauty and comfort of the new gymnasium. The frustration and annoyance for all involved during the construction project is quickly becoming a distant memory and just maybe a time where we bonded together through a difficult situation while waiting on a beautiful end result. Go Eagles!
day. Research tells us that children communicate more outdoors than they do inside and that sensory play increases the rate at which neurological pathways are formed in the brain. So, let’s get them outside! The fabulous kitchens are again part of the ‘homely’ design where children can cook, set the table, explore what a healthy, balanced diet looks like and share meals together. The amphitheatre enables children to express themselves, sing, dance, tell stories and perform. The upstairs mezzanine provides even more space to explore musical instruments and movement as we begin to take learning opportunities there. The rest and sleep areas enable children to self-regulate, understanding the importance of other aspects of healthy living – including the need for rest in order to be at our best when we return to learning. What an absolute pleasure it is to watch our youngest, most inquisitive students, explore and discover in this new ‘Enabling Environment’! The possibilities are endless.
So, what does this mean for our youngest learners? In the Early Years, we refer to the learning space as an ‘Enabling Environment’. This is exactly what our new environment here at Bangkok Patana does. It enables our students to develop in all areas of learning; from communication, personal, social and physical development to reading, writing, mathematics, understanding their world and creativity. The large indoor space has enabled us to create cosy, curriculum-themed spaces where children can learn alongside one another, communicating, making friends and following their own interests.These cosy spaces, alongside a neutral colour scheme, are designed to replicate the home environment where children feel safe and comfortable enough to explore and be independent. The new outdoor space enables children to have direct access to the natural world, discovering plants, animals and weather as well as sensory experiences like water play, mud and sand that are otherwise unavailable day to Winter 2017 Issue 35
