CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS

At International School Bangkok, we carefully select and use standards that are recognized worldwide which connect with our ISB Mission, Vision, and Values. Our standards are enhanced by our Definition of Learning and our Learner Attributes. Together, this supports our goal to equip our students competently to thrive and contribute with impact to our ever-changing world.

Our curriculum is based on leading best practices and research. ISB’s learning standards focus on the development of the whole child with expectations that are not only skill and content-based but also concept and understanding-based. In designing learning experiences for students, we connect these concepts and skills to our ISB Values and Attributes to support them as individuals and prepare students for their next steps.

The custom-designed curriculum combined with our approach to learning are paramount to creating an environment where students can learn how to learn. At the beginning of the year, faculty generate opportunities to get to know their students as learners and dedicate time to collaborating as teams and reflecting on student learning. This collaborative and reflective process informs our curriculum review and development in real-time.

We create learning experiences for our students using a backward design framework. We begin with the end in mind, with the long-term goals (beyond high school and university) that we would like our students to engage with and inquire about. From there, we design performance tasks by asking ourselves, “What should learners be able to do with their learning?”

Assessment design and feedback have our Learner Attributes and Definition of Learning at the forefront. Furthermore, we use various methods to assess learning and what students can do with their knowledge. Exams and standardized tests assess the “right now,” or what students have learned up to a certain point. Authentic projects and tasks engage students in owning and showcasing what they know and can do. Students are encouraged to apply and transfer their learning in diverse contexts.

This year, the entire ISB faculty engaged in learning experiences focusing on inclusive practices and nourishing a culture of belonging. We worked with Dr. Jo Kim, a senior lecturer in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Dr. Kim’s areas of expertise are cultural studies, diversity, and educational equity, to name a few. We also engaged with Dr. Katie Novak, with six different sessions for all faculty during the first and second semesters. Katie supported our understanding of universal design for lear ning (UDL) guidelines and principles. This work supports teachers as they design lear ning experiences where students are empowered and unnecessary structural barriers are removed for all students to provide access to the learning goals.

Finally, we honed in on three areas that remove barriers and generate access to learning: translanguaging, technology, and our own identities and stories as members of our learning community. Building on Dr. Kim’s talks, we engaged in sessions together, sharing stories of equity, inclusion, and diversity. We learned about translanguaging ecology and the power of multilingualism, and inquired into our student standards for technology with the new lens of virtual school.

A few of our other highlights and achievements include:

• Adapting learning experiences for students while in virtual school and hybrid learning

• Engaging with our PK-12 Philosophy and Guidelines Review Cycle

• Inquiring into concept-based learning with our MS and HS math teams

• Exploring provocations and the use of learning spaces in early childhood

• Engaging in grade-level team literacy learning loops KG-G5

• Reviewing our research-focused units of study through the lens of inquiry in G6-10

• Launching virtual and face-to-face student leadership modules

• Co-hosting Learning 2 Asia Virtual Conference

• Conducting schoolwide interviews and using protocols to inform opportunities for post-COVID learning

• Refining and auditing our G6-10 Health and Wellbeing program through a project-based lens