Voyaguer October-November 2018

a publication of CanCham Thailand

Oct-Nov-Dec 2018 Issue

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Sustainability Partner

Platinum Partners

Gold Partners

THE PASSING OF SAM COHEN

On September 5th, CanCham Thailand lost Sam Cohen, one of our most beloved members who passed away at Bangkok’s St. Louis Hospital.

Sam was the heart and soul of CanCham Thailand; a mainstay at Chamber functions; he always wore a smile and had a story to tell. Indeed, if CanCham had a favourite member award, Sam would have won the honour many times over.

A Calgary native, Sam studied petroleum engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He first came to Thailand in 1982 to develop the fields in the Gulf of Thailand. In 1988, he came back to stay working with the Petro Canada International Assistance Campaign (PCIAC) to set up the exploration and production side of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT-EP). Not long after being called up to Thailand for his second assignment, Sam met Sumon, who became his second wife and has been his constant companion ever since. Sam had three children (Gil. Don and Chari) with his first wife, Gea. An avid sailor and motorcyclist, Sam sailed many of Thailand’s waterways and drove many of its highways on his 1300cc Harley.

Besides being President of CanCham (then the TCCC) in 1994 and 1995, Sam served as a representative of the government of Alberta in Thailand, chaired the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand, and was the secretary for the organizing committee of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.

Sam’s mantra was the three P’s: patience, perseverance, and presence. Follow these, and you will do well in Thailand he always said; they certainly worked for him. Many people were touched by Sam during their time in Thailand and few people have had an impact on a foreign chamber the way Sam has had on CanCham.

He was one of CanCham’s founders, and was a tremendous representative for the Canadian community in Thailand. Fittingly, Sam was the first person inducted into CanCham’s Hall of Fame.

Finding someone who has a nasty word to say about Sam was almost impossible and that’s very difficult in this day and age. A loveable bear of a man, the world is a lesser place now that he has gone, but those who knew him will always remember him with great affection and his spirit will always be with us.

Funeral services for Sam were held on September 7th at the Jewish Cemetery at 73/5 Charoen Krung Road, and that is where Sam is buried. Then a celebration of Sam’s life was held on September 27th at the British Club, where Sam was a long-time member. Many tears were shed, but many memories cherished… safe travels, Sam.

CanCham Board Members & Advisors

2017-2018 CanCham Thailand Board Members Patron: H.E. Donica Pottie, Ambassador of Canada to Thailand Executive Board: John Stevens, President Derek van Pelt, Vice President David Beckstead, Vice President Dan McKay, Treasurer Lawrence Cordes, Secretary Board of Directors: John Casella Surachit Chanovan Caroline Kwan Ron Livingston Dean Outerson Sunny Patel Natasak Rodjanapiches Dr. Nahathai Thewphaingarm Embassy Representative Michel Belanger Advisors: Claudia Anghel Peter Baines Yvonne Chin Don Lavoie Marisha Shibuya Joni Simpson Peter van Haren Executive Director: Rose Swagemakers Publication Design:

Publisher / Advertising

Finn Balslev, Marketing Director Tel: +66(0) 2943-7166 Email: finn@scandmedia.com

CanCham Thailand 139 Pan Road, Sethiwan Tower 9th floor, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66(0) 2266-6085-6 Fax: +66(0) 2266-6087 Email: info@canchamthailand.org Website: www.canchamthailand.org

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Members & Partners, Welcome to the final 2018 issue of Voyageur, focusing on Leadership and Education; both are much debated topics and areas of focus that continuously adapt and develop in Thailand, Canada and around the world. I’m delighted that CanCham Thailand has a rich base of excellent education and leadership development members in its midst.

Not only have we welcomed Basis Int’l School Bangkok (to open in Sept. 2019), a newly-established AP-focused private school into our community, we now also have another French-English Kindergarten school offering in La Petite École. And CanCham Thailand values its important partnerships with the prime education providers in town; the Canadian Int’l School of Bangkok (our key supporter), as well as well-known ISB, NIST and KIS Int’l School. Plus of course, all of the other great education-focused members we have with us. It is a real pleasure for me to work closely with all of them to help feature their unique offerings to our community.

My son Félix has recently joined KIS Int’l School and a whole new world has opened for me. I honestly feel that I would like to take a step back in time and return to school – how learning has changed from copying and memorizing pages of a book, to the interactive and experience-based learning it is today; absolutely mind-boggling and exciting at the same time!

With the remarkable economic and social development in Thailand, children in this country are receiving additional years of good education. However, more still needs to be done to prepare them for Thailand 4.0 and beyond. According to a recent lecture by ManPower, the Asia-Pacific Region has the highest shortage in skilled and semi-skilled labour. With the technological revolution, growing client sophistication and shifting demographics, employees will be expected to adapt and learn on the job at a much more rapid pace.

Where new hires were rated on IQ and AF – adaptability factors, now LF - the Learnability Factor and absorbing large amounts of data at a fast pace is key and employers need to offer employees a lot of opportunity for learning and growth, even helping them get ready for their next job.

Foreseeing a growing demand for vocational skills, My Internship Asia and Sasin School of Management are providing students with exciting internships and hands-on learning opportunities that build adaptable, creative and skilled human capital, ready for the workforce.

And we at CanCham Thailand will have a unique Leadership Development event and many other targeted learnings in store for you this last quarter. Also, one event not to be missed is of course our annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner, The Maple Leaf Ball on Oct. 27. The theme of this year’s Red Carpet, Gala evening will be “The Oscars”. Please come and join us and dress as your “favourite movie star” or in glamorous Oscar fashion. Tickets are available through CanCham’s website, but please don’t delay as seating is limited for this most anticipated event of the year.

I would also like to thank those members who participated in our Member Survey. Rest assured that we are listening to you and are evolving and adapting to keep your membership current and relevant.

Last but certainly not least…..Sadly, in early September we lost Mr. Sam Cohen, one of the founding members of our chamber.

It was touching to receive the outpouring of messages and calls from our members expressing their grief and condolences. Sam was a valued mentor, a confidant and a very dear friend to so many in our Canadian community. I’m most thankful to him for his vision of CanCham Thailand and how he helped create the wonderful CanCham community we have today.

To honour Sam, CanCham Thailand in cooperation with the British Club, organized a “Celebration of Life” event on Sept. 27.

Many shared wonderful memories and kind words. Throughout the evening we learned about Sam’s incredible career and the impact he had on the business community at large, his purveying optimism, his incredible helpfulness, his great mentoring ability and his love for being surrounded by the younger generation, always with his loving partner Khun Sumon by his side. We can all hope to be as universally respected and cherished as Mr. Sam Cohen was.

One member summed up nicely what community building meant to Sam: “Every hour with Sam reminded me and reinforced the notion my parents taught me that the best justification for being, is to be useful and helpful. Invoking Sam’s name should ring a reminder bell in each of us that there are always those in need and we can all make time to help”.

Let’s continue to support the members in our community and embody all that Sam stood for.

Rose Swagemakers, Executive Director | CanCham Thailand

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HOW INTERNATIONAL MINDED ARE YOU?

By Jayne Lund, Founding Principal, Canadian International School of Thailand

It’s the beginning of another school year. There are new teachers, new students and their families, lots of excitement and some intrepidation about living overseas or entering an international school, maybe for the first time. There have been days of preparation for teachers and school staff to be ready for the new school year. Part of that preparation is reflection on the relationships they will develop and the impact of the learning experiences they will share with their students.

Whether students are attending national or international schools the curricula they encounter will address, among many other things, global issues, global citizenship or international mindedness, to some extent or another. Some of this will be in the classroom but also in much broader surroundings involving local, regional, national, and international approaches through service learning, exchanges, and academic or social media interactions.

International mindedness is purported as a positive trait to be developed in students through knowledge and understanding of self and others that may lead to mutually beneficial action, service learning, group or individual projects based on local, national or global issues. 21st century world issues have not diminished the need for students to understand what the International Baccalaureate describes as “our common humanity” in fact it seems it is increasingly important for schools to intentionally guide students to engage with global issues and participate in seeking solutions while considering and appreciating the existence of different perspectives.

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So, the question is, “How international minded are you?”

Dominique Turpin (2013) in an article for business leaders asked five questions to help them reflect their own starting place on this matter: 1. Do you have cultural curiosity?

2. Are you self-aware?

3. Are you non-judgmental?

4. Are you emotionally sensitive?

5. Can you tolerate ambiguity and complexity?

These are not the closed questions they seem and are worth pondering at any time whether based overseas or in your home country. I would argue that Question 5 should really be “Can you accept and function when there is ambiguity and complexity?”

At the new teacher orientation in August at the Canadian International School of Thailand these questions were put to the staff for self-reflection about how they approach their personal circumstances but also as a preparation for the many discussions and situations that will take place in the course of a school year with colleagues, parents and students. The questions highlight the roles of knowledge, understanding and empathy to develop international mindedness, but maintain the focus on the individual.

The International Baccalaureate sought to recognize the potential of young adults to develop global understanding, be knowledgeable, speak at least two languages and contribute to a peaceful world through its diploma programme in the 1960’s and now there are many educational initiatives across the world. In general, the emphasis in international school mission statements has shifted towards “21st Century Skills” or “Future forward approaches” but this does not exclude international mindedness, it is simply implicit now in the same way it is implicit in the expectations of business, commerce and industry.

International mindedness is purported as a positive trait to be developed in students through knowledge and understanding of self and others that may lead to mutually beneficial action, service learning, group or individual projects based on local, national or global issues.

Let’s now further explore the earlier questions with a focus on the concepts and the students: 1. Curiosity is a natural inclination in children that is harnessed by best practices in all areas of learning. Students are exposed to increasing diversity turning cultural curiosity into intercultural communication and understanding.

2. The development of self-awareness is supported at all stages of education through experiences and discussions on how they think, feel and act.

3. Children are significantly influenced by adults and peer groups.

The need to ‘fit’ and their perception of ‘fairness’ grow over time with strong role models and opportunities to develop relationships, opinions and take action. This is by far the most difficult concept to achieve but that should not stop us aspiring to develop students that can consider diverse perspectives.

4. Emotionally sensitivity is linked with self-awareness and the development of a sense of ‘the other with the focus on empathy rather than sympathy.

5. Rather than tolerating ambiguity and complexity, I suggested earlier that we should work towards acceptance and the ability to function with ambiguity and complexity. This is mature stage of personal development and thinking based on the ability to critically analyze and synthesize previous experiences, priorities, assumptions and perspectives in a non-judgmental way.

Essentially whether it is international mindedness or intercultural understanding – what matters is open-mindedness that is modeled by others and invites students to discuss, debate, experience, reflect and grow.

Broad concept-based curricula prioritize skills and provide sufficient flexibility to support the development of self while expanding knowledge of “other” and the ability to communicate and appreciate significant aspects of other cultures and communities. Authentic learning experiences and service learning in the classroom, local visits, field-trips and school exchanges allow students to improve their interpersonal skills and intercultural appreciation. A few schools are taking this further with international collaborations with other schools, for example, The Canadian International School of Thailand in collaboration with the Lester B. Pearson School Board in Montreal provides a three-month residency for its high school students, attending a local IB World school and staying in the international student boarding facility.

Jayne Lund is the Founding Principal of the Canadian International School of Thailand with over 25 years of international school experience in Europe, Africa and Asia. She is an experienced IB consultant and WASC accreditation and IB verification team leader. www.canadianschool.com

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LEADERSHIP AS PART OF A BALANCED EDUCATION

By Linda Belonje. Director of Marketing and Development. KIS International School

A well-rounded education offers students the opportunity of developing skills that are deemed useful in life, at school, and in the real world. Some of the skills that are in demand are leadership skills.

Another area where leadership can be built is through the Drama Club, particularly the behind-the-scenes roles, such as stage management. In the build up to a performance, and notably during show times, students in stage roles have to think on their feet and act quickly and decisively to solve problems in real time.

Leadership skills are those that help us manage a group of people. They include, amongst others, communication, delegation, decision making, providing feedback, taking responsibility, motivation and commitment.

A third excellent opportunity for KIS students to become better leaders is KISCO. KISCO is a company run by KIS students that packages and sells fair trade coffee. Running this company allows exposure to real business challenges and problem solving strategies. Students have to respect different opinions, consult with others and learn to understand conflict from different perspectives- a valuable skill for life.

Good leaders are open-minded, committed and goal driven. They respect everyone’s opinion and are trustworthy, confident and calm.

Developing leadership skills at school benefits students in several ways. Not only will the acquired skills help the student to receive a broader education, practicing leadership also builds resilience and perseverance and provides experience for the workplace, giving a student confidence in working with various personalities and cultures and solving problems. When applying to universities, the experience of having had an active role in the school community will also strengthen their application.

Other obvious areas for leadership are captaining a sports team, or being a house captain. These activities not only promote positive spirit and collaboration within school but also expose the leaders to the challenges of directing a sizeable group of people and getting them to collaborate towards a common goal.

The opportunity for students to take on leadership roles supports their development as a person and provides them with experience that matters on their university application and in their daily lives. Schools that understand the value of leadership as part of a balanced education will offer opportunities for student of all ages to gain this experience in a safe and nurturing environment with adult support.

Through leading a group, students learn how to resolve conflicts, prioritize, manage their time and manage resources while advancing confidence and agency.

While some students are more naturally leaders than others, leadership can be developed in everyone. KIS International School offers students a wide range of options for learning these skills. The Student Council, for example, has students from both Primary School and Secondary School representing the students, hosting events, and liaising between the school administration and the students. In the Student Council, students set the agenda of the meeting and work alongside their peers and adults who model the behaviours of a good leader. They solve real problems, learn from their mistakes and cooperate to improve the school.

www.kis.ac.th

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nspiring ndividuals

“What’s good about being able to fly is that we don’t need a map!”

At KIS International School all students can shine. The midsize, caring community allows KIS students to be confident and to be appreciated as individuals. In our Early Years Centre the children enjoy exploring and learning through play. Our qualified and experienced Early Years teachers nurture children’s natural curiosity, develop their skills and promote independence in a caring, creative and open-minded environment. KIS is a full IB school, offering the International Baccalaureate Programmes for all age groups (IB Primary Years Programme, IB Middle Years Programme and IB Diploma).

At KIS, it’s all about Knowledge, Inspiration and Spirit.

Yama and Xander, EY1.

1998-2018

Tel: +66 (0) 2274 3444 Email: admissions@kis.ac.th 09

BE POSITIONED TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

By Debi Caskey, Deputy Head of School for Learning, International School Bangkok (ISB)

Howard Gardner, Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is quoted as saying: “I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place.”

The purpose of education has, traditionally, been to prepare students for a future that is predictable. It should position students to get a job, be self-sufficient, and contribute to their community.

Professor David Perkins, in his book Future Wise Educating Our Children For a Changing World (2014) asks the question: what’s worth learning in school? Reading, writing and arithmetic no longer provide our learners with the range of skills they need to be successful in today’s highly connected and rapidly evolving global society. The Future of Jobs Report, World Economic Forum (2016) highlights the top ten skills that will be in demand in 2020. These include creativity, emotional intelligence, service orientation and coordinating with others. Schools are looking beyond their walls and beyond their field to try to predict and prepare their students for a future not yet imagined.

Contemporary research also demonstrates a strong connection between student achievement and social and emotional learning.

Social emotional learning provides students with experiences beyond academic content through which they can develop these interpersonal skills, social and global awareness, goal setting and attainment, and emotional well-being. CASEL, the Cooperative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, cites studies from the University of Illinois in Chicago, Loyola University and the University of British Columbia that show a positive impact on academic achievement when students are engaged in this type of social emotional learning. International School Bangkok (ISB) also conducted research in this area in 2016, with the aim to ensure students are provided with the knowledge and skills needed to flourish in what is a dramatically changing global society.

Teams of educators from ISB reached out to industry leaders such as Google, Tesla and Instagram to find out what they look for in successful employees. The team met with universities such as Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley to learn what characteristics they are looking for in applicants and which skills those institutions see will help students to graduate and make a positive contribution in the workforce. The team visited other innovative schools and universities, and the entire ISB faculty researched changes and/or disruptions to global society. We used that research to respond to the question: what do we need to do now to prepare our students for such a rapidly changing world?

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Through their visits, studies of professional research, and input from staff, students, parents and the community, the ISB team identified six learner attributes that encompass the crucial skills that students need for a successful future: Creative - developing new and imaginative ideas that have impact Globally minded - invested in the world and its people, embracing diversity, and aware of the impact of actions on local and global communities Adaptable - responding appropriately and with flexibility to ambiguous or changing circumstances Socially-intelligent - recognizing personal emotions and those of others, managing responses productively and collaborating effectively Value-driven - guided by the ISB Values, promoting positive citizenship and fostering personal meaning Self-managing - independently directing, monitoring, and evaluating personal behaviors, goals and time As part of the research and development of ISB’s key beliefs and desired attributes for learners, the school vision was revised to reflect the importance of contributing to a vastly diverse and changing global society: Enriching communities through the intellectual, humanitarian, and creative thoughts and actions of our learners.

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A 2016 report by the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common Project, highlights the impact that college admissions processes and priorities have on school programming. The report recommends that application processes for admissions focus more on meaningful social impact rather than strictly on academic achievement and resumes that are a mile wide and an inch deep. Universities are encouraged to look at how applicants present a balance between academic achievement contributions to families and communities beyond short-term volunteering and projects.

Every generation sees change, but the rate at which our world is growing and the needs of world citizens changing, requires that schools be responsive and flexible in how they are preparing students for a future that they will create. This can be achieved through the embedding of attributes such as creativity, selfmanagement and social intelligence to support and enhance high levels of academic rigor. Schools, educators and parents need to place greater emphasis on social emotional learning and skills development, along with understanding the importance of giving back and enriching the world in which we live. As Howard Gardner says, “...be positioned to make [the world] a better place.” www.isb.ac.th

ADJUSTING TO CHANGES IN THE BC CURRICULUM

By Sam Johnston, Director of Learning at St. George’s School

ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL IS A LEARNING COMMUNITY. Of course, it is—it’s a school. It’s no surprise that we think of St. George’s as a Learning Community. It almost goes without saying. Almost, but not quite. Even more than in the traditional sense of learning in school, St. George’s is a learning organization that models the skills and dispositions essential to learning in our complex and rapidly changing world. It is a place that embodies learning instead of just talking about it. Directed by our school’s Guiding Educational Principles, learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom; it happens in every corner of the school where our students develop character and core values, critical and creative thinking skills, and global perspectives. It is how we improve, how we innovate, how we lead—as a community.

of it well worth the effort. The work that has come out of this shift is exciting and has given rise to the implementation of researchbased instructional strategies and ways to more effectively draw students into the learning process. It has also seen the creation of Cohort Programs in the Senior School and Neighbourhoods in our Junior School, changing how we organize learning in an effort to blur the lines between traditionally siloed subjects in order to allow students to grapple with complex, multidisciplinary topics. It has even shifted the bricks and mortar of the school’s classroom walls to give us the opportunity to play with new ideas about how our environment impacts learning.

You may have heard in the news that the British Columbia Ministry of Education is currently going through some major reform.

Fortunately, their new model matches the moves St. George’s School has been making over the past decade. There is a much greater emphasis on what students can do with their knowledge.

Instead of focusing so much on dates and dead European kings, boys at St. George’s learn to use mapping software to represent complex ideas like migration or conflict on a dynamic map. The school is moving away from the teacher as the source of all information and is finding ways to give students ownership of their learning. In the old model, there was an emphasis on control and efficiency from the teachers; what we are seeing now is engagement and creativity. Well before the BC Ministry curriculum changes became a hot topic of conversation, St. George’s School was dissatisfied with the tired idea of having students sit back and absorb the teacher’s knowledge only to reproduce it on a test later in the week. Together, as a community, the school asked how we could be better, how we could engage students more in the learning process, how we could motivate them to take the lead.

As a result, St. George’s School has implemented instructional strategies like:

Leading innovation is really about creating time and space in which others are willing and able to do the hard work of innovation. Almost a decade ago, the faculty at St. George’s, under the direction of newly appointed Headmaster, Dr. Tom Matthews, created a framework for professional learning for all members of staff to use to continuously improve. What came from it was a shift in mindset from having all of the answers to searching for interesting questions. This simple change gave us license to try new and innovative ideas, specifically about how we could improve our professional practice to make the students’ learning experience more relevant, engaging, and meaningful.

Since then, what has unfolded involved a lot of hard work, but all

• Discussion-based Learning, a discussion protocol for engaging all students in the issues and substance of a reading so they may deepen their understanding of concepts and develop their communications skills.

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• Project-based Learning, a method that focuses on students using their knowledge to synthesize and create something in order to share their learning with others. This strategy has given our students the opportunity to grapple with challenging concepts and present their ideas in creative ways. Inquiry is a research strategy that gives students more ownership of the learning process and motivates them to share their new knowledge. These strategies started as a question from one or more of our faculty, and after research and reflection become ingrained in the culture of teaching and learning at the School.

In the same way St. George’s School examines classroom practices, the School tackles classroom environments as a community. The classroom environment has changed dramatically since the teachers themselves were in high school.

Row upon row of clunky, uncomfortable, and inflexible desks have turned into tables and chairs on wheels that can easily shift from small group collaboration to large round-table discussion to independent study. Classrooms aren’t dark little boxes that no one looks into and no one leaves. Now they are a mixture of glass and wood that promotes collaboration, and they are covered in surfaces on which students can show their thinking. They are open and inviting to the whole community, with plenty of sunlight, and they provide different contexts in which teaching and learning can occur. Take the recent renovation of the fourth floor in the Junior School as an example. Who wouldn’t want to go to school in classrooms that look and function like that? With space for students to work in their own way and areas to creatively display student work, these classrooms really celebrate learning in all its forms. However, creating this amazing learning space didn’t happen overnight. Those classrooms were designed after the model had been researched and then thoroughly tested. Its predecessor, the Grade 7 Neighbourhood, was a pilot project with the express purpose of testing different structures for organizing classrooms and different furniture to activate boys’ learning.

The school community has learned a lot from the process; we took our lessons from the pilot project, and we have created something magical.

For more information on St. George’s School, please contact Ms. Monica Cheng at mcheng@stgeorges.bc.ca.

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INTERNSHIPS CAN BE TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES

By Lucas Zimmerman, Chief Operating Officer, My Internship Asia

Have you ever wanted to go back in time to your university days and find out exactly what you wanted to do when you grew up?

People graduate from prestigious universities all over the world not convinced of what their future holds. You can graduate with the highest degrees and still have a hard time finding a job. You can submit your resume into the black hole of job-placement websites praying for a company to contact you back. In some instances, it takes 3-4 months for a single response. By then, you have already moved on to your next field of interest. Most employers are seeking employees with years of experience. You ask yourself, “How can I get experience, if I can never land a job?”

Believe me, you are not alone!

Participating in an internship in another country during your university days is a great way to get your career started and enjoy a cultural experience. Employers seek students who have one or multiple internships in today’s workplace. This is because an internship can give you grounded experience of what your studies might look like in a real-life work environment. Exposure to different co-workers and managers with different knowledge, experiences, passion and management styles will broaden your perspective, both on your career and life. An internship will broaden your contacts, as well as create networks, resources and references for future job opportunities. If you have this experience early in your academic life, it can give you self-confidence, allowing you to focus in on your specific future goals. Finally, an internship will strengthen your resume and give you concrete examples to pull from during job interviews.

Asia is known for its intensive yet rewarding internship programs.

Many Asian countries have been running internship programs for years, finding the best students to mold into future employees.

This has, in turn, benefited thousands of university students from all over the globe who travel to Southeast Asia seeking that experience in their young adult life. This process of finding the perfect internship can be quite difficult and time consuming.

One country that has been moving forward in education over the last years is Thailand. Thailand is a beautiful kingdom, with breathtaking cultural, natural and historical attractions. Students working in this country, even if it is just for the internship period, have a wonderful opportunity. It’s crucial to ensure that interns understand what they need to know in order to land the right internship position in Thailand.

Having a company hire an intern is considered a win-win on both sides. While the employer is looking to increase efficiency and profitability, the intern is looking for a life-changing experience.

This is a great way for the employer to try and enhance their workforce with knowledgeable energetic staff. An employer will want to ensure that their workplace remains fresh with new ideas and faces, allowing present employees to mentor and encourage young people entering their profession. Companies help interns integrate into the present workplace.

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One of the best and rewarding parts of having an internship would be turning it into a full-time job. With the vast amount of connections interns are making, many companies are spending a lot a lot time training their interns in how their companies work.

Companies in Thailand already have a 3- to 4-month probation period for all new hires. This is a terrific chance for the intern to prove themselves. In addition to finding a full-time job, internships are also beneficial for earning university credit. Most universities make it mandatory for students to participate in an internship before graduation. The universities see the importance of this experience before they send them off into the real world.

Now you might be asking yourself, how do I find an intern or internship that best fits my needs? Luckily, there is a company out there called My Internship Asia (MIA). This company focuses on the student’s needs and wants for their education experience.

Most students will only do one internship in their university career. They have to make sure this internship is one in which they will gain the most knowledge and create the best connections in all areas. During this time, MIA trains and counsels students in all different business-related fields. These include resume building, interview etiquette and process, and most importantly ways to understand what their interests and goals are in life. During this process, it becomes very beneficial for the student to realize their potential and interests.

Internships are a great way to network in fields that are related to your degree. Networking especially in Thailand is one of the most important ways to conduct any type of business. In Thailand, I’ve noticed that finding a job for foreigners other than teaching English very difficult. Everything from integrating workers into a foreign market to handling your work visa can be very challenging and time consuming for any type of business. There are many foreigners living in Thailand that have independent companies who are looking for those dedicated foreign workers. Exploring sites as meetup.com or taking advantage of all the Chamber of Commerce events are very important. Many company contacts will be more than happy to talk with interns on exploring the options if they are interested in finding that “dream job” while having an internship in Thailand.

About the Author Lucas Zimmerman has been living in Thailand for the last three years. He has been working closely with students in the education field as a counselor and leadership advisor to help students succeed in finding their true passion in life. He recently began working with internships in finding them the best opportunities available in Thailand.

www.myinternshipasia.com

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A NEW SCHOOL WITH A NEW MODEL

By Elizabeth Thies, Head of School, BASIS International School Bangkok

We are not just a school; we are a learning community. BASIS International School Bangkok will be opening to grades Pre-K through 5th grade beginning in August of 2019 and add one grade level every year until we have reached our capacity as a Pre-K-12th grade school in 2026. Our goal is to give our students the opportunity to learn in a unique, dynamic, and collaborative learning environment.

During the class, the Subject Expert Teacher handles most of the instruction while the Learning Expert Teacher is able to circulate, check for understanding, and remain actively engaged with the students. The collaboration between these two teachers makes the Primary school experience fun, exciting, and rewarding and it gives our teachers an opportunity to connect with their students in a way that is not typically seen in the early years. Furthermore, we believe in emphasizing the importance of real world learning and transitioning the skills learned in the primary years to the analytical and critical thinking skills that students need to be competitive in a 21st century learning environment.

This will be the first BASIS Curriculum School to open in Thailand but our school is part of a highly successful network of schools located across the United States and China. We currently have 34 campuses worldwide and serve roughly 20,000 students.

The first BASIS Curriculum School opened in 1998 and, since that time, we have been exploring the best ways to provide opportunities for our students locally and abroad. Our style of education focuses on finding the best teachers and giving them the resources that they need to create dynamic and engaging classroom experiences. This begins with the structure of our curriculum in the primary years.

The key ingredient to our international success is the fact that we have designed a curriculum that puts the emphasis on great teachers and connecting with students. It is this partnership that has proven to be effective all over the world and I am very excited to emulate that success here in Bangkok.

The BASIS Curriculum Schools network is among the most highly acclaimed educational networks in America and around the world because we focus on childhood development and cater our lesson plans in the most age-appropriate way. In our Primary years, we have two teachers in the classroom at all times, a Learning Expert Teacher and a Subject Expert Teacher.

The Learning Expert Teacher has a degree in Early Childhood Education while the Subject Expert Teacher is required to have a degree in the area that they teach. Simply put, our Math teacher has a degree in Math, our English teacher has a degree in English, our Physics teacher has a degree in Physics, etc. The Subject Expert Teacher manages and monitors the content while the Learning Expert Teacher incorporates activities and other ideas that keep each lesson exciting and interactive.

BISB Experience Center 1/1 Park Village Rama II, Soi Rama II, Soi 56 Samaedam Bangkhunthian, Bangkok Thailand 10150 P +662 415 0099 | www.basisinternationalbkk.com

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WILL YOUR CHILD BE READY FOR THE DIGITAL AGE?

By David Doran and Alec Goldman

We’ve known for a while now that tomorrow’s jobs will look markedly different from today’s; according to a McKinsey and Company study, “...60 percent of occupations have at least 30 percent of constituent work activities that could be automated.”

Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise that education will need to be markedly different as well…beginning now. Today’s learners are tomorrow’s work force, and they need to be ready to adapt to change as it happens. So, what does that look like?

The as-yet-unknown work requirements of future jobs demand future-focused skills, such as creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication (aka “The Four Cs”), initiative, and adaptability. Employers know they need to search them out. As Bock said in a later interview, “when you look at people who don’t go to school and make their way in the world, those are exceptional human beings. And we should do everything we can to find those people.” Bock is describing self-directed learners with initiative and a passion for learning.

Well, about that “school” thing…

For these reasons, most of today’s learners are searching for alternatives to supplement their conventional education paths, typically long hours of afterschool tutoring and test prep.

It’s always been a given that working for a tech giant requires a university degree. How else will the likes of Apple and Google determine who will best help them drive future innovation?

However, degrees don’t necessarily lead to a culture of innovation, and Apple, Google, and IBM are increasingly acknowledging that by eliminating those university degrees from the hiring criteria for multiple engineering, research, and management positions.

And it’s not just tech: Ernst and Young, Bank of America, and Penguin Random House have also moved in this direction.

WeLearn has developed on alternative model which focuses on creating life-long, self-directed, deeply passionate learners who go beyond knowledge to thrive in an uncertain future. This can take the form of supplements to traditional education, or transitioning to a full-time, personalized learning path, incorporating The Four Cs, flexibility, grit, and empathy. Come see how we can help your learners not only stand out when applying to the best universities, but also possess the skills that will guarantee their success in the digital age (www.welearn.org).

The trend means businesses have finally acknowledged that many of today’s jobs (let alone tomorrow’s) don’t entirely align with current four-year degrees. As Laszlo Bock, then Google’s SVP of People Operations, said in a New York Times interview, “...G.P.A.’s are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless — no correlation at all except for brand-new college grads, where there’s a slight correlation.” As a result, “... the proportion of people without any college education at Google has increased over time...”

For parents concerned about their children’s success in the digital age, this means that the world is, indeed, changing, but traditional education is not transmitting the necessary skills.

Secondary education is even further behind universities in focusing on developing 21st Century skills, rather than merely acquiring information.

David Dwight Doran, Founding Partner and Chairman of regional law firm DFDL, is the Founder of EdTech startup WeLearn, whose mission is to make alternative, future-focused education a viable option. Alec Goldman, WeLearn’s Director of Personalized Learning, has been educating and counseling students in Asia and the U.S. since 1995.

Sources: 1. https://www.idropnews.com/news/apple-google-no-longer-require-college-degrees-for-new-hires/80762/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_ medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=08222018&utm_term=Newsletter 2. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-to-get-a-job-at-google.html 3. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/business/in-head-hunting-big-data-may-not-be-such-a-big-deal.html 4. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/future%20of%20organizations/what%20the%20future%20of%20work%20will%20mean%20 for%20jobs%20skills%20and%20wages/mgi-jobs-lost-jobs-gained-report-december-6-2017.ashx

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SUCCESS CANADA PROMOTES CANADA’S EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

By Surachit Chanovan, Managing Director of Success Canada.org CanCham board member Surachit “Art” Chanovan is the Managing Director of Success Canada.org, an educational office designed to offer advice and counseling about Canadian education services to Thai students, parents, and local school counselors. Its roots date back to the Canadian Education Centre (CEC), which Art ran. It was located in the Boonmitr Building on Silom, which then also housed the Canadian embassy. Art has continued to represent Canadian educational institutions in Thailand with integrity and dedication through consultation and seminars to help raise awareness of Canadian education, not only with the general public but also with education agents’. He organizes Canadian education fairs/ forums twice a year in March and October and works in alliance with colleagues in other Southeast countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia to help promote Canadian education.

Formed on Feb. 1, 2010, with the blessing of then Canadian Ambassador Ron Hoffman and then Trade Commissioner Greg Goldhawk, Success Canada has maintained the support and a strong collaboration with the embassy to the present day.

Success Canada.org is a one-stop consulting service for the Thai public focusing on all aspects of studying in Canada, including help in organizing travel plans to get there. It regularly does outreach presentations and showcase events in both Bangkok and upcountry at international and local schools, colleges and universities. The organization’s normal and mobile website (www.successcanada.org) is in Thai to help educate the Thai public about all the aspects of Canadian education with links to supporting Canadian institutions’ websites. The LINE address (SuccessCanada) is very popular and full of information— “It has a huge database. it’s just like reading a magazine and our Q&A is very popular,” Art says.

Art says Success Canada.org and the market for Canadian education will grow stronger in the next five years because Canada is listed as one of the top five countries in the world as the best place to live, and because of its safety, diverse environment, quality and highly-acclaimed academic programs (among the lowest in total costs of study – tuition & living costs). Other perks include its multicultural society, friendly people, its neutral English accent, the opportunity to learn French, and work while studying on- and-off campus after graduation for three years.

Summing up, Art says, “We have seen an increase in the number of inquiries in the last few years and have been invited to a lot of local recruitment activities. Though some have said Thailand is becoming an aging society and the number of students is diminishing, Thai parents see their children’s future education as an investment and many have worries about the state of Thailand’s public education system. The Thai market has many players from various countries, all trying to entice Thai students to study abroad, and they will keep coming, but the only place to be, as I have always said to parents when they are pondering which particular country is best to further their child’s education: ‘It’s “Canada, 100%’”.

www.successcanada.org

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WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING: A WAY TO CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP THROUGH EDUCATION

By Karima Ramji, Manager International Programs, University of Victoria

Every year, thousands of energetic, passionate students flock from university campuses to the ever-shifting world of work.

But career prospects are changing—in a year-long cross-Canada research study published in 2018, RBC found that over 25% of Canadian jobs will be disrupted by technology in the coming decade, and 50% of jobs will require a different set of skills than are needed today. We’re wading into a landscape where there are lots of jobs but not enough skills.

market based on contracts and freelance work. We grew up being asked what we wanted to be when we grew up; it’s bizarre to think that nowadays, the more accurate question to pose in the classroom will be: What profession(s) would you like to be?”

Using hands-on work-integrated learning to prepare tomorrow’s leaders What will the 21st century skill set look like? The RBC study identified foundational skills such as critical thinking, coordination, social perceptiveness, active listening and complex problem solving as some of the most in-demand skills for future work. Global competencies like cultural awareness, adaptability, judgement and decision making are another set that will be critical.

Moving from credentials to skill development So how can we adapt educational approaches to support youth in these times? RBC has identified multiple calls to action, which include: • Encouraging employers to hire based on core skills instead of credentials • Challenging post-secondary institutions to provide all undergraduate students with meaningful work-integrated learning placements • Recognizing, as a nation, that the coming skills revolution will be critical to the future of Canada Canadian institutions are no strangers to the educational model of developing students’ competencies; through programs like cooperative education, hands-on skill development has been a key ingredient of the Canadian post-secondary landscape since 1957.

Through co-op, students put their skills into practice with paid hands-on learning in a range of workplaces.

Canadian post-secondaries have recently embraced other forms work-integrated learning (WIL) to offer students more opportunities to develop key skills in a hands-on environment.

So, how does WIL help youth prepare for a skill-based economy?

By providing the means for students to develop their competencies in a real-world setting. Another major advantage of WIL is the employers—as mentors, they support students’ learning while also cultivating ongoing evolution within the workplace. They are critical in helping shape the resilient, skilled leaders of tomorrow.

With the predicted shift to a skill-based economy where competencies and core skill sets may become more valued than credentials, WIL is well positioned to prepare students to excel in this new world of work. www. uvic.ca/coopandcareer

WIL in action at the University of Victoria (UVic) At UVic, students completed over 4,000 co-op education work terms last year alone, including 360 outside of Canada and many placements in Thailand. UVic’s partnership with Western Digital Thailand has set the stage for other Thai employers to engage with co-operative education and WIL programs.

For Lexi Mills, a UVic co-op student who worked with Western Digital Thailand for her co-op work term, her WIL experience helped set her up for success after graduation. “We are entering a job market that is rapidly evolving into a gig-economy: a labour

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HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?

By Jason Cooper, Primary Principal, Bangkok Patana School As we begin another school year, I’d like you to think about your definition of success. What is it that you will discuss with your child/children in June 2019 when you reflect on the academic year? Often, we apply a narrow focus to what success means, which can blind us to opportunities to celebrate success with our children.

Success can be different things to different people; there is no “one size fits all” measure of success. Some people will measure their child’s success in terms of academic attainment, while others will use academic progress. Some will talk about success on the sporting field, or the passing of music exams, while others will use social engagement and friendships as an indicator of success. All of these are valid measures of success and one is not more important than the other.

It is very interesting to see that Critical Thinking has gone from number 4 to number 2, and Creativity from number 10 to number 3! Attributes on the initial list such as Quality Control and Active Listening have been replaced with Emotional Intelligence and Cognitive Flexibility. What’s really interesting is that the top five on the 2020 list are all related to working with people to creatively solve problems. The progressive approach to learning in the Primary School at Bangkok Patana utilises the best elements of the British curriculum to ensure that the students have many and varied opportunities to think creatively and critically to solve complex problems, while learning together with diverse groups of peers. These vitally important skills align seamlessly with the school’s Guiding Statements and Values:

In our ever-changing world where change is the only constant, we can’t apply the indicators of success from last decade to this decade, and certainly not to the next decade. As we approached 2015, the following skills were considered the most desirable for people entering the workforce, in order from 1-10: 1. Complex Problem Solving 2. Coordinating with Others 3. People Management 4. Critical Thinking 5. Negotiation 6. Quality Control 7. Service Orientation 8. Judgement and Decision Making 9. Active Listening 10. Creativity

Complex Problem Solving: We are motivated and engaged, Inquisitive and creative, inspired to improve our global sustainability.

Critical Thinking: We are critical, reflective thinkers.

Creativity: We are balanced and fulfilled, inquisitive and creative, respectful contributors to digital and local communities.

People Management: We are kind and compassionate, collaborative and confident communicators, ethical and informed.

Coordinating with Others: We are responsible and honest, passionate resourceful and resilient, diverse and inclusive.

As we approach 2020, the list has been revised: 1. Complex Problem Solving 2. Critical Thinking 3. Creativity 4. People Management 5. Coordinating with Others 6. Emotional Intelligence 7. Judgement and Decision Making 8. Service Orientation 9. Negotiation 10. Cognitive Flexibility

In schools, it is important to not only focus on building strong foundations of knowledge and understanding, but to also provide opportunities for students to apply these in ways that develop the personal attributes and skills outlined above. By focusing on the development of knowledge, skills, understanding, and personal attributes, we are ensuring success for our students today, while also ensuring that they are ready for the world of tomorrow (www.patana.ac.th).

Source: Future of Jobs Report, World Economic Forum 2016

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INTERVIEW WITH CARLY HILL Carly Hill was the only female player in the Siam Hockey League this past year, and her team, Hertz, won the SHL championship.

Carly was far from being the token female in the league; she was one of its best players and a major reason why her team won the championship. Carly is also a teacher at the Canadian International School of Thailand. Voyageur recently caught up with her to find out a little bit more about what kindled her passion for hockey.

Q) Favourite NHL team & player?

I am a Montreal Canadiens fan and always have been. Sidney Crosby has always been a player I respect and enjoy watching.

Q) Please tell us a little about yourself; where you grew up, what you studied, how you ended up here.

Q) Why do you like playing defense?

I grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I have a Bachelor of Education from McGill University where I played CIS hockey for 5 years and won three national championships. Before coming to Bangkok, I worked as a high school teacher for the last 7 years teaching subjects ranging from Science, Physical Education, French, Dance and ultimately ended up as the head of the Resource department working with students with learning difficulties. Through my school board back in Montreal, an opportunity to come to Bangkok and help open and work at the Canadian International School of Thailand arose and I jumped at the chance.

When I was younger I used to be a forward in both hockey and soccer but I always felt more comfortable protecting the net. I’d rather prevent a goal than score one. I like to be able to see the play and watch the disappointment on the opposing teams’ face when I stop them. At McGill University, I played mostly forward but in the CWHL I played mostly defense. I like the mix.

Q) Favourite hockey movie and why?

Mighty Ducks. I mean who didn’t like Charlie Conway and Coach Bombay.

Q) When did you first start playing hockey and who or what inspired you to do so?

Q) You’ve played with some of the best female hockey players in the world: which ones stood out and why?

Since I could walk, I loved playing sports and I started playing ringuette when I was 5. My older brother played hockey though and I really wanted him to think I was cool, so at the age of 9, I quit ringuette and started playing hockey and never looked back.

We had the same routine, competitive soccer in the summer and competitive hockey in the winter. My parents were fully supportive of our love of sport and were at every game. When we weren’t in season, we were either playing hockey in the living room or I was out playing sports with my brother and his friends.

Marie-Philip Poulin is by far the best woman hockey player in the world. She’s truly incredible to watch and play with. She makes her teammates better.

Catherine Ward who retired a few years back was definitely my favorite defense to watch and play with. Her skills and vision were one of a kind.

Q) How has women’s hockey evolved since you started playing?

Q) Role model growing up?

When I was younger I could only play with the boys because women’s hockey did not really exist. They had one under-21 female team, but at 12 years old it makes the dressing room chats a little awkward. I played boys hockey until I was 19 years old and loved every moment of it. Now young girls have many choices of teams and various calibers. Hockey has evolved tremendously in North America and even worldwide.

My brother has been my role model since day one. I followed him like a little puppy. Joined all the same sports as him, and never missed a game. If he could do it, I could do it. It’s because of him that I worked so hard and got to play competitive hockey.

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Q) What was it like playing in the SHL – anyone give you grief?

Q) What do you like most about living in Thailand?

Playing in the SHL was great. I looked forward to going to the rink each week and hanging out with my teammates. I think I probably gave them more grief than they gave me. Took awhile, but they soon realized I could dish it out as well as I could take it. Jordan Ashton and Juhani Ijas were probably my two favourite players to play against. Two big goal scorers and the two I wanted to make sure to stop every time. The disappointment on their faces made it worth every time.

The food and the people. The culture and history are totally different than anything back home. The ability to travel and the weather. I love hockey but we have 5 months of winter and snow back home! I’ve never lived in a country where the locals are so welcoming and the food and flavors are so mouthwatering. I enjoy every time I discover new areas of Thailand and I am constantly amazed with how beautiful this country is.

Q) What has it been like teaching at The Canadian International School of Thailand (they hate the acronym CIST) this past year?

Q) Have you been able to skate with or help out the Thai women’s’ national team?

There aren’t many people who can say they had a hand in helping open and develop a brand new school. Our students this year have been absolutely amazing. From classroom lessons, to learning to skate on one of our field trips, to begging to play ball hockey in PE, to googling my hockey career and then finally coming to cheer me on at the SHL finals! They’ve helped me become a better teacher with their desire to try new things, just as much as I hope I’ve helped them and the school.

I skated with the team once and helped out at practice. The girls were very welcoming and very open to coaching. A great group of ladies and I can see the potential in the future.

Q) We understand you also play ball hockey and participated in the recent Mekong Cup – what was that like?

Yes, I play ball hockey once or twice a week...as much as I can actually. Great ball handling practice and good group of guys.

Nothing like a hard cardio workout in the Bangkok heat. I really enjoyed the Mekong cup. It was a fast and competitive tournament with teams from all over Asia. Now that I think about it, my team beat the other Bangkok team and I’m looking to do the same next year.

Q) What do you miss most about Canada?

I miss my friends and family the most. Surprisingly, I also miss the snow (and snow-days), playing outdoor pick-up hockey in the winter and skiing. I also really miss poutine - fries, gravy, & curd cheese - a Quebec specialty.

Q) Compare playing ice hockey with ball hockey?

Q) Dream job?

With ice hockey you have some padding so when you get hit with the puck you’re protected. The ball stings like crazy when you get a shot to the body. The cardio and style of play is different as well.

You can’t glide and be lazy in ball hockey you constantly need to be on your toes.

I love teaching. I’d have to say I AM living my dream job. I love teaching in Canada but this experience has been life changing and I’m enjoying every single second. That being said, I love puppies! I’d like to become a dog walker or work with dogs when I retire. Somehow the love and compassion from animals makes all other worries go away.

Q) If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?

I’ve made a pretty good dent to Southeast Asia but I’ve never been to Europe and I definitely would like to head there. Recently, the idea of a safari in South Africa or heading to New Zealand or Australia one day have also been on my mind. You can definitely say I have caught the travel bug!

Q) Other passions?

I am a sports fanatic. In addition to hockey, I love soccer, ultimate frisbee and I just started playing rugby here in Thailand and I am really enjoying tackling people. (Just don’t tackle me.) I am definitely a dog person and truly love animals. Unfortunately the condo I live in doesn’t allow pets, but I have about fifteen pet soi dogs that I see every day. Other than that, I never had the opportunity to travel much when I was younger and living and teaching here in Thailand has allowed me to do so. Travel has definitely become a passion.

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INNOVATIVE, ENTREPRENEURIAL UNIVERSITIES ARE KEY FOR SUCCESS IN 21ST CENTURY’S ‘EXPONENTIAL TIMES’

By Shawn Kelly, Director of External Relations at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand

In early 2018, drought-stricken Cape Town, South Africa faced the dire prospect of becoming the first modern metropolis in history to run dry. For the city of 4 million, ‘Day Zero’ loomed on May 11 – the day all tap water was set to stop. And though southern hemisphere winter rains gave the city a miraculous last-minute reprieve, this catastrophic potentiality was yet another sign that the world is at a critical inflection point.

So it could be said that we are living in “exponential times” paced by extraordinarily fast alterations in human health, climate, biodiversity, ecosystems, demographics, transportation, information and communications, and game-changing technologies such as bioengineering, machine learning and artificial intelligence (A.I.). As such, universities must change.

Our sustainable future will require a paradigm shift advanced by a new generation of leaders capable of tackling the enormous challenges of our time to achieve human well-being in the context of planetary well-being.

Scientists warn that humanity is dangerously transgressing a number of ecological limits through unsustainable use of fossil fuels, food, water, and biodiversity. Overall, resources are depleting to the point that the earth’s ecological footprint is said to be 1.6 planets, indicating higher consumption levels compared to earth’s ability to replenish its resources. All of this is underscored by the luminescent threat and consequences of global climate change. Indeed, experts opine that a perfect storm of financial, ecological and social crises may be at hand.

Here, universities have a key leadership role to play by producing globally responsible citizens, thought leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators. Indeed, the UNESCO publication, Rethinking Education: Towards a Global Common Good, notes that enlightened higher education institutions (HEIs) are central to the successful advancement of societies when they calibrate their education and research-spawned new knowledge towards addressing problems affecting people and places across borders and boundaries.

In our globalized, interconnected world, a number of megatrends are challenging the very fabric of societies like never before.

Earth’s temperature is rising, and it is getting more crowded and urbanized by the day. In fact, in the last 200 years the human population increased from 1 billion to about 7.5 billion people.

In 1800, only 3% of the world’s populations lived in cities – today over 50% of humanity call urban areas home. Rapid urbanization combined with growing socioeconomic inequality are profound forces driving political and economic change.

Insightful leaders realize that the time is now for higher education systems to equip students with the creativity and competencies to stimulate life-long learning, and to nurture citizens who can act on issues of national and global significance, such as the need for green approaches to living. To be sure, those universities that produce legions of ‘green job creators’ rather than out-of-date ‘job seekers’ will reap the most rewards.

Moreover, in the early years of the 21st century we began to witness a rebalancing of the world’s economic, political and cultural order. Today, the planetary center of gravity is shifting from West to East, and many postulate that the coming hundred years will be ‘Asia’s Century.’ Home to sixty percent of the world’s population, Asia is rising. Giants China, India and ASEAN are expected to drive global economic growth in the coming decades.

Consequently, Asia will be the epicenter of the global climate change and environmental mega-challenges, as societies continue to urbanize rapidly and countries strive to meet the seventeen universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

From Bangkok to Berlin and Bogota, the advent of the so-called ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ has produced automation anxiety as workers everywhere wonder if A.I., robots and algorithms will conspire to replace their jobs. It’s not science fiction. The coming disruption will blindside white-collar professionals and blue-collar workers alike. A recent World Economic Forum report estimates that technology will eliminate half of all jobs by 2025.

But these drastic losses will likely be offset by the creation of even more new jobs requiring skills and advanced training, the report also notes. Therefore, as we race “to build a better mouse trap,” what if universities harnessed their best and brightest brains to create jaw-dropping technologies like super-smart A.I.s for society? Already advanced automated tools are being developed

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for rapid scientific discovery in fields such as medicine, health, and environment. According to Nature, a team of researchers at the U.S Geological Survey has applied a new artificial intelligence that is significantly better than traditional scientific techniques at mapping and predicting major earthquake aftershocks.

problem-solving aided by faculty facilitation. Aspirational universities are enhancing their students’ global capabilities by aggressively promoting international mobility to like-minded partner universities and opening up opportunities to interact directly with the public and private sectors, aided by attractive leadership and entrepreneurship programs.

Preparing young people for a future marked by perpetual change and disruption is an imperative. Technologies will likely evolve by the time graduates reach the marketplace, so students should be presented with challenges in a manner very similar to the global teams assembled by today’s leading companies. Wouldbe engineers’ tasks would be to solve real-world problems with hands-on approaches that reward innovative, independentminded, critical thinking.

At the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) located just north of Bangkok, new President Dr. Eden Y. Woon is intent on steering the international graduate school toward across-the-board innovation. A University of Washington-trained mathematician with diversified professional experiences in the military, diplomacy, business, and academia, Dr. Woon posits an algebraic prescription for AIT’s global leadership and lift off. His strategic I²E²S², or Innovation, International, Enterprises, Entrepreneurship, Stakeholders and Support – is intended to burnish AIT’s traditional emphasis on sustainable development and borderless R&D solutions for all of humanity, and to keep pace with a world moving at blinding speed.

Currently, some of the world’s most innovative and successful universities in North America, Europe and Asia are re-thinking engineering higher education through a commitment to studentcentered learning, believing that core curriculum can be built around engineering and design projects coming from students.

Classes emphasize context and interdisciplinary approaches to solving problems in student teams, and stress is placed on developing start-ups and taking products to market.

Given the stakes facing the planet and the critical issues projected to impact future generations, universities need to play a catalytic role now to advance innovation and positive social entrepreneurship in and for society, as a key driver for change, says Dr. Woon.

World-class educators also recognize the paradigm shift which online access to knowledge has brought to brick-and-mortar higher education. Google’s rise coupled with the expectations of tech-savvy students require fundamental changes to traditional university content, pedagogy and learning approaches. The most sought-after campuses have modified their classrooms, lecture halls and laboratories into opportunistic spaces for creative

www.ait.ac.th

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EDUCATION IN AN EXPONENTIALLY CHANGING WORLD

By Dean Outerson, Head of Marketing & Communications, Sasin School of Management If you think about it, schools haven’t changed much. My experience with school was basically the same as my parents’ experience, and even my grandparents’ experience. The education model that continues to survive well into the 21st century was conceived in the 19th century – it was inspired by the industrial revolution and the production line concept of teaching, at a time when information was difficult to obtain.

Traditional lecture rooms must be replaced by configurable, interactive spaces for hands-on learning activities. As students themselves have become more active co-producers of knowledge and learning in recent years, they’ve realized the importance of relevance: applied knowledge, in the learner’s domain, that leads to transformative action learning.

The “just-in-time” model has already swept through many industries: music (think Spotify), movies (think Netflix), and production (all of the online freelance websites). In education, it means that customized training and learning will be available on demand, whenever, and wherever it’s needed. And it can be applied to traditional business schools, to corporate training, and to personal development (note the success of sites like Coursera, edX, and Udemy).

Today, we have a completely different situation – information is everywhere. Accessing even the most complex information in various formats is just a click or two away. So the need to cram information into the heads of groups of students assembled in a single room together is no longer necessary.

Every other industry is facing dramatic disruptions because of technology and new communications tools. And with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming more and more mainstream in its application, the world will see even more exponential change.

As other industries continue to innovate and evolve, the education industry must also recognize the changing needs of its customers (students), and fully embrace the “just-in-time” teaching-learning paradigm. All schools must radically alter their formats and their overall business model to prepare the next generations of digital natives for uncertain but challenging future careers.

Because of these sweeping changes, careers are shifting and being reshaped to meet the new needs of the modern marketplace. People are changing jobs more often and remaking themselves in each new venture. The days of having a job for life are long gone.

As Yuval Noah Hariri says in his new book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, change will be the only constant: “To survive and flourish in such a world, you will need a lot of mental flexibility and great reserves of emotional balance. You will have to repeatedly let go of some of what you know best and feel at home with the unknown.”

In a rapidly changing world, memorizing facts across a wide range of subjects is not a necessary skill. The traditional “just-incase” learning model - teaching a fixed body of knowledge and concepts with the promise that it might be useful to the student someday - no longer fits the needs of the digital generation.

“Just-in-time” learning is the best way to meet the needs of 21st century students – it’s the future of education and learning.

Knowing how to frame questions, find information, make connections between different concepts, and constantly learn new skills is the key to success in the new world of work.

In order to prepare students for this new world, business schools and universities need to adopt a new paradigm of teaching and learning: “just-in-time” learning. Developed for physics instructors in the late 1990’s, it’s a format that uses class time for more active learning. It allows students to learn through a combination of web-based learning materials, and interactive classroom activities.

Dean Outerson is Head of Marketing and Communications at the Sasin School of Management, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok (www.sasin.edu).

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THE SECRET OF LEADERSHIP

By Neva Whiteman. Marketing Officer and ELL Teacher, British Columbia International School of Bangkok

BCISB has small classes, very small classes with a school population of 140 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. These small classes tailor the curriculum to each student. Staff know all students by name, making the school a warm and inclusive environment. As the school grows new, exciting developments are happening, the latest are a swimming pool and qualified swimming coaches. The present British Columbia curriculum is internationally recognized as Canada’s leading curriculum. In 2015, British Columbia was confirmed as the world’s number one English speaking school system by PISA, the Program for International Student Assessment organization.

Seth Godin, entrepreneur and best-selling author is adamant “The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.”

The British Columbia International School of Bangkok (BCISB) is a small school that creates big aspirations in their students. The school’s belief is to empower their students to inspire and engage communities as tomorrow’s leaders.

Rochelle D’Souza, Academic Advisor at the school, introduced the Leadership Club in her first year at the school in 2017-18. The club meets weekly and involves students from grade 7 through to 12. Each student has a distinct role in the club, ranging from Publicity Director to Sports Coordinator to President. The goal of the club is to foster a sense of school community, encourage students to cultivate leadership skills by organizing school events and to give back to the local community.

BCISB Principal Ryan Silverthorne says, “We create tomorrow’s leaders by focusing not merely on content we feel they should know, but on facilitating creative and critical thinking, in addition to personal and social development. It cannot be emphasized enough that the job market is rapidly changing due to the exponential growth of technology. Therefore, it is important we do not train our students to be passive learners. They must be active, form opinions and have the ability to transfer their critical skills to any context. I truly believe we inspire them to be the leaders of tomorrow.”

The students radiate positivity in their dedication, passion and enthusiasm for bettering the school environment and the local community. Their positivity is infectious, inspiring other students to make a visible impact on the school. , Leadership at BCISB is student led, encouraging students to develop and share their own opinions and engage in debate, discussion and critique of current issues impacting on them and the wider community. After initial teacher discussion on attributes of a leader and who they see as leaders, students take the lead.

D’Souza says honoring student’s choices makes them feel empowered.

www.bcisb.ac.th

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EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

By Jake Varley, Primary Principal, Berkeley International School As educational leaders, we face great challenges. Sir Ken Robinson observes that ‘the more complex the world becomes, the more creative we need to be to meet its challenges’. For this reason, it is critical to instead look at these challenges as opportunities. Educators today stand before students with far different skill sets than previous generations. With Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2009) and Generation Alpha (born since 2010) arriving in our classrooms today armed with access to tools and resources that we could never have imagined, students are continually (and unsurprisingly) going to know more than teachers on different topics, and be a step ahead in terms of technological skills also. Today’s educators must embrace this societal-change with changes in pedagogy and professional practice.

A study recently released by Learning Generation suggests that over two billion jobs are at risk of automation in the coming decades. For this reason, education systems must change tack, redirect, and focus on preparing our youngest learners by cultivating the wide variety of skills needed for the 21st century.

While academic foundations and content knowledge will continue to be important, increasingly so will competencies such as teamwork, problem solving, creativity, adaptability, empathy and resilience.

reaching out into the community to gather real-life knowledge and experience, brainstorming solutions, overcoming failures and setbacks, and finally, achieving successes (or continuing obstacles) and reflecting on them, are crucial to the development of our future leaders. These are priceless formative experiences that create a growth mindset, a key attribute of a 21st Century learner and leader.

Now is the time to re-evaluate our approach to teaching and learning. The benefit of this mindset shift is two-fold, with recent research illustrating how young people who from an early age develop a range of social and emotional competencies, from communication to critical thinking, are actually better at content mastery and academic success. Added to this are the obvious bonuses of student engagement, the greater good to the community and society, and a generation of prepared leaders ready to tackle the issues that await us. It really is the best of both worlds.

Educational institutions and organizations are now being charged with a brief to empower students with transferable skills that will hold up in today’s (and tomorrow’s) ever-changing world. With no small amount of uncertainty about the challenges that our children will face in the future, a very different type of leadership is required from today’s educators. Simply put, we must prepare our students for this uncertainty by facilitating the development of personal, social, and emotional competencies.

At Berkeley International School, we charge our students as young as first grade with service learning commitments and projects. Student-initiated and student-led service learning projects prepare students with the decision-making skills to face social and scientific dilemmas in a future that they can’t foresee. Teaching our youngest students-- tomorrow’s leaders-to analyze the implications of knowledge on issues such as justice and individual rights is a key component of a 21st Century curriculum. Collaborating with their peers to identify an issue,

www.berkeley.ac.th

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LEADERSHIP TO SUPPORT THE NEXT PHASE OF LEARNING

By Brett Penny, Head of School & Jared Kuruzovich, Director of Communications, NIST International School

“Expansion of leadership is about empowerment - opportunity, space, support, capacity and growth.”

The result of this fundamental shift from oversight to a culture of distributed leadership does not solely result in increased capacity for a school. When teachers are afforded true autonomy through greater access to decision making, their levels of engagement, commitment and enjoyment in their work rises. Schools become more positive places. Trust builds, staff retention rates increase and learning outcomes for students improve. On an individual basis, educators acquire valuable leadership skills and deepen their understanding of how the organization functions and, more importantly, the needs of the students.

- XVII, Building Leadership Capacity for School Improvement Businesses and organizations around the globe are reeling from advances in technology and societal changes that have led many to question traditional models of operations and leadership. In a landscape in which transparency is demanded and ethical concerns continue to rise to the forefront, the rapid pace of change impacts schools in particular. making teaching today a fascinating and ever-changing profession. How can educators prepare students for careers that do not yet exist? What knowledge, skills and dispositions are needed for an uncertain future?

That is not to say that leaders should stand back and allow a free-for-all of ideas and initiatives. Instead, they must purposefully build this culture, joining the process as collaborators and learning with their colleagues, working towards an outcome of purposeful change. “The prime purpose of leadership is to build the capacity for individuals to flourish, for schools to continually improve and change the young people to be the best they can be” (ibid., p. 8)

Traditionally, administrators within schools operated through the lens of oversight, dictating the course for teachers and students.

As a result of what is on the horizon, these leaders can no longer function as managers, but must instead maneuver within a more strategic mode by building capacity and distributing leadership to a broader base of educators. This doesn’t mean the delegation of predetermined tasks, but rather the allocation of genuine autonomy and decision making to educators, fostering a culture of collective responsibility and purpose.

Without question, schools will continue to change considerably in the years to come. However, the rate of this change will be directly influenced by the leadership capacity schools can build.

In turn, the level of capacity will be determined by the willingness of the formal school leaders to release their grip. As Harris and Lambert posit “good leaders foster good leadership at other levels” (ibid., p. 11).

Schools must approach their work with an increased level of flexibility to respond to new opportunities and challenges through a process of experimentation and investigation. Through this freedom teachers develop into masters of their craft and also learn to leverage technology to engage students and support the broad range of skills required for the future of work. Cultivating sound judgment and decision making, curiosity, fluency of ideas, initiative, deductive reasoning, critical thinking, originality and systems analysis within students simply cannot emerge in a system in which the vision of a single individual dictates the work of teachers.

Building Leadership Capacity for School Improvement, Alma Harris and Linda Lambert (2003)

www.nist.ac.th

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CANCHAM EVENTS RECAP Canuck Connections at Vertigo Too

CATCH OF CANADA

On Wednesday July 25, CanCham Thailand in collaboration with the Singapore-Thai Chamber of Commerce, organized a Canuck Connections Networking event on the 60th floor of the iconic Banyan Tree at Vertigo Too. Over 200 member representatives of multiple Chambers enjoyed delectable Thai Fusion Cuisine and great company while basking in beautiful Bangkok cityscape views.

CanCham Thailand’s Catch of Canada Seafood Extravaganza was held on August 29 at Kai Restaurant. As part of the Taste of Canada food promotion week, CanCham highlighted delectable Canadian seafood and fish products such as Canadian lobster Bisque shooters and slow poached Lobster rolls to surf clams, fresh Pacific oysters, Atlantic cod, smoked mackerel and seafood chowder. For dessert, guests savoured traditional Canadian Timbits, blueberries & cherries, a variety of cheeses, pancakes with Maple Syrup and Brookside blueberry chocolates.

Parrish Jones Networking

Sam Cohen’s Ceremony of Life

Parrish Jones, co-founded by Canadian Andrea Parrish and Flying Farang Jouni Heinonen, hosted a wonderful CanCham networking night on September 19th with a delicious array of hors-d’oeuvres offered up by Olive, Bangkok’s premier Greek-Mediterranean restaurant. With its bar, barber shop and friendly staff, Parrish Jones is unlike like any other tailor shop in Thailand. Stop by and let Canadian Manager Suzanne Beatch and team outfit you for our upcoming Maple Leaf Ball; she will make sure you shine for CanCham’s biggest event of the year.

On September 27th, we paid tribute to Sam Cohen at the British Club and members from the three organizations Sam was closest to (CanCham Thailand, the British Club and the Royal Varuna Yacht Club) came to pay their respects to Sam & Sumon Cohen.

Current CanCham president John Stevens and past presidents Ron Livingston, John Casella, Sean Brady and friends all paid homage to Sam with speeches. It was a sad but wonderful night at the same time as we honoured the man who touched so many in the CanCham community.

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GETTING YOUR KIDS THEIR BACK-TO-SCHOOL PHYSICALS By the Children’s Center, Bumrungrad International Hospital Back to school is here, and parents are rushing to make sure their kids are prepared and ready. School supplies and new uniforms are on everyone’s shopping list, no doubt, but is a back-to-school physical part of all the preparations?

• Heart Health: In children, high blood pressure (hypertension) is usually the result of genetics, lifestyle factors, an underlying disease (such as diabetes), or even a side-effect of medication.

Doctors recommended that children get their blood pressure checked annually starting at the age of 3. Parents should also promote eating healthily and being physically active.

What Should Be Included in a Back-to-School Physical?

No matter your child’s age, the following examinations should include:

Untreated hypertension can cause serious health risks, as it forces the heart to work much harder than it should; it could lead to artery, heart, and kidney damage down the line.

• Hearing and Vision: Children can lose focus, disengage and get distracted when they can’t follow what is going on in class.

Sometimes this is caused simply by not being able to see or hear properly.

• Height and Weight Assessment: Your child’s growth depends on many factors, including genetics, metabolism, hormones, and nutrition. A height assessment will determine if your child is growing at normal rate for his or her age group. A weight assessment is done to assure your child is at healthy weight for their height and age range.

Hearing tests are usually performed at birth, before your child leaves the nursery. But it’s recommended that children have another hearing test before they start school, at around age 3-5 years, or whenever you think there may be a problem.

Additionally, you can use this opportunity to ask the doctor about immunizations to protect your child from contracting various diseases.

A vision test is done to ensure your child can see what is being written on the board. Upon entering school, every 2 years during school age or when a problem is suspected, children should have an eye screening for visual acuity and alignment. Shortsightedness (myopia) is the most common refractive error in this age group. If you suspect your child has an alignment or other eye health issue, take them in for a comprehensive eye examination so that they don’t fall behind in class.

www.bumrungrad.com

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HOW TO BEAT THOSE TUITION FEES

By Paul Gambles, Managing Partner of the MBMG Group

You may have noticed that household debt in Canada has gone up a little recently.

French in the Brussels-Capital and Walloon regions), Germany and Scotland, which come in around the C$22,000-C$24,000 mark including fees and living expenses for an academic year.

To be precise, it has increased by some C$1.53 trillion or 250% since the end of 1999; and by C$910 billion or 74% in the last decade alone. Of course, the vast majority of that debt has gone to feed the Canadian housing bubble – mortgage debt has consistently accounted for between 77% and 80% of household debt over the last twenty years.

Studying in a country other than Thailand or Canada may not suit everyone and wherever you choose will cost a decent amount of money. That’s why it’s best to prepare early – and by early, I mean even if your children are just starting school, so that you can benefit from compound interest.

Student loans, on the other hand, won’t make any screaming headlines – there’s no US-style explosion in borrowings for tuition fees and, at last count in 2016, they represented just 2.1% of Canada’s total household debt. Uncoincidentally, tuition fees at publicly-funded universities have gone up steadily – averaging a 3.3% annual rise over the last five academic years.

For example, if you opened a savings account at 2.5% annual interest, with C$500 when your child was 11 years old, paying C$1,065 a month, the total would be C$99,126 (C$90,525 saved + C$8,601 total interest). If, however, you’d started saving when your child was three, paying just C$500 into the account each month, you’d have a final balance of just over C$110,000 (C$90,500 saved and around C$19,500 from compounded interest).

While we’re not talking US Ivy League levels of expense, a university education in Canada is far from being free. The national average for tuition fees in publicly-funded universities for the last academic year (2017-18) was C$6,571 for an undergraduate course and C$6,907 for a postgrad. It’s also worth noting that this varies according to the province or territory, with Ontario predictably having the most expensive average fees at C$8,454 per year for an undergraduate course. If a student doesn’t have Canadian citizenship, these figures rocket to an average of C$25,180 for undergraduate and C$16,252 for postgraduate courses.

Thus, if you have young children, the best way to avoid the student loans trap is to start saving as soon as possible.

As well as geography, charges vary according to type of course, with art and humanities courses tending to be cheaper than engineering and medicine. But fees aren’t the only expense. If a student attends a university far from home, there are the living expenses to cover as well. The rise in student loans between 2012 and 2016 in dollar terms was in fact a not-inconsiderable 24%, suggesting that students are increasingly finding it difficult to pay their way with income from a job or parents.

Paul Gambles is co-founder of MBMG Group MBMG Group is an advisory firm that assists expatriates and locals within the South-East Asia Region with services ranging from Investment Advisory, Personal Advisory, Tax Advisory, Corporate Advisory, Insurance Services, Accounting & Auditing Services, Legal Services, Estate Planning and Property Solutions.

There are, however, some solutions to this. The first is to choose a different country in which to study. MBMG Group’s research department did some analysis a couple of years ago, to find the best value for money in undergraduate courses around the world.

Hungary and Greece came out best, as many courses were taught in English and the cost of living (including fees) was very low – around C$11,700 a year. The second-ranked group of countries was Belgium (where, logically, there are also many courses in

For more information: Tel: +66 2665 2536 E-mail: info@mbmg-group.com Linkedin: MBMG Group Twitter: @MBMG_GROUP Facebook: /MBMGGroup

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