In this week's WAB Podcast, we're joined by three special guests- Grade 11 students Elliot and Xander, who are currently participating in the Capstone program, along with their program coordinator, High School teacher Chris Hayden. Together, they shared why they chose the Capstone Program, their individual learnings, how they designed their own subject study, and the program's assessment process through panel presentations.

Chris provided an overview of the Capstone Program. He emphasized that the program empowers students to take charge of their own learning by identifying their personal learning outcomes. By engaging in meaningful and long-term projects and internships, students are able to establish connections between those learning outcomes and real-world applications. Chris highlighted the student-led nature of the program, where students have the autonomy to shape their own learning experiences.

Xander, a Grade 11 student, expressed his enthusiasm to "learn a lot of new things" through his Capstone Project in photography. He shared his desire to acquire extensive knowledge in this field and even mentioned the possibility of pursuing it as a potential side job in the future.

Another Grade 11 student Elliot chose to focus on a car simulator. He shared he would use this opportunity to study the effect of adjusting car height and spoiler angles, aiming to gain insights for a future career as a race engineer.

To learn more about WAB's Capstone Program and the exciting student stories behind it, don't miss out on this episode!

In this week's WAB Podcast, Grade 8 students Jade and Liam took over and led the conversation with Stephen Boyko, WAB Wild Outdoor Education Programme Coordinator. They discussed the history of WAB Wild, the features of WAB's Miaoliang outdoor education center, their favorite moments, and key learnings.

Stephen provided insights into the establishment of WAB Wild and highlighted how the Miaoliang Outdoor Education Center aligns with WAB's sustainability focus, enabling students to experience sustainable living practices. He emphasized that unlike schools that outsource their outdoor education, WAB's outdoor program makes connections to what students are learning in classrooms and builds longer-term relationships.

Jade, a Grade 8 student, shared her experience of participating in WAB Wild and emphasized the value of disconnecting from electronic devices, spending time with friends, and meeting new people. She also mentioned that the knowledge she learned during the program can also be applied back to WAB and make an impact in other ways.

Liam, another Grade 8 student and a three-time participant in WAB Wild, expressed his enjoyment of water-based activities such as kayaking and canoeing. He also highlighted the program's ability to bridge academics and environmental learning, allowing students to enjoy nature while making a positive impact on local communities through service activities.

To learn more details about the WAB Wild program, don't miss out on this student-led episode! 

In this week's WAB podcast, Angelina and Hannah from High School Student Club Inkblot took over and produced their first episode titled "All about the IB". They opened up about their individual encounters with the IB program, sharing their challenges, turning points, personal growth, and insights gained along the journey.

During their conversation, Hannah recounts a story from one of her peers who expressed that the IB program showed them the extent of their capabilities and motivated them to push themselves to achieve their potential within a limited timeframe.

The two students also discussed their subject selection process. Angelina shares her initial struggle with three course clashes at the beginning of the IB program. However, she later discovered a newfound love for subjects she hadn't initially considered. Her IB learning journey, she explains, has been "evolving" and "challenging".

Hannah explains that her passion for industrial design in university led her to choose Design Technology and Visual Arts. Although her first choice of history wasn't available, she luckily ended up in Geography, which has now become her favorite subject. Hannah describes her IB experience as both "empowering" and "driving".

Angelina reflects on the significance of making independent decisions when choosing courses, stating "it was the first time that you're making a decision on your own." She recalls that the personal project in Grade 10 paved the way for this type of decision-making, but the IB program granted her even greater space and control.

 For Hannah, one of the most empowering aspects of the IB program is the opportunity to pursue her interests. Her IB education has made her aware of her passion for social justice. She also mentions people need to pay attention to maintaining mental health. "We are IB students, but at the same time we're also teenagers", said Hannah. She emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between academic commitments and personal well-being.

Both Angelina and Hannah feel that WAB provides an ideal environment for students to pursue their IB studies. "We're in such an incredible environment where your voice is really heard," said Angelina.

To hear details about these students' IB experience, don't miss out on this episode presented by the HS student club Inkblot.

In this week's WAB podcast, two students from the High School student club Art Amplifiers, Jeremy and Isabelle, have taken over to interview their peers Daniel, Rosalina, and Salina, who recently participated in the APAC Band and International Schools Choral Music Society (ISCMS). During the interview, the guests shared their experiences, favorite moments, and key takeaways from their musical journey.

Rosalina, who returned from the ISCMS trip, talked about the valuable lessons she learned through her involvement in the choir group and performing a classical Beethoven piece. She emphasized how collaboration within the school choir had helped her integrate and improve her ability to read scores. Rosalina commented, "Cooperation was the key."

Salina, who also took part in the ISCMS event, joined as a member of the orchestra. She revealed at the beginning when joined the school orchestra, it was her first time playing the cello and she expressed gratitude for the support she received from her teacher. Now, she even had the opportunity to assist her stand partner, a Grade 9 student, with dynamics and other performance details. Salina highlighted that the aspect she enjoyed the most about ISCMS was the freedom that she could "express more of my body language there and feel more of the music". 

Daniel, a Grade 11 student, participated in the APAC Band. He found the experience of being surrounded by other musicians who played the same instrument as him to be very inspiring. He also mentioned that the sectional meetings within the band were particularly beneficial as they helped him understand how to play his instrument within the context of a group performance.

To learn more about our student's experience in their recent musical voyage, don't miss out on this episode presented by the High School student club Art Amplifiers.

In this week's WAB podcast, we have the pleasure of hosting Grade 4 student Aubrey and Grade 8 student Dakota, along with Elementary School teacher Suzie Sizemore and Middle School counselor Rachel George. They will be sharing their experiences  in Grade 4 to Grade 8 Buddy Program, its goals, how it worked and its impact.

Aubrey from Fourth Grade shared how much fun she had participating in the Buddy Program. By connecting with her eighth-grade mentor, she gained a deeper understanding of what middle schoolers are like and discovered the many ways they are similar. Aubrey emphasized that the more she understood her buddy, the stronger their connection became.

Grade 4 teacher Suzie highlighted that for Elementary School students, it's beneficial to have a connection with an international peer learner from our web community who has already experienced different grades. Fourth graders are provided with role models to look up to, who can guide them, provide feedback, and share their unique perspectives as international learners.

Rachel, the Head of Middle School Counseling, highlighted that the Buddy Program aims to facilitate the social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, which includes self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship skills. Observing Grade 8 students in action and applying those skills while mentoring younger students allows them to practice and internalize these valuable abilities.

Grade 8 student Dokata pointed out that through participating in various activities, she and her mentee discovered common interests and similarities, despite the grade gap. She also acknowledged the positive impact of the Buddy Program on her own development of social-emotional learning skills.

To learn more about the Grade 4 and 8 Buddy program, be sure to tune in to this episode.

In this week's Podcast, we have invited representatives of WAB's Vex Robotics Club, who have participated in the APAC Robotics Tournament held in Shanghai. Grade 9 student Zander, and Grade 11 student Simo, along with their coaches Holly Cheng, and Phil Smith joined the discussion. They shared their competition experience, key takeaways, favorite moments, and future plans.

The APAC Robotics Tournament featured 42 teams this year, and WAB achieved 11th place. According to Holly, the club coach, the students dedicated around four months to building a robot capable of participating in the competition, which involved shooting balls into the opponents' goals.

Simo emphasized that the APAC Robotics Tournament represented a significant leap forward for the entire team. The event brought together a diverse group of schools and participants, resulting in a wide variety of robot designs and strategies. He mentioned being impressed by the "really unique robot designs" and found the "process of testing and improving" their robot very beneficial in the end.

Zander shared that during the contest, WAB collaborated with different schools, including International School Beijing (ISB), Nanjing International School, and Shanghai American School Puxi. He described the experience as highly competitive and challenging, noting that he took careful note of other schools' strategies to enhance WAB's competitiveness in the field.

Phil offered a teacher's perspective, highlighting that participating in such an event "ticked all the boxes for the student approaches learning", as the process required research, critical thinking, self-management, and numerous other transferable skills.

If you're interested in hearing more exciting insights into student activities at WAB, don't miss out on this episode.

In this episode of the WAB Podcast, we're joined by Grade 2 teacher Nisha Qureshi, who shared insights into the previous Unit of Inquiry (UOI) titled "How We Express Ourselves and How Voice Can Inspire Change."

Nisha explained that the objective of this unit was to help young learners establish tangible connections within the WAB community. She stated, "We decided to come up with the idea that voice can inspire change." By exploring the purpose of communication and how people advocate for change, Grade 2 students identified topics and areas where they wanted to advocate, linking themselves with the community through persuasive letter writing.

As part of the unit, students also recorded themselves reading letters, which were transformed into QR codes for the WAB community to listen to. Their ideas for change ranged from requesting larger lockers and planting more trees to suggesting the construction of an additional playground. Nyra, a Grade 2 student, proposed a "no shoes" policy on the classroom carpet, while her peer, Seohyung, recommended the introduction of non-English after-school activities, allowing students who are non-native English speakers to enjoy activities in their home language.

Nisha emphasized that when students are engaged in meaningful learning experiences that align with their interests and give them agency, it becomes a form of personalized learning. Additionally, the collaborative nature of this unit allowed students to connect with fellow learners, making their learning experience more meaningful as well.

To learn more about the Grade 2 UOI on "How We Express Ourselves", be sure to tune in to this episode.