Category: Uncategorized

Is there anything we can do to create a sustainable society? 

The question is often asked by teachers in class and outside of class. A pupil in the fourth grade at the time suggested

“How about supporting those in need by selling the vegetables we grow and donating?”

We were surprised by the sudden proposal. 

How could our school make the student’s idea into something tangible?

Our school has a field on the school site, and the younger pupils help with planting seedlings and harvesting the crops as part of their classes. The school also uses the field for food education by cooking and eating freshly harvested vegetables immediately after harvest. The field activities are already being used for education, but we thought that starting a ’sales project’ for the upper grades would allow us to reevaluate the educational value of school facilities and focus on international goals.

First, we considered whether the project was sustainable in our school. We considered the goals again and the process of the sales project. It captured the 5W (who, what, when, where and why) and 1H (How). By organizing and capturing the process below, we were able to clarify what could be done and also found issues.

	Harvest	Packing	Selling at shop
Who	Field Staff	Which grades?	Request a driver Which grades?
What	Seasonal vegetable	Choose good looking vegetables	If cannot all sell
When	​​Negotiate with field staff and management	Be packed immediately after harvest	Morning is better  because many　customers come
Where	Field	Outside near water tap	Nearby direct sales store
Why	To make money for donation	How to pack? What we need?	Talk to customers and sell
How	Ask field staff	Wash and clean	How to decide the selling price

Next, we needed to discuss what to do with the money from the sales. It took some time to discuss the various proposals, which included donating the entire amount to UNICEF, the idea that a portion of the proceeds should be used for expenses incurred, and the idea that the proceeds should be returned to our own labor as well. Ultimately, it was decided that 60% of the proceeds would be donated to UNICEF.

After these preparatory periods, we found out the educational value of the program and decided to continue it. The upper grades were to engage in a sales project once a week. A few months ago, a donation ceremony was held and a UNICEF workshop was held. The project turned out to involve a lot of learning related to subjects and cross-curricular learning. These include how production and sales work, the flow of money, and in math, how to calculate percentages. The students were able to think and act on what they could do as a team through communication, and they were also able to think and act on what they could do, to help people in need.

Global competency is a difficult concept for students, but we believe that they will be able to understand it by thinking about what they can do and continuing to work on it.

At the centre of any sustainable school culture is a clear vision and mission that values environmental stewardship. Schools must embrace a vision that integrates ecological principles into all aspects of their education and school ecosystem. This vision should go beyond the superficial, aiming to instil in students a deep understanding of the interconnectedness between human actions and the environment.  

Panyaden International School in Chang Mai, Thailand has sustainability at its heart, from the rainwater collection system to the bamboo buildings designed to have a low carbon footprint. Sustainable schools set ambitious goals to become carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative. They establish greenhouse gas reduction targets, implement energy-efficient practices, and explore renewable energy options. Additionally, they promote sustainable transportation by encouraging students to walk, cycle, or carpool to school.  

By involving students in these initiatives, the IPC and Climate Action Schools empower them to be part of the solution and foster a sense of environmental responsibility. Panyaden’s initiatives include a vast recycling program, a rainwater collection system, a rice-field lifecycle system and eco-friendly buildings. From an operational perspective, by implementing effective waste reduction systems and prioritizing recycling and composting schools can significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. This not only benefits the environment but also sets an example for students to follow in their personal lives. Students at Panyaden are involved in composting and gardening, meatless meal days and food waste reduction programs. 

Growing and greening a sustainable school culture is a multifaceted endeavour that involves embracing a mission of environmental stewardship, aligning financial and policy decisions with ecological principles, and actively participating in the sustainable development goals as well as in climate action education such as in the Climate Action Schools program. Sustainability is at the forefront of Panyaden’s organisation, but also their educational vision. 

“By offering a Genuine Values-based Education for a Sustainable Planet, our vision is to see that our children excel academically, enrich their physical, social, emotional and intellectual well-being and develop a caring and compassionate understanding of the environment, to benefit themselves, the people they meet and the planet.”  (https://www.panyaden.ac.th/academic-programme) 

As a new partner of the ICA, the emergence of the Climate Action Schools (CAS) program (by Take Action Global) has become a significant driving force in growing and greening sustainable school cultures. In 2022 CAS completed their first school year with 100 member schools in their first cohort chosen from around the world. The outcomes have been hugely impactful for the students, teachers and school community. The program is led by a designated and trained school Climate Champion and provides professional development certification to train all teachers in learning about climate action education. Climate Action Schools encourage community engagement and collaboration. Schools forge partnerships with local organizations, governments, and businesses to create a network of support for sustainability initiatives. This community involvement allows schools to access additional resources and expertise, amplifying the impact of their efforts. 

In October 2022, Panyaden began its journey with Climate Action Schools. Through the CAS audit, the primary students identified that bamboo is their signature species and IMYC students began composting projects. Becoming part of the CAS community helped to provide some focus and guidance to teachers and students regarding sustainability. In the primary, the CAS initiative was highlighted and presented in several staff meetings. The CAS framework allowed the community to recognize the strengths and areas for growth providing a common goal including a focus for learning.  

Students also learn to understand their environment through field trips, service-learning projects, and being part of the community. In addition to curriculum integration, schools can establish environmental clubs or student-led initiatives that engage students directly in sustainability efforts. These groups can organize tree planting drives, waste reduction campaigns, or even establish school gardens to promote the connection between food and the environment. Such activities foster a sense of ownership and responsibility, empowering students to actively contribute to a greener school environment. Examples include: 

Service Learning and Climate Action School projects 

• Composting 

• Planting trees and gardening 

• Repurposing clothing 

• Animal welfare  

IPC/IMYC Field trips/projects 

• Year 1 Organic farm and composting 

• Year 4 visit to hydroelectric plant, sustainable bamboo city design 

• Year 5 Making brooms from recycled bottles 

• Year 6 visit to solar energy centre, solar panel, and rainwater pond cleaning 

• Year 7 organic farm and composting 

• Year 10 animal welfare and habitat restoration 

By integrating sustainability into the curriculum, empowering students to take action, and pursuing environmentally friendly practices, schools can play a vital role in nurturing a sustainable future. Through these collective efforts, we can foster a generation of environmentally conscious individuals who will, as Panyaden International School’s vision exemplifies, “develop a caring and compassionate understanding of the environment that will benefit themselves, the people they meet and the planet.”

Many national curricula around the world publish learning outcomes to be achieved within a certain age range, this concept of curriculum provides teachers and leaders with the ‘what’ of the curriculum but none of the ‘how’ and ‘why’. The International Curriculum Association has recently published a definition of curriculum encompassing four distinct facets – written, planned, experienced, and evaluated. The combination of these aspects provides schools with a comprehensive concept of curriculum encompassing philosophy and pedagogy alongside detailed Learning Goals.

Schools that choose to or are required to teach national or regional curriculum outcomes need to make research-informed choices to help make learning happen or select a curriculum solution that can meet the needs of both their learners and teachers while fulfilling any outcome requirements. By integrating subject areas, educators can create a more holistic and interconnected approach to teaching and learning, which can provide benefits for students. Below two established international schools in the Middle East share how they have integrated the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) with the English National Curriculum (NC).

At Brighton College, Dubai, rigorous inspections ensure curriculum coverage including checking attainment and progress in core subjects. For the foundation subjects they use the IPC which has allowed them to follow the structure/style of the English National Curriculum but select topics of more relevance to learners in the Middle East. Sarah Brannon shared how pupils were having difficulty relating to NC topics like ‘The Great Fire of London’ but the IPC unit ‘Moving People’ was fascinating and sparked incredibly thoughtful discussions and action projects. She states, “The benefits of using the IPC are very much related to the international context of our school, the relevance of the units to the pupils’ own experiences supports their interests and motivates learning.”

Each IPC unit can include learning related to the host, home, or heritage countries, with which learners have a connection. This brings a world perspective and develops local and global cultural understanding. This aligns with the KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority) expectation for learning about the heritage and culture of the UAE as well as learners’ understanding and appreciation of their own and other world cultures.

Sarah Dillon from Compass International School, Doha, explains how they have integrated the IPC with other curriculum areas.

“We have meticulously mapped the IPC units and planned learning across each Milepost to ensure complete curriculum coverage that meets the NC requirements. We have also made a conscious effort to align our English learning with the IPC units integrating a range of English NC genres into the units of learning.”

Sarah credits the IPC thematic approach and its focus on International Learning with ensuring that NC requirements are met in an engaging, creative, and innovative manner that truly ignites the children’s passion for learning.

Fostering enthusiasm for learning is important at both Brighton College and Compass International School. Various studies have found evidence that intrinsically motivated students have higher achievement levels. At Brighton College, they recognise motivated teachers lead to motivated learners and improved learning. “Teachers like using the IPC because they can choose units in which they and the learners are interested. Teachers who are enthusiastic and excited about what they are teaching will transfer this to the pupils and learning becomes a dynamic process of exploring and finding out together about new topics.” Compass International acknowledges the role in the Process to Facilitate Learning that all IPC units follow as a motivating factor. During the Entry Point, the children’s memory of previous learning connected to the new unit should be activated. Following this, in the Knowledge Harvest, learners identify what they know and what they want to know, this learner agency motivates them to continue learning throughout the unit. This agency extends choice within learning, pupils can often select how they would like to learn or demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge. Regular reflection develops understanding and promotes metacognitive thinking, encouraging children to consider if their learning choices were effective.

The brain, metacognition and learning about learning are the focus of two IPC units in each milepost as Sarah Brannon explains, “the ‘Brainwave’ units at the start of each year provide an opportunity for pupils to find out about learning methods, to develop a growth mindset and to be involved in open and deep conversations about their aspirational learning goals.” These units aim to empower learners to plan, monitor and evaluate their learning. This research-endorsed approach, known to be more effective when “applied to challenging tasks rooted in the usual curriculum content” (i) transfers from the science of learning units to be utilised across the whole curriculum. Sarah Dillon appreciates that this focus on understanding how their brain works and how children like to learn is unique to the IPC.

Both Compass International and Brighton College are confident that their choice of curriculum solution improves learning through engaging, relevant content and research-informed pedagogy. Beyond the unit content, Personal Learning Goals contribute to the development of individuals and the school’s philosophy and culture. The 8 dispositions detailed in the IPC support learners with self-regulation, knowing themselves as learners and forming positive relationships. If learners are to flourish and overcome challenges, their dispositional qualities must be a key area of focus for teachers and school leaders. Enhancing academic learning with a suite of non-cognitive skills has also been associated with academic and life success. (ii) Personal learning cannot be confined to curriculum-specific activities or moments on the timetable; to be successful this learning needs to pervade across all aspects of the curriculum and the school community.

How do you know which curriculum solution will improve learning in your school?

Leaders should consider both the quality of the product but also how well it will fit with their school’s context, vision, and mission. Some questions that need to be asked and answered include the following.

• Does the research basis of the curriculum align with those valued by the school?
• Is the activity design based on research to best suit the age range of the learners?
• Are learning experiences based on authoritative, researched pedagogy?
• Does it make the teachers’ job of planning and delivery easier?
• Is the curriculum flexible and adaptable to meet learner needs and engage with learner interests?
• Does the curriculum provide opportunities for learners to ‘see’ themselves in the curriculum?
• Does the curriculum meet the requirements of any chosen/assigned written curriculum?
• Is it ambitious?

Whichever curriculum integration solution you choose, ensure that in the words of the OECD, “it maximizes the potential for the effective enhancement of learning.” (iii)

With thanks to Sarah Brannon, the Head of Preparatory School at Brighton College in Dubai and Sarah Dillon the Head of Primary, Madinat Khalifa campus at Compass International School in Doha, an IPC Accredited School.

(i) Metacognition and self-regulation

(ii) The impact of non-cognitive skills on outcomes for young people

(iii) What Makes a Quality Curriculum?