Student Spotlight: ISB Learner Attributes and Values

Student Spotlight: ISB Learner Attributes and Values

At International School Bangkok (ISB), we believe that our approach to learning, our learner attributes, and the values that we cultivate will set students up for success in life.  No matter where they go or what they do after they leave ISB, we work hard to provide them with a grounding foundation of skills, attitudes, and values that will help them enrich communities throughout their lives.

In tandem with our innovative approach to curriculum, with experiential and applied learning, we can prepare students for today’s world.

ISB Learner Attributes and Values

Our Learner Attributes and Values were developed through a multi-year research and development initiative that helped us understand what skills - beyond knowledge and academic abilities - students would need to be successful in this world that is changing so quickly. These are often referred to as “soft-skills” and they are more and more notably being seen as some of the most important indicators for success in one’s personal life and career. We embed the fostering of these attributes and values into the learning taking place. We develop activities to help students become more Socially-intelligent. COVID-19 and the move to virtual learning was an example of why Adaptability is so important. We craft experiences that move students to be Globally-minded. All require unique and intentional learning experiences to become common practice and habit for our students. Our values are a way of moving through life and communities in a way that is respectful, ethical and meaningful.

Education needs to prepare students on all levels, and we feel our curriculum, tied with our values, attributes and our ongoing focus on developing a caring, inclusive learning community where students feel they belong, achieve that aim.

The Importance of Innovation

Innovation at ISB means taking a new idea, a new method, a new way of doing something to solve a problem or meet a need. Innovation is happening constantly in classrooms and within our learning. Our teachers plan for the most effective ways to bring meaningful learning experiences to our students. The best way to design student learning is to utilize an iterative process that moves students toward their learning potential.

When many people think of innovation, they think of technology and science, because in today’s world, that’s where world-changing innovation is happening. For those who look to technology as a symbol of innovation, they’ll find that at ISB, too. We have many programs that bring students up to speed with the technological advancements being seen in the world today. Coding, maker challenges, and real world problem solving begins in the elementary school. In middle school and high school, students have a wide range of classes that bring them through the ISB Innovation Center - our design lab, where they seek problems to be solved, design solutions, then build everything within a woodshop to 3D printers and robotics. Classes like engineering and the sciences on the IB level are increasingly sought after in our student body and you see VR and other great tools being used in classrooms for learning.

Cultivating innovation and being innovative in the way we approach learning is necessary and its through this that we are able to bring in experiences that teach the skills needed.

Applied Learning is Effective Learning

When we talk about applied learning, we’re talking about learning experiences where students get to use the skills or methods they’ve learnt and apply them to other situations. When a student is able to apply their learning, then we know they have understood. Research shows that these opportunities to put skills into action is where the most effective learning takes place. Whatever the skill is, be it analytical, critical thinking, a new methodology, a communication skill, a mathematical theorem, a scientific experiment, anything, if students can take these skills and use them in other contexts, in different settings and in real-world situations, then we know the teaching has been effective.

Our Students

ISB is well known for its culture of care. This is foundational for us. We care about our students, we encourage them to be themselves, we ensure a lot of support from teachers, counselors, learning specialists and more to be sure that students have the support they need. We give them voice, we give them choice and we cultivate a community of cross-cultural understanding, empathy and acceptance. This creates a space where everyone feels they can belong. It is in this space that innovation, learning and growth can take place.