In this blog, we are joining one of the most popular clubs at BWYA, the Lego Robotics Club, to find out what they’ve been up to.

First Impressions

We first joined the Lego Robotics club in January of this year. At that time, BWYA had four teams participating in the ACAMIS Northern Region Qualifiers.

A BWYA primary school student during the ACAMIS Northern Region Qualifiers

The competition was incredibly tight, particularly for the ‘Robot Game’ session – every team has to finish as many tasks as possible, in a very short space of time. However, after many hours of training, the students were calm and collected; from unloading parts to swapping robots, everything was smooth and fast.

“There were many unexpected points in the actual game. For example, the gap between the arena map, and the arena walls was much larger than expected, so we had to give up some tasks. Although thinking back now, giving up was the right choice, since it gave us more time to finish others”, Grade 8 student Rain Lin shared with us after the game. During the course of the interview, we also learned that behind the students’ performance, were hours of practice and countless exercises. At one point in the interview, Rain told us he was coming to school every weekend to prepare. When pressed for confirmation, he smiled and replied, “Yes, almost every weekend, of course with the teacher!”

Talking about preparation, Adam Xu from the ninth grade also shared, “We started preparing more than three months ago, and even had our own practice competitions. We originally had four teams at the secondary school, but after competing together, decided only to send the three best to represent our school.” [Note: the fourth team in the competition came from the primary school]

BWYA teams at the ACAMIS Northern Region Qualifiers

Hard work pays off though, and the final results from the qualifiers were a real encouragement – achieving top results across the board. ‘Robot Design and Programming’ – first place; ‘Robot Game’ – second place; ‘Core Values – second place; ‘Research Project’ – third place; and in the overall championship placing second and fourth, with two teams successfully selected to advance to the national championship.

Robotics: Not just for boys

Asked about the club’s usual activities, Grade 9 student Kelly Yang told us, “In fact, most of our activities are centered around the competition. Mr. Danny Yu shares a lot of learning resources with us, such as the EV3 guide [a Lego Robotics Guide], and helps us learn how to use them well. Although he doesn’t always show us exactly what to do, we also have a lot of space and freedom to figure out things on our own. Obviously, during the actual competitions, the coaches aren’t allowed to help.” During the competition, Kelly presented the team’s research project, speaking fluently and clearly on the topic.

Also from the ninth grade, student Nicole Xu was responsible for the in-depth study and preparation of the research project. “For this competition, our topic was ‘How to Solve the Problem of Astronauts’ Loss of Bone in Space.’ We did a lot of research and study.”

The building blocks for something great

In many people’s minds, robotics and programming are for boys and men, Nicole though wanted to tell us, “Gender isn’t an obstacle to learning programming or robotics. I don’t think that because I’m a girl, I can’t do it well, or am worse than the boys. The most important thing is what do you love and enjoy in your heart, not others’ opinions and prejudices.” Before joining the robotics club, Nicole also spent time on her own learning Javascript, as well as reading about other programming languages. Her self-confidence and pride in her achievements were clear to see.

Another of the club’s students now in the eighth grade, Christina Ge, starting playing with Lego as a two-year-old. Having been a club member for two years now, she shared her passion for robotics and programming with us, “I have been interested in robots since I was very small. So far, as well as Lego, I’ve also learned VEX IQ, VEX EDR, Arduinos, and FRC, as well as C, C++, CSS, Java, and Javascript. In the future, I’d like to study an artificial intelligence related major.”

Not fighting alone

At the competitions, teamwork is key. As Kelly shared with us, “We all have our own responsibilities and tasks, and by separating the work well, we ensure the team gets the best result.”

Teamwork is key during competitions

Student Adam Xu was captain of the Flat Earth Society team. They had many challenges to overcome. “To begin with, everyone was incredibly busy. As well as the Lego competition, we were also all involved in many different activities. It definitely wasn’t how I’d imagined it. However, after some reflection, I realized I wasn’t being very tolerant, and needed to think about others’ responsibilities more and make sure I was working honestly, and hard, for the areas I was responsible for. The competition result wasn’t everything. So slowly, I learned how to work well with others who have different responsibilities, and make sure I had carried out the tasks I was responsible for to the best of my ability.”

At the eventual national championship though, Adam’s team fought very well, with their teamwork and cooperation earning them third places in both robot design and programming, from amongst 28 teams from all of China.

So what lies next?

Tenth grade Franklin Xiong also used to be a club member. Even though he has left the club now, he is still very happy to share with us stories from his time with Lego Robotics. Franklin’s most memorable moment comes from the Shanghai American School FLL English Tournament, held in Shanghai last January. Although it was BWYA’s first competition, the students managed to win the ‘Rookie Star’ award, as the best new team.

BWYA secondary school teams in competition

“When we received the trophy, it felt like all the hard work we’d put in was worthwhile”, he shared with us full of pride and joy in the club’s previous achievement.

Since starting in 2013, the club has now had six spring and autumn seasons. With new members joining as the older ones leave though, the experience and learning are unbroken, going from strength to strength.

When Rain first joined the club, he wasn’t very confident, but in his own words told us he, “loves drilling bull horns [a Chinese chengyu about studying difficult problems]”. Busy with robotics jobs, when one method doesn’t work, another will be found, even if it takes a few days.

However, other members of the club have different approaches to problem-solving. Talking about another old member of the club, Kevin Zhang, Rain tells us, “Kevin would adjust and modify his projects and thinking immediately if he found a problem, and I am starting to realize that my own approach has some problems. When I have difficulties, I might spend two or three hours focusing on that specific problem, and miss a simpler, more general solution, or even give up, do some other tasks, and then spend even more time on this little obstacle. Even though he has left the club now, the impact he left on me is very deep.”

BWYA students working together on a lego robot

The learning and growth aren’t merely limited to the teachers and students individually though but also affects student to student interactions. As German philosopher Karl Jaspers said, “Education is a tree shaking another tree, a cloud driving another cloud, a soul awakening another soul.” So as the students continue their educational journey, it is possible for them to become that tree, or cloud, or soul. In fact, these learning experiences and opportunities are everywhere.

Along with Christina Ge and Rain Lin, are many students, excited about what tomorrow has in store, and hoping to apply to artificial intelligence related majors in the future. Wilson Lin, a ninth-grade student interested in artificial intelligence and psychology told us, “If I had sufficient resources and it was technologically achievable, I would most like to design a completely just robot, similar to a courtroom judge, but unlike humans, one that would be completely fair, without any prejudices or bias.”

The future is full of possibilities

The Lego Robotics Club at the BWYA primary school

So how do we raise a new generation of young people that are even better prepared to meet and create the future that will ultimately belong to them? The answer is in our hands. Cherishing every opportunity to understand and learn from one another, since these opportunities are the starting point for development.

This post is provided by BWYA
Photos courtesy of BWYA

Every spring, Beijing World Youth Academy’s (BWYA) four campuses become unusually quiet as students from all age groups embark on exciting journeys of exploration and experiential learning. Students get the opportunity to benefit from the best of local traditions, customs, and heritage, while also crossing borders to expand their international horizons, in keeping with the BWYA motto of ‘locally grounded, globally aware’, throughout what has become know as Trip Week.

Trip Week activities are educational, rewarding, and fun

Trip Week takes place every year as part of BWYA’s Classroom Without Walls Programme (CWWP). At BWYA, staff and students alike understand that some of the best learning takes place when away from the classroom and out into the real world and Trip Week represents the highlight of the CWWP every year. As well as being a valuable learning experience, Trip Week also provides opportunities for worthy CAS and SA projects which encourage students to give something back to the communities they are learning from and spending time with. It gives students a deeper experience of local traditions and customs, both in China and overseas and the BWYA teaching staff and Enrichment Team work very hard in collaboration with each other to arrange trips that are educational, informative, rewarding, and fun.

Young learners, big adventures

BWYA’s Primary School students take advantage of everything Beijing’s bustling city center and surrounding countryside have to offer, spending the week doing exciting activities and day trips.  This year they took on the challenges of hiking, climbing, rafting, and kayaking, as well as visiting fun and interesting places like the Beijing Planetarium, Aquarium, working farms and The Summer Palace. Each of their destinations was chosen by teachers and the BWYA Enrichment Team to make sure they were suitable with plenty of activities that would provide fun but valuable learning experiences as well as personal development activities and team working opportunities. Many of the places the young learners visited also had links to the Units Of Inquiry they had been working on in their classrooms. For example, grade 5 students ended their week with a trip to the Beijing Planetarium to see just how much they had learned from their Space Explorers Unit of Inquiry.

BWYA upper primary school children got to try adventurous activities such as rafting

For BWYA’s Upper Primary School children, Trip Week includes overnight stays at the Terratribes Adventure bases. For grades 3 and 4 this is one night, while for grade 5 it’s two. For many of the young adventurers, this is their first time staying away from home without their parents and is, therefore, a valuable learning experience for their personal development. It helps foster their independence in a safe environment with support from their friends and the familiar faces and reassuring presence of their teachers.

Middle School Students Go The Extra Mile

By traveling around China, BWYA’s middle school students can get hands-on with local traditions, culture, and history, and give a little back to communities around the country.  This year, grades 6 to 10 students visited some spectacular destinations in China. They enjoyed Kung-Fu lessons from Shaolin monks, took part in ancient local ceremonies while wearing traditional costumes, learned all about local arts, crafts and music and tried them out for themselves, as well as benefiting from visits to museums, art galleries and places of interest and cultural significance all over China.

BWYA middle school students traveled around China during Trip Week

Trip Week is also about community and making a difference, so BWYA students enjoyed school exchange activities with local schools in the regions they visited, working with local communities and participating in their daily lives, as well as spending time with disadvantaged children, and those with learning difficulties.

Plenty Of Highs For High School Students

The Trip Week programme for DP1 students was created with CAS in mind and is strongly linked to their studies. This year, for example, humanities students who had been studying modern European history traveled to Germany and Poland to visit sites of historical significance to that time period. Other DP1 students traveled to Thailand where CAS activities included working with local disadvantaged communities and helping out at wildlife conservation projects.

BWYA DP1 students got hands-on with community initiatives important to their Thai hosts

Not all the DP1 students traveled. However, those who stayed in Beijing benefited from a week-long programme of student-led CAS activities researched and organized by the students themselves. These included painting murals at the Shunyi Art Zone, cycle tours around Beijing city center, and a hike around Fragrant Hills.

BWYA staff and students are dedicated to a rich and rewarding learning experience, whether that is behind a desk or out and about exploring China and beyond. Whether it’s staying local or traveling globally, Trip Week sees BWYA contributing to the communities who are such welcoming hosts and learning from the places and people they encounter on their journeys.

This post is provided by Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA)
Photos courtesy of Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA)

The performing arts can have huge benefits for children and young adults, acting as a release from the stresses of class and homework, as well as all the other pressures of school and home life young people face growing up. Singing, acting, dancing or playing an instrument can also help build confidence in a young person and act as a healthy channel for self-expression and creativity. For international schools, performing arts can also be an ideal way to demonstrate the importance of both local traditions and culture as well as the more international influences we all know today in our increasingly globalized world.

The performing arts have huge benefits for children and young adults

Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) has taken all of these factors into account to create a thriving performing arts program the takes center stage in many aspects of school life. Highlights of the school year include the annual talent shows, the grade 10 musical, and the regular BWYA Evening of Arts, which take place every semester. In the classroom, even subjects such as Chinese Literature benefit from a performance aspect with students showing a deep understanding of the texts they are studying by adapting them for the stage or, in some cases, writing their own dramas. The young learners at BWYA’s Primary School also make sure they get in on the act with their Winter and Summer Festival concerts as well as the weekly Drama Club.

BWYA has also found that its performing arts program is a fantastic way to make sure that students of all ages are benefiting from exposure to both traditional local culture and more international performing arts, in line with BWYA’s school motto, ‘locally grounded, globally aware,’ with regular music and drama classes exposing students to performances in a wide array of styles and genres.

A student performs Peking opera

Ruby Yang and Simba Tang are two students that have a passion for traditional Chinese performing arts. Still only in grade 2, Ruby and Simba both have a passion for Peking Opera that they love to share with their classmates. Both of them performed at the BWYA Primary School Winter Festival at The Beijing Theatre recently, wearing fantastic traditional costumes and make-up.

“I love to wear the costumes and to do my hair and make-up,” explains Ruby, who has been performing Peking Opera since she was 5 years old. “At my first class the teacher taught me how to use my voice and sing properly and it was lots of fun. I asked my mum if I could keep going and she said yes. Performing on the big stage for the Winter Festival was amazing!” “I love the make-up as well,” agrees Simba. “And I really enjoy doing the voices for different characters. I have been learning Peking Opera since I was 5 too and it’s really cool and amazing. I wasn’t nervous at all for the Winter Festival.  I went backstage and it was really exciting and then the curtains opened and I was really happy!”

Many of BWYA’s regular classes include an element of performing arts and public speaking. Students are regularly asked to produce plays or performances based on the books they are reading or the Unit of Inquiry they are studying. This not only helps increase understanding of the topic but helps to build confidence and adds an element of fun to the classroom.

One student who isn’t short of confidence is Sean Chai, who could likely be the youngest stand-up comedian in Beijing. Still only in grade 3, Sean loves to mix up the traditional and the modern to write his own spoken-word performances. He performed at this year’s Winter Festival.

Sean Chai, probably Beijing’s youngest standup comedian

“Last year I performed a traditional Chinese poem,” said Sean. “But this year I wanted to write something myself so I wrote a comedy routine. I love Chinese cross-talk on TV and comedians who make jokes so I thought I would try. My routine was called ‘Crazy Mum, Wonderful Dad, and Teacher Who Loves Rules.’ It took me one week to write it and then I practiced it two times a day every day.”

“The big stage was a little bit scary but with the light on me I couldn’t see the audience and that was good for me. I have done Winter Festival three times and the whole school Talent Show two times but it’s still a little bit scary. I think it’s nice to share your talent though.”

The School orchestra regularly provide the soundtrack to school events, and are frequently invited to perform in the wider community, acting as ambassadors for the School. BWYA’s music program also encourages students to pursue their own style and express themselves.

BWYA’s 2017 Grade 10 Musical, Cinderella

Mia Zhang is a grade 7 student at BWYA’s Lido Campus. Mia is interested in both traditional and modern music and recently performed some traditional Chinese music on her pipa, a string instrument that resembles a lute or guitar that dates back to the 1^st century AD.

“I’ve been playing the pipa for six years now,” says Mia. “My sister also plays the pipa and when I use to hear her practice I thought the sound was beautiful so I wanted to learn to play it myself. It’s a little difficult to play the pipa but the feeling I get inside when I play makes me want to play more and more. I decided to play in the talent show because I wanted more people to get to know about the pipa and how it sounds.”

As well as respecting local culture and traditions, some students take their inspiration from more international sources.

Alex Zhou and Shawn Guo, both in grade 10, haven’t been performing together for very long, but already they have used their talents to bring together influences from all over the world to create a very special act.

BWYA students are encouraged to explore their own musical styles

“I play the piano and sing,” explains Shawn, “and I beat-box” adds Alex.  They came up for the idea behind their act when they were playing around on a piano one day and improvising. This led to them creating their own version of the famous pop song Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, by the French dance music duo, Daft Punk.

“Our biggest challenge was making it all fit,” said Alex. “Trying to get the beatbox, singing and piano to all line up took a lot of practice but it was also a lot of fun to do.

“Shawn and I are good friends so it was not a problem to spend the time together, although it was difficult to balance the time practicing with all our school work. We are both in grade 10 and we’ve had lots of assessments recently. But we were determined to put together a good performance and make it to this year’s talent show. We must have put in over 40 hours of practice.”

“Every time we practiced it came out a little different,” adds Shawn. “We were both performing for the first time at the recent Wolves Talent Show and we were a little nervous beforehand, but really excited as well. We didn’t have any expectations, we just wanted to do our best and hopefully, people would enjoy it.”

BWYA gives students the chance to perform in front of their friends and perhaps inspire them to take up the same pastime

Dancer, Sophia Strelnikova, is another performer who takes inspiration from around the world to express herself with her talent. “I have been a dancer for a long time. I started out doing ballet but moved on to other styles that I enjoyed a lot more,” said Sophia who is in grade 8 at BWYA’s Wangjing Campus. “I started hip hop dance three years ago and I love it. The ballet really helps though. It has been a great foundation to my dancing and some of the skills required, and things like stretching exercises that you need to do, have all helped me as a hip-hop dancer. I love to choreograph my own routines and shows like the BWYA talent show give me the opportunity to dance in front of my friends and may inspire other students to start dancing as well. The audition for the show was great. It was judged by some of our teachers and they gave me some really useful feedback on how I could improve my performance even more.”

Whatever a student’s talent or passion, and wherever they take their inspiration from, international schools like BWYA are providing platforms for young performers to express themselves, and entertain the wider school community at the same time. And if all the world is indeed a stage, BWYA’s performing arts program is helping their students grow in confidence as that stage gets bigger. It helps them develop valuable skills, such as public speaking, which will be with them for life, and last, but by no means least, it ties in with BWYA’s school motto ensuring that our students remain ‘locally grounded’ and ‘globally aware’.

This post is provided by Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA)
Photos courtesy of Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA), with thanks to BWYA parents Mr. Chi Hong, Ms. Jenny Zhao, and Ms. Jessica Wang, as well as students Jason Chen and Amanda Zhang

What do school mottos mean and does your school truly live by it?  Most international schools and schools around the world will have their school motto proudly emblazoned across their campus, website, and uniform. Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) is no different and works hard to live up to theirs.

School mottos have been around for as long as we have had schools and universities. Harvard University’s motto is one simple word – ‘truth’, while Yale University’s is slightly longer, translating from Latin as ‘light and truth.’ The UK’s famous Cambridge University is longer still, translating from the original Latin as ‘from here, light and sacred draughts’ which means that scholars and students there provide knowledge and thinking that can be trusted and believed. The whole point of a school motto, just like a company’s mission statement, or a nation’s slogan, is that it gives members of the community a simple phrase to guide their thoughts, words, and actions.

Yet a motto is just a meaningless word or phrase unless the school truly lives by it. And this means that the school motto should be evident in everything the school and its community does.

Since its inception in 2001, BWYA’s school motto has always been ‘locally grounded, globally aware.’ What this means is that while the school is a forward-thinking, innovative, international school which takes part in international events, gets involved with global issues, and has its graduates go on to leading universities around the world, it never loses sight of its local community, Chinese culture, and customs and traditions that are also a big part of its identity.

Local customs and culture are a big part of BWYA’s identity

Locally Grounded
Being ‘locally grounded’ has two main aspects. The first is being an active member of the local community, supporting it, and giving back whenever possible. For international schools this can include fundraising activities, hosting fun events, or putting on entertaining performances for everyone to enjoy. For BWYA, students regularly create their own fundraising campaigns as part of their own personal projects, Service & Action projects or Community, Activity, and Service activities, raising awareness and funds for deserving causes such as migrant children and disadvantaged communities. And it’s not just about money. Sometimes giving up your time can be even more beneficial and you can find BWYA students volunteering and helping out all over Beijing.  For example, grade 10 student, Stephanie Choi, recently organized a Walk-A-Thon charity event that raised over 4,000RMB to help a local migrant school renovate its bathroom facilities. Grade 9 student, Maria An, has set up and coordinates a team of students who prepare and present English lessons to orphaned children. For the performance side of things, BWYA students are regularly showing off their music, acting and artistic talents at events such as the BWYA Evening of Arts, the student-led Spring Musical, and the annual Christmas performances at Indigo Mall and Oasis International Hospital.

A tai chi fan demonstration

An appreciation of local customs and traditions is also part of being ‘locally grounded’ and at BWYA this has been woven into the curriculum of the school. For example, Chinese classes include in-depth studies of Chinese literature which students adapt into dramatic performances. Chinese Calligraphy lessons are also part of the BWYA programme. Recently, thanks to the Education Committee of Chaoyang District Beijing, BWYA students were given an enjoyable reminder of what it means to be a young learner in China. Students enjoyed traditional Jingtailan painting, Chinese lantern making, and a very special Tai Chi Fan demonstration. BWYA also has a student-led club called the Intangible Cultural Heritage Redesign Club (ICHR Club), set up by grade 9 students with the help of their parents. The Club has been traveling around the countryside in Hebei Province experiencing local ancient customs and traditions, and encouraging more young people to get involved by using modern media and arts and crafts projects.

Globally Aware

BWYA students take part in projects such as building shelters for disadvantaged communities and wildlife conservation in countries such as Thailand

The second part of BWYA’s motto, ‘globally aware,’ is just as significant, and means more than just regularly traveling to foreign countries and enjoying the sights. It also means engaging with global issues and the wider global community.

BWYA students participate in the MUN Club

One example of how BWYA students stay ‘globally aware’ is via the extremely busy Model United Nations Club (MUN Club). The MUN Club regular participates in international events at which students represent nations and debate topics just as the real UN does. The Roots & Shoots Club is part of an international organization that follows world-wide themes each year and BWYA’s Classrooms Without Walls programme also includes trips overseas. In previous years students have volunteered on local projects such as building shelters for disadvantaged communities and wildlife conservation.

Students have the opportunity to learn outside the classroom in the real world, at home and abroad

Back in the classroom, as an IB school, there are global elements to all programmes including design, the arts, science, and humanities, encouraging students to look beyond their own borders. This includes design projects that are inspired by human rights issues in developing countries and humanities projects centered on the habitats and dwellings of indigenous cultures around the world. Students studying subjects such as design or business and economics benefit from visits to some of the global companies who have their Chinese headquarters in Beijing, and science classes regularly relate the topic under investigation to a global perspective such as how humans have impacted bio-diversity around the world. Students at BWYA’s Lido campus recently undertook a study of how observing birds can act as a way of monitoring an environment. This study has global relevancy but was carried out locally in Beijing’s Olympic Park.

Talk The Talk, Walk The Walk
So next time you hear about a school or company motto, give some thought to what it means and ask yourself if they truly live up to it. BWYA clearly does.

This post is provided by Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) 

Photos courtesy of Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA)

There is a famous African proverb that says it takes a whole village to raise a child, pointing out that the whole community has a role to play in developing healthy successful adults.

And while the above is undoubtedly true, there is also a strong argument that children, and their schools, have a big role to play in the development of their own local communities and promoting community spirit.

Programmes such as Service & Action for middle school aged students, and Creativity, Activity & Service for high-schoolers, both of which are an integral part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum allow students to come up with their own ideas and initiatives to serve their community, but it is whole school community events that really show a school’s commitment goes beyond the school gates to the families who live and work in the same area.

“A lot of schools, particularly international schools, hold plenty of events targeting their own parents, students and staff” explains Pauline Wong, Events and PTA Coordinator at Beijng World Youth Academy (BWYA). “This is great as they foster school spirit and raise lots of money for worthwhile charities in China and abroad. But for people living nearby, they can often feel like outsiders looking in on something that is happening in their own neighborhoods.

When Giving a Little, Gives Back a Lot

BWYA high school students raise money for charity and learn a lot from the experience.

“Our motto at BWYA is ‘locally grounded, globally aware’ and both parts of that phrase carry equal weighting. So as a school, we are always looking for ways that we can engage with our local communities.”

One way that international schools look to do this is by hosting community events such as BWYA’s annual May Fair. May Fair brings together staff, students, parents and local businesses and residents, to host stalls selling everything from food and drink, to toys and jewelry, with plenty of games and performances to keep all ages entertained. Every year the school adopts charitable organizations to which all profits are donated. As this year marks BWYA’s 15^th Anniversary, the School chose a ‘Birthday Bash’ theme and raised RMB 116,000 for Chunhui Children, an organization that supports disadvantaged children in China, and The Beijing Ruizhi Quanna Centre For Special Education Needs.

“Good schools should always be the hub of their community, which students growing and developing in tandem,” concludes Pauline Wong. “This year alone our school choir and orchestra has performed at local hospitals and shopping malls, we’ve had willing volunteers help out at community events, supported fundraising activities and worked hard to be engaged members of our community. The students not only enjoy it, but it also helps them to understand what a community really is and how we are all responsible for contributing. This mentality stays with them as they grow into adulthood. They may travel far and wide and can end up studying and working anywhere in the world, but they will not lose their sense of community and being an active member of their own.”

This post is provided by BWYA. 

Photos: BWYA

BWYA’s Classrooms Without Walls programme recognizes that some of the best learning takes place when students get away from the classroom and out into the real world. And for Trip Week 2017, which took place last month, every student had the chance to do just that.

“It is all about the experience,” explains Principal Robert Wang. “Regular field trips for subjects like geography and biology, like our Group 4 Project, allow students to apply their newly acquired skills to solving real-world problems, but Classroom Without Walls, and Trip Week, in particular, gives them the chance to immerse themselves in cultures that are different to their own and gain an understanding of how other people live their lives. It also helps them try out new things, presents new challenges, give back to the community, and helps them to learn a little bit about themselves as well.”

In with the old – Grade 8 BWYA students enjoying a visit to the museum during their Pingyao trip.

These experiences can take place all over China and beyond. BWYA’s Primary School students had adventures all over Beijing this year, including spending time on a farm, climbing, abseiling and raft building in the countryside, and hiking along the Great Wall, spending a few nights away from home as well. Older students visited locations all over China, including Xi’an, Pingyao, Kunming, and Yangshuo, as well as overseas destinations like Thailand, Singapore, and Japan.

Grade 8 Students, Tina Han and Cherry Yan, both took part in the week-long trip to Pingyao. Both of them really enjoyed the chance to spend time in a traditional Chinese village, as well as getting to know their fellow students a bit better. “The architecture in Pingyao Old Town is amazing,” Said Tina. “You don’t get to see, or stay, in traditional Chinese buildings and streets like that when you live in the big city. I really hope to go back there soon with my sketchbook!” “All the students on the trip really built a sense of fellowship,” added Cherry, “something I really enjoyed about the trip. One day, Tina saw a CD she really wanted so a group of us got together to pool our money and we bought it for her as a surprise. The next day my friends had done the same thing for me.”

Primary School kids hanging out with friends in Beijing

Joe Zhou was part of the Grade 9 trip to Yunnan Province. He said that spending time with local families and making new friends was the highlight of the trip. “I feel like I have a new second home now,” adds Joe. “On the last day of the trip, we had an activity called Mission Impossible. We had to follow a series of clues around the village we were staying in and the local families would give us tasks and challenges we had to complete before giving us the next clue. There were prizes for the best teams and it was an amazing day. I think the students and the local families really got attached to each other.”

It is this bonding with the local communities that often sticks in the memory for students, long after they return home to Beijing.

Building friendships around the world

Grace Yang, a Grade 11 student who took part in the trip to Thailand said, “Community and service was the main part of our trip it was great to be an active part of the communities we visited, helping to paint and build facilities, grow crops, and spend time with people who have a very different lifestyle to our own. And learn a bit more about their culture. Activities like Kayaking down the river were lots of fun, but so was the time spent helping people and getting involved.”

Time for some culture Singapore style

BWYA teacher, John Mariampillai, offers a staff perspective. He said; “For the trip to Singapore, our students had to immerse themselves in a country which was both familiar yet foreign to them. Understanding the country’s political, social and economic structures made the students reflect on their own country. They also developed many useful skills while involved in team building exercises like navigating through the city for the civic district scavenger hunt. They also explored a couple of educational and religious institutions learning about their contribution to the development of Singapore. It was a remarkable experience the students will never forget.”

From visiting new places, trying new foods and meeting new people, to planting crops for the first time, helping to paint a house, or overcoming fears to climb a cliff, the Classroom Without Walls provides a new set challenges, experiences, and memories for students to help students develop as locally grounded and globally aware citizens.

This post is provided by BWYA. 

Photos: BWYA

One of the old adages spoken about school subjects by lazy school kids who didn’t want to do their homework was “how is this going to help me in real life?” The G4 project, an important part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, is the perfect response demonstrating how four key subjects fit together and can be applied to real life problems.

BWYA Grade 11 science and design students visit Beijing Zoo for this year’s G4 project

Called the Group 4 project, it is a collaborative activity in which biology, chemistry, physics, and design technology students bring together all of their knowledge in order to find a solution to a real world problem. For Beijing World Youth Academy’s (BWYA) grade 11 scientists this meant taking a walk on the wild side to work on a very special project featuring Beijing Zoo. The students were split into groups with each group allocated an animal currently found in Beijing Zoo. They were then asked to address the question, “How can we build a better enclosure for your given animal?”

What are zoo guys looking at?

The groups got up close and personal with their allocated animal during a recent visit to the Zoo in order to see for themselves the current living conditions each animal experiences and how they could call on all their science and design skills to create a better living space for each creature.

Student Chan Young Park’s group looked at the enclosure of the Red Tailed Monkey. He said, “The G4 project is really interesting as we get to apply all of the knowledge we pick up in the classroom. Also, when we work as a team, one person might be really good at design, another at biology, and so on, so everyone in the group can play to their strengths and make a contribution. You can really see the links between the theories we cover in the classroom and what happens out in the real world.

Making it better – a BWYA G4 team inspects their animals enclosure

“We found that the Red Tailed Monkey enclosure needs a bit of work. The biggest issue that we found that would be easiest to fix is the water supply. At the moment it is just an uncovered metal bowl that is open to pollutants and our suggestion would be to design a new system that includes flowing water to help keep it clean and healthy for the animals. Building something like that would use our knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics and design at the same time.”

Eric Jung and his group looked at the Black Backed Jackal enclosure. He said, “I found my design skills to be really useful for this project. Having a knowledge of materials, how the environment affects them, and how to manipulate them really helped my group develop our solution.

“The Black Backed Jackal enclosure was really small for this type of animal, but there isn’t much we can do about that. According to our research though, we know that they like to sleep in humid, cave-like conditions and this is something we can definitely work into our design.”

G4 project team discusses their plans for improving their animals environment

Daniel Kweon’s group was allocated the Fennec Fox. He said, “These are really cute animals but in the wild they are endangered and need protecting. The enclosure at the zoo had a solid floor, even though these animals like to dig and live in tunnels under the ground. Our solution is to focus on this and create a living space that allows them dig and move around under the surface.”

Daniel added: “When you are in the classroom and focusing on each individual subject to get a good grade, it’s hard to look up sometimes and make connections between everything. The G4 project gives us a chance to go into the real world and see how everything works together. It’s also fun when get to work on a project that you can be excited and passionate about.”

After completing their field research, the teams of BWYA scientists will go back to the classroom to finalize their designs and prepare to present them to the rest of the class.

Glenn Jenkin, Head of Science at BWYA, said that he was really pleased with how all of the groups really applied themselves to the project. “The Group 4 project is really valuable as it demonstrates how all of the science disciplines fit together and relate to the real world, it also shows how science is everywhere and in everything we do” he added. “The students have to approach the project using robust scientific methods and data collection and communicate their findings in a clear way. It also helps them to work as a team so as well has improving their scientific skills they are working on skills that will help them in all walks of life.”

One of the key strengths of the IB curriculum that sets it apart from alternative programmes is its emphasis on applying classroom knowledge to real life situations and problems. Some of the best learning can take place outside of the classroom, as we see in BWYA’s G4 project. It’s hard to say “how is this going to be useful in real life” when you are standing facing a problem and applying all your knowledge and skills, as well as working as a team, to solve it.

This post is provided for by BYWA

Photos: BWYA 

For parents with children following the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, the Service and Action (SA) programme for middle school students, and the Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) requirements for high school students, can sometimes seem to be a distraction from the more academic subjects. But putting equal effort into these projects can be hugely rewarding for more than just the grades.

On Saturday, February 25, a team of Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) students, collaborating with friends at other international schools in Beijing, produced their very own fashion show. Recycled Fashion, named as such as all garments where created from recycled materials, was the culmination of months of hard work as part of BWYA’s CAS programme. As well as organizing an event and designing all the clothes which went down the catwalk, over 250 people attended the event, raising more than RMB 18,000 to help a village in China’s Qinghai Province, Sanjiangyuan Region, maintain a sustainable way of life via the Global Environment Institute China.

Members of the Sanjiangyuan community supported by Recycled Fashion fund raising

“The day of the show was both exciting and terrifying in equal parts,” says Charlotte Tian, a grade 11 student at BWYA who was Assistant Director of the event. “We had been planning the event for months, we knew the ticket sales had been good, and the clothes looked great, but there are always a few nerves for things like this.”

“The whole team really enjoyed rising to the challenge of putting an event like this together,” adds Kristina Zhang, also a Co-Director. “It’s amazing how many things you have to plan for, and although it was hard work, it was really satisfying to see everyone who came enjoying the show so much and we were able to raise a good amount of money for charity. It was really interesting to see how the money raised would help the charity. We really appreciate now how hard it can be to earn money and how its value means different things to different people.”

Kristina Zhang and Charlotte Tian, part of the Recycled Fashion team at BWYA

Tian and Zhang’s experience is fairly common for students who embrace the CAS or SA programmes just as they would any other part of their studies.

“We had a lot of support from the school and the local community, “ explains Sydney Liang, who also helped to organize the show. “We had to learn how to contact and deal with local businesses. We had to work on project management and communications skills, manage finances and ticket sales, and work with school administrators. “

“We picked up so many new skills that will help us when we go to university,” concludes Co-Director Dari Temutsilekhu.  “Time management was really important, as well as the social skills we needed to work with people outside of our school. We really enjoyed working together and I think the best part of the project has been knowing that we are working towards making a difference in someone’s life. This really motivated the team in creating the show, we tried our best to bring this show together. I learned so much throughout this project, and experienced so much, I think this experience will really help me in the future.”

CAS is one of the three essential elements that all IB Diploma students have to complete. Based on a set of learning outcomes, students have to come up with their own initiatives that offer something to their local community, as well as demonstrating their own creativity, perseverance and problem solving, collaboration and decision making skills.

Already this year, BWYA students have helped build desktop computers for migrant school children, renovated the facilities of a migrant school, developed public speaking and presentation training courses for fellow students, and helped countless charities in Beijing and beyond. Next up for the school is a charity rock concert taking place in April.

“CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development by learning through experience,” says David Kelly, CAS Co-coordinator at BWYA. “The students have the chance to develop skills that they wouldn’t necessarily have in the classroom with projects that can be extremely self-rewarding and enjoyable. It can act as a nice break from the pressure and stress of studying. Plus, a lot of the skills they learn will benefit them in the future as adults, can help with their university applications, as well as benefiting those in our community that the project has been developed to help. It’s positive for everybody!”

You can find out more about BWYA’s CAS and SA programmes at www.ibwya.net and keep an eye on their news and blogs for stories about individual projects.

This post is sponsored by BWYA. 

Photos by BWYA