Key Dates | Pastoral Update | Library Update | Virtual Learning Showcase
Dear Parents,
Teacher professional learning was the hot topic at BIS Hanoi this week, with all teachers participating in the 21st Century Learning Virtual Conference broadcast from Hong Kong. The conference is a hallmark of the teacher improvement circuit in Asia, with its continual focus on the latest developments in teaching, learning, and educational technology.
To develop effective 21st-century skills we know that teachers need increasingly more sophisticated competencies and opportunities to refine their professional practice. We also know from research that good professional learning has direct links to student outcomes and better well-being.
As a school BIS Hanoi is committed to attracting the best teachers and providing the highest quality professional learning experiences.
Chris Newman
Head of Secondary
Year 11 Well-being: Effort Focus
The application of effort is at the heart of everything we do at BIS Hanoi. Students, like everyone, have a wide range of skills and talents, yet the nature of exams is that they are all measured in the same way. However, our belief at BIS is that the application of effort is universal. It does not matter what your ability level is, everyone has the opportunity to show they are doing their best.
For many years, in Key Stage 4, the BIS school report has included effort levels for both class and homework, giving students an insight into the perceived effort students apply in each of their subjects. During this week’s well-being session, students began by discussing what it means to apply their ‘best effort’ as well as explore what ‘best effort’ looks like from an observer. Using this as a springboard, students then reflected on their effort levels for each of their subjects. This timely exercise is an opportunity for students to begin the process of focusing on their mock exams in January by addressing subject specific gaps in effort.
A copy of their school report was then used by students to bridge the gap of their own perceived effort and the effort their teachers see them applying. Using the ideas in the initial discussion, students set targets for improving effort in specific subjects and will be given the opportunity to reflect on these targets in the coming weeks.
Focusing on effort also gave us the opportunity to celebrate a number of our students who either received the maximum score for effort across all subjects or were part of the 55% of students who improved in their effort level since the last school report despite the continued challenge the students are facing. I have no doubt that the continued application of effort will lead to continued success.
Marie Price
Head of Year 11
Need a new fiction eBook to read?
BIS Library purchased 150 new eBooks in October.
How can you read these eBooks?
Go to the BIS Library site
Here is a screencast showing exactly how to do it.
You will know you are logged in when you see your name next to Welcome Back in the top right corner.
MFL | English | Vietnamese | Humanities | Art | Theory of Knowledge | Digital Update | University Update
Language B Spanish
As part of the Language B programme, IBDP students learn about the theme area of “Experiences”; within this topic we explore migration and how it affects both individuals and societies. Year 13s analysed different types of migration and had the opportunity to reflect on their own biases towards this topic by being exposed to stories that show single perspectives. They read several articles in Spanish from different sources and learnt key facts about migration waves within the Hispanic world. They also accessed real life testimonies through the Virtual Space of the “Instituto Cervantes” - official Spanish Language Institute. The past few lessons helped them analyse, reflect and communicate how their own perspectives change when they are exposed to the whole picture about this topic. It was a great opportunity to expand their knowledge on language and culture through a TOK lens.
Paloma Lozano
Spanish and TOK Teacher
Sixth Form MFL
Last week, our Sixth Form MFL students had the opportunity to attend a University Lecture in French and Spanish linked to the topics that they are studying at IB. Our students showed great dedication by staying online to watch the webinar after school hours and chatting to their friends and teachers throughout the lecture, sharing their thoughts and ideas.
This week, Tue Minh in Year 13 French Ab Initio has shared her own experience of this lecture for this newsletter:
The MFL Department would like to thank our Sixth Form students for their enthusiasm and the Association of Language Learning in the UK for creating these lectures for our students to enjoy. There have been lots of challenges over the last few years with online, but one positive is that we can now access a wealth of knowledge and opportunities as events like this across the world are now online.
Georgina Dorr
Head of MFL
Year 9s have been learning a topic about the impact of poetic language on the reader's imagination and emotions. They had an interesting activity of transforming poetic works into other forms such as painting, singing, writing letters, writing short stories... Their works clearly showed how the poet used verbal techniques to stimulate the reader's imagination and perception of their work. It is also an opportunity for students to link literature and other disciplines in a systematic relationship.
In Theory of Knowledge (ToK) students have been preparing to undertake their final IA. This is an essay in which they have to engage with questions such as “Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.”? Students must show self-awareness as reflective and ambitious learners. To do this we have been examining different concepts in ToK and how we as individuals would define them, and why.
History
This week in History the Year 12s have been researching different aspects of Mao’s consolidation of power. Students undertook projects in which they examined events such as the reunification campaigns and the Cultural Revolution, and then explained the impact it had on China and how it enabled Mao to consolidate his power. To really push themselves some included objects which represented how they know what they know, and what issues such as perspective and bias this presents.
Our Year 11s and 13s received a visit from Mr Tchakov this week. Mr Tchakov is Bulgarian and lived there as a child whilst it was a satellite state of the Soviet Union. This is connected to both our IGCSE and IB SL curriculum of the Cold War. Students were given time to prepare some questions they may wish to ask him and then they put these questions to him during a lesson. The questions devised were reflective, thoughtful and the students enjoyed hearing about life in a satellite state from a new perspective. Thank you Mr Tchakov for coming in to talk to us and sharing your views!
Geography
Our Year 7 Geographers have been learning about the causes, impacts and responses of deforestation in Madagascar as part of their unit of work on Africa. Through classroom discussions, our Year 7 groups have explored ways in which our rainforests have been protected. One particular suggestion was to show our appreciation and hug the trees ourselves to promote awareness. As a challenge, Year 7 have been excelled at sending in their photos to highlight their love and care for the environment and to raise awareness of global issues such as deforestation.
Over the past 2 weeks we have been running workshops with our Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils to ensure their digital skills are up to scratch and that all students are keeping pace with technological advances whilst using our learning platforms. Last week Years 12 and 13 worked with Mr Twemlow to identify how to use key features on the Microsoft Platform. Students were highly motivated and came away with new skills they can use across their subject areas to improve performance across the board. This week it was the turn of our Year 10's and next week our Year 11's will have their opportunity to review their digital skillset.
Here are some of the key features to take away from our latest training. Please support your child by double checking they understand how to do the following - should they need reminders they can access the workshop recording from their year group Team:
Any issues with hardware or software that impacts student education should be logged in the first instance through helpdesk@bishanoi.com. Please utilise this service directly through school emails so our IT Support team can help at the earliest convenience.
In addition to student workshops, there will also be a parent session held next Thursday (2nd December) covering digital safety and wellbeing. Further details of the session and information on how to access the meeting can be found here.
John Twemlow
Head of Digital Strategy
Reflection in English
A significant part of the development process is student reflection. At BIS we understand that progress is something that happens over time and that students develop their learning through trial and error. Whether it is after a piece of classwork, or a deeper exploration after progress check tests (PCTs), giving students the time to identify and correct errors, or working on targets and guiding them in ways to improve, is essential to the learning journey.
In English, students are familiar with DIRT sessions (Dedicated Improvement and Reflection Time) where they focus on understanding targets and ways to improve and then show their improvements through purple pen writing. The purple represents a second at a piece of work which is part of developing a mentality that progress may not be immediate but something that takes time as well as something we continue to work on. It fits within our target driven ethos where we focus on next steps as opposed to just grades and results. We are always looking for ways to improve.
DIRT is practised throughout all key stages with reflection featuring in the Key Stage 3 Ways of Doing, the Key Stage 4 Learner Attribute Portfolio and the Key Stage 5 IB Learner Profile, with each stage scaffolded to develop the learners’ self-reflection skills and ability to self-correct and direct, moving students closer to independence in their learning.
Marie Price
English Teacher
Year 9 get creative!
In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the class reader this term, fog is used to create pathetic fallacy and as a backdrop for the duality at the centre of this gothic novel. Could Year 9s create a similarly sombre and mysterious atmosphere in their own poems? Yes. Here are some extracts from their fantastic atmospheric writing, personifying fog:
J Shepley Clarke
Head of English
Year 10 and 11: IGCSE Art and Design
Our Year 10 students have started their coursework in which they will create a final piece and portfolio of supporting work over the course of one year. The coursework makes up 50% of their final grade and every piece counts towards that final grade. Students are given a theme as a starting point and the record ideas through photography. Themes this year range from ‘At the Market’ to ‘Hidden’ and I am so impressed with the photography skills our Year 10 students have already demonstrated. Here is just a small selection of the photos that students have recorded to help capture and develop their themes and concepts.
Meanwhile, our Year 11s are nearly finished their coursework and the final date for them to submit their coursework is the 6th of December. The students are currently working on their final pieces which will be a culmination of their research, media exploration and idea development. However, in the meantime, I want to share with you some of the boards that they have submitted which have informed the final pieces. I am so impressed with the resilience, perseverance and creativity the students have shown while working from home. They have overcome so many obstacles and challenges within their work and I am sure you can agree, that the work is stunning. Well done Year 11!
University application season is in mid swing and our Year 13 students have been working hard in applying to universities across the globe, including the UK, USA, Canada and Hong Kong. These were the early application rounds and most of the regular application deadlines are coming up in January through to June.
We have had the first offer of the year and the student is now also preparing for the upcoming interview, which is extremely exciting. It is important to note that it is still very early, and students should not expect offers to be made until even after Christmas. It is of course a nerve-wracking waiting game, but as every year, offers come in on a rolling basis – so hold tight for updates throughout the next months.
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