BISS Puxi is Globally Connected through Global Campus

In addition to being pupils at BISS Puxi, all our students are also members of a wider family – the community of students from Nord Anglia schools all around the world. They have an important role in supporting Nord Anglia Education’s mission of providing high-quality international education by fostering respect for other people’s identities and cultures. This forms a strong foundation for one of our school’s Five Pillars: Internationalism.

Learning has no limits at BISS Puxi. One of the many things that makes us unique as a school is our continuous ambition to take on new and exciting challenges. We offer engaging learning environments to ensure our students love coming to school and we aim to go even further than the physical classroom by taking part in Nord Anglia Education’s unique online learning platform, Global Campus.

What is Global Campus?

Global Campus is a personalised online learning platform which connects Nord Anglia students from all over the world, by providing engaging projects in collaboration with MIT, for developing students’ abilities within STEAM; Juilliard, to encourage their creativity through performing arts; and UNICEF, which empowers students to make the world a better place. At BISS, we have made it our mission this year to grab this learning opportunity with both hands and benefit from all Nord Anglia Education has to offer.

The Global Campus platform is constantly monitored by Nord Anglia specialists to ensure a safe environment and is tailored to your child’s age. GC Junior is for students under 8 years, GC Core is for students aged from 9 to 15 years, and GC Senior is for students aged 16 years and above.

How does BISS Puxi implement Global Campus in the Primary School?

Given that the activities on GC provide valuable support in class, every teacher can make use of the Global Campus, anytime during lessons. The students were provided with Global Campus login details at the start of the year and received online safety lessons to guide them in appropriate online behaviour. Subsequently, the students can access Global Campus at home and at school, and partake in projects of their choosing, completing it at their own pace.

BISS Puxi also implemented a schedule this year, to ensure a wide variety of activities can be accessed and completed during each term. The 4-week schedule will repeat twice a term and it will follow this plan:

• Week 1 – Global Campus Activity of the Week: This activity can be done at school or at home and is communicated to parents via Seesaw.
• Week 2 – Global Campus Class Activity: This activity will be done during lessons at school.
• Week 3 – Global Campus Homework Activity: This activity will be for homework and will be communicated to parents via Seesaw.
• Week 4 – Global Campus Celebration: This week we will hand out Global Campus certificates to recognise the students who interacted well and frequently with Global Campus in the last three weeks.

How does BISS Puxi implement Global Campus in the Secondary School?

In the Secondary School, we inspire learners to benefit from the Global Campus activities by engaging them weekly during form time. In addition, teachers have the opportunity to devise lesson plans by intertwining activities from the Global Campus platform. Subsequently, students are encouraged to login and complete activities that spur their interest.

Our IB learners can participate and profit from Nord Anglia's collaboration with UNICEF and be active agents in bringing positive change. Besides supporting CAS and the International Award, Global Campus promotes sustainable development to make our world a better place.

The schedule for the Global Campus activities in Secondary at BISS Puxi is outlined below:

• One activity is sent out weekly, and students are encouraged to complete this during form time.
• Subject teachers incorporate activities in their lessons.
• Students complete activities individually and earn badges.
• Form Tutors identify students with the most badges.
• Winners are acknowledged and celebrated in the end-of-the-month assembly.

What BISS Puxi anticipates for Global Campus this year

Apart from individual activities in class, at home and the 4-week schedule twice a term, BISS Puxi will participate in Nord Anglia’s plan of activities for this year. These activities will include projects, competitions and challenges for Performing Arts, STEAM, Social Impact, Visual and Language Arts, Environment Education and Health and Wellbeing. The dates and details of these projects will be communicated throughout the year.

We hope to increase our interaction with the Global Campus platform and provide our students with as much global opportunities as possible.

About the author - Helisna Steenkamp, Global Campus Coordinator, BISS Puxi Primary School

I started tutoring high school Mathematics in South Africa in 2014 and moved to a Primary School to teach grades 4 and 5 History, Geography and Art. I moved to Shanghai in 2018 to take on the roles of English Teacher and IB PYP Coordinator before finally coming to BISS Puxi in 2021.

I studied at the University of the Free State, South Africa and obtained a Bachelor of Education. I majored in Further Education and Training as an English Literature and Linguistics and Calculus specialist.

I work at BISS Puxi as a Year 4 Teacher and I joined the Middle Leadership Team as the Global Campus Curriculum Leader. As part of my roles, I help ensure consistent learning across the Year 4 cohort and plan a clear Global Campus agenda for the Primary School.

It remains the greatest personal treasure to be part of helping children build their communication, self-management, social, research and thinking skills in order to grow into impactful people of the future. I very much enjoy seeing every student’s growth in individuality, knowledge and the empowerment of themselves.

I’m a keen environmentalist inspired by my late mother, a Plant and Animal Scientist. When I’m nostalgic about South Africa, my father and brother; I go hiking and scuba diving.