Shaping Future Leaders: Western International School of Shanghai Community Service Fair

Apr 25, 2024

The Western International School of Shanghai (WISS) has a rich history of actively serving its community through a variety of impactful initiatives. One standout effort is the recent WISS Community Service Fair, which exemplifies the school's unwavering dedication to community engagement and social responsibility.

Community service at WISS transcends mere volunteerism; it is deeply ingrained in the school's academic curriculum. Students leverage their acquired knowledge and skills from academic courses to tackle real-world challenges, effectively bridging the gap between theory and practice. This hands-on educational approach equips students with the tools to address intricate societal issues and become proactive change-makers.

The Launch of the WISS Academy at the Western International School of Shanghai

Apr 19, 2024

The WISS Academy at the Western International School of Shanghai is a hub of diverse educational and enrichment opportunities open to all students in and around Shanghai, both foreign and local. Our mission is to inspire a passion for learning, personal growth, and an appreciation for arts, sports, and academics. Here at the WISS Academy, we offer a wide range of programmes designed to ignite curiosity, foster creativity, and develop skills that will benefit students throughout their lives.

Harnessing Technology for Enhanced Learning - Western International School of Shanghai

Mar 15, 2024

In today's digital age, the use of technology in education has become increasingly prevalent, with international schools at the forefront of integrating innovative tools to enhance learning experiences.

At the Western International School of Shanghai (WISS), the thoughtful integration of technology is a cornerstone of our educational approach. We believe that technology should be leveraged to enrich education while also recognizing the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between screen time and real-life interactions.

Innovate, Adapt, Excel: Developing Digital Skills For Success

Feb 23, 2024

In today's fast-evolving technological landscape, the importance of developing skills cannot be overstated. The World Economic Forum's Top 10 Skills for Success by 2025 highlights the key competencies necessary for the future workforce, such as analytical thinking, innovation, active learning, complex problem-solving, critical analysis, leadership, social influence, and technology proficiency.

At the Western International School of Shanghai (WISS), the IB Career-Related Programme (CP) offers a Digital Skills program that stands out as a beacon, aligning perfectly with these essential skills and preparing students for the challenges and opportunities ahead. This program directly reflects the graduate qualities upheld by WISS, focusing on problem-solving, digital literacy, resilience, leadership, and collaboration. It not only equips students for future job roles but also underscores the school's commitment to providing a holistic education.

THE AI Revolution: Unleashing Investigative Discovery

Oct 5, 2023

According to a recently released report by UNESCO on “Impact of AI on skill development,” AI has broad implications for the whole of humanity, including education systems that equip lifelong learners with the skills to navigate both work and society. The International Baccalaureate (IB) also emphasizes the need to adapt and transform educational programs and assessment practices to enable students to use new AI tools ethically and effectively. At WISS, we have embarked on a transformative journey to embrace AI as a community, empowering our students to navigate an AI-integrated future in the digital age. In the context of developing ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills in students within the Diploma Programme, these are fundamental in helping students achieve their full potential. By developing these skills, students gain confidence, versatility, and resilience when approaching demanding content. Across the Diploma program, one of the common important assessment expectations is to develop a focused research question or a knowledge question that allows for an in-depth investigation or inquiry. This involves strong research to delve into unbiased, factual information, application of justified knowledge, weighing out diverse perspectives, analyzing and evaluating them objectively and subjectively, and presenting findings in an academically acceptable manner that is devoid of plagiarism. In my Physics classroom, students are building on research questions for their upcoming investigative analysis for their IA. One student who found it challenging to come up with an area of investigation was asked to identify his area of passion. Having identified baseball, the student was guided to use AI to get to his research question. The student gave the prompt “Google prompts to investigate experiments on baseball,” and the AI tool generated a list of areas that could be investigated experimentally. Delving further, the student could find out relevant academic papers and the citation needed with the same. The use of AI demands a paradigm shift in the way students think, conduct research, and communicate. Furthermore, as a cohort, DP students will be learning how to create argumentative, analytical, or evaluative pieces of writing for TOK and other subject areas using AI and, at the same time, generate academically honest work by citing work generated by AI as per IB guidelines. It’s important to note that while AI platforms offer unique benefits, they should not replace human interaction in research or skill development. Embracing our humanity and learning to connect human-to-human remains crucial for personal and professional advancement. As a community at WISS, we would continue embracing innovative methods of teaching and learning that empower our students to be creators and not imitators in ways that would ignite their passion and sense of inquiry.

At WISS, we have embarked on a transformative journey to embrace AI as a community, empowering our students to navigate an AI-integrated future in the digital age. In the context of developing ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills in students within the Diploma Programme, these are fundamental in helping students achieve their full potential. By developing these skills, students gain confidence, versatility, and resilience when approaching demanding content.

Digital Dilemma: Striking a Balance for Today's Tech-Savvy Kids

Mar 23, 2023

Parenting has never been easy. But the era of fast-developing technology with smartphones, online games and social media brings a lot more challenges to raising modern children.

One of the most debated topics among parents today is screen time. How much screen time is too much? How technology can affect children’s development? Where is the line between online and offline? Parents and professionals from children-related fields are trying to find answers to these burning hot questions.

Virtual Reality to Reality Through Collaboration and Technology

Feb 4, 2021

When Grade 3 teacher Nadya Faqir decided to implement virtual reality in her 3rd grade classroom, she knew she might run into some hurdles. She did not know that she would find the answer to those problems within the walls of WISS.

When COVID-19 hit, Ms. Faqir was brainstorming new ways to engage with her students and creative ways to allow them to explore the world at a time when field trips weren’t possible. “Last year, we did not have a chance to go on field trips. The same is happening this year, so since we cannot go on field trips, the field trips are coming to our classroom. What better than VR to accomplish this?” shared Faqir.