Dear Parents,
The Student-Parent-Teacher conferences
yesterday and today have been well attended. Teachers have commented on how
valuable it has been to discuss the student’s progress with one or more of the
parents present. It reinforces our knowledge that helping a teenager to learn
and grow is a team effort. An added benefit is the closer connection that
develops between teachers and parents when they have the chance to meet
face-to-face.
Learning IT skills in context
This year brought significant changes to our
information technology program in the high school with the roll-out of the BYOT
program and the development of the ILearnIT course. Both of these changes
represent a significant shift in our thinking about effective ways to help
students develop effective IT skills and habits of mind. Previously our
approach was to teach students how to use various programs, such as Microsoft
Word and Powerpoint, in a separate class and then ask them to apply what they
had learned in other situations. This was a common strategy in schools, but while
there is a logic to it, it does not reflect how we learn and adapt to the
rapidly changing world of information technology as adults.
Very few of those who finished school before
the Internet revolution began in 1992 had a formal class in the use of
software. We had a need and discovered a tool that could be used to meet that
need, and then we learned how to use that tool. As our skill with the tool
increased, the complexity of the problems we could solve also increased, which
in turn led us to learn more applications of the tool or encouraged us to learn
to use other tools. At the root of this virtuous cycle was the need to solve a
problem or address a particular need.
Our current model of learning IT is based on
this premise. In our ILearnIT course, students identify a project that they
want to work on, such as building a website for an NGO or creating a game for
an elementary school teacher to use in class. They then investigate and learn
the software skills needed to complete the project. In doing so, they learn not
only the IT skills but more importantly they learn how to learn those skills. This prepares them to learn the
tools of the future that we can’t even imagine as yet.
I have heard parent concerns about the time
spent learning new applications in other classes, such as English or social
studies, and how that might detract from learning in the subject. In the
immediate sense it is true that time must be taken to learn, for example, how
to submit papers to teachers online or to annotate an electronic text. However,
this must be seen as an investment, for in the long run it increases the
effectiveness of the students and the teacher in the learning process and. Like
most investments, will pay off well in the long term.
Honor Roll
The Honor Roll has been posted around campus
and can be viewed by following the link, Academic Honors for Quarter 1, in the sidebar. Congratulations to
those students who have earned a place on this distinguished list!
CHENNAI MODEL UN (CHEMUN)
CONFERENCE, NOV 8-10th
Congratulations to our Model UN leadership and advisors for organizing a very successful CheMUN conference this year. I was fortunate to attend the closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon and am happy to report that the students from the visiting school and AISC were in high spirits following three days of intense debate about the challenges facing the global community. In addition to the opportunity to learn more about the issues and practice the protocols of formal debate, our conference organizers had ample opportunities to hone their organizational and leadership skills. It is a real honor for us to host this conference.
Congratulations to our Model UN leadership and advisors for organizing a very successful CheMUN conference this year. I was fortunate to attend the closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon and am happy to report that the students from the visiting school and AISC were in high spirits following three days of intense debate about the challenges facing the global community. In addition to the opportunity to learn more about the issues and practice the protocols of formal debate, our conference organizers had ample opportunities to hone their organizational and leadership skills. It is a real honor for us to host this conference.
Departing students – Each year some of our
students leave the school during the school year, often at the mid-year break.
Records from AISC are usually required by the next school. However, it takes us
some time to prepare these records. If you will be leaving the school, please
contact Ms. PriyaSarath in the Counseling Office at least two weeks prior to
your departure so we can prepare the necessary documents to make your
transition as smooth as possible.
Please
note that for students leaving school at the Winter Break, we will be able to
provide all required documentation, including official report cards for Quarter
1. However, report cards and transcripts showing the Quarter 2 and Semester
grades will not be available until January. We will be happy to forward these
to you at your next destination.
Have an restful and enjoyable weekend.
John McCandless
High School Principal
