Connect 2.0

Now that we have been teaching and learning (and playing) in our new space for the last three months, we have taken some time to reflect on how we can further develop a culture of learning here in our Hub.

We have defined an exciting, learning focused vision for this space:

The ES Learning Hub is a dynamic and flexible teaching and learning space that is innovatively designed with best practices and research in mind. The facility is at the heart of our school community and elementary school philosophy and offers seamless continuity between the library and the classroom. The ES Library enables, encourages and empowers teaching and learning for all members of the elementary school community.

In order to facilitate best use of the Learning Hub, we have focused on defining and improving our services in the following ways:

Tuesdays and Thursdays

We have closed the Hub to lunchtime and recess on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This allows our space to be effectively used for teaching and learning, especially by our Primary age students, who truly benefit from a very quiet and focused learning space.

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: Lunchtime and Recess Expectations

The Learning Hub will still be open for lunchtime and recess for all students (which begins at 9:00 and runs through to 1:00) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. During these recess times, we expect students to be using this space for quiet reading and learning. This is not a playground zone. Students that feel the need to run and play, or to chat with friends, should utilize the playground or the gazebo area during recess.

After School Expectations

We know that the Hub is a popular place after school, and we love to see students and parents reading and learning together (just like Elaine Lyons and her daughter, Teresa, above). We kindly request that all parents, drivers, nannies and mae bans model appropriate behavior in this space. It is important that students do not see adults “napping” or “chatting” or just “hanging out” in this space, so that the focus on learning is modeled at all times. If adults need to wait for children after school, we kindly request that you please use the benches outside the Elementary Office.

Tech Zone Activity Programming

We have developed an activity program for the Technology Zone during our early morning (6:30 – 7:20) sessions, along with lunchtime and recess. Khun Wan will be running special “theme” days for the Tech Zone for each day of the week. We are starting with Chess Master Mondays, Typing Tuesdays, e-Book Wednesday, Typing Thursday, and SMART Art Friday. We hope this brings a much-needed focus to our exciting Technology Zone.

E-mail and Computer Access for Parents

We understand that technological connections are essential for all families, especially those that are new to ISB and Bangkok. Stephen Lehmann, our IT Director, has implemented a wireless laptop zone dedicated to parent use in the Cafeteria and Main Library. Please bring your laptop to the EdTech Office for access. Computers are also available for parent use in the Main Library. We are asking that the computers in the ES Learning Hub be used by students and teachers only.

Please help us refocus the culture of our space by reminding students that the Learning Hub is a place for learning – not a playground. We look forward to seeing you here, learning!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 7th, 2007 at 8:03 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.