Interview
Q:
What is experiential learning? Can you elaborate
on how Keystone will implement experiential
learning into its curriculum?
A:
Oxfam says that experiential education is about being
aware, being moved and being involved. We want our
students to experience these three values from their education at
Keystone. So while experiential learning is already built into the
IPC and IB, we are also building experiential learning elements
into every single grade level and domain of the school. And we
are doing it in our own, unique way. In particular, we are linking
this method of learning to our Chinese Thread1. Our teachers,
both international and local, are trained to implement experiential
learning and encourage students to lead inquiry themselves.
Students will learn how to get involved by forming opinions
and thinking critically about issues, whatever they may be. It’s
important for students to understand how to learn, critically
evaluate between dialogue and discussion, and form their own
judgments. And they will eventually do all of this independently.
Higher-level thinking will start from foundation year onwards
through high school.
School should be a place for experimentation and play, not just
pressure and stress of learning. Students should wake up excited
to go to school in the morning. So how do you develop a school
that does that for students? One that makes them want to show
up in the morning? For instance, when I went swimming one time
in Beijing, I saw three toddlers from France. They were splashing
in the pool. They were all decked out, wearing yellow floaters, and
pink and blue swim trunks. They had a kick board, water pistols,
funny hats, and basically every kind of floating device that you
could imagine. They were jumping in the pool and having the time
of their lives. Were they learning how to swim? Not yet. But they
were learning to love being in the water. And they were supported
in the water in all different ways, with lots of different toys to keep
them afloat! This is what we want to accomplish with Keystone’s
education; we want to encourage our students to love doing what
they are doing, and provide many different kinds of support, so
that when they are ready to actually learn a skill and acquire the
rigorous knowledge of a domain they will want to jump in feet
first. In every single grade level and domain, we will look at how
we can provide these supports.
The reality of the world we live in is that it is so fluid – it transforms
itself from one day to the next. The result is that we educators
face a new challenge in envisioning our students’ future careers,
in fields that possibly do not yet exist. That’s why we need to
provide a curriculum that prepares students with skills that
enable them to learn with flexibility and adaptability. Our aim is
to develop in them the necessary foundational supports that will
encourage both creative and self-directed learning, so that they
can fully participate in constructing their own distinctive futures.
1: The Chinese Thread represents Keystone’s curricular focus on the literature, history, culture
and identity of China and its contribution to the world. It will inspire in Keystone students a love
for learning, respect for their own tradition and cultural differences and a passion for high-level
scholarship.
Sally Booth at Keystone campus in the
early stages of construction
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The Keystone Magazine