YOUNG ENTERPRISE SWITZERLAND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY – THE GREAT CLASSROOM EQUALISER
GETTING AHEAD WITH WORK EXPERIENCE
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Welcome to the new Summer Term Edition of ISIS Magazine! We have had a fantastic first year. Our third edition of ISIS Magazine represents somewhat of a milestone, as the first year of three termly ISIS Editions is now complete. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us to get the magazine to this stage. We have had great engagement from schools, parents, and charities to name but a few, and it is always very exciting finally to publish a magazine. In this issue, we are delighted to bring you articles from some of our regular contributors, as well as further pieces on important subjects such as work experience and subject choices. Alistair Willson from the IT Guys continues his IT article theme explaining in more detail how Educational technology is a great classroom equaliser. Katrin Blumberg from Swiss River Adventures explains how to have fun on the water this summer without getting into difficulty, and Mirkka Schaller gives her top tips on shopping organically in Switzerland. Our fantastic School News pages have grown in scope with new pages from International School Basel and Ecole Champittet, giving you a heads up on what’s happening throughout international schools in Switzerland and some of the fantastic opportunities on offer. As ever at ISIS, we are always pleased to hear from you. Our magazine is written and enjoyed by parents, students and professionals at every level of the international schools system. If you would like to advertise with us, have your school involved, write for us, or you have ideas for more great features you’d like to see in our next edition, please get in touch using the contact details below. We hope you enjoy this issue of ISIS and look forward to hearing from you. Work hard and be the best! Nick Gilbert Editor & Publishing Director ISIS MAGAZINE Tel: +41 (0) 22 575 29 95 Email: nick@isis-magazine.ch Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/isiswitzerland
CONTENTS FEATURE: THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE WORK PLACEMENTS 6 THE WHOLE WORLD IN YOUR HANDS 8 BENEFITS OF WORK EXPERIENCE AT SCHOOL 10 WHEN STUDENTS BECOME SUCCESSFUL YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
14 SUBJECT CHOICES: HOW TO GET IT RIGHT 16 CAREERS FOR LANGUAGE GRADUATES 20 EDUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY – THE GREAT CLASSROOM EQUALISER 24 MAXIMISING POTENTIAL AND ADDRESSING SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES 28–37 SCHOOL NEWS
38 A VIEW ON DIGITAL LITERACY IN SWISS SCHOOLS 42 FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR THE FAMILY AND YOUR CHILD 44 HAVE FUN IN THE WATER – BUT STAY SAFE WHILE DOING SO! 47 LIFE AS A SYRIAN REFUGEE CHILD 49 GOING ORGANIC ON A BUDGET
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THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE WORK PLACEMENTS BY FRANCESCA HALL – RATEMYPLACEMENT.CO.UK
Desire amongst students for work experience has never been greater.
To help you sift through the various options, we’ve compiled a no-nonsense guide below in order to help you stay one step ahead of the competition...
Competition for employment is fierce, especially for those who are about to graduate and looking to enter the world of work. It’s absolutely essential for students to continue to arm themselves with the skills, tools and knowledge to increase their employability and undertaking a work experience scheme is increasingly becoming a fast track to securing a place on a graduate scheme.
So, what is an undergraduate work experience scheme? An undergraduate work experience scheme involves taking time out of your university holidays to visit an employer, knock up some experience for your CV, and start taking steps to ensure that the combination work experience and time spent earning your degree puts you ahead of the competition. You’ll be paid for the time you spend contributing to the business and you will come out of it with a glowing CV to show for it too. There are also a number of different opportunities that students can take up from their first year.
Sadly, attending university and achieving that degree alone is no longer enough to secure a role on that all important graduate scheme, and let’s face it, things have been heading this way for a while. It’s essential for students to take employability prospects into their own hands by undertaking an undergraduate work experience scheme. Whether it’s a placement, internship, vacation or insight scheme the only way, in today’s changing workplace, is to begin bolstering your CV from year one.
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The benefits You’ll find out what it’s really like to work in business. This is key because it’s not all about securing the role, it’s about knowing what to expect, learning the skills you’ll need to succeed in the future and experiencing the real working world. You’ll learn a lot of theory while studying at university, so entering a business is a fantastic way to see how all of the methods and models you learn about are being used in the field. Finding out how you work, who you work well with and in what areas youneed to improve will help you decide if it’s the right industry and role for you. Upon finishing university and beginning your job search, you’ll have a one in 65 chance of coming out on top of the competition for each role you interview for. With a range of work experiences in your back pocket, you’ll be able to wipe away the competition with all of the transferable skills that you’ve picked up from communication, time management, systems and commercial awareness that you’ve experienced in real situations. Having constructive and positive examples to back up your skill set will be invaluable as your competitors which haven’t used their imitative will may it a little tougher to convey their skill set in such a practical way.
Where to look for a role?
Placements
Insights
Terminology: Industrial placement, sandwich year, year in industry, year-long internships
Terminology: Short-term insight scheme, open day
This is a structured programme where you spend a full academic year working for one company (or sometimes two) as a full time employee before returning to university for your final year.
Internships Terminology: Work experience scheme, usually paid but depends on the industry A formal and structured programme that typically lasts from four to 12 weeks over the summer period. Employers use such schemes to identify future talent and will introduce you to the company during your scheme.
Vacation Schemes Terminology: Vac scheme, work experience Vacation schemes are a short period of work experience, specifically in a law firm. They typically usually run for one to two weeks. Many law firms will use this time as a way of identifying recruits for their training contracts.
Insight days or weeks are primarily for firstyear students, however many are open to all undergraduates. Insights take place throughout the year and are designed to give you a taster as to the company or industry. They’re used to aid self-selection and spot future talent.
The facts and figures We know that from a survey of 250 companies advertising undergraduate opportunities, over 60 per cent of those companies will aim to retain the interns and placement students that they take on, offering them positions on graduate schemes. This means that competition is even stiffer for those who haven’t completed any work experience during their degrees. Spaces on these graduate schemes are increasingly being reserved for those who have already completed some form of work experience with the company. This figure rises to a shocking 75 per cent if you’re looking to secure a position at one of the UK’s leading City investment banks. And, half of the training contracts offered by leading law firms are likely to be filled with graduates who have already completed a vacation scheme with the firm (Source: High Fliers Survey 2013).
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Check out company websites and job sites such as RateMyPlacement.co.uk who specialise in advertising undergraduate schemes across a range of industries. From Accenture to Warner Brothers, you can search for hundreds of opportunities and apply. What’s more is that for every student who is looking for an undergraduate scheme you can search through over 25,000 unique peer-to-peer reviews from people who have been there and done it before. This helps to ensure that you can find the right role that’s suited to your needs. Your university can also be a big help. Lots of universities are increasingly teaming up with international counter-parts to widen the reach for students to gain a breadth of experiences. Take advantage of your careers service and work experience or placement officer if you have one. They have a wealth of experience and will be able to answer any questions you might have with regards to online applications, specific requirements, interviews and cover letters. Make sure you attend careers fairs too as you’ll have the chance to meet some of the employers face to face. Take full advantage of reading publications (including this one!) to give you an insight into what type of opportunities are available to you in the market. Check out industry specific publications too so that you can identify which exact skills you need to develop for a career in your chosen field. Good luck in your search!
Copywrite HBA, Four Seasons Guagzhou, Will Pryce
Discover the Art of hospitAlity eDUcAtioN iN switzerlAND The wide variety of hospitality programmes combine quality academic standards with professional work experience and are tailored to the needs of this exciting industry. The International Recruitment Forum will connect you with hospitality employers from around the world giving you access to the best career opportunities. Choose the school and programme that suit you best and qualify with a Swiss Higher Diploma, Bachelor Degree, Postgraduate Diploma or a Master's Degree in:
SWISS EDUCATION GROUP Montreux | Switzerland | T +41 21 965 40 20 info@swisseducation.com | www.swisseducation.com
• Hospitality • Events • Resort & Spa • Tourism
• Hotel Design • Culinary Arts • Business • Hotel Management
For further information please contact: Mr Duncan Robertson Head of Marketing & Development W.Europe Tel: +41 21 965 40 11 Email: drobertson@swisseducation.com
ISIS: SUMMER 2014
THE WHOLE WORLD IN YOUR HANDS THE SWISS EDUCATION GROUP OFFERS A BRIGHT FUTURE
The hospitality sector is growing fast – and offering new career opportunities for the brightest and the best. The number of international tourist arrivals is expected to grow from 1billion in 2010 to more than 1.8 billion by 2030, says the World Tourism Organisation.
In China alone hotel revenue will rise from $39billion in 2013 to $56.2 billion by 2017, according to market research consultancy IBIS World. Those investing in training and education are already finding their skills much sought after.
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Jennifer Lombard Knight, a graduate of the Swiss Hotel Management School, knows the excitement of an international career in the hospitality industry. The 26-year-old from London who was recently named, “young hotelier of the year” in the Middle East comments on the international nature of her work, “There are no limits to the lessons that each culture can bring and the truly remarkable aspect of the diverse cultures that exist within our business is that each culture plays a vital role in our guest experience as well as within the culture of our teams.” Jennifer’s success is linked to her education where she chose to study in Switzerland a country with an unparalled reputation for hospitality education. At the Swiss Hotel Management School, Jennifer followed a course tailored to the demands of the industry. She gained experience and a skill set that made her a hospitality professional and set her on the right path to career success. The Swiss Hotel Management School is a member of the Swiss Education Group, SEG, a network of Switzerland’s leading hospitality management schools. Which includes, César Ritz Colleges, Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, Hotel Institute Montreux, Swiss Hotel Management School and IHTTI Neuchatel. The group offers university-level education ranging from certificate, Bachelor through to Master Degrees. The courses are all tailored to the demands of the industry and whilst benefitting from a solid core also offer a wide range of specializations. SEG fosters close connections with the industry and offers a twice-yearly International Recruitment Forum to its students. Representatives from Hyatt, Fairmont, Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, are amongst the hundreds of the world’s leading hospitality companies who attend the Forum, where they are introduced to the talent of tomorrow. The ongoing success of this event, where more than 1000 job offers are received by students, is a tribute to the success of the SEG programs. The pragmatic approach and the unequalled opportunities that the IRF offer are giving SEG students a competitive edge over others in the market. By the time a student graduates, they have completed a full academic programme and put their knowledge into practice during a professional internship in Switzerland or worldwide. This makes them highly employable upon graduation. The Universities are in constant communication with the industry and offer their students specializations in the most predominant areas such as, Hospitality Management, Events Management, Business Management & Finance - Human Resources -Marketing, Spa Management, Culinary Arts Management, Tourism & Hotel Management and Hotel & Design Management.
A recent addition to the SEG family is World ranked number 3 Tennis player, Stanislas Wawrinka who has been appointed as Ambassador to the SEG group. This partnership stems from the strong correlation between his values as a sportsman and the values of the group, to always strive for excellence, dedication and passion. The group strives to innovate and remain trendsetters in the industry. This is well depicted by the newly formulated IHTTI Bachelor Degree offering a specialization in Hotel & Design Management. IHTTI was one of the first to propose this unique pathway and many around the world are beginning to see the many benefits of such training. SEG is also listening to the younger generations and adapting its teaching materials and teaching methods, to stay a step in front of competition and provide the best possible experience for its students. All the SEG schools are now equipping themselves with IPADS and Apple technology, offering students with all the modern technological tools available. This is a very important factor in an industry that is constantly evolving and where technology plays an important role in the development of many of these businesses. Each student will therefore receive an IPAD and will be able to use it and keep it throughout their studies. Many books have therefore not only been transferred but have been adapted to these new interfaces to ensure full use of the potential. The primary challenge was to ensure the teachers were up to speed with the technologies before tailoring their courses for the students. Once that step was completed it was safe to trial on a group of students. The first feedbacks have been more than positive, a more fun and interactive way of learning that enables students to record, complete direct research, carry out surveys, give dynamic presentations and respond to quizzes in class. After reviewing the value in a degree from an SEG school, Kenneth who was born in Hong Kong, but raised in Toronto, Canada, chose the Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM) program to complete his BBA.
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He shared his thoughts about the Swiss Education Group and how it will help him to secure his future:
Why did you choose to study Hospitality Management and why with the Swiss Education Group? I chose hospitality management because I am a people person. I like interacting and meeting new people from all over the world. Above all else, I love to make people happy and hospitality allows me to do so. I chose SEG because of the value they presented with their degree programs. No other schools in Switzerland could match the degrees offering in comparison to the tuition costs. Additionally, HIM was one of the few hotel schools in Switzerland to offer a BBA degree program.
Internships are included in the studies; would you say it is an important aspect of your studies? Internships bridge the gap between theory and practice. Everything we learn in school we apply in our internships. Internships are crucial to our development because it shows us the realities of hotel operations. During internship students are also forced to come out of their comfort zones and adapt to new environments.
What are your goals for the future and how will your studies help you? I am an entrepreneur at heart. I also love food and travel. I would like to start my own business in the hospitality/restaurant industry. My studies at HIM will give me the tools necessary to start a business. Courses such as Travel and Tourism, Human Resources, Financial accounting and Economics give me a very balanced perspective on future ventures. Come and discover the exciting world of Swiss Hospitality Management and the many opportunities waiting for you. For further information on the Swiss Education Group schools, please kindly visit www.swisseducation.com or contact us at drobertson@swisseducation.com
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THE BENEFITS OF WORK EXPERIENCE AT SCHOOL BY LESLEY STOCKMAN – HEAD OF SECONDARY, BRITISH SCHOOL OF GENEVA
Within the UK secondary school system, undertaking a Work Experience placement is viewed as an important contribution to a young person’s education. It can provide the first link between their studies and the working world, as well as important impetus to think about the kind of career that they might be interested in pursuing later on. Unlike the longer term internships completed by gap year students or recent graduates, a Work Experience placement will usually last for only one to two weeks and, in most cases, will involve secondary school students between the ages of 15 and 17. Schools are often well placed to organise placements, drawing on contacts in the local area, in workplaces including banks, shops, nurseries, local primary schools, art galleries or more corporate environments. Students themselves can also contribute to securing relevant Work Experience, based on their own current interests and future plans.
Opportunities for BSG students in Geneva At the British School Geneva (BSG), since our first cohort of Year 11 students joined three years ago, we have integrated Work Experience placements into our programme, with clear and positive results. Thanks to our enviable location, the opportunities for our students to pursue are often far more engaging and wide ranging than the standard list cited above. At BSG, our students have been welcomed at organisations including CERN, the WHO, GAVI Alliance, the ICRC, ITU, departments within the UN and by large international companies. Students at the Mexican Mission in Geneva gained experience in multilateral negotiation. The ‘employers’ at these prestigious international organisations have consistently been impressed by our students’ ability to undertake assignments, desire to learn, mature social skills and enthusiasm for the scheme as a whole. The valuable letters of recommendation that students receive following a placement are
usually characterised by the good relationships that they have built with their supervisors over the week. The success of previous placements undertaken by our students has consolidated BSG’s good relationships with hiring managers and paved the way for future students to be accepted into the same workplaces, if they are interested. Indeed, this term, many of our students will be spending time in the same organisations as past BSG students. Previous years’ experience will mean that the staff in these organisations will have a good idea of how best to manage the experience for the student and the areas they should be exposed to and will enjoy. As much as possible, BSG works with the ‘employer’ to ensure that the process simulates the real-life process of applying for a job. We ensure that each student is guided through the process of choosing a work placement, researching the organisation and then submitting an application to the organisation with a full CV and covering letter, detailing their suitability. Once a work placement is confirmed, teachers at BSG support the students in finding out practical details, such as working hours, dress codes and travel arrangements. Again, we always aim to guide the students through many of the steps that one would take before starting a new job. At BSG we are very alert to the fact that this is often the first foray into a work environment that students will have experienced. We believe it is extremely important to support our students so that they are less daunted by the prospect of leaving the familiarity of school, and to prepare them to get the most out of their placement. We help the students to reflect on how they can do this, by hearing from older Sixth Form students who have already been through the process. We also provide role-play activities for handling phone calls and participating in meetings. As well as our own students sharing their experiences, BSG draws on an excellent network of speakers who come to the school to talk about their own work and career paths. Last year our
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students heard from a representative of WIPO about the importance of registering a patent; a scientist from CERN on the search for the Higgs Boson; a journalist from WRS on how to put together a radio broadcast; and a food scientist who shared some potato chips with them. We are always aiming to broaden our students’ horizons and perspectives on what it is possible to achieve with their education. The more they know about the possibilities open to them in the future, the more they are motivated to achieve in the present.
Skill building for the future Work Experience can provide the student with practical skills for the future, such as time management, dealing with clients, working as part of a team, and handling themselves in a workplace. It is an opportunity to work with a wider range of people than they are usually exposed to and begin to understand the daily activities of professional people in different industries. Crucially, having work experience to put on a CV can demonstrate to a future employer that the student has skills and interests beyond academia, that they are engaged with the world around them and they are ambitious for their future. On a fundamental level, the Work Experience programme is designed to help a student to determine what they are interested in and the direction they want to take, and equally, where they do not see themselves. At BSG we believe that Work Experience goes beyond that. We want our students to enjoy themselves and return full of excitement, eager to relate their experience to their friends, parents and teachers. So far, our Year 11s have proved this to be the case!
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WHEN STUDENTS BECOME SUCCESSFUL YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS BY ANNA KOHLER – YOUNG ENTERPRISE SWITZERLAND
Young people aged 16 to 20 establish and run a real company for one year. They learn how the business world works and get insight into the role that is played by entrepreneurship in our society. The Company Programme of Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES) offers this unique opportunity every year to more than 700 students from grammar schools, commercial colleges and training colleges. Even though these young entrepreneurs are all still attending school, this does not spare them any of the trouble that other entrepreneurs have to go through when deciding to start a new company. Just as in real start-ups, the students are asked to perform all tasks required to do successful business. They develop a business idea, optimise the production process and sell their products profitably on the market. Each young entrepreneur takes on a function and lives this out for real during the project year. Products are developed in order to survive on the market, supported by appropriate marketing activities. This enables the students to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. Bridging the gap the bridge between theoretical school and the real world is one of the primary objectives of the organisation Young Enterprise Switzerland. The non-profit organisation which develops and supports practice-oriented business training programmes for students interlinks the economy and schools. The association was founded in 2006 as a result of the merger of the previously independent organisations Junior Achievement Switzerland and Young Enterprise Switzerland. The Company Programme was first run in Switzerland back in 1999 and the first volunteer placements took place in 2003.
The focus lies on young people, who are enabled to develop an understanding for social and economic relationships, to act entrepreneurially, and to become persuasive as individuals. The programmes prepare students to become responsibly-minded in order for them to find their way in the global economy. YES offers 3 programmes for different age groups: two volunteering programmes at elementary level and secondary level I and the Company Programme for high school. The volunteering programmes involve experienced representatives from the business world who visit school classes and lead some lessons. In a fun and playful way and with the use of examples appropriate to the participants’ age they deal with important topics such as the system of community, credit financing and applying for jobs. In the Company Programme, students find out directly what it means to undertake business activities by setting up and running a mini-company themselves over the course of one year.
“We learnt to communicate with business partners and customers with much more self-confidence. Many public appearances helped that we can now present with much more security before an audience.” YES Alumni
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To help the students and assure that they profit as much as possible from their entrepreneurial year, YES has established a tight supporting structure during the Company Programme project year. The young entrepreneurs receive support from honorary consultants (business mentors), their teachers, and YES. At the beginning of the year, two workshops are organized for every participating team. They learn about entrepreneurial basics as well as fair marketing and sales techniques. In addition to that, every team is allocated a personal programme manager at YES, so that a direct contact is guaranteed at all times. Through regular interviews with the teams and feedbacks, YES assures that the individual help is provided when needed and problems are being detected at an early stage. The entrepreneurial year can be divided into several phases: • Development of a business idea and mobilising participation capital (max. CHF 3,000 • Workshops (Entrepreneurial Basics and Fair Marketing & Sales) • Reporting: business plan and annual report • Regional and National Trade Fairs • National Competition Through its unique structure, the programme offers the possibility to test the limits, tolerates mistakes, and hence is an excellent learning-bydoing experience. Aimed at gapping the bridge between theory and reality, the programme not only helps students to learn about entrepreneurship but also fosters their personal development. As studies show, students ranked the overall impact of the programme highest with regards to their individual skills, mainly initiative, self-confidence, teamwork, sense of responsibility and organising talent. At this age, these soft skills are a highly valuable asset for
the participants. For most students, this project is the first time that they are required to really work in a team over a longer period and take over responsibility for a task assigned to them. Through the mandatory trade fair participation for all teams, they also learn to present themselves to a wide audience and to sell a product convincingly. Each year, YES observes the incredible increase in self-confidence and skill that the young students achieve through the programme. Every year, more and more students want to make this unique experience as a young entrepreneur: Starting from 12 teams at the beginning of the Company Programme 15 years ago, there are now more than 160 participating enterprises in Switzerland in the current school year 2013/2014! This unbelievable growth shows how much the programme is appreciated by the participating schools. However, for YES this also means providing additional support for the teams and higher administration costs. The main target is to maintain the high quality of the programme (YES was awarded Model Organization by our European head organisation JA-YE Europe three times). Therefore, YES is currently only able to allow more teams to participate if their expenses are covered. This year, too, more than 700 motivated students want to launch a real enterprise in their economics classes and make their first experiences in the real economic world, where they can transfer their theoretical knowledge to a practical project. With a patronage for young entrepreneurs over CHF 3,500 you can help those students to join the Company Programme. The participating students profit from: • Personal support through a Programme Manager
“During this business year, we collected many impressions, tested our limits, became more teamoriented and could count on each other completely. What couldn’t be done by someone alone was achieved together! This way, we grew together as the best team.” YES Alumni 14
• 2 Workshops with inputs for “Entrepreneurial basics” and “Fair Marketing” • Participation at up to 3 public fairs organised by YES • A project folder as a companion through the year • Several further benefits such as accounting software, webhosting, etc. By taking over a patronage for one team, you receive: • Mentioning on our YES website and at the National Finale at the end of the project year • A personal invitation to the National Finale • A final report after the project year • The offer to enjoy the creativity and professionalism of a TOP8 YES-enterprise through a presentation at your own business event For further information on supporting opportunities, please consult the box at the end of this article. Our current network of participating schools includes several International Schools, including Berne, Basel, Zurich and Geneva. Among the teams from these schools are BulletBattery which produces USB electronic device chargers, TOTEM that sells beanies and shirts in an original design, and Soaper, a team that creates soap dispensers out of special glass bottles. Together with many other high schools and commercial colleges in all of Switzerland, this programme has been spreading out very quickly. We are happy to see that also the quality of the enterprises has increased considerably over the same time. This also holds true for the current project year, which is drawing to a close already. On June 6th and 7th, the National Finale will take place in Zurich Main Station. Only the best 25 teams of the year are allowed to compete for the title “Best Company of the Year 2014”. Furthermore, together with partner companies, special awards are being granted for outstanding achievements in specific areas such as marketing, sustainability or innovation. YES is looking forward to two days full of entrepreneurship and creativity. On both days, the teams will organize a public fair, where all the products are on exhibition. On Saturday, June 7th, there will also be stage presentation, where each team will present itself in 5 minutes. In addition to the competition, there is also an interesting programme with several events that all deal with entrepreneurship. If you would like to experience the spirit of Young Enterprise Switzerland and see the professionalism and creativity of the student teams, you are warmly invited to the National Competition!
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SUBJECT CHOICES: HOW TO GET IT RIGHT
BY SABINE HUTCHESON – ACADEMIC DIRECTOR, TUTORSPLUS
There are key points in a student’s senior school career when they must streamline the range of subjects they study to focus on those they wish to take for their final exams.
requirement; most international curriculum students sit around 8 exams, which corresponds well to the equivalent number of exams that their peers in other international schools study for the Middle Years Programme (MYP).
Choosing subjects takes place at different times in different school systems and can afford the students the ability to generalise or specialise, and opens doors for their ambitions in later academic and professional lives. Equally, the wrong choice may narrow a student’s options and even close doors. What should students (and their parents) bear in mind when selecting subjects at each stage and how do the different curricula in international schools affect subject choices?
In terms of a student’s academic goals for the future, there are many reasons why choosing iGCSEs could be the best option. The iGCSEs are centrally assessed by external examiners, which means that, unlike the MYP exam results, iGCSE results rank students against a huge body of their peers. This may be useful if the student has ambitions to go to University abroad, particularly because the iGCSE system is recognised worldwide and counts towards credits for most universities.
Middle school: the first choice
In terms of which subjects should be chosen for the iGCSE, it is best to bear in mind the subjects that a student wants to pursue later, at A Levels or for the International Baccalaureate (IB), as well as looking forward to university, so as not to close off future options. iGCSEs can be good for students who are unsure of what they will ultimately do, because they can study
The English system requires students to choose subjects at the end of year 9, around age 14, in order to sit iGCSE exams at age 16, which are the international version of the English GCSE exams. Students in the UK may sit exams in up to 12 subjects, with 5 being the minimum
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Year 11: focusing on the future At the end of year 11, students must narrow down choices even further, and make an arguably more important decision about the interests they will pursue long-term. Students should also have a good understanding of the curriculum, the assessment style and the workload before committing to the curriculum and individual subjects. At this time, students studying for the IB Diploma will choose 3 subjects at higher level, keeping in mind the requirements of their likely university course. It is a good idea for students to study subjects that they are genuinely going to enjoy and succeed at, based on a track record such as their predicted or real grades from the previous stage of exams. For A Level choices, students typically sit exams in 3 subjects, although some students may take 4 or 5. Three subjects at A Level roughly equates to the same number of IB Diploma grades. Choosing 3 A-Levels puts a slightly greater pressure on students as they cannot fall back on 3 more subjects at Standard level as for the IB. However, they have the possibility of taking a 4th and sometimes 5th subject in the first year.
such a breadth of subjects. Students, particularly generalists, should be actively encouraged to take advantage of this flexibility and study a mix of languages, humanities, maths and sciences. Keeping an eye on the future when choosing subjects at iGCSE is also important because grades obtained in these exams will also serve as a benchmark to decide whether a student should choose standard or higher level courses for the IB Diploma, or which A Level subjects to sit. In the IB system, there is scope for students to make some choices at the end of year 9, when they are studying the MYP, but the extent depends on the school. There are a number of things to consider when choosing subjects within the IB system. Students choosing subjects to study in years 10 and 11 should bear in mind the subjects that they will study as part of the final 6 subjects they need for the IB Diploma in year 12. For example, studying Physics for the final IB Diploma without a basic grounding from studying it as part of the MYP would be possible, but would obviously make life more difficult.
In the Swiss Maturité system, in addition to the standard 11 subjects, students choose 2 options, plus a research project (Travail de Maturité). In the Swiss system, it is generally accepted that the choices made at this level will not restrict future chances to study, but that it offers preparation for a subject they expect to study. This is because Swiss universities, unlike British ones, do not necessarily require specific subjects for entry, although this is obviously different if a Swiss student plans to apply abroad, for example, in the UK or US.
Opening doors and creating opportunities Of course, each student has different ambitions and interests. This may mean that they desire greater or lesser levels of specialisation or freedom in their subject choices at each stage. However, there are general principles that should guide everyone through these important decisions. While it can be daunting to consider that career success hangs in the balance of the decisions made as young as 14, it is important for students making subject choices to have an eye on the area that they are most likely to succeed in, what they enjoy and where they would like to study and even work in the future. One way to make sensible choices is to work from the top down, from the type of career that might interest, to the university subject and institution they can imagine themselves enjoying. This strategy works for both those interested in vocational courses (where specialisation is necessary) and those who wish to leave their options open a while longer.
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For those who are less sure of the path they wish to take, studying a broad range of subjects is likely to mean you meet the entry requirements of many different degree courses when the time comes to focus your attention on one (or a few) things. While keeping your options open, it is also important to be aware of the requirements for studying in different countries to avoid being caught out. For example, in Swiss universities, to study almost any subject you need maths or one of the sciences at higher level. Equally, some universities may not give credits to certain subjects that others deem solidly academic, for example arts subjects or philosophy. Being aware of the constraints later and keeping doors open is usually a safe strategy. The irony in keeping an eye on the future at such a young age is that many employers are not particularly interested in which subjects a candidate has studied at iGCSE or even A Level and IB. However, that is not to say that they have no bearing on professional success. Most important to bear in mind is that an employer will be looking for the area the candidate excels in. It is better to choose something that is personally interesting and succeed in it, than to choose what you think employers would like to see and fail in it. An employer will be interested only in your successes, so it is no use studying maths, when a language or humanity you love would have given you top marks and a place at the best university. A student generally is going to be successful only doing something they are interested in and have an aptitude for. Then it comes down to old fashioned hard work!
Making the right choice: a second opinion In our experience, parents give the best support in encouraging the student to pursue what they are interested in. Pressure should be applied in the right places, for example, if a student looks like they are unwisely narrowing their opportunities or choosing subjects they are likely not to succeed in. For parents, knowing when and how to step in is often a delicate balancing act.Teachers are often well placed to advise on a student’s aptitude and performance in different subjects, as well as to provide suggestions for their future academic plans. It is often the case also that an independent voice is needed, one which has no perceived ‘interest’ in the child studying this or that. Professional education specialists can be very helpful in providing this opinion, particularly with regards to understanding the higher education system that the child is likely to have to navigate later on. Of course, it is important to aim for future success, but it is also key to enjoy the challenge that the right combination of subjects can bring.
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CAREERS FOR LANGUAGE GRADUATES BY DEAN MARRIOTT – DIRECTOR OF THE WORLD LANGUAGE LEARNING CENTRE, GEMS WORLD ACADEMY-ETOY
Some people are fortunate enough to have been raised in a bi- or tri-lingual family, but for many acquiring a foreign language is something that generally begins in a classroom. Of course, there are natural born linguists who thrive on linguistic challenges and absorb new languages like a sponge irrespective of their linguistic background. For others, studying a foreign language doesn’t come easily and the challenge is always to find the necessary motivation and determination to breakthrough the language barriers. For native English speakers the challenge always seems that much more difficult. Unless you fall into the linguistic sponge category, often the motivation is hard to find, especially when at an early age you are faced with non-native English speakers who are more than happy to use you as a means of practicing and improving their English language skills, meaning that you have little need, or opportunity, to learn their native tongue. So why study languages at university, especially if you are a native English speaker? To answer this question, it’s worth having a look at some
statistics published by the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency Ltd. The figures available on their website at the moment relate to students who graduated in the academic year 2011/12. We can clearly see from the graph that the top 5 chosen industries (based on Standard Industrial Classification) for language graduates were as follows: • Property development, renting, business and research activities • Wholesale and retail trade • Education • Transport, storage and communication • Hotels and restaurants Perhaps it is hardly surprising that the industries where communication skills are most eagerly sought after attract the highest number of language graduates. Studying languages at a higher level not only ensures proficiency in a language but over and above that provides the graduate with the means to open doors and gain insight into other cultures, which is attractive to the employment market.
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If we continue to look at the same statistics we can see that of the 58% of language graduates that entered into either full-time (44%) or parttime (14%) work, 90% remained in the UK and only 10% went overseas. This may come as a surprise based on the experience of many Anglophones who have tried to learn a foreign language and faced the challenges previously mentioned. The belief that everyone speaks English and is willing to trade in English appears to be challenged here. Learning a language is not simply acquiring vocabulary and digesting grammar rules; it’s also a question of cultural understanding and appreciation. This still remains one of the biggest barriers to entry in international trade. As Nelson Mandela so eloquently put it: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to a man in his own language, that goes to his heart.” The following case studies look at the experiences of three language graduates from three different countries: UK, France and Japan.
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Profile 1: Martin Bryant
Profile 2: Martine Lerin
Nationality: British
Nationality: French
Current Occupation: Research Manager, Wilkinson Sword
Current Occupation: Executive PA to the Principal, GEMS World Academy-Etoy
Subjects studied: German and French
Subjects studied: Langues Etrangères Appliquées (LEA) – English and Spanish
Where: Durham University, UK
Martin’s story As a teenager I realised that I had a natural ability in languages. I was fortunate to have very good language teachers at school who really encouraged me and imbued me with their enthusiasm for the different cultures. My peers were also a big motivator. We studied in small groups at A-level, so really formed strong bonds, which were deepened during overseas trips and school exchanges. I hesitated between English literature and modern European languages for university but decided on the latter as this also offered the opportunity to study literature. My first job was the selling of consultative healthcare market reports to countries across the EU. I soon progressed to writing these reports, as I was able to interview many key opinion leaders in their own language.
Where: Paris, France – University Paris 7, Paris 3 and finally the Sorbonne Paris 4. Followed by a Masters in LEA International Business at Bath University (Erasmus programme).
limited experience in the field. Although most communication is in English, Germany and France are two of our main markets, so being able to communicate with people from these offices in their own language is a great relationship builder. This relationship building led to me being offered a secondment to the German office within a year of joining the company.
Martine’s story: Why did I study languages? To be honest it was because I was really bad at maths! No, seriously, my family have always spoken languages around me. My parents are French but my mother is half Spanish. When I was young she would often speak with my father in Spanish when she didn’t want us to understand. What better motivation do you need as a child to learn a foreign language?!
In fact I’ve just returned from a short stint working in the US on a placement for my firm. It was a great experience and I feel that I know the East Coast a little better. I’m grateful for the fresh perspective it’s given me on the UK.
My father often used English for work and I saw how beneficial this was for him. So from an early age I realised how useful languages could be. Fortunately, I was also pretty good at them too, which helped. I initially considered teaching, but I don’t think it’s in my blood. After graduation, I made use of my English during two 3-month internships in telecommunications as an Executive and Marketing Assistant in Jordan and then Belgium. I then worked for just
My language ability secured me an interview with my current employer, Wilkinson Sword, as a Research Manager with an EU remit, despite my relatively
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over a year as a Marketing Assistant for Orange in the Dominican Republic where my Spanish was put to the test. On returning to France I worked in Marketing and Event Co-ordination, before moving with my boyfriend to Switzerland 2 years ago. My first job here was at an International School, mainly dealing with admissions and making use of all of my languages. In my current position, I use both English and French on a daily basis.
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Conclusion Having looked at employment destinations of language graduates, to conclude this article, let’s consider the more present reality of unemployment in the graduate market. To do this, it’s necessary to compare language graduates with those of other disciplines. HESA use 19 subject areas in their 2013 study relating to 2011/12 graduates: Computer science
14.4%
Mass communication 12.4% and documentation Creative arts & design
11.2%
Engineering and technology
10.5%
Architecture, building & planning
10.2%
Business & administration studies
10.0%
Physical sciences
9.8%
Social studies
9.5%
Historical and philosophical studies
9.1%
Profile 3: Yoshie Richards Nagasawa
Mathematical sciences
9.1%
Agriculture & related subjects
8.9%
Nationality: Japanese
Languages
8.7%
Current Occupation: Certified Public Accountant
Combined
8.0%
Subject studied: Spanish Linguistics with Latin American Regional Studies
Biological sciences
8.0%
Where: Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan
Law
7.2
Yoshie’s story
Veterinary science
6.5%
Subjects allied to medicine
5.1%
Education
4.0%
At school in Japan we all studied English or should I say performed language surgery on a daily basis. It was a very traditional approach to language learning. I was, however, fortunate enough to spend my 12th grade year at a high school in Colorado, USA. It was here that my English became embedded and I also had my first experience of studying Spanish. When I returned to Japan, I had no idea which profession I would ultimately follow, however, I knew that I wanted to experience other countries and cultures, so chose to study Spanish and focus on Latin America. After graduation, I secured a 2 year contract at the Japanese Embassy in Cuba where I worked as an interpreter and coordinator for Japanese diplomats. I soon discovered the Latin side of my personality, and more significantly, Salsa dancing.
My supervisor in Cuba was responsible for dealing with the accounting at the Embassy and gave me the inspiration to follow the same path. Therefore, on returning to Japan I studied for two years to become an accountant. My first role was in the international department of Ernst and Young, liaising with subsidiaries of multinationals all over the world, including Latin America. In Japan I continued with Salsa classes, and it was here that I met my husband. He works in education and also has a passion for languages. Shortly after we met, he moved to Singapore with his work, and I was able to transfer. I changed employer whilst in Singapore and transferred to London with my husband 2 years later. We are now in Switzerland and I am currently a full-time mother, but I’m taking advantage of this time to learn French and prepare myself for my next professional challenge.
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Medicine & dentistry 0.2% These statistics highlight that although language graduates are still subject to potential unemployment concerns after graduation, they fare better than graduates of 11 other disciplines. Does this evidence support the benefits of studying languages at higher education level? Maybe. Finding employment after graduation is often used at part of the subject selection criteria. But perhaps the greatest motivators are graduates, such as those we have seen, who are able to demonstrate how languages have helped shape not only their careers paths but their lives.
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EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY – THE GREAT CLASSROOM EQUALISER BY ALISTAIR WILSON – THE IT GUYS
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Educational technology (EdTech) is one of industries tipped for explosive growth in 2014 – with hundreds of new gadgets and apps added to the burgeoning market each year. But with its increasing momentum, skeptics are lining up to question if it really is all its cracked up to be. Interested to know the true impact of technology on the quality and outcome of the modern educational system, in this article, I am focussing on EdTech as a means to provide equal access to those with special educational needs (SEN). I am not an expert in the subject of SEN, but amidst the hype that often accompanies emerging technologies, I am asking myself this question: Is technology the great classroom equaliser? In this article, I will not refer to specific special educational needs that students have, nor will I cover the practices of specialist schools. To cover either of these subjects justly requires a level of expertise that I do not boast. Instead, I have taken a broader view of education and some of the underlying philosophies that form the basis of the EdTech gospel.
Communication and Interaction, Cognition and learning, Behaviour, emotional and social development, Sensory and/or physical It was about this time the concept of ‘inclusive education’, the practices and provisions to make education accessible to all learners, emerged in mainstream schools across the EU. The drive for inclusive education for SEN students is of course valid, but I suggest that the opportunity being seized upon by the EdTech movement is bigger still, inclusive and accessible education for every single student on the planet. This takes into account different personality, natural skills and learning types. As a highly kinesthetic learner – no amount of ‘you’ve got to listen more Alistair’ helped me to absorb the mind numbing information my teachers used to reel off for 30 minutes at a time, but you should have seen me in role plays!
Technology as an Equaliser
Four barriers to learning
One of the key ways technology can equalise access to education is to decouple content (that to be learned) from the learning or access method itself. For example, take the concept of pen friends. We probably agree that this as a valuable opportunity for students to learn about other cultures and develop their communication and interpersonal skills.
In 2001, the UK Department for Education and Skills defined four types of barriers to learning;
At my school, I knew only a handful of individuals that really took it seriously,
because letter writing was just not everyone’s thing. I was and to an extent still am, a terrible letter writer due to rough handwriting and a dog that always ate my almost–got–written letters the morning my teacher was collecting them. My German penfriend Junna, was even worse. But had I have had Skype at that time, my appetite and ability to develop those skills would have shot to the next level. I am not knocking the letter–writing faithful, of which my sister is one. I am merely pointing out that the true value of the exercise is in the content (i.e. the relationship with the penfriend), not the means of accessing the content (letter vs Skype). In case you are wondering, yes, I do reply to my sister’s letters.
Technology and its effects on teaching This ‘decoupling’ is one example of how teaching styles must adapt or face extinction. Technology is permanently reshaping the environment, and we all know what Darwin would say to teachers don’t we? The mainstream teaching paradigm of the West was born in an industrial age. A common fruit of this is that teachers can tend towards teaching methods rather than simply defining a goal or result required. In the industrial age, we needed workers that could follow defined systems to produce goods in a production environment.
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Or office staff that could be grafted into the bureaucratic machine, where management inputted orders and out spat the results. Educationalist Ken Robinson argues that the West has not changed its education paradigm since those good old days. Here is a teaching example, let’s say for a lesson on the industrial revolution. Teacher A presents facts on a slideshow, reading out the content and then gives the pupils a quiz to check retention. The moment the teacher opted for a that teaching method, some students are at a disadvantage to others. Teacher B sets a challenge ‘present 5 key facts about the industrial revolution in 45 minutes’. This gives a clearly defined learning goal, but leaves the learning and presentation methods entirely to student preference. This allows pupils to select their own tools and play to their unique strengths. For their research, perhaps some use iPad with voice search whilst others read relevant books and for their presentation, some opt to act out their 5 facts or even produce a cartoon strip with an iPad app. The point is they learned 5 facts. For me, this is inclusive and accessible learning. We are in a post–industrial age where, like it or not, digital is an accepted norm. So how are schools and teaching methods evolving? Rather slowly, according to Intersection’s Geneva based Educational Technology specialist Jelena
Godjevac, who works with schools to help transform their teaching methodologies to reflect the new environment. Many, not all, of the people building EdTech products are building them centered on one important assumption – students will drive their own learning. Did you know that the average 4 year old British girl will ask an incredible 390 questions in a day? A nine–year–old boy will ask a modest 144 questions, that’s one every five minutes 12 seconds. The point is, children are hungry to learn. EdTech companies want to give them the potential to learn in a way and at a pace that works for them. Teachers are and of course will always be a part of the education landscape, but the EdTech movement is vying to replace one of their historic responsibilities – to teach. Instead, with growing class sizes and a whole spectrum of abilities and learning styles, teachers are gradually becoming learning coaches that empower students to play to their unique strengths and equip them to learn for themselves. As the Chinese proverb goes, ‘give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for life’. The teachers we remember are the ones who inspired us and taught us to learn for ourselves. There is of course teaching to be done, but perhaps it’s more about helping students visualise a goal, choose their tools and
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manage their own learning process. The Oxford English Dictionary defines learning as “the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught”. Note, teaching is just one third of that equation.
Technology Emerging: Warts and All It is important to remember that EdTech is an emerging industry. This means that the teaching community is learning at the same time as our students. In many ways young people are leading this movement way because they are much more intuitive with technology. Gillian Tett writes in the Financial Times about a fascinating project where researchers dropped tablet PCs into a remote and completely illiterate village community in Ethiopia to see technical literacy develop to the point where the young people (without ever having spoke English) have circumnavigated security features on the tablets to access use of the camera. “No matter how remote children are, or how illiterate their community, they have the ability to figure out sophisticated technology”, according to Matt Keller, a researcher behind the project. To read her article, Google “When Tablet Turns Teacher”.
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The teachers are no less subject experts as before, it’s just that they are having to relearn some of their methodologies to keep up with the changing environment and expectations. No one would argue that technology has changed the equation f = ma. I would argue that MS Excel gives us the ability to play with and manipulate that equation on a different level, at a much faster pace than good old pen and paper. Curriculum content may remain the same, but how it is communicated and the ways students explore this content is rapidly changing. Technology is disruptive by nature, it disrupts old routines in search of a better way to get to the same if not better outcome. Does it matter to you if Pierre learned his alphabet from an iPad app rather than with spoken repetition? Or if Pierre learned mental arithmetic and interpersonal skills through trading his Pokemon cards? The Ethiopian village children, having never seen or heard English, were singing the American Alphabet Song and recognising letters with two month’s access to tablets. I myself watched with amazement as students at GEMS Academy Etoy collaborated on the development and management of a virtual world in MineCraft. In front of my eyes a dozen students took to their iPads and a fast paced conversation ensued as they planned gardens, delegated building
tasks, and verbalised their problems to request assistance from classmates’. These students were not even 10, yet I saw demonstrable evidence of skills that will set them apart in the workplace one day. When adults (I do very deliberately bracket us all together in this) hear words like gamified, student–led and especially MineCraft in the context of learning, we find it altogether too easy to conjure up an image of our kids binging on Candy Crush in the middle of their science lesson. But whilst I totally agree that the only thing really crushed with that game is our soft brain matter, I think it is unfair to tarnish an educational game with the same assumption. Many of the designers of these apps are former teachers and educational researchers, indeed many of these games companies are backed by serious research and development labs. They desire to make education fun, and therefore attractive and engaging to our students. You can hear me talking about this on GEMS’ podcast. Perhaps we default to the opinion that learning is a serious business, and that if something is fun – it can’t be serious enough. Of course we want our children to benefit from a robust education. but to be honest, the lessons I remember from many years ago were those with the quirky games and funny illustrations. Those teachers too, are the ones I remember and always will.
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I think the idea of drenching learning in fun and easy activities, be they digital or analogue, is a great one and I am all for it. All emerging technological trends have their skeptics; Telephone, Compact Disc, GPS Navigation and Google Glass to name a few. Reflecting on the success of the Ford Motor company, Henry Ford famously once said “if I asked the people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. On one hand the EdTech movement is introducing innovations that are reshaping the physical classroom beyond recognition. As with Ford, we may not be grateful until we can look back objectively at their impact. On the other, EdTech leaders are actually catalysts of a deeper change, which is the radical shift away from an education paradigm that is not fit for purpose in our digital age. In answer to my question, I think the true equaliser will be a new type of teacher. One that coaches, inspires and who sees technology as a vital element, but not the be all and end all, of contemporary education.
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MAXIMISING POTENTIAL AND ADDRESSING SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES BY THE OAK HILL TEAM – WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SUE ELLIOTT, JAYNE CRAWSHAW, RITA WADDELL, IAN BOOTH AND JOHANNA WINTERSON-HARTLEY
Every parent wants their child’s time at school to be a positive and successful experience, where the student can achieve his potential. Sometimes, the difficulty is knowing what that potential is and how best to maximise it. A student may not be receiving failing grades but he may still be under-achieving for a variety of reasons. There are many easily avoidable interferences to classroom performance including tiredness, cold, hunger, and overstimulation. Others, such as, loneliness, depression fear of failure, difficulties with language or co-ordination, may need the attention and skills of a specialist e.g. school counsellor, or therapist. Additionally, it is thought that 10 to 15% of students experience a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, auditory processing disorder and/or A.D.H.D (3 sub-types). These students can be very intelligent but they process information differently and will learn best in an environment which takes this into account. An assessment by an educational psychologist can provide detailed information on how your child learns and what processing difficulties, if any, they are experiencing. It will also highlight any discrepancies between cognitive abilities and current achievement. It is an invaluable document for teachers, who use it to inform their planning and delivery. Skilful teaching techniques, classroom accommodations and support options can mitigate processing difficulties and ensure learning and performance
match potential. The assessment results can alter parental expectations and behaviours, as they see where their child’s strengths lie. Often, the student is relieved to receive a diagnosis. It explains their difficulties and highlights their strengths. With greater understanding the student can begin to advocate for himself. A specialist diagnosis also allows for certain useful and appropriate accommodations on tests and important external exams.
Parental support
What are the indicators of a Specific Learning Difficulty? All children have areas of strength and areas of challenge. You will have noticed the activities and skills your child excels at when he is with you. Does this mirror his achievements in school? Does the student’s reading and writing level reflect his oral communication? Does he have difficulty following directions? Does he seem confused at the start of a new task? Is completing homework an issue? Is he taking much longer than his peers to complete homework? Is he reluctant to go to school? Most young children enjoy the stimulation, challenge and social adventure of school, if all is well, your primary age child should not be exhibiting school- avoidance behaviours.
It is even more essential for children with SpLd, to look for creative ways to maximise learning. Many are highly intelligent and their vocabulary and comprehension is frequently more advanced than that of their peers and need to be cultivated. Supporting and developing their interests will be key to maintaining their selfesteem, creativity and imagination. All children love to acquire knowledge and understand new concepts but for those with SpLDs, information needs to be presented in a manner accessible to them. It is important to remember that if a child finds it difficult to read they will need to access grade level (or above) information in a visual, auditory or kinaesthetic way. Trips to art galleries, museums and places of interest, such as
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If you suspect your child may be experiencing a specific learning difficulty, communication is the key. Listen carefully to what your child says about his learning, ask his teacher about how he learns, find out about his learning behaviours in different subjects – is he enthusiastic and chatty in class discussion but reluctant to write more than a word or two on his favourite subject?
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historical and geographical landmarks, will offer them a practical way of acquiring information enabling them to converse with their peers on an equal level. Listening to tape recordings of books will expose them to the rich vocabulary that, perhaps, they cannot decode in text. They will be able to develop their comprehension and learn about writing styles, through listening. Your child may not show an interest in documentaries but by watching them together he enjoys your company whilst expanding his general knowledge, understanding of concepts and exposure to current affairs. Through discussion, he can be challenged to form opinions and draw conclusions commensurate to his intellect. This is not to say that he should avoid practicing the basic skills of reading and writing but support from home does not need to be a replication of that provided by school. It is important to understand all the particular implications of your child’s specific learning difficulty in order to create opportunities for them to feel successful. The teacher will do this at school but similar strategies can be employed at home to avoid frustration and failure in everyday tasks. For example; if attention is an issue, create small, achievable steps with a reward system to a complete a task. Honesty is often the best policy in ensuring children understand why something will be particularly difficult.
The child with ADHD, for example, would need to know why they may find it difficult to remain attentive for long periods of time and be encouraged to put strategies in place to complete long or arduous tasks e.g. Tidying his bedroom might need to be broken down into bookcase, then desk, then wardrobe to avoid frustration and ‘giving up’. Gradually transfer the responsibility of devising strategies to your child, so he learns independence, responsibility and good work habits. This also improves the ‘working’ relationship between yourselves. Reward positive behaviour more often than carrying out consequences for poor behaviour. This may mean you need to look carefully at behaviours you may have been taking for granted. For some children, just getting through the day and arriving home with all their text books, notes, homework, sweater and P.E. kit is an achievement. Help them to put systems in place to remember to take homework back to school in the morning and encourage them to develop systems for themselves. The more stable the daily routines are, the less mental energy your child needs to organise himself and the more he can focus on the task. He also doesn’t spend time worrying about things he has lost and apologising to you and/or his teacher for items forgotten.
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Work at home takes, on average, three times longer to complete than the same work at school. This can cause frustration for both you and your child. Work with his teacher. Find out the main purpose of the homework to see if you can assist without influencing the demands of the task e.g. If the main purpose of the essay is to show knowledge and understanding, perhaps you could be allowed to scribe for your child. If the purpose is to check layout, paragraphing and spelling, then your child needs to do the mechanics independently but perhaps you could help him with the content so that his focus remains on the correct task. When it comes to a learning difficulty it is not uncommon for the negative aspects to become all consuming. Take care that the tutoring and specialist support you may be providing outside school doesn’t take excessive time away from enjoyable activities or necessary ‘down time/ family time. As parents, it is important to look at the big picture and focus on the child’s strengths, of which there will be many, without dwelling on the things that they find challenging. Your child is not defined by his or her difficulties, encourage activities where he or she excels and make plenty of time for them.
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Self-esteem The contribution of self-esteem to learning cannot be over-estimated. Students with SpLDs can have fragile self-esteem. They don’t understand that their difficulties are not a reflection of their intelligence. They can be vulnerable to negative comments regarding their academic performance and their selfconfidence must be nurtured. This can be accomplished by acknowledging your child’s strengths, being specific about them and commenting on them at the time. Parents and teachers need to communicate high, realistic, expectations. Often students with low self-esteem will ask ‘Do you think I can do it?’ Encourage social competence and friendships with like- minded peers. If lack of self-esteem is leading to behavioural issues and difficulties with friendships, seek specialist help. Poor behaviour, and its consequences, will certainly affect learning at school. You may need to let your child know that you appreciate he has to work harder than others sometimes to achieve the same result. Young children are naturally curious but not necessarily intrinsically motivated to persevere with challenging tasks. You can encourage and model this behaviour. You might want to mention activities he finds easier than others, to remind him of his strengths and others’ challenges. If possible, allow him to follow his favourite activity to the highest level. Encourage him to be an ‘expert’ in something. Make sure his out-of-school achievements are communicated to his teacher who can share this with his class. It is easy to under-estimate how much your child needs to hear your approval, even more so when he is finding life difficult. Clearly and regularly communicate that you enjoy spending time with him. Value his opinions and ideas. Whenever possible, give him real-life problems to solve at home.
Home/school relationship Many parents of students with learning difficulties become highly involved in school life. This serves to strengthen links within the school and demonstrates your commitment to its wider purpose, but most importantly it shows your child how important their education is to you. When this is not possible, making the child aware of the ongoing dialogue between parent and teacher is a powerful tool. Although every teacher has a duty to meet the needs of the students in their care, parents must be realistic in their expectations of how much can be done when the needs of perhaps some twenty other students have to be accommodated too. At the outset, both parents and schools need to be honest about how much support is needed and how much
can be provided. If you have questions or doubts about the effectiveness of your child’s support programme, speak directly with the school but remain positive in front of your child. If you do not show confidence in the school, he will not value it and this will have a detrimental effect on the effort he makes. Parents should develop the habit of acknowledging positive outcomes from classroom experiences as well as sharing difficulties. Work together so you both communicate high but realistic expectations in terms of academic performance and behaviour.
School Support Early intervention is key to remediating difficulties. Students with specific learning difficulties are unlikely to make one year’s progress in one year. If they start the second year of school without support, they are unlikely to ‘catch up’ on their basic skills or learn strategies which will help to keep them level with their peers, let alone reach their potential. Once a teacher has identified that his student is having difficulties, he will try a variety of supports in class. For example, he may present information differently and modify the assessment method. Teachers may request additional support from the Special Needs staff to help identify the student’s area of learning difficulty and target support accordingly. A range of provision is available and a detailed programme of support may be suggested, with short and long term goals identified. For students with specific learning difficulties the ultimate aim of any provision is to enable the student to reach their potential whilst being as independent in their learning as possible. The support team will consider this when making a recommendation from the range of provisions available. All options have their advantages and disadvantages, for example, in-class support allows the student to remain with their peers but could result in a reliance on the assistant, withdrawal periodically separates the students from their classmates but enables them to cover basic skills no longer covered in that grade and may allow the student to work independently on their return. After-school provision is more discreet but the student is already tired from the school day. For students with SpLD’s, support should be delivered by a professional with experience in learning difficulties, who will have a range of strategies available to employ immediately the smallest difficulty is observed. Knowledgeable, experienced teachers can quickly identify the areas of difficulty for a student but a study of academic history and completion of an educational psychologist’s assessment may be required to clarify why these difficulties are occurring and how much they will influence the student’s future progress. Are substantial gaps in their knowledge or misunderstandings of basic principles and concepts a result of long term absence from
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school, skipping a school year when moving countries, too many changes of school, language barriers or enduring processing difficulties? It is essential that parents share as much information as possible with the school on entry, or after an assessment, in order that appropriate provision is offered immediately. For example, if a student has already had a long period of English support in his last school, it is likely that his continuing difficulties will not be solely a language problem. Even if a student is no longer receiving support services, but has an educational psychologist’s report, it is still helpful to share this with his current teacher. Certain deficits, for example in processing speed or working memory, will inform the teaching strategies and allow the student to continue his independent learning. For example, the teacher will know to allow the student extra processing time, in order to formulate verbal answers to oral questions during debate. He will be aware that repeating or re-phrasing the question in an attempt to help the student, may interrupt their train of thought, further confusing, rather than clarifying, the situation. Many students with SpLDs find complicated instructions difficult to remember; straightforward, sequential steps being more likely to produce a successful result. The repeated practise of learned processes and skills until they are completely mastered, may enable students to increase their automaticity in certain areas (over-learning), reducing the demands on working memory. The use of a variety of approaches may improve understanding of newly-introduced concepts. These techniques are often employed within good classroom practice but highlighting a student’s challenges and strengths will enable the teacher to address his needs more quickly. The Oak Hill Team; Sue Elliott, Jayne Crawshaw, Rita Waddell, Ian Booth For further information on how Oak Hill can support your child, please view www.oakhill.ch For further parent support, view www.allspecialkids.org
ISIS: SUMMER 2014
School News The latest news from Switzerland’s top International Schools.
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SCHOOL NEWS: The British School of Geneva
Primary School Ski Trip
3 staff left first primary school ski trip, this year Following the success of last years’ in the resort of for their 4 day ski trip. They stayed BSG with 26, 6-11 year old children children were Soleil ski area of France. 18 of the 26 Morzine/Les Gets in the Portes du d total beginners, all of whom persevere with true grit and determination and ing gained pride and satisfaction in learn to to ski. In just 2 days we were all able ski through Les Pistes Des Indiens.
www.britishschoolgeneva.ch
Geography Field Trip to London In February, 5 Geography students set off on a trip to London to complete
Great fun was had by all!
their A/S Level coursework. Despite 4 days of rain, they walked their way from Greenwich to Canary Wharf and back to Stratford interviewing locals, taking pictures and trying to find the best fish and chips in South London!
World Women’s Day BSG celebrated International Women’s Day on 8th March. The children discussed the role of women through history and came up with some very unique and inspiring views on the role of women in today’s world.
Bugsy Malone With help from almost the entire seco ndary school, Bugsy Malone was this year’s spring play at BSG. The stud ents went back to the 1920’s creating fantastic scenery, posters and costu mes for a one-night only performan ce of this classic Alan Parker film. The lead , played by Daniel Nazarov, was grate ful to have such a great way to take his mind off his exams by plunging hims elf into the world of prohibition era Chic ago, with its gangsters, flamboyant bars and extravagant music.
SCHOOL NEWS: Collège Champittet Pully
www.nordangliaeducation.com/ our-schools/champittet
Summer Camp at Collège Champittet Every summer for over 20 years Collège Champittet has been organising a summer camp filled with languages, fun and adventure for children aged 11 to 16 years! In the mornings children study French or English and afternoons are dedicated to
About Collège Champitte t Pully Collège Champittet is an edu cational community, for boa rders and day students, who se philosophy embraces the challenges of high academic achievement, responsibility and leadership, spiritual awareness and participation in a wide variety of activities. Academic excellence across our three curricula - Swiss Maturité, Fren ch Baccalaureate and IB - draw s on the finest tradition of Swis s, French, and British international edu cation, enhanced by a truly bilingual setting. It is encoura ged and enabled by a highly motivat ed and deeply caring body of staff who within the spirit of our Christian values, understand and prov ide for the specific needs of every student. As a forwardlooking, wellresourced school, we are stee ped into the mind-set of 21s t century education. Modern technology in the form of individual tablet computers allows our students to engage in active, teacher-led independent learning, problem solving and research activities that enhance creativity, prom ote higher order thinking and develop transfer rable skills.
activities with the choice between three different types of challenges: Alpine (ie, hiking, abseiling, climbing), Water (ie, rafting, canoeing, kayaking), Creative (ie, video production, décor creation, costumes). Other activities are on the programme too such as barbecues by the lake, visit of Swiss cities, disco night and so much more.
Alumni humanitarian trip to Morocco Two former Collège Champittet students, Paul-Xavier Fayard and Miguel Tovar, recently participated in the 17th Raid 4L Trophy – a humanitarian rally which aims to improve education for children in the poorest regions of Morocco. The annual 4L Trophy challenges students to drive Renault 4 cars from France to Marrakech, journeying through Spain to Algeciras before battling with over 600km of tracks and dunes in the Moroccan desert. Each team carries school supplies, including classroom materials and sports equipment, which are distributed to underprivileged children and schools in partnership with the Enfants du Désert Association, a charity who support underprivileged children in southern Morocco. Paul-Xavier and Miguel left Switzerland on Thursday 13th February driving a natural-gas powered car to also raise environmental awareness during the challenge. On Thursday 14th February, 1323 teams departed from Poitiers and Saint-Jean de Luz villages in France. They crossed over 6000km to reach the finish line in Marrakech just 8 days later. Paul-Xavier and Miguel finished a fantastic 131th.
Global Classroom on the issue of Water For a Global Classroom* activity, Collège Champittet student s chose to focus on the issue of a lack of access to clean, safe drinking water. They researc hed the issue and developed solutions, designing filtration systems and using UV light to render water safer. Congratulations to each and every group member on what turned out to be a unique and memorable learning experience. *Global Classroom is a secure online portal (virtual learning environment) where all Nord Anglia Education students (international education group which Collège Champittet belongs to) connect with other students around the world to collaborate, solve problems and discuss subjects and issues of interest to them.
SCHOOL NEWS: Ecole Riviera Montreux
Gym ĂŠcole enfantine show In April class 1H had an open day to have been their parents the great games they used as practicing this term. The games were tion, fun ways to improve balance, coordina and 6 orientation and flexibility. Year 4, 5 which are taking part in the UBSKidscup, Throw. comprises 3 challenges: Run, Jump, to teach These well know activities are used athlete: the kids the basis for becoming an Faster, Higher, Further.
www.ism-school.org/en-3-ecole-riviera-school.html
Studying Claude Ponti The children from Year 2 to Year 5 all particpated in the Ecole de Loisirs Competition. The idea was to create something that represented of one of the books written and illustrated by the author Claude Ponti. Each of the classes worked really well and they produced some incredibly imaginative and interesting pieces of work. All of the work is on display at the
Year 6 Ski Trip This year Year 6 had the opportunity to go on
a week long ski camp in Villars sur Ollon.
children’s library in Lausanne. We won 2nd and 3rd place and each class that participated won 30 new books from Ecole de Loisirs!
Year 4 have been learning about Castles. This term has been very exciting in Year 4. The children have been learning about Castles. We have looked at why they where built, the different parts of a castle and who lived in them.
Hot off the press: School Sports Day
Technology. Year 5 Design and g on r 5 have been workin This term in DT, Yea to be a book. The book had producing their own , with n for younger children pop-up book, writte d really lls. All of Year 5 worke hidden flaps and pu e beautiful term and made som hard throughout the e the n lucky enough to hav books. We were the y`s some time in Miss Am opportunity to spend to share en took in their books class, where the childr nger children. and read with the you
SCHOOL NEWS: GEMS World Academy-Etoy
WLLC started Wednesday Our World Language Learning Centre has now the LAMDA English afternoon classes for external students following e are used to boost Communication syllabus. Poetry, prose and theatr
www.gemsworldacademy-etoy.com/
n, our first Summer students’ English communication skills. In additio collaboration with Simply Language and Theatre Programme, an exciting aged Theatre, is now open for enrolment for children
GEMS went skiing
a toy students recently had GEMs World Academy-E season. All PYP and MYP great time during the skiing !) skiing instruction (and fun students enjoyed 4 days of a huge rt of Villars. The trips were at the picturesque ski reso son! to returning again next sea success – we look forward
3 to 17 years old.
Medieval Music Workshop The G5, 6 and 7 students of GWA-Etoy were given the fantastic opportunity to get up close and personal with instruments ranging from the medieval to baroque periods during a magnificent workshop presented by Fata la Parte, a renowned medieval educational group.
We ARE from GEMS World Aca demy-Etoy! Our second Arts festival of the year, The Sparkling Gems Soirée featured an amazing diversity of talent from our learn ing community. With a backdrop of digital bloo ms and huge
vegetal sculptures created by grad e
7, an
enthusiastic audience was treated to a series of artistic delights. From musical perf ormance to
opera singing drivers, the
audience were
Oasis des Vétérans 13 MYP students took part in a Service activity accompanied by Miss Lynne and M. Huet. They went to “L’Oasis des vétérans”, an animal shelter which cares for older dogs and cats in the Canton of Fribourg. The day was spent taking dogs for long country walks, brushing them, cleaning them, playing and cuddling with them. At the end of the day, all were awarded a diploma confirming their aptitude to look after domestic animals and much fun was had by students, cats and dogs. The bus was thoroughly checked for four-legged passengers on the journey back to school! Our thanks go to the animal shelter (www. oasis-des-veterans.com) for welcoming us so warmly.
enthralled.
The interface between digital and physical worlds In his ‘Hour of Code’ introduction, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, stated that coders are our future rock stars! Here at GEMS World Academy-Etoy, following the successes of European Code Week we formed an After School Club, “Coding Rockstars”! Using Hopscotch, an incredibly user friendly iPad coding environment, our creative group quickly mastered visual coding and began designing more complex animations and games. Their goal was to share what they had learnt by creating a short movie or tutorial to inspire others to learn code. We are incredibly proud to see some of our movies on the Hopscotch app developers’ Youtube channel. The full series of movies can be seen at Learning
Trip to Solar Impulse 2 ts A truly memorable experience for our MYP studen e today who witnessed the Solar Impulse 2 in Payern - only two days after its grand unveiling! They were able to question the pilots themselves, André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard who had l some fascinating stories relating to technologica and human challenges, inspiration for leading
Freewheel. In an increasingly digital world there is a need to reexamine how we balance our physical
innovation and how have they become pioneers
and digital worlds. By involving learners in both worlds and reflecting on both the advantages and
in the modern World.
disadvantages, they develop the skill of thoughtfully blending physical and digital environments to critically evaluate and solve challenges. The profile of a life long learner requires students to be mobile and digital if they are to be truly internationally minded global citizens. Having the opportunity to be part of this game-changing interface between these two worlds is essential if our students are to be the creators of their own futures and make a difference in the world.
SCHOOL NEWS: Geneva English School
Children celebrate GES brand new building n 1st anniversary with an egg design competitio
www.geneva-english-school.ch
erland. GES, 1st COBIS Accredited Member in Switz
Ski Camp at Les Houches
e of Mégève L’Ecole-Saint Jean Baptist fun, sports and drama visited GES for a day of
GES Football team … before the action.
A cross-country ski day in Mégève
SCHOOL NEWS: Institut International de Lancy
www.iil.ch
it has Fancy Hat Parade as Parade ther and called it the fur p ste e on ets The IIL Easter Hat nn bo Easter s, island homes tradition of wearing ed Aztec head dresse n has taken the British ourful parade includ col is Th The IIL Primary sectio ss. cla in g sin en studying or discus that children have be been linked to topics s, etc. nce princes and pri sse gulls, sci-fi helmets and sea and s use tho ligh with
IIL at the LIFT Conference 2014 - CICG IIL is proud to deliver The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award The Institut International de Lancy proposes the Bronze level to pupils aged 14 to 15 for the school year 2013-14 and Bronze and Silver will be proposed on 2014-15. More than 30 IIL pupils are willing to overcome this journey that brings together practical experiences and life skills equipping them for life.
Last February IIL was invited to host a stand at the LIFT Conference 2014 experiments in the robotics and art fields.
to present
SCHOOL NEWS: International School Basel
The Basilisk - ISB’s stu dent newspaper The Basilisk is a new stu dent-initiated project ope n to all writing talent that ISB has to offer. The first issue is an eclectic one – writers were given complete freedom to wri te about a topic of interes t. Nonetheless, a theme of technology runs thro ughout this issue, pertine nt in the ever-‐growing media and online society . On that note, the team is proud to present ISB’s first ever online newspa per.
ina Faso ISB Students Fundraising for Burk h Gemeinde Grade 3 students went to the Aesc . The to present a donation of CHF 4,262.65 olmoney was raised for one of our scho The students sponsored charities, ‘Burkina Faso’. t ‘Fasting raised CHF 1,297.55 during their recen the CHF and Feasting’ unit. This, along with et will go 2,965.10 raised at the Winter Mark children at towards providing a school meal for . the ‘Paalga-Schule’ in Ouagadougou
www.isbasel.ch
Basel Model United Nations l International School Basel hosted the 11th annua Model United Nations conference. This year’s Basel Model United Nations (BAMUN) topic, “The of Rise of the Rest” explored the empowerment minorities and the reduction of global disparities in view of the social, economic, and political development of the 21st century. More than 240 students from 10 schools, including ISB, participated in this year’s conference.
w Annual SCIS Swim Championships in Warsa The ISB Middle School and High School swim team participated in the Annual SCIS Swim l Championships in Warsaw. The Middle Schoo other ten girls team won first place overall out of European International Schools. The four girls won first place in both their relays with a new SCIS record. The students won 5 gold medals (one individual record), 7 silver medals and 2 bronze medals.
ISMTF Mathematics Competition At the beginning of every year our Mathematics students have the opportunity to show their ability by participating in the competitions organized by the International Schools Mathematics Teachers Foundation. This year, our School has sent its representatives to all three ISMTF contests. The Senior competition was organized by the St. John’s International School in Brussels during the last weekend in January and our six participants returned home with notable results. This has allowed our school to be the best placed school from Switzerland. Next were the Middle School students who went to the International School of Luxembourg to measure their mathematical prowess against other 51 teams. They also came home with excellent results with our teams placing 4th and 24th. The chase competition where students compete against each other in teams made out of participants from different schools ended with an ISB student being part of the winning team! The Grade 9 and 10 students closed the season by taking part in the Junior competition held at the International School of Geneva towards the end of March, placing in the first half of the team final classification.
SCHOOL NEWS: International Primary School of Les Monts-de-Corsier
Science Day Our winter science project this year was Ice and Snow. Foundation 1
www.ism-school.org/
asked lots of questions like what
en-2-international-school-of-monts-de-corsier.html
are snow and ice made of? What happens when it begins to get warm? What happens when I hold an ice cube in my hand?
French Week at ISM During the month of March, ‘French Week’ was held at ISM with every class visiting a local French-language
Year 1 had a delicious visit to the bakery
destination. Foundation Class went to
in Bossonnens.
the library in Châtel St Denis to choose
During the visit, Mr Damien showed us how to
French books to take back to school.
make different breads. All the children helped to make baguettes and to put the sugar on their pains au sucres.
Year 2 had a great time playing with different games in the ludothèque in Châtel St Denis. The ludothèque is a place where people can borrow games and toys. The children had an opportunity to play with the toys and games that they may not have at home.
to At the end of the week, Years 5 and 6 went n. EMS La Maison du Pèlerin» at Le Mont Pèleri There, the children had the opportunity to meet . 5 residents and they spoke with them in French The children helped to prepare lunch and each child made their own hamburger. For some of the residents it was the first time they had ever eaten one! The residents chose this menu to make the children happy and spent the day before our ne visit shopping for us to make this meal. Everyo enjoyed eating the food together! YUM!!
Road Safety
Year 3 & 4 visited SATOM, in Villeneuve.
To complement our annual visit from the police at ISM, Years 5 & 6 were invited on
see where rubbish goes and how it is
a road awareness course in Montreux.
recycled to make electricity and heat.
The children were on bicycles and had
The children really enjoyed the big
to follow the rules of the road under the supervision of the police in a morning of
«grabbing» machine which throws the
fun and learning.
The children had the opportunity to
rubbish into the furnace.
SCHOOL NEWS: La Côte International School
On the Move! We are thrilled to ann ounce that we are on schedule to open ou r new school on September 1st! La Côte International Sch ool’s new purpose-bu ilt campus in picturesque Aubo nne will offer our cur rent and new students a wo nderful location for learning near farmland, vineya rds and orchards. Ou r new facilities will give our students the opportunity to be involved in healthy, stim ulating and nurturing indoo r and outdoor educa tional activities and pla y.
www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/aubonne/
About La Côte International School Founded in 2008, La Côte International School is a co-educational day school for children between 3 and 18 years old. The school offers the English National Curriculum in the early and primary school years and the International Baccalaureate Middle Years and Diploma Programmes at the secondary level. As part of the Nord Anglia Education family of 28 premium schools around the world, our team of over 40 professionals implements a High Performance Learning approach to teaching. This approach, combined with a culture of mutual respect, tolerance, care and support, ensures that every child can thrive. Through the Nord Anglia Education Global Classroom, students have a truly international education. This innovative, contemporary and distinctive educational program, which takes place online and face-to-face, is designed to develop students’ confidence and ability as learners by enabling them to collaborate, inquire, create, innovate, and lead.
LCIS students visit Tanzan ia with the Global Classro om As part of Nord Anglia Edu cation’s Global Classroom initiative, seven students from La Côte International School were selected to join the Tanzania Expedition that too k plac e early in February 2014. Stu dents from around the wor ld travelled to Arusha, Tan zan ia whe re they stayed in a private cam p owned by Nord Anglia Education. Here they particip ate d in a series of activities design ed to develop their underst anding of local issues and to give them practical experience in supporting a community . It was a chance to discove r different cultures, meet new people , explore the world and ma ke a difference in the lives of others.
A few highlights: •
The excursion was part of a High Performance Learning module that encourages North Anglia students to become more open minded, take risks and collaborate with others, while internalizing some of the values, attitudes and attributes that North Anglia endorses in its quest for high performance. 106 students, 18 schools and 11 countries total were represented on the Nord Anglia Education trip.
•
In the build-up to the expedition, students gained an understanding of local and international Non-Governmental Organisations as well as a strong understanding of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
•
Part of the project included fundraising. Selected students were expected to raise 600 pounds. Some of the fund-raising activities at Nord Anglia Education schools included a 24-hour swimathon and “Dancing Your Way to Tanzania Week Long Trip”.
•
The trip allowed participating students to build friendships with children in a local primary school and orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania, while working on renovating classrooms and teaching a full day’s curriculum.
•
They experienced an ‘Africa Day’ and engaged in a variety of activities (such as learning Swahili, glass beading, traditional Masai dancing and cooking) which were provided by local people to provide students with an insight into the country they were visiting.
•
Students also experienced the diverse and varied landscape of the host country by undertaking a Safari or Zanzibar excursion. They visited traditional Masai villages, discovered the history of the Slave trade, visited plantations and spice markets to learn about agriculture and see wildlife in its natural habitat. With presentations and talks from local businesses and organisations such as The African Wildlife Foundation, students gained an understanding of the link between land, animals and humans and learned about the benefits and challenges of the present and the future.
ISIS: SUMMER 2014
A VIEW ON DIGITAL LITERACY IN SWISS SCHOOLS
BY DR JELENA GODJEVAC – CEO, INTERSECTION.CH
A country’s economic growth and competitiveness is closely linked to its excellence in the teaching of science, technology, and education. In today’s employment market, it is difficult to find a job that does not require at least some knowledge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This trend will increase as our world becomes ever more technological: ICT literacy is an indispensable skills set in the 21st century and an entry point to future innovation. Are Swiss educational institutions integrating ICT into their curricula? Do Swiss schools stimulate creativity and problem solving? Our children – today’s digital natives – are more than ready! We have conducted several evaluations of ICT integration in private schools as well as a series of interviews with children, parents, teachers and directors of state and private schools in Geneva and Vaud. One of our objectives being to collect insights and to find an answer to this question: “How does the Swiss schooling system prepare our children for tomorrow’s challenges?”
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ISIS: SUMMER 2014
“I think everyone in this country should learn how to program because it teaches you how to think.” Steve Jobs
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ISIS: SUMMER 2014
Findings Children Already at an early age, children have access to technology at home and often at school; they use it to “consume” information and entertainment: games, videos, music, books – and they connect with each other through social networks and email. Their use of technology is instantaneous, easy and superficial. Teachers who know how to guide youngsters to help them understand (rather than consume) technology are few and far between. From the children’s perspective, the image of ICT is one-sided. It means iPhone / Android apps, email and Facebook. Rare are the schools that use computer science to trigger creative activities and experiences. And yet, children – if guided and stimulated – are excited about software and hardware – about making things happen due to their own thinking, doing and experimenting. Some private schools have initiated pedagogical activities around creativity and problem solving, to stimulate “computational thinking”. At “Institut Florimont”, groups of students attend programming and robotics classes. They learn how to work sensors, motors, robots, and how they can program machines in order to make them behave in a desired way. It was a pleasure to observe interesting projects and motivated students who express their creativity through technical activities. Parents Parents are worried about the impact technology has on their children. They feel overwhelmed with tools and features and fail to guide their offspring on security and privacy issues, or exhort sufficient parental control. They are looking for guidance. Private schools like to promote their schooling propositions by using “technological differentiators”. This usually means access to free Wi-Fi, iPads/laptops in class, interactive whiteboards. Parents have a desire for a state-of-the-art and motivating learning environment for their children, but they are insecure and confused about what the “technology” label actually entails. Parents are not dupe and recognize the sales pitch. More hardware in schools does not by itself guarantee a creative, motivating and truly useful learning journey. On the contrary, some parents find that technology is sometimes “used and abused”, stimulating information consumerism which poorly serves creative learning. We’ve observed that some schools heavily promote ICT, but they apply it in a bad way. ICT is not about encouraging students to find information with search engines; or creating and delivering PowerPoint presentations.
One of the good exceptions is “College Champittet”, which animates courses on web design, digital citizenship, simple graphic design, image copyright rules, and photography using Photoshop software. Children work with commercial software packs that are sold over the counter. Programming is taught using pre-fabricated tools such as “Hopscotch” and “Scratch”. The basics in computing are taught through projects using the Raspberry Pi. Teachers The teaching environment has changed dramatically over the past 20 years: it has evolved from “blackboard & chalk” to “handson experimental”. The traditional top down approach (teacher to learner) has evolved into a “guide on the side” method. With regards to attitude towards ICT, we differentiate two main groups of teachers: Early Technology adopters like to explore ICT tools; they strive to create a learning experience which builds on group participation, through networks such as Facebook and tools such as mailing lists. Even though such teachers consider themselves as ICT-confident, there is frustration when students turn out to be more at ease and knowledgeable with tools than they are. Technology Resistant teachers hang on to the traditional, conservative teaching approach; hence, they are more likely to refuse technology in the classroom. Their reticence - more often than not – is due to insecurity, stemming from a lack of ICT guidelines and formal training.
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“Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you just want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.” Stephen Hawking
ISIS: SUMMER 2014
In a nutshell: Learning how to program is inspiring. It empowers children. Rather than turning them into passive consumers, they evolve to become active producers. This develops creativity and self-confidence. For younger children, ICT should be integrated into “culture générale” courses. Management at “La Découverte”, a primary school, did exactly that. Children discover how computers work, and how to write a program that solves a problem logically. We were delighted to attend interactive and bilingual lessons where children learn by doing and reasoning.
Conclusion Students must be prepared for tomorrow’s digital challenges; parents want their children to learn computer sciences in a smart way. The key is a teacher who must take the leap and get knowledgeable and comfortable with ICT. Moreover, they should become familiar with creation and management of interdisciplinary projects and new learning environments for children.
In “École Moser”, we attended an excellent advanced programming course. Children are taught programming languages and apply these in their very own projects. Students learn about data representation, analyzing problems, constructing algorithms, writing code. Teachers use the “guide-on-the-side” approach. Projects such as these stimulate collaboration and creative thinking; they are a great way to prepare students for university. School Management A number of schools still teach Microsoft Office courses, website development, podcast and video creation. However, conversations with directors of both state and private schools confirmed that things are changing: directors are set to move towards teaching computer sciences.
About Computer Science It is generally acknowledged that a computational activity such as programming exposes children to new ways of thinking and solving problems. Examples: • Breaking problems down into a sequence of smaller ones • Working with a suitable level of abstraction • Learning how to tackle large-scale problems A variety of disciplines such as physics, engineering, biology, music or even business benefit from computational thinking.
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Teaching science should be moved out of silos and teachers should be empowered with skills on how to stimulate a creative environment and allow a trial and error approach in the classroom. In some schools, we observed some very successful initiatives that are going into this direction. Throughout our interviews and subsequent analysis, one particular need stands out: Integrate ICT into Swiss schools’ pedagogic curricula and ensure quality teaching in this discipline. This implies that teachers must – with some urgency – be taught new skills. A tool that would help parents choose, and schools promote quality integration of ICT in the teaching process, could be a voluntary certification of schools.
ISIS: SUMMER 2014
FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR THE FAMILY AND YOUR CHILD BY REBECCA ELLIS – WEALTH ANGELS
President Obama has focused the second largest economy on the importance of financial education for children by launching a monthlong campaign on Children and Finance in April 2014. In this article we look at why this is an important topic and offer some ideas on how you can get the conversation started with your children. Is financial literacy included in school education? Across the globe, financial literacy is seen as a non-curricular subject for schools and there is a mounting understanding of the impact of the lack of financial literacy and its effect. Therefore, there is a growing movement for it to be adopted in schools in the same way as other disciplines like home economics. However, the current challenge is that there are no certifications in academia for instruction in this topic. Therefore, it is left to parents to give guidance to their children on how to become savvy investors.
What is financial literacy? The definition of financial literary is: “the set of skills and knowledge that allow you to understand: the financial principles you need to know to make informed financial decisions; and the financial products that impact your financial well-being.”
When do children start understanding the power of money? A study from Cambridge University earlier this year confirmed that kids’ money habits are formed by age seven. Most studies are based in the US, and they substantiate that there is a low level of knowledge about financial topics, from comprehension of inflation to the tools of saving, such as compound interest. This just confirms that it is necessary for finance to be taught at a younger level. Reports from the OECD also corroborate that in other developed countries, financial literacy is also poor. Countries included in the reports include Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland, according to a recent international survey.
Who best to teach children? As seen from this survey, children worry about money and the people they listen to is their PARENTS! Children seek guidance from their parents. As the key influencers, parents need to think about what they are teaching children. If parents feel uncomfortable due to social norms with the subject of money, there are professional advisors who can help you fill the gap.
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What are the key concepts? Parents should consider these broad categories • Understand the key financial products Examples: including bank accounts, mortgages, retirement savings plans and basic investments like stocks, bonds and mutual funds. • Understand basic financial concepts Examples: compound interest, investment return, risk, diversification • Discuss money and financial issues Even if you don’t really like to talk about them • Make good financial choices about saving, spending and managing debt throughout your life Examples: when getting an education, starting a job, buying a house, starting a family, getting ready to retire and living out your senior years • Respond competently to changes that affect your everyday financial well-being Examples: the general economy such as the recent collapse of financial markets, rising unemployment and the threat of rapid inflation.
How to teach financial literacy – the basics Below we offer some practical examples and ideas of how to bring the subject to life for the age group of 7-11 years old. We also suggest some resources, which would be useful.
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To Grow and To Enrich www.wealthangels.ch Money Creation When you start explaining money, you may want to explain how you finance the family household. You might say, for example, “I work at the dentist’s office. I get paid for each hour I work, and I work about 40 hours every week. At the end of each week, I get a paycheck. Our family uses the money to buy the things we need and some of the things we want. We also save some money each week so we can use it later.” This can be reinforced with visits to the workplace. In Switzerland, most schools operate a visiting parents’ workplace program. When the visit arises you should use this opportunity to explain what your job is and how you are paid (specific details of money are not necessary). Money Management Spend, save and share! Even with younger kids the concept of budgeting and considering future purchases can identify good foundations for money management when they progress to leaving home. One useful website, Three Jars, suggests a great yet simple concept. Three jars labeled “Spend”, “Save” and “Share”. This philosophy enables you to explain needs and wants (food and luxury), delayed gratification (waiting to buy a toy or object of your desire) and helps children work through
the accounting of what it requires to buy the big purchases. In this concept the “Save” pot develops the concept of banks; research has found taking your children to the bank at least three times a year can help cement the concept of how banks play a role in money management. Interest – Saving interest “compounding” and paying interest “Credit” When you use your credit card you can introduce the subject of interest and explain the concept of having to pay more unless you pay the amount at the due date. You can also use the jar saving concept to explain that the bank receiving the jar will give a financial “thank-you” for holding the money and this is known as interest. You can also show your children that the bank gives you a bigger thank you the longer it holds the jar. Compound interest is when you earn interest on both the money you save and the interest you earn. Creative Money Management Explain that sometimes adults (and even teenagers) use their special talents to set up new companies. When people decide to do this they are called an entrepreneur. They are their own boss and have to make lots of important decisions, and they may not earn the same amount of money each week. There are lots of different types of entrepreneurs, from people
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who open up a candy store to those who to those who thought up Facebook. These people get rewarded if the idea is popular and this also enables you to discuss the risk of undertaking something for profit. It’s important if your children have ideas to develop the concept of the jars and how they can consider allocating their money differently to support their ideas.
In Summary: Improving your Knowledge The sooner children practically use these skills, the more prepared they will be for their future. While it may seem simple, banking and finance has evolved and the picture has become quite complex. We are an independent and unbiased firm offering support to help you to grow and enrich. If you wish to discuss the topic of financial management for your family with us, please visit us at www.wealthangels.ch
Resources for teaching aids www.kinder-cash.com - Swiss & OECD based www.threejars.com - US Based organisation
ISIS: SUMMER 2014
HAVE FUN IN THE WATER – BUT STAY SAFE WHILE DOING SO!
BY NEIL KNIGHT AND KATRIN BLUMBERG – SWISS RIVER ADVENTURES GMBH
Summer is fast approaching and so is the bathing season.
General safety issues Did you ever have to learn the basic water safety rules at school? Most German kids would have suffered through learning the “Baderegeln” – but whether we remember them is a different matter. For Switzerland, the SLRG (Schweizerische Lebensrettungs-Gesellschaft) has issued the six most important rules around swimming on their webpage.
The first “Badis” – the Swiss term for outside swimming areas, both swimming pools and designated areas around lakes and rivers – have already opened and many more are about to do so over the next weeks. And who knows – you might even be planning to spend some of your summer at a beach? Unfortunately, every year too many accidents happen around the water. So what can we do to keep ourselves and our families safe while having fun at swimming pools, lakes, rivers and the ocean?
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ISIS: SUMMER 2014
So let’s have a quick recap: • Kids should always be accompanied by an adult when near the water – even playing AT the water needs to be closely supervised. Small children should be within reaching range at any time. • No alcohol or drugs before swimming, and don’t swim with an empty or full stomach. • Don’t jump into the water when hot – the body needs some cooling time. • Don’t jump into murky or unknown waters – check the depth first. • Air mattresses, boats and swimming aids do not belong into deep waters – they are toys but do not offer safety. • Don’t swim long distances on your own – even a well trained body might experience an unexpected fatigue. When swimming in the outdoors a few additional rules might be useful: • Stay away from boats, jetties, locks, bridge pylons and weirs. • Get away from any water body during thunderstorms. • Don’t overestimate your strength and stamina. • If you are on a boat and leave the shore make sure all kids wear a life jacket and have one handy for yourself.
(As a good role model you might wear one yourself at all times as well – it’s like skiing with a helmet...) While you would think most of this is common sense (and really, it should be), it is the kids that need most attention – they don’t know these rules yet and need to be taught to be careful around the water. And remember, many people who drowned had actually no intention to be in the water in the first place – they fell in! This is where the Swiss Wasser-SicherheitsCheck (WSC, www.swimsports.ch/de/ wassersicherheitscheck/) comes in handy: In order to properly simulate an accidental fall into the water, kids need to wear street clothes, tumble from the side of the swimming pool into deep water, stay stationary for one minute and then swim 50 metres. Many school, swimming schools and pools offer this test.
Lakes and oceans While swimming pools are designed to be as safe as possible and tend to have rescue rings and personnel on site, lakes and oceans are different. So you might have to apply some extra caution – you might not be able to see how deep the water is, there might be obstacles (or animals!) in the water you do not know about, and currents under water might pose an invisible danger. Supervision of kids and proper attention to the surroundings become even more important here than in a pool.
Rivers In Switzerland we are surrounded by rivers. We use them for power, drinking, transport and, increasingly for recreation. It is, however, surprising how underestimated such a commonplace feature of our environment is. In simple terms a river is: • Powerful – meaning there is considerable force generated by even a small stream • Relentless – it doesn’t stop! • And flows downhill – goes from high ground to low ground All these points are what make rivers fun, predictable – but also, in the wrong circumstances, potentially dangerous. Most misunderstood is the power of the river. If you are standing next to a knee deep river 10 metres wide flowing at walking pace, about seven cubic metres of water will be flowing past you each second. A cubic metre of water weighs about a tonne so that means seven tonnes per second. This is the weight of about four elephants. Imagine trying to stop that! So the pressure of moving water is constant and powerful even if a river looks slow moving and calm.
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The biggest dangers in any moving water are natural or man-made obstacles both under and above the water (e.g. trees, rocks, weirs, bridge pylons) and features of the water currents (boils, swirls, some waves etc.):
ts n e v E Team
Obstacles in the river can be both under and above the water. Imagine trying to stand up in a river, getting your foot stuck under a rock and being pushed under the water by the current. This is called foot entrapment and is one of the biggest dangers when swimming in a river. Not surprisingly then, most drownings on rivers occur in the not so deep water!
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The other very dangerous obstacle is a weir (man-made or natural) in the river. They often look fun to play with but be aware the water flowing over them pulls back upstream, often from great distances, and a person or inflatable mattress or boat can easily be held in them. Even very, very experienced river people treat even the smallest looking weir with the utmost respect. Depending on the construction even small drops of a few centimetres height might hold a swimmer or flotation device!
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Features in the river current such as boils, swirls or waves can look fun to swim through but might pull swimmers under water. So unless you know about river features you might be best advised to stay away. In Switzerland, all rivers are initially mountain fed and many of them are also controlled by power stations. This means that they are not only cold even on a warm summer day – it also means that they can change water level and water temperature drastically within a very short time.
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However, having said all that swimming in rivers can be great fun. But you need to pick your swimming spot carefully and check it out EACH time you swim to keep yourself, your family and friends safe.
The best swimming spot has: 1. Minimal current 2. Good access and exits 3. Preferably an even river bed that you can see 4. No obstacles or man-made features such as weirs, reinforcing steel, wires, boat traffic, rocks) downstream in case you end up going further than expected (you might just find it harder getting out of the current than it looks) 5. No trees or branches overhanging into the water (kayakers and rafters avoid trees like the plague. If you get pushed up against a tree trunk or branch it is almost impossible to get over due to the force of water and going under is not a clever option in any circumstance...) 6. No debris or submerged trees in it Having picked a suitable spot there are some river rules to complement the more general rules from above: • Don’t jump into the water unless you are absolutely sure that it is deep enough and you have got a good exit point and no obstacles downstream. • Prolonged exposure to cold water can quickly lead to problems so you might consider wearing a wetsuit (as well as keeping us warm, it provides significant extra bouyancy as well). • Stay away from obstacles and never swim alone. • And if you are boating (rafting, canoeing, kayaking, SUP) on a river make sure you know exactly what to expect downstream and always wear a life jacket! And so, with all that, we wish you all a great and safe summer on, in and around the water!
ISIS: SUMMER 2014
LIFE AS A SYRIAN REFUGEE CHILD BY ABIGAIL WOODCOCK – MEDAIR
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ISIS: SUMMER 2014
There are now more than 1.4 million Syrian children living as refugees since the war in Syria began. 400,000 have fled to Lebanon where thousands are living in makeshift tents in informal settlements in the Bekaa Valley. Medair, a relief organisation based near Lausanne, is providing families with materials to stay warm and items to build shelters that can keep them dry. Megan Fraga, a relief worker for Medair, regularly visits the overcrowded camps and gives us a peak into what life is like for a Syrian refugee child. “Every time I visit the settlements, children constantly run in and out of the flimsy tents, dodging piles of rubbish and stagnant water. The little ones play with broken plastic toys or old shoes while the older ones try to find work. Teenagers are caught in between childhood and adulthood. Most have seen and experienced the horrors of war and often become the heads of their family at 15 or 16. They try to provide for their mother and brothers and sisters but at times only the youngest children are hired in their place.”
his family. He fled from his home in Syria to Lebanon when the fighting started. “On my way here, I had to cross a very big lake in a tiny boat,” said Abu. “There were too many people in the boat and the lake was not very calm. The military can shoot at you when you cross and it is very scary. The most difficult moment was when my father died, then my brother. I don’t wish anyone to suffer like we have suffered. “ Abu misses going to the swimming pool the most when thinking about Syria. “When I came here I got bored a lot,” he said. “There is nothing for me to do.” Ma’an is 15. He used to live in Homs. He has been his family’s breadwinner since his father deserted them when he was 12. To earn money, he painted and washed cars. Now he lives in a tent in the Bekaa with his younger twin brothers and mother.
Abu is 16. He loves to play football. His favourite team is Brazil. Abu stopped going to school when he was 11 years old and started to sell fruit and vegetables to earn some money for
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“I want to live like you. I want to live a normal life like other people. I miss everything about Syria- all of my life, everything. I lived there, it was my home. I used to take care of some birds, I miss the birds. I want to return to Homs and help my people.” Medair is committed to helping Abu and Ma’an. It provides thousands of refugee families affected by the war in Syria with shelter, household items and nutrition support. Medair began responding to the Syrian Crisis in 2012 and is active in Jordan and Lebanon. In the Bekaa, its teams are helping families living in the informal camps to plan their sites better, establishing water drainage systems and promoting good health and hygiene practice. *All figures taken from the UN.
ISIS: SUMMER 2014
GOING ORGANIC ON A BUDGET BY DR. MIRKKA SCHALLER – FOUNDER, SWISSHEALTHCOACH
Organic foods are in! The trend has grown from being a rather ‘alternative’ option to an everyday choice available to us all. Some people choose organic for their health. Although a recent large study didn’t show that organic foods are necessarily richer in vitamins and minerals, there are other health benefits of eating organic.
impossible. Common sense would say, the fewer chemicals we eat, the better. Other people go organic to minimise damage to the environment or to support the respectful treatment of animals. Whatever the reason behind it, we are all choosing and consuming more organic food. In Switzerland 12% of agriculture land is organic and the growth of the sales is 7% yearly. Due to this rising trend, you can increasingly find organic products in all kind of stores, from health stores to conventional grocery stores. Unfortunately, the fact that organic food has become more commonplace has done little to decrease the price significantly. However, there are ways to go organic without breaking the bank.
The quantity of pesticides permitted in conventional agriculture by the European Food Safety Authority may not harm our health. However, as there are over 400 different pesticides allowed in the EU, to study the effects of the varying combinations of these is almost
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ISIS: SUMMER 2014
Here are my top tips: 1. Buy seasonal! A peak in the produce coming to the market usually means a drop in price. 2. Invest in a freezer! This means you can buy in bulk when products are in season and cheaper and freeze them for later use. Alternatively, when you don’t find local products in season, check the frozen products, which are usually less expensive than the fresh ones. Frozen products might even be higher in vitamins than when stored fresh ones in your fridge for even 1 day! 3. Buy local! If you can identify your local farmer, you can often get a better deal when you buy directly from their farm. We have found local farmers who sell
organic eggs, meat, cheese and bread costing a lot less than at the health store. Buying local also means helping the environment by reducing transit time from the field to your plate. 4. Make it yourself! Ready made organic müsli, granola bars or any kind of prepared food usually costs extra. Buying the ingredients and making it yourself is almost always cheaper. 5. Learn from the pros! It can take some time to learn one’s way around the isles full of quinoa, goji berries, wheat grass and so on in a health store. Even having studied nutrition, it is tough to stay on top of the latest health foods. However, one of the best things about these stores is the staff. They usually love their work and are happy to share their knowledge.
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They are also the people to advise you on value for money. 6. Grow your own! This might be more of a challenge but if you are up for it, it can be an incredibly satisfying way to ensure you know what has gone into your food. Swiss weather is perfect for many different vegetables and you might even find a local allotment to start planting on. 7. Reconsider your priorities! If you feel the difference with organic foods, take a look at your budget to see if there is anything you could save on, in order to splash out on organic tomatoes. Now is the perfect time to get ready for the summer and start uploading your garden, fridge and freezer with amazing organic produce in a way that keeps your body and your budget healthy!
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