In the final four weeks of the year at the Prem
Tinsulanonda International School (Prem), Grade 10 students participated in
a pre-International Baccalaureate (IB) program. They began with a leadership
course, continued with a weeklong service trip to help clean up Koh Phi Phi
in the tsunami’s aftermath, and returned to Prem for a final two weeks of
preparation for their IB curriculum to begin in the fall.
Grade 10
students during their week of service on Koh Phi Phi helped to promote group
cohesion and teamwork.
The concluding two weeks involved an extensive
introduction to all aspects of the IB program. Students, having previously
made their subject selections for next year, attended their new classes with
their future teachers. For example, IB Geography students began fieldwork,
those in science classes received an introduction to the planning of
practical exercises, and future IB History students gained some experience
in historical research and writing standardized bibliographies.
As the IB curriculum is more than just academic, so the
Grade 10 students began to think and work outside the classroom. For the CAS
(Creativity, Action, Service) component of the IB, students learned
strategies for teaching English at Thai schools, as they will be doing next
year. As preparation for the college selection process, they met with
Prem’s college advisor to help align their subject choices for university
prerequisites.
Their week of service on Koh Phi Phi helped to promote
group cohesion and teamwork. The on-campus component gave students an
insight into the makeup of an IB curriculum.
According to current IB coordinator and future Senior School Principal
Craig Rodgers, “Students have responded positively to the program in that
it has provided them with a clear presentation of the nature and
expectations of their subject areas and where they might go in the future.
It treats students as young adults.”
