Locally rooted and globally connected. BASIS International School Bangkok is opening in August of 2019 and they are excited about bringing the highly-acclaimed BASIS Curriculum to Bangkok at a state-of-the- art campus that aims to provide new and exciting learning opportunities around every corner.
The new campus sits on 22 rai of land in Bang Khun Thian and is built with modern facilities that are specifically designed to work optimally with the BASIS Curriculum. One example is the fact that the BASIS Curriculum introduces Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in 6th grade. But, they do this for a very specific reason. “We want our students to fall in love with all aspects of science through experimentation and exploration,” stated the Head of School, Elizabeth Thies. In order to accomplish this, it is really important that students get the opportunity to learn in labs that are specifically designed to facilitate that love of learning. The BASIS International School Bangkok campus has fourteen different lab classrooms and each is designed to enhance the BASIS Curriculum from entry level to advanced science in all three branches of science.
Furthermore, the BASIS Curriculum is unique as it begins offering Engineering and Connections in Pre-Kindergarten and continues to do so throughout the Primary years. Thies notes, “It is important that we allow our children to build, learn, and play as well as give them the opportunity to connect classes in a meaningful way.” Another key feature of the BASIS International School Bangkok campus is it’s Design Kitchen. This space was modeled after those found in some of the leading Engineering Universities in the United States so that BASIS International School Bangkok students get the opportunity to 3D print, work in a woodshop, and explore through the use of robotics.
In the Primary years (Grades 1-3), Connections is introduced. This class is a project-based, problem-solving course that requires students to bring together knowledge from all of their classes. “Learning needs to be meaningful and our Connections class allows our students to apply what they have learned in a setting where they can collaborate with their peers and ask meaningful questions about the material that they have covered in their classes” Thies explained. She went on to say, “This is an excellent qualitative assessment tool that allows our Learning Expert Teachers (LETs) to gauge their students level of understanding in a hands-on active learning environment.”
At BASIS International School Bangkok, the students are encouraged to be global learners and positive community members as well. To help encourage this process, several different collaborative learning spaces and opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities have been added to the campus. The Head of School noted, “It is very important that we not only focus on what we offer in the classroom but also what we can provide outside of the classroom to ensure that our students are both happy and well-rounded.” In addition to the academic classrooms, BASIS International School Bangkok facilities include a ceramics studio, dance studios, music studios, a 25m competition swimming pool, 19000 sqm of space for sports fields, and a 1600 sqm indoor convertible gym.
The classrooms and collaborative spaces are built to invite and encourage the teachers to be creative in their implementation of the BASIS Curriculum. There are designated spaces designed for group work, an outdoor amphitheater, a retention pond, and fruit orchard. Thies is clearly excited about what this campus will mean to the students and the teachers alike. She said, “I can’t wait to see all of the different activities and lesson plans that our teachers create at this campus. I know that they will be exciting, engaging, and unlike anything these students have ever experienced.”
BASIS International School Bangkok is opening in August of 2019 to Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5 students. To find out more about their campus and their curriculum, be sure to visit their website at basisinternationalbkk.com or call +662 415 0099 to schedule an appointment to meet with their Admissions team.