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A NEW purpose built facility is being added to the International School in Leeward, Providenciales, to help advance the technology learning of students at the school.
The new facility has been commissioned and the ground was officially broken for the new facility on Wednesday (April 18).
At a small ceremony attended by Minister of Education Karen Malcolm as well as students and teachers at the school, head teacher Katie Hinks spoke of the benefits the new facility and updated teaching model will add to the school’s already comprehensive curriculum.
"Many of our students will be entering professions which do not yet exist, and so how do we make them ready for this?
"Core curriculum subjects are important but we need to teach our children how to learn. We need to ensure that creativity, logical thinking and problem solving are at the core of the programme which we plan for them,” Hinks said.
She added that to this end, children will all now be required to bring a laptop computer to school and will work on a learning platform called ‘Google for Education’ which all of the school’s teachers will be trained in.
She also stressed the school’s belief in core curriculum - such as maths and English - will continue to be taught daily.
With the new school model, Hinks said that children will make links in their learning through an integrated curriculum which will allow for learning to become more meaningful and more deeply embedded.
"While we will continue to use the British National Curriculum as a basis for study, we will adapt it our needs and we will incorporate elements from other educational systems to ensure that children are able to transition to grade 10 in the system of their choice.”
She added that in keeping with the school’s model of developing the whole individual, they will be planning international field trips in order to enhance the curriculum, allowing students a chance to observe what they are studying as a reality.
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The new facility and teaching model will target students in grades seven, eight and nine.
The building will be purpose built to facilitate the learning of students and set up with the application of technology in mind.
Students will be involved in some of the design processes and classrooms will be equipped with furniture designed for its flexibility allowing collaborative and individual learning.
"I am so excited about what we can offer here - a truly international education for our students, which will set them up for the future which they are designed for,” the head teacher said.
Minister of Education Karen Malcolm delivered brief remarks congratulating the school for the new initiative,
"I know that you have been working hard here in the Turks and Caicos to ensure that the kids are provided with the best education possible.”
Stuart Howard, a trustee of the school and director of Waterloo Investment Holdings Limited, owners and operators of the school, was also in attendance to help break ground on the new wing.
TCI Structures is creating the design for the technology department of the school.
