Haut-Lac International Bilingual School is taking part in an unusual classroom initiative this week, from 30 January to 4 February 2017.
The French initiative, called La CLISE (CLasse Inversée : la SEmaine), promotes the notion of a "flipped classroom", which encourages students to actively learn course material at home via digital technology and then use class time to solidify their knowledge. Teachers are thus freed from directing instruction, and have more time to work with their students on the harder task of assimilating knowledge.
This pedagogical model is now becoming more and more popular in schools. It is described as a reversal of traditional teaching so, instead of being taught new material by teachers at school, the students are asked to study the material at home, usually via video. And what used to be done at home is now done at school. Under the new model, students and teachers have more time for activities, group projects and discussions that give real meaning to academic material.
According to education specialists, this approach increases student motivation, makes teachers more available to students, encourages the use of new technology, increases the amount of group work, and gives students an active role in their learning.
The Classe Inversée : La Semaine (#CLISE2017) is an international event that showcases the flipped classroom method. Over 200 information sessions and workshops will take place this year throughout the world, including in Switzerland at Haut-Lac International Bilingual School.
Private education is the theme of two new mini-exhibitions to be launched in Geneva and Lausanne next month.
Called EduKid, the exhibitions will take place on 1 February at the Casino de Montbenon in Lausanne, and 8 February at the Novotel Hotel in Geneva.
Given the huge competition that now exists between local schools, especially within the private sector, these new exhibitions have been set up to help clarify for parents the wide range of options that are now available to families living in this region.
EduKid exhibition manager, Alex Herren, told knowitall.ch, "EduKid is targeted at parents who want the very best for their kids, and who realise that a good education is the key to success when it comes to accessing the world of work. The exhibition will also help parents find alternative solutions for those children who are experiencing difficulties at school."
A new Montessori school will open in Nyon on 9 January 2017, catering for both expats and locals.
Conveniently situated in the new La Petite Prairie development, half way between Nyon train station and the A1 motorway, The Secret of Childhood Montessori school will offer a full-time school programme for children aged 3 to 6 years. The curriculum will follow the HarmoS standard that has been adopted by all French-speaking cantons in Switzerland and which facilitates the transition to the public school system.
When the school opens in January, there will be two teachers on the staff, one English-speaking and one French-speaking, both with diplomas awarded by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and many years of experience as teachers in a Montessori environment.
The Institut International de Lancy (IIL) is taking robotics teaching to an exciting new level with the recent acquisition of two new humanoid robots at its campus in Grand-Lancy, Geneva.
Nicknamed, Bonnie and Clyde, the two Nao robots are just the latest examples of progressive learning that the school has introduced since it first started using robotic applications to enhance teaching and learning over twenty-five years ago.
Describing the rationale behind their recent purchases, General Director, Norbert Foerster, told knowitall.ch, “When we first introduced Lego Mindstorm robots into our classroom back in 1991, it soon became apparent that robotics teaching has the unique ability to encourage creativity, collaboration, and communication amongst our students, in a way that traditional teaching techniques can never hope to achieve.”
A bilingual Swiss school, Ecole La Découverte, catering for children aged 3 to 12, has just announced the opening of a new campus in Mies, scheduled for September 2017. Founded in the early 90s, this small, private school has grown in 25 years from just 13 pupils to 230, and has now increased its English-language teaching to a 50/50 bilingual level, following its recent expansion into new premises at the heart of the international quarter.
Key to the success of Ecole La Découverte has been the practice of active pedagogy, an approach which prioritizes enquiry-based learning through projects that aim to foster self-confidence, autonomy and the capacity to think for oneself. The school leadership team explained, “Our students begin by posing questions and brainstorming an activity. A process of investigation then leads to a final outcome, generated by the children. The subject matter of each project is ideally stimulated by their own interests. The students also have regular philosophy sessions, from 4 years onwards, and they participate in resolving problems and suggesting class projects in weekly class council meetings.”
They continued, "At the end of Primary, our children have learnt, in addition to the knowledge of the language, much broader skills, as they have been studying all the objectives in both languages. Furthermore, the knowledge the children has acquired in learning English, facilitates their learning of German, which is taught from the age of 8, through the Harmos program. As part of the extra-curricular program, there is also the possibility to take part in activities in Mandarin, Spanish and Arabic.”
