For November – January 2023
Dear ISPP Community,
At ISPP, one of our core values for education is that it serves to develop students who exhibit the values expressed in our mission statement –
“ISPP empowers students, in a caring, inclusive international environment, to achieve their potential by pursuing personal and academic excellence, and to grow as responsible global citizens who celebrate diversity.”
We often use the term “holistic” to describe our approach to learning experiences that empower learners, help them find their passions and achieve their goals. We understand that the values that underpin this education are essential in making the world a better and more peaceful place.
So, what does a holistic education mean to us?
Fundamentally, it is a learner-centred approach that recognizes the importance of the interconnections between learning domains, individuals and their peers, their communities and the world around them. Holistic approaches enhance development across intellectual, emotional, social, physical and creative potentials.
A holistic learning environment is characterised by –
- An open and collaborative relationship between educator and student.
- An emphasis on learning through experiences in various contexts both within and beyond the formal classroom.
- A focus on learners taking ownership of their development and learning.
- An emphasis on growth over achievement where the process of learning is as important as the destination.
- Developing meaning by encouraging understanding and engagement with the world which recognises the learners’ identity in relation to others and the world.
- Critically examining their lives’ cultural, moral and political contexts, actively challenging and changing cultural values to meet human needs.
- Applying the intersecting capabilities of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to being a citizen in a complex and rapidly changing world.
- Fostering a love of learning and disposition to be a lifelong learner.
- Demonstrating flexibility and creative approaches to problem-solving.
For these reasons, an ISPP education includes –
- Broad and balanced disciplinary learning
- Transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary learning
- Challenge and stretch
- Choice and pathways
- Robust complimentary learning programmes including the After School Programme, sports, the arts and other activities
- Experiential learning through Week without Walls, field trips and outdoor education programmes
- Global citizenship, service with others
- Student leadership and initiatives
- Capstone projects where students initiate and guide their learning – the Exhibition in the PYP, the Personal Project in the MYP and the Extended Essay in the DP.
The 2020-2024 Strategic Plan strengthens and deepens our approaches to holistic education, especially in the Learning domain of the plan.
Eileen Niedermann
Director
