Executive skills or executive functions refer to a set of skills that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember, self-regulate and juggle multiple tasks. In other words, executive functions are essential for everything from school achievement to positive behaviors to future success in the workforce.

While these skills typically develop most rapidly between the ages 3-5, children experience another spike in development during the adolescent years – often during Middle School. But Middle School can be a turbulent time for students when they face increased demands for self-management while also dealing with major physical and emotional changes.

In order to understand executive skills better and how WAB’s Learning Support team are there to help all students develop and hone these essential skills, we invited Monika Herrera, WAB’s Head of Learning Support in the Middle School, to the WAB Podcast.

As we learn from Monika in this week’s episode, children are not born with executive skills; rather they are born with the ability to develop them. This can lead to children developing at very different paces and can be reflected in classroom behaviors and performances.

Make sure to listen to this week’s episode for practical examples of how Monika and her team support students to develop these functions both in groups and individually, as well as some concrete things parents can do at home to help. Make sure to tune in! 

On Sunday, March 26, the WAB community is invited to the IB DP Visual Arts exhibition or “Passage” as it is also known, a culmination of theoretical, practical and curatorial art skills that students have been building up since Grade 11. The exhibition is curated by the students themselves and promises to be an impressive display of creative, individual expression. 

In this week’s podcast, DP Visual Arts Teacher Daniel Avila and Grade 12 students Grace and Lucas join the conversation to share the story behind their art pieces, their experiences taking DP Visual Arts over the last two years and why they’re really excited about this Sunday’s exhibition.

Visual Arts is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program subject that combines practical, hands-on skills alongside theory and conceptual thinking.

Over the two years, students are given agency to experiment with an infinite range of mediums and what concept to base their Passage artworks on. Each year, the result is an impressive expression of individuality, exploration and growth.

WAB is a big advocate of holistic education, which means students are not only given the chance to thrive through rigorous academics where every learner is supported but also through the many extracurricular activities that all students have access to.

But how do students balance good academics with their passions outside of the classroom? For students who are starting to get involved in high-level competitions like APAC for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, that is a particularly pertinent question.  

In this week’s WAB Podcast, Grade 12 students Eric and Matilda reflect on their current leadership roles in basketball and theater, how they’ve grown over the course of their four years in High School and how they balance it all.

Also weighing into the conversation this week is Ben O’Brien, who is the Director of Student Support Services, ES Counselor and Boys Basketball coach.

Stay tuned as we discuss all the above in detail and hear advice from Eric and Matilda for younger students who may want to take on bigger roles in their clubs in the coming years. 

Language is a powerful tool for inclusion. As an IB World School with a diverse student body, WAB is committed to championing multilingualism as a fundamental part of increasing intercultural understanding, international-mindedness and I-DEAS: Inclusion through Diversity, Equity, Anti-racism, and Social justice.  

In this WAB Podcast episode, we focus on English as an Additional Language (EAL), speaking to High School EAL Department Teacher Helen Avetisyan and Grade 10 student Sarah to understand the philosophy of EAL at WAB and how it is integrated into the curriculum.

We also explore the role of agency in English language acquisition and how it creates a culture of inclusion, where each student’s home culture, language, and identity is valued. 

Helen also unpacks the EAL Department’s goal to achieve what is known as “additive bilingualism”, which ensures that English language learning doesn’t happen at the expense of other languages. 

Make sure to tune in to this week’s episode to learn more!

In the High School, students can take Nature of Science, a course that seeks to engage students in authentic scientific exploration based on a topic of their interest. In this course, students have the freedom to direct their own learning but within a structure, and the teacher becomes more of a guide.  

In our latest conversation on the WAB Podcast, High School Science Teacher Chris Hayden and Grade 10 students Jeremy and Lucienne explain why this approach is allowing students to go beyond what might normally be offered in a regular science class and deepens learning.

By giving students agency in Nature of Science, they’re not only able to choose what to base their projects on and therefore specialize in an area they may want to pursue at a higher level, it is also building their confidence as they progress in their learning.

Make sure to listen to the full conversation!

In our latest WAB Podcast episode, co-host Stephen Taylor, Director of Innovation in Learning and Teaching, gives listeners a thorough overview of what WAB’s approach to AI is and how we’re preparing our whole school community for the future. We’re also joined by a special guest whose thoughts about how AI might help students succeed in the world leave a lot of food for thought. Listen to the episode for the big reveal!

Make sure to listen to this week’s podcast for details about how we’re preparing our school, what excites us about the future of AI in education, and what resources we have for our parents to keep them informed. Don’t miss this episode!

As WAB has been nominated for a China Schools’ Award in the category of holistic education, this week we delve into the subject of what holistic education means at Western Academy of Beijing. 

Joining us for this conversation is WAB’s Senior Grade One Early Years Interventionist Elizabeth Sames who oversees learning support services and English as an Additional Language Services.

We discuss what exactly holistic education means at WAB, what different support systems it encompasses, and why a holistic approach to education has been a driving goal at WAB since its founding. You’ll also hear examples of how this holistic approach is used across different domains, what is meant by WAB’s ‘whole child’ approach to education, the role of social-emotional learning in this approach, and how student agency aligns with it. 

Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of WAB’s approach to holistic education.

In this week’s WAB Podcast, we explore how Individuals & Societies (I&S) is personalized to give students choices to accommodate a wide range of learning styles, while promoting deeper engagement in the learning. Grade 6 I&S teacher Zachary Maxwell, and Grade 6 students Kenzie and Max join this week’s conversation, exploring the impact personalization has on their learning.

Throughout the conversation, the students also give an overview of the units they are taking this year, and explore the elements that are driving their joy for learning. Make sure to tune in!

Mathematics is often perceived as a stressful subject, and learners can easily fall behind when they find themselves in an inadequate learning environment. Today, we continue our exploration of student agency, but this time with a focus on High School math.

Here to help us unpack this topic is High School math Learning Leader Ben Newman, along with Grade 9 students, Ryan and Violet, to help us better understand student agency in High School math and how it is helping them maximize their learning.

In our conversation we learn about the choices students are given over their learning methods and how it is helping them work at their preferred pace. Ben also describes the positive effects he’s observed as a result of giving students agency, while Ryan and Violet share their appreciation for self-directed learning (SDL). To deepen your understanding of student agency and how it pertains to High School math, be sure to tune in!

When elements of flexibility are added into classes to personalize the learning experience for students, it allows them to take greater ownership of their learning and to engage more deeply with the content.

In today’s podcast episode, we examine personalization in High School English, a continuation of our series on personalization in different subject settings. For this conversation, we are joined by Jean Matheson, a High School English teacher, and Frans, a Grade 12 student who has been at WAB for 16 years.

In the conversation, you will hear how Jean applies personalization in her classroom, how this approach sets students up for success outside of WAB, and why this approach can promote student engagement.