BISAcademy
16-19
BISAcademy (BISA) sees the student as the centre of the learning environment. The BISA learning environment recognizes that each brain is unique and that understanding is constructed by the individual based upon past and present experience. Students are given considerable freedom to choose what the wish to study and how they wish to learn. Self reflection provides for deep understanding and as such the evaluation process in BISA is centred on the individual learners’ self reflection. Evaluation is therefore important for learning and is not seen as a sorting instrument.
Students in this age group may change both their short-term and long-term learning goals. BISA provides a flexible learning environment that makes this possible. Each student is guided by a personal mentor. Students plan and research Units of Inquiry that may be vocational, trans-disciplinary, or based on traditional academic subjects or disciplines. Each inquiry is supervised by one or more advisers, who may be members of staff at BIS or members of the wider community.
Each student keeps a record of their work in a personal digital portfolio. As all student work is stored online, students are able to share their work in progress, including feedback from advisers and grades awarded with their parents at any time.
BISA recognizes that there are a set of skills widely accepted as essential for preparing students for a rapidly changing world. These “essential” skills or 21st century skills are articulated in the BISA core programme.
Core Programme
The core programme is aimed at developing students into effective life-long learners. It is based around five “Essential Skills”:
Creativity and Innovation
Communication and Collaboration
Leadership and Responsibility
Inquiry, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Global Thinking
Creativity, action, service (CAS)
Participation in the school's CAS programme encourages students to be involved in artistic pursuits, sports and community service work, thus fostering students' awareness and appreciation of life outside the academic arena. BISA students are encouraged wherever possible to integrate CAS into their BISA Units of Inquiry.
Assessment
Assessment of BISA work is criterion referenced and is based wherever possible on international standards and benchmarks. Students together with their inquiry advisers select content and methods of assessment appropriate to the nature of the inquiry and their personal learning styles.
In addition to BISA inquiries most students also follow taught courses in some subjects leading to the award of IB certificates.
University recognition
Students who meet the graduation requirements of Bali International School are awarded a High School Diploma certified by the Council of International Schools (CoIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). In addition to this students will be able to share work from their digital portfolios with University Admissions tutors.
Visit the BISA pages at: https://sites.google.com/a/baliis.net/bisa/
