Bilingual IB Programme Gives Kids Competitive Edge at Hillside World Academy

International Baccalaureate students – critical thinkers of the future

Hillside World Academy is the English-Chinese bilingual-bicultural school that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme for students from K 1 to Grade 12 (full IB programme in all levels). IB is a much-lauded inquiry-based learning framework, but what does an IB curriculum look like for your child (and for you as a parent?).

IB curricula
Forget rote learning – that is a thing of the past with Hillside World Academy’s (HWA) forward-thinking inquiry-based programme where teachers take their lead from the children. If your kids are interested in a particular theme, that’s where the lesson goes and the IB trained teachers have the skills to weave in the learning outcomes into that project, so children learn organically and with a natural sense of wonder and curiosity.

Soft skills
There’s no nagging, and no regurgitating meaningless facts and figures with Hillside World Academy’s IB programme. Students are encouraged to think for themselves, to challenge assumptions and take risks – all vital skills that they will need in the real world outside the classroom. At the same time students are taught to be reflective, open-minded and to communicate with and listen to their peers (after all there is not always one correct answer) so everyone’s opinion counts.

Fun learning
Experience-based learning allows students to have fun with the topics they are learning. Having a happy inquisitive child also means your relationship with your child is better. Instead of time spent on excess homework you will have more time to spend with your child bonding. In an IB school learning, (and so parenting) becomes fun.

Academics
That’s not to say IB students aren’t challenged academically. “HWA has consistently ranked well above the global average for the IB Diploma Programme (DP), and in recent years, have bettered the national average among Singapore IB DP schools”. This year a number of HWA students received Gold and Bronze awards at the Singapore & Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO), one of largest math contests in Asia, focussing on non-routine problem-solving. In addition many students at HWA have been accepted in universities and offered scholarships based on their academic performance which shows the academic rigor expected.

Strong core values
The curricula at Hillside World Academy also encompasses developing one’s character and there is a real importance given to social and emotional balance as well as nurturing resilience. Socially aware students discuss concepts and each other’s ideas which are given equal value. This nurturing way of bringing out the best in students fosters a great sense of self, of confidence and of community with an emphasis on compassion, communicative play and collaboration with friends.

Bilingual
Students will soon be proficient in both English and Chinese as from the PYP years there are two teachers in each class, one teaching English and the other teaching Chinese. Up until G6, all subjects are taught in both languages. From G7 and up, subjects are taught in English with Chinese offered as a second language as well as French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Korean.

Find out more!
Keen to join the HWA community and hear more about their values and their IB programme?  Contact them on (+65) 6254 0200 for a tour of their friendly school.

Hillside World Academy, 11 Hillside Drive Singapore, Singapore 548926, Tel: (+65) 6254 0200, http://hwa.edu.sg