Academic Partnership: CourseLeap Education &
Heritage International Xperiential School
Bridge Programmes for Cambridge: Grade 6/7 & IGCSE: Grade 8/9 and Grade 11 IB students
CourseLeap Education is a dynamic organization which empowers both students and institutions to achieve excellence through the application of strong academic principles and practices. Working within various international curricula such as Cambridge and the International Baccalaureate (IB), we address skill and competency gaps in pedagogy and learning, through individually tailored academic enrichment, advancement and elevation programmes. We work with students from Grade 6 – 12 to achieve their highest academic goals. Our focus is on core disciplines: Math, Sciences, Languages and Academic Research and Writing skills for success in top international universities.
CLC’s work is also tailored to schools to deliver student programmes that prepare students for transition to International curricula such as Cambridge and IB to suit individual school context and student populations.
Heritage International Xperiential School (HIXS), with its commitment to an experiential project-based pedagogy and integrated curriculum, has established a formidable reputation for itself as a progressive, innovative international school in the few years since it has been operational.
As part of the CourseLeap Consult programme with Heritage International Xperiential School (HIXS) we were happy to conceptualise and conduct a three-week Bridge Programme for Grade 6/7 and 8/9 students and grade 10 students moving to the grade 11 held from April 26 to May 21, 2021, through virtual classes.
The Bridge Programme was an orientation programme that focused on helping students settle into their new school and new international curriculum. It was an opportunity for them to get to know their classmates, understand the curriculum requirements and get ready for the academic session ahead.
The courses served as a preparation for the concepts and skills encountered in the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and IB Diploma (International Baccalaureate Diploma) curriculums. Continuous assessment, feedback and homework were an integral part of the programme.
CourseLeap offered the Bridge Programmes in subject areas of Science, English and Public Speaking for students of Grade 6/7
CourseLeap offered the Bridge Programmes in subject areas of Math, Science, English and Information Literacy & Research for students of Grade 8/9
CourseLeap offered the Pre-IB Bridge Programmes in subject area of Introduction to IB Core (TOK, EE, CAS) for students of Grade 11
Grade 6 & 7
Science Bridge Program – Experiment Investigate & Discover
The course helped students to appreciate and demonstrate the use of scientific methods as a way to inquire and understand the world we live in and engage with things around us through a scientific perspective.
English Bridge Program – Writers Lab
The writer’s workshop course, students learned to engage with English at a higher level, and develop their enjoyment of and confidence in the subject. In the workshop, through a series of short, snappy, fun and engaging activities, students learned two sets of skills: analysing a published author’s writing, and developing their own writing.
English Bridge Program – Public Speaking
This course was designed to develop understanding of the content of a good speech and to learn vocal techniques for successful delivery.
Grade 8 & 9
Math Bridge Program – Math: Art of Problem Solving
The course helped students to understand the nuances behind numbers; inspire and teach them effective problem-solving strategies; develop the ability to identify patterns or approaches leading to new insights. This bridge program broadened their foundational knowledge and understanding of math and how to apply them in various new situations – a useful skill for further progress in understanding 21st century mathematics.
Science Bridge Program – Experiment, Analyse, & Interpret
The science programme enabled students to cultivate an inquiry mindset, promoting identification of questions that require solutions. It also helped them to further ask relevant questions based on the information collected and engage with the data and the facts in ways that lead to meaningful applications in the real world. Hands-on, explorative, collaborative tasks provided the right platform for students to engage in meaningful scientific dialogues and provide a base for a more futuristic and holistic learning engagement.
English Bridge Program – Writers Lab
In the writers’ workshop, through a series of short, snappy, fun and engaging activities, students developed the creative and analytical skills needed to approach the English courses. It is hoped that, through this course, students would not only develop the skills and confidence needed to meet the rigorous demands of IGCSE English as they progress through the school, but will also enjoy and appreciate the subject on a deeper level than they had previously experienced.
Information Literacy & Research
The course was designed as an immersive experience in the basics of academic research and writing which would help promote intellectual confidence and independence of thought, while at the same time encouraging students to appreciate and engage critically with different points of view. The series of lessons moved from basic knowledge to deep understanding, through bite-sized tasks that were both fun and engaging, and suited to a wide range of learner interests.
Grade 11
Pre-IB Introduction to IB Core (TOK, EE, CAS)
This course was developed as an interdisciplinary “Bridge Course” for students from a variety of curricula currently preparing to enter a Grade 11 IB program. This course aimed to lay the foundation needed to succeed within the IB Diploma in areas such as critical reading and writing, research and reflection. These skills are invaluable for individual subjects including the internal assessment component but more importantly the course will also prepare students for attainment in the ‘core’ of the IB Diploma Program (Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity, Service), which requires these interdisciplinary skills.
Faculty
The Math Bridge Program with a focus on Art of Problem Solving is conceptualized and designed by Mrs. Dhingra, founder, academic advisor, and chief instructor at CourseLeap; former Head of Math and Director Academics at DAIS (Dhirubhai Ambani International School). Her efforts seek to develop intellectually stimulating programs for high school students to fulfill their academic potential. A team of CourseLeap instructors who are highly experienced IGCSE & IB educators adept at delivering engaging online courses delivered the programme.Student peer mentors having experience with math tutoring in upper schools & currently teaching assistants and instructors at Courseleap, will support the development and delivery of this Bridge Course.
English & Public Speaking
Nick Pillow is a consultant and teacher based in Mumbai. Originally from the UK, he is now the director of Laughing Pillow LLP, a theatre and English education consultancy, and a graduate of the University of Cambridge where he read English Literature. He has taught English and Drama for almost fifteen years, both in London and, for the last seven years, as head of Performing Arts at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai. He has also worked as an IGCSE, Pre-IB and IB English tutor for many years, helping students develop skills and prepare for their exams, both individually and in groups. He has an MTeach from the University of London Institute of Education. At CourseLeap Nick is the course instructor for High School Accelerator for Public Speaking, English Written Communication and Pre-IB English.
Science
Mrs. Fizza Kachwala has been associated with The Bombay International School (BIS) since 2008 and is currently the Coordinator for the Middle Years. She holds a Masters in Zoology from the Mumbai University and Bachelor’s in Education from St. Xavier’s Institute of Education. Her teaching experience ranges from the B.Sc. program at Mumbai University to the IB PYP. Fizza has been delivering the Cambridge Lower Secondary as well as the Checkpoint Science curriculum at BIS since many years and conducted special ‘Think Lab’ sessions (hands-on learning) as part of the school’s science curriculum.
Pratibha is a qualified teacher with a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master’s in Sciences. Her teaching career commenced in the year 2003 as an IB PYP teacher at Indus International School, Bangalore and gradually, she has progressed to IB MYP, DP, and IGCSE (both checkpoint and secondary). She has served in various IB schools including Sreenidhi International School Hyderabad and Gateway International School in Sri Lanka. Currently, she is based in Hyderabad. She finds Cambridge and the IB curriculum developmentally appropriate to bring excitement to the learners.
Information Literacy & Research | Pre-IB Introduction to IB Core (TOK, EE, CAS)
Chrisann has extensive classroom experience of more than 11 years teaching Psychology and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) to IB Students at Jamnabai Narsee school as well as the Dhirubhai Ambani School International School (DAIS) where she headed her subject. She is an IB examiner for the TOK essay and Moderator for Internal Assessments (IA) in Psychology and also IB Examiner Paper 3 and writes courses in various schools across India. She has conducted sessions in Psychology and Theory of Knowledge with teachers and students at various schools in India. At CourseLeap Chrisann is the lead instructor for Pre- IB Introduction to IB Core, Mid-IB TOK Exhibition and Essay, High School Accelerator (HSA), Information Literacy, Research & Critical Thinking, Pre-University Research & Academic Writing Skills Programme.
The course content was interesting, the questions were good – enabling them to think more.
Excellent program. The program not only attuned the children’s mind to Heritage’s ways of learning it made the entire learning program extremely engaging for children. I could see my child was enthusiastic and learning math in a way i have not seen before!
Emphasis on holistic and immersive learning was quite apparent. It contributed to the well articulated presentations.
Pleasantly welcomed the collaborative method of delivery to a complex subject like maths. everyone did splendid.
Very impressed with how concepts have been rolled into real life situations and driving essential skills like collaboration, team work, use of technology and presentation skills!
Hi,
We are extremely delighted to witness the pedagogy at Heritage that is vastly different from traditional schooling. The focus on communication skills, understanding maths in real world context and solving problems together – these are essential life skills now do well in any chosen field. Heritage is clearly setting the right foundation for our kids
This Program, has brought the best out of Children, in terms of their Collaboration, Learning new Concepts and Presentation!
It was very encouraging for the children and reassuring for the Parents 🙂
This program was well designed and implemented , encouraging to look forward to similar vision of school in regular study.
It was very encouraging and reassuring to see the progress made by the children. It promises to be a stable foundation for the onward journey.
This program was really helpful, taught me new concepts and tools, definitely bridged gaps between the two programs.
I was a student who attended the Bridge Programme. I think it was a great programme, but some things could be ironed out. For one, there were some technical issues with logging in, and just technical issues in general. And I think that at times, the programme got a bit boring, and could have been a bit more interesting.
It was really good, it helped me get to know about the IGCSE program.
I think that it was fun to use the tech tools like excel. Thank you all for helping me to get ready for SP!
Excellent conceptualisation, execution and sharing of thinking. The presentation of the bridge program was insightful in providing the understanding of how math can be learnt in a very real way. The students took great ownership of their learning and were able to present their insights with clarity.
A thought I would love to leave all students with would be to start thinking about – what were the questions the mathematicians were asking in their quest to arrive at generalisations/formulas? How can we learn from that questioning technique and take it forward in other areas of our lives? Great work again…
This program was well designed and implemented , encouraging to look forward to similar vision of school in regular study. Earlier I thought it will be regular program like any other summer program but medthadlogy, was out of the box . This program has given confidence to expect much more . Great job . Keep it up
This was an excellent and amazing course , I really hope to do this again next year
The program was well organized and delivered. It provided Siddharth an engaging experience. Thank you.
The teachers were involved and did a good job to keep the students interested in a remote working environment.
As an area of further improvement:
The course content can be re-examined eg, Euler’s formula is quite advanced for students who have not done some of the basics needed to understand and appreciate the same.
Loved the creativity
Really good , I really enjoyed engaging with teacher and I was scared from moving to IGCSE from CBSE but this program helped me alot and also I made a ton friends..
Thanks for the great session, very impressive.
All did a great deep dive into learning and expressing, varied topics and uniquely presented them. Kudos.
Awesome program for the students to easily blend into a new curriculum… In 3weeks it was amazing to see the amount of learning they did in the given scenario of virtual learning….. I would say ,a must program for every child to understand the padagogy…. Course Leap has actually put in a lot of effort to streamline things for the students…Great Effort!!
The culmination of Grade 8-9 Bridge Program held on 13th May, 21 can be seen as a brilliant amalgamation of skill-building and collaboration amongst young learners who engaged with multiple areas of knowledge.
The effort of Team CourseLeap was very evident with strong planning, energizing faculty discussions, and insightful performances throughout.
Very proud to have witnessed the event as a coordinator and educator!
Kudos!
I really enjoyed the programme. The teachers were great. I really enjoyed learning English with Nick sir, learning about Fact vs Fiction and sources with Chrisann ma’am, and doing experiments with Fizza ma’am. The classes were well organised, and I really enjoyed every single moment of it. It was a great experience and would like to have it again.
Excellent conceptualization, planning, execution, and delivery of authentic and engaging learning experience. Kudos to the Courseleap Education team for guiding and mentoring students during the 3-week bridge course. It was a delight to see the students take ownership of their learning and the way they were able to present their insights with clarity was commendable. Thank you team Courseleap Education for empowering our students. We look forward to harnessing this academic partnership so as to benefit many more HIXS students, every year. Gratitude!
Review Bridge Program.