We received a warm welcome from our Chonburi Municipal office members and their staff, who were willing to explain the uniqueness of these mangrove forests and the importance of using their gallery hall. Then, our students inspected and learned about local woven products as part of the Thai OTOP project. Our students had the luxury of having three guides support us throughout our field trip. Grade 6 students also received instructions for the field trip, an observation worksheet, and location maps. Soon, we were joined by our Chonburi campus students, who took part in this activity with guidance from their teachers.

Students enjoyed walking along the long bridge ramps, admiring nature’s beauty, and seeing mudskippers, crabs, birds, and streams of water flowing back to the sea to join the Gulf of Thailand. Our students also gathered plenty of information on scientific facts about the flora and fauna of our Chonburi mangrove forest, a real gem among several other conservation forests in Thailand. 

Overall, it was a great learning experience out in the field and a chance to apply academic knowledge to the real world. We look forward to continued learning explorations and collaborations between both campuses!

The post Cross-Campus Mangrove Forest Exploration first appeared on ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ | American International School - Wells.

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On the 30th of October, the IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) Year 2 class went on a field trip to the Samsen Water Works station in Bangkok for an off-campus learning experience. Our international students had a chance to make connections between the classroom and the real-world.

While studying Topic 4: Water and aquatic food production systems and societies of the ESS syllabus, the students visited the MWA’s (Metropolitan Waterworks Authority) water treatment plant at Samsen. Samsen was the first water treatment plant constructed since the reign of the King Chulalongkorn at Samsen Nai, in metropolitan Bangkok. With the capacity of a 550,000 cubic meter of water supply per day, the treatment plant extends 31 kilometers and serves water to people in Phayathai, Dusit, Pra Nakorn, and Ratchatevi.

From this experience, the students were able to observe where the water that we use everyday comes from, and how the MWA ensures the quality, hygiene, and cleanliness of the water. The engineers and staff from Samsen Water Works delivered a detailed presentation about the methods and process that the treatment plant takes to ensure the quality of water, and other statistics regarding the production of water in Samsen.

During the question and answer session following the presentation, students asked questions relating to the ESS topic material, issues arising in other places of the world due to water quality, or clarifications of misconceptions regarding the quality and safety of drinking tap water.

Throughout the day, students engaged directly with the material that they were learning in class and experienced the concepts for themselves. Furthermore, hearing from an expert’s point of view on the issues regarding water quality widened the students’ spectrum of knowledge and understanding. Particularly, observing the filtration in one of the water purification machines fascinated the students and deepened their personal interest in water quality, and the work done at the water treatment plants.

In a nutshell, this trip to Samsen Water Works provided the IB ESS students a great opportunity to observe the filtration processes of the water consumed thoughtlessly everyday in toilets, kitchens, gardens, and in every other common locations. Students applied their learning to their own lives, and reflected on their daily use of water and how this might change their behavior. One student shared in a reflection:

“I never thought about the water bill or how much water I used per day…everything I saw or learned was new to me. Knowing all this information really had an effect on me. I started to use less water and tried not to waste it. Before, I used to think that the bottled water was not expensive, so I bought it every day for drinking…now I know it is expensive. I also realized that Bangkok water management has a huge improvement since the past till now.”

Written By: Cindy Shin (Class of 2018)

Many thanks to the MWA at Samsen in Bangkok for their collaboration in this real-world learning opportunity for the students to connect with the local community in Bangkok. Specifically, we would like to thank Mr. Ton for taking the students on a tour and providing insight into the detailed process behind the water filtration systems, as well as other members of the engineering team. Also, thanks to Ms. June for making the arrangements between Samsen MWA and Wells, and our community members Ms. Ann and Ms. Fon in joining us on the field trip, for translations and preparation. You all helped make this off-campus experience successful and memorable for the students.

The post IB Y2 ESS Field Trip: Samsen Water Works first appeared on ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ | American International School - Wells.

The post IB Y2 ESS Field Trip: Samsen Water Works appeared first on ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ | American International School - Wells.

In addition to the World Religions course, several other high school electives emphasize the relevance of the subject to the students’ lives. Recognizing the lasting impact of the recent world economic crisis, the Personal Finance course provides students with practical knowledge with which to recognize the importance of fiscal responsibility. Environmental Science focuses on the manner in which human beings as a species have misused the world’s resources and, rather than endorse short-term “cleaning” solutions, seeks to find preventive measures that will raise environmental awareness and reduce resource exploitation. These, combined with other courses that will be detailed in future postings, ultimately provide the students at Wells On Nut with a conditioned consciousness and realism that are too often absent in educational settings.

The post Teaching a Practical, Global Perspective first appeared on ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ | American International School - Wells.

The post Teaching a Practical, Global Perspective appeared first on ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ | American International School - Wells.