On Monday, March 18th, 2024, we departed from Wells early in the morning for our second annual visit to Toyota Ban Pho Plant. This trip was designed for Grade 12 students who are studying operations management in their 2nd year of Business Management (BM) studies, and aimed to give insight into one of the top car-making companies in the world production line.

During this time, BM senior students have been learning about the various aspects of lean manufacturing, inspired by Toyota.  This trip exposed students to the complexities of operating a business in an era of groundbreaking innovations and changes in human resource management in a globalized environment; students were able to make connections between what they study and the real world.

Student Reflections

The following excerpts from students’ reflections post trip, as well as the photos, show how important these trips are for students in experiencing the real-world application of the theories and concepts discussed in class:

“Overall, this trip was quite beneficial as I got to make many connections with the things that we have learned in BM class. Not only that, but it was quite fun to see the idea of lean manufacturing and quality control methods in real life after hearing about them. The most important thing that I learned was that as the world is developing more and more things are going to be automated, even the simpler things like moving one part from one area to another or flipping the frame of the car upside down.”

-Franny

“I also saw how sustainability was implemented into the factory work. Toyota has grass fields around their factory to improve the environment and they also reuse the water that was used to check the car windows. We all were also able to identify defects which was really cool as it connects to what we are learning in class.”

-Arjan

“This trip indeed helped my learning. As I watched the production line, I was reminded of various concepts about lean production we learned in class. When I saw some colorful posters to inform workers about Toyota’s mission, or when I saw the wall of hall of fame, I was reminded of a lot about what I researched for my university entrance exam interview, about what companies like Toyota do to motivate Thai workers. From now on, whenever I learn about operation management in business management, I feel like I will right away think of the scenery I saw in the factory today, which would also be helpful for my learning in the university as well.”

-Risa

“I would say that observing the factory and being able to discuss and explain things with and to my friends while we were walking through it helped enhance my own understanding of what was going on and the BM connections.” 

-Sameer

“I felt that this field trip was a good experience because we got to learn about Toyota’s operations while connecting it with the BM tools and theories that we have been learning for the past two years. The most memorable experience during the field trip was seeing the long conveyor belt/tunnel of cars being tested on. This was the most memorable experience to me because seeing the large amount of cars being worked on looked cool.”

-Jayden

“It was interesting to see that I was able to spot some similarities between the video we watched in class about Kaizen and during the tour. For example, the tools needed for production were placed in specific areas or kept in specific compartments which makes it easier for the employees to navigate the tools and minimizes the time wasted on finding the tools…This experience has made me realize that the concepts that we have learnt in class are important and correlate to the real world.”

-Ati

“As the tour guide continued to talk about their methods of production, I had these moments where I knew exactly what they were talking about which helped me to brush up on a few terms. This trip also allowed me to see an actual real life business operate like it does daily and I think that I was also a little thankful as working such long shifts must be very tiring for the workers, as well as working during the hot summers must be even worse”.

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“This was probably one of the most insightful field trips ever. It was super cool to see Toyota and how they operate. I never would have thought it takes like 90 seconds for some processes and that Toyota Thailand exports back to Japan despite Toyota being a Japanese company…Witnessing the efficiency and precision of Toyota’s operations firsthand was eye-opening, and it showed the importance of continuous improvement and lean principles in maximizing productivity.”

-Shivam

“Walking through the factory, I was amazed by the size and efficiency of the operation. Watching the workers and machines working together so seamlessly was very impressive. Despite learning a lot during the trip, it also left me with many questions. I found myself wondering about topics like supply chain management and the role of technology in the manufacturing process. I realized there’s still so much more to learn about how companies like Toyota operate.”

-Riyan

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The IB Diploma Programme has provided students at Wells with opportunities to take ownership over their learning, develop their personal and cultural identities, and engage with ideas from the local to global that allows them to take action in the wider community.

“I joined the DP program with 2 goals: to research, and to become a better learner/thinker. The EE and IAs fulfilled my first goal. As for the second, the TOK course and its pervasiveness across all other subjects helped me become more reflective and aware of my own learning process and the knowledge journey in general. It also made me form an interconnectedness perspective of all subjects. This opened up new possible combinations of my academic interests that I hope to pursue moving forward.” (Graduate from Class of 2023)

“The IBDP at Wells was very inclusive of the student’s perspective and thoughts. Especially while working on the Internal Assessments and the Extended Essay, I was able to pursue ideas that I was curious about. I believe this not only satisfies my thirst for knowledge but also encourages me to seek more knowledge in the future.” (Graduate from Class of 2023)

“The TOK course and its pervasiveness across all other subjects helped me be more reflective and aware of my own learning process and the knowledge journey in general. It also made me form an interconnected perspective of all subjects. This opened up new possible combinations of my academic interests that I hope to pursue moving forward.” (Graduate from Class of 2023)

As a school, we are proud to reflect on our progress in developing our IB Diploma Programme for the past 10 years, and eagerly look forward to continuous development of the programme moving forward. We commend our IB Diploma and Certificate candidates over the years for attempting, accomplishing and persevering throughout such an academically rigorous program. We recognize we must continue to create and innovate in order to provide quality education for our students in a complex and ever-changing global context.

Here are some of the moments captured of students inquiring, collaborating, learning and developing useful life skills in and outside of the classroom:

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The TOK exhibition is the course’s internal assessment (IA) and its purpose is for students to demonstrate how TOK manifests itself in the world around them. This is achieved through creating an exhibition of three objects which have a real-world context, and demonstrating how these objects connect to one of the IA prompts provided by the IB. Throughout the year, students have been working towards this final event, completing related assessments, such as show & tell, mini exhibition posters and a mock exhibition.

Some of the prompts explored by students included:

• Why do we seek knowledge?

• Are some things unknowable?

• What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?

• What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?

• Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?

• How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion?

• What counts as good evidence for a claim? (IBDP Theory of Knowledge Subject Guide, 2020)

The goal of the exhibition was to increase visibility of TOK in the school community, as well as encourage students to explore diverse perspectives in pursuit of answers to their prompt questions. Teachers and students from middle and high school joined to learn more about the TOK course, as well as gain new knowledge related to each unique individual exhibition. There were some interesting discussions and insightful explorations into the questions between the hosts and participants. 

We commend the students for their efforts in completing the TOK exhibition in their first year of the IB Diploma Programme, and celebrate their first completed IA of many!

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Below are some of the thoughts of our teachers, parents and students about the importance of language diversity in preserving cultures and developing international mindedness, a central principle of all IB World Schools.

Ms. Kae

My name is Phoomarine Sukosi. I am a Thai teacher in Thailand and my mother tongue is Thai. When I teach my students, I use Thai language because I need students to listen and speak Thai words clearly and know the meaning. I help Thai native and non-native students receive a quality education in their first language. I know the Thai language is difficult for students  because they are international school students but I believe  if my students are willing and try to learn, they will learn effectively. 

Besides teaching Thai language to students at school, I also teach the Thai language to my daughter because I need her to love using Thai correctly. I taught  her how to greet older people and say “Sawatdee kha”  to preserve and still show the important culture and traditions of Thailand and it also connects the relationship between oneself and others. 

Ms. Lana

Being a linguist and a history teacher with an extensive exposure to various language families throughout my life, and, at the same time, being a mother to a “third culture kid”, I feel it is equally important to learn foreign languages as well as preserve your own mother tongue. While the latter shapes your identity and gives you a sense of belonging, learning foreign languages (or, at least, attempting to) expands your worldview and develops appreciation for cultural diversity. 

Fostering a strong bond to a particular language may be especially challenging when you live in a multicultural or multilingual environment. But having that strong bond does not necessarily mean being completely fluent in the language one perceives as their “native”. I think it is more about appreciation of the cultural heritage that your mother tongue is part of.

At Wells, we are proud to offer and support language learning by offering IB Diploma Programme self-taught courses in the mother tongues of students. For those who have learned their mother tongue already in school, they can continue through the unique course offering of Language A: Literature that allows students to explore the deeper meaning of language and context in textual works such as poetry, short stories and novels, both written in their mother tongue and translated works. Here is an essay from our Grade 11 student who has written about how learning her mother tongue in addition to English is a great way to explore her international mindedness.

International Mindedness: Perspective on Language A School-Supported Self-Taught Literature in the IB Diploma Programme

Written By: Rachel Bobin Kim

Hello, I’m Rachel in Grade 11. I’m a Korean student taking the IB program in Thailand. One of my six IB subjects is IB Korean Language & Literature A SL. After going to an international school, learning my mother tongue language became a difficult task. I had to focus on my subjects that are in English so I didn’t have much time to study Korean. Because I wanted to keep learning Korean and improve my skill in it, I thought that choosing Korean Language & Literature A for my IB subject would be great. Also, because I’m planning to go to a Korean university, I thought it would be very helpful to learn Korean writing and analysis skills. By learning Language A courses in both English and my mother tongue language, I got to read books in two languages and know Korean and American cultures more deeply. Therefore, I could express my thoughts in both languages and connect knowledge about culture, leading to a deep understanding of my cultural identity. 

I could find many similarities between these two courses. Firstly, the assessments that are required from both courses are Paper 1, Paper 2, and Individual Oral. Also, the stylistic devices used in the two courses are similar and this helps me to be familiar with them. One difference would be that for paper 1, my Korean class focuses on analyzing literature such as poems, novels, essays, and plays while my English Language & Literature class focuses on analyzing texts such as advertisements, infographics, websites, and cartoons. The difference in terms of the class would be that I have more individual work in Korean as I’m self-studying. For my English class, there are many group discussions and projects.

The advantages I’m experiencing from learning these two languages are improvements in my analytical skills and learning of different cultures. The practice of writing analytical essays in two languages was helpful for me to thoroughly understand the authors’ purpose, targeted audience, and the meaning of the text. I could also improve my skills in analyzing the character traits in novels and connecting them to the cultural and historical context. Moreover, I was able to know more about different cultures. By reading many Korean poems, novels, and essays, I could learn about the culture of Korea and compare it to cultures in English literature. I believe that learning about different cultures plays a key role in developing International Mindedness. 

I realized myself developing international mindedness when I was learning and accepting the beliefs and cultures shown in the literature. I’m not only studying American and Korean culture but also the cultures of other countries through the translated versions of literature. I got many chances to be aware of other cultures and become open-minded from reading and understanding literature in two languages that I’m confident in. Also, I learned different perspectives from the characters in the novels. Learning and valuing different cultures helps me to become a global citizen and understand many people around the world. I’m thankful that I can learn literature in both languages and I hope I will continue developing my international mindedness in this learning process! 

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The TOK exhibition has replaced the original TOK presentation as the course’s internal assessment (IA). The purpose of the exhibition is for students to demonstrate how TOK manifests itself in the world around them. They do this through creating an exhibition of three objects which have a real-world context, and demonstrating how these objects connect to one of the IA prompts provided by the IB. Throughout the year, students have been working towards this final event, completing related assessments, such as show & tell, mini exhibition posters and a mock exhibition.

These are some of the prompts our students explored:

• Why do we seek knowledge?
• Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?
• What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?
• Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?
• To what extent is certainty attainable? 
• What counts as good evidence for a claim? (IBDP Theory of Knowledge Subject Guide, 2020)

Contrary to last year, we were able to host the exhibition in person, in our school library and IB room spaces. Teachers and students from middle and high school joined to learn more about the Theory of Knowledge course, as well as gain new knowledge related to each unique individual exhibition. 

We commend the students for their efforts in completing the TOK exhibition in their first year of the IB Diploma Programme, and celebrate their first completed IA of many!

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The IB Extended Essay is a key feature of the IB DP Core (along with CAS and TOK). It involves the IB Candidates in an undertaking of 4000 words argumentative essay, and in the case of the sciences this also involves a detailed investigation such as a laboratory experiment or fieldwork. For one of our most recent graduates, Gia Karamchandani in Class of 2021, she saw it as an opportunity to extend into her future studies in university.

Extending the EE into Lifelong Learning

For some, the exploration of writing the Extended Essay (EE) is a chance to try something new, to test the waters in a subject, or to focus on a passion. In the case of Gia Karamchandani and her study of bioremediation in biology was a chance to step further into her future university major. 

During Wells Summer Science Program in June/July of 2019 in the labs at University of Hawaii Manoa, Gia experienced what it was like to pursue lab work and investigations. In her EE topic, her aim was to explore potential solutions to the global issue of water pollution, as a response to what she saw growing up here in Bangkok.

After graduation, she didn’t stop learning. Over the summer of 2021, she took on the challenge of making a scientific poster of her 4000 word essay. She pursued and through several iterations of the poster, she learned how to make one as she went, collaborating with several teachers along the way. In the end, she created this beautiful poster, a product of learning communication skills required in the sciences at the university level. No doubt she is ready to take on her first semester as a university student fully prepared!

Download this file(PDF, 3.83MB)

IB DP EE at Wells in September 2021

This first semester, Year 1 candidates in the IBDP are starting to explore their interests and passions in the IBDP Core class. For the Year 2 candidates, they have already developed topics, met with their supervisors, and are in the process of writing their first drafts. This is a challenging at any step of the process. This is where the IBDP offers students a chance to build resilience, focus, and self-regulation, as they monitor their progress and make necessary adjustments. 

Written By: Ms. Katherine Caouette, IB Diploma Programme Coordinator

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Both Hrithi and Seung Eun created a story book to share with the Wells Bang Na campus and their younger peer learners. This gave an opportunity for intergenerational learning, and empowered these IB DP candidates and Wells graduates (#Class of 2021) to not only share their messages, but also learn and be inspired by the questions and work of these future Wells graduates and current IB Primary Years Program (IB PYP) students. 

On the last day as seniors, Friday May 21, 2021, the IB DP class of 2021 graduate Hrithi joined Wells Bang Na Campus Grades 3, 4 and 5 to share the story book she wrote and designed followed by a Q&A session. 

The Q&A session that followed gave an opportunity for the IB Primary Year students to ask their questions. Not only that, but since this was their first time making story books it was helpful that the younger students could give feedback on how the storybook might be improved. This feedback was insightful and showed the critical thinking and evaluation skills developing in these early learners! 

Seung Eun’s story book was drawn by hand, and . She wrote and drew two chapters of a book that follows a girl and her stuffed animal through two journeys. We are excited to see where this character’s next adventure will be, and what important environmental issues we will learn about along the way! 

Written By: Ms. Katherine Caouette, IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS) Teacher

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The Wells Community is wishing our Grade 12 IB Certificate and Diploma the best of luck during the IB exam period!

We encourage you all to do your best and take good care of yourselves during this challenging time!

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