Istanbul International School - Bilingual K12 Programs

Istanbul International School:
Istanbul International School is the only school in Turkey where a national and international programme are provided under the same roof with the deliberate intention of creating settings in which children meet each other as equals and share learning experiences together. In the programme two distinct curricula operate – one national, representing the Turkish school programme regulated by the National Board of Education. The other is an international curriculum which is British based but suitably flexible to incorporate an eclectic approach to education and choice of materials. Though the two programmes have distinct national features to meet the needs of Turkish or foreign students, they identify themselves as members of the Istanbul International School learning community. Assemblies are conducted jointly, club activities are mixed as are as much as possible Music, PE and Art lessons. Turkish children learn English and foreign children are taught Turkish.

Pre School: 2 - 5 Years - English medium

Primary School: Grades 1 - 4

Middle School: Grades 5 - 8

High School: Grades 9 - 10 (Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education Programme)
                    
                      Grades 11 - 12 (Cambridge A - Level Programme)

We offer an Early Learning Programme intended for kids from age two to five. This period is recognised as a distinct stage of learning, when children learn best through active play and investigation which builds on their individual needs and interests. We know that young children have a wide range of different experiences, skills and interests when they join a setting or school at age three, four or five. They need a well planned and resourced curriculum to take their learning forward and to provide opportunities for them to succeed in an atmosphere of care and in a place where they feel valued.

The programme at our at our Pre School is entirely in English as we use English as our language of communication and not only taught as a foreign language. You would be surprised to see how receptive young children are!

The Early Learning Curriculum (ELC) is based on active learning for children through real-life situations, investigation and play.

We commit ourselves to an active teaching-learning model of education:

    - We believe that all students can learn and that learning makes a difference.
    - We teach in a way that makes learning relevant.
    - We believe in teaching responsible citizenship and life skills We believe in treating all students fairly.
    - We believe in providing a safe and positive learning environment.

We expect good teaching practice to be expressed as...

The following set of principles provides a framework for practice that guides our teachers as they make curriculum decisions and scaffold students’ learning. it is expected that in our teaching practice we will exhibit these and by these we will be assessed.

Children are capable and competent and have been learning since birth. Recognising children as competent learners means recognising what they know and can do, and using that as a starting point for new learning. As teachers we will support and encourage children as they learn by building on their prior knowledge, making links to new learning and making implicit knowledge explicit.
   
Children build deep understandings when they learn through all senses and are offered choice in their learning experiences. Children develop complex cognitive structures when they take in information through all senses including touch, kinaesthetic (body movement) and smell.
   
Children engage more enthusiastically in learning when they are able to participate in decision making about learning experiences.
   
Children learn best through interactions, active exploration, experimentation and by representing their learning through a variety of modes. Children actively construct knowledge of their world by investigating new materials, ideas and events. Therefore they learn most effectively through interactions with people, concrete objects, ideas and representations, which invite attention, exploration, manipulation, elaboration, experimentation and imagination. As teachers we will support children by encouraging them to represent their learning in a range of modes such as movement, painting, drawing, speaking, writing, construction and socio-dramatic play.
   
Children’s positive dispositions to learning, and to themselves as learners, are essential for success in school and beyond. As teachers we have an important role in encouraging children to develop dispositions such as perseverance and a willingness to engage in new learning. Children develop dispositions such as these when they receive constructive feedback as they question, investigate, analyse, innovate and interact with others. Positive dispositions towards learning are also fostered by providing learning experiences that are relevant to children’s lives and interests.
   
Children learn best in environments where there are supportive relationships among all partners in the learning community. As teachers we will develop supportive partnerships with children, families and carers, communities and professional colleagues by:
       
        a. building a sense of child involvement by collaboratively planning with them
        b. involving families in supporting children’s learning through sharing information and allowing families to contribute their own knowledge and perspectives
        c. working with our colleagues - specialist personnel, teachers, teacher aides, administrators and support staff - to provide quality learning programs.
       
Educational programmes are most effective when they recognise, value and build upon the cultural and social experiences of children. Children have diverse experiences in homes, communities, early care and educational settings. As teachers we will collaborate with partners to ensure that learning environments reflect this diversity of cultural and social experiences as well as shared ideas, values, beliefs, and identities. Learning programmes therefore acknowledge or build on children’s diverse ways of thinking, knowing and behaving.
       
Building continuity of learning as children move to and through school provides foundations for their future success. Children successfully manage transitions into school and through school when we teachers establish continuities between children’s prior, current and future learning.
       
Assessment of children is an integral part of the learning–teaching process and is not a separate activity. Assessment involves the purposeful, systematic and on-going monitoring of children’s learning. The information gathered is used for future planning and to make judgments about a child’s learning and development. Children’s everyday learning experiences offer rich opportunities for gathering evidence of learning. It is important that children have opportunities to participate in their assessment and to demonstrate understandings, capabilities and dispositions towards learning in a full range of learning contexts.

The Middle School (Grades 5 - 8) is an important bridging period between Primary School and High School.

The first challenge relates to adjustment – from the the nurtured care of the class teacher to an environment where the student has to be more resourceful as he/she works with a variety of specialist teachers and is expected to be more independent and responsible.

Subjects are defined and the study is in more depth. Our approach to inquiry takes into account the critical needs of the adolescent brain, attempts to inspire and engage by providing a rigorous academic experience and yet respects that the student is developing in a variety of areas of perception, including a sense of his/her identity in a fast changing world. The programme anticipating a variety of different needs in the future for global citizens equips the student with a wide range of skills as well as knowledge in a range of subjects. Mother Language, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Languages, Social Sciences, Visual Arts, ICT, Music, PE

In his recent report, Sir Michael Wilshaw, Chief Inspector of Schools in England, identified that too many students are let down in the early stages of secondary school, entitling his report ‘Key Stage 3: The Wasted Years?’. He goes on to identify that a weakness in teaching and pupil progress reflects the lack of priority given to Key Stage and Middle Years by many schools.

Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, roughly spanning ages eleven to thirteen, vary tremendously in their levels of maturity. It has been said that middle school students are interested in: absolutely everything … for half an hour. Other than the first three years of life, this is the grade span in which youngsters are most transformed. They enter middle school as children and leave as young adults. Sixth graders, except for a few more mature students, may look and act like children. They still regard the teacher as the fount of knowledge and their unquestioned leader. Seventh graders have typically entered what may be the most disorienting time of life. They have discovered sexuality but still deal with most things like children. Bickering and tattling are rampant, and they are intolerant of imperfection in anyone or anything. Eighth graders are generally in the process of coming to terms with their emerging adulthood and are far mellower than sixth or seventh graders. Many of them understand and appreciate irony and adult wit. While they are not children and want independence, they often prefer adult guidance to full responsibility.

Students at all three grade levels need variety. While it is important for knowledge and conceptual understanding to be based in concrete experiences, middle school students will become as bored with exclusively hands-on experiences as with straight textbook instruction. Sixth graders will stay with engaging projects for some time. Seventh graders have other agendas and often test out their social skills, however nascent they may be. Eighth graders will rapidly and smoothly convert a lab into a full-blown social experience which has little to do with what the teacher intended.

The key to working with each of these grade levels is to keep them involved. Adolescents seldom stop to contemplate. They storm through life. Plan lesson sequences with a mixture of strategies, from observing real things, to writing, to reading, to oral sharing to planning and carrying out investigations. The more variety and the quicker the pace, the better it suits them. It takes creativity to keep the attention of these students. Using humour, bringing in strange objects, telling stories, and asking intriguing questions are all useful.  In addition, involvement in planning is very helpful as they become ready to take on more and more responsibility for their own education.

Our Middle Years has been designed to support students during this crucial time. The adolescent brain is at a stage of specialising and pruning connections in a ‘use it or lose it’ fashion. It is crucial for students to make meaning of their learning to help strengthen new connections and to ensure that the existing knowledge and skills are not lost or pruned. This happens in a range of subjects: Mother Language, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Languages, Social Sciences, Visual Arts, ICT, Music, PE and not least Global Perspectives.

Our focus on learning across the different levels of schooling ensures we deliver the best education to equip students for the 21st Century. Our dynamic curriculum is reviewed and updated regularly to ensure it is always current and relevant to the learning needs of our students. We place an emphasis on the process of learning and learning from feedback so students are well equipped to take the next challenge in their learning. Our students have access to the latest technology and we have a tablet provided for each student. E-Learning is integrated into the curriculum and is used to enhance learning at every level. We encourage responsible online behaviour through education and seminars.

Our curriculum builds on approaches to learning developed in the Middle Years and encourages all students to develop enquiring minds. Students are guided towards independent and self-directed learning and subjects are offered to inspire a sense of curiosity and to encourage a love of the subject.

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making are all core skills that are promoted across all facets of the curriculum.

Critical Thinking is encouraged at all classroom levels, ensuring students learn to think critically and understand local and international issues and complex ideas.

Problem Solving is promoted across all facets of the curriculum, from solving a structural problem when creating a design product to working out alternative ways to tackle complex problems.

Ways of Working
There are many opportunities for students to collaborate with fellow students locally and around the world to encourage excellent communication skills.

Skills for Living
Our Sport, Health and Physical Education programmes help promote a lifelong participation in physical activity.

Our Global Perspectives and Social Responsibility Projects equip students with skills to cope with society today and our emphasis on service throughout the School means students are encouraged to think and act on behalf of their local and international communities.