Beacon Academy is one of Jakarta’s youngest international schools focusing on primary education. It strongly believes in educating children by providing them with an international outlook and exposing them to the skills required in the 21st century.
Each classroom has within it a digital projector and an interactive touchscreen whiteboard.
Through this, teachers are able to download videos, flash games and animations and use the in-built software to create lessons that are visual and dynamically interesting for our learners.
Beacon feels that the use of the Smartboard is instrumental in engaging learners when a new idea is introduced, increasing their level of attention and interest towards the learning area. However instrumental this tool may be, Beacon realises that it isn’t a substitute to the core learning relationship between a teacher and a student, and vice-versa.
Technology is not the only solution to 21st century education. When we are trying to equip our learners with an international outlook, it means celebrating diversity through appreciating the similarities and differences of people from other cultures and religions. It is a far more important aim for schools to create responsible and compassionate individuals bound by the values of morality and respect.
Beacon celebrates Chinese New Year, Indian New Year, Idul Fitri and many other celebrations, however, these are very tokenistic to say the least and although they are a significant part of our school culture, these alone do not deliver an international outlook for out students.
International education lies at the heart of the educator; at the heart of the educator’s ability to openly discuss the similarities and differences of cultures, religions and countries within the classroom.
As early as Primary 1, Beacon students are already involved in thematic based units where comparing and contrasting different lives of different people is a common everyday occurrence.
In a theme entitled ‘Clothes’ for example, students explore different countries and identify the climatic patterns there (Geography). Students also identify the different kinds of clothes people in the selected countries wear, and how these may have changed over a period of time (History). Students then, through a hands-on approach, identify different materials and discover which one is the best insulator (Science). They are now able to link the material which they have discovered to be the best insulator to the country with the coolest climate.
By identifying links, students are exhibiting knowledge and understanding of several subject areas and retaining ‘relevant’ information into long-term memory. This is a more effective way of learning, rather than learning bits of information in fragments.
The international element was introduced when different countries and their cultures were explored within the theme.
Even as technology becomes the dominant tool for communication today, at Beacon we strongly believe that the biggest investment must go into the values of a human being. Once a child exercises the values of compassion, respect, tolerance and responsibility, then we believe that our goal in creating the 21st century learner has been achieved.
For more details, contact
Richard Sidharta
Director – Beacon Academy
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Jl. Agung Timur IX, Blok O, No. 2 – 3
Sunter – Podomoro
Jakarta 14350
Indonesia
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Tel: +62 21 6530 6433
Fax: +62 21 6530 6435
www.beaconacademy.net
rsidharta@beaconacademy.net
