At Concordia International School Shanghai, each enrolled child is seen as a unique gift to our community. Our shared values define the interaction and direction of our whole community. We strive to treat each other and our students with care, respect and equality. The administration, faculty and parents are active partners in ensuring that the entire family's experience as part of the community is a positive and lasting one.
We believe that education is about discovery. We want everyone in our community to discover more about themselves and the world around them during their time at Concordia. It's not simply about grades; it is about the whole person. Therefore, we have designed the school experience around our student learning goals, allowing us to keep our eye on the longterm growth of students as they become insightful learners, effective communicators, active global citizens, reflective spiritual beings and principle-centered leaders and team members.
Concordia educators intentionally look for ways to foster deeper learning, a type of processing and learning marked by a student's ability to transfer what they have learned to new situations. Our academic approach can be summed up as "deeper learning wrapped in relationships." Because we believe relationships feed collaboration and personalization, we tailor what we teach to who we teach.
Whether it's in the classroom, on the field or on the stage, students are afforded countless opportunities to hone their skills and talents in pursuit of their passions. Additionally, we encourage students to look beyond themselves and learn about the talents and needs of others, asking the question, "How might we work together to lead change?"
By encouraging students to find their own unique balance and by supporting them as they pursue personal excellence, we find that amazing things happen.
As a result, Concordia students take away the experience of having tried their hand at many things, from athletics and fine arts to educational travel and service, gaining mastery as they delve deeper, and building confidence in their ability to adapt and learn new skills.
We find that authentic application encourages academic vitality by providing students opportunities to explore the connections between their academic studies and real world endeavors. While such opportunities are found throughout the school, applied learning courses are purposefully integrated into the high school program. Patterned after college-level courses, our applied learning classes offer high levels of academic rigor that value depth over breadth and require students to apply higher-order thinking skills.
Deep roots allow trees to grow tall and weather many storms. Likewise, our intentional approach to developing a deep root system of cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills in our students allows them to grow through challenges and get ready to lead in a complex and dynamic world.
[Images via Concordia International School Shanghai]
Genevieve Ermeling is the assistant head of school for Teaching & Learning at Concordia International School Shanghai. She is inspired by the rich history right outside our school walls that affords students an opportunity to explore China and experience deeper learning.
