After the success of the airplane competition, class 5 have continued their STEM Design challenge – experimenting with eco powered boats in the school pool! The students have a week to perfect their designs before the grand finale of the next art class.
Klasse 5 combined physics and art in the ultimate aerodynamic design challenge! Students were invited to present their paper airplanes before a panel of peers before the planes were judges on aesthetic, tricks and distance. After an intense competition team ‘Crystal Loop’ came first place after Mr.Wayman’s ‘Yuzu the Holy Lemon`
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The project day “Water Analysis” took place for classes 8 to 10 this week.
The water samples analyzed were taken at various stations during our ship excursion in December 2019 on the Mekong River In 3 hours at 3 stations these water samples were tested for pH, chloride content and ammonium ions.
Our drinking water (I-on life) and the Saigon tap water were also tested.
Next week, the students will evaluate the results of this project day as part of the chemistry class and draw valuable conclusions, and we’ll keep you up to date!
As part of an ethics project under the topic “Give something back to your school community!” the class 6 students planned their own workshops for younger IGS classes. In the next two weeks, the students will offer a dance workshop with their own choreography, two painting courses, a computer games group and a table tennis workshop.The kick-off today was a puzzle group with class 5. Viet, class 6 pupil, who prepared the puzzles and implemented them independently, said: “During IGS-Online I did a lot of puzzles to compensate for the online lessons. I would like to pass on this passion and the opportunity to relax to other children. At the same time, we can work on our endurance and practice our visual skills. Puzzling together is also more fun. While one person finds the corners, the others can work on the inside. ” At the end of the lesson David from Grade 5 stated: “I learned that communication and teamwork are also important when doing puzzles. Together we almost completed the 3D puzzle for Burj al Arab. ”
In addition to the Puzzle AG, there was also a creative craft workshop for Class 4 “Design your own mask!”. “We want to explain to the students why wearing a mask is important and that you can quickly create a stylish mask with the help of a cloth and rubbers that you can wash and wear more often,” explained Michelle, Grade 6. “It was a great workshop . Now we have our own identity in Class 4. This makes mask wearing more fun”, concluded Jan, Class 4, at the end.
All German schools abroad are supported in their development by the responsible German authorities. A productive cooperation with the German educational authorities is important to us. As at the Swiss-German School in Bangkok before, the IGS, too, had been virtually visited by the ZfA process supervisor. Questions of quality assurance, personnel supply, campus expansion and aspects of conceptual development were discussed in different working groups. The focus of development for the coming school year will be the use of the knowledge from igs_online in classroom instruction, but also the opening of the IB diploma phase in class level 11/12.
In order to get a comprehensive picture of online teaching, the main actors, the pupils, were of course also interviewed. The student representatives evaluated the survey.
The survey was issued to students in grades 4-10. 36 responses were given, which gives a response rate of approx. 60%. A quarter of the answers come from grades 5, 6 and 8.
One advantage is that the majority of us have had ICT classes for 2 or more years and are therefore familiar with programs such as Classroom or Docs.
The question of what pupils like about online lessons was mainly answered with personal advantages. You can eat in between, you don’t have to wear a school uniform and you can sleep longer because you don’t have to come to school. But the lessons also improve because you work in a quiet and personal environment and you can organize your work yourself.
However, there were also points that did not go well. Technical problems, such as a slow Internet connection, had a particularly disadvantageous effect, since under those conditions it was no longer possible to concentrate on the lessons. It was also difficult for some learners to maintain their own motivation and not to be distracted.
Above all, however, the friends and classmates with whom you can exchange ideas and play during the breaks are missing.
We did not agree on the things that we learned better or worse in online lessons. We agree that science was a little more difficult without experimentation, but our teachers went to a lot of trouble to explain things more carefully. It was also somewhat more difficult to learn with languages such as German and English. For this, a few said that they were happy to be able to do sports.
Most of us found it strange to see ourselves in the camera and we were therefore happy when we could switch the camera off at certain times. Nevertheless, everyone found it important to start the lesson with visual contact.
Should we need to do online classes again, then of course we also have suggestions on how things could get better for students in the future. We would like to see more breaks because it is very tiring to sit in front of the screen all the time. Better internet quality would also help. Teachers could also make sure that all students understand them and not just a few. Lastly, the teachers should give fewer tasks and homework, or set it up so that we can arrange for ourselves when to do which task.
Finally, we would like to give a few tips to all students who will have to take online classes in the future. Make sure that you drink enough liquids and move around and do sports from time to time. Act as if you were in school and ask your teachers if you have not understood something. Your teachers will help you. Tidy up your desk so that you don’t get distracted so quickly. Keep your spirits up even if the internet is bad or you miss your friends.
In the past week, the Internationale schulische Vergleichsarbeiten 2 (Engl: international school comparative exams 2) of the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad at level A2 (CEFR) took place for the students of the IGS Orientation Stage (grades 5/6) who are studying German in their first year. They have been able to demonstrate their skills in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. During the oral exams on Friday, the German learners convinced with presentation topics on their areas of interest, e.g. Johann Sebastian Bach, chess, and golf. The Internationale schulischen Vergleichsarbeiten are subtitled “On the way to the DSD” and serve as preparation for the DSD level I and II (German Language Certificate of the Education Ministers Conference), which the students will encounter later on in their school career, and are considered as proof of language proficiency for German preparatory colleges and universities. The IGS language concept stipulates that newcomers to the orientation stage must demonstrate a language proficiency level of A2 by the end of the sixth school year in order to move to the next higher class.
Franziska Barnickel
German as a Foreign Language Coordinator
“Klasse 3 have just completed a fantastic project where they recreated Sai Gon streets! Taking photos from long time friend and collaborator Peach Ice Tea, students then re-imagined them in London-based artist Christabel Forbes iconic style – with maximum emphasis on colour and expression. K3 was then lucky enough to take part in a Q&A with Christabel, learning about her travels across the world and what it takes to be a full-time artist!”
– application granted – Congratulations!
The International German School HCMC (IGS) application for the right to hold the exams for the German Language Diploma of the Conference of Ministers of Education – Level 2 – has been granted. From the 2020/2021 school year, DSD-2 exams will be held at the IGS for the first time.
The decision was made by the Committee for the German Language Diploma of the Conference of Ministers of Education on April 1st, 2020 at their 254th meeting. The German Language Diploma II serves as proof of German language skills (B2 / C1 GER) as a prerequisite for admission to a German university.
At the IGS, in addition to the IB diploma and the German language diploma of level I, the German language diploma of level II can now also be obtained. We thank everyone involved who worked so hard to earn this approval.
– Presentations in primary school
At regular intervals the pupils of the elementary and secondary level present their results from the lessons they have learned to classmates from the other grades. Today there were two presentations and great amazement among the audience.In the first hour, the students of class 3/4 (DaF) shared what they had learned about the butterflies in specialist knowledge.
In addition to the information about the habitat, the life cycle and the nutrition, the pirate class was very enthusiastic about what butterflies are able to do: roll the antenna in and out, see it in color and even taste things with their feet.In the past few weeks, students in grade 5/6 have been studying poetry in the German Plus class. At the end of the lesson, they wrote their own animal poems and today presented them to class 3 in a “museum tour”: from the advantages of a cat as a pet to the short life of a gecko, to the dreaming romance of a pig, the pupils were enthusiastic about the creativity and inventiveness of the presenters.The poems were given musical accompaniment by a class 6 student on the piano. “The poems were fun, varied and very creative,” said Ken from grade 3.
Once again this year, students from grades 7, 8, and 9 had to demonstrate their language skills at the German Language Diploma DSD 1. On Tuesday, the learners have already been tested in the skills of listening, reading, and writing and on Thursday they took their speaking exams in front of a panel of examiners. Once again, the IGS DaF department was thrilled by the wide range of topics: from “The history of chess” to the question “Can bicycles be the main means of transport of the future?” even with the addition of a musical component ” Đen Vâu – From toilet cleaner to successful rapper”, the students showed their language skills. We are pleased to announce that all of the candidates who are taking the DSD I exams have passed their speaking exams. Now we will have to wait until the examination results from the other three skills will return from Germany where they are assessed by official DSD I examiners.
Kathrin Schmidt
German as a foreign language teacher
DSD I Examiner
After many long weeks of no school, the preschoolers can finally play together, do handicrafts, discover their environments, and of course – continue with their preparation for their transition into the first grade. The teachers have developed a tailor-made preschool course that will help the children over the next few weeks to acquire the skills needed for the first grade. All the children were ecstatic on Monday, and happy to be back. The most exciting thing to do first was to use and share the toys. There was lively activity in all the rooms while each child rediscovered their favorite toys. We all discussed our experiences of the corona time-period at home, and the children shared their experiences at home and with their parents. We have had fun getting involved with arts and crafts activities – including creating a surprise for Father’s Day.
It was wonderful to see that the children didn’t forget the classroom rules and routines, which makes it easier to concentrate on the more exciting things.
This year, the grade 2 class successfully participated in the Mini-Känguru competition for the first time. This internal maths competition is the preparation the international Känguru competition in which the older classes participate.The children had a lot of fun on the intensive thinking required to solve the problems and were very proud of their medals.
The most successful candidates were Ivy Hauschild with 47,5 points, followed by Noah and Cedric.
Congratulations to the winners!
Nach den langen Wochen können die Kinder der Vorschule wieder gemeinsam spielen, basteln, entdecken und sich natürlich auf den Übergang in die erste Klasse vorbereiten. Ein maßgeschneiderter Vorschulkurs wird den Kindern in den nächsten Wochen helfen, die notwendigen Kompetenzen für den Schulanfang zu erwerben.
Alle waren am Montag sichtlich froh, wieder da zu sein. Als erstes wurde das Spielzeug in Beschlag genommen. Jedes Kind entdeckte seine Lieblingsspielzeuge wieder, und es herrschte munteres Treiben in allen Räumen. Die Kinder erzählten von der Corona-Zeit zu Hause und ihren Erlebnissen mit den Eltern. Es wurde auch schon fleißig gebastelt – darunter auch eine Überraschung für den Vatertag. Toll, dass die Kinder die Abläufe noch nicht vergessen hatten und wir uns somit auf die spannenden Dinge konzentrieren können.
From now on you can watch movie clips from and about IGS on IGS TVIGS TV. You can select between the channels Campus Life, Music & Concerts, Arts & Craft, Early Science and Vietnamese. Have fun looking at the clips.
The research hours in grades 9 and 10 serve to learn scientific working methods in preparation for the IB diploma phase. They are firmly integrated into the timetable as weekly double lessons and were organized by Ms. Mai this school year. The aim of the research is to gain knowledge that arises from working on a specific question or an investigation. The students can choose the subject and their mentor. The topics come from the humanities, music/arts or natural sciences. All work includes an examination, the writing of the findings together with a practical part and a colloquium in which the learners have to present and defend their work. Mentor meetings were held regularly, at which the students informed their mentors about the current state of research and received feedback and support for the next steps. The pupils were competently accompanied by specialists from the respective specialist area throughout the year. After submitting the written work, the first colloquia on the research work took place this week. The colloquium lasts about 45 minutes and is a part of the examination performance, 30% of which is included in the overall grade.The first colloquia showed an exciting mix of linguistic, biological, social and technical topics. In a 10-minute presentation, the students report to the examination team, explain the methodological procedure and present the results. Afterwards, interesting, partly challenging discussions about the topic take place. We are really looking forward to the upcoming colloquia next week.
As in every year before the exams for the German Language Certificate of the Education Ministers Conference level 1 (DSD 1), the pilot exam took place this week on May 15th, 2020.
Due to the recent worldwide school closures, the official dates have been postponed until May. Thus, the written exam will take place on May 26th, 2020 and the oral exam will be on May 28th, 2020.
During the trial exam on Friday, which is intended to prepare for the orals, the students in grades 7 and 8 were able to get acquainted with the sequence and the expectations of the exam format by watching two of their brave classmates being examined. All teachers involved in the exams calibrated their assessment to ensure a uniform performance assessment on the official date.
Bottom line: the trial exams were successful and the classes could learn immensely from the experience. The mood among those involved was focused and attentive.
We wish all participants the best of luck in the DSD 1 exams in May 2020.
Franziska Barnickel
DaF-Coordination
Classes 4-10 are back on campus. After the temperature controls, the information about the hygiene and the adequate behaviour, all classes were ready for studying on campus.
Again, there was real exchange among students and teachers. During the phase of online teaching it became apparent that communication and learning go far beyond the acquisition of facts.
Although some of the students have made significant progress in learning online, it soon became clear that motivation and personal relationships also heavily depend on non-verbal signals, interaction with others, hands-on-experiences and observations.
We look forward to the return of the classes 1-3 next week on Monday.
The school thanks parents for their participation in the online IGS survey. The school received feedback from 37 parents from different grades. The questions are first evaluated in full before individual aspects are presented.
In addition to the fact that there were classes at all, positive aspects of online teaching related primarily to the individual, continuous work as well as the promotion of independent work and self-organization of the pupils.
When asked about the students’ progress, a typical statistical Gaussian curve emerges, the center of which shifted somewhat by one level into the negative. Of course, it was to be expected that online lessons could not completely replace regular lessons.
Regarding the disadvantageous aspects, it can be said that single parents expressed themselves on the screen for too long periods, which was seen as the possible cause of sleep disorders during the Covid-19-related closures. As expected, many parents also noticed the limits of online learning, particularly in the lack of social interaction. Lack of communication, both between teachers and students was reported by the parents. This was partly reports of impairments due to technical problems – communication is more than hearing and seeing.
The most detailed answers concerned the effects on the family. While over a third of the parents saw little influence on family life, there were smaller or larger challenges for those in the lower grades in particular, which some parents were able to overcome after initial difficulties. Others, especially working primary school parents, were more affected. They report on the need to provide technical support or to be present at home in order to respond to the needs of the children, prepare the food, etc.
According to some parents, the biggest challenge for the children was the need to motivate themselves to work on the screen without the usual interaction and to concentrate on the lessons. Signs of fatigue, overwork and increasing passivity were reported.
When asked whether positive aspects could also be seen, the parents were divided. Only individual parents have given specifics here.
When asked about opportunities for improvement, the parents made individual suggestions. The most common was the desire of the parents for more contact with other parents in the class and more frequent feedback overall. A remarkable number of parents used this question to express thanks for the good and committed work of the college. Of course, there was also a wish that regular classes could take place again as soon as possible.
At the end of the analysis of the parent questionnaire, one can consider differences between the individual age groups and individual subjects. Parents were particularly challenged in primary school. Individual parents wanted even more intensive individual support, while other parents also clearly saw the limits of online teaching in primary school. The parents of older pupils sometimes had the desire for larger and more complex tasks.
In response to questions from the college and from individual students, different pictures emerged depending on the subject being taught. While in mathematics or in narrow sub-areas of language teaching, some significant increases in learning were reported, those subjects that relied on real encounters, experiments and the illustration of processes showed challenges that were difficult or impossible to compensate for online.
We thank the 37 parents who took part in the survey. If you have not reached the questionnaire, please contact the school office to check your contact details. Our teachers and students also took part in surveys, the results of which we will publish shortly.
Ulrich Erfort
Dear Parents
We wish you and your families a Happy Easter.
With regard to the upcoming holidays, I would like to draw your attention to leisure activities for classes 1-10 during this time. The information about the activities was already sent to you at the end of last week.
Offers include a game group, a design group for the pupils of grades 10-12 who are developing designs for the school uniform of the upper school, a video group, a chess circle, a code group and a group that is preparing the sports day.
The parents of class 1 have already received information about the class 1 program from their class teachers Mr. and Mrs. Wiesneth along with a cute Easter bunny video clip for the little ones.
In addition, the student representatives, in collaboration with Mr. Streich and Mr. Heimann, are providing virtual rooms for appointments.
Apart from the leisure program, Mr. Vale and Ms. Le are offering question and answer sessions on topics and content in the subjects of English and Mathematics (Mathematics: Questions can be asked in Vietnamese or English).
Mr. Singh uma-singh@igs-hcmc.org can be reached Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. for problems and questions in the area of ICT or the library.
Students can register for the offers via the link https://tinyurl.com/IGS-Osterferien.
In this way we hope to be able to provide opportunities for some social exchange for your children.
The U6 area carries out its usual offers (crafting packages, learning ideas, video contact times) throughout the holiday period.
Sincerely
Dirk Thormann
Interview with Kordula Schulz-Asche, Member of the German Bundestag
What do the students of the IGS and the members of the German Bundestag have in common? They “zoom”!
While the students in Vietnam have had online classes for nine weeks, the German parliament has to find new ways of communicating with its members. A virtue is made of necessity, and thanks to a video conference, the distance from Ho Chi Minh City to Berlin to the German Parliament is reduced to virtually nothing.
As part of the lesson under the direction of the social science teacher Ms. Schmidt, the students in grades 9 and 10 had the opportunity to interview a member of the German Parliament and expert in health and care policy and infectious diseases, Ms. Kordula Schulz-Asche.
After getting to know the parliamentary system of Germany and familiarizing themselves with the functioning of the Bundestag in the past few weeks, the students had prepared specific questions about a career as a member of a parliament, about their everyday work, but also about the current world situation with the Corona Virus.
“Being a politician does not start with being an authority, but with being interested in politics,” said Ms. Schulz-Asche at the beginning of the one-hour-long interview. During her school days she had campaigned in small-scale politics as a student representative in a divided Berlin. “I became interested in the interests of the people around me early on and was not very focused on myself.” Nevertheless, the step to go into politics came a little later: After training as a nurse, studying communication science, and spending many years abroad in Africa as an employee in the field of health education, her path into active politics came in 2003 – first as a member of parliament the Hessian State Parliament and finally in 2013 as a member of the German Bundestag. “As a politician, you need a professional basis, experience and an open ear for people’s problems. As a politician, you should resist the temptation to make yourself dependent on your mandate or position. ” In order to become a good politician who focuses on people’s needs, Ms. Schulz-Asche believes that a good mix of personal opinion is needed, but which is also based on the wishes of the people and is scientifically sound.
During the conversation, the students also learned how busy people are who work in the German Bundestag, and that up to 12 hours of work can be done per day. There is a wild mix of parliamentary group meetings, speeches in the German Bundestag, panel discussions with experts from the health and nursing industry or a visit to a police station or nursing facility in their home town. In addition, the learners learned that it can be difficult – given the global challenges – to switch off as a politician and to live a normal life. “Insults and threats have unfortunately increased. The disadvantages of being a member of Parliament can increase with greater awareness people have of just how accessible you are. ”
However, Ms. Schulz-Asche mostly encounters open, interested people and she still enjoys being able to travel anonymously through the country without being recognized. “I don’t have to be in the front row with federal ministers or parliamentary group leaders. For me it is more important to be connected than to be known. ”
“The most unpleasant thing about politics, however, is redundancy.” For years, an obvious shortage of skilled workers in health care has been noticeable in Germany, and the conditions within the nursing sector, such as poor pay, insufficient work-life balance, and low levels of nursing care for patients are not new, according to the health expert. But the pressing issue has not been tackled extensively for far too long. “The challenges in the health care sector are now more relevant than ever in times of the corona virus. Sometimes it is difficult to endure being ahead of the political process. So it is all the more gratifying that something is happening. ”
In order to curb the corona virus, according to Schulz-Asche, one must act decisively but above all in solidarity. “Not only do certain population groups within Germany need our solidarity, but we also need to foster solidarity with countries where there is no infection protection and health system as extensive as in Germany. Global infection control can only be as good as the weakest link in the chain. ” It is encouraging that financially strong programs for business, research and the social and health sector have already been put in place, but, according to Schulz-Asche, the consequences of the corona pandemic will plague us long after the pandemic is over. The expert has already learned one lesson: “In the future, small-scale production chains will be required, especially for medicines, medical devices and protective clothing; must be able to trust the German location.”
At the end of the intensive conversation, the students were able to discover a completely different facet in Ms. Schulz-Asche than what they had been led by her to expect: “Of course there are still moments when I am excited to speak on a podium – especially when I do not assess the expectations of the audience. But it’s not bad to be excited. A slight basic nervousness is a good companion in everyday political life.”
The students’ reaction promptly followed: “I was surprised by the authenticity and honesty of the member of the parliament ,” Yipta, grade 10, pointed out.
The interview gave the IGS students the opportunity to get a little insight into the life and work of a member of the Bundestag and Ms. Schulz-Asche also liked the exchange, in which she summarized: “I have had a lot of video conferences in the past few weeks in particular, but this was not only the most distant but also the most lively. ”
The students also reflected on the conversation with Schulz-Asche: “The comments on the workload of a politician showed me how stressful the job as a politician can be and encouraged me not to take this path,” said David, class 10.
Simon, grade 9, summed it up personally: “My view of the profession as a politician has changed a lot through interviewing because I didn’t know beforehand that it can actually be pretty easy to become a politician. Ms. Schulz-Asche advised me that if I want to actively go into politics, I should first finish school, do an apprenticeship or study, because with a wealth of experience, politics can be better done for the general public. Maybe the job as a politician is a professional possibility for me. ”
Milan, on the other hand, pointed out that working as a politician would sometimes resemble working as a scientist. As in science, politicians would also work for a long time to create more awareness of their issues, such as Ms. Schulz-Asche’s care and infectious diseases. “Important issues in society are often neglected until they arrive in society with full force,” said Milan, grade 10. Then you would suddenly become a superstar. For years, enough money would not have been released for research on infectious diseases and now that the corona crisis is here it could not go fast enough. Milan concluded: “What have I learned from Ms. Schulz-Asche? The years of preparation are always worthwhile. At some point, the issues will become important enough for people to take notice. ”
Finally, the member of the Bundestag asked the pupils to be available for further questions. Everyone agreed that the format had to be repeated.
“I see politics as an assignment to understand certain functions of society and to make suggestions to improve them. That is what drives me. ” (Kordula Schulz-Asche, member of the Bundestag)
We want to thank everyone who participated in the first round of the Primary Library Logo Competition.
Ben Wayman and Quynh Anh were overwhelmed with the variety of unique designs that the students produced – with so many triangles, books, parrots, and a very confused t-rex it was a fantastic brainstorming session!
We’d like to invite interested K1-5 students to round 2 of the competition – where we develop the parrot concept further.
Attached are some of the highlights from round 1 and the video link with exact details on round 2.
Happy holidays everyone!
Dear friends of the IGS,
There has been little good news in the past few weeks. However, regardless of the challenging times, there has been some for the IGS community today – a good reason to celebrate.
On Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 1:55 p.m. the International German School HCMC (IGS) received the authorization letter from the IB.
The International German School HCMC (IGS) is thus officially the 14th IB World School in Vietnam and from the school year 2020/2021 onwards will be offering the IB diploma program in German/ English for our students.
This is the successful completion of a process that has been in preparation over four years. We thank all the teachers, especially the IB team, our parents, the students involved, our other students and the SBH for their support during this process.
Our special thanks go to our IB coordinator, Ms. Barnickel. With her systematic, very thorough work, she has carefully and successfully prepared the IGS for one of the greatest milestones in the history of the school.
The IB representatives especially appreciated that the entire school community, a broad spectrum of people consisting of students, parents, teachers, the school board and the administration, showed understanding and commitment to the diploma program.
We are particularly proud that the IBO certified the IGS with no provisions – “no matters to be addressed”.
We look forward to starting this demanding program together with our students.
Stay healthy and enjoy this great success together with us in this difficult time.
Yours
Dirk Thormann
Head of School
The children are at home! Not two days, not two weeks, but now for more than two months. U6 parents experience everyday life as a challenge without break. There is little space in the family for travel plans and family harmony. Primary school parents are forced to get familiar with some of the didactic depths of primary school pedagogy. Most of you have never envisaged doing one thing: teaching!
For many expats, the world seemed secure as long as they had the promise of seeking refuge in their home country. A look at Germany now shows that the old frames of reference no longer seem quite as unassailable as before; the ground under our feet has moved a little. Most of us only know of major natural disasters, revolutions, wars and flight or similar life-changing experiences from history books, newspapers or from our grandparents’ stories.
For many of us, the current situation is new: the coordinates have to be re-evaluated – globally and personally. There is no textbook for this: you re-adjust from day to day. Crises sharpen our eyes for the essentials. Pragmatic solutions are also in demand in Germany. The natural love of the Kafkaesque of some authorities is being put under test. Some have even forgotten the gender * asterisk in their texts. Statements are measured against reality, the theatre of populism has been temporarily abandoned.
The politics of affects is substituted by the concrete measure. Health care, digitalisation, education, infrastructure, (data) security, media, the question of the ability to act in a western democracy or federalism are the focus of a new era. The world after September 11th was no longer the same. It remains to be seen to what extent Covid-19 will have a similarly sustainable effect.
Considering reports of the reaction to this crisis from Europe, the Vietnamese approach of the past few weeks appears to be relatively systematic and consistent. Fast decision-making and a synchronised implementation of policy has saved lives. No new local infections are reported from China.
In these times, we as a school want to be a reliable frame of reference, perhaps a piece of home for you and your families. We are aware of the responsibility for your children in this regard and thank you for your effective cooperation. With online classes, we are able to meet the basic requirements of the curriculum and issue certificates at the end of the school year.
In addition to newsletters and videos, we have offered craft packages for the children any online contact hours in the U6. Seesaw is now available for kindergarten and preschool. (denise.schoechert@igs-hcmc.org) Mr. Hübscher will start a small online literature circle for class 3 from now on. Further offers are planned. The art department has announced a competition in order to find a suitable logo for the library. The online catalogue of the primary library is nearly finished. Secondary school students have already been granted access to the catalogue.
Since last week, Mr. Toan has been creating educational videos in the subject of Vietnamese (Cl. 9). The videos are public. We want to make a contribution to students at national schools who may want to make use of this offer.
We are trying to identify opportunities/ chances to make contributions to our students and to the society at large during this time.
I wish you and your families a pleasant weekend.
Stay healthy,
Yours Dirk Thormann
->Student Song: each student contributed from home.
Teaching art online can be quite the challenge, although one that klasse 4 and 5 are responding to with great results! We’d like to take a moment to highlight some of the fantastic work coming out of their cartoon projects, where students are studying how to capture comic-book-style ‘moments’ through the focusing on how we portray sounds and characters. Keep up the good work everyone!
igs_online watch video
It is Sunday, 7:10 p.m. What was already circulating on the social networks was confirmed in an e-mail: In order to avoid the spread of the new Corona virus, the schools in HCMC would initially be closed for one week, according to the order of the Education and Training Authority.
Preventive measures for infection protection had been initiated during the Vietnamese New Year holidays: temperature measurement with infrared thermometers, hand disinfection before entering school, masks for pupils and teachers were among them.
On Monday at 9:30 a.m. teachers met for a crisis meeting on the IGS campus. It quickly became clear that the lessons could take place online. In addition to a crisis team for organizational questions, the school management presented members of the Online Education Task Force at the meeting.
The virtual classrooms already established in regular lessons were equipped by the teachers with self-made teaching videos, specialised instructions and tailor-made materials.Timetables were modified. The school’s EdTech representative conducted a short tutorial on using video conferencing.
Within one school day, the teachers switched their lesson plans to igs_online.
While from the 7th grade onwards the lessons largely followed the regular timetable, more extensive adjustments were necessary in grades 1-6. The ICT lessons take place at IGS only from class 3, which is why the online lessons in the lower grades had to be prepared differently in terms of method and relied heavily on the support of parents or siblings at home.
What does an online workplace look like at home? A quiet work place, a stable internet connection, notebooks or computers – no cell phone and a comfortable chair at the right height – those were the instructions given by the school to the families at home.
On Tuesday it was finally time! With a click on the first lesson in the online timetable, the secondary school students were taken to the virtual classroom of their class teacher. One student confessed that he could hardly sleep the night before with excitement.
While the pupils in the secondary school experienced the lessons in the form of conference calls, the elementary school pupils were given more tasks and explanatory videos that were created by the teachers and teaching assistants for the respective hours. It was now the responsibility of the parents to photograph and return the tasks they had completed. In class 2, communication took place directly via the Seesaw platform.
As on the school campus, secondary school students moved from classroom to classroom. The next classroom was a click away, so to speak. So there were no long walks. As usual, attendance and the content of the lessons was recorded in the electronic class register.
A help desk was available in each classroom for technical support. Via the help desk, students and teachers were able to ask questions at any time of one of the school’s edTech managers. The technical support service was available for questions about the Internet connection or hardware challenges.
The feedback after the first day of online school was surprisingly positive. Some pupils, who were otherwise rather reserved in class, suddenly appeared active; some students who sometimes find it difficult to concentrate on working in regular classes were extremely focused in online classes.
Lucy writes: It is sad without friends. Karel says: Online classes were much more demanding than class at school. Bin thought it was great that you could sleep longer and order your favorite food. Some students wrote that it was a shame not to be able to talk as much and that there were fewer opportunities to move.
What didn’t work? Minh wrote: “The class couldn’t laugh and joke together that often because the teachers listened to everything.”
Methodological challenges quickly became clear. Some teachers report that their students “clicked” them out of the classroom. The students’ microphones had to be turned off when entering the virtual classroom to avoid background noise.
Of course, typical language phrases from the classroom didn’t work online either. Who hasn’t done their homework? Several students answered “I” to this question. It was not possible to determine which of these students was online without the chat function.
That prompts the question: how do you raise your hand if you don’t understand something on an online classroom? The answer came quickly in the online lesson with 18 participants to give their answers.
Classrooms are usually protected spaces in which parents and strangers have no entry. In the online classroom, however, parents and siblings, and even pets, are ever present to disturb the learning process. Of course, the children’s bedroom at home is also a temptation to switch on comfortably from the bed or to focus more on the haircut than the teaching material.
Pupils started falling out in the second week. We learned from the feedback that the screen times sometimes caused headaches and eye pain, especially if the children still used their mobile phones after their online school day was over and spent additional time online.
With a tactical change of methodology, i.e. phasing in work periods without a screen and prescribing exercises in the virtual sports lessons, we attempted to make the lessons more balanced between screen time and time away from screens.
Finally it can be stated:
1. Without the competencies in using EdTech applications that are available to students and teachers from everyday school life, it would not have been possible to switch to online teaching in this form.
2. Online instruction requires a methodical approach that differs from traditional instruction.
3. Some students showed a greater concentration during online lessons and participated more actively in the classroom.
4. In classes with a larger number of students, it was more difficult to ensure suitable forms of online interaction.
4. Reliable technical requirements and immediate technical support are essential for the implementation of online teaching.
We thank the school community for the support given us during the crisis. Minh wrote to his teacher: “I miss my friends.” I can assure you that the exchange between teachers and children, and the daily bustle of life on campus was sorely missed during this time.
With this in mind, we look forward to starting school again in two weeks time. We will keep you informed. U6 parents are going to receive further information next week.
Stay healthy
Yours
Dirk Thormann
Principal
