Dragon Tales

When we talk about design at Hangzhou International School (HIS), we often focus on beauty, shape, form, materials, and how amazing something looks. But is that the ultimate goal? Can we explore further and see how design can be a force that enhances our wellbeing?

School started back for Vinisha Tejwani, a Grade 12 student at Hangzhou International School (HIS) on 14 August 2024. However, that’s not to say she wasn’t busy during the summer break. Increasingly, HIS students are using the two months off school to get involved in community projects, accumulate real world experiences, and learn beyond the classroom. For Vinisha, that meant organizing a Cultural Exchange Program this summer.

At Hangzhou International School (HIS) we embrace social-emotional learning (SEL) as a key pillar of student development. A balanced learning approach has been proven to enhance academic performance, foster positive attitudes and behaviors, improve relationships, reduce emotional distress, and promote a healthy self-image. The Counseling team has implemented the Wellness Program as a schoolwide initiative to support these goals.

One powerful strategy we use at Hangzhou International School (HIS) is to kickstart the term by incorporating collaboration games into the lower school Personal, Social and Physical Education curriculum. Collaboration games are a fantastic way to establish class routines and foster teamwork right from the start.

Technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) hold great promise for use in instructional design in education, including at Hangzhou International School (HIS). In a way that traditional teaching approaches have not been able to match, these new immersive and engaging experiences utilize modern technologies to offer students new ways to study, interact with their classmates and teachers, and absorb knowledge.