AISB-Hope International School has offered students the opportunity to challenge themselves by taking Advanced Placement® classes for a number of years. Our regularly offered courses include: AP® Microeconomics, AP® Macroeconomics, AP® Statistics, AP® Studio Art: Drawing, AP® World History: Modern, and AP® Chinese.
We are pleased to announce that as of this school year, we are offering the AP Capstone™ Program. This program was designed to equip students with higher level critical thinking and research skills as well as to give them the opportunity to do challenging group and individual research. The core classes of the program are: AP® Seminar, which develops students’ thinking, research, and collaborative skills; and AP® Research, which requires students to undertake an extensive individual research project. Unlike other AP® Courses, the topics of AP® Seminar and AP® Research are set by the instructor and can focus on one subject area or several.
This year’s AP® Seminar instructor is Headmaster Randal Eplin. He sees the course as relevant for students’ immediate engagement with the world around them. For example, in order to make deconstructing and assessing arguments relevant, Mr. Eplin required the students to study different media outlets’ coverage of current world news. Students used an argument analysis template to determine the strengths and weaknesses of different media reports and were sometimes surprised by the results. This exercise drove home the importance of critical thinking both inside and outside of the classroom.
Mr. Eplin also sees the value of the course for the students’ growth as life-long learners, commenting: “As a former IB Diploma Coordinator, I find the course to be filled with the high level of critical thinking and evaluative skills needed to be successful not only in a university setting but to be successful in our complicated world today.” In addition to building the students’ analytical skills, Mr. Eplin has delved into the interpersonal and emotional skills required to execute effective group work, such as listening skills and conflict resolution, which he believes will benefit them not only in their academic journeys, but also once they enter the workforce.
AISB-Hope International is a small, nurturing, family-oriented school that focuses on character development and high academic achievement. If you think that your daughter or son could thrive in an environment like ours and would like to book a tour of our school, please reach out to us by scanning the QR code. Our marketing and admissions departments are ready to show you what makes AISB-Hope International the special school that might just be the best fit for your child’s education.
“Advanced Placement®, AP®, and AP Capstone™ are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.”
This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 January issue
