Learning
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Description
Founded in 1998, KIS International School in Bangkok, Thailand, is a full IB World School, offering the IB Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme to students aged 3–19. The school first began using ManageBac in 2008.
Curricula Supported
Grade Levels K-12Implementation History
Why ManageBac?
KIS International School first started using ManageBac to track DP students’ CAS activities and to streamline Internal Assessment submissions – replacing the system of internal network drives and folders that the school had previously relied upon.
Then, when Alison Yang became MYP Coordinator in 2014, she expanded the school’s use of ManageBac to support the MYP too, having taken time to fully explore the platform’s capabilities and functionality. “I’m glad we persevered”, she says, “It provides a nice system for us to track the curriculums, issue report cards, and give parents access, so they have an idea of what’s happening in terms of students’ school activities.”
Set-Up and Support – “really, really fabulous”
While implementing ManageBac for the MYP, Alison was able to draw on the support of the ManageBac team – helping to make this a straightforward process: “I didn’t have any troubles”, she explains, “one thing I do appreciate about ManageBac is that the responses are always quick and efficient”.
KIS International School has also implemented ManageBac’s reporting module, with the aim of consolidating as many systems as possible. “It’s been great”, Alison says, outlining some of the additional functionalities that she plans to roll out further in future: “I discovered there’s a new function for Personal Projects called Term Evaluation, we’re experimenting with this, it’s been good”.
Lessons from Lockdown
The impact of COVID-19 lockdowns has seen the school rely even more on ManageBac, not just for documentation, but also as a classroom tool. “As a teaching and learning tool, it’s very straightforward, very easy to use if you allocate time for training,” Alison says.
In the past, some colleagues had used Google Classroom for lesson planning and delivery, but after experimenting with the platform, and highlighting the possibilities, “all teachers have shifted to ManageBac – I will say 97%,” she explains. “That’s a very big achievement for our school – finally we have everything on ManageBac.”
School closures also accentuated the need for clear and transparent communication with students and parents, with online lessons providing the catalyst for embedding ManageBac deeper into the school system. “When things are online, you do have to be more deliberate and explicit”, says Alison. She has set guidance around how to communicate lesson objectives and learning outcomes, and how to embed instructions and resources within lesson experiences – ensuring clarity and consistency.
This has also meant that parents are getting more and more involved with ManageBac too, particularly after classes moved online during lockdown. To support all users in their usage of the platform, Alison has developed a range of practical tutorials – showing parents, teachers and students how to navigate the system.
Efficient and Coherent
Overall, ManageBac has helped KIS International School to run more efficiently: “It does have a positive impact – to support curriculum documentation, to support transparent communication”, says Alison. “Students and parents have more coherent experiences in interacting with ManageBac”.
