Find a passion for success
Project Based Learning at CTIS
Project Based Learning or PBL is when students endeavor to achieve a shared goal through collaboration via engagement in a project. At CTIS, we chose PBL as a means to further connect our school mission and values with our curriculum and with the worlds of business and entrepreneurship, another example of how CTIS is bridging the gap between school learning and business experience. Our PBL curriculum is unique because our pedagogy and internal organization of the PBL programs are researched and informed, drawing from proven best practices which also reflect what would be required in a corporate setting. The five criteria of Project Based Learning at CTIS are:
- Central to the curriculum
- Contain a driving question
- Incorporate constructive investigations
- Support student autonomy
- Are grounded in realism
Students will individually and in groups formulate a driving question that is grounded in their subjects of study, the research identified aspects of their driving question, and have agency and choice in the direction of their projects that will be firmly connected to real-world problems or issues. Experts in their fields and prominent members of business communities will also be invited to share their knowledge and expertise in PBL classes at CTIS, to guide and mentor students in their final product creation.
Connections to business and entrepreneurship will continue for CTIS students as future graduating students will demonstrate their acquired skills and learning via a final capstone project. The senior capstone project consists of teams of students experiencing entrepreneurship firsthand by creating a business with a product or service and then sharing their final business plan with the larger CTIS community of students, parents, and outside experts. We look forward to seeing the creative and innovative businesses, products, and services that our collaborating students can achieve here at CTIS in their senior capstone.
Discover, Build, Solve
STEAM at Capital Tokyo International School
Students who have the freedom to explore their educational interests and follow their inquiries are motivated and make personal learning connections between subjects. At CTIS, transdisciplinary classes that coalesce understanding of core subjects are our answer to supporting our student educational inquiries. We offer STEAM classes (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) to prepare them for their future careers and foster life-long learning.
The benefits of STEAM classes are:
- Student learning has a real world context
- Natural traits of creativity and curiosity are encouraged
- Teamwork and effective communication skills are developed
Students are challenged to apply what they have learned from other subject areas, and critically analyze problems to discover collaborative solutions with teammates. Failure is celebrated and considered an essential aspect of the learning process with classroom environments being supportive of the individual and team learning process.
In our elementary school, we teach the fundamentals of computer programming with Scratch where students design animated stories and simple games individually and in groups. Students then transition to more complex programming concepts in Minecraft Education by programming the Minecraft agent to complete a series of tasks in a virtual world. As students progress in their understanding of electrical circuits and programming, they will have the opportunity to assemble electronics from Arduino educational kits and programmable robots.
