Secondary in Focus: Science Department

This year has been a very exciting year for NAIS Manila Science Department.

We have had new staff, new equipment, and we have been strengthening our collaboration with MIT.

First of all, I would like to introduce our new science teacher Ms. WIllerton into the team. She will be helping me teach KS3 Science and Biology/Chemistry to our KS4 students.

Secondly, you may have already seen that our science laboratory has recently been refurbished. As many of you may already know, here at NAIS Manila Science Department, we believe that challenge and curiosity should be at the heart of all of our lessons.

We often set tasks that really push our students outside of their comfort zone and allow them to develop critical and analytical skills. Our new lab has allowed us to offer far more in-depth practical experiments for our students, which means that they can have more opportunity to explore and analyse an experiment in-depth. 

Science has always been seen as a very content-based subject.

Traditionally, the students need to memorise different scientific laws, elemental properties, physics equations, and biological events. We have found that, although all this information is required, simple memorisation of facts is not always the best for student learning.

This is why we are always trying to set open-ended questions, projects, and experiments for our students to explore. It is our belief that although subject knowledge may be forgotten once the student leaves school, the skills acquired in analytical and critical thinking will never be forgotten. 

I am also very happy to say that we have chosen our team of students who will be representing NAIS Manila in the Southeast Asia Regional STEAM Festival. We had so many applicants this year that it was very difficult to decide who should go.

For those whose applications were not successful, please do try again next year!

The festival will be held in Thailand  from 3rd to 5th of November and will introduce the STEAM MIT challenges for this year. 

-Mr. McGuinness

Head of Science