Innovation at Dalat #8 Agendas

Sometimes being innovative means “going old school”. In the past few years, Dalat HS students used digital day planners (also known as a daily agenda) to keep track of their assignments and activities. For some, it worked well to keep this information on a computer. But for others, the digital version was a challenge. Last semester we asked for some feedback and many students told us that an old-fashioned paper daily agenda notebook would be more useful. So we designed and printed copies of a Dalat branded book and are offering them to any HS student who wants to use one.

Using a daily planner to keep track of daily assignments is a critical life skill needed for success in nearly any occupation. As an educator, I think the simplest way to predict a students success as a student is to see if they regularly use an agenda. Our 9th-grade teachers recognize its importance and even make it an assignment and occasionally will mark our students on how well they are using an agenda.

If a student loses their agenda and needs a replacement, for a small cost, all they need to do is come and see one of the friendly ladies at the front desk. If your student is having trouble staying organized, perhaps a first step to help them is to encourage them to stop by and pick one up.

Innovation at Dalat #7 CLEP

Did you know that Dalat is the only The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) testing center in South East Asia? Many of you have heard of Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the related exams, but you may be less familiar with the CLEP program. Both programs are run by the College Board.

However, unlike the AP classes, a CLEP test can be taken without taking a class and students may sign up at any time of the year. CLEP allows students to show proficiency in 33 different subject areas and many US universities will give credit to students who pass a subject test. If you are headed to the US for University this is definitely worth looking into, but keep in mind CLEP is not well recognized at other systems around the world.

Dalat HS students in some of our Science, Math, English, and Social Studies classes may have the opportunity to take a CLEP exam instead of a final exam at the year-end. Our students have traditionally done well on these exams and earn credits that may save the family money by not needing to pay for introductory courses in university.

If you are interested in finding out what tests are available, take a look at the CLEP website. https://clep.collegeboard.org/. If you would like to know more about scheduling an exam, you are invited to talk with our test coordinator Marsha Yost myost@dalat.org.

Innovation at Dalat #6  - Next Level Fitness Challenge

I am going to switch gears from academics to athletics in this email and talk about an innovative challenge that we have given to all of our student-athletes. As our sports program has developed, the Athletic Director has worked to find ways for our students to both get in shape during the offseason and to identify areas of fitness to work on. Out of that initiative comes the NextLevel fitness challenge which measures a broad range of fitness attributes including cardio, strength, agility, speed, flexibility, endurance,  and balance.

The exercises can be done in the Dalat gym/weight room.  Here is a list of the 7 events…

•          Rowing
•          Paper Challenge
•          Agility Sprint
•          Beep Test
•          Deadlift
•          Handstand hold
•          GHD sit-ups

All the details of the 7 events of the fitness challenges and the rules of the competition are in this document.  Fitness Challenge Instructions

To make in interesting and fun, they can submit scores through links on the school intranet. Anyone can try the challenge as often as they like. Who knows, even parents may want to give it a try or to do it with your kids. This is a great way to work to get ready for the next sports season or just to help you get back in shape.

Innovation at Dalat #5 Service Learning

While service learning is not new at Dalat, I am including it in this series of innovation updates because it is such a unique and valuable part of our education process.  For nearly 15 years, Dalat has required all HS students to engage in a minimum of ten hours of community service each year as part of the student graduation requirements. This first exposure to service is often the spark that leads students to commit to many more hours of service than are required, and eventually, we hope, a life of service to others. Dalat recognizes those students who go above the minimum service hours with student “Service Awards” that are handed out by our service learning coordinator, Mrs. Pagee.   

What is new this year is “Track it Forward”. This software platform gives simple and accurate recording of all of the hours students have served. Track it Forward gives simple verification from a community organizer of the quality of work done and helps the students record and communicate their hours in a way that is simple and fun. We have introduced it this semester for students in grades 9-11.

Several teachers are connectors in our community who know where needs are and how our students can reach out and help meet those needs. They regularly organize trips to an orphanage, the old folks home, SKTT school near Tesco, and a host of other outings to provide outreach opportunities for our students. It is a joy to see students learning to use the gifts that they have in service to others.

Dalat’s new “Impact” trip program is taking the concept of service learning a step further. It creates opportunities for students to engage in another culture at a deeper level for a full week of service, often in remote locations around SE Asia. Students commit to many weeks of training before they leave to prepare them to be able to serve well. This year four teams of students will care for young prisoners, work to develop seed storage techniques, care for young girls who have become pregnant, and run programs for children who have been abandoned.  

If you know a place where our students can serve or want to engage in any of these programs, communicate with our service learning coordinator Mrs. Pagee or the Impact coordinator Mr. McClary. We would love to hear from you.

Innovation at Dalat #4 Independent Study

Last time in this “Innovation newsletter” I talked about our e-learning program that offers online classes from teachers and schools around the world. It gives HS students opportunities to take classes that otherwise are not offered here at Dalat. But even with that option, sometimes students have a different idea for a course of study that they may want to pursue.

A good example is the students who approached me two years ago with the desire to learn how to 3-D print. The school owned a 3-D printer, but we didn’t have a course that taught students how to use it.  The students wrote a proposal of study using our “Independent Study” guidelines. They received approval to print a 3-D model of the Dalat campus development. At the time Dalat had only finished the Castle building. The Lighthouse and Harbor building were just a dream but the independent study students gave us the first vision of what the campus would look like when the development was completed. 

The printing project was full of challenges and difficulties that forced students to come up with creative solutions. One of these challenges was that when the school printer print did not have the fine resolution needed to complete the model, the students solved this by printing and fabricating, from the first printer,  a second printer that was then used to print the campus model. The completed campus model, printed with the second printer, now sits in the entryway to the library.

The independent study program gave these students the opportunity to engage with learning in a way that satisfied their curiosity. Their work earned them school credit towards graduation and gave them something very interesting to share on their college applications.

Students, what area of study would you like to propose? If you have a project that you would like to pursue, take a look at the “Independent Study” guidelines or talk with Mr. Dobson in the guidance office for more details. This is the time to get serious about submitting a proposal as we will soon be enrolling for next year’s courses and finalizing your schedules.

Innovation at Dalat #3  e-learning

“What if Dalat does not offer a class about a concept that I really want to study?”

If a student has a passion or area of interest that they would like to engage in at a deeper level, occasionally the answer is to take one of the many online courses through outside providers. Our e-learning coordinator is available to help parents and students find just the right course. We will then support families by helping with the enrollment process and even giving financial support to help pay for the course. Then during the school year, we will give space in a student schedule each day to work on the class, provide academic support to the student in the class, and even include the final work on a student transcript. These courses count toward graduation requirements. In fact, online learning is becoming so important for all students Dalat is moving one-quarter of one of our 11^th grade English classes completely online (even though the teacher is on campus) just so that students have some exposure to online learning before they leave high school.

Over the years the number of online courses available and the quality of the courses has continued to improve. Some of the courses even give students the option of “dual enrollment”. This means that they can earn University credits at the same time they are earning high school credit.

No matter what the interest, (maybe not “underwater basket weaving J) we are likely to be able to find something that works. If you have questions please talk with our e-learning coordinator  Mr. Yost (dyost@dalat.org).

Innovation at Dalat #2 Portfolios

Portfolios are simple in concept. They give students a digital platform to record, save, and organize important information about themselves. They are an important “digital locker” to use for sharing when applying to universities that can help students record all of their achievements. This includes information such as service hours, awards, leadership experience, and extracurricular involvement. Students will use their portfolios to record growth in our Student Outcome Statements in the areas of Leadership, Scholarship, Discipleship and Citizenship. And they will be challenged to record important academic classroom work that demonstrates growth.

The Dalat Student Portfolio is actually a notebook in the Microsoft program “OneNote”. The framework for the notebook and all of the sections and pages has been organized by a team of HS teacher leaders with the key pieces that will continue to be optimized and developed. Over the next few semesters, both students and teachers will be learning how to use their portfolios to capture information. We will be sharing the value of this tool through our guidance department and teaching students ways to make the most of this space.

Below is a snapshot of the front page of a student Portfolio. If you would like more information talk with Mr. Dobson in the guidance office as he will be giving students leadership in this area. So far these only have been shared with students in the current freshman class. The rest of the HS will gain access to their portfolios over the semester with guidance on best practices to use them. Ask your student to show you around their portfolio and imagine the ways it could be useful.