Extension Program @ AISM

As part of their Gifted & Talented programme at Australian International School Malaysia (AISM), Principal Dr Deborah Priest has been extending a group of talented Years Six and Seven mathematicians every fortnight.

She facilitates challenging activities that make the students think creatively and divergently. Students who are bright in Mathematics are accustomed to quickly working towards the correct answer in familiar situations so it is important that the situations are unfamiliar, interesting and engaging. Recently, a group of students were introduced to the Mayan numeral system which uses vigesimal (Base-20) positional notation that was used in the ancient Mayan civilisation to represent numbers.

AISM’s philosophy is to enrich their curriculum and provide opportunities which extend and challenge all students from Junior School through to Middle and Senior School.

Here is a list of measures they have taken so far:

• Introduced an extensive co-curricular programme of cultural, academic and sporting activities
• Introduced gifted and talented programmes
• Introduced outdoor education programmes (Year Level camps and International Awards)
• Introduced service learning programmes
• Fostered leadership development
• Provided support for digital literacy and independent e-Learning
• Encouraged active participation in inter-school events and competitions
• Organised school-wide activities such as Science Week, Languages Week, Book Week, Japan Day, International and Team Building Days
• Organised sessions from visiting authors and speakers; assembly and lunch-hour talks; and presentations
• Promoted a global and international awareness
• Created a multicultural school culture

These opportunities are supplementary to the differentiated learning programmes in timetabled classes which also provide enrichment and extension. The culture of AISM aims to develop confident young students who are motivated to achieve their potential and who leave school with a genuine love of learning and an enthusiasm to share their talents and abilities as global citizens.