The Learning Hub is a shared space for all members of the YIS community to learn — a place to share resources, display projects, communicate ideas and help others by viewing and commenting on each others’ posts. Student, teacher and class blogs are at the heart of the Learning Hub, providing timely, first-hand views of the myriad learning experiences taking place in the classroom and beyond.
Recent Posts
-
Academica SkillsIn my high school life, I have demonstrated several academic skills, such as research, organization and collaboration skills, in a variety of classes. To begin with, research skill is an academic skill that I used in most of my assignments for almost all of my classes. By using this skill, I was able to find reliable information that helped me see the issue from different perspectives. For example, in Grade 10 Individuals and Societies class, we had to write a history essay about our chosen research question using the research that we did in previous classes. For my essay, I chose to answer the question "To what extent did medical science evolve during the Edo period due to the interaction with the Dutch?". In order to answer this question, I had to research with a range of reliable sources and identify the biases of each source, depending on who it was written by. Moreover, I had to be careful of the time the source was created in because time is a key factor when researching about history. Here is the research outline that I made for this assignment. Another assignment that I used my research skill was when I wrote an opinion blog post on the use of e-cigarettes and whether it is the solution to the tobacco epidemic or not. For this assignment, I had to find sources from both sides: ones that were for using e-cigarettes instead of tobacco, and others that were against using e-cigarettes. Then, I had to validate and synthesize this information to come up with an argument of my own. Both of these assignments developed my research skills because I am now able to understand that research is not just about the top hits but about reliability and the sources themselves; when it was created, whom it was written by, and so on....
-
Wellness- CheerleadingNow that I think, I am glad I did cheerleading outside of school. I was in a Japanese community with strict Japanese rules which is tougher compared to inside school activities. An example I could give is mainly manners and also they only gave us 30sec of water breaks. After a water break, we needed to run to not lose time. Well, before we go into details about my wellness, let me introduce my team. My local team, Shibaura Angeles, is a very top level and famous cheerleading club in Japan. A lot of people in other teams admire us for our performances and level of skills. There, I was in the very top class named EXTREME. We usually have practice 2 times a week for 2 hours, however, during competition month-3 times a week with 4hours of practice on weekends. The Extreme is meant to be role models for outside teams and the teams for our own club. We had pressures to be good role models for perfect performance, perfect energy and of course, manner as well. I have been in the Extreme team for a lot of years and it strongly taught me 3 basics of wellness: mental, physical and emotional. Reflecting back now, I became a better adult and become a strong athlete....
-
Advanced Academics- Pre-College Summer Program 2017The summer of 2017, after 10th-grade year, I traveled to California, Los Angeles to participate in a Pre College summer program in UCLA. I used to go to sports camp and have homestay, however, going to a college and staying in a freshmen's dorm was my first time in my life. I wanted to participate in a Pre-College Summer Program because I wanted to challenge myself academically, stepping in early for IB and most of all, to improve my self-independence. I have used Summer Discovery to enter a Pre- College Summer Progam which was a was a 6 weeks session in UCLA from the end of June to the first week of August. As mentioned, going to a camp wasn't my first time, therefore, I wasn't nervous about traveling alone. I was more excited and joyful to explore myself and to take a journey for new experiences in my life. But, It was my first time living alone and spending/sharing a room with a roommate. Since I am an only child in my family, my parents are very protective and do not trust me with self-independent about lifestyle-aka can't look after myself because I do rely on my mom a lot. My main goal from this program was to develop my academic ability/knowledge and making my own decision, meaning, a person who can think as a college student and makes good plans in their studying. However, apart from academics, one of my goals out of many was to show myself and to my parents that I am an independent teenager who can cook and make smart decisions....
-
Van der Poel Christmas Party 2017 (Community engagement)On December 2nd, 2017, I have participated in the Van der Poel Christmas party as a part of my service activity. I have been joining Van der Poel since I was in 9th grade and it was my 2nd year for me to take part in the event. The Van der Poel is a community service team that works towards the welfare of children in two local orphanages. Throughout the year, the Van der Poel members are involved in a number of activities and that benefit the children. This is not only the Christmas party (major event held at YIS) that I have participated but there are some other activities such as going to strawberry picking, Ice skating and going to visit their homes. The team also organize an event such as preparing for and running a booth at a Bazaar held twice a year at one of the homes....
-
GCD Global UnderstandingLiving in a highly industrialised and developed country like Japan makes the understanding of economic disparities quite difficult on a local scale. However, from the content I have learned in IBDP Geography, I feel though the course allows me to better understand the condition of other countries beyond the local scale of where I live. The course itself is dedicated to the study of physical and political geography across the globe using individual case studies to exemplify the coursework as a real life situation. However, as an approach to process the information from different units, we as students are trained to make the link between how certain geographical factors may influence the country’s economic, social and political status. Therefore, studying the course allows me to be much more aware of how geographical factors such as global climate change or population growth affects the economy and stability of various countries but also allows me to compare the countries from each other and my own. One unit which I found to be relevant in increasing my understanding of the diversity in our world was the Global Climate Change (GCC) unit because GCC has a relevance to all countries including my own and others alike. As case studies we further investigated the varying effects of GCC on Canada which is a High Income Country (HIC) and compared it to Bangladesh, a Low Income Country (LIC). The in depth case studies of the two countries allowed me to compare and contrast the vulnerability of the two countries and how that affected the way the countries adapted or mitigated climate change. For an example, although Canada is as influenced by GCC as Bangladesh, because of the more stable income of the inhabitants and the government makes it a better adaptable country to the effects of climate change. On the other hand I was also able to recognise how Bangladesh being a LIC increases its vulnerability to effects of GCC such as increasing incidents of floods and cyclones. A big economic factor is based on the cheaply built infrastructure which is insufficient to mitigate the intensity of storms and floods. However, the economic instability runs deeper routes than just the physical money put into the buildings. Being a LIC also decreases the opportunity for education for the low income community which further increases vulnerability of not receiving the education to help adapt or mitigate the effects of climate change. Furthermore, I also understood the trend of how the least economically stable inhabitants tended to live near the coast most prone to flooding because their main source of income was dependent on fishing and farming. Like so, although I have never flown to Bangladesh after large scale cyclones or visited the poorest neighborhoods, taking the IB Geography course pushed me to be more aware of the vulnerability of the country and also made me think about other possible countries suffering through similar or tougher effects of climate change based on what I know about their levels of income and physical geography. The course itself only requires us to compare the vulnerability of two contrasting countries, yet I have also tried to make certain connections to Japan, being my home country. Japan is a highly developed HIC in which makes it evident that the country is better adapted to climate change in comparison to Bangladesh. Therefore, it is easier to draw similarities between Canada. However, due to the physical state of the country being an island contrastingly increases its vulnerability to natural disasters because it is much harder to maintain communication and access. It is at times like these when I am suddenly able to make connections between countries and even predict information that I recognise how the course has helped to me to be much more globally aware....
-
Nakasendo ReflectionFor this year's expedition, I went on a hiking trip along the Nakasendo trail. We started off at the post town called Nakatsugawa and ended at Narai. We walked approximately 25km in total within the five days of the trip. Nakasendo was one of the five routes that was used for transportation during the Edo period and connected Tokyo to Kyoto. According to our guide, most parts of the trail are conserved since the Edo period and minimal changes were made only if some parts of the trail needed maintenance. Therefore, we were able to walk on the trail the people back in the Edo period actually used. By walking on the actual trail, I understood how the people back then had to be fit as there were no cars and trains that they could use for transportation and most had to travel on foot, and the trail consisted many uphills and rocky roads....
-
GCD LeadershipLeadershipStudent Council President I am now the student council president of YIS HS Student Council...
-
GCD Personal GoalPersonal GoalPresidential election in 2017 and 2018 It was a big challenge following setbacks in the previous year. Some of the challenges by engaging with many people in our high school.Strategies in getting my message out and what to focus on. ...
-
GCD ManagementManagement Students take responsibility for managing resources such as space, money, time, towards the completion of a goal. Student council ...
-
GCD Global UnderstandingGlobal Understanding Students actively seek personal understanding of the interaction of power/privilege and economics, ethics, politics, religion, environment between countries/cultures. Van der Poel...
-
GCD Community EngagementCommunity Engagement Students make a consistent, sustained commitment to serving and developing connections with others. Student Council...
-
MS DAILY - Friday, June 15, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL
-
HS DAILY - Friday, June 15, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL
-
End of the yearAs we look back on this academic year, we realized how much the children have grown and developed. We would like to thank all of our parents for your support. Wishing everyone a wonderful summer! ELC Year 2018 from YIS Academics on Vimeo....
-
Class 17 Unit 2: Creating on the final day of art class - Grade 6E Visual Art #art #MYP #yislearning #middleschoolart #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JAchLb
-
Focus on INDEPENDENCE & EXPLORATION: Enjoying the last art classes of the year - Elementary Visual Art #art #PYP #elementaryart #yislearning #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2MsC9GO
-
MS DAILY - Thursday, June 14, 2018MIDDLE SCHOOL ONLY MS Book of the Day...
-
HS DAILY - Thursday, June 14, 2018HIGH SCHOOL ONLY HS Book of the Day...
-
Tennis- WellnessI have been playing tennis for almost three years and from 9th grade, I joined the tennis team at school. In 9th grade, I was part of the Junior varsity team playing singles three and sometimes doubles one. In 10 grade I was doubles one for the Varsity team. In 9th grade, I was not able to participate in any big tournaments that were held at school as I wasn’t confident with my tennis skills to participate. However, in 10th grade, I was able to participate in the Kanto tennis tournament held at ASIJ. This tournament is where most of the international schools in the Kanto part of Japan get together and have a tournament. In this tournament, I was able to get to the quarterfinals of the consolidation. I was not able to get an award for this tournament but I was still proud of the place I ended in as it was the very first tournament I attended for only tennis after playing for three years. Through this tournament, I was able to learn how to keep my sports psychology strong with my partner. During the first few games of this tournament, I was not sure how to play my best everytime I lost a score. Therefore, I kept putting myself down and stressing myself out which made it even harder for me and my partner to keep playing the best we can. However, throughout the end of this tournament, I learned how to keep my emotions together when I lost a game. I learned to not mind the score but to learn from the mistake and to keep improving myself bit by bit after each point. I also learned how to work as a team to play doubles as this was the first time I played doubles in tennis. Through playing doubles tennis I was able to make new friends and create a new bond with people that I would rarely talk to. I was also able to make friends from different schools. This allowed me to improve my social skills as I am not good at talking to people that I am not comfortable with or know well....
-
GCD: Library Lockin -- LeadershipEvery year for Library Council we host a library lock-in where children (usually middle schoolers) stay overnight in the library. It is usually themed. This year it was themed Alice in Wonderland and the whole event was based around that. Last year library council consisted of 4 people and so we would try very hard to stay organized but this year there were many new people who had joined. At first, I thought that this would be helpful because there were more people to help out but I was wrong. As I was an older member of the council I took on a leadership role and it proved very difficult with so many people in the council and the children at the event. I learned that it was very important to be vigilant/ observant so that you know whats going right or wrong so you can prioritize your attention....
-
Class 17 Unit 2: Creating on the final day of art class - Grade 6H Visual Art #art #MYP #yislearning #middleschoolart #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2MkSkpD
-
MS DAILY - Wednesday, June 13, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Message from the Mental Emotional Health Club...
-
HS DAILY - Wednesday, June 13, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Message from the Mental Emotional Health Club...
-
MS DAILY - Tuesday, June 12, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Message from the Mental Emotional Health Club...
-
HS DAILY - Tuesday, June 12, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Message from the Mental Emotional Health Club...
-
Learning FrenchFrench is my third language, after Japanese and English, that I have started learning when I was in 6th grade. This was because I used to live in a French-speaking region of Switzerland and I had difficulties communicating with the locals without any knowledge of French. This language acquisition continues to this day, even in High School and the DP program, teaching me not only French but also about language, communication, and culture. After a few years of learning French, I found out that French shared some similarities with English, which I am fluent in. For example, there are words that are really close to its actual English translation such as particulierment (particularly) and information (information) but with different pronunciations. Moreover, the grammar of the sentences and the order in which words are placed are very similar. However, I found differences as well such as the feminine and masculine words of French. As this idea of feminine and masculine words are not used in either Japanese or English, it was new and hard to get used to at the beginning....
-
Playing the ViolinPlaying the violin is something I have started when I was young and continue to this day. Outside of the school, I take lessons with a teacher where we have a concert every year, and at school, I am a part of a string ensemble called the Tanner Ensemble. Moreover, I was part of an orchestra that played in the High School graduation ceremony. When playing individually at my lessons outside of the school, I try to interpret the songs by myself and try to play so that the notes from my violin stands out. This...
-
MS DAILY - Monday, June 11, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Library during Lunch Tomorrow...
-
HS DAILY - Monday, June 11, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Library during Lunch Tomorrow...
-
GCD - Community EngagementIn the first semester of this school year, I joined the GIN Chiku group, hoping to learn more about the state of the homeless people in Japan, particularly in the region I live, and how we can help them effectively. I also thought that participating in this service would help me perceive the specific issues the homeless people around Yokohama, where I live, face. My first visit to the Chiku center was in October. I participated in the morning session from 7:45 to 9:00a.m. to help prepare lunch for the homeless people. I cut vegetables with the other volunteers who were also helping out, while I learned about their past sessions and the afternoon session when they serve the food to the homeless. For example, they told me that they made 800 meals last time and that it was very busy. I also learned that since some of the people have difficulty with swallowing food, the vegetables need to be cut into small pieces, especially for those with leaves, so that they do not get stuck in their throats or cause any health issues. I still remember being impressed by the care and thought the volunteers put for the homeless people as well as their detailed knowledge on the homeless people....
-
GCD Wellness ReflectionIMPORTANT POINTS Mental Health Learning method to cope with negative mental states Learning how to prevent that in the future Adapting new mentalities...
-
Water DayWatch the children having fun on Water Day! Water Day from YIS Academics on Vimeo.
-
WellnessDemonstrate: i: That you have the knowledge of what makes a person well physically, mentally/emotionally, socially and spiritually, and you have developed practices for keeping yourself well. ii: Document regular practices you have developed for maintaining your wellness in two of the following areas: Physical, Mental/Emotional, Social and Spiritual wellness....
-
Inter cultural CommunicationEnglish is one of the most known languages in the world. I learned English and Japanese at the same time. As I grow up, there were years I felt English is my strongest language compared to Japan however, there were also other years I felt Japanese is my first language as well. Still yet, I am very confused which language is my mother tongue. Today, I want to share 2 events that I engaged different culture and the strategy I used to communicate effectively: Cheerleading and Cambodia Trip....
-
Class 15 Unit 2: Finishing the printmaking project - Grade 6H Visual Art #art #MYP #yislearning #middleschoolart #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2M7hLL3
-
Monday's lesson 10 BI am absent on Monday so you will have a cover teacher. I want you to get ready for a General knowledge quiz on Tuesday. On Monday in the lesson you need to get into teams of 2, 3 or 4 and produce 4 quiz questions, for a quiz we will have on Tuesday's class. ...
-
MS DAILY - Friday, June 8, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Laptop Collection - Grade 6 to 9 - June 12 (Repeat)...
-
HS DAILY - Friday, June 8, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Laptop Collection - Grade 6 to 9 - June 12 (Repeat)...
-
Class 15 Unit 2: Finishing the printmaking project - Grade 6E Visual Art #art #MYP #yislearning #middleschoolart #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JAoLSd
-
Focus on SATISFACTION: Cleaning off our dried urushi artwork, ready to display at home - Grade 5 Visual Art #art #PYP #elementaryart #yislearning #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JiqgoG
-
My Motif Design
-
Class 14 Unit 2: Printing & arranging the relief prints - Grade 6H Visual Art #art #MYP #yislearning #middleschoolart #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JqVXbp
-
MS DAILY - Thursday, June 7, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Lost and Found...
-
HS DAILY - Thursday, June 7, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Lost and Found...
-
GCD: Personal GoalI have been worried about my families health as my parents were getting sick and tired more easily and often than they used to. I was wondering what caused them to feel in that certain way and realized that it was because of the amount of the sleep that they get. This is why for my personal project I decided to research about why sleep is important and what is causing some people to not sleep well. However, this goal was hard for me to achieve at first as I did not any scientific knowledge on the topic of sleep. Therefore, I decided to do some research on the basics of what makes the human brain go to sleep. After learning the basics of sleep and our brain I read a book called “The Sleep Revolution” by Arianna Huffington to learn about what sleep deprivation is and the issues with it. The book was the most useful research done as it had the most information about the non-scientific part of sleep deprivation. For example, it talked about incidents that happened to a sleep-deprived person in detail. The research part helped me to achieve the very first step of making my parent's health better. Down below is a photo of some of the research that I did. ...
-
Focus on INDEPENDENCE: What kind of art do I prefer to create? What do I want to make today? - Kindergarten Visual Art #art #PYP #elementaryart #yislearning #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JwsXm4
-
Class 14 Unit 2: Printing & arranging the relief prints - Grade 6E Visual Art #art #MYP #yislearning #middleschoolart #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2sATZyR
-
MS DAILY - Wednesday, June 6, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Laptop Collection - Grade 6 to 9 - June 12...
-
HS DAILY - Wednesday, June 6, 2018MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Laptop Collection - Grade 6 to 9 - June 12...
-
Focus on: REFLECTION - How did we gain our skills & knowledge in stop-motion animation when our teacher didn’t teach us anything?! - Grade 4 Visual Art #art #PYP #elementaryart #yislearning #arteducationView on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JqPh0d