The world is changing at an ever increasing pace, and Target 6 is aimed at preparing students for a future of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).

One way to do that is to ensure WAB students are resilient, innovative, problem-solvers. An integral part of the process of acquiring these attributes, as we mentioned in last week's blog post, is allowing the students the opportunity to learn from failure, and adapt and thrive in new situations.

In Grade 6, the math team partnered with WAB Wild, our school's outdoor education department, to plan an interdisciplinary course that allowed students to apply their geometry skills in real life. The students were given a set of materials and tasked with designing the tent they will sleep in on their annual WAB Wild adventure to the school's outdoor education campus near the Great Wall. Using their knowledge of surface area and other geometric lessons, the students went through the design cycle to develop models, try building their tents, and then returning to their models to improve their design. The spring weather will bring the real test for the students, as they head out to the campsite and build the tents they will sleep in over night.

The key to the students' success, according to the teachers, was giving students the chance to design, test, fail, redesign, and continually improve on their previous work.

Another example of preparing students to learn from failure is taking place in a Grade 5 PYP Exhibition group. The students, who are focused on raising awareness of endangered species, created a video and set a goal of reaching 2,000 views online. After planning and executing a strategy, they came up short. But the project is not over. They revisited their goals, established new strategies, and were sticking to a timeline in which they gave themselves time to fail and reevaluate their strategies. If you would like to help them towards their goal, please visit their channel.

Join us at the PYP Exhibition in May to see if the students accomplished their goal, and witness some of the incredible learning service projects our students have accomplished.