MS Students Deepen Learning Through Multi-Session Workshops

Middle School students at WAB are taking ownership of their learning in new ways through  the launch of Tiger Blocks: a series of multi-session workshops on a Day 9 that allow students to explore interests, build skills, and engage in learning that goes beyond the regular timetable. These workshops give students time and space to challenge themselves, follow a passion, or strengthen areas they want to grow in, all with guidance from their mentor teachers. 

“The purpose of Day 9 is really to provide students an opportunity to expand their interest areas, their learning skills, and for teachers to support them in their learning,” explained Middle School Vice Principal Ms. Huiman. “Students build their own schedule by identifying what they need and what they’re interested in.” 

Although students are given the freedom to explore, teachers play an important role in helping students make balanced decisions. “Mentor teachers play a key role in supporting students to identify workshops that suit their needs and interests,” Ms. Huiman said. “Tiger Blocks is just one of four blocks each Day 9, so students can balance personal interests with academic support.” 

Last week marked the first session of Tiger Blocks, giving students a chance to follow a passion or strengthen a skill over several Day 9 cycles. With more than 20 student and teacher-led options, offerings range from orchestra, Chinese creative writing to greenhouse building, the boardgame Catan, math fundamentals, nutrition, and more. 

Seventh grader Thomas joined the orchestra block, where students of all skill levels collaborated toward a Winter Market performance. “We learned how to incorporate with other instruments… and students from different levels are all invited. It’s really inclusive,” he shared. “I’m the first chair trombone, and I hope we perform well!” 

For Mirka, Tiger Blocks offered a space to build confidence in math. “Math is something you can always improve on. When you know what you're doing, it’s actually fun,” she said. “I really enjoyed getting one-on-one support from teachers. I want to become better and more confident.” 

Seventh grader Jessica chose Chinese story writing, where students read authors from China and beyond before drafting their own competition entries. “I want to get more creative… being an author is actually really hard,” she said. “I want to learn how to make stories more interesting and make readers want to read more.” 

Meanwhile, Saoires and Avery led a student-run Catan strategy workshop, which attracted far more interest than expected. “I think we weren’t expecting so many people, 20 plus!” Saoires said. “Leading this class definitely encouraged me to keep going and maybe lead more Tiger Blocks in the future.” Their session also connects directly to classroom learning. “We were learning about what makes a good settlement in Individuals and Societies class, and in Catan you think about the same thing, why you’d want to move there,” Saoires explained. For these two sixth graders, the excitement of leading their first successful Tiger Block was palpable. As Avery put it: “I loved the cooperation. Me and Saoires work really well together. And for the people that are playing it [Catan], they have a time to connect with other people that might not be their friends, and they can just explore what they love to do.”  

As Tiger Blocks continue throughout the semester, students say they’re most excited about growing their skills, trying new things, and learning alongside peers from across grades. In a final quick round, students and Ms. Huiman summed up their first Tiger Block experience in one word: “Interesting.” “Engaging.” “Trying new things.” “Chaotic.” “Cooperative.”  

For Ms. Huiman, it was “Inspiring”, with the biggest inspiration coming from the students themselves. “It’s been inspiring to see students’ ideas take shape and to see teachers embrace them. I’m excited to watch Tiger Blocks evolve and to see students learn new skills through this model.”