LAS is an independent co-educational day
school which offers a challenging educational program from pre-kindergarten
to grade 12 for students from a number of nationalities including
Korea, Great Britain and the United States.
Originally founded in 1956 to serve American
students living overseas, LAS has since developed into a highly
recognised international institution, accredited by the Middle
States Association of Colleges and Schools.
The LAS Board of Directors has identified
the following ten principles as critical for teachers and students
embracing an educational approach based on an American principles
of education.
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An American educational approach values and encourages a
high degree of student / faculty contact. |
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Frequent student faculty contact in and out of the classroom
is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement.
Having a caring faculty assists students to get though rough
times and keep on working successfully. Developing supportive
relationships with a number of faculty members enhances
a students' intellectual commitment and encourages then
to think about their own values and future plans. |
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An American educational approach values and
encourages cooperation among students. |
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Learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort
than a solo race. Good learning, like good work, is collaborative
and social, not competitive and isolated. Working with others
often increases involvement in learning. Sharing one's own
ideas and responding to others' reactions improves thinking
and deepens understanding. |
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An American educational approach values and encourages active
learning. |
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Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn
much just sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing
pre-packaged assignments and repeating back answers. Students
must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate
it to past experiences and apply it to their daily lives.
Students must make what they learn part of themselves. |
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An American educational approach values and encourages prompt
feedback. |
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When a student understands what he or she knows as well
as what he or she doesn't know, it focuses the student's learning.
Students need appropriate feedback on performance to benefit
from instruction. In getting started, students need help in
assessing existing knowledge and competence. In class, students
need frequent opportunities to perform and receive suggestions
for improvement. At various points during and at the end of
their educational path, students need chances to reflect on
what they have learned, what they still need to know and how
to assess themselves. |
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An American educational approach values and encourages
time on task. |
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Time plus energy equals learning. There is no substitute
for time on task. Learning to use one's time well is critical
for students and professionals alike. Students need help in
learning effective time management. Allocating realistic amounts
of time means effective learning for students and effective
teaching for faculty. How an institution defines time expectations
for students, faculty, administrators and other professional
staff can establish the basis for high performance for all. |
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An American educational approach values and communicates
high expectations and provides multiple and ongoing assessments
of student growth. |
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Expect more and you will get more. High expectations are
important for everyone, for the poorly prepared, for those
unwilling to exert themselves and for the bright and well
motivated. Expecting students to perform well becomes a self
fulfilling prophecy when teachers and institutions hold high
expectations for themselves and make an extra effort. Students
receive multiple formal and informal assessments each year
to allow for continual adjustments by the teacher to allow
for successful student growth. Measurement is never based
on a single high stakes snapshot. |
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An American educational approach values, respects and responds
to diverse talents and values and embraces and engages diverse
ways of learning. |
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There are many roads to learning. Students bring different
talents and styles of learning to the classroom. Brilliant
students in the English class may be all thumbs in the laboratory
or arts studio. Students rich in hands on experience may not
do so well with theory. Students need the opportunity to show
their talents and learn in ways that work for them. Then they
can be pushed to learning in new ways that do not come as
easily. |
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An American educational approach values and encourages a
rigorous academic preparation in all academic disciplines
prior to students entering the post Secondary experience. |
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Students study broadly and deeply and gain a rich background
in a solid educational preparation The temptation to have
students make a definite choice on their course of study is
resisted until students have a knowledge base from which to
make the decision combined with the emotional maturity to
do so. The selection of a course of study is not engaged until
students are deciding on which university to attend. At this
point, the rich preparation in an American educational approach
allows students to have all options available to them and
they have the maturity and course exposure to make an informed
decision. |
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An American educational approach values and requires the
security of a solid standards based curriculum for students
which assures a deep and specific knowledge base upon graduation
while also providing opportunities for students to explore
other areas of study for personal enrichment. |
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Students are provided with a thorough knowledge base upon
graduation which is enhanced by the student being provided
with a rich array of elective study opportunities. The combination
enable students to graduate with the additional benefit of
a broad and enriching background that will best prepare them
for university study and a love of life long learning. |
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An American educational approach values and requires an
extensive extra curricular program where learning continues
beyond the limits of the classroom and has equitable program
opportunities for both genders. |
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An inherent component of the American educational approach
is a rich program of extra curricular activities that are
available to students on a voluntary basis. Learning on the
basketball and volleyball courts, in the debate hall, in the
band and choral rooms, in the yearbook and newspaper journalist
labs and on the playing fields of the school are seen as essential
opportunities to which learners may avail themselves. This
rich banquet of opportunities is available to all who are
passing their classes. |