I have spent most of the past week in Singapore attending the biennial conference of Heads of IB (International Baccalaureate) Schools.  Together with the Heads of about 450 other IB schools from all parts of the world, I have appreciated some wonderful input on the conference’s theme of “The Adventure of Leadership: Leaders as Learners, Learners and Leaders”, as well as the opportunity to network with IB staff, representatives from key organizations such as Pamoja Education, ManageBac and Pronins, and of course, exchanging ideas with the Heads of other IB schools.  One of my key aims in attending the conference was to raise awareness of Awty in the world of international education; for too long we seem to been a well-kept secret in this arena – and it was exhilarating to have so many opportunities to introduce Awty to IB educators and administrators from around the world.

When I first became involved as Head of an IB school, which was in 1990 as I guided the accreditation process to affiliate the school I was leading at the time into the IB Diploma program, I was informed that attendance at the IB Heads’ conferences was a requirement of affiliation.  In those days, the IB Heads’ conferences were held annually, but they became biennial in the mid-1990s to reduce the time Heads were away from their schools.  Unfortunately, I had to miss the last conference (that was held two years ago) because the dates clashed with a scheduled meeting of UWC Heads, attendance at which was expected as part of my role at the time.  It has therefore been four years since I have been able to attend one of these conferences.

These presentations were interspersed by workshop sessions that updated Heads on new developments and initiatives within the three IB programs, new initiatives between IB and CIS to integrate accreditation procedures and professional development opportunities, as well as several themed workshops, the one I chose to attend being “Developing Student Leadership”.  And then there were the publishers’ displays, exhibitions of educational technology, expedition opportunities for students, information on IB courses online, and of course the possibilities to exchange ideas with fellow IB Heads over meals and coffee breaks.

First, this conference was entirely paperless.  The conference program was distributed (and constantly updated) using a free downloadable app for iPhones and iPads.  Free wi-fi access was provided, and for those participants who did not have either an iPhone or iPad of their own, 200 iPads were available for free loan.  The app contained the conference program, maps of the conference venue, information about speakers and exhibitors, and updates (which were also distributed via Twitter feeds).  The app also enabled participants to provide feedback and/or rate presenters as well as the conference in general.  It was certainly a very impressive and effective use of technology.

For me, the most impressive aspect of the campus was its combination of educational efficiency with environmental sustainability.  For example, the buildings are oriented at angles to the sun in ways that minimize heat loading and thus reduce energy costs.  Solar panels are used to provide 30% of the power needed for the air conditioning system.  The air conditioning ducts contain only obtuse, gentle angles (i.e. no right angles), which substantially reduces the electricity required to drive the system by reducing the fan diameters needed to push the air through the ducts.  There is extensive use of green vegetation to reduce heat loads in the buildings (reducing the need for air conditioning), and metal screens which provide additional shading have key ‘mission’ messages included in them.  Even the overhead fans have been aerodynamically designed to minimize wind resistance, thus reducing electricity costs as well as drastically reducing the noise and totally removing the risk of blowing loose papers on the students’ desks.  Angled horizontal screens near the exterior windows are used both to reduce the heat load in the classrooms and to reflect light upwards to the ceiling, where the extra reflected light is so effective that we seldom worked in the classrooms with artificial lighting needing to be turned on.  Supplementing this system, the lights near the windows have light sensors so that they only operate when cloudy conditions outside limit the availability of natural light inside the classrooms.  All the clocks in the school show the same time because they are connected wirelessly to the Observatory’s central time clock.   I could go on about how impressed I was by the buildings’ impressive environmental credentials and how these principles might be be applied to Awty’s new buildings, but I hope some of the photos I have included in this blog will provide a better idea of the clever use of sustainable design principles to reduce ongoing energy footprint and costs.  More information on the impressive energy efficiency of the buildings can be seen at http://www.uwcsea.edu.sg/page.cfm?p=1326.