School Guide

Westlake Nurtures Students Through STEM Learning And The Inquiry-Based Learning Model

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Nov 15, 2021

Westlake International School’s students are introduced to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as early as Year 1 through many hands-on, explorative methods, allowing learners to feel empowered to innovate and become the change-makers of tomorrow.

The school has adopted the Inquiry-based Learning model, aiming at having students behave like scientists. This experiential methodology has allowed many of Westlake’s students to take part in inter-school and international science fairs and competitions, such as the Best STEM Awards and won the Gold Award at the Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition.

To encourage their innovations, Westlake educates students on STEM from an early age.

Nevertheless, Westlake’s students’ talents are not narrowed only in STEM. These students have been described as all-rounded; many have participated in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards while others have taken part in Wind Orchestra Westlake, or the WOW Club, and are active participants in the school’s sports teams.

Learning During The Pandemic

Student participation during the remote learning period has been challenging to navigate. However, Westlake’s Science Department managed to work around the schedule to ensure the quality of delivery and the experiential learning was not compromised; helping students to learn as effectively at home as though they were in the classroom.

Online platforms such as Classkick, Padlet and Google G Suite and the Jamboard have helped manage and streamline teaching and learning sessions so lessons could run as smoothly as possible. In order to enhance engagement and interaction, Westlake’s teachers opted for online quizzes using platforms such as ‘Kahoot!’, Quizizz, WordWall and Booket. These platforms simultaneously bolstered students’ confidence in finding accurate solutions and answers for the quiz.

Westlake’s educators are the backbone of the community. They are ready to assist students by providing helplines whenever the students require them. Many resources have been made readily available for the students through Google Classroom.

While Westlake’s approach to STEM is through the inquiry-based method, students may not have a chance to experience experiments in real-time with their teachers. The Science Department had gone the extra mile by using Google Meet or recording themselves conducting the experiments using household items, allowing students to observe the experiments from the comfort of their homes and sample project videos to supplement their observations.

Westlake’s High Achievers

Students have successfully achieved excellent track records in the Primary Checkpoint, Checkpoint Assessments, and for the IGCSE and A-Levels Science subjects.

The school provides an avenue for students to learn outside of the classroom through competitions, science fairs and tours. Westlake’s students have participated in the STEM Learning Journey, attending university tours at neighbouring universities such as Universiti Tunku Abdul Razak and Universiti Teknologi Petronas, participated in the Cambridge Science Competition, was a part of the ASEAN 4.0 Garastem Workshops and competed in Westlake’s annual Year 3 to Year 10 projects.

Westlake’s students’ achievements extend even further. They have won many accolades: Best STEM Awards 2019, Best STEM Research Award in 2017, and the Gold Award in the Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition.

Academically, 93% of Westlake’s students achieved A*/A for Chemistry, 67% achieved A*/A for Biology and Mathematics, whereas another 64% had achieved A*/A for Physics for the 2021 A-Levels. 59% of students achieved A* - A results for the 2021 IGCSE.

Top university destinations for Westlake's students.

Nurturing Students As A Whole

Westlake has proven that the pandemic has not deterred the teachers and students from learning smoothly at home. The school focused on having 5 hours of teacher-led learning daily for the core subjects to guarantee that students were able to complete their modules on time. Co-curricular activities were conducted online, too, offering students to experience campus activities in the safety of their homes.

Westlake nurtures the wholeness of students.

While remote learning was happening, some students had to live on campus in Westlake’s conducive and secured boarding accommodation during the Movement Control Order. These students were either foreign boarders who were unable to go back to their home country or boarders with limited Internet access or an environment suitable for remote learning. Westlake’s full-time Boarding House Parents stayed with the boarders to ensure they got the proper support needed. The school ensured that their safety and health are protected to the best of Westlake’s ability and that learning continued without any interruption. 

Meals were catered daily from the cafeteria, but the Boarding Administration and Houseparents also allowed the students to order their favourite snacks and drinks. Each boarders’ well-being remained a top priority, their temperatures were taken daily, and their activities on campus -- from learning to playing sports -- were monitored closely by full-time Houseparents who take care of the students on a rotational basis.

The school has also coordinated vaccination initiatives under the Vaksin Anakku Programme for boarders who are away from home.

Westlake is committed to taking care of the students as a whole. They offer support for students with a different curriculum by introducing the differentiated learning methodology that provides guidance and catering to the student’s specific learning needs. As for students with lower English proficiency, they will be meticulously guided so they are able to keep up with their peers in class while receiving assessments for evaluation.

The educators work closely with Westlake’s English Proficiency Programme (E-ProP) teachers to help ingrain specific Science terminologies and language applications to help students recall the words based on context.

Westlake’s campus is located in Kampar, Perak, which is currently in Phase 4 under the National Recovery Plan (as of 8 November 2021). With Phase 4 in effect, more students will be able to attend face-to-face classes with adherence to the SOPs.

The campus is nestled within the mountain ranges of the famed Titiwangsa Range and far from the hustle and bustle of the city, offering a peaceful environment that is apt for a focused and peaceful learning environment. Boarding is available for students who require it. The location of the boarding houses is only a short distance away from Westlake’s campus and is convenient for boarders to access the facilities at school.

Westlake offers British Curriculum and the Cambridge IGCSE and A-Levels to students and places a special emphasis on STEM-related subjects.

Visit westlakeschool.edu.my to learn more about STEM learning at Westlake or to make an enquiry.

---

School Advisor empowers parents to make the right choices with Malaysian schools and more! We provide a comprehensive list of the best international school and private schools that offer preschool, American and British curriculums, International Baccalaureate, A-Levels and more that will satisfy your child's academic and co-curricular growth.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from us and on education and parenting!