Buist Academy for Advanced Studies is helping all students develop the world-class skills expected of the South Carolina graduate by nurturing an environment that encourages collaboration and effective communication. Collaboration and communication contribute to student and organizational success. The faculty and staff at Buist Academy model collaboration and communication through our daily practices. We collaborate frequently through a variety of learning communities within the school. These smaller communities are defined as academic departments, grade-level teams, book study groups, committees, and house advisors. Teachers meet once a week with the IB Coordinator to plan units, review standards and reflect on teaching and learning. These meetings primarily consist of the same grade-level or subject-area teachers. Fine arts teachers often join core content teachers to create innovative lessons that infuse fine arts to meet the needs of a wide range of learning modalities. The master schedule provides time for teachers to have common planning within their grade-levels and some subject areas. Working Wednesdays were established after school hours to allow collaboration between departments that do not have common planning during the day.
Buist Academy does not limit collaboration and communication to just teachers. Our students find opportunities to collaborate and communicate in class by working with partners and in groups. Each student in the school is assigned a buddy; our older students mentor and support younger students through the buddy initiative. Teachers will often pair buddy grade-levels to work together on projects. Grade-levels with common standards will also work together to reinforce and support particular skills or concepts. We have also had an impact on student collaboration and communication through competitive academic competitions such as Mock Trial, SeaPerch, Quiz Bowl and Academic Quest. The Mock Trial team won second place in the state-level competition.
As an International Baccalaureate school, we strive to provide our students with the knowledge, attributes, and skills to work together. IB communicators express themselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many other ways. They also collaborate effectively and listen carefully to the perspective of other individuals and groups. IB projects such as PYP exhibition and MYP community service project allow students the opportunity to work in groups. In the final year of the PYP, students, carry out an extended, in-depth, collaborative project known as the PYP exhibition. At the end of eighth-grade, the MYP community service project provides an important opportunity for students to collaborate and pursue service learning. Students are able to successfully communicate the outcomes of their projects to parents, teachers, students, and community members.
By modeling collaborative practices and providing our students with a variety of opportunities for collaboration, we are preparing them with skills to be successful in the future. With the support of faculty, staff, administration, parents, and the community, we will continue to excel academically and provide students with multiple opportunities to establish the world-class skills expected of a South Carolina graduate.
Shawntay White, Principal
Tracie Howe, SIC Chair
