As part of the school’s mission to provide an effective learning environment for its students, the Junior High School (JHS) Department of MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) hosted a town hall meeting for grades seven to ten students last September 25. Joining the meeting via Zoom was the school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) consultant, Ms. Aga Chojnacka Al-Atat.
This assembly was organized to gather the students’ ideas and opinions about assessments. The IB consultant facilitated an interactive Q&A in which students were able to exchange answers with their classmates, and then share their own answers with everyone in the town hall. Some of the questions asked were, “How do you feel about the school’s assessments?” and “How can the school improve its assessment system?” Student responses include comments on making assessments more practical and application-based, as well as encouraging critical thinking instead of memorization.
“I think that the town hall was a great opportunity for students to share their opinions on the school's assessment system. The speaker did a great job of keeping the event engaging, and her activities gave the students a good opportunity to connect with their classmates,” shared Evan Sy of Damascus C.
Patmos A’s Miles Co agreed. “I felt the town hall meeting was very insightful, bringing all the students to come together and discuss matters on the betterment of our school. It's good for students like me to practice speaking out about these problems because we have a voice in this community,” said Co.
Ms. Aga assured the students that their responses in the meeting would be used to evaluate and improve the method of assessments. The town hall meeting is part of MGCNLCA’s plan to make the Junior High School program a more student-centered learning environment, with the students having more ownership of their learning.