This week, Beijing City International School's (BCIS) IDEATE Diploma Program held its Celebration of Learning, where 20 Grade 11 and 12 students showcased their work and acted as ambassadors introducing the program and their projects to BCIS community members.

IDEATE is a project-based program that channels student passion and interest through rigorous courses and personalized experiential learning.The Celebration of Learning encouraged students to share work that reflects the concept "see the big through the small". A short film showing the bonds between old people and young children, homes designed for individuals with autism, comics on the societal problem of harassment and women being followed, an exploration of sports management models on campus, custom-designed and produced 3D books for young children on traditional Chinese culture; these are but a few examples of the incredible work exhibited at this event. This showcase was also an opportunity for students to share their entire learning process, with hundreds of draft hand-drawn book pages, concise research and analysis of early childhood writing samples, designs re-worked and revised over and again, precise stop-motion animation footage repeatedly modified and adjusted all on show.By the students themselves presenting their work, they were able to engage participants in the impacts their work meets and explain the criteria they are assessed by. The experience of the IDEATE program is best defined by the students, however, as a parallel program to the IB Diploma Programme, it is also approved by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). It has been used by many students to gain places in top universities around the world, and students are held to high standards and tight schedules in order to complete personal projects of the highest quality in time to meet college application deadlines.

With both Grade 11 and 12 exhibiting their projects, a diverse range of work was on display, from projects in the development and exploration phase, all the way to finished projects which have already been submitted as part of university applications. The IDEATE Celebration of Learning provides an opportunity for those from the wider BCIS community to learn more about this innovative diploma program from the students themselves, further enriching the learning of the students and expanding the awareness of IDEATE.