Our school The Mission Statement of the DAI International School Our values Our core concepts In September of 2021, the Freundeskreis des DAI Heidelberg e. V., opened the DAI International School. The bilingual elementary school with an all-day program began in the school year 2021/22, building on the work of the DAI International Kindergartens. With a diverse staff and student body, the DAI International School offers a unique educational experience, supported by modern educational concepts and deeply held values. The Mission Statement of the DAI International School At the DAI International School, we instill the love of learning through cooperative education opportunities that build the character pillars of empathy, kindness and curiosity. We believe in and facilitate a safe school environment with cultural awareness and social intelligence. Through our unique approach of integrating Deeper Learning, each child is enabled to bring their unique and individual perspectives and strengths to add to this collaborative learning practice, equipping them for life-long learning through cross-curricular approaches and multiple-subject integration. Our Values Our school is committed to the values of respect, kindness, and tolerance. Our goal is to treat Ethics as a major subject, that is, not to limit it to the confines of a standard lesson, but to let it permeate all areas of school life. A student parliament, titled the Class Council, as well as the subject “Challenge & Responsibility”, also support this comprehensive learning. Making our values the concrete basis of our interactions with each other and weaving them into our everyday school life is the big goal. Our Concept Bilingual, International & Project Oriented The DAI International School is a bilingual school; classes are taught in German and English. Previous knowledge of the one or the other language is not necessary. The goal is for the children to be able to express themselves confidently in both languages by the end of their primary school education. The lessons follow the curriculum of Baden-Württemberg and incorporate the Cambridge Curriculum. Children and teachers from different nations learn together in small classes: around 20 children per group and a German-English team of teachers who teach in pairs during the core periods of the morning. As in the DAI Kindergartens, the focus is on fostering children’s curiosity and joy in learning. Inspired by the work of the Institute of Educational Science at the University of Heidelberg, the teaching and learning methods at the center of our lessons are ones that have proven to be particularly beneficial in global comparison. These include project-based learning and the Deeper Learning method. Deeper Learning, the first special feature of our concept, is a new teaching and learning method that originated in the USA. It is not just about acquiring knowledge, but about learning through research and action. The learning setting is interdisciplinary and aims at co-constructive and co-creative problem-solving. Deeper Learning combines the competencies of Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity. These are designed to help children and young people find solutions to the challenges of the future. A short presentation of the DAI International School can be downloaded here. Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions-FAQ for more in-depth information about our school and it’s concepts.