Academic Focus Areas: Arts, Languages, STEM, and more at the American School of Paris

Aim: To develop and implement comprehensive, creative, innovative music, theater, film, and visual art programs. To equip students to think like artists, and to establish in them lifelong artistic dispositions as bold, sensitive creators, thoughtful, informed appreciators and enthusiastic, active supporters of the arts.

‍

Philosophy: The arts are intrinsically valuable as an avenue for the creative expression of our human psyche. Exposure to, exploration of, and instruction in the arts are essential components of a comprehensive education.

‍

Beliefs: Regardless of talent and skill, artistry is highly dependent on commitment, prolonged effort and hard work. Artists challenge people to see and think in new ways. Artists can influence people’s ideas about the world.

Aim: To help students see and feel the impact of reading and writing in their lives. Students who read and write well have a better understanding of themselves and others and are more likely to have richer lives. We aim to nurture independent and critical thinkers who can skillfully take in and evaluate new information, formulate original responses, and convincingly articulate their ideas through both the spoken and written word.

‍

Philosophy: The study of literature and a focus on effective written and oral communication are essential for equipping students for engagement in a democratic society and for encouraging self-reflection.

‍

Beliefs: Students best read, write, and communicate effectively in a respectful, balanced, and personally meaningful environment. Students develop these skills through choice, reflection, and collaboration.

Aim: To ensure that students have the confidence to adopt and the ability to adapt new technologies so that they become designers of digital solutions that make a positive difference in their current and future world.

‍

Philosophy: STEM-focused innovation and design is essential for allowing students to thrive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Students need to be fluent in the language of computers, not just know how to use them. Through making, students go beyond the role of passive consumers, to not only acquire knowledge but more importantly construct their own understanding.

‍

Beliefs: We believe all students benefit from interdisciplinary learning, and we support inclusion and differentiation to widen the appeal of computational and design thinking, and technological literacy.

Philosophy: The libraries and librarians play a key teaching, support, and collaborative role in carrying out the broader school mission. The libraries resources, personnel and technology support the curriculum and instruction to help students become efficient and responsible users and creators of ideas and information in a global world, as well as promote a love of life-long reading and learning.

‍

Beliefs: Have physical and intellectual access to a wide and balanced variety of information and points of view. Evolve in a safe and stimulating environment.
Develop necessary skills to become active participants in their own learning and global citizenship.

‍

Upper and Middle School Sawiris Library: Explore library resources and search the catalog here.

‍

Lower and Middle School Library: See the library's website here.

Aim: For students to understand and appreciate mathematics, to become proficient problem solvers, and to make mathematical connections with the world around them.

‍

Philosophy: Mathematics is the language of patterns and problem-solving; it is both beautiful and powerful in its logic. It enables us to create and use models to deepen our understanding of the world. We emphasize active learning with a problem solving focus.

‍

Beliefs: All students can successfully learn and use mathematics. Learning requires perseverance, effort, and a commitment to excellence. Learning involves wondering, exploring, creating, and reflecting.

Aim: For students to leave ASP with a love of languages, people, and cultures, and with the tools to communicate efficiently and meaningfully in both the spoken and written word.

‍

Philosophy: Language learning is ongoing, it requires commitment, daily exposure to instruction, and immersion in the target-language, culture and community. It promotes global citizenship and multicultural understanding.

‍

Beliefs: We value the learning of additional languages and the development of mother tongue languages. Proficiency in additional languages aids the student in acquiring competencies in other curricular areas.

Aim: The purpose of music education is to empower students to be independent musicians and to engage them in the cognitive, physical, social and emotional experiences of a rich and diverse musical life.

‍

Philosophy: Music is a unique personal and universal language of human expression, linking our past to the present, bridging cultural divides and geographical distance while fostering global understanding and awareness. Music offers extraordinary individual and collective opportunities for self-reflection, self-discipline, personal growth and depth of enjoyment.

‍

Beliefs: Every student should receive a comprehensive musical education to establish the foundation for a lifelong relationship with music. Those who have a more in-depth musical education, experience greater enjoyment in, and a more profound understanding and appreciation of, music of all styles.

Aim: to ensure that students have the necessary skills and passion for lifelong fitness, physical activity and personal development to establish healthy choices and lifestyles.

‍

Philosophy: Every activity has equal value regardless of level or popularity.

‍

Beliefs: We believe that learning occurs best when all students can play, be creative and have a positive experience in games and activities.  

Aim: We strive to foster the innate curiosity of students as they develop the skills, knowledge, and content knowledge necessary to access and evaluate new information. Our students will be able to use the scientific method/ experimentation/processes, to understand the natural world; and they will leave with a greater inclination to use their abilities in science to solve problems and act responsibly in society.

‍

Philosophy: We take an integrated approach to teaching science, the work is designed to include authentic questioning, real world connections, and inquiry-based exploration of core content. Such a program makes learning meaningful and engaging for the students.  

‍

Beliefs: We act on the understanding that students learn best through “hands-on, minds-on” science with real-world applications.  And we believe that, for full understanding and a sense of their value, the various branches of science should be experienced as interrelated and constantly evolving.  

Aim: For students to enhance their personal and social awareness by cultivating knowledge, understandings, values, and skills needed to participate actively in their community and the world at large.

‍

Philosophy: The advancement of human well-being depends upon informed, engaged, and active citizens  who understand the interconnectedness of our world and their role in bettering it.  Studying Social Studies will inspire students to grapple with the questions:  How did this world come to be? What are the ideas, skills and tools that help us understand our world?  How can we use our understandings to make a difference in the world in which we live?

‍

Beliefs: It is vital for students to be confronted with differing value systems and to evaluate assumptions and beliefs from a solid foundation of informed understanding of their world, their past, and that of others.
We believe that successful engagement with the global community is built upon the empathy, understanding, and conviction that can be developed through a rigorous study of the social sciences.

Aim: That students leave ASP having received the full advantages of being in a school where technology is used when appropriate to support, enrich and extend learning; where they gain the technology skills and knowledge needed to be successful in their future learning and where they develop habits of responsible technology use.

‍

Philosophy: ASP has taken an integrated approach to the use of technology for learning, therefore it is the responsibility of all teachers to seamlessly embed technology to enhance learning in the modern world.

‍

Beliefs: Technology is now an integral part of all of our lives, and in particular of how we communicate with others. We must provide opportunities, modelling and guidance for students to learn to be respectful, compassionate people in the digital world as well as in the rest of life.

Aim: Through the study of theater, students become aware of their own personal and cultural perspectives, developing an appreciation of the diversity of theatre practices and their processes. The course enables students to discover and engage with different forms of theatre across time, place and culture.

‍

Philosophy: Theatre offers the opportunity to engage actively in the creative process, transforming ideas into action as inquisitive and productive artists. The course emphasizes the importance of working both individually and collaboratively as part of an ensemble.

‍

Beliefs: Theatre is a dynamic, collaborative and live art form. Practical involvement with theatre demands discipline, creativity and a wide range of skills. It encompasses the taking of risks, the building of confidence and encourages discovery through play, energy and imagination. We believe that through the processes of creating, researching, presenting and critically reflecting on theatre—as participants and audience members—one gains a richer understanding of oneself, as well as of live performance.