What makes a difference in a student's education? ICS Milan offers an innovative teaching approach based on Design Thinking and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths). This learning approach prepares each student to solve problems that have not yet been imagined and to work in jobs that have not yet been invented. An important part of this educational approach is that students who are taught under a STEAM framework are not just taught the subject matter, but they are taught how to learn, how to ask questions, how to experiment and how to create.
Founded in 2017 after the experience and merger of Ludum and KC School, ICS Milan International School is one of the most important international schools in Milan. It hosts students from 1 to 18 years old in four campuses throughout the Milan area, offers an international curriculum (Early Years Foundation Stage, International Primary Curriculum and Cambridge Primary Programme, International Baccalaureate for Middle Years and Diploma) and is recognised as a Scuola Paritaria by the Italian Ministry of Education. ICS Milan is also part of the Globeducate group, a network of 55+ premium bi-lingual and international schools educating 28,000 students in nine countries. It's part of the ICS Cluster, with five sister schools: ICS London, ICS Paris, ICS Côte d'Azur, ISN Nice and RIS Rome.
Design Thinking and STEAM approach
What distinguishes ICS Milan from other schools, however, is its teaching approach, which is rooted in design thinking. When we talk about "design", we do not mean drawing or designing objects, but rather the creative and problem-solving mindset that characterises the design process. The school aims to promote children's creativity so that they can find simple solutions to increasingly complex problems.
ICS Milan wants to cultivate all students' talents and enhance their uniqueness and inner resources, aptitudes, sensibilities, tastes, and desires, to form "modern citizens" capable of expressing themselves and realising their potential in an increasingly broader and rapidly changing reality.
How is it put into practice?
At ICS Milan we are unlocking the Italian design system with STEAM, an inspirational approach to learning which uses Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths as access points for building student enquiry, critical thinking and exploring a child's creative mind. Our STEAM approach is led by a team of hands-on, innovative educators.
Our goal is to foster the true innovation that comes with combining the mind of a scientist or technologist with that of an artist or designer (visual and/or performance). Our teachers use project-based learning that crosses each of the five disciplines and fosters an inclusive learning environment in which all students can engage and contribute. Unlike traditional models of teaching, they bring the disciplines together, strengthening the connections between the modelling process and the computational thinking, for example. Through this holistic approach, students are able to exercise both sides of their brain at once.
A robust STEAM approach to education equips students to upskill themselves many times in their lifetime and it will give us our future innovators, educators, leaders and - perhaps most importantly - our learners of the future.
What does this mean in practice? Here are some examples: in Year 2, Primary children start working with LEGO Education resources. LEGO Education solutions introduce students to STEAM concepts while improving collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills. Using smart bricks and digital tools, students at this developmental level can explore coding, programming, and engineering. For example: after building a LEGO robot, they need to code it to make it move in a specific way.
Secondary students also use LEGO resources, focusing on increasingly complex projects. They also have the opportunity to work directly with businesses, discovering their processes from an early stage.
Last year, a collaboration with a children renowned clothing brand, Simonetta, saw our Secondary School students work first-hand through the entire process from conceptual design through to manufacturing, PR/communication, promotion and sales. The company were committed to producing a line of clothing which engaged with young people's identity, their values and goals for a better world. The collection, called ME, MYSELF & I, with each concept connecting with GLOBAL IDENTITY or NATURE went on sale in Spring 2022.
What is ICS Milan?
ICS Milan International School is the first school in Milan for children and students from 1 to 18 years to offer an international curriculum enhanced by an innovative teaching approach based on experiential learning.
A school of innovation that serves a diverse community of students from a range of nationalities, cultures and backgrounds and helps children grow into citizens of the world.
ICS Milan is active throughout the Milan area with four campuses (Viale Ortles, via Colletta, via Tenca, Strada di Spina-Milano2).
Since 2017 ICS Milan is part of Globeducate, a leading international network of more than 55+ schools with around 28,000 students in the world.
