(Written By: Ellie Flesher, IBDP Business Management and TOK Teacher)

BCIS students put their learning into action recently, traveling to Australia to pitch their business plan to some of the country's top executives.

As a result of winning the Avenir Business competition in March, four BCIS Business students earned the opportunity to visit Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to compete in the BlueShift (hyperlink: https://www.qut.edu.au/business/about/events/blueshift/what-is-blueshift) Business competiton

"Competion was high," said Erica Wang, the Learning Support TA who assisted with the Avenir competition this year. "Our team did an amazing job, and the judges were impressed with the level of analysis they put into their ideas."

For the students, it was a chance to directly connect their learning to life outside of school and get a taste of what it takes to be successful entrepreneurs.

"The trip gave us a great opportunity to present our business ideas on an international platform," said Tiffany Wang, Grade 11 student.

"My highlight of the trip was having the opportunity to collaborate with my teammates who were so supportive and awesome," said Amy Ai, Grade 11 student.

The trip was not all work without play though. Joining the Sri Lankan team, our students took a trip to the Australian Zoo. They even had the chance to interact with koalas and kangaroos!

The BCIS faculty know that learning by doing is a way to strengthen the application and comprehension of knowledge and skills. This is just one example of student project-based learning in action. These activities are a great way for students to learn outside of the classroom walls and network with experts in the field.

Keep an eye out for details on the Avenir 2020 competition hosted at BCIS next year. We're looking forward to giving more students the opportunity to learn by doing at this special event.