Creative experience agency The XMakers gets primary students at XCL World Academy to tackle one of the world’s trickiest problems

In a historically traditional landscape of education, Singapore-based IB International School, XCL World Academy (XWA), stands out with its revolutionary approach to “Learning by Design”. This innovative pedagogy empowers students to prepare for the future by equipping them with skills and techniques that encourage creative problem-solving.

This recent collaboration between XWA and creative experience agency, The Experience Makers (XMakers), sees the continuation of a partnership that started with OOH activations and digital campaigns, and a shared ambition to break away from the conservative education landscape in Singapore and beyond. With this campaign, students were invited to use their imagination and problem-solving abilities while making it a fun and engaging experience. It was documented in a video production, supported by interviews with the Head of School and XCL Superintendent Singapore Schools, Mrs Tammy Murphy, and delved deeper through a mini-documentary.

During the Design Thinking session, XWA’s primary students tackled a complex problem that’s been puzzling parents for ages – How to get kids to eat their vegetables. The most promising concepts from the young minds were brought to life by none other than XWA’s culinary maestro, Chef Emmanuel Stroobant, a recipient of two Michelin stars. This unconventional collaboration showcased the school’s commitment as the School of the Future and the unique way of delivery through interdisciplinary learning and innovation.

The XMakers’ founder, Dominic Stallard, said: “It’s really rewarding working with XWA – especially as a parent who’s worried about how technology will affect my son’s future. Since we started working with XWA early this year, we’ve been impressed that they don’t just talk about the future, everything they do helps gear students up for it. We have used technologies and methodologies like generative AI, data-visualisation, and human-centred design for XWA, and the fusion of modern creative techniques with their educational principles has connected well with parents and students so far.”

This ability to create experiences — be it brand and marketing, customer, or spatial — with new technologies and human-centred solutions, has been The XMakers’ focus from day one as a specialist Creative Experience agency in Southeast Asia.

The XWA’s Head of Marketing, Ivy Ang, said: “In this rapidly changing world, XWA is pioneering ways of learning like no others before. As the School of the Future, we partner parents and be there for every single step of our students’ learning journey. We aim to equip our students with the knowledge and skills for the jobs that don’t even exist yet, while also having fun.” She added, “This video is just a glimpse of what happens in our classrooms, and how we encourage problem-solving in an innovative and relatable way.”

“The opportunity to co-create this content with XMakers is certainly an awesome experience. From brainstorming to planning and working on a film set. Dominic and his team are creative, resourceful and full of ideas! Maybe that’s what happened when the “Xs” came together, XCL World Academy and the XMakers, we made a great team.”