Education Newsletter Bulletin pédagogique

June 2014

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 1 June / Juin 2014

Contents

Page

Les Misérables à La Grande Boissière 3 Les Misérables at La Grande Boissière 5 Conrad Hughes

Cartes Postales de Népal 7 Devy Philippart de Foy, Alice Ramazzotti

Institute of Learning and Teaching: Beginnings, Endings and Celebrations... 9 Alison Ball, Frédéric Mercier

Foundation Pedagogical Day 13 Marcia Banks

Ecolint and CERN: bringing down the barriers of knowledge 15 Stephen Preece

The Noblest Ecolintian of them all 16 Alejandro Rodriguez-Giovo

Study Day / Journée d’Etudes et de Réflexion 19 Conrad Hughes

Health & Mindfulness 26 Christine Blom, Jan Dijkstra

The World Scholar’s Cup : A leap into compelling academic opportunities 29 Isabel Hahn

Annexe VI reports 28

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 2 June / Juin 2014

Les Misérables à La Grande Boissière Conrad Hughes (Directeur de l’Education)

Alors que le discours pédagogique moderne est devenu une succession de platitudes concernant ce qui marche réellement dans les écoles et la baguette magique qu’il conviendrait d’agiter pour que tout se passe bien (et le prix qu’il en coûtera), c’est avec un grand soulagement parfois que l’on se sent transporté par quelque chose de beau et d’intemporel.

Car, s’il y a bien une chose qui transcende la cacophonie, un appel du clairon qui raisonne au-dessus de tout, c’est le travail de qualité. La qualité n’a pas besoin de preuve scientifique et se passe de discours exalté : elle parle avec économie une langue qui lui est propre, et dans laquelle la forme et le contenu ne font qu’un.

Une vérité extraordinaire, quasi magique se dégage de la qualité, une présence indéniable : vous la reconnaissez quand vous la voyez. En faire l’expérience signifie être ébloui par la force d’une essence, c’est comme sentir les rayons du soleil sur votre visage.

La production des Misérables à La Grande Boissière en mars en est un bon exemple. L’exigence et la complexité de l’interprétation, l’obsession, la répétition, l’anxiété et l’épuisement que cela a certainement impliqué : tout a disparu dans « l’art de dissimuler l’art », et ce qui fut donné à voir n’était rien d’autre que la qualité sous sa forme la plus pure et la plus élevée.

Photograph: Pascal Barollier (parent) Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 3 June / Juin 2014

Il fut également évident que les principes que nous chérissons dans notre école – une collaboration sérieuse, l’apprentissage fondé sur l’élève au centre, les valeurs de respect et de diversité – étaient mis en œuvre. Les producteurs, Marshall Sapherson et John Marc Davies ont clairement trouvé le juste équilibre entre diriger l’apprentissage, en l’étayant de manière que les élèves soient poussés plus loin, une petite coudée à la fois certes, mais de manière constante – et lâcher suffisamment de lest pour que les élèves puissent prendre les rênes et se guider les uns les autres vers un niveau supérieur. A la fin de la dernière représentation, Davies et Sapherson leur ont rendu hommage non seulement pour leur performance, mais aussi pour leur capacité à diriger le projet. Ils ont même refusé qu’on les appelle directeurs, préférant le titre de co-directeurs, à égalité avec les élèves.

Comme nous le savons tous, l’un des éléments les plus importants et difficiles d’une production théâtrale concerne le choix des comédiens. Et il subsiste autour des auditions une rigueur désuète qui peut créer de l’inconfort puisque le procédé entraîne inévitablement jugement, franchise et rejet, des problèmes que nous préférons souvent éviter. Si le casting est mauvais, il ruine la production et laisse un goût amer teinté d’injustice dans la bouche des comédiens. Il était difficile d’objecter quoi que ce soit sur le casting des Misérables à La Grande Boissière, tellement le spectateur avait le sentiment que chaque chose était à sa place et que, pour cette raison, personne ne se sentait déplacé ou malheureux. Et pour cause.

Il y avait certaines parties chantées durant la représentation qui, par elles-mêmes, envoyaient un message fort. Un type de chant bien maîtrisé, qui requiert une véritable technique. Quand l’interprète se lance, ces notes sont comme des déflagrations ; l’onde sonore se réverbère en vous, se propage jusqu’à pénétrer votre âme, fait courir des frissons le long de vos bras, vous étreint les poumons et vous tire les larmes des yeux.

Il s’agit ici de vrai chant, à un niveau professionnel, et nous en avons eu quelques exemples. Quand Abha Calindi a reproduit cette qualité musicale quelques mois plus tard en reprenant « I dreamed a dream » lors de la soirée consacrée à la Zambie au Campus des Nations, une salve d’applaudissements a parcouru le public de manière spontanée, à peine le chant entamé ; et c’était des applaudissements automatiques et immédiats, venant du cœur et des tripes. Ces moments nous ont donné à tous la chair de poule et semblaient plus parlants et plus éloquents que les piles de recherches consacrées aux méthodes miracles en matière d’enseignement.

Ce qui a fonctionné dans Les Misérables et qui fonctionne également pour l’humanité dans son essence, ce sont les vertus bien connues de discipline, de dévouement, de diligence, du travail en commun et, par-dessus tout, la transcendance à laquelle on parvient lorsqu’un tel labeur produit de la qualité.

Les Misérables étaient une leçon sur l’éducation qui nous a insufflé l’envie de faire mieux et de voir plus loin. Merci pour cette expérience inoubliable qui nous rend si fiers de faire partie de l’Ecolint.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 4 June / Juin 2014

Les Misérables at La Grande Boissière Conrad Hughes (Director of Education)

As modern educational discourse has become cluttered with platitudes about what really works in schools and which magic wand needs to be waved for all to be well (and how much it will cost), it is a great relief sometimes to be swept away by something timeless and beautiful.

For one thing that transcends the cacophony, a clarion call that rings out above it all, is work of quality. Quality does not need experimental evidence or excited discourse: it speaks its own economical language where form and content are one.

Quality has an extraordinary, almost magical truth about it, an undeniable presence: you know it when you see it. To experience quality is to be dazzled by the force of an essence, like feeling the rays of the sun on your face.

The production of Les Misérables at La Grande Boissière in March was an example. The scale and complexity of the performance, the obsession, repetition, anxiety and exhaustion that must have gone into it, all disappeared in “the art to hide the art”, and what one was left with was nothing but high and pure quality.

Photograph: Pascal Barollier (parent)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 5 June / Juin 2014

It was also clear that the things we cherish at our school: meaningful collaboration, student- centred learning, values of respect and diversity, were at work. The producers, Marshall Sapherson and John Marc Davies had clearly found the delicate balance between directing the learning, scaffolding so that students were challenged to reach just that arm’s length further - but constantly further – and letting go so that the students could take ownership and guide each other to the next level. At the end of the last production, Davies and Sapherson paid tribute to the students not only for their performance but for their leadership. They even refused to be called directors but only co-directors, alongside the students.

As we all know, one of the most important and difficult elements of a theatrical production is the casting, and there is an old-fashioned rigour about casting that can cause unease since it inevitably entails judgement, frankness and rejection, issues we often prefer to avoid. If the casting is wrong, it spoils the production and leaves the performers with a bitter taste of injustice in their mouths. It was difficult to argue against the cast of Les Misérables at La Grande Boissière, one had the feeling that everything had found its place and because of that, no-one was out of place or unhappy, and for the right reasons.

There were certain notes sung at the performance that in themselves sent out a message of power, the type of notes that are controlled and require genuine technique. When the singer opens up, these notes are like explosions - the ebb of the sound reverberates within you, reaches into your soul and sends shivers down your forearms, grips your lungs from within and squeezes tears to your eyes.

We are talking about real singing at a professional level, and there were examples of it. When Abha Calindi reproduced such a note at a repeat performance of “I dreamed a dream” at the Zambia evening at Campus des Nations a few months later, a ripple of applause ran round the audience spontaneously, just as the full note blossomed, and it was the type of applause that is visceral and immediate. Those moments gave us all goose bumps and seemed to speak louder and more eloquently than the reams of research on what works in schools.

What worked in Les Misérables and what works at the core of humanity, are the old virtues of discipline, dedication, industry, working together and, above all, the transcendence that is reached when such toil produces quality.

Les Misérables was a lesson in education. It inspired us to do better and to look further. Thank you for such an unforgettable experience that made us so proud to be part of Ecolint.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 6 June / Juin 2014

Cartes Postales de Népal Devy Philippart, Alice Ramazzotti (Etudiantes, La Châtaigneraie)

Un moment qui m’a vraiment montré que je débarquais dans un autre monde, c’est notre arrivée à l’aéroport de Kathmandu. Après avoir rassemblé nos bagages, nous sommes allés prendre le bus. Tout le monde fut réuni dans un bus, les bagages dans un autre bus. Puis le chauffeur démarra, mais soudain un jeune garçon ouvrit la portière et monta. Au début, je crus que c’était une blague d’arrivée et qu’un simple inconnu était monté pour que notre bus puisse le déposer en chemin. Mais au fur et à mesure du voyage, je compris que le chauffeur avait un assistant pour l’aider en cas de difficultés dans les ruelles particulièrement étroites ou dans la circulation chaotique de Katmandu.

Un autre moment de mon voyage que j’ai trouvé très touchant, c’était dans le bus quand j’étais assise à côté de Yamuna. Plus tôt dans la journée nous étions allés acheter de quoi déjeuner et goûter dans un supermarché avec les orphelins. Yamuna souhaitait principalement du chocolat. Ainsi, à l’heure du goûter, après avoir faire connaissance durant la journée, elle m’a gentiment proposé de manger sa tablette de chocolat ensemble. Evidemment gênée, j’ai accepté et j’ai mangé quelques carrées de chocolat avec elle. Ensuite je lui ai dit par politesse que j’en avais eu assez. Mais elle a insisté et m’a montré un petit mot écrit sur l’emballage « Share with a friend ». J’ai été très touchée et nous avons pu créer un lien très vite.

En général j’ai beaucoup apprécié le voyage. La misère, la poussière, la pollution et les infrastructures ne m’ont pas autant choquées que prévu. Je me suis sentie au contraire très à l’aise. Les locaux sont très accueillants. Les orphelins sont adorables. L’orphelinat est sur la bonne voie. Le bâtiment en construction est très bien. Je serais ravie d’y retourner un jour.

Devy Philippart De Foy (Etudiante, La Châtaigneraie)

Photograph : Seong-Jae Woo (Etudiant, La Châtaigneraie)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 7 June / Juin 2014

Le Népal est un pays très surprenant. Nous observons sans cesse l’énorme écart entre riches et pauvres, la misère et la pauvreté. Mais les personnes sourient toujours ! Chaque individu reste joyeux ; un contraste agréable avec le triste paysage.

De plus, un aspect du voyage m’ayant énormément surprise est le chaos zen présent dans les rues. En effet, le bruit incessant des klaxons se fait entendre jour et nuit. Mais j’ai pu observer que derrière cet horrible son se cache un réseau de communication. En effet, les klaxons sont utilisés comme moyen de communication pour éviter les accidents, ou pour prévenir de son arrivée dans une ruelle étroite.

Ensuite, j’ai pu observer la pauvreté au sein d’une famille. Elle vit plongée dans une misère terrible, dans une pièce sans meubles, mais les sourires sont toujours présents et les différencient de la réalité cruelle de leur vie. Même pauvres et privés de tout, les enfants de cette famille sont déterminés à finir leurs études pour pouvoir ensuite aider leur propre famille.

Finalement, j’ai pu observer le même phénomène chez les enfants de l’orphelinat. Après de nombreuses souffrances (témoignées par le nombre de leurs cheveux blancs), ils vivent leur vie en souriant, avec une volonté de vivre extraordinaire ! Ils sont donc tous déterminés à travailler durement pour améliorer leur situation et aider les autres. Certains d’entre eux ont aussi l’incroyable rêve d’ouvrir à leur tour un orphelinat pour donner aux plus démunis un plus bel avenir…

Pour conclure, j’ai adoré le voyage et j’ai pu vivre des émotions incroyables et profondes. En plus, j’ai pu remarquer que les gens là- bas vivent avec le minimum et sont heureux, tandis qu’ici nous avons trop et nous osons être malheureux…

Alice Ramazzotti (Etudiante, La Châtaigneraie)

Photograph: Léa Hiralal (Etudiante, La Châtaigneraie)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 8 June / Juin 2014

Institute of Learning and Teaching: Beginnings, Endings and Celebrations... Alison Ball and Frédéric Mercier (Co- Directors, Institute of Teaching and Learning)

The school year is drawing to a close, time to look back at some of the Institute events of 2013/14. These included Masters Modules offered in Geneva through the Durham University (UK) part time Masters in Education (International) programme and the new University of Geneva part time Master’s degree in International Education. The Durham Masters Modules in Geneva this year were: ‘Research Methods’ in Education’,’ Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Fostering Productive Thought’ and recently in May, ‘Special Educational Needs, Rhetoric or Reality?’

We enjoyed welcoming colleagues from Ecolint and beyond studying for the Durham Master’s degree and also those who decided to join the long weekend module as a professional development opportunity. Look out next year for the following modules: ‘Classroom Assessment’ in November, ‘Research Methods in Education’ in February/March and ‘Intercultural and International Education’ in late April/May, all exact dates will be available in early September.

Nous avons accueilli la première volée du Master Francophone que la Fondation Ecolint a organisé avec l’Université de Genève. Ce Master en Education Internationale et Recherche avec un module tout particulièrement dédié à l’Education à la Paix compte maintenant 18 personnes inscrites. Il réunit des enseignants (10 de notre fondation) et des personnes non enseignantes, mais pour la plupart travaillant dans le monde de l’éducation. C’est une

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 9 June / Juin 2014

grande richesse pour tous de pouvoir partager cette formation qualifiante avec des personnes d’horizons si différents.

Cette année, deux modules ont eu lieu le premier a abordé le thème de la réflexivité avec le professeur Wentzel de la HEP de Bejune, et le deuxième était centré sur les différents courants en didactique avec le professeur Schneuwly de l’IUFE de Genève.

L’année prochaine sera une année chargée, car quatre modules sont au programme. En septembre, nous aborderons l’Interculturalité avec le professeur Akkari de l’Université de Genève et en novembre, le Docteur Michel Sasseville de l’Université de Laval sera parmi nous pour une session dont le thème sera l’éducation à la paix par la pratique du dialogue. Chaque module de ce Master commence par une conférence de 2h30, ouverte à tous et peut être suivi en « auditeur libre » sous condition d’inscription auprès de l’Université de Genève.

Une fois par an, le Master francophone et le Master anglophone ont lieu durant le même week-end. Le temps du repas est l’occasion de partager en anglais et en français les nouvelles expériences.

In March the Foundation welcomed Dr JoAnn Deak who spoke on all three campuses on the subject of the brain and learning. We also enjoyed contact over the year with the TESMC

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 10 June / Juin 2014

team; it was good to be invited to the final session of the Campus des Nations TESMC course for the end of course presentation of certificates. Many thanks to all those who have led this course this year and congratulations all staff who have completed it.

From the same organisation as TESMC is the Gifted Education and Higher Order Thinking: improving learning outcomes, teacher development course

The train the trainer course here in early April saw 7 Ecolint staff trained to lead this course and the Institute proposes a pilot course to run next year once a month from October to June, please see your Principal if you are interested in applying for a place and contact us for further details.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 11 June / Juin 2014

Cette année, l’Institut a mis en place des cours d’anglais et de français au sein de la fondation. Ces cours sont organisés en 2 sessions de 3 semaines espacées de minimum 6 semaines. L’objectif principal est de parler le plus possible. Ils sont définis par niveau d’A1 à C1 selon les critères du cadre européen des langues. C’est pour cette raison que le passage d’un test est demandé avant de commencer le cours.

L’année prochaine, 3 cours intensifs de français et 3 cours intensifs d’anglais seront proposés sur le campus de La Grande Boissière et le Campus des Nations. Un minimum de 8 personnes est nécessaire pour ouvrir le cours. Les inscriptions seront ouvertes à partir du 12 juin.

The Assistants training course is moving towards its final session and assistants from across the Foundation are looking to complete the course this year.

M. Norbert Apter a encadré une formation de 3 jours dont le titre était « Gérer des réunions constructives ». Cet atelier était destiné plus particulièrement aux cadres de l’école. L’année prochaine, une nouvelle formation sera proposée à tous les membres de la fondation qui doivent gérer des entretiens avec les parents. M. Apter est diplômé de Harvard et directeur de l’Institut ODEF à Genève.

Yet another date for the diary is The PGCE ‘End of Course Celebration’, which will be held at Campus des Nations from 18.00 on June 24th, do join us if you can, to help our 14 new teachers mark the end of their year’s training. This is a moment not only to celebrate with them, but to thank everyone in the Ecolint community who works to make this course a success.

Finally, look out for the second Ecolint Journal which will be published before the end of the year with articles amongst others on the Emotions and Learning and la diversité culturelle dans une école mondialisée.

Il nous reste maintenant à vous souhaiter un bel été rempli de soleil et de moments partagés. Nous vous remercions pour votre précieux soutien et pour l’accueil positif et constructif que vous avez su nous donner dans nos multiples échanges.

Nous nous réjouissons de vous retrouver en septembre pour une nouvelle année scolaire qui s’annonce inspirante et prometteuse.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 12 June / Juin 2014

Foundation Pedagogical Day Marcia Banks (Vice-Principal, LGB Primary)

La journée pédagogique de la fondation pour l’année scolaire 2014-2015 aura lieu le 26 mai 2015. Pour le moment, nous n’avons que quelques confirmations d’animateurs. N’hésitez pas à contacter Marcia Banks si vous avez des recommandations pour votre département ou si vous souhaitez partager vos savoirs avec les collègues.

Dr Andy Hargreaves, an educator, a researcher, writer, consultant and adviser has accepted to be our keynote speaker. His most recent books are Sustainable Leadership (with Dean Fink – 2006), Change Wars (with Michael Fullan-2008), and The Fourth Way (with Dennis Shirley-2009). Andy’s current research is on successful educational change strategies in high performing schools, districts and countries; organizations that perform beyond expectations in business, sport and education; and special education reform strategies achieved through whole-school changes that also benefit all students.

Fiona Macleod will do workshops on storytelling and Marcy Cook will join us again this year to lead us to think about Mathematics practices in Primary and Middle School.

Nous allons avoir plusieurs formations TIC. M. Ronald Beetschen avec www.eklore.ch, animera un atelier Formation TBI Smartboard et Richard Allaway, un des notres, animera un atelier « Technology for Learning Strand ».

Nous avons pris contact avec Eline Snel, formatrice à la pleine conscience, auteur de « Calme et attentif comme une grenouille », fondatrice et propriétaire de l’AMT et de la méthode « L’attention, ça marche ! » pour un atelier avec elle (Mindfulness).

Some other presenters that you have recommended such as Michael DiSpazio have been contacted but are unable to join us on that date; others have not yet responded.

La journée pédagogique de la fondation aura lieu d’ici une année, mais soyez conscients que la préparation pour cette journée commence maintenant pour s’assurer d’avoir une journée réussite.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 13 June / Juin 2014

Holi Splash (Manal Waqi, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 14 June / Juin 2014

Ecolint and CERN: bringing down the barriers of knowledge Stephen Preece (Art teacher, LGB)

Dr. Michael Hoch (CMS / CERN) and Stephen Preece (LGB) are on a crusade to bring the barriers down between the different areas of knowledge. Believing that whilst for the purposes of study it can be very beneficial to be highly specific and theoretical, for the purposes of practice it is as important to be able to step back and look at the broader picture. The two approaches should work as Yin and Yang and need not be in conflict.

In the light of this ethos and the groundwork set by the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) Outreach Programme, students from LGB and IPAC DESIGN were asked to respond to their research on, and first-hand experience of, the CMS experiment at CERN. They were free to respond in any way they saw fit, building from their own strengths and competencies.

The project aimed to develop the participants critical and creative capacities through a series of key steps.

 stage 1 DISCOVER  stage 2 DEFINE  stage 3 ENGAGE

This process was documented in the students’ investigative journals and the whole project was exhibited to the public at the CMS Open Weekend in March. Over 4000 visitors and 800 students saw this work.

Since the completion of this pilot study we at LGB are already aiming to build a unit into the class 12ToK programme for 2014/15. This in order to create a sustainable link to the work at CMS and its Outreach programme.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 15 June / Juin 2014

The Noblest Ecolintian of Them All Alejandro H. Rodriguez-Giovo (Foundation Archivist)

It was C. S. Lewis who observed that the moral failings or perversions most feared by a society in a given historical period are precisely those by which it is least threatened. Victorians, for instance, were convinced that licentiousness was an imminent menace to the very fabric of their civilization, yet bearing in mind their stiflingly repressed mores, this anxiety may have been overstated. If Hamlet were to survey our endlessly accommodating attitude towards overt sexuality today, well might he exclaim: “O shame, where is thy blush?” Ironically, prudishness has become public enemy number one and it is hypocrisy (a quintessentially Victorian defect) that is now relentlessly excoriated, at a time when shamelessness and in-your-face exhibitionism are the norm. In the XIX Century (not to mention earlier ones), most people had little effective access to any rights, but were forever being lectured about their duties. In the XXI Century, the citizens of affluent countries increasingly assume that they have an inherent right to anything they fancy – including, it would seem, the right to be unencumbered by any duties.

Among the erstwhile prominent concerns that have faded from public awareness are honour and nobility (in its morally elevated, not its trivially aristocratic sense, of course). For much of mankind’s history they were tiresomely trumpeted and served as hypocritical pretexts for all kinds of skulduggery and oppression; today, regardless of their intrinsic merit, they have become profoundly unfashionable notions. Indeed, the terms are now barely understood, except as quaint blazons of an archaic, hopelessly wrong-headed age. This is convenient, since there is little honour or nobility left to go around among the ruling classes. Try to think of at least one prominent figure who wields real power on the world stage – a president, prime minister, CEO or billionaire – and whom you would unhesitantly describe as “honourable” or “noble”. Don’t hold your breath.

From an educational perspective, the best way to foster noble and honourable behaviour among tomorrow’s international leaders, many of whose minds we may currently be shaping at Ecolint, is not by proclamation but by concrete example. There may be today, and certainly there have been in the past, individuals in our midst who model such virtues. One was Dr. Rajchman.

S'il n'y avait pas eu de Ludwik Rajchman parmi les fondateurs de l'Ecole Internationale de Genève, il faudrait l’inventer. Il semble presque trop beau pour être vrai que l'un des géniteurs de l’Ecolint ait pu incarner avec tant d’altruisme authentique et d’engagement infatigable nos valeurs et aspirations fondamentales.

Already as a medical student in Cracow during the early 1900s (he had been born in Warsaw – at that time under Russian occupation – in 1881), Ludwik Rajchman’s humanitarian concerns – in this case, his interest in the health and education of farm labourers and industrial workers – stood out and also, because of his socialist sympathies as a young man, got him into some trouble. He pursued his distinguished medical and academic career in Paris (at the Pasteur Institute) and in London (at the Royal Institute of Public Health and at King’s College) before returning to Warsaw in 1918, where he founded both the Polish Central Institute of Epidemiology and the Polish School of Hygiene.

This would have been a sufficient life achievement for most people, but for Dr. Rajchman it was barely the beginning. In 1921 he was appointed Director of the League of Nations’ Health Organization in Geneva, in which role he laid the foundations of the future World

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 16 June / Juin 2014

Health Organization (WHO). His educational ideals nevertheless remained in the forefront of his mind, and in 1924 he collaborated with Arthur Sweetser (the League of Nations’ Press Officer and President Woodrow Wilson’s choice as future U.S. ambassador, had Congress agreed to join the organization) and eminent educators from the Institut Jean-Jacques Rousseau such as Paul Meyhoffer (our first director) and Adolphe Ferrière to establish our school, the first of its kind in the world.

Despite his intensive and invaluable work as a pioneer of modern public health in the League of Nations (including projects he personally set up in China, notwithstanding the perilously turbulent situation there at the time), by 1939 Dr. Rajchman – who was distinctly at odds with Fascism and Nazism, sympathized with the Spanish Republic and also happened to be a Jew – was hounded out of the organization by those who were anxious to appease the Axis powers.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 17 June / Juin 2014

An exhaustive list of his subsequent and sustained efforts during the dark years of World War II to promote medical assistance and food aid in various countries, and to counter totalitarianism, would exceed the scope of this brief account. Suffice it to say that by 1946 Dr. Rajchman, having managed to recruit the support of former US president Herbert Hoover (whose name is not automatically synonymous with major humanitarian endeavours), successfully launched his greatest undertaking: the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

If any evidence were needed of Dr. Rajchman’s nonpartisan integrity and genuine concern for the health of all, regardless of ideological boundaries, it is provided by the fact that in the 1950s he was successively stripped of his passport by Stalinist Poland, which suspected him of being a CIA agent, and was forced to leave the United States during the McCarthyist witch-hunt, which targeted him as a communist spy.

Happily, Dr. Rajchman’s merit was fully recognized during the final years of his life, which he spent in France, where he co-founded the International Children’s Centre (ICC), once again collaborated with the Institut Pasteur and was named commandeur de la Légion d’honneur. He died in 1965.

Perhaps no detail better illustrates Dr. Rajchman’s inherently benevolent disposition than his relationship with the brilliant but despicably anti-Semitic French writer Louis-Ferdinand Destouches (better known under his pen-name “Céline”). Dr. Rajchman innocently befriended Céline in the mid-1920s, when the latter was avidly seeking work in the League of Nations, repeatedly received him in his home as a guest and employed him in his organization. Céline bit the hand that fed him with vicious caricatures of his benefactor in L’Eglise and Bagatelles pour un massacre. Dr. Rajchman was understandably upset when he discovered this betrayal, but according to some sources he did not bear Céline an insuperable grudge, and eventually was on speaking terms with him once again.

The International School of Geneva was established by, and over the decades has generated, a range of exemplary individuals of whom we can be justifiably proud, but perhaps none more than Dr. Rajchman deserves a Shakespearean epithet: “The noblest Ecolintian of them all”.

A full-scale biography of Dr. Rajchman was first published in 1998 and is still in print: Marta Balinska, For the Good of Humanity: Ludwik Rajchman, Medical Statesman, Budapest, New York: Central European University Press, 2005 (320 pages)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 18 June / Juin 2014

Study Day / Journée d’Etudes et de Réflexion Conrad Hughes (Director of Education)

On Monday 23rd June 2014, Year 11 students from La Grande Boissière, La Châtaigneraie and the Campus des Nations will come together at the International Labour Office to learn more about our school’s fascinating and rich history and approach higher-order thinking skills together with some highly qualified and distinguished speakers. If teachers are free at any point they are welcome to attend the sessions.

Nous avons voulu présenter aux élèves un choix varié de conférences au sein de chaque session, afin de leur permettre de composer pour cette journée un programme qui corresponde au mieux à leurs intérêts personnels.

Je me réjouis d’ores et déjà d’y retrouver tout professeur qui serait libre et intéressé le 23 juin. Si vous venez, n’oubliez pas d’apporter une pièce d’identité pour entrer au BIT.

Intervenants

M. Stéphane Bodénès La notion de joie dans l’apprentissage du savoir Session 4 (code e) – 14h00

Que venons-nous faire à l'école? Apprendre sur un mode austère, répétitif, une vague culture générale? Non. L'acquisition et l'apprentissage du savoir ne sont pas forcément tristes et gris. La joie, le plaisir y ont toute leur place. Etudier n'est pas une impasse morne mais un tremplin galvanisant. Il nous faut trouver ou retrouver le désir et le plaisir d'apprendre. Apprendre à apprendre, ensemble, pour prendre conscience du monde, des autres, de moi-même.

La bonne école nous enseigne paradoxalement comment un jour nous passer d'école tout en continuant notre apprentissage dans un bonheur de comprendre qui ne nous quittera plus.  M. Conan de Wilde The habits and consequences of lazy thinking Session 2 & 4 (code c) – 11.20 & 14h00

Under every day conditions it is all too easy for your mind to go on auto-pilot. The failure to question our basic assumptions can lead to disaster. This talk will explore some of those disasters and encourage us all to become more disciplined in our habits of thought.

 M. Manuel Fadat Quand la peinture fait sa politique : Hans Holbein (XVIe s.), Théodore Géricault (XIXe s.), Pablo Picasso (XXe s.). Session 2 (code e) – 11h20

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 19 June / Juin 2014

Il ne faut pas s’y tromper : les images peintes ne font pas qu’être « belles », ou nous permettre l’accès au monde du sensible et de l’imaginaire. Elles ont souvent été liées, au cours de l’histoire, à la politique, dans son sens élargi, mais de différentes manières, en fonction des contextes, des époques, des pouvoirs, de la liberté d’expression de l’artiste. Quels en sont les signes, les symboles ? Comprendre ces dimensions, historique, sociale, politique, c’est comprendre la complexité de l’art, mais aussi exercer et développer ses connaissances et son esprit critique. C’est ce que nous allons observer autour de trois chefs- d’œuvre de l’histoire de la peinture.

- Hans Holbein, Les ambassadeurs, 1533, Huile sur panneaux de chêne, 207 x 209,5 cm. National Gallery, Londres, Royaume-Uni. - Théodore Géricault, Le radeau de la Méduse, 1819, Huile sur toile, 491 x 716 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. - Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937, Huile sur toile, 350 x 782 cm. Museo nacional centro de arte Reina Sofia Madrid, Espagne.

 Mr Rodger Gillan Arguments for the Existence of God: The Divine Road to Atheism? Session 4 (code a) – 14h00

The tenor of this session will be philosophical and historical rather than religious. The talk will give a very brief introduction to the idea of deductive reasoning and follow its historical application to establishing a proof of the existence of God, in the Western tradition. Some of the major historical arguments for the existence of God will be reviewed, together with related arguments on the problem of evil. The question will then be posed as to whether such arguments tend to make the existence of God seem more or less likely.

 Dr Mark Grant Stoic Philosophy and the Roman Empire Session 3 & 4 (code b) – 12h20 & 14h00

Although originally formulated by a Greek, Stoic philosophy fitted neatly with the mood and ethos of the Roman Empire. Thus it informed political debate, structured dramatic performances, provided inspiration for literature, lent strength to the army and guided the duties of emperors. Such was its influence on the early Christian church that correspondence was alleged to have occurred between an important Stoic senator and a key Christian figure. What made Stoic philosophy so attractive? What were its main tenets? And what relevance does it hold for the world today?

 Dr Serge Hazanov Legends of the Bible: King Solomon Session 3 (code d) – 12h20 Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 20 June / Juin 2014

We will speak about the legends of the Bible and in particular about the great King Solomon - his life, his divine wisdom, his logical riddles and his meeting with the Queen of Saba. We will speak about his deeds – great and less great - and about his relationship with Shulamith.

And here it comes - the legend of the creation of the Song of Songs – this will be an opportunity to look at extracts from this divine poetry. Welcome to the world of the Legends of the Bible! 

Dr Conrad Hughes Prejudice Session 3 (code a) – 12h20

What is prejudice and how do we know when we are being prejudiced? This session will guide us through psychological and sociological theories on prejudice before opening the floor to discussion on what prejudice means to you.

 Dr Peter Jones What do we owe to the ancient Greeks and Romans? Session 1 (code d) – 10h10 Session 3 (code b) – 12h20

Today's world is very different from that of 2,000 years ago, but Dr Jones will give examples of obvious influence of that ancient world on ours (art, theatre, language), and widen the discussion into areas like politics, religion, philosophy, science, sex, and the law.

Burma (Yamona Win, Student, LGB)  Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 21 June / Juin 2014

Mr Robert Johnson What were they thinking? Understanding the rise and fall of Nazism Session 1 (code b) – 10h10 Guilt and Reconciliation in Germany: dealing with the Nazi past. Session 2 (code b) – 11h20

These sessions will examine what lead a civilized and orderly people into the barbarity of Nazism. The Third Reich and its legacy still haunt the world more than 65 years after the end of the Second World War. This is undoubtedly because there are those remaining who saw first hand the horror of that conflict and also because of the generation born immediately after the war who saw and felt the effects if not the cause. The works of man, even the solidarity of the international community, can often be rebuilt without a trace of the destruction that war can visit. But there is a deeper scar across the corpus of humanity that endures as a result of the horrors of the 1930's and 1940's. The German people who survived the war and live today have taken on the responsibility for a war that they caused, a brutal tyranny that they ignored and then accepted and supported. The ages have condemned them for bringing upon themselves the flood which they unleashed upon Europe and the world. What caused them to make the fateful choices in the 1920's and 1930's which led the world to so much slaughter in the 1940's? We will examine what the many classes and groups that made up Weimar Germany were thinking. Did they hand themselves over to Hitler with a will? If so, why? We will discuss the German cultural identity of then and now in the context of current cultural phenomena such as the Vergangenheitsbewältigung. By the end of the session, the student should have a better understanding of what caused the Germans to welcome the National socialist revolution and what that means to us today.

 M. Jeremy Lack Méthodes appropriées pour la résolution de conflits (MARC) : la neurophysiologie du conflit et le potentiel de la médiation pour résoudre les différends Session 1 (code d) – 10h00

Nous rencontrons tous malheureusement, au cours de notre vie, des conflits auxquels nous devons faire face. A la maison, au travail, avec des voisins, la famille, des associés ou des clients, à l'intérieur de nos frontières ou dans un contexte international, avec d'autres pays, les conflits font partie de notre vie de tous les jours. Lorsque nous ne parvenons pas à résoudre ces conflits, nous avons tendance à revenir automatiquement sur des automatismes qui ont été conservés tout au long de l’évolution de l’espèce humaine. Nous avons donc tendance à nous tourner immédiatement vers les tribunaux ou l'arbitrage ce qui conduit à une aggravation des conflits car nous ne savons pas distinguer entre nos émotions et nos intérêts. Depuis ces dix dernières années cependant, la médiation ainsi que des découvertes dans les sciences neurobiologiques nous permettent d’utiliser de nouvelles méthodes pour essayer de résoudre les conflits, en considérant l’avenir autant que le passé, et en tentant de préserver les relations entre les parties. Au cours de cet atelier, nous traiterons du large éventail des méthodes appropriées pour résoudre les conflits qui sont Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 22 June / Juin 2014

disponibles à toutes les parties engagées dans un conflit, en expliquant notamment ce qui se passe dans le cerveau humain lors d’un conflit. La conférence donnera aux étudiants quelques outils pratiques pour mieux éviter et gérer les conflits auxquels ils seront éventuellement confrontés à l’avenir.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): The Neurophysiology of Disputes and the Potential of Mediation in Resolving Conflicts Session 2 (code d) – 11h20

We are all unfortunately confronted from time to time with disputes in our lives. Whether at home, work, with neighbours, family, business partners or with clients, domestically or in an international context with other countries, disputes have become part of our daily lives. Whenever we are unable to negotiate a resolution to these disputes, we tend to act automatically and instinctively, based on evolutionarily conserved responses. We thus revert immediately to litigation or arbitration and allow conflicts to escalate as we cannot separate our interests from our emotions. In the last ten years, however, mediation and recent breakthroughs in neurosciences have revealed new ways of trying to resolve disputes, focusing on the future as much as the past, and trying to preserve a relationship between the parties. The workshop will try to present the rich range of possibilities that appropriate dispute resolution has to offer to all of the parties involved in a dispute, and will also try to explain some of the things that happen in the human brain during conflicts. It will also suggest a few “take-home” skills to assist students in better preventing and resolving conflicts in their own lives.

 Mr Alejandro H. Rodriguez-Giovo Neo-Darwinism: Pure Science or Ideology? Session 3 (code c) – 12h20

Although the scientific community generally accepts that neo-Darwinism (Darwin’s theory of evolution updated thanks to our current understanding of genetics) offers the best explanation of how life on our planet developed after its mysterious inception about 4.5 billion (thousand million) years ago, some of its most prominent exponents – notably Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennet – have adopted a discourse that could reasonably be described as (a) inflexibly dogmatic, (b) scornfully dismissive of other scientists or thinkers who harbour doubts concerning the comprehensive validity of Neo-Darwinism, and (c) stridently and militantly atheistic in its interpretation of what it embraces as unchallengeable scientific certainties.

The speaker will first provide a brief overview of Darwinian evolutionary theory, its premises and how it operates. He will then examine two distinct issues:

(1) Leaving aside faith-based, creationist convictions that are irrelevant to our empirical analytical approach, does Neo-Darwinism succeed in explaining convincingly and exhaustively every instance and aspect of the development of life? Are there any valid, Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 23 June / Juin 2014

rational and scientifically substantiated objections or reservations that deserve to be considered?

(2) If we decide that neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory is absolutely watertight and accounts satisfactorily for the multifarious characteristics, adaptations and specializations of all living organisms, past and present, would this conclusion necessarily be incompatible with the existence of God, and hence with all forms of religious belief?

 Mrs Anne Spencer & Ms Jill Gorton Young Self, All or the Golden Rule? Session 4 (code d) – 14h00

Purpose: 1) Exploration of and practice in addressing difficult ethical issues 2) Introduction to the study of Ethics, a significant area of TOK

Content: Interactive, relevant, mind-bending games on how to make challenging choices and resolve baffling dilemmas.

After a brief introduction to some major ethical theories, participants will form teams to investigate thorny cases involving choices with no obvious solutions. Using the ethical theories presented, the teams will make decisions, which they will then justify to the whole group. Each team will receive an appropriate award.

 Mrs. Vicky Tuck How can education prepare young people for the workplace? Session 1 (code c) – 12h20

A recent survey done by the Mckinsey group reported that while 74% of educational providers thought that graduates were adequately prepared for the workplace, only 38% youth and 35% employers were convinced. What do you think? Is your education preparing you for the workplace? This interactive session allows students the chance to enter into an open discussion on the topic with Mrs Vicky Tuck, Director General of the International School of Geneva.  M. Aimeric Vacher Des mythes historiques Session 3 (code e) – 12h20

La Seine coule à Paris ; Guillaume Tell est un héros typiquement suisse ; Jésus est né le 25 décembre ; les pirates produisaient des cartes au trésor ; et les catapultes faisaient vaciller les murs des châteaux forts. Saurez-vous trouver l'erreur ? En êtes-vous certains ? Essayez

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 24 June / Juin 2014

encore... La vérité est que toutes ces affirmations sont fausses ! Ils ne sont que mythes historiques. Par ce terme, nous entendons des événements et des faits anciens totalement erronés mais tellement ancrés dans notre mémoire qu’ils sont désormais considérés comme incontestables par le grand public. Le but de cet exposé est d’entamer une réflexion sur le danger de croire ce qui est communément admis et la nécessité de vérifier ses sources (notamment à l'ère d'internet). Ce faisant, nous explorerons la question du bien-fondé de notre savoir historique et comment il se construit.

7 Spiral (Elizabeth Alabastar, Student, LGB)

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Health & Mindfulness Christine Blom (Nurse, Nations), Jan Dijkstra (Head of Mathematics, La Châtaigneraie)

The last two months of this school year offer numerous opportunities to our Foundation staff to further develop knowledge of, skills in and discussion around health & mindfulness. Teachers are reminded to seek the permission of relevant school principals for participation in these events.

Events

1. MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) sessions led by Bianca King are currently taking place at Nations and La Châtaigneraie with 14 participant staff at Nations and 16 participants at La Chataigneraie.

2. Numerous sessions led by Amy Burke of the Mindfulness in Schools project: a. Tuesday 10 June - La Châtaigneraie Secondary Ped Day

08h45-10h45: Introduction to Mindfulness in Education (absolute beginners) 10h45-12h15: same as above, with French translation as needed. 13h00 - 16h00 Mindfulness: Experiential Workshop (open to everybody - mainly practices, sitting/guided meditation, discussion about basics (posture, different ways of sitting, how to develop a personal practice - informal and formal methods, body scan, perhaps contemplative writing exercise) b. Wednesday 11 June - Campus des Nations (Salle Rousseau) (This is open to teachers who are free, can be released and have sought permission from principals)

Two Sessions: 09h00 to 12h00 and 13h00 to 16h00 (sign up to be circulated) Content: 3 Aspects of Mindfulness in Education: 1. Being Mindful 2. Teaching Mindfully 3. Teaching Mindfulness

Résumé If teachers begin by cultivating their own mindfulness practice (through an 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course, for example) this can have a positive impact on their personal lives as mindfulness can help reduce stress anxiety (among other things)...the benefits of this can then naturally spill over to the classroom where teachers can have a more grounded presence for their students. Not everybody needs to go on to actually teach mindfulness - just introducing mindfulness to teachers can have a profound impact on how they interact with their students. It also addresses the integral component of teaching which is teacher self-care. Through developing their own social and emotional competencies, teachers can more authentically support students with theirs. We are aiming at creating authentic and connected relationships. We believe that in order to connect with others, it is essential to also connect with the self. Mrs Burke will also show samples of the 2 different curricula that The Mindfulness in Schools Project has to offer - one for teens and one for elementary students.

"You can't get to the millions of kids unless you can get to the hundreds of thousands of teachers." Jeremy Rowson, RSA

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c. Thursday 12 June - Conference des Directeurs

1 hour session - Introduction to Mindfulness in Education (for senior management)

3. Tools for health & mindfulness

Health Check Monitor

The Health Check Monitor, HCM, is a health promotion program developed by a local doctor in Geneva, Dr Marc Raetzo. A similar version of the program is currently being used in several multinational companies here in Geneva with much success, meaning people are changing their lifestyle after doing the questionnaire and discussing their results. The original version is simpler and is done in a 1-1 session with a nurse and is therefore different than doing it online. This on-line version, however, means more people can be reached and it is more cost efficient. This program is available free of charge to the ISG for a 3 month trial period and will be available for staff/students/parents starting this fall.

Teaching staff will have access from June on, so they can try the product and see if they can use it in their classrooms.

The focus is on health prevention and raising awareness. Most students will have good results, as in a low risk for cancers and cardiovascular disease as they are so young, but it will make them aware of the risks and make them understand the importance of maintaining good habits.

For staff, this can be used as an educational tool, studying individual modules linked to the subject being studied in class for example. It can also be used as a prevention tool for the staff’s own well-being, encouraging healthy lifestyles among staff who of course are positive role models for our students.

The nurses at Nations are happy to meet with any staff who want to discuss their own results in more details and counsel in modifications of lifestyle as needed. Appointments can be made as desired and all results will of course be kept confidential.

To access the platform please contact Christine Blom ([email protected]).

Which paths should I take? (Camille Bureau, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 27 June / Juin 2014

The World Scholar’s Cup: a leap into compelling academic opportunities Isabel Hahn (Student, Campus des Nations)

On Sunday, May 18th, 40 students ranged 11-17 took part in their first ever World Scholar’s Cup competition. Taking place in over 40 countries and involving over 5,000 students per year, the World Scholar’s Cup gives way to new exciting opportunities to learn. The World Scholar’s Cup is an intriguing new academic competition that features inspiring events for all of its participants. From team debates, to game-show style quizzes, this academic opportunity allows students to flourish in more than just one area. Featuring different subjects, such as Literature, Art and History, one may quickly come to realize that the World Scholar’s Cup is not your average academic competition. This year, students had the opportunity to explore areas such the history of espionage, all the way to the science of decision-making, including important and engrossing ideas such as game theory, behavioural economics, and neuroscience. Psychology, psychiatry and philosophy were also interlaced, and debate motions ranged from whether or not the world would benefit from more “geeks”, to whether or not scientists should invent a drug in order to help humans fall in and out of love.

The levels of enthusiasm soared through the auditorium of GEMS World Academy – Etoy, where the competition was hosted this year. Live musical performances from Burch Wang, one of the tournaments’ very own directors and ex-entertainment performers, helped motivate students when they leapt into the lively challenges that the competition had prepared for them. And not surprisingly, the hard work that the students had put into preparing for the competition paid off. Andrus Hatem, year 11 and Sofia Mareque, year 8, finished in first place for highest overall scoring individuals in the senior and junior category, respectively. The rest of the Campus des Nations students also achieved great successes, amongst these, are Sven Paunovic Babic, year 11 and Francesca Casalino, year 8, who won the essay writing competition in their divisions.

So what’s next for these students? The global round of the competition will be taking place in Singapore, on June of 2014. All of our 13 teams scored above the global point average, qualifying them for the next round where they will face over 2,000 other scholars from all over the world! We wish them the best of luck, and are certain that they will continue to pursue their success!

For a more informative update of results, please watch the videos below: Top Individuals – Award Ceremony WSC Swiss Round 2014 http://youtu.be/YrxWDbMv7Io

Top Teams (Juniors & Seniors) – Award Ceremony WSC Swill Round 2014 http://youtu.be/ACQfgr64Mzo

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 28 June / Juin 2014

Annexe VI reports

Odyssey of the Mind at La Châtaigneraie Todd Besanceney and Jeanette Terry (La Châtaigneraie)

We have made significant progress since our report in September 2013. We consulted with and sent a follow-up note to Class 3 and 4 teachers about offering OotM to students in these two year groups. A PowerPoint presentation about OotM and the associated commitment was shared with interested students and these students were then asked to consult with parents about their inclusion. We then delivered a letter to each child outlining an initial program for Thursdays at lunchtime so that they understood the goals and could share this structure with their parents.

We ultimately decided that the best way to choose teams for the following school year would be to allow all of the students who were keen to engage in a range of OotM activities (both spontaneous and long-term problems). We organised a 6 week program initially to train the children on how to respond creatively in pairs and groups to a variety of problems. Several parents and our technology teacher Dee Canavan have been attending our sessions to assist with team work, guide the students through the tasks, and share ideas about the direction we should take next in the organisation of the program. They have been an invaluable part of our team.

As we anticipated, some children have chosen to continue, while others have decided that it was not for them. We hope that this natural drop in numbers will mean that we end up with teams of students who are committed to OotM and will continue to be interested in the coming year. We have kept an attendance record to ensure that we are formally aware of the students who are consistent. We will continue to discuss and monitor the students’ performance until the end of the school year.

We anticipate that our next step for the 2014/15 school year will be to form two teams (minimum) and to participate in OotM in Switzerland. We hope to begin attending Spontaneous Saturday and other opportunities to develop skills and knowledge about OotM. We also hope that our parent and staff volunteers will continue to work with us, as it makes a huge difference to the quality of the sessions. We continue to be concerned about time allocated for OotM as it is limited and insufficient for in-depth explorations and focused teamwork.

Odyssey of the Mind Club at Campus des Nations Andree Bercin, Laurence Martin, Sandra Simpson, Nicola Vickers (Nations)

This year has been exhilarating for those of us involved in carrying out a trial run of the Odyssey of the Mind (OoTM) programme at Campus des Nations.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 29 June / Juin 2014

Amongst the highlights has been a solid sense of building collaboration between coaches and kids from LGB and Nations. This was kicked off by our participation in workshops and competitions at LGB in February and March, and consolidated by a visit by LGB teams to Nations in April to showcase their performances.

The coaches have also perceived a real advance in the team-working skills of the participants, namely listening to each other, combining ideas, taking turns and encouraging all team members – even the shy ones – to contribute. This meant that our teams achieved some very commendable scores for their solutions to spontaneous problems, even compared to much more experienced participants.

Our thoughts are turning to how we want to shape the Club for next year. Amongst the developments we hope to see are better facilities to store all of the paraphernalia (also known as “things which might come in useful” or “trash”) we need to accumulate. We would also like to develop links with parents and other people who would like to be involved as coaches or who would be prepared to come and share diverse practical skills with the children. We are also considering alternative times to run the club meetings and how best to finance the club so that it is properly resourced.

We are all looking forward to building on the fun, enthusiasm and parental support generated from this year’s activities, so that the Odyssey of the Mind club becomes an established part of the Nations landscape next year and beyond.

Odyssey of the Mind at LGB Primary Marcia Banks (LGB)

Odyssey of the Mind is an international competition where students of all ages learn to solve problems creatively, work together in a team and are able to meet friends from all over the world when they go to competitions outside of their country. Thirty five Primary and Middle School children at LGB participated in this year’s Odyssey of the Mind Eurofest which took place in Slovakia.

Odysseys of the Mind Eurofests are a vivid example of peaceful international cooperation and exchange between students.

Since 1993, European Associations have organized annual Eurofests for Odyssey of the Mind teams from Europe and other parts of the world. The festivals demonstrate that children and young people, while having different cultural backgrounds, can cooperate and be creative together. In addition to performing their long-term problem solutions prepared at home, three teams from different countries are combined as an international mixed team, to solve a mixed problem given to them at the beginning of the festival. The presentations of the solutions take place on the last day of the festival. At additional evening events, participants learn about other cultures and represent their own. All of the participants who come from various parts of the world create an amazingly special and peaceful atmosphere together, no matter where Eurofest is held.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 30 June / Juin 2014

Our days were long but ever so rewarding for many reasons. One of them is that we returned to Geneva with 1st and 2nd place, Division I, for the Mixed Team Problem.

« Le souvenir de cette semaine reste très vivace », Anne-Laure Chabert, accompagnante.

Working with the children at Eurofest were: Sebastian Fouchac, Julia Crosswaite, Masayoshi Toya, Cristal Alacala, Karine Puybras, Anne-Laure Chabert, and a parent, Donna Latin.

Belén Guerra (Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 31 June / Juin 2014

Intégrer l’apprentissage de la langue B avec la musique Annie-Marie Tiziou and Janet Bouwmeester (La Châtaigneraie)

We have now entered the final stage of combining all of the different elements of the project. At the moment we are working on the presentation of the project for use through an efficient IT medium - skills we are still acquiring. The most important task is to actually finish all the forms of recording, which takes a lot more time than one would imagine. Recording, filming, composing, illustrating, writing, are all highly personalised skills and when one starts to expand into a larger community for advice and assistance, different challenges are presented, particularly time management for collaboration, and participation by the children.

It was important to test out the contents of the songs, as well as the music to see whether the children were motivated to participate in learning the songs, but also whether the level of difficulty in the lyrics was appropriate. There was a lot of time spent during class, teaching the repertoire, but also clarifying the content and its meaning. Now that we have a set of songs, approved by the children, we are able finalise them and proceed to the recording stage of the children singing for the project. This is the same for the visual and literary aspects of the project. We have taken some photos for songs related to sports and we plan on getting personal drawings from the children very soon.

This project is nearing to completion, and will serve as a good future model for both of us, or any other member of the Ecolint community who is interested in creating attractive language resources integrating music and ICT. This first series of songs contains a small sample of the kind of vocabulary that is built into sequential language acquisition. There are infinitely more domains that could be developed.

We are constrained by the amount of time available to consult those with technical expertise who are also full time teachers with other major projects on their hands. It is highly probable that this project will only be finalised in the autumn term of this year.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 32 June / Juin 2014

Coast (Nelson Macmillan, Student, LGB)

Le site internet espagnol de La Grande Boissière

Hernan Hoyos (LGB)

L'année scolaire touche à sa fin avec la satisfaction d'avoir pu faire découvrir, pour la première fois, le site espagnol de La Grande Boissière (LGB).

Ce site a demandé a pu voir le jour grâce à la participation de toute l'équipe des professeurs d'espagnol de LGB qui ont apporté leur soutien et qui l'utilisent déjà comme support pour leurs cours. En effet, le site internet est désormais un point de référence didactique que les professeurs alimentent par mon intermédiaire et peuvent utiliser comme outil pour présenter aux élèves : un document littéraire espagnol ou latino-américain, un exemple du concours de micro fictions, les photos d'un voyage d'étude, une vidéo sur l'histoire hispanique ou autres activités.

Par ailleurs, les élèves peuvent consulter le site à l'école dans le cadre d’un travail accompagné par le professeur ou à leur domicile comme devoir.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 33 June / Juin 2014

La vidéo aura, pour l'avenir de l'enseignement, une importance remarquable car c'est une des meilleures manières de transmettre un message efficace et précis. Par expérience, on se rend compte que les élèves assimilent beaucoup mieux les concepts et deviennent encore plus réceptifs lorsqu'un sujet, traité en classe, est accompagné et/ou donne lieu à la réalisation d’un support vidéo.

On peut citer en exemple les deux vidéos sur le harcèlement scolaire réalisées par les élèves. Sensibilisés à cette problématique, ils se sont mis dans la peau d'une personne harcelée et ont joué ce rôle dans la vidéo pour transmettre un message de dénonciation. Cette vidéo est désormais accessible à tous sur le site.

Le site en espagnol sera dorénavant une source d'informations non seulement pour les professeurs de l'école, mais également pour toutes sortes de publics: les parents pourront voir et participer indirectement aux activités de leurs enfants en cours, les professeurs d'espagnol des autres campus pourront bénéficier de l'information partagée sur le site, et ainsi de suite.

Les objectifs pour le futur du site seront de poursuivre le travail de collaboration en cours en ajoutant des activités et en développant toutes sortes d'idées afin que le site soit toujours à jour et puisse offrir du matériel nouveau et motivant: comptes-rendus des voyages en Espagne, participation au festival Filmar en América Latina, concours de tapas, concours de micro fictions, rencontres avec des auteurs, blogs, etc.

Le site de LGB espagnol est une fenêtre ouverte sur le monde hispanique et sa culture, accessible à tous ceux qui le désirent.

Notre département de langues comportant également l'allemand et l'italien, il s'agira d'élargir le projet à ces deux langues et créer, sur le modèle du site LGB espagnol, un site LGB allemand et LGB italien.

Nous nous réjouissons d'ores et déjà de travailler en équipe avec nos collègues des autres langues pour qu'une synergie positive s'instaure entre nous, afin de motiver de nouveaux projets (spécifiques ou non à chacune des langues), dynamiser les classes et partager les trois sites!

Nous serons heureux de présenter à nos élèves et à la communauté de l'ECOLINT les fruits de notre projet.

Online course development Owen Davies (La Châtaigneraie)

The goal of this project was to provide students with a collaborative and dynamic online learning experience for the IB DP Computer Science course. The course combines online lessons, audio visual tools, wikis, discussion tools and news feeds to teach course content in a fun, innovative and engaging way. The development of this course has allowed IB DP Computer Science to be offered to students throughout the foundation.

Depending on demand within the foundation the collaboration with Lanterna Education will continue to develop. Feedback from students and teachers will allow us to continuously refine and improve the course to optimise the online learning experience. Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 34 June / Juin 2014

Poppies (Yalda Sepahpour, Student, LGB)

Elaboration et coordination du curriculum de français PYP / Campus des Nations Nayaira Zohny (Nations)

Alors que l’élaboration du curriculum de français avait commencé par l’identification et l’exploitation de la documentation pertinente, il était vite apparu que le contexte particulier du campus des Nations, tant dans la façon dont les cours de français sont structurés que dans la spécificité de notre public d’élèves extrêmement hétérogène, demandait un programme « sur mesure ». Il nous était donc impossible d’appliquer ou même d’adapter un programme déjà établi.

Au terme de cette année scolaire, le premier jet d’un programme français pour le primaire au campus des Nations devrait néanmoins voir le jour.

Comme mentionné dans le rapport précédent, il s’agit d’un programme construit conjointement par les enseignants pour répondre aux besoins spécifique des élèves tout en tenant compte de la façon dont les cours de français sont structurés.

Un format pour l’élaboration de ce curriculum a été dans un premier temps proposé et validé par la directrice pédagogique du primaire. Puis après avoir été testé pour deux unités de recherche, il a été unanimement jugé comme étant un document de travail complet et

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 35 June / Juin 2014

pratique pour les enseignants. Ces derniers ont donc été mandaté pour établir des objectifs de langue détaillés par niveau pour les cours EMILE.

A ses objectifs EMILE viendront se greffer le contenu enseigné en cours de langue technique. Ceci sera fait de façon à ce que le programme du français permette une progression verticale de l’enseignement de la langue tout en laissant assez de marge pour pouvoir l’adapter suivant les élèves et les années.

Par la suite l’équipe enseignante souhaiterait explorer la possibilité d’un système d’évaluation validant qui permettrait d’avoir un regard objectif et un moyen de contrôle quant au niveau et progrès de nos élèves – des possibilités tels que PAROS, le DELF Primaire ou encore AIM sont explorées.

Online Apps Steve Cormack (Nations)

The Bring Your Own Device Program (BYOD) student 1:1 computing initiative is currently having a staggered implementation across the Foundation. The Strategic Plan, appraisal process and Our Focus for the Future commit us to implement a strategy for digital learning which makes the most creative and worthwhile use of ICT'. I will be using this Annexe VI opportunity to find 'cross-platform' Apps (preferably for little to no cost), websites and online activities that encourage this ambition to be fulfilled. The aim will be for students in terms of general ICT use but with a focus on Mathematics ICT. Given the vast array of devices we will have in our classrooms, I will be checking (depending on access to such devices) the compatibility of such ICT across as many devices/operating systems as possible including Windows OS, IOS, OSX, and possibly others as well.

Having looked at many Apps, I had the dilemma of trying to decide ‘Is this an educational app?’ I placed a few to the side deciding they were not. Later however I decided that for me to classify any App as educational or not would be a bit arrogant on my part. It would also be an insult to the creativity of teachers in the Foundation. I therefore include them all in hope someone may find it a spark for pedagogy.

I am afraid that I have only just received an iPad and hence have not tried many of these on that platform. I have mostly chosen Apps that are multi-platform but some seemed too good not to include.

Below are links to Apps and a brief description of what they do.

● Jundroo - iOs and Android: free ○ simple physics games and simulations

○ http://www.jundroo.com/project/SimplePhysics

● Rover - iOS: free ○ great for bridging the gap between Flash based apps and iPad

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 36 June / Juin 2014

○ allows apps such as Mathletics to work on iPad ○ http://www.theroverapp.com/

● Videolicious - iOS: free ○ Simple video maker ○ https://videolicious.com/how-it-works

● Educreations - iOS: free ○ Create video tutorials in iPad ○ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/educreations-interactive- whiteboard/id478617061?mt=8

● Tapquiz - iOS: free ○ Geography for younger students with a few statistics thrown in ○ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tapquiz-maps-world- edition/id424151065?mt=8

● Operation maths - iOS and Android - a few Swiss francs ○ Parents choice award winner ○ Game that teaches arithmetic for younger students ○ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.spinlight.operationmath ○ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/operation-math/id487387270?mt=8&ign- mpt=uo%3D4

● Words with Friends - Android ○ essentially online scrabble with friends ○ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zynga.words&feature=sear ch_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS56eW5nYS53b3JkcyJd

● Wolfram|Alpha - all platforms: a few Swiss francs ○ Worth the cost for this very powerful mathematics App ○ Also now branching into other subjects ○ http://products.wolframalpha.com/mobile/?src=ipad

● Popplet lite - iOS: free ○ Very user friendly interface for capturing and organising ideas ○ http://popplet.com/

● Prezi - iOS and desktops: free ○ Many Ecolint staff are happily already using this ○ powerful award winning App for giving the ‘wow factor’ to presentations ○ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prezi/id407759942?mt=8

● Evernote - all platforms: free ○ Many Ecolint staff are happily already using this ○ powerful award winning App for capturing and organising ideas ○ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evernote Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 37 June / Juin 2014

○ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8

● Google sky - Android only, cost: free ○ Sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky….this app uses the location function of your device to show on the screen a map of the stars and planets based on where the phone is pointing. Yup, that’s Jupiter! ○ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.stardroid

● Duolingo - iOS and Android. Cost: free ○ Learning another language on the move. This is giving Rosetta Stone some competition and is picking up good reviews, nominations, awards as an educational app. ○ http://www.duolingo.com/mobile

● Today’s meet - Any device. Cost: free ○ Chat room with a time limit before it self-deletes ○ Possibly good for internet safety/ anti cyberbullying tool as people have less time to get in contact with the vulnerable. ○ Can’t be extended nor closed early. ○ Today’s meet does not participate in rooms so that you know if you are contacted by them, it is not authentic. ○ Discussion not public (unlike twitter) - only those with permission can use it... ○ Real time feedback on your presentation, allows for audience questions and audience trends to be detected, allows you to be in control of which questions you wish to answer. Probably not a replacement for real human audience member to presenter questioning ○ http://todaysmeet.com/

● Keep - Any device. Cost: free ○ Googles version of an all round notebook ○ Seems more effort than what you get out of it but may suit some ○ https://drive.google.com/keep/

● IFTTT = If This, Then That - iOS only (for the moment) ;( . Cost: free ○ Literally as it says on the tin…. ○ Great for automating actions ■ If someone tags a photo with me in it on Facebook, then upload that photo to my Instagram account. ■ If I log into my gmail, create an event in my calendar to log my work hours on email. ■ If it rains, send me an sms to pack an umbrella. ○ https://ifttt.com/

● CoLAR - iOS and Android. Cost: free ○ allows you to print and colour in a picture and then point your devices’ camera Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 38 June / Juin 2014

at the picture. The individualised picture comes to 3D life preserving the colour. Rather magical actually. ○ http://colarapp.com/

● Aurasma - iOS and Android. Cost: free ○ similar to coLAR but this superimposes a predesigned cartoon over a photo such that whenever you again point the camera of your device at the same scene the cartoon appears on the screen. The cartoons are still in their infancy but lots of potential here. ○ http://www.aurasma.com/ ● TED - Android only. Cost: free ○ For watching your favourite TED talks ○ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ted.android

● Vine - any device. Cost: free ○ YouTube meets Twitter perhaps. ○ Looping videos of 6 seconds or less ○ https://vine.co/

● Daltonizer - Android only. Cost: free ○ a colour blindness simulator application that uses the camera device. ○ It can be used to illustrate how the colour blind see the world or to ensure that the colours you choose for a work can be seen by a colour-blind person. ○ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.nghs.android.cbs&hl=en

Here is a couple of links to some Apps news ● A decent website for teaching Apps ○ http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/12/my-35-favorite-free- apps-teaching ● London gets smart parking sensors - hopefully reducing carbon emissions! ○ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25727117 ● iDoctor - some interesting medical apps (unfortunately with some sensationalised reporting)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 39 June / Juin 2014

SKINZ (Sabrina Joory, Student, LGB)

Projet de cyberquêtes en sciences à LGB – MS / PFB Elena Sullo (LGB)

Introduction Les TICEs sont dans nos classes depuis plusieurs années, enseignants comme élèves réalisent à l’aide de ces technologies toutes sortes d’activités. Suivre le module de l’ingénierie pédagogique chez tecfa (Université de Genève) m’a permis de réfléchir en profondeur sur les plus-values que pouvaient apporter toutes ces technologies à l’enseignement.

En effet, la tendance observée est que l’on s’attarde souvent à développer chez nos élèves les dimensions techniques de ces outils pour terminer par ne faire que « du vieux avec du neuf ». De plus, les logiciels sont sans cesse mis à jour et les manipulations de ces derniers ne sont donc pas pérennes. Ce n’est donc pas là, que l’on situera le premier gain que ces technologies peuvent amener à nos jeunes.

En réalité les plus-values amenées par l’usage des TICE à l’école moyenne se situent dans les domaines suivants :

 La transversalité  L’apprentissage collaboratif  L’apprentissage à distance  Le « partenariat » enseignant-élève  La révision du contenu scolaire en écho aux changements sociétaux.

Il s’agit donc de créer des activités pédagogiques qui s’appuient sur les possibilités offertes par les nouvelles technologies pour renforcer ces 5 domaines. Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 40 June / Juin 2014

Notre projet pilote réalisé dans une classe de degré 6 à initier le « chantier » en construisant les 3 modules proposés ci-dessous. Surtout n’hésitez pas à les expérimenter et à les enrichir !

Objectifs spécifiques au TICE pour l’ensemble des modules  Expérimenter un outil possible pour la collaboration à distance  créer un lien à distance entre enseignant et élève à des fins d'apprentissage.  Créer une arborescence organisationnelle sur une plateforme de stockage.  Savoir utiliser une boîte aux lettres électronique

Module 1 domaines de compétences : se questionner ; développement métacognitif ; approche méthodologique; analyse (regard critique)

Activité 1 Se questionner sur un sujet et formuler les questions Objectif compétence Cultiver sa curiosité, savoir formuler une question Objectif produit attendu En partant de ce qui intéresse les élèves. Construire un prolongement des unités étudiées en sciences, sous forme de questions correctement formulées, Description de la tâche Par groupe de 4, créer un document dans google drive, sur lequel vous inscrirez 4 questions qui vous intéressent et dont vous ne connaissez pas la réponse. Référez-vous au poster du début de l'unité. Durée 2 périodes (y compris corrections) Ressources à fournir Tableau de mots interrogatifs, correctement orthographiés, des exemples d'inversion sujets-verbes: a-t-on... ; un tableau de pronoms compléments. Ce document est élaboré par l’enseignant titulaire et devraitêtre fait dans les deux langues. Ressources à produire Document avec minimum 4 questions en lien avec une unité spécifique à fournir sur google drive et à partager avec l’enseignante titulaire qui corrigera la formulation alors que la personne ressource effectuera une recherche préalable sur internet pour chaque question pour s’assurer que les élèves seront, dans le module 2, en mesure d’y répondre (existe-t-il suffisamment de sites vulgarisés et fiables relatifs à cette question). Evaluation formative Critères: chaque groupe a formulé 4 questions en lien avec la (atteinte de l’objectif thématique étudiée en sciences ? oui/non attendu prévu par Le feedback a-t-il donné lieu aux corrections attendues? l’activité) Support (s) TICE google drive & google doc. utilisé(s) et explication Plateforme actuellement disponible dans notre école. du choix Lieu Classe de français

Préparation et documents à élaborer :  Sur copie papier un tableau de mots interrogatifs ; exemple de questions correctement formulées  Un tableau de pronoms personnels compléments. Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 41 June / Juin 2014

 créer une arborescence organisationnelle avec les élèves, sous google drive pour classer les documents à venir.

Activité 2 S’auto-évaluer Objectif compétence Développement métacognitif : je sais estimer la difficulté d’une tâche en croisant mon niveau de compétence et le type de tâche demandée. Objectif produit attendu Savoir classifier objectivement des lectures dans les catégories : facile ; difficile ; juste à mon niveau. Description de la tâche Lire la première page des trois sites fournis par l’enseignant titulaire et remplir pour chaque page lu le document : choisir un site « juste à mon niveau ». Durée 2 périodes Ressources à fournir Le document "choisir un site juste à mon niveau" sur copie papier. Les trois liens des pages web envoyés par mail aux élèves. Attention la différence du degré de difficulté doit être assez évidente. Ressource à produire Le formulaire complété pour les trois liens sont rendus à l’enseignante titulaire et analysés par elle. Evaluation formative Corrélation existante entre l'avis de l'élève et celui de (atteinte de l’objectif l’enseignant. Refaire l'exercice avec l'enseignante attendu prévu par ressource uniquement pour les élèves qui auraient éprouvé l’activité) de la difficulté à se situer face à la tâche. Support (s) TICE utilisé(s) Moteur de recherche google et explication du choix Lieu Classe de français

Préparation et document à élaborer :  « Choisir un site juste à mon niveau » = classifier des sites selon leur niveau de difficulté « pour moi ».  Choisir trois sites la semaine où l’activité est prévue, la difficulté à l’accessibilité de l’information doit être variable.

Skin (Yalda Sepahpour, Student, LGB) Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 42 June / Juin 2014

Activité 3 Explorer des ressources internet Objectif compétence Développer la rigueur et l’esprit critique face aux ressources du web Objectif produit attendu Exécuter une exploration systématique (organisée par étape) en utilisant une grille d’analyse de sites web. Description de la tâche Taper sous google le mot clé fournit par votre enseignante. Ouvrir les 3 premiers sites et remplir pour chaque site une grille d'analyse. Durée 2 périodes Ressource à fournir Le mot clé est envoyé par e-mail à chaque élève. Une grille d’analyse complétée est déposée dans le drive et partagée avec tous les élèves à titre d’exemple. Trois grilles d’analyse vierges sont fournies sur copie papier. Ressource à produire 3 grilles complétées sur papier corrigées par l’enseignant de soutien au projet (enseignant ressource) Evaluation formative Discussion en demi-groupe des constats que les élèves ont (atteinte de l’objectif fait en comparant trois sites issus du même mot clé. attendu prévu par Répartition des élèves entre enseignant titulaire et l’activité) enseignant ressource. Support (s) TICE utilisé(s) Moteur de recherche google et explication du choix Google drive/doc. Lieux Classe de français

Préparation et document à élaborer :  Grille d’analyse de site web à usage des jeunes apprenants (adresse URL ; est à ma portée ; les informations sont-elles identiques etc.) en hard copy et sur le drive partagée avec les élèves une remplie-une vierge.  Le mot clé et les trois premiers sites doivent être testés juste avant l’activité.

Moods 1 (Yamona Win, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 43 June / Juin 2014

Activité 4 Vérifier Objectif compétence Développer l’esprit critique en développant la nécessité de vérification de l’information. Objectif produit attendu Prouver que l’on effectue une lecture triangulée Description de la tâche Comparer trois informations données sur trois sites différents puis répondre au questionnaire à choix multiples. Durée 2 périodes Ressources à fournir Trois sites qui parlent du même sujet. Les liens sont envoyés par mail aux élèves. Trouver des thèmes qui font débat pour que les élèves expérimentent la « contradiction ». Un questionnaire à choix multiple envoyé par google drive qui interroge l’élève sur la fiabilité des sources ; la comparaison des affirmations etc. Ressource à produire Répondre aux questions à choix multiples et rédiger une brève conclusion des constats. Evaluation formative Discussion en demi-groupe des constats que les élèves ont (atteinte de l’objectif fait à la lecture des trois sources. Répartition des élèves attendu prévu par entre enseignant titulaire et enseignant ressource. l’activité) Support (s) TICE utilisé(s) Google doc et google drive et explication du choix Moteur de recherche google Lieux En sciences

Préparation et document à élaborer :  Préparer le thème et les trois sites une semaine avant l’activité (les sites n’étant pas toujours pérennes.)  Faire avec google doc. un document sous forme de questionnaire à choix multiples qui met en avant la diversité des informations sur un même thème.

Wallpaper Art (Elizabeth Alabastar, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 44 June / Juin 2014

Module 2 : Amener l'élève à effectuer un parcours en partant d'un questionnement personnel à l'élaboration d'une ressource avec référence, le tout de manière méthodique. Mettre l’élève dans un rôle d’expert en ce qui concerne une ou plusieurs questions données. Entraîner ses talents d’orateur

Activité 1 Créer un document de référence pour les sciences Objectif compétence Se reconnaître comme capable de produire du savoir. Objectif produit attendu Elaborer un tableau sous google doc. pour créer une cyberquête sous sa forme basique (le tableau). Description de la tâche Créer un tableau sur google drive de quatre colonnes : dans la première colonne poser les quatre questions que vous avez retenues intéressantes et qui ont été corrigées dans le module 1. Libeller la deuxième colonne sans la remplir ; libeller la troisième colonne sans la remplir. Durée 1 période Ressource à fournir Formation en classe d’informatique pour la création de tableau sur google doc. le tableau se fait conjointement durant l’heure projection sur TBI. Ressource à produire Un tableau de quatre colonnes sur 4, libellé que tu et classer dans un fichier nommé mes cyberquêtes. N’oublie pas de partager le document avec tes enseignants. Evaluation formative L’élève a réussi à créer un tableau sur google doc. avec le (atteinte de l’objectif bon nombre de colonnes et de lignes et les bons intitulés. Il attendu prévu par a créé un fichier nommé mes cyberquêtes et l’a partagé l’activité) avec les enseignants.

Support (s) TICE utilisé(s) google doc ; google drive ; TBI et explication du choix Lieu En classe d’informatique

Préparation et document à élaborer : Faire un petit guide d’utilisateur pour amener les élèves à faire un tableau sur le drive et un à le « ranger » dans un fichier.

Passive Nuance (Sabrina Joory, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 45 June / Juin 2014

Activité 2 Rechercher Objectif compétence Appliquer une méthodologie, esprit critique. Objectif produit attendu Rechercher de l’information sur internet avec une méthodologie rigoureuse (grille d’analyse incluant la triangulation). Extraire l’information pertinente (trier l’information = ne pas mettre le paragraphe entier, ne pas se baser sur la première phrase.) Description de la tâche Chercher des sites relatifs à ta question (celle attribuée par ton groupe) et copie-colle, sur ton tableau cyberquête le lien du site qui t’a permis de trouver la réponse. Compléter pour le site que tu as choisi une grille d’analyse pour site web. Puis copie-colle la partie de la réponse telle qu’elle figure sur le site, dans la colonne 3 de ton tableau cyberquête, finalement partager le document avec les enseignants. Durée 2 périodes Ressource à fournir L’enseignant titulaire et l’enseignant ressource accompagne cette activité. Ils choisissent des mots-clés ensemble ; ils montrent l’utilisation des guillemets pour optimiser la recherche etc. La grille d’analyse vierge est toujours sous google doc. comme document partagé. Ressource à produire La cyberquête sous forme de tableau complétée. Dans la deuxième colonne, figure le site de référence choisi. L’élève a rempli pour ce site une grille d’analyse. Dans la troisième colonne figure la réponse fournie par le site. L’enseignant donnera un feedback détaillé sur le choix du site et la partie d’information extraite. Evaluation formative L’élève a réalisé toutes les étapes de la démarche. Les élèves (atteinte de l’objectif qui n’y sont pas parvenu sont repris par l’enseignante attendu prévu par ressource en petit groupe ou de manière individuelle. l’activité)

Support (s) TICE Moteur de recherche google utilisé(s) et explication Google drive du choix Lieux En classe de sciences

Préparation et document à élaborer :  Proposer des mots clés pour chaque question traitée (implique une recherche préalable de la part de l’enseignant) donner des trucs et astuces pour optimiser la recherche comme utiliser les guillemets par exemple.  Montrer à l’élève où se trouve la grille d’analyse dans l’arborescence organisationnelle préparée en module 1.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 46 June / Juin 2014

Activité 3 Reformuler à l’écrit Objectif compétence Reconnaître la reformulation en tant que stratégie de compréhension et donc de mémorisation. Honnêteté dans les apprentissages (pas de plagiat) Objectif produit attendu Paraphraser un contenu, donner du sens avec ses propres mots. Description de la tâche Dans la colonne 4 du tableau cyberquête l’élève effectue les corrections comme suit : sur l’extrait choisi, l’enseignante à surligner en bleu les groupes de mots que l’on peut déplacer; en vert les mots que l’élève peut remplacer par des synonymes ; en jaune les mots à substituer par un pronom et en rouges ceux qu’il peut supprimer. Durée 2 périodes Ressource à fournir Le dictionnaire des synonymes + les corrections colorées. Ressource à produire Les corrections à faire selon les instructions de l’enseignant. Evaluation formative Les élèves sont parvenus à effectuer les corrections. (atteinte de l’objectif Discussion en classe de la notion de plagiat. attendu prévu par l’activité) Support (s) TICE utilisé(s) Google doc et drive et explication du choix Lieu En classe de français

Préparation et document à élaborer : Des fiches d’entraînements à faire en classe de français. Se familiariser avec la paraphrase consiste à distinguer ce qui est : supprimable, déplaçable et substituable par des synonymes ou des pronoms.

The Fat Horse (Yalda Sepahpour, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 47 June / Juin 2014

Activité 4 Reformuler oralement Objectif compétence Savoir dire spontanément un contenu en s’appuyant sur sa mémoire. Objectif produit attendu Etre en mesure de formuler oralement une question = développer des compétences d’orateur. Description de la tâche En groupe de 3 enregistrer vos bonnes réponses comme si vous étiez un conférencier ou un présentateur de « c’est pas sorcier. » Votre élocution doit être lente et ponctuée. Durée 3 périodes Ressource à fournir L’enseignante de soutien conduit l’activité par groupe de trois. Les enregistrements peuvent être répétés jusqu’au moment où l’élève est satisfait de ce qu’il a produit. Les deux autres élèves doivent également valider l’enregistrement audio. Ressource à produire Fournir 4 enregistrements : 1 trop rapide ; le second sans ponctuation ; un troisième mal articuler ; un dernier qui tient compte des trois critères cités et qui servira de modèle à l’étudiant. Evaluation formative L’enregistrement de l’élève est : (atteinte de l’objectif Bien rythmé ; bien ponctué ; bien articuler. compétence prévue par l’activité) Support (s) TICE utilisé(s) Audacity, un micro et explication du choix Lieu En classe de soutien

Tribe Vibe (Yalda Sepahpour, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 48 June / Juin 2014

Module 3 domaines de compétence : partager ses découvertes; communiquer ; créer ; faire des hypothèses probables.

Activité 1 Construire un questionnaire à choix multiples Objectif compétence Faire des hypothèses probables Objectif produit attendu Créer un questionnaire à choix multiples avec trois choix : oui, non, peut-être sont insuffisants, il faut étayer la réponse par une proposition complète. Description de la tâche Par groupe de trois, les élèves construisent un questionnaire à choix multiples avec la bonne réponse et deux autres inexactes mais crédibles. Durée 4 périodes Ressource à fournir La classe est divisée en deux groupes, l’un reste avec l’enseignante titulaire, l’autre avec l’enseignante de soutien à l’apprentissage. Le groupe restreint permet de mener ces constructions d’ « hypothèses » avec un feedback immédiat. Dans un deuxième temps une mise en commun aboutira à la rédaction finale des propositions. Ressource à produire Un questionnaire à choix multiples : titre ; 8 questions à choix multiples avec trois choix Evaluation formative Présentation du questionnaire (atteinte de l’objectif Les propositions sont crédibles. attendu prévue par l’activité) Support (s) TICE utilisé(s) Google doc. et explication du choix Lieux Français et ICT

Moods 2 (Yamona Win, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 49 June / Juin 2014

Activité 2 Communiquer – Partager un savoir Objectif compétence Etre en mesure de communiquer autour d’un savoir avec n’importe quel élève de l’école sans à priori ni préjugé. Objectif produit attendu Créer un document à partager à l’attention d’un groupe d’élève d’une autre classe.

La tâche Créer un document sur google drive ou figure comme introduction l’explication de l’activité d’apprentissage (D’abord je me suis posé une question ; j’ai cherché sur un site la réponse ; j’ai été corrigée etc.). Ensuite, partager le questionnaire à choix multiples avec les sites de référence où tu as toi-même trouvé la réponse. Durée 4 périodes Ressource à fournir Les enseignantes seront deux pour pouvoir accompagner la tâche par des feedbacks immédiats sur le document avant qu’il ne soit envoyé. Ressource à produire Un document sur google drive d’une page maximum avec : un message personnel ; l’introduction ; le questionnaire à choix multiples ; les références des sites web. une formule politesse pour les salutations. Evaluation sommative L’élève a partagé de manière adéquate ses découvertes (atteinte de l’objectif avec une autre classe. attendu prévu par l’activité) Support (s) TICE utilisé(s) Google drive et doc. et explication du choix Lieu Classe de français

L’évaluation sommative de ce projet aura pour critères :  L’élève est capable de suivre les étapes méthodologiques proposées.  L’élève est au moins expert d’une question par unité de sciences.  L’élève est capable de s’orienter dans l’arborescence organisationnelle créée dans son drive et de ranger tous les documents travaillés, sous les fichiers nommés à cet effet.  L’élève a tenu compte des feedbacks.  L’élève a communiqué de manière adéquate adaptant son message selon la personne à qui il s’adressait.

En conclusion Cette expérience a été très appréciée par les élèves surtout pour sa dimension communicative. Beaucoup d’élèves de l’école moyenne ont l’habitude de communiquer sur les réseaux sociaux ou par e-mail. Cette forme de communication à distance est bien connue de nos jours, mais elle est plus rarement utiliser dans le milieu scolaire surtout lorsque l’on parle d’élève âgés entre 10 et 11 ans. Les échanges que nous avons eu avec les élèves par mail ou sur google drive à travers des documents partagés nous ont semblé mettre davantage le jeune apprenant et son enseignant dans un rapport de partenariat. La position plus horizontale de l’élève et de son instituteur responsabilisent l’élève qui s’adresse de manière « privée » à son enseignant. En effet, on ne s’adresse pas à son Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 50 June / Juin 2014

enseignant comme on s’adresse à un camarade = adéquation du discours, savoir-être, adaptabilité. Le partage de document avec les élèves d’une autre classe permet également aux apprenants de s’adresser à n’importe quel autre camarade sans a priori. En effet, on peut former des groupes à travers les questions communes qui les intéressent. Dans ce cas c’est l’apprentissage qui met en lien et non pas les affinités socio-affectives. On renforce ainsi les approches dites socioconstructivistes qui peinent parfois à garder leur place dans un monde toujours plus individualiste. De plus, là encore, il y une adaptation à faire du message choisi. En effet, on ne s’adresse pas de la même manière à un copain qu’à un camarade dont on ignore tout. Finalement, le projet de cette année reste humble et nous a surtout permis d’anticiper les difficultés à prévoir dans la démarche proposée. Par exemple : les aspects purement techniques doivent toujours être vérifiés juste avant l’intervention, nous ne sommes jamais à l’abri de bogues informatiques; les feedback doivent être brefs et concrets (voilà ce que tu peux ajouter et ce que tu peux supprimer…) les élèves ne tiennent pas compte ou n’arrivent pas à traiter des feedback longs et comme il y a plus de place sur un écran que sur une feuille l’enseignant peut aisément dériver vers cette tendance; les questions choisies pour la cyberquête doivent être assez simples autrement les recherches sur internet mènent à des sites trop complexes qui utilisent une terminologie spécifique au domaine médicale par exemple ou physique, terminologie non accessible à nos élèves trop jeunes. Enfin, les documents méthodologiques de référence sont souvent pensés pour des élèves plus âgés il faut donc élaborer des documents (par exemple la grille d’analyse des sites web) qui correspondent à la tranche d’âge de nos élèves. Il s’agit d’une introduction à la pensée critique de l’information et pas plus. Aller plus loin consisterait à ne pas respecter le niveau de développement spécifique à ce groupe d’âge.

Orb (Nelson Macmillan, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 51 June / Juin 2014

Rock (Nelson Macmillan, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 52 June / Juin 2014

Sustainability at Ecolint Jan Dijkstra (La Châtaigneraie)

To read the full report, please contact [email protected]

PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS

What follows is an itemized set of recommendations, organized per topic. The list does not claim to be exhaustive, but is intended to inform a larger debate within Ecolint on the topic of how to address and incorporate sustainability within its schools.

HARD SUSTAINABILITY 1. Compile data on use of electricity, water, mazout, paper, ink, etc. per school, as well as waste production. 2. Set clear goals to reduce the above, in discussion with the Campus Development Groups, as part of capital planning. Engage students where possible to inform the decision making process. Communicate these goals to the larger community, with the help of local agencies, e.g. Maneco. 3. Continue to engage the larger community to address transport issues. The general goal will be to reduce the amount of cars arriving on campus. 4. Carbon offsetting of staff and student trips. Put students in charge of managing this fund. Collaborate with local NGO’s e.g. ActionAid to apply part of these funds for reforestation. If this can be linked to a Service project abroad, that would be ideal. 5. Clarify and formalize the responsibilities on data collection, goal setting and capital investment among principals, campus directors and coordinators of sustainability. 6. It is recommended that each campus has a coordinator of sustainability, at least (one per school could be envisaged). The role of the coordinator will, depending on the school, include collaborations with curriculum coordinators, campus director, principal, CAS coordinator the Green committee. To be effective, the coordinator should be given a clearly defined mandate and coordinators of different campuses should meet regularly to align their targets. In the final Sustainable Action Plan ‘recommendations at Foundation level’ written in 2009 by WWF, a recommendation is made to appoint a general green coordinator, in addition to the campus green coordinators. This general green coordinator was intended to advise the DG and the board, while overseeing the work of the campus green coordinators.

CURRICULUM 1. Identifying existing elements in the curriculum and make sure these are aligned and complete from a sustainability point of view. 2. Case studies: problems posed by outside partners (or otherwise), the complexity of which necessitates a multidisciplinary approach, as envisaged in STEM learning.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 53 June / Juin 2014

3. Consider introducing subjects or topics where possible, which promote learning about sustainability. Examples are Environmental Economics in the IBDP and Environmental Management (0680) in IGCSE. 4. Economics: explore recent developments in Circular Economy as spearheaded by the Ellen MacArthur foundation (www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org ). 5. Consider implementing Project Zero’s work on thinking dispositions and corresponding assessment. In a broader sense, this can be interpreted as a continuity of thinking skills from Pre-reception, all the way to TOK in the IB-DP.

SERVICE LEARNING At this moment Service Learning is under development at La Châtaigneraie secondary school and has been for years. The existing vision is that all students will engage in service learning during all years in different ways. The following recommendations are intended to complement and support existing practices and initiatives. 1. A concerted approach to the recording of service learning, using the Goodwall platform as part of the students’ digital portfolio. 2. The Ecogarden at La Châtaigneraie secondary school, as well as the one that is under development at the Primary schools, represent outstanding learning opportunities at the experiential level. Learning first-hand how plants grow in the course of the year as well as how a garden must be maintained over the course of the seasons, roots learning firmly in direct experience. As it stands, the uptake of the opportunities presented, e.g. to year 12 students for their CAS, or to year 10 and 11 students for their International Award, remains modest. Gilly Webster’s work in setting up and maintaining the Ecogardens deserves more recognition among students and a push should be made to explore how greater uptake on the part of the students can be effectuated. Linking the Ecogardens to a collaboration with Urban Farmers could be considered. 3. Fieldweeks. At La Châtaigneraie, students are engaged in a Fieldweek experience at the start of every school year. These weeks present an excellent opportunity for allowing students to learn about sustainability within the setting that they are visiting, as well as reinforcing good habits, e.g. collecting rubbish. It would be wonderful if we could claim that wherever Ecolint goes, we leave the environment cleaner. More generally, Fieldweeks could be shaped around collaboration, communication, leadership and emotional intelligence development. The environment and learning about sustainability represent a prime setting for learning about these skills. 4. International Award. The International Award is a voluntary program that students can follow within the framework of the renowned Duke of Edinburgh Award. Part of obtaining the diploma, which at this time is offered at Bronze and Silver levels, is service learning. This is working relatively well at this time, but could improve with more alignment with other service learning initiatives in the preceding and following years, so that students develop a well- rounded skillset through their service learning. 5. Service projects – evaluate existing projects on their sustainability content and deepen and broaden where possible. Instigate new projects to allow for broader involvement of students. Ideally, all students would engage with a project in the course of their schooling at Ecolint. 6. Engagement with the Out of Eden project (http://www.outofedenwalk.com/) which can link sustainability to geography, history and creative writing, as well as video-editing. 7. Stimulate students to publish their work, either on their Goodwall (www.goodwall.org) or in online newspapers (e.g. http://www.greenschoolsalliance.org/green-journal-articles www.newsaction.org or http://pulitzercenter.org/global-gateway ) Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 54 June / Juin 2014

8. Eco- or Green scholarships can be applied for students fulfilling the criteria. See for example http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201309/coolschools/eco-scholarships-money- school-financial-aid.aspx

Bright Orb (Nelson Macmillan, Student, LGB)

HEALTH & MINDFULNESS 1. Mindfulness as part of the school day to create moments of quiet and stillness. 2. Mindfulness as an element of reflective learning and assessment. 3. Mindfulness as a practice to support the development of emotional intelligence. This includes a caring attitude towards one’s environment, including the school and its economy. Special attention should be given to the development of sustainable habits, including recycling. 4. Mindfulness, emotional intelligence and leadership skills: study the work of mindfulness at Google (source: ‘Search inside yourself’ by Chade-Meng Tan) as well as Wendy Palmer’s

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work on Leadership Embodiment. Workshops or pastoral training can be considered, as well as the achievement of certificates. 5. Emotional intelligence can be broken down into different qualities, which one also finds in the IB learner profile. The development of an assessment of these qualities, in parallel to cognitive achievement should be considered. Assessment will include self-assessment, journal writing, target setting and regular conversations with a mentor, who will oversee the process. As such it will have many parallels to the CAS process. 6. Consider the implications of Martin Seligman’s work on Flourishing and Carol Dweck’s work on Mindsets for student happiness and their potential implication with pastoral programs and/or personal quality assessment (point 5 above). OTHER 1. Establish partnerships with UNEP, WWF, IUCN, etc. to create meaningful real-world case studies that allow for deep learning. 2. Participate in the Sustainability Competition organized by Business School of Lausanne (BSL). 3. Collaborate with BSL and other partners to inform students of the importance of sustainability and whole person learning for their future careers. 4. Stimulate, on the part of school leadership, the development of collaborative learning projects on sustainable topics, led and organized by teachers from different disciplines. 5. Provide PD for staff on all aspects of 21C, including assessment, collaborative learning, metacognition, etc. 6. Explore collaboration with Urban Farmers (http://urbanfarmers.com/), on an aquaponics project, or in connection with the ecogardens. 7. Join the Green Schools Alliance (http://www.greenschoolsalliance.org ), or consider collaborating with more local international schools, possibly creating a similar alliance. 8. Setting up a Deeper Learning taskforce on each campus, or even school, to translate the GPs into practical applications for teachers and students. These taskforces will have to look at how DL can be achieved more effectively through adaptations curriculum, classroom practice and assessment. With regard to the latter, considering open-ended tasks, possibly involving collaboration and presentation of work, are recommended. 9. Consider the involvement of Campus Development Groups in the formulation of plans. I suggest renaming them Taskforce for Innovation. 10. Consider the use of recycled paper for official stationary.

CONCLUSIONS Sustainability is not an add-on. This must be the principle conclusion to be drawn from the preceding pages. Instead, sustainability brings us to the cutting edge of educational innovation and spurs us to confront the difficulties of our time. Sustainability urges and invites us to re-evaluate our organisational and educational values and practices, in order to forge them into an education for the future. This has been at the heart of Ecolint’s values from its inception, which followed a deep crisis in understanding and collaboration between nations. The League of Nations and later the United Nations were conceived in response to this crisis. Now, some 90 years later, the world sees a different crisis, which is, arguably, about sustainability and the relationship between human beings and the natural environment. Where WWI revealed lack of tolerance and multicultural understanding, our current crisis reveals the problematic relationship between humans and their natural habitat. The crisis ensuing from this problematic relationship will influence the lives of our students and should thus inform their choices for future studies and careers. It is perhaps helpful to heed the following words: Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 56 June / Juin 2014

When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity. John F. Kennedy

As an educational institution we foster a community around the values we deem most important. For Ecolint, respect and tolerance are at the very heart of our foundation. I suggest that we broaden our understanding of respect to include our natural environment and the processes and forces that allow it to adapt and change to developments in time and circumstances. I suggest we let ourselves be inspired by nature’s capacity of adaptation and take on the current crisis by interpreting it to be an opportunity for producing meaningful change. The innovation driving this change will not only look at fostering a deeper understanding of nature’s processes and the causes of today’s problems, but also at equipping our students with the dispositions and attitudes required for confronting them courageously and effectively. This will allow our students to develop skills and understanding in the course of their schooling at Ecolint, which will continue to inform them for the remainder of their lives. The success of our students is measured not only as a matter of exam results and university entry, but also in terms of the positive change they bring to our world. To phrase this in the terms of our own mission statement:

We prepare students for membership of communities that are socially and culturally diverse, for citizenship, and for engagement with the political, ethical and environmental challenges of their times. We expect them to want to take an active part in making their world a better place and one that is based on the mutual understanding, respect and shared values to which the school has been committed throughout its long history.

Our values are well-aligned with sustainability, but our practices must be developed deeper and wider, both to prepare our students effectively as agents for a better a future and to be true to our word.

In the preface I asked two questions, the first of which was ‘What does sustainability in education actually mean?’ My answer is, sustainability in education means education for the future, comprising both a healthy and happy future for our students, as well as a thriving future for our global environment and communities. The other question I asked was ‘do actions inspire values or vice versa?’ I would like to answer that question by saying ‘yes’. Yes, actions inspire values, as actions can remind us of what is truly important, in the long run. Recent innovations also remind us of the tremendous potential human beings have to act effectively in the face of hardship. And yes, values can also inspire actions, as in this context a stance must be taken with regard to the environmental crisis and its effect on our students’ futures. It is my sincere hope that Ecolint will remain true to its values and let its values inspire its actions, by seriously considering the recommendations made above. It will include making the financial investments necessary to be able to claim that it educates for the future, which, given the potential gains, will be modest indeed.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 57 June / Juin 2014

Seascape 2 (Nelson Macmillan, Student, LGB)

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 58 June / Juin 2014

The European Student Film Festival - ISG EIG - 2014 Ben Bottorff (Nations)

This year the European Student Film Festival was hosted by the International School of Geneva and we invited 140 film students from 15 international schools from Europe and beyond to partake in the festival. Schools travelled to the centre on the shores of Lake Annecy from Milan to São Paolo, Paris to Abu Dhabi. The main interconnected theme being a desire to create film and learn from some of the finest filmmakers in Europe.

Workshop leaders flew in from Manchester, London, Prague, Holland and France covering techniques ranging from cinematography, animation, sound, scripting and directing. The theme running through the festival from beginning to end was how students can make a living in the film industry and our workshop leaders were fine examples of this.

Each night ended watching films submitted by students and workshop leaders, with the Grand Prix event filling La Turbine, Cinema in Annecy. Again we were proud to see Campus des Nations coming away with major prizes thanks to Kezia Saunders with Best Film for 'Beautiful David' and Meghan Smith with the Best Cinematography for ‘Smaller Creatures’. The jury consisted of past ESFF Alumni, and filmmakers.

The ESFF was a wonderful event and it was gratifying to hear how convinced workshop leaders and the directors present were that many of our students have a great chance of working in the film industry. This was confirmed with the wonderful short films the students made over the final 24 hours. After Easter we will show the films from Nations which won prizes alongside our DP film students' films at Cinema du Grütli. Many thanks must go to the staff who contributed from our Foundation. The 4 day Festival was an inspiration to student and teacher alike. - ESFF Nations Team ‘one of the best experiences of my life, the opportunity to learn about film from a variety of professionals is a rare one that I will cherish forever.’ - ESFF Student

TESMC Graham Worthington (Nations)

EIG Nations Campus TESMC TDC was completed on Monday, 5th May 2014. The course began with Workshop/Module 1 on Monday, 14th October and concluded seven months later with Workshop/Module 9. All 12 participants who had commenced the course were presented with their TESMC TDC certificates by Director of Education Dr Conrad Hughes in a brief but moving ceremony at the conclusion of the final workshop. Alison Ball, Director of Professional Studies was also present to congratulate all TESMC TDC graduates.

The TESMC TDC conducted on Nations Campus differed from the parallel TESMC TDC courses which have been conducted at both LGB and La Chataigneraie campuses in that the workshops at Nations were conducted in both English and French. Acknowledgement is due

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to Nayaira Zohny for the exceptional efforts she made in translating the course notes and material into the French language.

The following EIG staff members completed the TESMC TDC:

Yves Blanc Ana Low de Sagara Rosalina Patricio Ony Roduit

Pauline Berthier Fiona Mackenzie Laurence Martin Sarah Corbet

Britt Krona-Jardon Annie Schad Margherita Reggi Catherine Musnier

The success of the TESMC TDC was due to a number of factors, including the high level of commitment by all participants and the professional, material and moral support so readily given by Alison Ball, including the use of Room 210.

In a meeting of TESMC TDC tutors, called and chaired by Alison Ball on Thursday, 8th May it was noted that there seemed to be an absence of classroom teachers in the 2014-15 course conducted at Nations. This course is designed for mainstream teachers and a broader classroom presence by classroom teachers could feasibly lead to better teaching practices across the school. In other observations, including End of Course feedback, it was widely suggested that the Between Module Readings (BMR) would be of more relevance if done before each Module and not after, as suggested in the course manual.

In my role, as one half of the Nations TESMC TDC tutor team, I wish to express my appreciation for the Annex 6 funding I received this year. I acknowledge that it provided a tangible reward for the multiple hours required to prepare and deliver (after hours) all nine workshops/modules throughout the year.

Year 4: Campus des Nations Melissa Sundqvist (Nations)

The goal of my project has been to facilitate the experience of looking at student work together allowing Nations’ PYP (Early Years and Primary) teachers to develop a shared understanding of our students' key mathematical ideas at the year levels. We have worked to use First Steps number assessments to agree upon assessment criteria. We have had discussions about which assessments will be used at which year levels, when during the year they will be used, and what will be passed up to the following years' teachers. As we put together a new report card, linking our assessments with criteria at the year levels will help our vertical articulation. Teachers have also trialled different Exemplars word problems that have been linked to units of inquiry. We have begun to talk about the First Steps Key Understandings about fractions but need to continue these conversations. In the future, I hope we can continue to look at student work together and continue to develop a shared understanding of how students develop number sense.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 60 June / Juin 2014

International School of Geneva - Outreach Program Keith Browne (Nations)

Outreach is engagement beyond our Foundation

International-mindedness is at the heart of any IB World School and, since the inception of the International School of Geneva/Ecole Internationale de Genève, our school has been a pioneer in the field of international education. Established in 1924 by a group of people committed to the tenets of peace and educating beyond frontiers, the school has become the oldest and largest international school in the world with 3 campuses, 8 schools and over 4000 students. Throughout its existence the International School of Geneva has been closely associated with the United Nations, and its predecessor the League of Nations, and subscribes to the fundamental principles, and in particular the commitment to the promotion of world peace, contained in the United Nations Charter. 1.

Outreach programs, in general, are activities in which services are provided to populations who might not otherwise have access to those services. This Annex VI investigated the creation of a Foundation-supported International School of Geneva - Outreach Program, whereby Ecolint would provide resources to teacher training programmes within a school or educational institute in a less developed country where a visible need exists. The chosen site(s) would become a pilot for a satellite-campus of the Foundation and the role of the Outreach Program would be specific to educational support through teacher training and/or educational development. . An Outreach Program at Ecolint would extend the influence of our school beyond Geneva and permit us to offer pedagogical expertise and teaching resources to areas where there are defined needs. Not only would recipients of the outreach benefit from the experience of a world leader in international education, but the reciprocal benefits to our school in terms of professional development and international stature would be immense.

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Aside from the philanthropic motivations, which are by themselves reason enough, an Outreach Program would bring our school back to its roots, the birthplace of the International Baccalaureate. Our school was founded to pioneer international-mindedness and the Board of Governors has adopted a mission statement proclaiming that adherence to these principles will enable the school to continue to play a leading role in furthering international education. 2.

Most recently the Director General of International School of Geneva, Vicky Tuck, released two documents called Our Focus for the Future (Nov 2012) and Our Focus for the Future – Steps Ahead (Sept 2013). The former describes the goal to “energise our engagement with international education beyond our Foundation”; while the latter extends the mission to “further develop links with leading schools around the world for staff and student exchange (and) to continue to encourage staff in running humanitarian projects.”

Nick Thornton, Chairperson of the Governing Board, called these documents “significant … not a glib piece of work ... a road map for the development and betterment of Ecolint in the years ahead.” 3.

Outreach is educational development not charity

An important distinction should be noted between an Outreach Program and other service programs currently taking place at the International School of Geneva. Service and community are active programs embedded in the educational ethos of the International Baccalaureate at all three Ecolint campuses, and the work that is done by faculty and student bodies is truly inspiring.

At LGB this school year, Year 7 students helped two schools and a medical centre in Madagascar, and Year 8 students chose to help the India Project. Students also undertook a very wide range of trips within Europe and elsewhere, many with a strong humanitarian emphasis: Senegal, Tanzania, Morocco and New York. Further trips to Ecuador and Galapagos, Iceland, India, Portugal and Zambia are planned before the summer.

At La Chat students participated in the India trip where they joined their cohorts at LGB to help in the maintenance of a local Crèche, and travelled to Nepal for service opportunities. In the past, Nations students have also travelled on the India project, as well as performing service in Tanzania. This year Nations students travelled to a placement at the Jhamtse orphanage in northern India, and others will join LGB students this summer to volunteer at the Kabula and Nakabunze Basic Schools as well as the Sankandi Health Centre through the Zambezi Environmental Education Centre (ZEEC).

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These are only a small sample of the wonderful charitable work performed by Ecolint staff and students. However an Outreach Program is not charity. It is philanthropy categorised as the sense of caring, developing and enhancing "what it is to be human" on both the benefactors' (by identifying and exercising their values in giving and volunteering) and beneficiaries' (by benefiting) parts. 4.

Philanthropy is defined as private initiatives, for public good, focusing on quality of life, in this case through the development of sound educational programs, resources and infrastructure. Where charity seeks to ease the burden of social inequalities, philanthropy acts to solve the root cause of the problem and to therefore affect a long term, often locally-inspired solution. Where charity is often a short-term solution, philanthropy leaves a legacy of hope and sustained progress.

The Foundation’s role in an Outreach Program

Human resources

In this model for an Outreach Program, current teachers at the International School of Geneva would be seconded, and retired teachers recruited, to serve as teacher-trainers and mentors to the local staff employed at an Ecolint-affiliated satellite campus. The term of their field placement would vary depending on a number of factors: release time from the school, local needs, and personal commitments. However the time frame would be long enough that the visiting Ecolint faculty would develop a strong and supportive relationship with the local education staff and avoid any transient “just-parachuted-in” syndrome.

Interviews with Alison Ball, Director of Professional Studies PGCE (International) Ecolint Institute of Learning and Teaching, have centred on the possibility that an Outreach Program could also involve PGCE student teachers as potential placement opportunities during and after their studies. Tony Harries of Durham University would also be part of those discussions. A partnership between the Outreach Program, the Institute of Learning and Teaching, and the Faculty of Education at Durham University would bring with it exciting opportunities for pedagogical development.

Hard resources

Recycled teacher and student resources would have a new life at the satellite campus as the Outreach Program would collect and redistribute textbooks, teacher aids, outdated furniture, computers, sports equipment, student-learning resources, etc.

One strong possibility for outreach would involve producing ready and easy to use teacher resources for use at the satellite campus or in other jurisdictions where there is an identified Need. Once again the Institute of Learning and Teaching could be involved. The Foundation is also stocked with staff that have led and organised teacher workshops, and

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developed educational materials for the IB or other organisations. Their talents could also be harnessed.

A group of teachers led by Lesley Meyer, the Campus des Nations Principal, recently travelled to Zambia where they held a number of training sessions for local teachers. One salient point that emerged from this experience was the need for more classroom-ready resources. Justin Harte, Vice-Principal of Primary at Nations has discussed developing the materials in advance of a second Zambia trip tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2015.

Financial resources

Operating budget expenses in the amount of CHF 136’148’000 were approved by the Governing Board for the year 2014-2015 with revenues of CHF 135’731’000. Approval of 0.1% of the revenues diverted to an Outreach Program would yield an annual amount of CHF 135’000.

This money would fund the salary of one seconded teacher position for an entire school year if replacement costs of that teacher were not factored in. Assuming, however, that the seconded teacher would require replacement for his/her home duties, then the 0.1% would fund the salary of one teacher working in the field for half a school year and the costs of replacing his/her position at Ecolint for the same time frame.

This example is only meant to encourage discussion. Naturally there would also be many other associated costs surrounding transportation of personnel, allocation of hard resources, and other expenses, but the costs might not be as exorbitant as first supposed.

One possibility could be the development of a bursary program to reserve places in Ecolint classes for high performing students who come from the satellite campus, so that their education could proceed through to the Diploma Program. At the writing of this report, Nations parents are sponsoring one such student from the Jhamtse orphanage in India. The Foundation could show similar charity or encourage it through its parent body.

Current projects associated with Outreach at Ecolint

Presently there are a number of unconnected programs organised by teachers at the three campuses, each associated with promoting education in less developed countries. These programs are run by individuals with wonderfully altruistic intentions; but often the people involved work in anonymity, the project is largely dependent on the efforts of a few or even a single individual, and there is little formal support by way of the Foundation.

Interviewing the school-based organisers of these international projects, however, often showed a synergy with aims of this Outreach Program as their goals were also specific to educational support through teacher training or school development.

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By communicating with the organisers of these ongoing projects, it is hoped that the publicity and collaboration would:

1. Foster a synergy between different projects. 2. Give a public platform for projects that often fall under the radar. 3. Act as a catalyst for further educational projects to be developed. 1. Explore how existing projects could be aided by a Foundation-supported Outreach Program.

The Zambia Project has been running for 10 years and it now involves Nation's students in numerous activities aimed at improving education in the Western Province. This includes the latest project from the summer of 2013 that focussed on improving education by holding teacher training workshops for local teachers. The workshops were focussed on helping educators cope with the trials of teaching in rural schools, without support or materials, in classes of up to 96 pupils.

Nineteen Nations and LGB students are continuing the Zambia Project this summer and they will receive training from the Institute of Learning’s PGCE students before embarking on a trip to the Zambezi Environmental Education Centre (ZEEC). From there they will assist teachers at two rural schools in Kabula and Nakabunze as well as a local health centre in Sankandi.

Another project with a strong connection to the International School of Geneva is the Jhamtse Gatsal Children's Community in Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is a community, a school, and a home for more than 85 children ranging in age from toddler to adolescent. The community school has become a model in the areas of: education, healthcare, childcare, parental guidance, cultural preservation, spiritual traditions, organic gardening, sustainable living, and social entrepreneurship.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 65 June / Juin 2014

Another education development project with a connection to Ecolint involves a teacher from each of La Chat and Nations. They support a number of educational projects in Latin America and one in Palestine. Although their main focus is on fundraising, they have done teacher training and will do more in the future. At the moment, the three projects that they are most involved with are: building a music school in Masatepe, a small village near Managua in Nicaragua, and supporting Luz y Vida and La Casa del Nazareno in Caracas. Luz y Vida is an NGO that gives guidance to parents about education, healthcare and children's rights. La Casa del Nazareno is a school for 500 children which gives a full service of schooling, meals and washing facilities such as showers for younger students.

Other opportunities exist to build an Outreach Program on the shoulders of an existing project. I am presently looking at one such possibility with an international school in Angola. Unfortunately the logistics of the school year did not permit me to travel before the writing of this report, but I will be staying at a school in Angola over the October 2014 break. Although any speculation at this time is premature, I am hoping that an opportunity to work with an international school in the area, with a similar outreach to local schools, will act as a catalyst of ideas that I can bring back to the International School of Geneva.

Not unrelated are ongoing talks that I have held with the IB Office in Geneva. Once again I am hesitant to draw early assumptions, but there appears to be a some opportunity to partner with the IBO as they move to incorporate a future sense of social conscience in their school fee structure models. Several initiatives are coming out of the local office and one charitable idea being discussed could offer exciting collaborative opportunities for the Ecolint Outreach Program and the office of the International Baccalaureate.

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 66 June / Juin 2014

Conclusion The purpose of this Annex VI was to have an opportunity to research various models, possible locations, scenarios, and logistics so that the idea of Ecolint Outreach could move from a concept to an opportunity. This involved many discussions with project organisers who currently have educational programs up and running. Whether the model for a Foundation-supported Outreach Program could link with an existing project location is a matter of future discussion at the behest of those responsible for those projects.

Nevertheless an Outreach Program would encapsulate the international vision and humanitarian mission of the International School of Geneva. This report is meant to be a starting point for discussion. Thereafter the goal would be to organise finances, recruit resources and teachers willing to participate, and to develop the infrastructure on the ground. With the right motivation the Outreach Program has the capacity to move beyond an opportunity to a reality.

The 90th birthday of our school will take place during the 2014-15 school year. The celebrations that will accompany the event are a welcomed opportunity to reflect on the ideas of the founders of this institution; education beyond frontiers and reaching out to less developed regions with disadvantaged educational opportunities. Education means knowledge and understanding, and with those objectives comes global citizenship and peace. An Outreach Program, with the genesis of a satellite campus supported by the resources of the International School of Geneva, could be our school’s modern-day contribution to that effort.

References

1. Policy on the promotion of the values of the International School of Geneva including citizenship education of students - Revised and approved by the Governing Board at its 400th meeting on 12th March 2013

2. Mission Statement of the International School of Geneva, adopted by the Governing Board in October 1996

3. Annual Report - International School of Geneva, 2014

4. Wikipedia – Philanthropy, www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropy, May 30 2014

5. 2014 / 2015 Operating budget approved by the Governing Board in January 2014

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 67 June / Juin 2014

Annexe VI 2014-2015

Congratulations to colleagues whose Annexe VI projects were accepted for 2014-2015. The projects listed below all have student learning at the centre. To apply for an annexe VI décharge for 2015-2016, please write to the Director of Education ([email protected]), copying your school principal and department head before the last day of January 2015.

Campus Teacher Proposal

LGB Secondary Arnold Nussbaumer Rédaction d’un manuel de chimie complet NM et NS pour les élèves qui suivent le cours de chimie en français

LGB Secondary Hernan Hoyos German and Italian website

LGB Secondary Veronique Chanon & Manuel de biologie en français Nassia Methia

LGB Secondary Olivier Coupy Cahier et site web de physique en français

LGB Primary Masa Toya Odyssey of the Mind

LGB Middle Marcus James Food technology curriculum

La Châtaigneraie Todd Besanceney Odyssey of the Mind Primary and Jeanette Terry

La Chataigneraie Rich Robinson & Teaching and Learning Study Group Secondary Gemma Elford Dawson

La Chataigneraie Al Maturo Lanterna course moderation for mathematics Secondary

La Chataigneraie Jonathan Halden Lanterna course moderation for economics Secondary

La Chataigneraie Mike Winter Lanterna course moderation for physics Secondary

Nations Secondary Stephane Bocken Lanterna course moderation for biology

Nations Primary Nicola Vickers Odyssey of the Mind

Nations and La Nayaira Zohny & TESMC Châtaigneraie Gayle Courtenay

Education Newsletter / Bulletin pédagogique 68 June / Juin 2014