May 2017 Newsletter

http://www.clipartbest.com

The Triannual Newsletter of The Association of American Schools in South America

May 2017 Edition Table of Contents From Your Executive Director ��1 An Overview of Next Year’s Conferences ��3 2017 AASSA Educators’ Conference ��9 Heads of School Transitions �� 11 AASSA’s 2016 Margaret Sanders Foundation Scholarship Winner ��12 2017 AASSA Global Citizen Award Recipients ��13 A Reminder of Our Services ��14 EABH – The American School of Belo Horizonte’s 60th Anniversary ��17 Attending the NSTA Conference: ��21 Calling All Science Educators… ��21 Creativity, Collaboration and Kindness ��24 Teach the Change You Want to See ��26 Deeper Learning in Our Project Based World ��29 Improve School-to-Home Communications and Promote Student Learning ��31 Students and Teachers Making the Difference in a Learning Environment ��33 A Letter from Abby Majendie ��35 Contributing to Space Exploration with Cubes in Space: Students at Academia Cotopaxi Reach for the Stars! ��37 Literacy Specialist Assistants: A New Experience at Lincoln High School ��41 The Language of Inclusion ��44 Wireless Classroom ��46 Celebrating International Women’s Day as Part of a Unit of Inquiry in Grade 4 Spanish ��49 Peer Mediation Teaches Students Life Skills ��54 Blended Learning with Limited Technology ��55 Cognitive Coaching Institute ��58 Facilitating the Reading Workshop through: Collaborative Guided Reading, CAFE Strategies and Visible Thinking Routines ��62 A Collaborative Atmosphere ��65 Creating a Collaboration Menu ��68 Educating for Global Citizenship ��71 My Personal Experience with Differentiation in Schools ��77 Students SPEAK Up in Student-led Conferences at Lincoln School ��85 Defining Effective Learning at Colegio Einstein ��88 How Will You Use Your Experience Abroad to Make the World a Better Place? ��94 Alan November: Inviting Global Perspectives into the Classroom ��95 AASSA Calendar of Upcoming Events 2016-2017 Event Venue Dates Deadline AAIE Child Protection Leadership Training Fort Lauderdale, FL June 26-30 AAIE/ISCA International Counseling Institute Fort Lauderdale, FL June 26-29 AAIE Instructional Leadership Institute Fort Lauderdale, FL June 26-29 AAIE Leadership Transition Retreat Washington, DC July 7-8 2017-2018 Events Hotel Deadline: AASSA Business Managers’ Institute Aventura, FL July 17-19 June 16 AASSA Newsletter Articles Due August 21

Reader’s & Writer’s Workshop August 22-26 Leaders of Literacy International School of August 22-26

Writer’s Workshop Curitiba August 23 & 24 Reader’s Workshop August 25 & 26

Lincoln School, Buenos Lincoln Educators’ Conference September 8-9 Aires Columbus School, Cognitive Coaching Institute, Part 2 September 8-11 Medellin, Colombia AASSA Board Meeting Kendall, Miami September 13 AASSA Governance Conference Kendall, Miami September 14-16 Colegio Nueva Granada, 2nd Annual CNG Learning Center Symposium September 21 & 22 Bogota AASSA Educators’ Conference Quito October 16 Workshop Proposals Due Colegio Internacional EVAC Educators’ Conference September 22-23 Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela CIS Latin America Institute on International Lynn University, Boca September 29-30 September 8 Admission & Guidance Raton, FL

Compass Education Level 2 Educator International School of September 30 – Certification Applying Systems Thinking for Havana, Cuba October 1 Sustainable School Transformation WIDA Annual Conference Tampa, Florida October 16-19 innovate 2017 Conference Graded School, Sao Paulo October 19-21 AdvancEd Latin American Administrators’ Grand Hyatt Buckhead, November 27-29 Conference Atlanta Grand Hyatt Buckhead, AASSA Annual Association Business Meeting November 30 Atlanta Grand Hyatt Buckhead, AASSA Recruiting Fair November 30 - Dec 3 Atlanta Margaret Sanders Foundation Scholarship December 4 applications due AASSA Newsletter Articles Due January 12 AASSA Global Citizen Award applications due March 2 AASSA Educators’ Conference Workshop American School of Quito, Pre-Conference March 21, 2018 Proposals due: Ecuador Main Conference March 22-24, 2018 October 16 AASSA Newsletter Articles Due May 10 From Your Executive Director Visit to the International School of Havana

By: Paul Poore

After a lifetime of Cuba being a forbidden travel destination, I was recently able to travel to Havana as a tourist. Aside from being very pleasantly surprised by the city of Havana (which bore almost no resemblance to my imagined version of the city), the iconic old cars, and extremely friendly people, I also visited the International School of Havana which became a member of AASSA shortly after President Obama ended the American travel ban.

The school serves students of the foreign business and diplomatic communities from approximately 65 countries and is, therefore, truly international in terms of its population as well as its curricular offerings. My wife and I were warmly welcomed by both staff and students alike and it was clear the school, under the leadership of Michael Lees, is on a trajectory to become a regional center of excellence in professional learning in line with their new mission: Learning to Make a Difference.

May 2017 Edition Page 1 Back to TOC

A new high school building is under construction, the school has recently become a member of the Common Ground Collaborative, and ISH will host a Compass Education Level 2 Educator Certification Applying Systems Thinking for Sustainable School Transformation institute sponsored by AASSA in September 2017 (http://www.compasseducation.org/).

May 2017 Edition Page 2 Back to TOC Back to TOC An OverviewAn Overview of of Next Next Year’s Year’s Conferences Conferences

2018 AASSAAASSA Business Business Managers’ Managers’ Institute Institute July 17 -19, 2017 Marriott Residence Inn Aventura, Florida

Day I –Critical to effective strategic decision-making is the partnership with and the engagement of the school board and administration. How do business managers and heads of school engage the board in the range of its strategic responsibilities without inadvertently inviting board members into micro managing? How do business managers, heads and boards find the common ground to work together through sub-committees to carry out the mission; balance the financial tradeoffs of income and expense? This session will engage the participants into a deep dive dialogue about mission implications and changes that may affect market position, financial health, constituent engagement and management. Participants will learn a strategic process to help guide key constituents in assessing and managing the appropriate tradeoffs and financial management.

Day II – Business Managers often represent the past, present, and future of a school; they are the “glue” while board members and heads rotate in and out. Business Managers are often in a position of coaching with the need to try to speak the same language and work together on the types and pace of change, thus ensuring stability and continuity while also providing for appropriate strategic shifts. Coaching is a set of specific skills, competencies, behaviors, and tools to enable Business Managers to guide others. Participants will learn how to create a healthy dialogue and engagement while navigating the diffused power structure of boards, committees, and school leadership. This is a very interactive session where we will enhance your leadership skills by improving your knowledge of how to engage and create the environment for motivation. You will be given tools to manage and handle conflict more effectively.

This Institute is designed for Business Managers, Heads of School, and anyone involved in planning strategically

May 2017 Edition Page

3 Back to TOC Our Facilitator

Mina Merkel has been working internationally for 30 years in over 70 countries for corporations and non-profits performing institutional strategic planning. Mina worked globally for General Motors for 20 years in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and North and South America.

Mina has been involved in large scale, high risk, strategic projects that span organizational boundaries including multiple business units and service partners/vendors. She has led cross- functional teams responsible for delivering defined project outputs to time, budget and project quality criteria. Mina has consulted in all facets of industry: Finance, Government and Public Relations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Engineering, Design, Legal, Information Technology, Planning, as well as international think tanks, schools and universities.

Mina facilitates strategic planning sessions, board governance-training sessions, and customizes workshops and retreats for Boards of Directors throughout the world. Mina is an officer on the Board of Directors of the Sao Paulo Education Foundation and served on the Boards of Frankfurt International School and Graded, The American International School of Sao Paulo, Brazil and consulted as the Facilities Project Manager during the 2-year planning stages of a complete renovation of Graded’s K-12 campus.

Mina designed, facilitated governance conferences and is a featured speaker at the Association of American Schools in Brasil (AASB), the Association for American Schools in South America (AASSA) 2014 and the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) 2015 and 2016 and Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) in 2017.

Conference information and costs, an online registration form, and a link to make your hotel reservations are posted on the AASSA website:

http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=644 The hotel reservation & registration deadline is June 16th! ……………………………………………………………………………………….

May 2017 Edition Page 4 Back to TOC Back to TOC 2017 AASSA Governance Conference for School Heads and Board Members September 14-16, 2017 Marriott Dadeland Hotel Miami, Florida

We are taking the learning which was launched at last year’s conference to the next level! Our 2017 conference will again feature two of our presenters from last year (Teresa Arpin and Kevin Bartlett), and a presenter new to our region, Myron Dueck. This is NOT a repeat of last year but rather taking the next step from a systemic approach to transformational governance!

Transformational Governance: From Principles to Practice Transformational Boards work with their leadership and community to co-create key Principles that shape and guide the school’s learning culture. This year’s AASSA Conference will focus on key Principles of great Governance and support participants in mastering the practices that matter in the drive to improve the quality of learning and life in our schools.

The conference format will also include interactive whole group sessions that will both frame this unique learning experience and provide opportunities for authentic application of what you are learning to real-life situations in your school.

Pre-Conference: Thursday, September 14, 2017 Designed for new Board Members, but experienced trustees will gain new perspectives. We will focus on:

The Purpose Principle: The ways in which we set and sustain the key purposes for our school. We’ll look at how we engage our communities in setting the school’s long-term mission and vision and how we use smart planning to turn these guiding ideas into understandings that drive decision-making and practice.

The Focus Principle: The ways in which we concentrate our time, energy, and talent to achieve our high impact goals. We’ll look at how we organize for success, design our working structures and sustain our systems for maintaining consistent alignment with the school’s guiding ideas.

May 2017 Edition

Page 5 Back to TOC Main Conference: September 15 & 16, 2017 The Transformational Board: Optimizing Our Impact

Great schools have a transformational impact on the lives of their students. Great Boards and leaders have a transformational impact on their schools. Throughout this two-day learning conversation, we will explore what it means to move from basic transactional work to transformative work. Together we’ll define ‘transformational’. Then we’ll take deep dives into key principles and practices that take our work to a higher level. These will include the opportunity to transform our approaches to advancement, to explore our willingness to abandon ineffective practices that are holding us back, and to take the journey from mission to measurement, taking a hard look at the evidence that we, our leaders and our schools are having the impacts we really want. As always, the working style will be interactive and engaging, as we learn from experience and each other. Deep Dive Sessions We will offer three deep dives, of which participants will choose two over the two days. Deep Dives will begin in the morning and continue after lunch. Before and after deep dives, we will work together as one conference community--in interactive sessions--to integrate and apply what you are learning in the deep dives. We will also use the “Open Space” methodology to identify topics and groups that will construct their own deep dive while learning with and from each other.

Transforming Learning...By Doing Less--Kevin Bartlett Our schools are invaded by Energy Vampires, enemies of learning that suck the life out of us with minimal payback in terms of learning impact. From the mire of meaningless meetings to atrophy by accreditation, from the pestilence of professional evaluation to the ridiculous routines of report writing, we are plagued by practices that have no place in modern, learning focused schools. This session will offer a practical toolkit to replace outmoded practices with new systems that convert lower energy output into higher learning impact. You will leave with a to- don’t list longer than your to-do list.

Transforming Governance--Teresa Arpin Trustees’ roles are continuing to expand, bringing a stronger focus on their strategic and generative roles. We will explore the skills and processes that help trustees engage in “generative governance.” Additionally, we will take a deeper dive on some challenging topics that will take your board’s practice to the next level. These will include strategic planning as an integrated process and measuring what matters.

Transforming the Student Experience – Myron Dueck Contemporary classrooms are transforming and trustees and school leaders need to be able to engage in the challenging conversations that come with change. We will look at non-traditional grading, assessment and reporting methods that appropriately require the student to truly engage in each facet of the process. With each topic we will examine what is being done in some of the most cutting edge schools, as we endeavour to build systems that assess with the student in order to nurture competent, critical thinkers who can communicate and explore.

The conference target participants are Board Members, Heads of School and any staff members involved in governance Registration and hotel reservations are now open! http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=410

May 2017 Edition Page 6 Back to TOC Back to TOC 2018 AASSA Educators’ Conference The American School of Quito March 21-24, 2018

The Power of Yet, a phrase coined by Carol Dweck, is simply about teachers and students having a “growth mindset”: celebrating that we are all on a learning journey and believing that we all have the ability to improve. This hopeful mindset sees success as a future result of engaging with and learning from one’s mistakes.

This is in stark contrast to the “fixed mindset” which has typically defined the educational process—a mindset based in “the tyranny of now” which defines a student’s result at a given point in time as either a success or a failure. This approach has encouraged students to run away from their errors, seek constant validation and rewards for their efforts, or brand themselves a failure and give up.

Carol Dweck’s research has shown that the concept of “not yet” has resulted in students embracing challenges, learning from their errors, and persisting in the face of setbacks. They come to see effort as a pathway to mastery—an idea reinforced by Malcolm Gladwell’s research that expertise develops only after about 10,000 hours of practice. The ultimate result of teaching from the vantage point of “the power of yet” is that students develop the confidence and resiliency so as to persevere and progress

Now Accepting Workshop Proposals for Quito 2018!

Teacher workshops have become an integral part of the AASSA Educators’ Conference and teachers in the region are encouraged to put themselves forward. The Quito conference will feature two different types of presentations: Teacher Workshop (60 and 90-minute workshops) Ted Talk Workshop (60 minutes)

Presentations must be evaluated by a panel at each presenter’s school and the head of the school must submit the ranked sheet to me by October 26th at the latest. We will then schedule the top- ranked presentations.

If you need any information on this process, please contact either Esther ([email protected]) or Paul ([email protected])

To submit a proposal, please visit: http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=891

The absolute deadline for submission of workshop proposals is October 16th.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………… May 2017 Edition Page 7 Back to TOC

Welcome to Our Newest School Members Alison Bixby Stone School (FM), Zamorano, Honduras Asociacion Colegio Granadino (IM) Vollamaria, Colombia Colegio Bilingue Richmond (IM), Bogota, Colombia Kabe International Academy (IM), Uvita, Costa Rica The Victoria School (IM) Bogota, Colombia Westhill Institute (IM), Mexico City, Mexico

Welcome to Our Newest Associate Members

Constructive Playthings ETC (Education Technology Consulting) School Dude School Picture Vista Higher Learning

Our 74 Associate Members’ contacts and websites are listed on our website at: http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=466 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are able to offer our professional development events more cheaply than comparable organizations partially because of the generosity of our Associate Members’ financial sponsorship of conferences. Thank you to the following sponsors for 2016-2017:

PLATINUM LEVEL Tiecare

GOLD LEVEL International Schools Services (ISS)

SILVER LEVEL Best Doctors Curriculum Associates PA Group

Single Event Sponsorships Raymond James TD Bank World of America

May 2017 Edition

Page 8 Back to TOC Back to TOC

The AASSA Educators’ Conference 2017 2017 AASSA Educators’ Conference

Hosted by Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

We are now accepting Proposals due October 17 for:

Teacher Workshops

Ted Talk Workshops

Learning Fair Gallery Display & Exhibitors' Workshops from Associate Members

By all measuresPre-Conference the AASSA “Re” Institute Educators’s: Wednesday, Conference was March a great success.29 Approximately 650 educators gatheredMain in Rio Conference: de Janeiro, Brazil,March on 30 March – April 30 –1 Apr il 1. 2017. Three featured presenters facilitated institutes and gave keynote presentations that challenged participants to Based aroundquestion the andtheme change of (Re), the traditithe conferenceonal structure design of internationalis centered around education. a collaborative Additionally, think faculty-tank from whose aimthe isAASSA to (re)think region andfacilitated (re)invent over interna140 practitionertional educatio workshops,n. The there conference were two will EdCamp feature sessions, 3 keynotersand (Craig highly Johnston, successful Michael reverse Ehrhardt mentoring and Myron sessions Dueck) facilitated who will by challenge,EARJ students. respectively, In addition, the an current systemInstitute-Within-The of international Conferenceeducation, the ran teachers, each day and for th e60 students. self-select ed participants to focus on the reinvention of education. A very special thanks to the faculty and staff at Escola Americana do

Rio de Janeiro (EARJ) who were amazingly gracious hosts! The Pre-Conference on March 29th will be limited to two sessions: LeadershipPlease be insure Focus: to check Barry out Dequanne the videos of the keynotes, the WIDA Panel and highlights of the Instructionalconference Coachesposted on Retreat the AASSA blog: http://www.aassa.net/blog/

We hope to see everyone next year in Quito! The main conference will feature a wide variety of sessions, most of which will be collaborative by design: Teacher Workshops, Ted Talk workshops, cohorts each day of the conference, reverse mentoring sessions led by EARJ students, Edcamp, and a Learning Fair Gallery. In addition, an all- day institute will be held each day for up to 100 conference participants (a different group each day) to work with our three presenters to drill deeper into the reinvention of international education.

Please take a look at the video - (Re) 2017 Conference Teaser for further information on the theme and we hope to see you in Rio! May 2017 Edition Page 8 9 Back to TOC The Year in Review This has been a very positive year for AASSA. For the sake of brevity, I will briefly highlight a few key accomplishments in our ongoing development:

 School Membership increased by 10 schools this year for a total of 82 member schools, the largest number of member schools to date

 Associate Membership increased to 72 organizations with 12 new members joining this year— an all-time high

 We held successful and well-attended professional development conferences and institutes: Business Managers’ Institute, Governance Conference (the largest to date!), and the annual Educators’ Conference hosted by EARJ in Rio.

 Fifteen institutes were financially sponsored by AASSA and the Office of Overseas Schools involving over 1,200 participants. Another 5 institutes were promoted by AASSA but not financially supported.

 The Board’s investment policy has resulted in our exceeding our target reserve allocation

 AASSA’s Purchasing Service worked with 22 schools and we have negotiated published discounts with a record 93 vendors (http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=445)

 We processed payroll for 12 schools this year, the largest number of schools to date

 We partnered with ISS for Recruiting Fairs held in Atlanta and San Francisco which benefitted AASSA by increasing the number of candidates at our fair in addition to 7 ISS candidates being hired by AASSA schools

 Offered pre-conference sessions and institutes for aspiring leaders and instructional coaches

 Klingbrief has been distributed monthly to heads and principals so as to promote the latest educational research

 AASSA’s Google groups were expanded by adding ELL Coordinators and Instructional Coaches

 Child Protection efforts continued with the distribution of Task Force materials on the ICMEC Education Portal.

 Upgraded all IT services and software programs in the AASSA office

 The AASSA blog and social media sites logged continually increasing traffic as follows:  4,047 tweets, 2089 twitter followers, AASSA is following 1,626  423 blog posts, 256 blog subscriptions  685 Facebook likes

I would like to thank and recognize the AASSA Board for their commitment to the organization and their unwavering support. I also want to thank Christy Brown and the Office of Overseas Schools. Without their assistance, we would not be able to accomplish all that we have.

Finally, I would like to thank the AASSA Staff for another great year: Arianna, Esther, Marie, Miriam, Paul, and Terri.

May 2017 Edition Page 10 Back to TOC Back to TOC Heads of School Transitions

The following heads of school are leaving their positions this year, either for retirement or new challenges. We have a great group of school heads in AASSA, and on behalf of the region I wish you all the very best and thank you for your contributions.

Departing Heads Andrew Roberts, La Sierra International School, Colombia April Yetsko, International School of Monagas, Venezuela Barry Dequanne, American School of Brasilia Craig Selig, American Cooperative School, La Paz, Bolivia David Wells, Alliance Academy, Quito, Ecuador Debra Giles, American School of Asuncion, Paraguay Douglas Atkins, American School of Guatemala Eric Hamilton, Knightsbridge Schools International Bogota Jaime Urazan, GI School, Colombia Mary Ostrowski, Magen David Academy, Panama

New Heads, 2017-2018 Allan Bredy, American School of Brasilia Andrew Roberts, GI School, Colombia April Yetsko, Magen David Academy, Panama Carola Stead, La Sierra International School, Colombia Chris Russo, American School of Asuncion, Paraguay Hamilton Clark, Avenues, Sao Paulo, Brazil James Otis, American Cooperative School, La Paz, Bolivia Jim Cianca, Alliance Academy, Quito, Ecuador Marcelo Fernandes, International School of Monagas, Venezuela Nigel Winnard, American School of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Patricia Marshall, American School of Guatemala Robert Jones, Colegio Menor (Samborondon Campus), Guayaquil, Ecuador Wallace Ting, Knightsbridge Schools International Bogota

May 2017 Edition Page 11 Back to TOC AASSA’s 2016 Margaret Sanders Foundation Scholarship Winner

This year’s Margaret Sander’s Scholarship Award winner from the AASSA region for her dedication to and embodiment of service to her school and community is Karina Lang from the Lincoln School in Costa Rica.

Karina embodies the award Margaret Sanders envisioned when she created her scholarship foundation: she is academically successful, service-minded, and highly involved in all aspects of student life. Karina is member of National Honor Society and is involved in a wide variety of service activities from serving on the MUN steering committee and co-head for two years; she is a member of Mu Alpha Theta, a math honor society which held a first-ever Central American Math League competition; she is a member of the school’s student magazine and is a member of the cross-country varsity team; in her spare time she volunteers at a nursing home and a dog shelter, tutors both math and science students, and is involved with Spirituality for Kids.

Congratulations, Karina!

May 2017 Edition Page 12 Back to TOC Back to TOC 2017 AASSA Global Citizen Award Recipients

The AASSA Global Citizen Award sponsored by TieCare International recognizes a student or group of students selected from AASSA Member Schools in good standing that has made exemplary contributions through a school and/or community-based service program which has led either to: greater international understanding, positive local or global change, addressing a global challenge, or changed lives—thereby setting an example for us all.

This year’s five recipients selected by the AASSA Board of Trustees will each receive a monetary award which is to be used to assist the project or charity for which the award was given.

The award recipients in alphabetical order by their project are:

1. Drop of Life (Emma Jacqueline Wynter from the American International School of Kingston, Jamaica): Emma created this club to raise awareness about the shortage of blood at public hospitals in Jamaica. She and her recruited club members collected over 300 units of blood for the Blood Bank of Jamaica.

2. Ideas LUX Initiatives (Erik Mendes Novak from the American School of Rio de Janeiro): Erik founded his own non-profit organization which organizes fundraising opportunities for the nonprofit organizations he teams with. His work is captured on the following site: https://enovak3.wixsite.com/aassaapplication

3. Key Club’s project was The Giving Hope Foundation (32 students from Georgetown International Academy in Georgetown, Guyana): This high school service club raised funds to support pediatric cancer patients in Guyana. Visit the following sites for a glimpse: http://newsroom.gy/2016/10/13supporting-children-living-cancer-keyclub-gia/ and https://www.facebook.com/newsroomgy/videos/1853499664927058/

4. La Casa de los Niños Foundation (Maria Jose Arrea from Lincoln School in Costa Rica): Maria has worked with Sonamos Juntos through this foundation to get students involved in positive pursuits in their community: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HodihpFs2DY&index=1&list=UUqsDLkpnOyYm52oU n8-TqTg

5. Tech for the Future Club (Paula Marie Duque, Graciela Maria Elmudesi, Oscar Chang, and Ramon Jesus Tarrago from Carol Morgan School in the Dominican Republic): These four students lead a club of 40 students who teach computer skills weekly to 5th graders at a financially disadvantaged local school. Visit https://issuu.com/estilos/docs/estilos541_040217l to read an article about their club.

Thank you to TIECARE International for their funding of this program and congratulations to this year’s recipients, their advisers and their schools for the fine work they are doing. And thank you to ALL of the applicants for your amazing work and dedication. ALL of you are winners!

May 2017 Edition

Page 13 Back to TOC

A Reminder of Our Services

AASSA Consultant Search Service

AASSA will assist member schools who want to source a consultant/practitioner from another of our region’s schools for professional development needs. There will be no cost for our advertising to source a potential consultant and the only payment to the consultant will be their expenses and a small local gift. We are hoping to encourage low-cost professional development within the region and also to promote the professionalism and talents of those working in our schools. For further information, please visit http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=835

AASSA Purchasing Service

About one-third of AASSA schools are currently using our Purchasing Service. In a nutshell, the advantages are that service charges are low (6.5% for Full Member schools and 10% for Invitational Member schools), we are a tax-exempt organization and are generally able to purchase items for schools tax-free, and we have the advantage of receiving discounts on most goods from popular vendors because we are buying in bulk. These discounts are passed along directly to the schools. In addition, our online system allows you to input orders directly into our system where they are acted upon immediately and to track the status of each purchase order.

For further information, please go to http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=374. You are also welcome to contact me for information or to contract with AASSA for the year ahead.

AASSA Payment Processing Service

AASSA offers a payment processing service to its member schools so that staff salaries and retirement funds can be paid to individual employees' accounts worldwide. Salaries are paid to individuals’ accounts in the United States using ACH transfers, whereas payments to accounts in all other countries are done by wire transfer.

AASSA maintains an account for each participating school and the school simply transfers funds to AASSA prior to a payment distribution.

For further information, please visit http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=380

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

May 2017 Edition Page 14 Back to TOC Back to TOC

Subscribe to the AASSA Blog and join the conversation!

Simply go to http://www.aassa.net/blog and enter your email address.

Submit Articles for the AASSA Newsletter and Blog

We welcome articles for the AASSA Newsletter and Blog. Please email articles and photos to [email protected]

All articles submitted for the Newsletter will also be placed on the AASSA Blog as you submit them. Please just send your articles to me ([email protected]) and I will have them posted to the Blog.

We welcome articles capturing news that would be of interest to our member schools and are particularly looking for articles on research articles on international education and effective practices as well as articles about our schools and member organizations. [Please note we do not publish ads on the blog but will include them in the Newsletter].

Articles can be any length. Please submit in MS Word using Times New Roman 12 font. Photos are welcomed and should be submitted in jpeg, if possible.

Please add a By-line which includes the author’s name, school and country, email address and Twitter handle.

The newsletter deadlines for 2017-2018 are as follows: August 21 January 12 May10

And now, onward to articles submitted for publication……..

Have a great “summer” break!

May 2017 Edition Page 15 Back to TOC May 2017 Edition Page 16 Back to TOC Back to TOC EABH – The American School of Belo Horizonte’s EABH – The American60th School ofAnniversary Belo Horizonte’s 60th Anniversary By: Roberta Coelho Marketing and Communications Manager EABH - The American School of Belo Horizonte, Brazil Twitter: @eabh Email: [email protected]

A moment to capture, celebrate, and value the school’s history. To celebrate its history, throughout the 2016/2017 school year EABH – The American School of Belo Horizonte – has carried out a series of events that will be remembered for years to come. The project kicked off with the design of the new visual logo, accompanied by the slogan "EABH Connection - 60 Years." The concept and the graphic design were created by the Marketing Department, composed of Roberta Coelho and Rodolpho Araujo, and the School Director, Catarina Song Chen. They represent a solid foundation, commitment to legacy, and spirit of community unity. "For 60 years, the American School of Belo Horizonte has been writing its story with the cooperation and involvement of the entire community. Parents, students, teachers, and partners have contributed through their active engagement, enthusiasm, and desire to build a collective, expansive endeavor generating lasting results around the world," said Catarina Song Chen. The design of the logo with the number 60 highlighted the traits of connection, movement, and engagement, adding the glamour of gold to the black, blue, and white colors already present in the school logo.

In addition to the commemorative brand, the institution determined that all school events held during this school year would be related to the 60th anniversary. In addition, special events would be created for the celebration. The most important event was a sophisticated gala dinner held at Cine Theatro Brasil, a historical building in downtown Belo Horizonte. This important milestone was celebrated with EABH families, staff, alumni, and honored guests from various segments of the industry and the community, both public and private sectors. The evening also showcased a photography exhibition of the colorful moments and memorable faces of our school, with details about the history and individuals that left their mark on the American School of Belo Horizonte and the world. The exhibition

May 2017 Edition Page 17 Back to TOC culminated with students’ artwork, showing school logos from the past, as well as their take on the commemorative logo. The school is currently negotiating with an important local museum to host this exhibition and showcase the prominent history of the school to the entire community of Belo Horizonte. In order to support the festivities, the school started a fundraising campaign. Everyone was invited to participate and to take part in history. The project was very successful and EABH was able to get support from alumni, parents’ businesses, and external companies. After all expenses had been accounted for, the institution ended up with a positive balance that will be applied toward a seed fund as their first-ever endowment. On the day after the gala, teachers, parents, and students traveled to a paradise island in Bahia, Brasil – Ilha de Comandatuba - to celebrate Thanksgiving with many members of our school family. This was possible, because of the contribution of one of the community members who planned the whole trip, full of perks and fun moments.

EABH also took the opportunity to launch its new website. The institution has already been investing in social media, by posting news, photos and videos. But the new digital platform offers a more dynamic interface, with modern and easy to use features. It allows visitors to get comprehensive information about the school and to check the latest news related to EABH. But this is not all! To honor its history, the school is working with historians to investigate the past so that the community can learn about how the school started. Thanks to Lei Rouanet (a Brazilian law that encourages cultural investments and helps finance cultural projects by allowing a certain percentage of the investment to be tax deductible) the school’s ambition to publish a book about the history of Buritis, featuring EABH as a key player in the story, was successfully approved by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. The publication will have photos that are part of the precious collection of the school and is planned to be launched in June 2017.

May 2017 Edition Page 18 Back to TOC Back to TOC

Overall, this has been a great year for the school. All the efforts brought media attention: newspapers, magazines, and blogs published highlights of the events and contributed to increase school awareness and augment the school’s reputation.

May 2017 Edition Page 19 Back to TOC Commission on International Education Supporting transformative approaches to teaching and learning worldwide

LEARNING

“...education is not about teaching or knowledge transmission. Rather it is about supporting learning. ACE provides an excellent framework and process that can help schools start the shift.”

Yong Zhao, Ph.D.

Visit our website to learn about ACE, our groundbreaking accreditation framework. cie.neasc.org/ACE

May 2017 Edition Page 20 Back to TOC Back to TOC Attending the NSTA Conference:

Calling All Science Educators… Author: Jennifer Heisler Asociacion Escuelas Lincoln, Argentina [email protected] Twitter: @JenHeisler1 I recently attended the 2017 National Science Teacher’s Conference (NSTA) in Los Angeles, California. Without a doubt, it was one of the best professional development learning opportunities that I have ever experienced. Partially, this was because it was a huge conference that was totally focused on my subject area: science education. However, it was also because the people presenting at this conference were passionate about science in general as well as their specific fields. Their passion and enthusiasm were contagious! I returned to Buenos Aires with a renewed energy and focus on being a science educator.

One of the most motivating moments for me was hearing Bill Nye speak. He was like a rock star at this conference. Before his speech, I happen to run into him while he was being interviewed by a local TV station; the buzz from the teachers around was palpable. I would not have been surprised if people had started screaming or chanting his name like he was Elvis or the Beatles. Truthfully, I had to hold back my own squeal of delight at seeing him and refrained from singing the opening song to his videos (“Bill Nye the Science guy, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill…”). Even though his science videos were produced in the 1990’s they are still quite relevant and useful today.

Before his speech we were lined up and camped out like we were all waiting for a concert. Bill did not disappoint. His speech pulled no punches on the current political state in the U.S. and was almost a call to arms for all science teachers as he instructed teachers to be proactive and stand up for science as it is currently under attack. He advised us that, at every opportunity through teaching science, we have the chance to “Change the world!” Bill Nye’s enthusiasm, gallantry, and spirit were incredible!

While Mr. Nye’s speech was motivating, it was also highly informative and solution based. He pointed out that clean energy could be profitable and produce job opportunities for many workers. As a representative of science, Bill Nye is all over the media stage these days. He has a new series coming out on Netflix called Bill Nye Saves the World which is targeted at adults. And so as not to forget his student base, he has written the first book in a series specifically for middle school students called Jack and the Geniuses: At the Bottom of the World. Bill explained that he wrote for this age group because most engineers and scientist will decide their career path at around this time.

Some of the amazing lectures I attended at the NSTA Conference in Los Angeles were centered on navigating the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). I readily admit that since their publication, I have done my best with the NGSS but have floundered at times; unsure how to tackle and translate these standards into the classroom. After hearing from some of the leading experts in the field, I am now much better equipped. For example, I am implementing a 3-Dimensional learning model to address NGSS which consist of disciplinary core ideas, scientific practices, and crosscutting concepts.

May 2017 Edition Page 21 Back to TOC In addition to looking at curriculum standards, I also added some other skills to my teaching toolkit such as utilizing phenomena based learning, giving a strong foundation of claim-evidence- reasoning, and using argument-driven inquiry. I also acquired a number of outstanding ideas and activities from the science educators that presented at the conference. For example, I will be using activities like modeling disease spreading in a population through a zombie apocalypse event and utilizing the science of Harry Potter to engage and excite students. The workshop that I attended on sustainability could not only benefit my students but hopefully the community at large. Additionally, there were a number of workshops that addressed using citizen science in your classroom.

There were science educators at this conference but there were also a number of leading expert scientists in their fields of study. For instance, I attended a lecture from Dr. Veerabhadran Reamanathan (Dr. Ram for short!) about why K-12 education is an integral part of the climate change solution. Dr. Ram has been conducting research since the 1970’s and making accurate climate change predictions. In addition to his climate research, he has also been published on the topic of why children are an integral part of the solution on effecting change in the arena of climate change and other ecological development.

Even if you can’t attend an NSTA conference, I would highly encourage you to visit the website and become a member of the NSTA (https://www.nsta.org) . The resources for science educators are abundant and it is where many science organizations distribute information and resources. Whether you teach first grade or high school biology, teachers can benefit from the outstanding work of this organization. My biggest take-away from this conference was how absolutely necessary great science teaching & learning is at this time in human history. As professionals we have to stay on the cusp of science discoveries and keep up to date on what is happening with science education. We must prepare our students with the skill set to survive and thrive in the future and there is no better place for that to happen then in science class. Now, please forgive me for signing off as I must prepare for my classes and in the words of Bill Nye...“Change the World!”

Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools Accreditation Your Way

Experience the Middle States Diﬀerence Because There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Accreditation! Protocols That: Best Meet Your School’s Needs 267.284.5000 Lead to Outcomes You Want 610.617.1106 Oﬀer Quality and Value [email protected] www.msa-cess.org

May 2017 Edition Page 22 Back to TOC Back to TOC 2X 3X 2.5X

1.5X

Grades PreK-12 in English and 2-12 in Spanish

Want to dramatically increase your students’ Lexile® reading gains?

We’ve got your number. Only one online learning tool meets all students precisely where they are and accelerates them to where they need to be. Only one provides 100% nonfiction content. Only one has been dramatically increasing student reading gains for more than 14 years. Only Achieve3000®.

To learn more, please contact:

Central America, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru Eduardo Remis [email protected] Tel: +52 1 442 237 9703 Other Locations Elva Smith [email protected] Tel: +1 321-558-4093

May 2017 Edition Page 23 Back to TOC Creativity, Collaboration and Kindness Marie-France Perron International School of Havana Cuba [email protected] Twitter: @mariefp1

For years, I’ve wanted to make a quilt with my students during our unit on patterns. We teach our students the importance of caring for our environment, being kind to others and respecting diversity. I thought, what a better way to put all these values into practice than to create a quilt! The thing is: my students are four years old. I’ve always been worried about their little fingers and the makers of these little fingers and whether they would like the idea of their children using little, shiny, pointy needles. Still, this year, we did it! My very bright, curious and excited young students created a quilt which will be donated to the elderly. The project all started with a brainstorming session about what a quilt might be, what it can be used for and how we might make one. Students based their responses on previous knowledge and experience; they problem-solved and used knowledge of mathematics and arts to come up with relevant ideas. We then proceeded to ask parents for donation of old clothing (preferably with patterns on them) which helped students put into practice what they had learned about reusing materials to reduce waste and care for our planet. Each student chose a piece of clothing – most chose their own as they felt a personal connection to it and started to trace and cut squares of fabric. I was pleasantly surprised to find that although students were basically “destroying” their shirts and skirts, they did not feel upset about it, stating they were happy to make a quilt for the elderly so they could keep warm. These young children were showing compassion and kindness for the community as well as an understanding of the needs of others. One crafty mother offered to create squares with each of the students’ handprints on them to include in our quilt. We all enjoyed this and the quilt is even more special because of it. Once we had about 80 squares of fabric made – which took quite a long time if you can imagine little hands using child-proof scissors to cut in somewhat straight lines – we started sewing, putting two squares together at a time. All along our students developed their fine-motor skills and showed lots of perseverance. Several mums and grand-parents took part in this part of the project. Community involvement is very important to our family school and, in our class, we love to have parents in as much as possible. Mums coordinated to come in for three mornings to help students sew one-on-one. No one was hurt and students worked relatively independently! At this point, students were using lots of mathematics vocabulary such as up, down, beside, patterns, long, short, square, rectangle, straight and much more! We made sure to have a variety of different patterns and to scatter the handprints. Students were very creative and worked collaboratively to put the quilt together.

May 2017 Edition Page 24 Back to TOC Back to TOC

For a final touch, we asked one of our cleaning ladies at school, who is also a professional seamstress to sew our quilted fabric onto a blanket. Once we saw the finished product, we were in awe of our work. I think I was the most surprised by my students’ accomplishment! The next step now is to deliver our special gift. Students and their teachers will visit an elderly home in the community to donate the quilt. We will spend some time with them and sing some songs. We are all very excited to see our quilt being used! Overall, this project provided my students with the opportunities to collaborate not only with their peers, but with members of the community as well. They expressed themselves through creative art, used a variety of motor, cognitive and problem-solving skills, persevered when faced with a challenge and showed compassion and kindness toward others.

Proven solutions for student success.

Blended by design using rich diagnostic data to connect the student experience across digital and classroom learning environments.

CurriculumAssociates.com/Research

iready-international-ad-2017.indd 1 2/9/17 1:16 PM May 2017 Edition Page 25 Back to TOC Teach the Change You Want to See

Mónica Ruth Tortolini Oliver Email: [email protected] First Grade Teacher, Asociación Escuelas Lincoln Buenos Aires, Argentina

Looking at my two daughters’ correct 2nd and 3rd grade papers and seeing how passionate they are for what they do, made me go back in time 35 years when I also felt just like them: I had the world in my hands. Believe it or not, I still do believe it. Every year I have a little piece of the future. The world will be different by the time my students have grown. Will they remember what they learned in First Grade? I’m sure they will. Don’t we all remember each school year? Good or bad, we do. We sometimes do or say things we do not know where they come from…be sure it comes from a learning experience. A time in life that stayed hidden in our heart that comes out just when needed. In my 35 years of experience I have gone through so many workshops! They all remind me of strategies I had forgotten, they all have different names, the all have “similar colors.” We are always thinking about children’s writing skills and if their math is accurate. Do we think about our children as beings surrounded by different energies, environments, cultures, religions, families and friends? Is life only answers and rules? Are we giving our children the right tools to be happy, peaceful people? Are we making the difference? I have seen so many children walk into my class full of energy. Energy they could not deal with, they didn’t know what to do with it, so they just let it out the wrong way. Screams, tantrums, fights, you name it. We label them in so many different ways because they do not know how to follow the class. I’m sure you know what I am talking about. During my last 15 years I have implemented meditation and yoga in my then third grade and now first grade class. Teaching them how to relax their mind and teaching them how to breathe is giving them tools on how to deal in a stressful world full of noises and due dates. How to focus on a task while riding life’s rollercoaster. Sitting in a test and being able to concentrate while the person behind them is coughing or reading the questions, or while hearing the cars go by. The world doesn’t stop for us. We have to learn and teach how to move the world away from our mind. We can all focus and think while being in a quiet environment but that is not reality. Our world is noisy. If we look for a silent place where to be and meditate we will not find it. We will not find peace. Teaching children to meditate in a normal voice level place--or high noise--is teaching them how to stick to their goal without outside influence. It is showing them that peace is within us.

May 2017 Edition Page 26 Back to TOC Back to TOC Yoga and meditation are not magical. You won’t have children sitting down the very first time you show them. It takes at least a semester. Yes, the whole first half of the year and a lot of patience. Most important, you need to believe in it. During the first stages of meditation, you will be hearing giggles, hands moving, whispers – “Look at her, she is asleep.” You will feel like opening your eyes and telling them not to do so, but that will discourage them from trying, “If you can’t do it, neither can I”. They need to see you modeling it, noises do not disrupt you. You are in peace (though you know what is going around you. You are not really meditating now; you are modeling). Suddenly, one day the moment has arrived…silence. There is no way back. Your group has learned to enjoy the sound of silence. The silence that tells them everything is okay.

You must think that my group is calm and quiet. Never so far. Especially this year. They were bouncy and big chatterboxes. I didn’t start with meditation. I had to be flexible. No meditation because it would cause frustration. I started with yoga. Fun yoga. They thought they were playing…they were learning how to calm their body; we go from crazy to calm. It took time to add one minute of meditating relaxation but I have to say we have accomplished it. My class now walks into the room, puts their homework in the basket and sits getting ready for our morning meditation. While they wait for me (attendance has to be done) they have learned to use their spy voice. I sometimes hear a giggle, but what is life without a giggle? I love what I do. I do what I love. I am blessed. I teach the change I want to see.

May 2017 Edition Page 27 Back to TOC WITH

Experience the TieCare Dierence! Specialized in the unique insurance needs of international educators for more than 35 years. Health, life, disability and travel insurance solutions for any school, any country, any nationality. Premiums based on an international pool approach, allowing for predictable budgeting. Direct-bill medical networks in the U.S. and around the world, avoiding the need to “pay and claim” in most cases. Ability to customize coverage to meet any budget or benefit requirements. Knowledgeable service representatives and independent brokers who make visits to your school. 24/7 multi-language customer service and emergency evacuation through GBG Assist. File and track your claims on our member-friendly website (www.gbg.com).

Let’s talk. Visit TieCare.com to learn more, or contact us at [email protected].

May 2017 Edition Page 28 Back to TOC Back to TOC Deeper LearningDeeper Learning in in Our our Project Project Based World Based World Cayman International School By: Ben Calsbeek [email protected]

On February 27 and 28, Cayman International School welcomed author, journalist, and Buck Institute contributor Suzie Boss to share her expertise on Project Based Learning (PBL) at the AASSA Institute: “Deeper Learning in our Project Based World.” Cayman International School was interested in hosting this event to support and move forward its own work in PBL, as well as share and learn from other AASSA members. For the past two years, CIS has trained its teachers on the basic tenets of PBL. The elementary school has committed to two grade-level projects per year and was particularly interested in focusing on how to assess the at-times, messy process of students exploring an original and authentic question. The secondary school staff’s focus has been on refining the process of deeper student learning while engaged in projects: what does the learning actually look like and how do we facilitate this? Workshops focusing on transforming Essential Questions into Driving Questions, Student Voice and Choice, and Increasing Community Participation were offered. The largest portion of time was dedicated to teams of teachers actually planning units using the lessons and insights shared by Suzie.

May 2017 Edition Page 29 Back to TOC May 2017 Edition Page 30 Back to TOC Back to TOC Improve School-to-Home Communications and Promote Student Learning Improve School to Home Communications and Promote Student Learning Rediker Software

A web portal is the perfect platform to build real and meaningful relationships with teachers, parents, students, and staff. It can provide users with access to many resources and services, such as instructional materials, lesson plans, student data, news about current events, instant messaging and email, and more.

Today’s Student Information Systems (SIS) should be equipped with the resources the school community needs to get the most out of their solutions. The web portal should offer an intuitive, easy-to-use platform that can smartly manage student data and allow access to the information you need anytime, from any device.

Does your school’s SIS allow for your parents, teachers, students and staff to communicate easily? As the head of technology or head of school, when choosing an SIS system, you want to be sure it has the communication channels community stakeholders need. When researching your next SIS solution, be sure it can do the following:

 Instantly share information online. Integration with all products (gradebook, billing, admissions, mobile aps, etc.) allows parents, teachers and staff to view important data in real-time, including grades, attendance, schedules, assignments, and more.  Provide a single point of access for information. Interactive web portals enable school administrators and teachers to instantly share data and engage with parents and students in a secure environment.  Email and message. Integrated capability for parents, students, teachers, and staff to easily communicate with one another. Provide alerts and announcements via voicemail, text and email so the school community stays informed about upcoming events and happenings.  Provide security. Visitors can log in to their accounts from any device securely. An encrypted connection ensures your student and family information stays secure.  Technical assistance. Technical assistance is provided to users through various options, including email, telephone and online “chats”.

Including a portal system that will be used by students, teachers and parents requires careful planning based on the needs of the entire school. Your current student information system should allow you to reach all of the important members of your school community quickly and easily. If your SIS is lacking this technology it may be time to step into the future and invest in a system that is mobile ready and will keep families engaged and informed.

www.rediker.com – [email protected]

May 2017 Edition Page 31 Back to TOC Student Management Solutions for International Schools Manage student and staff data, streamline administrative tasks and maximize school-to-home communication

Administrator’s Plus SIS A Cloud-based Student Management System “ Administrator’s Plus saves us a lot of time and it really meets all our school’s needs!” TeacherPlus Web Gradebook A Responsive HTML5 Gradebook for Teachers - Leandro Segura Technology Supervisor Lincoln American Schools, Argentina Family Web Portals Secure Online Access for Parents and Students

Free Software Demos at: www.rediker.com Admissions Plus Pro With Online Applications and Online Payments Contact us for more information: Phone: 413-566-3463 Email: [email protected] Responsive School Websites Websites That are Affordable and Easy to Edit

Let’s meet in person! See us at the 2017 AASSA Governance Conference

May 2017 Edition Page 32 Back to TOC Back to TOC Students and Teachers Making the Difference in a Students and TeachersLearning Making the Environment Difference in a Learning Environment Yordanka Brunet Valle International School of Havana, Cuba [email protected] / [email protected]

In a teaching and learning environment, it is often clear what the content of the lesson is and its goal; however, generally it is less clear how to motivate students to succeed during the lesson. Some people may believe it is a matter of only using a variety of great resources available to assist the teachers or the fact of choosing the best teaching approach. My experience as a teacher shows that when the students feel that they are having success during the lesson, they could actually make the difference in their learning, and this crucial element can be effectively used to enhance life-long learning. Teachers have many roles within the classroom. We facilitate learning allowing our students to construct their own knowledge; we develop our students’ creativity; stimulate their curiosity; celebrate their individualities and achievements--but at the same time it is important to inspire them in order to learn and be successful.

The International School of Havana is a great example of a school where students and teachers learn from each other and support each other in order to become successful learners. Through a variety of workshops, session meetings and courses, teachers think and reflect on the teaching- learning process and how we could motivate our students more to actively participate and learn. The school provides excellent professional opportunities for teachers to improve and maximize the skills of learning in all the students. Looking for Learning, for example, is a wonderful experience that favours the acquisition of knowledge and enriches teaching experience through discussions based on the feedback provided from the observer teacher.

In our school, we start by assuming that each child is different and everyone can learn. By observing our students in the classroom, teachers are more aware of their individual learning styles, needs and the way they could successfully acquire the knowledge. From my experience, I have identified some steps that can help teachers to motivate students to succeed during the lesson:

1. Developing a variety of activities that stimulate all learners to actively participate 2. Constantly checking for student understanding 3. Listening to the students ideas and feedback 4. Taking into consideration students’ feedback about their own learning 5. Planning a group of tasks that can address everyone’s needs and styles. 6. Looking at the students’ faces in order to gauge their emotions. One of the most powerful emotions influencing learning is fear, specifically the fear of failure. 7. Giving plenty of opportunities within the lesson, where the students can interact with the teachers and each other. 8. When designing a Unit plan, providing a balance among the tasks, so the students can learn by making experiments, solving problems, reading, writing stories, making role plays, and building things, among other tasks. 9. Providing an enjoyable and safe atmosphere in the classroom.

May 2017 Edition Page 33 Back to TOC In our Kindergarten classroom for example, we are designing activities that can improve learning behaviors in the students like respect or organization. Generally, we have noticed that it is difficult for the students to communicate any problem and solve it by themselves. Therefore, we decided to include some Role Plays during Language Arts periods to allow the students to improve their communication skills and to enhance their confidence and respect, not only for themselves but also for everyone. It has been rewarding listening to our young learners inside and outside the classroom using phrases like “Excuse me,” “Sorry,” “Can we play together?” or “Can we share this book?”

The ISH community is continually working to make a difference in the lives of our students and to help them acquire the knowledge and skills to succeed.

May 2017 Edition Page 34 Back to TOC Back to TOC A Letter from Abby Majendie A Letter from Abby Majendie [email protected]

Dear Friends,

As international educators and ex-pats who have lived and worked around the world, many of us have more in common with one another than we do with our neighbours in our respective hometowns. We relate to each other in ways we simply can’t with others. We are united by our common purpose and our shared experiences.

Like many of you, I have been dismayed by the events of 2016. I watched Brexit and the US election unfold with silent shock; then voiced disbelief; then, I have to admit, with some despondency.

I have listened to the news, tuned into political commentators on the radio, read blogs, viewed postings on social media, had conversations with friends and colleagues, and tried to make sense of the events as they unfolded.

Just as I have had trouble opening a growing number of boxes with each subsequent move, I have had trouble unpacking what has disheartened me most about these times. I have come to realize that what I find most troubling is how we are treating one another.

When I was a teenager who knew everything and fought for every cause to fix our broken world, my aunt showed me by example that we have the opportunity to make the world a better place by our daily interactions with the people right in front of us. As an adult, I have tried to put this simple belief into practice.

As a community of international educators, we are well positioned to lead in positive ways to create a better world – one student, one moment, one school at a time. If we interact respectfully with the aim of spreading hope, building understanding and promoting unity; we will have had a positive effect on our school communities. And if we all do this together, we can create a more peaceful and promising future for all. Isn’t that why we became educators in the first place? For many of us, I think it is.

I recall in 2012 receiving a shocking call from the hospital that one of our teachers had died. She was 26. I rushed to the hospital with our high school principal. The elevator opened and I faced her parents who had flown in too late from the U.S. to see their daughter one last time before she died. I recall robotically saying to her parents, “I am so sorry.” I remember Kate’s mother responding in a trance, “So are we.”

As the principal and I drove back to the school, I remember thinking: This is so hard. How are they going to handle this? What are they going to do to heal this community? I also then realized with slight horror that I was actually in charge, that there wasn’t any “they”; it was “us” and I needed to lead us. I don’t remember what I said to the students, the teachers, the PTA upon return from the hospital. I do remember that it was the first time I ever cried at work without trying to hide it.

May 2017 Edition Page 35 Back to TOC

The memorial service I promised Kate’s parents for the next day happened. The whole school- community came together to make a beautiful service. I was so grateful for, and proud of, our school community for coming together to create something meaningful in that challenging time.

We are facing challenging times now. As educational leaders, we can all do our part to promote compassion, respect and understanding; to create meaning; and to build community.

One of the Facebook postings that had the greatest impact on me after the results of the U.S. Election were announced was a quote falsely attributed to C.S. Lewis from The Screwtape Letters. The fabricated quote was circulated to denigrate the then President Elect, but it prompted me to look inward and ask myself what I was actually doing to respond to the current state of affairs. Like the moment in the car ride back from the hospital, I recognized that I was actually in charge – not of Brexit and the U.S. election results, obviously – but I was in charge of my response to global politics and the divisiveness of these times.

My response is to ensure that my daily interactions help to create a better world. I also reach out to our community of international educators in the hopes that you will to do the same. If we come together as an international community, we can surely be difference makers and positive future shapers.

Thanks in advance for helping to create a more promising and positive future for all.

Best regards, Abby.

May 2017 Edition Page 36 Back to TOC Back to TOC Contributing to Space Exploration with Cubes in Space: Contributing to Space Exploration with Cubes in Space: Students Studentsat Academia at Academia Cotopaxi Cotopaxi Reach Reach for the forStars! the Stars!

By Margot Solberg (grade 4 teacher) Academia Cotopaxi, Ecuador [email protected] Twitter: @msolberg12

At Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador, seventeen students in the after school “Cubes in Space/NASA Club”, for grades five to eight, were recently approved to fly five science experiments into space! The following highlights the main points of this unique STEAM opportunity, as described by Cubes in Space directly:

Cubes in Space™ is a program by idoodledu inc., in collaboration with NASA’s Langley Research Center, NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Colorado Space Grant Consortium, offers global design competitions for students 11-18 years of age to develop STEAM-based experiments for launch into space.

Used in formal or informal learning environments, students and educators are exposed to engaging online content and activities in preparation for the design and development of an experiment to be integrated into a small cube. Throughout the experience, students develop key 21st century skills; communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.

Since 2014, Cubes in Space has flown nearly 400 experiments representing 1500 educators and over 20,000 students from 57 different countries. This year nearly 600 educators and thousands of students from 39 countries participated and proposed experiments for a space on a NASA sounding rocket or high-altitude scientific balloon mission. A total of 160 experiments were selected and were designed by students from Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, the and the United States of America.

The experiments will be launched via sounding rocket in late June 2017 from NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia or by high- altitude scientific balloon in late summer 2017 from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico.

May 2017 Edition Page 37 Back to TOC Contributing to Space Exploration with Cubes in Space: Students at Academia Cotopaxi Reach for the Stars!

Phase I of this process involved proposal writing which, in essence, involved all phases of the Design Process: driving questions (what do you want to know about how things work in space?), and then proceeding to question the “why’s” (why will the concept be useful for mankind, in space or on Earth?) and “how’s” of the process. Due to registering late and encountering a short time frame to work with, the club members had to dig their heels in hard and get to work fast; meeting twice a week and on occasional lunch breaks. Parents also pitched in with providing transportation as needed, as well as cheering on these inquirers from the sidelines. Students too young to participate, yet eager to be involved, were also able to follow the process, contribute their ideas, conduct their own experiments, and participate in the Patch Contest. However, club members quickly discovered that many initial ideas needed to be dropped upon further investigation, as ongoing research revealed incompatibility issues; for example, the complexities of finding out how cancer cells or nematodes would react in a space environment. Additionally, expertise help was called upon in order to surmount hurdles and, thanks to the generosity of other science teachers and students, as well as a Skype call with the president of CIS (!), club members were able to tackle ongoing challenges...authentic learning in action! Ultimately, five meaningful proposals (two for the rocket and three for the balloon) were conceived and submitted for an initial review.

Phase II involved receiving feedback from CIS’s Preliminary Review Committee regarding three of the five proposals submitted, and this was where students really needed to dig deeper into their learning! The committee asked the students to learn about new concepts, such as “viscosity”, and figure out a way to quantify some types of qualitative data (a rubric!). Club members thought of a myriad of solutions based on the feedback they’d received - based on research, peer brainstorming, simple experiments, and consulting one another - and, ultimately, constructed new understandings by building upon their prior knowledge base. These three proposals were re-submitted and - after blood, sweat and tears (ok, maybe no blood or tears) - all five concepts were approved for flight!

May 2017 Edition Page 38 Back to TOC Back to TOC

Now we are set for Phase III! Soon our micro-cubes and kits will arrive in order for more experimentation to take place. It is one thing to conceive of a concept, but quite another to carry it out successfully. Once again, with the help of experts (like our maintenance staff to show us how to mix concrete samples with specific weights!), the students will likely “fail”...learn...and retry their concepts, all within a (real life) looming deadline and in an attempt to see their ideas come to fruition. Experiencing grit and resilience are all part of the learning process...all a part of authentic learning.

Phase IV will entail launches at two NASA facilities this summer, along with invitations to attend, for those club members who choose to participate independently and take advantage of the unique STEAM opportunities which CIS has programmed. Lastly, Phase V will involve a return of the cubes to the school in the fall, analyzing the data, and sharing the results both within and outside of the school community.

Cubes in Space is project-based learning at its best and, while it does take a solid investment of time and energy to implement, has the potential to impact STEAM learning for generations to come. I, for one, know that these students will never forget how their hard work paid off, AND helped contribute to space exploration. How exciting is that?! Stay tuned for results in fall 2017 and, meanwhile, check out the CIS website at http://www.cubesinspace.com

May 2017 Edition Page 39 Back to TOC Are you a teacher or administrator looking for a job in Latin America or the Caribbean?

The AASSA Recruiting Service The AASSA Recruiting Service is specific to Latin American and Caribbean International Schools.

• Typically, there are over 350 positions available annually • Our schools vary in mission and size and offer a range of curriculum including “American international,” Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, as well as country-specific programs. • Contracts may include housing, medical benefits, shipping allowance, transportation, home leave and competitive salaries. • Annual recruiting fair in Atlanta, Georgia (First week of December) TO REGISTER AS A CANDIDATE AND FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE Please contact us if you have any questions: Esther Nicolau, Paul Sicard or Paul Poore Phone: 954-436-4034 Email: [email protected]

May 2017 Edition Page 40 Back to TOC Back to TOC Literacy Specialist Assistants: A New Experience Literacy Specialistat Assistants: Lincoln A New High Experience School at Lincoln High School Maria Jose Correa & Florencia Parma Asociación Escuelas Lincoln La Lucila, Buenos Aires, Argentina [email protected] @MajoCorreaArg [email protected] @fparma

Many colleagues or students are wondering who the people sitting at the back of the classroom during Biology or Spanish are. They enter the room without asking, sit comfortably, take notes, and leave without being noticed. They rarely talk, but sometimes ask a question as if they were another student. Teachers don’t seem to be bothered; instead, they greet them with a smile.

Well, we want to tell you that we are these people. We are not teachers, we don’t specialize in any subject, we don’t have planning time or an advisory group, and we don’t have an office of our own. However, we do know about the students who attend those classes. We know about their strengths and challenges. We know how it feels to have to learn about DNA or cellular reproduction, when we really love Social Studies. We do not know everything, but we do whatever it takes to learn and become experts in the subject. We are LITERACY SPECIALIST ASSISTANTS!

This is a new role in the school, so we face the challenge of letting the rest of the Lincoln community know how important our job is. So here are some things everybody should know about us:

❖ As we mentioned before, we attend classes in order to learn new content, as most of the material does not have a connection with the subject we studied or have taught previously. By going through the struggles of learning that new content, we can now understand what a student that is not particularly attracted to that subject feels, by having to learn it anyway. So we try to find ways and strategies for students to reach the content in a more enjoyable way.

❖ We are Native Spanish Speakers and English Learners, but we speak both languages and sometimes a third one. By being bilingual, we can provide students with reassuring concepts in their L1 and L2 and we can learn with and through them, not only new vocabulary, but meaningful ways of using it. We can share not only words, but experiences.

May 2017 Edition Page 41 Back to TOC

❖ But our role not only involves students. We share a lot of time with subject teachers, as we need to adapt to the almost 96 classes taught in high school and to the different pedagogies used by every teacher. All in all, we collaborate on a daily basis by co- planning, co-teaching, co-assessing, and co-reflecting with more than 30 teachers.

❖ What do we do with all the information we collect? Well, we provide ideas or recommendations as well as listening to ideas or recommendations from teachers that need to differentiate, so every student is capable of reaching and understanding the lesson. We put all our thoughts together in order to come up with a better idea, resulting in students achieving the learning objectives.

❖ We do not hesitate to say, “We don’t know, let’s look it up.” Showing doubt is also necessary so students can see that even teachers can sometimes feel uncertain about some things. Looking for clarification together can help them learn how to do it next time and to not feel bad about it.

As you can see, there are many things we have to be aware of, but we feel the most important part of our job as literacy specialist assistants is to empathize with students when they approach us with feedback about classes, teachers, and personal struggles. We get to know students as complete people siblings, friends, peers, club leaders, musicians, athletes, and teenagers. By knowing their passions, we can help them with their struggles, because when we make connections with their personal interests, we are more able to engage them.

We are very fortunate to have this job, as we get to know a lot of different subjects and a lot of our students! This is PD itself!

May 2017 Edition Page 42 Back to TOC Back to TOC Bring the world into your language classroom.

vistahigherlearning.com VISTA HIGHER LEARNING SENDEROS 1 VISTA HIGHER LEARNING 1 Spanish for a Connected World SENDEROS VISTA HIGHER LEARNING temas

temas® AP Spanish Language and Culture DESCUBRE

AP Lengua y cultura del mundo hispánico Integrated content means a better student experience.

® Get course tools and resources any time you need SENDEROS ®  All textbook activities with mouse icons available online Spanish Language and Culture AP Spanish Language and Culture with the Aventuras Supersite.  Auto-grading and instant feedback temas Parthena Draggett | Cole Conlin | Max Ehrsam | Elizabeth Millán  Vocabulary tool for compiling, saving, and organizing words  Video Partner Chat for recording live student conversations Why Supersite means better learning  Virtual Chat activities for simulating conversations  Authentic short films with teacher-controlled subtitles and translations • Engages and focuses students  Downloadable MP3 audio program • Improves student performance  Practice and assessment of oral and written presentations • Saves you time with auto-grading, quick setup, and reporting tools  Reference resources: grammar appendix, online dictionary, and more  —online, interactive student edition • Provides flexibility to personalize your course 1

Online tools facilitate effective instruction. • Offers cost-saving digital options Also available  All-in-one gradebook to manage classes, assignments, and grades AP® Spanish Language and  In-line voice commenting and editing Culture Exam Preparation Visit vistahigherlearning.com/new-supersite to learn more about  Reporting tools for summarizing student data Your definitive test prep solution, Supersite content, tools, and resources.  Load, share, and assign teacher-graded documents available in print and online.  Teaching resources: online assessment, textbook audio MP3s, answer keys, audio and video scripts, scoring guidelines, pacing guide, correlations, and more  Online tools to support real-time communication and collaboration Also available  Complete access to the student Supersite vText—online, interactive Student Edition  —online, interactive student edition Student Activities Manual (print or online WebSAM) Lighten backpacks! The Temas Supersite and vText are iPad®-friendly for on-the-go access. Practice Partner App

AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, these products. vhlcentral.com

Shop online! Shop online. Students save money Buy from our store and save. when they shop directly: Spanish for a Connected World www.vistahigherlearning.com vistahigherlearning.com/store vistahigherlearning.com/store AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

TEM1e_SE_CaseSide_Cover.indd 1 5/10/2013 11:18:37 AM

Groundbreaking content and technology exclusively for language learning. vistahigherlearning.com/secondary

May 2017 Edition Page 43 Back to TOC The Language of Inclusion The Language of Inclusion Laura Schlesinger and Shauna Hobbs Graded, The American School of São Paulo [email protected]

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the Next Frontier Inclusion Conference held at Graded. The conference was attended by teachers and administrators from international schools across South America. Graded attendees included Learning Specialists, EAL teachers, and administrators.

When we talk about “inclusion”, what do we mean? Well, at Graded, we can refer back to our new Mission statement: inspire, challenge, succeed - every child, every heart, every mind. We mean that we will meet every child who enters our campus where they are, and do our best to help them move a step forward. NFI believes that the high-quality education available at international schools should include children who learn differently or at different rates. Inclusion benefits all students, because it adds diversity and promotes social-emotional learning.

Rather than thinking of children in categories (ADHD, gifted, autistic, EAL…) who do not fit into the typical classroom mold, NFI encourages teachers to start from the perspective that every child learns differently. Every single child is unique, and if we start there, we are able to celebrate their strengths and appreciate their differences.

Another key point that came from the conference was that inclusion is not enough. We can’t simply accept students with special needs to our school and pretend everything will be okay. A truly inclusive demands well-trained teachers and administrators, sufficient resources, and excellent systems for providing extra services. It means all stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, admin, board members) are working together and committed to doing whatever it takes to meet the needs of all students. The NFI team asked us to self-assess our school to identify areas of strength and areas to work on...it is a process, a journey...but it is one that makes us all stronger, smarter, and kinder as we work together!

May 2017 Edition Page 44 Back to TOC Back to TOC Increase Website Traffic, Inquiries and Enrollment With a New Website.

cag.edu.gt

Finalsite is the preferred web marketing and communications platform for schools around the world.

DESIGN & CONSULTING SOFTWARE PLATFORM INTEGRATION 70+ Design Awards, Digital Marketing Website Management, Enrollment Solutions, 60+ Student Information System, Single & SEO/PPC Services Learning Management & Much More Sign-On & Payment Gateway Partners

Achieve your school’s marketing and admission goals with a custom web Finalsite has always delivered solution from Finalsite. on their promise to present our brand in the best possible Regardless of your school’s budget, size, or light with beautiful design and timeline, you’ll find that our award-winning web extensive functionality. We design, cutting-edge CMS, and SEO and social have seen a huge increase media consulting make us the perfect digital in inquiries since the site marketing fit for your school. launched.

STEPHEN REIACH Learn why more than 2,000 schools around the American School in Milan world choose Finalsite at www.finalsite.com

www.finalsite.com 1.800.592.2469

May 2017 Edition Page 45 Back to TOC WirelessWireless Classroom Classroom Tomas Krajcovic Network Systems Coordinator at International School in Curitiba [email protected]

Wires, wires, and yet more wires. We all know the struggle of having too many wires and cables on our desks, underneath our desks, behind our desks. The only ones appreciating this kind of environment are spiders and dust bunnies. We have since moved to more wire-free offices, and classrooms, but for the most part, it's still pretty much a copper jungle down there. Somehow, most of us got used to it. As long as we remember there was a computer, keyboard, mouse, printer, USB hub, webcam, phone, you name it, it all had a cable to it.

Then came the wireless. Remember? Your first laptop with wireless capabilities, sometime around year 2005? Remember that little box called wireless router with flickering LED lights and couple of antennas that is a part of almost every household today? Remember how insecure they were, and how you could “steal” your neighbor's Wi-Fi? Those were the days. And there were no smartphones or tablets available yet. Only quite slow, clunky, and still heavy laptops that could be sometimes used as space heaters.

On June 29, 2007 Apple released their first iPhone, and this started the smartphone revolution which continues today with fierce battle over the market shares. The two largest manufacturers are the original smartphone creator Apple, and their biggest rival from South Korea, Samsung, running Android OS developed by Google. By the way, did you know that first two iPhone models were running on Samsung CPUs?

On April 3, 2010, Apple did it again, and released their first iPad, which quickly gained worldwide popularity. And just like with their smartphones, other companies quickly recognized the potential of these new touch screen devices, and developed their own iPads (sorry, tablets).

Why am I writing about things you probably already know and experienced yourself? Because wireless technology, besides being a great way to connect with your friends and family, check your emails, and read about important things like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's divorce, has impacted the way we interact and educate our students more than anything else. From Millennials, all the way down to toddlers, students are growing up with wireless technologies, which for them, is just as “normal” as are the TV's for us in our living rooms. This trend is transforming our classrooms into more open and interactive environments, where each teacher and student owns at least one mobile device. Programs like BYOD and 1:1 are being implemented all around the world and are becoming the standard.

May 2017 Edition Page 46 Back to TOC Back to TOC So what do you need to successfully implement and run wireless classroom? The most important thing is a robust and reliable high speed Wi-Fi that can handle hundreds of users at the same time. For visualization, a projector or a larger flat screen TV is a must. Depending on your environment, you could use Google Chromecast to mirror your Android based devices, most likely Chromebook Laptop, to any HDMI capable TV or projector. If you use Apple products like MacBooks or iPads, you will need an Apple TV to use their AirPlay functionality. There are solutions that enable you to connect directly without any additional network infrastructure, or cross-platform solutions supporting pretty much any wireless device out there. All these technologies are still quite new, and the number of available choices is rapidly growing. Another thing you will definately need is some sort of cloud-based platform for seamless file sharing and collaborative work. We are using G Suite for Education, and I don't think there is anything better out there. It`s easy and fun to use, and our students and teachers are loving it.

Now I would like to share our wireless classroom solution we use here at International School of Curitiba. We have already removed desktop computers and tabletop speakers from many classrooms. Teachers in these classrooms are using MacBook Airs as their primary work device. Each classroom is equipped with one ceiling Photo by author projector, Apple TV, and for high quality sound, in this case, a Samsung soundbar (model HW-J250). The soundbar is connected directly into the Apple TV via an optical audio cable. Unfortunately, the new 4h generation of Apple TVs don't have the optical cable output anymore, but that can be solved by using bluetooth or if the projector has an audio output, it can be connected directly to the speakers. So far it has been working well, and we have managed to get rid of all the cables from teachers desks. The only remaining cables come from their chargers.

What is next? Are we there yet? Of course not. There is still room for improvements, adjustments and new things to try. Our current bandwidth will soon have to be increased, and as I have mentioned already, new technologies are appearing everyday to grab your attention. Last but not least, there is the unavoidable matter of financing such technology. These projects can be very pricey, especially those that include large LCD screens which can cost thousands of dollars. Now consider the number of classrooms your school has, well, you get the idea. Nevertheless, students should learn how to use these technologies, in the world where most top-ranked companies are the ones developing them.

Written by Tomas Krajcovic Network Systems Coordinator at International School in Curitiba [email protected] Edited by Lynn Bibbysmith Science teacher and tech enthusiast at International School in Curitiba

May 2017 Edition Page 47 Back to TOC ASSESS RECRUIT TRANSITION

A TECH AUDIT WITHOUT ACTION IS JUST a stack of PAPERS

It's easy to focus on the technology. We focus on the people. Go beyond the tech audit.

EDTECHRECRUITING.COM

May 2017 Edition Page 48 Back to TOC Back to TOC CelebratingCelebrating International International Women's Day as Women’s Part of a Unit ofDay Inqu iryas in Part Grade 4 Spanish of a Unit of Inquiry in Grade 4 Spanish By: Yanina Canabal, Grade 4 Spanish Immersion Asociación Escuelas Lincoln - Buenos Aires, Argentina [email protected] @canabal_yanina

In order to understand what students already know, think and feel about the topic I posed an essential question to my students after welcoming them with a big sign on my whiteboard saying: “March 8th, Happy Women’s Day!”

First of all, I started by asking if they were aware of this international celebration and then I told them that I had made a connection with a journalist from the BBC News, named Verónica Smink, here in Argentina who wrote an article about women in 2015. What’s more, she is happy to be interviewed by us via Skype. “Would you be willing to be part of this challenge?”, I asked my students and they responded with enthusiasm.

Right after their positive reaction, I posed the essential question: “What is the role of women and the news today?” With this essential question in mind I fostered thinking and students’ dialogue by using the strategy: “think, pair and share.” Then I presented another strategy called “graffiti- wall” and asked them to write their first thoughts that came to their mind when they thought about these two key concepts, “women and the news.”

Main concepts related to woman written by Main concept related to the news written by students in Spanish students in Spanish

Happy, hardworking, good, beautiful, Information, truth, Donald Trump, Hillary cheerful, mother, quiet person, special, she Clinton, football, sports, best online, new takes care of us, etc. information, etc.

May 2017 Edition Page 49 Back to TOC The following step was to use one of the visible thinking routines, “see-think-wonder,” to provide more thinking time and to be able to share their thoughts about the following poster.

“In 1969, Women were admitted in the Professional Society of Journalism.”

In order to make a deeper connection with my students and to approximate this issue to students’ age, I used another visible thinking routine called “connect, expand, challenge” after watching the following video: https://youtu.be/GpEN6-DrDLg

CONECTO EXPANDO DESAFIO ¿Qué parte del discurso de la niña ¿Qué mensaje me transmitió esta ¿Qué puedo hacer yo conecta con algo de tu niña? para honrar y respetar el experiencia? rol de las mujeres en el mundo?

Connect Expand Challenge What connection did I make with What message did I get from this What can I do to honor this girl’s speech? girl? and respect women and gender equality?

May 2017 Edition Page 50 Back to TOC Back to TOC To stimulate students’ curiosity and engagement I proposed my students to use “The Question Formulation Technique” to create and pose their own questions to “Ask the Expert”, which in this case was the BBC News Journalist, Verónica Smink. For this topic, the Question Focus was: “Women and Journalism now and then.”

When we got to this stage, students were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview a real journalist using their own questions following the technique mentioned above, which had been used in class in previous Social Studies units. They worked in groups following the basic rules established by this method, so they wrote all the questions that came to mind and changed statements into questions. Later on, they classified their questions in, open and closed questions; and, last but not least, they prioritized their questions. Together we all shared the best questions from each group and we agreed on making only one questionnaire with the best questions stated by each student.

While students were working on their questionnaire a piece of news appeared on twitter about a “Fearless girl statue” being placed in front of the bull of Wall Street in New York City to celebrate International Women's Day (https://youtu.be/HauPB6vAEEE).

When I showed them the video and the tweets talking about International Women's Day, students got very excited and engaged in this current issue which was being covered in many parts of the world. This incident caused such an impact on them that they decided to add more questions to their questionnaire.

Once the questionnaire was ready, we made arrangements with the journalist to coordinate our Skype interview the following day. Students got involved in this topic and they felt empowered by being able to create their own questions and having the opportunity to actually interview a real journalist about a current event that was being covered in different parts of the world.

On the day of the interview, the journalist was really impressed by the type of questions the students asked and she was ecstatic to see very young students taking notes of her answers in such a professional way. Especially about a very abstract and current issue.

To be honest, I felt so proud of my students and about the article they wrote after the interview that I wanted to share this positive and real experience with you. I hope you like it and I am inviting you to take risks and to discuss current topics at the Elementary School, with a view to making our students think and get involved in an authentic cause.

May 2017 Edition Page 51 Back to TOC Below you can see some photos documenting our job during our full immersion Spanish Class in Grade 4. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. After the interview and the revision of the students’ notes, we worked on the characteristics and the parts of the news; we also read different newspaper articles (https://youtu.be/71zKX5HOdrk).

Then we wrote all together--with my guidance--a newspaper article about the experience of interviewing a journalist from the BBC News. Once the students had the opportunity to learn the characteristics of writing a newspaper article, and having had the experience of writing one piece with the teacher, I challenged them to write a new article about the role of women in the Iditarod: a race that was taking place in Alaska and that students were following and studying with their homeroom teacher in English. My students were very enthusiastic about writing this article because they had been studying the topic in English and now they were asked to give it a little twist in Spanish. Now the focus was not just placed in the race, but in the role of women participating in such a challenging and dangerous competition.

In this picture we can see a group of students thinking and creating their own questions. In the background you can see the Slideshow presentation, and one of the visible thinking routines that had been used. Here is the link to access the Slideshow presentation that was used in this unit:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=17ET18Yso_uIrVCZhhXo2v2yKyJXN8vPcTNU89Kjmrc

May 2017 Edition Page 52 Back to TOC Back to TOC

Another group of students creating their own questions to ask the journalist about the role of women and the news now and then.

In the picture above we can see a girl asking a question to the BBC Journalist via Skype and the rest of the students, following the questions and jotting down notes of the answers given by the journalist.

References

Murdoch, K. (2015), The Power of Inquiry. Northcote, Australia: Seastar Education Ritchhart, R., Church, M. and Morrison, K (2011), Making Thinking Visible. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Rothstein, D., Santana, L. (,2014). Make Just One Change. Cambridge: Harvard Education Press

May 2017 Edition

Page 53 Back to TOC Peer MediationPeer Mediation Teaches Teaches Students Students Life Skills Life Skills By Rachael L. Gerbic, Ph.D., LMFT, Peer Mediation Trainer [email protected] Students trained in peer mediation learn key life concepts such as placing themselves in another person’s shoes, understanding that conflict is a normal part of daily life and it’s how we respond to conflict that makes a difference, and understanding the main reasons why conflicts arise; limited resources, unmet basic needs, and different values. They gain an understanding of the basic needs for every human being, which can be categorized simply into freedom, power, belonging, and fun and how these might become sources of conflict. They learn the various response styles to conflict and how to choose a path that might de-escalate a problem while also creating win-win solutions. Students learn how to be peacemakers. Once students gain a clear understanding that conflict is a normal part of our daily lives, they learn to relax in the face of conflict and feel confident in addressing the various challenges that come their way, knowing these are to be expected and not necessarily cause for upset. The Middle and High School years can be challenging and learning these communication skills will certainly help students navigate a smoother path, but it doesn’t end there. We are all faced with conflicts throughout our lives and developing skills to manage such conflicts in a calm solution- focused manner will help us in college, in our future workplaces, with colleagues, with bosses, in our personal relationships, and even later with our children. Mediation skills are life skills. Middle school students often do not have the skills or tools they need to manage conflicts in a positive way. When students go through mediation training or find themselves in a mediation lead by their peers, they gain of sense of having a locus of control within themselves. They see others are managing conflict and resolving it efficiently and that they too can accomplish this without the need for the conflict to cause major stress in their lives, endure for great lengths of time, or cause broken relationships with classmates and friends. Because international schools are innately comprised of people from all over the world with differing opinions, world views, and cultural backgrounds, they are obvious places for conflict to arise. Teaching students the skills they need to manage interpersonal relationships early on in their lives will achieve a number of outcomes. Students who are not experiencing the stress of unresolved conflicts are better able to focus in the classroom. They are less likely to resort to maladaptive ways of coping with stress, such as drugs, alcohol and sex because they have a channel for addressing conflict head on. Social isolation and bullying are reduced, as mediation becomes part of the fabric and culture of the school and aggression and unkindness is frowned upon by the majority. Students as young as grade two are able to successfully process their conflicts and find win-win solutions with the help of the Peace Table, an age-appropriate format usually established in a quiet corner of the classroom where students walk through a step-by-step conflict resolution process. In middle and high school students go through an extensive training, usually over the course of two full days, and become trained mediations and peacemakers who work in pairs to assist other colleagues in resolving conflicts and finding win-win solutions. Regular promotion of the mediation program and an ongoing awareness campaign on school campuses are key elements in maintaining a peaceful school atmosphere. Students and faculty become keenly aware that mediation is an option available to them at any time, that it is confidential, and that it works, in all aspects of their lives.

May 2017 Edition Page 54 Back to TOC Back to TOC Blended Learning with Limited Technology

By Dr. Cindy Elsberry Blended learning can deliver the best of two worlds – face-to-face teaching and technology- enabled learning. Obviously, the availability of devices for students will impact the delivery design for blended learning, but limited technology should not prohibit teachers from utilizing the technology that is available. For some schools, access to 1:1 technology is feasible. However, for most districts, the student to device ratio is much higher. The good news is that this should not preclude utilization of blended learning strategies. Some examples of how schools are utilizing limited technology include: • Pairing students on one device, thus designing for collaboration • Using a BYOD (bring your own device) model and forming groups to ensure at least one device  per group • Station rotations where only one station involves working on a device • Shared use of mobile device carts or a computer lab • A combination of BYOD and school-provided devices Sharing devices can serve a dual role of providing access to technology for all students and, at the same time, providing collaborative experiences for students where they utilize important next- generation power skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Consider the classroom in which a teacher is using Kahoot! to conduct a unit review. In a BYOD or limited-technology classroom, the teacher can divide the students into groups, ensuring that each group has at least one device. Students then collaborate on their shared answers to the posed questions and alternate inputting the group’s response. The group discussion is powerful and the engagement is high even with only one device per group. Paired device use is another means of embedding blended practices without a device for every child. This sharing of a device lends itself to collaboration and deep learning. Consider a teacher assigning pairs of students the task of collaboratively researching a topic then creating a digital storyboard that is posted in Google classroom for others in the class to view and provide feedback. Learning is transformed as students design and create something that has real value and mirrors real-world experiences. The station rotation model is another means of using blended learning when technology is scarce. Student work can be designed so that only one or two stations require technology. Using adaptive, intelligent digital content in the technology-enabled station will provide the teacher with the real- time data needed to inform instruction when teaching those students in small groups.

May 2017 Edition Page 55 Back to TOC Similarly, by sharing mobile device carts or a computer lab with other classes in the building, teachers can schedule specific times or days where students can engage with technology. As with the station rotation model, the use of a digital program that includes embedded assessments and real-time reporting will provide the teacher with powerful data that can be used to guide instruction – as well as quickly identify below-level students in need of intervention or high-achieving learners who would benefit from extension activities. Never before have teachers been able to leverage data to monitor progress and meet the learning needs of every child in the classroom as right now. The time is now to integrate blended practices into classrooms. Do not wait until your school can supply 1:1 devices – start right now!

Dr. Cindy Elsberry – Former Superintendent, Horry Country Schools, South Carolina Dr. Elsberry is a sought-after educational leader and expert in blended learning who served as the Superintendent of Horry County Schools in South Carolina. This diverse, high-poverty district won national acclaim for its digital transformation under Dr. Elsberry’s leadership and was rated as one of the state’s highest performing districts.

May 2017 Edition Page 56 Back to TOC Back to TOC Accredited. College-Prep. Online.

Rigorous, online college-prep curriculum to help meet your students’ academic goals. highschool.nebraska.edu

The University of Nebraska is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

May 2017 Edition Page 57 Back to TOC CognitiveCognitive Coaching Institute Institute Columbus School, Medellin By: Trisha Nikrandt, Director of Learning [email protected]

With the support of AASSA, The Columbus School hosted 20 staff members from AASSA schools and 20 from The Columbus School for the first session of Cognitive Coaching. Cognitive Coaching is a model that supports individuals and organizations in becoming self- directed, and in turn, become self-managing, self-monitoring and self-modifying (Thinking Collaborative website).

The participants learned how to: ● Develop trust and rapport ● Develop an identity as a mediator of thinking ● Utilize conversation structures for planning, reflecting and problem solving ● Develop teachers’ autonomy and sense of community ● Develop higher levels of efficacy, consciousness, craftsmanship, flexibility and interdependence ● Apply four support functions: coaching, evaluating, consulting, collaborating ● Utilize the coaching tools of pausing, paraphrasing and posing questions ● Distinguish among the five forms of feedback ● Use data to mediate thinking

These skills transcend coaching and can be applied to working with students, adults, peers and family members. The participants were actively engaged throughout the 4-day workshop through role play and simulations of difficult conversations. Here are quotes from some of the participants:

“I have done planning conversations with students around writing. I found that it was effective because our students do not have access to higher level vocabulary. So, by paraphrasing and labeling their thinking students were able to access a higher level of writing structures.” Ben Light, 5th Grade Teacher and Team Leader

“I am more aware of how to adapt what I am already doing with video coaching to provide teachers with more time to reflect by paraphrasing, pausing and posing questions that mediate thinking.” Jordi Tur, Secondary Instructional Coach

“I am now to apply a strategy for mediating thinking of my colleagues when they are planning or reflecting on a meeting, project or lesson. I have found that I do not have to give solutions but rather help them find strategies that will work for them.”

May 2017 Edition Page 58 Back to TOC Back to TOC

Doreen Merola modeling rapport and body language in a coaching conversation

Participants learning how the five states of mind (consciousness, craftsmanship, efficacy, flexibility and interdependence) can assist you meditating thinking

40 participants from 16 different schools learning how they are similar and different from each other

May 2017 Edition Page 59 Back to TOC TOOLS to

Shop INSPIRENasco for the materials LEARNINGyou need at prices you can afford. Over 1000 new items!

Child Tested, Teacher Trusted - for more then 75 years! Shop online at eNasco.com Contact [email protected]

May 2017 Edition Page 60 Back to TOC Back to TOC Software for Smarter Operations SEE YOUR FACILITY IN A NEW LIGHT SchoolDude combines innovative software with operational insight to empower educational institutions to get the most out of their facility investments. Our cloud-based solutions will help you streamline maintenance, expedite workflows and improve reporting to increase your efficiency and effectiveness. With data-driven insights into your operations, you’ll start to see them in a whole new light.

EXPLORE OUR SOLUTIONS

MAINTENANCE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY EVENT SAFETY MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT

LEARN MORE dudesolutions.com/AASSA/edu

May 2017 Edition Page 61 Back to TOC Facilitating the Reading Workshop through: CollaborativeFacilitating the Reading Guided Workshop through:Reading, Collaborative CAFE Guided Strategies Reading, CAFE Strategies and Visible Thinking Routines and Visible Thinking Routines By: Leticia Daza, MS SLL Teacher Asociación Escuelas Lincoln - Buenos Aires, Argentina [email protected] @DazaLeticia

Learning a new language is always challenging not only for the student but for the teacher as well. One of my biggest concerns was always the reading process, because even if students can read fluently it doesn't mean that they comprehend fully. I strongly believe that as teachers, we need to focus on developing thinking skills and strategies to help students during this process. Thus, I decided to implement a Collaborative Reading Workshop “Taller de Lectura” with my SLL MS students, using the following:

● Guided Reading, to differentiate instruction according to the different levels of reading that I have within my students ● The CAFE reading strategies for comprehension, and ● The Visible Thinking Routine, the 4 C’s, to stimulate deeper understanding

Once a week, we have our Collaborative Reading Workshop called “Taller de Lectura.” Students are divided into small groups according to their level of reading, previously assessed by the use of Running Records. I use the materials from the Guided Reading Short Reads Program in Spanish from Scholastic, who offers high quality of leveled texts by the Fountas & Pinnell system, and instruction. This program includes fascinating and different informative short texts about interesting and different topics to engage students. On the other hand, concerning the reading strategies, I decided to use the CAFE (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, Extending Vocabulary) to focus on reading comprehension strategies. Each student works and applies a different strategy to effectively meet his/her own needs at different levels of reading (we choose the effective reading strategy during the independent reading through individual conferences). Finally, as a closer for the “Taller de Lectura”, we use the Visible Thinking Routine, the 4 C’s (Connections, Challenges, Concepts, Changes), which is designed to empower text-based discussions, built around making connections, asking questions, identifying keys ideas, and considering application.

May 2017 Edition Page 62 Back to TOC Back to TOC The following steps divide the process:

1. Pre - reading step: students prior to reading; they identify the purpose of reading by analyzing the Title and making a connection with their background knowledge. Then, I give my students the CAFE reading strategy that they are going to use (different for each student according to their different needs). Finally I show them the “Essential Question” for the purpose of the reading, which they are going to answer at the end

2. During - reading step: I give my students a list of vocabulary words to identify the cognates and new academic words that they can find during the reading. The texts are divided into small sections, thus I give them a couple of comprehension questions to be answered orally and collaboratively during this process. In this step, I have the opportunity to work closely with each group, to monitor their comprehension and learning

3. Post - reading step: Here, students need to answer the “Essential Question” and write a short reflection about their reading. This reflection can be an opinion or an explanation about a fact that they had read. They have the choice to decide which one they want to write about. Finally I give my students the Visible Thinking Routine, the 4 C’s, to promote deeper thinking and learning about the reading

All the steps above are shared digitally with my students via Google Classroom. I designed Google Slides presentations with the instructions, strategies and expectations for each group. I randomly assign one student in each group to be in charge and make sure that every step is followed and completed.

Finally, I can say that I am very satisfied with the results with the implementation of the “Taller de Lectura” with my students. I found them very engaged with the reading; they are curious, and ready to learn. They also are becoming more problem solvers and owners of their own learning. It is also impressive how they work collaboratively showing respect, empathy, and the most important thing is that they are learning from each other. The use of the Guided Reading Program, CAFE strategies and Visible Thinking Routines all together in the “Taller de Lectura” helped me to make the reading process for my students easier, more enjoyable and helps them think deeply about any topic.

May 2017 Edition Page 63 Back to TOC The following pictures were taking during the Collaborative Reading Workshop “Taller de Lectura”

References Boushey, G., Moser, J. (2008), The Café Book. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Ritchhart, R., Church, M. and Morrison, K (2011), Making Thinking Visible. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Tomlinson, Carol A. (2014). The Differentiated Classroom 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA:ASCD

May 2017 Edition Page 64 Back to TOC Back to TOC A CollaborativeA Collaborative Atmosphere Atmosphere By Vivian Resende, American School of Brasília – Brazil [email protected] @vresende_eab

What should I do to capture my students’ attention? There are many tools (social media, music, blogs) that seem to be more interesting than my voice and getting students’ attention and engagement is sometimes challenging.

Teenagers like to be listened to. That’s why social media gets their attention. They feel that anything they think can be posted, liked, commented and shared. So, why not make our classroom a place where sharing (experiences, points of view, different perspectives) is a key for learning? The comprehension of a topic is not supposed to be given, but built. And that happens collaboratively.

When a student feels that he/she is protagonist, that makes a real difference. When we let them know that his/her experience matters, they feel much more motivated. My class has been changed since I figured it out.

Analyzing a book may not be the most exciting activity. But it can be. So, when my current senior class was studying Claraboia, a novel by the Portuguese author José Saramago, they had to find literary features and identify relevant themes associated to the story. Instead of giving it to them speaking all by myself, I decided to empower them to find by themselves the relevant points of a certain extract.

“So, you have twenty minutes to read pages 273 to 275 and write down your thoughts about the conflicts, the themes and the stylistic characteristics that you find. Later, we will have the opportunity to share it with the whole class.”

After the twenty minutes, a few students wanted to express something found. And right after, even more students wanted to add ideas to what has been shared. Instead of giving them something ready, we built it together and I worked as a facilitator, detailing something that was said by a student or answering questions that were raised. When we see that students get inspired by others, it seems that this kind of collaborative activity represents an important part of EAB’s mission: “learners inspiring learners.”

After that experience, when I asked for a feedback, I got the following data: - 90.9% of the students felt “always motivated” or at least “most of the time motivated” to talk and share ideas after listening a classmate. - 81.8% of them consider a collaborative analysis more engaging and involving than individual presentations.

From that experience I have been trying to work and to provide collaborative activities more often. This kind of activityMay 2017 turns Edition the classroom into a more welcoming place, where we see a lot of raising handsPage and the engagement is something visible. Of course, the activities are variable, and not65 only literary texts can be used. When I offered a song mixed with an article and asked about their similar and different pointsBack to TOC regarding a certain topic (related to exposure on social media, something that students really care about), the result was also great.

Even though this particular class is preparing for the IB exams, I never wanted to make the students feel that they are competitors. Instead of that, the message is that we can grow together.

For The Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence, “knowledge is a social construct” and one of the collaborative activities’ principles is that “the learner is the primary focus of the instruction.” Then, we, as teachers, should empower them to build the learning together, with each other’s contribution.

Some of the impacts of the collaborative learning are, according to the mentioned Center for Teaching Excellence: an “increase in student retention, self-esteem, and responsibility”; the “development of higher-level thinking; oral communication; self- management and leadership skills”; and “exposure to and an increase in understanding of diverse perspectives.”

As learning is not a competition, students are all potential contributors. It is our role to make sure that they know how valuable their contribution and collaboration is. A collaborative environment is made of people willing to participate respectfully, where learning is a common goal and sharing is a way to get there.

Work cited: "CTE - Collaborative Learning". Cte.cornell.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.

May 2017 Edition Page 66 Back to TOC Back to TOC EMPOWER

CHILE IMPACT LAB NEW DATES COMING SOON! LATIN AMERICA edtech.team/Chile2017 featuring includes Google Level 1 & 2 Certi cations COCHABAMBA IMPACT LAB 2017 TOUR July 6 - 7 edtech.team/cochabamba2017 includes Google Level 1 & 2 Certi cations ENGAGE COSTA RICA SUMMIT April 28 - 29 La Paz Impact Lab cr.gafesummit.com July 10 - 11 Host: Pan American School edtech.team/lapaz2017 includes Google Level 1 & 2 Certi cations CDMX2017 SUMMIT May 26 - 27 Santa Cruz Impact Lab edtech.team/CDMX2017 July 14 - 15 Host: Colegio Peterson edtech.team/santacruz2017 includes Google Level 1 & 2 Certi cations COLOMBIA SUMMIT July 27 - 28 colombia.gafesummit.com/2017 Host: Mesa Educativa TI REGISTER edtech.team/LatAmEvents

EXPLORE

NETWORK

INNOVATE

#LatAmImpact

May 2017 Edition Page 67 Back to TOC CreatingCreating a Collaboration a Collaboration Menu Menu

By Naomi Barbour and Laura Rock, Asociación Escuelas Lincoln, Buenos Aires, Argentina [email protected], @Naomi_Barbour, #HSLangAndLearning [email protected], @lmrockaguirre

At the beginning of the 2015-16 school year, the Language and Learning Center staff identified a need for a more systematic approach to collaboration with core classroom teachers. Our goal was to become a more effective voice for our students throughout the whole cycle of learning. We wanted to be involved in co-planning, co-teaching and co-assessing our students, and also in co- reflecting with our colleagues about the process. We saw a need for increased scaffolding, varied differentiation, clear expectations and explicit language and learning objectives to support our students and create greater access to the curriculum. After identifying these needs, we devised an action plan to guide us in this process.

We devised this plan during a graduate class entitled Instructional Strategies for More Effective Teaching, led by Dr. Barbara Noel. In addition, we had the opportunity to attend some workshops run by Jon Nordmeyer and Margot Gottlieb from WIDA at Lincoln in February 2016. Following their visit, we also attended the WIDA Symposium at Nido de Aguilas School in Santiago and the WIDA pre-conference session at the AASSA conference in Lima. Our interaction with the people from WIDA and others who use it inspired us to create a menu as a means to facilitate more systematic collaboration with classroom teachers. During this school year, we have also been part of a Professional Learning Community at Lincoln based around Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Dove’s book: Collaboration and Co-Teaching - Strategies for English Learners.

We wanted the creation of the menu to be a collaborative process so we took advantage of our school’s Lincoln Educators Conference to run a workshop and get feedback on ideas for what to include on the menu. We presented some menu items and asked those attending to add their own items. Following the workshop, we put all of these ideas together and devised the following menu. The menu was shared with our colleagues in the High School during a faculty workshop at the beginning of this semester. Teachers had the opportunity to read the menu and discover new ways in which to collaborate with Language and Learning Center teachers on their plans for this semester. Teachers appeared receptive and open to this process and we have already received many requests to work together in a variety of ways in all stages of the learning process. The enthusiastic response on the part of our colleagues was very pleasing because we know that ultimately this will benefit our students. The menu was also shared in a further PLC related to collaboration. It is our hope that our Collaboration Menu will allow more avenues to open up to us in order to meet the goals that we have for our students’ learning.

May 2017 Edition Page 68 Back to TOC Back to TOC

May 2017 Edition Page 69 Back to TOC

Participants at the Lincoln Educator’s Conference collaborating on the creation of the menu

May 2017 Edition Page 70 Back to TOC Back to TOC Educating for Global Citizenship By Ann Straub, Council of International Schools (CIS) International Advisor, IDI Qualified Administrator

The “international” Landscape Using whatever means it requires, schools throughout the world have a moral imperative to prepare their students to be interculturally competent global citizens. As the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) stated in their Proposal for Global Competence, “Our young people must be able to co-exist and interact with people who are different from ourselves, have open and flexible attitudes, as well as the values that unite us around our common humanity.”

The Council of International Schools (CIS) based in Leiden, The Netherlands, has as its tagline, “Shaping the Future of International Education.” The label “International” which at one time denoted expat schools located outside of one’s home country is no longer exclusive to this population. One could argue that today there are very few schools in the world that lack cultural diversity. If the definition of cultural diversity refers to “difference” as in socio-economic, ability, gender, life style and age as well as nationality, ethnicity and race then the need for intercultural competence and global citizenship is vital to creating and maintaining social sustainability in the world. According to Eeqbal Hassim of the Asia Education Foundation, “Social sustainability of the world is perhaps the big-picture, overarching and aspirational goal of global citizenship. It provides the foundation for all other forms of sustainability…cultural, environmental, economic, and political.” The convergence of many factors as addressed in this article, has led the CIS to develop International Certification: Educating for Global Citizenship, a developmental service open to schools around the world who are committed to developing global citizens prepared in spirit, mind, and body to create global social sustainability.

Addition of Global Competency to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Recently, it was announced by the OECD that the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) administered to fifteen-year old students in 80 member countries will in 2018 add an assessment of global competence. Global competence includes the acquisition of in-depth knowledge and understanding of global and intercultural issues; the ability to learn from and live with people from diverse backgrounds; and the attitudes and values necessary to interact respectfully with others. At the same time, the UN Global Compact involving 8,000 world business leaders is collaborating to use positive business development to eradicate grinding poverty, to create innovative ecological solutions and work towards peace. Global competence is necessary for movements such has the UN Global Compact to move ahead. As Nelson Mandela stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”

May 2017 Edition 1 | Page Page 71 Back to TOC So, what does this mean for the future of our schools? It can become confusing when referring to the terms global competence, intercultural competence, and global citizenship along with many others used interchangeably throughout the literature and research. The good news is that they are synchronistic. The terms intercultural competence and global citizenship will be used in this article knowing that global competence is incorporated within both of these terms.

Global Education Exploration Study Findings In 2012, a nation-wide Global Education Exploration Study published by Project Explorer.org of more than 1,200 teachers, parents and stakeholders in United States schools was conducted with the goal of better understanding the global education landscape. It was reported that 80% of teachers agree that it's more important today than ever before for students to learn about other countries and cultures, yet only 30% say they often incorporate material about other countries and cultures into their lesson plans. Six in ten students surveyed reported they find understanding different countries, cultures, and customs extremely important — more so than writing, math, or technical skills. Additionally, nearly all (98%) of the students surveyed agree that a strong understanding of world history and events is critical to developing solutions to global problems. Nine in ten students recognize that jobs are becoming increasingly international in nature and believe they will be stronger employees with a better understanding of different cultures. Students feel under-equipped to compete for professional opportunities on the basis of global awareness and understanding. They believe their appetite and enthusiasm for global education has not been met with an adequate level of instruction in global studies.

Role of Social /Emotional Intelligence in Global Citizenship

Another compounding factor is the decline of emotional/social intelligence vital for the development of global citizenship, which is all too quickly becoming a reality among today’s students. The countless hours spent interacting with others through technological devices replacing face to face interactions has with no doubt interfered with the development of the skills, attitudes and values necessary to develop global citizenship. Resilience, empathy, flexibility, open-mindedness, respect, risk-taking, adaptability, and self-awareness are a few of the necessary attributes developed through direct interaction with human beings different from one’s self. Part of the definition of global competence as developed by the OECD is the ability to learn from and live with people from diverse backgrounds; and the attitudes and values necessary to interact respectfully with others. How can it be possible to accomplish this without making a concerted effort in schools to develop these attributes in our students?

Global Citizenship Becoming a Reality

Global citizenship is often incorporated into schools’ mission statements. However, how often do schools that promise an international education in the hope of developing global citizens define what this really means? How does intercultural competence fit within the

2 | Page May 2017 Edition Page 72 Back to TOC Back to TOC scope of global citizenship? What does this imply for the school’s leadership, curriculum, co-curricular activities, service learning, professional development and environmental sustainability? How can a school community develop a shared understanding of what this means and what it looks like in action? Many schools share this goal of developing global citizenship in their students, but experience suggests such goals are sometimes daunting in their ambition and all too often frustratingly vague in their structure.

If global citizenship understandings, skills and attitudes and values are required for our students to face unprecedented challenges and opportunities in the world today, then how are schools identifying, teaching and assessing them? How are school leaders and teachers being trained to address global citizenship throughout a school? How are school leaders, teachers and students being made aware of their own intercultural competence and how to improve upon it?

CIS International Certification: Educating for Global Citizenship

In response to this ever-growing and urgent need we heard from our members, CIS developed a service, International Certification: Educating for Global Citizenship, an innovative process to help schools better understand, advance and measure the development of global citizens. Our CIS member schools expressed the need to take an in- depth look at global citizenship within their community, but were not sure how to focus their time and best help their staff/students. They wanted a framework that would benefit the school and further their strategic objectives. International Certification addresses the key questions of how do we know we are taking the right steps to provide students with an education that keeps pace with globalization and provides the learning needed to face the ensuing challenges, and how do we enable students’ development as interculturally competent global citizens?

International Certification provides a whole school framework and a flexible structure within which schools may tailor the process of defining and developing global citizens. It is a developmental, growth minded, and consultative process in which CIS International Educational Specialists, all of whom have a background in developing global citizenship in schools across the world as teachers, leaders and facilitators, offer resources, professional development and support throughout the Certification process. Schools who wish to develop strategic impact and authentically live their mission statement of global citizenship would greatly benefit from International Certification. It is an opportunity to explore, identify and evaluate a school community’s fundamental values and beliefs about international education and their impact on the resulting outcomes each school plans for its students.

3 | Page May 2017 Edition Page 73 Back to TOC Schools throughout the world including Canada, the United States, Australia, Argentina, India, China, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Spain, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Zambia have been involved in International Certification. After achieving International Certification in 2015, Turning Point School, Los Angeles, CA reflected: “The process of working toward International Certification has brought opportunities for significant and valuable internal and collective reflection. We were able to take a more objective look at where the school stands, what we have accomplished already, and where we should aim to grow in the future.”

The project-based learning approach used by CIS measures growth using a developmental continuum. The starting point is the creation of a shared definition of global citizenship followed by an Intercultural Assessment that includes an individual online survey followed by a professional development activity to understand intercultural competence and discuss the collective results. Thereafter, the school completes six school-wide projects. Another school involved in the pilot phase, Methodist Ladies’ College in Melbourne, Australia, stated: “The shared definition of global citizenship was powerful in the creation which involved lots of discussion. We next defined what it looks like in practice.” Turning Point School continued: “A steady focus on global perspectives has focused faculty professional development and has led to significant progress in teaching pedagogy and practice. Additionally, this process informed bridging across grade levels and highlighted cross- curricular integration opportunities. You only have to walk into classrooms and down the hallways of Turning Point to see the impact International Certification has had on student learning.”

CIS developed International Certification as a distinct model, specifically for schools that wish to take a deep dive to examine the enablers of intercultural competency and ultimately - global citizenship, which is very different than a broad accreditation model that evaluates all aspects of the institutional life of a school. With a truly global perspective of education borne of first-hand experience working with a myriad of schools across the globe, the Council of International Schools understands that the notion of intercultural competency is both challenging to understand and to embrace. The intercultural development exercise that is integral to International Certification serves as a stimulus for conversations among the faculty focusing on the typically hidden aspects of intercultural competency dealing with cultural norms, values, perceptions and assumptions, and placing less emphasis on some of the more visible aspects typified by food, festivals, fashion and flags. This important shift within the six International Certification projects elevates the focus from merely “doing” to strategically taking an in-depth look at which actions and outcomes will truly develop global citizens in the school. Deborah Richman, Turning Point Head of School, said: “I did not expect the International Certification Projects to take us into so much depth.” This service provides a focused roadmap for schools to better understand and develop global citizens. The magnitude of the investigative process sustained a focus that encouraged the entire school community to take a stake in Turning Point’s process towards achieving CIS International Certification. Richman explained: “The faculty and staff and community at large took it very seriously because of how in-depth it was.”

4 | Page May 2017 Edition Page 74 Back to TOC Back to TOC As result of International Certification, St. Timothy’s School, Baltimore, MD noted: “The most immediate change was the ‘Culture Shock’ sessions changing from just including the international students, to including all the girls at St. Timothy’s School. The International Club that used to be a separate club, now hosts multicultural events for the whole school during the school year. The International students talk about their roots, celebrations, family traditions and beliefs. This used to be an isolated event, but now includes everyone in the community. We have had lots of discussion about a common language policy with sensitivity to cultures being able to express themselves in their mother tongue, yet not isolating themselves or inhibiting learning and communication with the school community. Unit planning has focused on global contexts and threading this through our units. This has really helped our cross-curricular connections and paying attention to using culturally sensitive and accurate materials.”

As the OECD Proposal states, “It is time to rethink the role of education as a vehicle towards social cohesion and intercultural dialogue.” This requires a strategic plan for curricular and pedagogical change, staff professional development, and a critical look at service learning and co-curricular programs. The development of global citizenship and intercultural competence in schools is ambitious and long-term, but necessary for social sustainability in the world, perhaps needed now more than ever before. ______

This article was first published in the Spring 2017 edition of the InterEd Journal (AAIE).

5 | Page May 2017 Edition Page 75 Back to TOC May 2017 Edition Page 76 Back to TOC Back to TOC My Personal Experience with My PersonalDifferentiation Experience with Differentiation in Schools in Schools Maria Jose Correa Asociacion Escuelas Lincoln La Lucila, Buenos Aires, Argentina [email protected] @MajoCorreaArg

I am currently working as a Literacy Specialist Assistant for the High School Language and Learning Support Center at Lincoln International School. One of my duties is to collaborate with teachers and students in differentiating lessons. Coincidently, when studying in college, I became interested in Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Despite the criticism of the theory, I was moved by several of its arguments. It was not long after reading Gardner that I started implementing these concepts into my lessons. I realized that I empowered students by giving them the opportunity to show their strengths. As a result, I was embracing classes with students willing to learn and participate, who would get involved in discussions and current topics. I like calling this “closing the gap between teaching and learning.” I am briefly sharing in this article the lessons I learned about differentiating in a classroom.

Lesson 1: Students in a class are not “cookie cutter”

I started my teaching career as a Spanish teacher in the USA. My adviser in college shared with me some wise words: “Once you start focusing less on the content and more on how to engage students with it; then, you can call yourself a teacher,” and she was right. Despite my knowledge of Spanish syntax, subjunctive and use of imperative, I left my first week of teaching feeling like I knew nothing. I was not told that students’ interests and attitudes towards classes came in different shapes and sizes. After a few weeks, I decided I would get to know my students more in depth. This meant I was not only reading reports, IEPs, or records; actually, I was getting to know their hobbies, strengths, and challenges. I noticed that students who were not good at speaking, loved writing. Students who were staring on the window, were humming songs from their favorite hip-hop singers. Students causing troubles were the ones who had attention deficit. Students who were disconnected, were the ones who were struggling emotionally. So, is there a way of making them engaged in class despite all these difficulties?

May 2017 Edition Page 77 Back to TOC Lesson 2: Getting involved in the learning process

As Benjamin Franklin’s most famous quote says: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” This became my practice; I was not in charge of teaching,; instead, I was responsible for involving my students in my lesson. But how? Although I was skeptical about the use of pop culture in the classroom, I gave myself one opportunity (it is not that regular formal lessons were going well anyways). The first time, I used a famous hip-hop singer to introduce the lesson. The outcome was amazing. Students finished the task on time and they requested more lessons like that one. By making connections with their personal interests, I was able to engage them in the lesson.

After that, I committed myself to transferring all the lessons from the textbook into PowerPoint Slides in order to create more engaging activities. I knew it meant sleepless nights and busy days, but listened to students commenting about “how cool” Spanish class was made it worth.

May 2017 Edition Page 78 Back to TOC Back to TOC Lesson 3: Being active might be the best way for some students to learn

As a result of all my lessons, students were developing skills such as speaking, listening, and problem solving. At Lincoln, I was able to apply my previous background in differentiation as part of my job. Today, we collaborate with more than 30 teachers in almost 90 classes, from Modern World History and Integrated Math to IB Global Politics and Integrated Chemistry and Physics. Although I am a not an expert at everything, the challenge is to be able to engage students with the lessons. But some subjects are more difficult than others; we know this by experience. How many of us struggle with Math, English, or History? For Integrated Chemistry and Physics, students were learning about the location of different waves in the electromagnetic spectrum. As a result, for some students it was hard to visualize this on a piece of paper. I stood in front of the paper and I asked myself how I would do it. I came up with this “Fill the blanks” type of game. I gave this to our students and they loved it! We even had some enthusiastic ones that asked for more. What seems like a game can actually help students to understand and improve some skills.

ICP Fill the blanks game. Electromagnetic Waves

From my experience, I learned that students have unique characteristics. Some are really good at Math, others at English, and others at Visual Arts. However, they are all sitting in the same classroom trying to understand concepts that go beyond their logic. As a Literacy Assistant at the Language and Learning Center, my colleagues and I spend several hours redefining concepts, reviewing content, and analyzing data, so students are more capable of succeeding, not only in high school, but in overall life. The most important lesson learned is that we become teachers once we can make students’ thinking visible to all, including themselves.

May 2017 Edition Page 79 Back to TOC

7 STEM ACTIVITIES YOU CAN TAKE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM!

What would you guess is the most important ingredient for valuable STEM learning? It’s not fancy lab equipment, complicated engineering books or the latest high-tech gadgets. Every kind of STEM learning out there actually depends on one much simpler concept: curiosity.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math, but beyond that intimidating acronym, STEM simply represents a hands-on approach to exploring the world, examining how it works and solving real-life problems. So if you have curious students, they can practice STEM!

Research shows early STEM learning benefits kids across multiple subjects.1 So while you’ll undoubtedly see more STEM activities popping up in the classroom, don’t let the learning stop there. Get in on the fun and support STEM learning at home with these simple activities (for ages 5 and up) that turn your kiddos into the super-solvers of the future!

1. Join the maker movement.

Celebrate the ultimate creative activity: making stuff. Your kids don’t need expensive equipment or special instruction manuals to start making—just their own creative minds, a few easy-to-find materials and some encouragement. Here are a couple ways to get your kids making:

 Turn a regular craft table into a maker space by piling it with any materials you have on hand—like straws, rubber bands, craft sticks, cardboard, toilet paper rolls, plastic foam, tape, glue…and other odds and ends. Ask your kids to build! If they need a little boost, pull up some ideas online and help them build their first creation.  Start collecting large cardboard boxes and encourage your kids to find new ways to use them. Kids can make anything imaginable from recycled cardboard—castles, houses, cars, vending machines, robots and rocket ships…the sky’s the limit!

May 2017 Edition Page 80 Back to TOC Back to TOC

Having “ready-to-go” materials around helps kids create the moment inspiration hits. Plus, it gives them firsthand experience with the design process!

2. Turn wonder into discovery.

Every little question your curious kids ask—and we know they ask a lot—presents a prime opportunity for STEM learning. Whether they ask how the toilet flushes or how the refrigerator light turns off, you can answer tons of questions in our digital age. Simply head online together and investigate the answer.

When you see your kids playing with their favorite toys or eating their favorite treats, ask them to guess how those items were made. After they come up with a solid guess, research How It’s Made videos on YouTube that give kids an up-close look at the manufacturing process of their favorite products. Not only will this help foster a healthy sense of wonder, but it will also help kids build up their “bank of knowledge.”

3. Tinker with everyday tools.

A child’s daily routine includes tools, gadgets and inventions that all resulted from a design process and therefore can be improved. Have your kids brainstorm how they might design even better versions of things they use every day. They might make scissors more comfortable to hold, design a toothbrush for fun brushing or even improve a spoon handle to minimize dribbling.

Ask your kids to sketch their new and improved tool and explain what they’ll change and why it’s an improvement. They can even create a working prototype! For example, kids can work with clay or play dough and old spoons to create a spoon handle for a steadier grip.

May 2017 Edition Page 81 Back to TOC

Then have them test out their new design—and watch them get a huge kick out of using something THEY invented. As they design and test, they’ll feel just like real engineers—with the power to improve things and invent from scratch!

4. Take advantage of community workshops and events.

Your local hardware stores and craft stores probably provide workshops for awesome make-and- take projects just for kids. As kids delve into these exciting workshops, they’ll handle tools and materials they don’t have at home—and the more tools kids can use, the more opportunities they have to invent, improve and innovate.

You can even check out local events, camps and science fairs that offer STEM activities so your kids can get even more hands-on experience with exciting new tools and materials.

5. Meet the inventors of the past—at your local library.

Have your kids imagine a world without electricity, medicine or even chocolate chip cookies! Tell them people from the past invented many things we enjoy today. What did those people all have in common? They asked questions, examined possibilities and innovated solutions to improve their world.

Ask your kids what invention they want to learn about—from bicycles to computers and even candy bars! Head to the library and help them find books to answer a few simple questions about their invention:

 Who invented it?  What inspired the inventor’s idea?  What materials did the inventor use to create something completely new?

After learning about real-life inventors, kids will be inspired to see if they can be inventors too!

May 2017 Edition Page 82 Back to TOC Back to TOC 6. Learn up-close at a museum.

Nothing brings learning to life quite like your local museum. If your kids love dinosaurs, they’ve probably enjoyed books and movies on the topic, but a museum can awe them with real dinosaur bones! Plus, kids can discover exciting STEM career paths they never knew existed—like becoming a paleontologist!

7. Observe workers in action.

The next time something around the house tragically stops working, turn the disaster into a learning experience! When your plumber, electrician or mechanic arrives, ask if you and your child can observe his or her work. As you watch, encourage your child to ask questions about the tools and the problems he or she encounters during the work.

Kids can learn so much from watching a worker’s process of tinkering to detect and correct a problem. As kids observe and question, repairing a toilet turns into an educational experience! Plus, since your handyperson will stick around until he or she solves the problem, kids also learn the importance of persevering to solve problems—an essential STEM skill!

May 2017 Edition Page 83 Back to TOC Visit our website LakeshoreLearning.com to explore these exclusive,

hands‐on products that promote curiosity and develop STEM skills in all styles and levels of learners:Item # Description

FF579 Blocks & Blueprints Learning Center

LL570 Engineer-A-Coaster Activity Kit

PP630X Fairy Tales Problem Solving STEM Kits - Set 2 - includes three fairy tales

PP908 Real-World STEM Challenge Kit - Gr. 2-3

PP370X Global Challenges Project-Based STEM Kits

PP438 Hydraulics Engineering STEM Kit

About Lakeshore Learning Materials For more than 60 years, Lakeshore Learning Materials has led the way in providing educators and parents with innovative products and services. Lakeshore’s commitment to early childhood and elementary education is exemplified in our product development approach— all of our exclusive materials are designed by educators for educators.

1. National Research Council, “A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas,” The National Academies Press (2012): 2-4.

May 2017 Edition Page 84 Back to TOC Back to TOC Students SPEAK Up in Student-led Conferences

Students SPEAKat Up Lincoln in Student-led ConfSchoolerence at Lincoln School By Sarah Waldron @misswaldron12, Allison Poirot @ms_poirot, and Leandro Segura @chunisegura Asociacion Escuelas Lincoln #AELSpeak Moment

On February 17, 2017, Asociación Escuelas Lincoln in Buenos Aires held its first student-led conferences, called SPEAK! (Students Presenting Educational Activities for Knowledge). All students from grades 6 through 12, as well as teachers and parents, were invited to present at and to attend the conference. As a result, there were over 80 different workshops to choose from, 60 of which were entirely student-led. Students were encouraged to create workshops based on their own passions, and, as a result, workshops ranged from Improv Comedy, to First Aid, to Cooking Chinese Food, to How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube. In addition to student-led workshops, there were also workshops offered by parents, teachers and staff on different topics including, among many others, robotics, carpentry, yoga, and dance. Students were encouraged not only to present about their passions but also to choose workshops to attend that spoke to them and their interests.

The SPEAK conference was an opportunity for Lincoln’s community to connect and to celebrate learning. The main purpose of the event was to increase student voice and to give students the opportunity to teach about topics that inspire them. For many students, the opportunity to teach their teachers and peers something new was exciting and different. Lincoln’s Innovate Committee worked closely with students, faculty and staff to help develop the event and make it a success. In total, over 600 people were in attendance, including faculty, staff and parents.

May 2017 Edition Page 85 Back to TOC The Opening Ceremony of the event featured Lincoln alumni from as far back as the class of 1948 and as recently as the class of 2016. It was a special opportunity for alumni to express how much the Lincoln community has shaped and inspired them. After an exciting day of workshops, the day concluded with the Closing Ceremony. The final event of the day was the SPEAK Slam in which ten students were asked to present their vision for Lincoln’s future. These students were chosen prior to the event which gave them time to perfect their slam speeches and keep them under the three minute limit. The SPEAK Slam winner was 10th grader Leonardo Lin who wowed the crowd with his vision of a fully sustainable Lincoln campus in the future. The Closing Ceremony also featured raffle prizes and even a flash mob (who secretly prepared in their OULA Dance workshop earlier!). The Opening and Closing Ceremonies were symbolic bookends celebrating Lincoln’s past and visions for Lincoln’s future. The workshops in between showcased Lincoln’s present moment, a celebration of learning and student voice.

You can view our video about the conference and hear what attendees said about it HERE

May 2017 Edition Page 86 Back to TOC Back to TOC International Education Programs Master’s Degree • Graduate Certificate • International Licensure Program Highlights • High quality and research-based graduate degree program • Ability to earn a teaching license & masters degree while living overseas • Online and hybrid classes with short summer programs • Consistently ranked among the top 50 Schools of Education in the nation (U.S. News & World Report) • Up to 60 % off tuition for international cohorts • 1,200+ alumni teaching in over 40countries • Flexible schedules including face to face, online, and hybrid classes

International Elementary PK-6 Licensure and Master’s Degree The International Elementary licensing certificate program at George Mason University is designed to prepare teachers to work in international school elementary classrooms. As part of the Teaching Culturally, Linguistically Diverse, & Exceptional Learners master’s degree, our program prepares you to teach in highly diverse classrooms and provide differentiated instruction for a variety of learners. Gain the skills and credentials to teach elementary students both in the U.S. and overseas through our unique international teacher education program. International ESOL PK-12 Licensure and Master’s Degree The International ESOL licensing certificate program at George Mason University is designed to prepare teachers to work in international school English language classrooms (PK-12). As part of the Teaching Culturally, Linguistically Diverse, & Exceptional Learners master’s degree program, you will be licensed to work in ESOL classrooms to support and differentiate instruction for highly diverse learners. This program will provide you the skills and credentials to begin or enhance your teaching career. Advanced IB Studies Graduate Certificate and Master’s Degree Enroll in Mason’s Advanced IB Studies program and join the first university in North America to gain recognition from the IBO as a leader in IB teacher preparation. Fully online certificate courses allow you to choose your specialization in Primary Years (PYP), Middle Years (MYP), or Diploma Programme (DP).

Making a difference in the world cehd.gmu.edu/international

May 2017 Edition Page 87 Back to TOC DefiningDefining Effective Effective LearningLearning at Colegio at EinsteinColegio Einstein John Gillespie, Director Colegio Alberto Einstein, Quito, Ecuador [email protected]

I joined Colegio Alberto Einstein in Quito, Ecuador as Director in August 2016. The school was founded in 1976 and it has a proud history of successes. Since 1996 the school has been an IB World School, authorized to offer the PYP, MYP and the IB Diploma Program. We have been a member of AASSA since 2008, and in 2010 Colegio Einstein was accredited by AdvancED. From my previous visits I had quickly understood that it is a very good school with a committed and experienced faculty and support staff, engaged parents and bright students.

The faculty had been used to a good deal of collaboration in the separate sections of the school, but I knew that it would be beneficial to bring colleagues together in a whole-school project. Therefore, I wanted to identify a suitable theme for school-wide professional learning. It needed to be general enough to be of interest to a broad range of backgrounds but specific enough to make a concrete difference to the school.

I attended the AASSA Governance Conference in September 2016 with two Board members, and it was there that all became clear! All the sessions were of top quality and they succeeded in stimulating thought on a number of important topics, but Kevin Bartlett’s presentation on the Systemic School proved to be especially inspiring for me. There was one slide in particular which stuck in my mind:

That was it: defining learning would be this year’s whole-school collaborative goal. If we could define what is, after all, at the heart of all we do, this would help us to unite behind common learning principles underpinning a common learning culture.

On returning to Quito after the conference I proposed the initiative to our heads of Preschool, Primary and Secondary at one of our weekly meetings. They agreed enthusiastically with the idea and we quickly developed a strategy.

First we worked in groups in each section of the school. Preschool teachers worked on a definition for Preschool, and Primary teachers developed a definition for Primary. Secondary teachers worked in departments to define learning for that specific department. We gave relatively little guidance except that the definitions should be brief, trying to concentrate on the essentials.

May 2017 Edition Page 88 Back to TOC Back to TOC

After about a month of group discussions, our teachers had created a fascinating variety of definitions, which appear below. The fact that the majority are in Spanish reflects the mother tongue of the majority of our faculty.

Aprendizaje es un proceso interactivo de construcción de nuevos conocimientos, habilidades y destrezas a través de experiencias significativas para desarrollar seres humanos integrales.

Aprendizaje es el proceso autónomo y guiado de adquisición de conocimientos y desarrollo de habilidades y actitudes, a través de vivencias significativas, que habilita para la toma de decisiones que permitan la mejora de un mundo en constante cambio.

El aprendizaje es una acción donde conocimientos y vida se vuelven uno.

Quoi? On apprend des savoirs, des savoir-faire et savoir-être. Comment? A travers l’acquisition et la transmission de nos expériences (personnelles et académiques), au sein de nos communautés (famille, école, amis, etc.). Dans l’apprentissage scolaire, on apprend grâce à des activités motivantes, signifiantes, qui s’inscrivent dans notre réalité. Pourquoi? Pour notre développement personnel et professionnel, en cohérence avec un monde qui évolue. Quand et où? Tout au long de notre vie, à l’école, au travail, dans notre famille, dans toutes nos activités en général.

El aprendizaje es…El aprendizaje es un proceso en el cual se adquieren herramientas y valores que permiten resolver situaciones que ocurren a lo largo de la vida.

Learning is a process in which students gain the tools and values that allow them to solve problems that occur throughout life.

Learning is a dynamic, engaging, interactive lifelong process, where students gain skills, knowledge, and abilities which transfer into everyday life.

El aprendizaje es la continua construcción de la realidad con libertad, entendimiento, empatía y conciencia. Implica un cambio en el ser humano que se puede dar si es significativo. Pasa por un conjunto de formas de aprender que tienen que ver con la observación, lo teórico, la aplicación y la experiencia de la vida misma. Para concluir, podemos agregar que es un proceso de adquisición de múltiples conocimientos y habilidades conectados entre sí y siempre relacionados con el mundo real.

May 2017 Edition

Page 89 Back to TOC

Learning is the community-based, guided acquisition of skills and knowledge through their application in real-world contexts.

El aprendizaje es un proceso dinámico y continuo que sucede a través de distintas formas de conocimiento tales como conexiones, experiencias y reflexión relacionadas mediante diferencias ramas con el objetivo de desarrollarse y desenvolverse en cualquier medio.

EL APRENDIZAJE ES EL PROCESO DE ADQUISICIÓN, ANÁLISIS Y COMPRENSIÓN DE INFORMACIÓN SOBRE NUESTRA EXISTENCIA Y LA REALIDAD QUE NOS RODEA, QUE TIENE COMO OBJETIVO PODER DESENVOLVERSE EN LA MISMA COMO PERSONAS EN PLENO FUNCIONAMIENTO.

Proceso de adquisición de nuevas experiencias, ideas, conceptos, que convergen con lo ya adquirido para lograr un nuevo aprendizaje.

Subsequently at a workshop attended by all Preschool, Primary and Secondary teachers we explored different learning systems and curriculum diagrams, we looked at various recent definitions of learning, different types of learning and key concepts involved.

The following week the teachers were divided into groups of six, with a mixture of Preschool, Primary and Secondary teachers in each group. Each group firstly considered the merits of the definitions produced by our own teachers. Then they worked to complete the sentence “Effective learning is…” to produce a definition which would be relevant for the whole school.

This time we allowed only ten words for each definition, which would ensure that the results would be concise. Each definition was written on flip-chart paper and then stuck on the wall outside our auditorium so that everyone could see each other’s work.

May 2017 Edition Page 90 Back to TOC Back to TOC

May 2017 Edition Page 91 Back to TOC

The last step was to distil these ten definitions into a single, succinct version for the whole school. There was such a high level of cohesion or overlap in these definitions that it was relatively easy to condense them further. That final process resulted in eight words:

collaborative - dynamic - connected - differentiated - skills - concepts - knowledge - values

Rather wonderfully, we have a graphic designer working in our communications department, so I tasked him with producing a design. The brief was to create something with high visual impact and which was easily understood, with two separate sets of interconnected elements: the four adjectives (the ‘how’) and the four nouns (the ‘what’).

We considered a number of suggested options and we are very pleased with the outcome:

Graphic design by Mauricio Vega

The four adjectives in the outer circle describe how learning should be - collaborative, dynamic, connected and differentiated - and these approaches are themselves connected and overlapping. The outer circles give access to the four desired outcomes - skills, concepts, knowledge and values - which are also interconnected and which have equal importance in reaching the central objective.

I believe that in this diagram we have succeeded in capturing the essence of effective learning. It is not ‘complete’, and it is by no means perfect: we all know that learning is an extremely complex process with multiple facets. Yet I believe that is a very useful representation of effective learning for us.

What is important is that this is ours: it is original, it was produced by Colegio Einstein teachers as a result of reflection and discussion by Colegio Einstein teachers, and it is designed for use with Colegio Einstein students. We have developed our own “Learning Mission”.

We will be using our definition in various ways as we move forward to help us to focus on what we believe to be important in all our lesson planning and delivery, giving us our own framework for all we do. We will have posters made in the languages of the school to place in classrooms and in other areas. We will share our definition with existing and future students and parents. Our definition will generate ongoing discussions about learning, as our teachers work collaboratively to unpack each word and to study in greater detail the connections between the components.

May 2017 Edition Page 92 Back to TOC Back to TOC

The process itself was also positive. While whole-school collaborative professional development is not exactly innovative, it certainly brought us together to work towards a common objective, it provided the opportunity to cooperate with colleagues outside our usual spheres and it encouraged us to consider broad and rich contexts. In addition, I am sure that the success of the outcome will bind the whole school community together even more strongly in a common language and a common culture, in pursuit of our common aim: “effective learning.”

I am grateful to all my colleagues for participating in this process. I am also grateful of course to AASSA and to Kevin Bartlett for providing the original inspiration.

May 2017 Edition Page 93 Back to TOC How Will You Use Your Experience Abroad to Make the World a Better Place?

Expat youth are in a unique position to experience different cultures and ways of living. Clements Worldwide, leading expat insurance solution provider since 1947, is proud to announce the start of the 9 th annual Expat Youth Scholarship. With the number of expats growing ever year, approaching 1% of the total population, young people educated abroad have the ability to be the inter-cultural ambassadors of tomorrow whether they choose a career in business, humanitarian aid, or government. With more conflict than ever before, these young people can play a huge role in bridging cultural gaps and encouraging peace.

The Expat Youth Scholarship offers students studying outside of their home countries the opportunity to share their experiences and how they try to make an impact. The challenge for eligible expat youth is to submit a photograph with a short essay that demonstrates how they will use their experience living abroad to make the world a better place.

The Expat Youth Scholarship uses social media platforms for both the submission and voting, engaging the expat community around the world. Expat students can apply by visiting the Expat Youth Scholarship Facebook to see entry requirements and submit. Family and friends are encouraged to participate by visiting the EYS Facebook page and clicking the “Like” button to be able to access the Scholarship application in the menu bar to see the entries and vote for your favorite. There will be two votes to help select the finalists and winners – a popular vote to select the finalists, and an internal judging to determine the winners. Winners will be announced July 13th .

We’re looking forward to inspiring entries to see how the expat youth is already taking the world by storm!

May 2017 Edition Page 94 Back to TOC Back to TOC Alan November: Inviting Global Perspectives into the Classroom by Alan November (article produced in partnership with Cisco Education) cross posted to November Learning

As our schools and universities prepare students to make a contribution to the world, it is important to benchmark the emerging critical skills they will need to solve increasingly complex problems. As we accelerate the speed of moving data and communications around the world, one strategic skill emerges that we traditionally have not taught: global empathy.

My own introduction to how valued this skill is came from an interview I had with the CEO of one of the largest banks in the world. He did not hesitate when I asked him, “Which skill is the most important one where you see a shortage in the workforce?” His answer: global empathy. He went on to explain why. “Global empathy,” he said, “is the ability to understand and respect different points of view. We invest in complicated projects across the globe. The shortage we see is hiring people who understand how to value the various points of view on a team who are digitally connected from all over the world. We can have engineers, bankers, architects, researchers, designers, marketing people, and more—all working on the same project who live and operate from dozens of countries.”

The executive continued: “It’s not hard to find employees who have high test scores. What is hard to find are employees who can effectively contribute to teamwork and be sensitive to the needs of people from other cultures, religions, and regions, who might have very different perspectives from their own.”

The boundaries of relationships prescribed by our traditional classrooms typically limit students to conversations with peers sitting next to them. In many classrooms, this means that when we assign work that challenges students to understand geographically diverse topics, or different points of view on a local topic, there is a complete lack of

May 2017 Edition Page 95 Back to TOC authentic global empathy. If the global banker is correct, we must tap our investment in Internet connections to our classrooms and provide our students with meaningful experiences to develop a sense of working with the world. It is no longer sufficient to earn high-test scores without global empathy.

Fortunately, technology makes it extremely easy for today’s students to become globally aware. From web and video conferencing platforms, to social media channels and collaborative software (like Cisco Spark and WebEx), educators now have incredibly powerful tools to connect their students instantly with classrooms and subject-matter experts from around the world—a development that has profound implications for education.

My consulting work takes me to schools all over the world, and I regret to say that many educators I have met still are not taking full advantage of this ability. Some teachers might believe there is not enough time in the school day for them to get through everything they have to cover in the curriculum, while also connecting their students with others around the globe; others might fear the loss of control that comes with opening their classrooms to the world at large.

What if you could cover the curriculum and leverage authentic global connections to motivate students to work harder on required content and develop global empathy? The teachers I have met whose students are globally connected have witnessed a dramatic increase in student engagement. Globally connected classrooms do not have to give up focus on basic skills such as reading and writing in elementary school or subject content in secondary school. Not only are their students learning essential skills that will prepare them for success in work and life, but also these students are more fully engaged in their learning. They are also gaining rich experiences that will stay with them long after they have handed in their final exam.

Here are some of the key aspects of global empathy: Click hereto read the full article on the AASSA Blog

The End

May 2017 Edition Page 96 Back to TOC Back to TOC