The EARCOS Triannual JOURNAL a Link to Educational Excellence in East Asia FALL 2017

The EARCOS Triannual JOURNAL A Link to Educational Excellence in East Asia FALL 2017

Featured in this Issue Educational Leadership Philosophy - George Couros An Aging World - Award winning student essay The EARCOS JOURNAL

The ET Journal is a triannual publication of the East Asia Regional Letter from the Council of Schools(EARCOS), a nonprofit 501(C)3, incorporated in the state of Delaware, USA, with a regional office in Manila, Executive Director Philippines. Membership in EARCOS is open to elementary and secondary schools in East Asia which offer an educational program using English as the primary language of instruction, and to other organizations, institutions, and individuals. Dear Colleagues: Objectives and Purposes I wish everyone the very best for the 2017-18 school year! A special welcome to 31 new heads of school and new principals. See pages 4-6 for all the names and schools. In * To promote intercultural understanding and international addition to new leaders, we have six new member schools for a total of 158. We now friendship through the activities of member schools. have over 130,000 students, and nearly 15,000 teachers and administrators! As we * To broaden the dimensions of education of all schools grow, we are still committed to providing the best quality professional development involved in the Council in the interest of a total program of and support for the educators in our region. education. * To advance the professional growth and welfare of individuals The 2017 EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC) is scheduled for October 26 - 28 belonging to the educational staff of member schools. at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. We have an excellent group of present- * To facilitate communication and cooperative action between ers, and it should be an outstanding conference with keynoters Simon Breakspear and and among all associated schools. Peter Dalglish, and we will repeat Leadership Stories by our own leaders in EARCOS * To cooperate with other organizations and individuals pursu- schools. The ELC has a host of special presenters and EARCOS leaders offering practi- ing the same objectives as the Council. cal, hands-on workshops. It is going to be a great one!

Please review the EARCOS-sponsored events on the last page of this magazine. It is EARCOS BOARD OF TRUSTEES a full year of activities, with our Professional Learning Weekends (PLW). Last year, our PLW,s were attended by nearly 1,500 teachers. These are truly some of the best and Margaret Alvarez, President (ISS International School) most cost-effective professional learning experiences available. Thanks to our small, Stephen Cathers, Vice President (International School Suva) medium, and large schools who will host these events this year. Tarek Razik, Treasurer (Jakarta Intercultural School) Norma Hudson (International School of Kuala Lumpur) We welcome back Mr Bill Oldread and say thanks to Joe Petrone who will work virtu- David Toze, Past President (International School Manila) ally with us from his home in Pinedale,Wyoming. We hope you enjoy our EARCOS Stephen Dare (Hong Kong Academy) Journal. Please remember that it is our mission to help you in your task of school Andrew Davies (International School Bangkok) leadership. Keep in touch with Bill Oldread’s E-Connect blog and the EARCOS com- Barry Sutherland (International School of Phnom Penh) munity on Google Plus. Saburo Kagei (St. Mary’s International School) I look forward to seeing many of you in Bangkok and wish you all the best for a most Office of Overseas successful and rewarding school year. Schools REO: Lawrence A. Hobdell (ex officio)

EARCOS STAFF Dick Krajczar Executive Director Executive Director: Richard Krajczar Assistant Director: Bill Oldread Check out our updated website at www.earcos.org, our E-Connect blog, and our Consultant: Joe Petrone Google+ Community. Vitz Baltero Elaine Repatacodo Ver Castro Edzel Drilo Robert Sonny Viray Rod Catubig Jr. April Asiño

Editor: Bill Oldread Associate Editor: Edzel Drilo

East Asia Regional Council of Schools Brentville Subdivision, Barangay Mamplasan Biñan, Laguna, 4024, Philippines (L-R) Bill Oldread, Edzel Drilo, Rod Catubig, Dick Krajczar PHONE: 63-02-697-9170 (Sitting) Ver Castro, Vitz Baltero, Elaine Repatacodo, Robert Viray FAX: 63-49-511-4694 WEBSITE: www.earcos.org In this Issue

contents

4 Welcome New EARCOS Members - New Schools EARCOS and CIS - Institute On Higher Education - New Heads - New High School Principals Admission and Guidance rd - New Middle School Principals EARCOS and CIS are pleased to announce the 3 Annual INSTITUTE - New Elementary School Principals ON HIGHER EDUCATION ADMISSION AND GUIDANCE. - New Associate Institutions Sept. 22-23, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand, Shangri-La Hotel 8 Global Citizenship Awardees visit www.earcos.org 9 Global Citizenship Community Grant Recipients The EARCOS Action Research Grant 10 Faces of EARCOS In an ongoing effort to implement the EARCOS Strategic Plan, specifically Strategy E, to conduct, communicate, and archive relevant data and research 11 EdThought to identify and enhance exceptional educational practices, grants will be - Educational Leadership made available to encourage our teachers, administrators, and professional - Building A Better Transcript: What Grades Measure, And staff to conduct action research to improve educational practices for the What They Don’t purpose of enhancing student learning. Action research is a reflective process, conducted in the school setting, to solve a real problem, or to improve 14 Student Writing and enhance the instructional process.This research may be undertaken by - An Aging World an individual, or by several people collaboratively. - Ling and the Wishing Tree It is our belief that the results of such research will impact not only the 18 Opinion researchers’ practices but also those of others with whom they share their - Navigating the Digital World Together - A Personal Reflection findings.To that end, grantees will be expected to publish their findings, which will be made available to all EARCOS members on the website. 19 Curriculum Initiative Some researchers may elect to present their work at a subsequent ETC, - Will There Ever be a Perfect Math Program? ELC, or publish it in the EARCOS Journal. Please visit the EARCOS website - The Importance of Trilingualism In The 21st Century for more information. www.earcos.org and see page 34 for a report from - Success Start for All a recent researcher. - STEAM is Strong at Taipei American School - Project Innovate a New Vision for Future Contribute to the ET Journal Service Learning 26 If you have something going on at your school in any of the following - Capstone Service Projects at ICS-Bangkok categories that you would like to see highlighted in the Winter issue please - Cebu I.S. Cooperative of International Service Learning send it along to us: 28 Curriculum/Service Learning Faces of EARCOS - Embedding Service Learning in the Curriculum - Promotions, retirements, honors, etc. Service Learning Programs Campus Development 29 Community Service - New building plans, under construction, just - Teda International School Brings Service to Qinghai completed projects. Curriculum - New and exciting curriculum adoptions. Green and Sustainable 30 Green & Sustainable - Related to campus development or to - Going Green in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia curriculum efforts. Community Service Projects Student Art 32 Press Release - Global Math Week - We showcase outstanding student art in each edition. (E.S. Fall Issue, M.S. Winter Issue, and H.S. Spring Issue) Student Writing 34 Action Research - Learning Vocabulary through Drama Games Press Releases 36 Elementary School Gallery Thank you for your help in allowing us to highlight the great things that are 38 Campus Development going on in EARCOS schools. - Dominican International School New School Buildings - Int’l School Beijing - Elementary Engineering and Design

39 On the Road with Dr. K

Back cover: Approved EARCOS Professional Learning Weekend SY 2017-2018 Fall 2017

Fall 2017 Issue 1 EARCOS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2017 OCTOBER 26-28, 2017 BANGKOK, THAILAND “Leading and Learning: A Journey of Hope and Joy” The East Asia Regional Council of Schools is excited to invite you and your administrative staff as delegates at the 49th annual EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC2017) in Bangkok, Thailand scheduled for October 26-28, 2017. We have a host of excellent keynote speakers and workshop presenters. Our Keynoters are: SIMON BREAKSPEAR and PETER DALGLISH.

We think the conference will prove to be professionally stimulating and will provide you with an opportunity for networking and building camaraderie.

OUR SPONSORS:

SUPPORTED BY EARCOS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2017 “Leading and Learning: A Journey of Hope and Joy” KEYNOTE SPEAKERS EARCOS MEMBER PRESENTATIONS

PETER DALGLISH - Peter Dalglish as a 28-year old Stanford-educated Chris Akin Martin Leicht lawyer chose another path: he traded in a promising legal career to Margaret Alvarez / Deidre Fischer Jolene Lockwood / Kristine Jerabek / Chip Barder / Sujoy Chaudri Michelle Gow work alongside some of the world’s poorest children. Chris Beingessner / Chris Raymaakers Dan Long / Jill Fagen Sponsored by International School Services Andy Birch David Lovelin / Natalie Broderick Warren Bowers Iain Macfarlane / Lauren Harvey SIMON BREAKSPEAR - Dr. Simon Breakspear is known internation- Megan Brazil / Nitasha Chaudhuri / Ste- Alasdair Maclean / Evelyn Lichtenauer ally for helping educational leaders navigate disruptive change, develop phen Lush Rami Madani innovation capabilities and drive continuous improvement for better William Brown / Alexandra Manning Urko Masse learning. Simon is a Research Fellow of the Asia Pacific Centre for Madeleine Bystrom / Dr. Julie Schuilwerve Vjaceslavs Matvejevs Leadership and Change at The Education University of Hong Kong and Chris Capadona / Nel Capadona Mark McCallum Jonathan Carter Mark McElroy / Daniel Kilback the Founder of Agile Schools. He has advised and spoken to school Mihoko Chida / Meredith Lawson Brian McManus / Joann Binns and system leaders in over 10 countries. John D’Arcy Nancy Meislahn / Zina L. Evans Sponsored by Taylor’s Schools Stephen Dare / Jennifer Swinehart Suzanne Murray Andrew Davies Rob Newberry LEADERSHIP STORIES Gerald Donovan Hieu Nguyen / Robert Hughes Sponsored by International Insurance Solutions Sarah Donovan Julie Olson / Azra Pathan / Steve Katz / Andy Dougharty Suji Dehart GOVERNANCE WORKSHOP Nicolene du Preez Karen ONeill & Sachiko Leanne Dunlap / Caroline Brokvam Ryan Persaud Open to all Board Members and Heads Peter Eliot / Heidi Eliot Amie Pollack / Nguyen Hieu Marc Frankel and Bambi Betts Deidre Fischer Christie Powell / Karrie Dietz Liz Gale Tom Reed Preconferences Richard Gaskell / Ochan Powell / Sami Yosef Jo Rice Marilyn George Katie Rigney-Zimmermann / David Perkin Tuesday, October 24, 2017 Rob Grantham / DJ MacPherson / Lisa Erin Robinson / Stuart MacAlpine Marc Frankel, Leadership Through Partnership(LTP) Kipfer Juan Saavedra / Sarah Thawley Rami Madani, Curriculum Coordinator Precon. Aimee Gruber Chris Schuster / Patrick Love IB PRECON, (2 day workshop) Don Hale James Scott / Kathryn Nelson / Noelehua Carlene Hamley / Kasey Burns Archambault Wednesday, October 25, 2017 Paul Henderson Peggy Smith Christopher Henry / Anthea Clifton Barry Sutherland Jefferson Cann Ochan Powell Kiersten Hewitt / Jane McGee / Kari Yuen Kevin Baker / Norma Hudson / Tarek Jane Hyun Ann Straub Michael Hirsch Razik Chris Jansen/Dan Brown Janice Toben Sarah Howling / Maria Osowiecki GSIS Admin Team / Darryl Harding / Deborah Janz-Kriger Robert Steele and Lynda Rolph Norman Hudson / Rami Madani / Yvonne Mei-Lyn Freeman Rami Madani Kendall Zoller Bui Noel Thomas / Christine Xu Bruce Mills Marilyn George (WASC) Virginia Hunt / Leanne Dunlap Melanie Vrba / Madeleine Brookes Paul Kang Kelly Walter Steve Katz Rachael Westgarth SPECIAL PRESENTERS Helen Kelly Julian Whiteley Bambi Betts Chris Jansen Stuart Kent / Colm Flanahan Cory Willey Nicholas Kent Lucinda Willis Simon Breakspear Deborah Janz-Kriger Daniel Kilback Chelsea Woods Jefferson Cann Rami Madani Connie Kim / Shelly Wille Nicola Zulu / Margaret Alvarez Peter Dalglish Bruce Mills Chip Kimball Peter and Heidi Eliot Ochan Powell Jared Kuruzovich / Tosca Killoran Marc Frankel Ann Straub Maria Guajardo Janice Toben Stephen Holmes Sarah Whyte Jim Hulbert Kendall Zoller Jane Hyun visit www.earcos.org/elc2017/ Welcome New Schools >> Yew Chung International School Of Qingdao http://www.ycis-qd.com/en/ Dwight School Seoul http://www.dwight.or.kr Punahou School https://www.punahou.edu Welcome New Heads >> American School in Japan, The Jim Hardin, Head of School American School in Taichung Anthony Keen, Director Bandung Independent School Chris Toomer, Head of School Beijing City International School Christopher Akin, Head of School Beijing International Bilingual Academy Ouyang Hua, Head of School British School Jakarta Shane Nathan, Principal Canadian International School, Tokyo Robert Pittman, Principal Chinese International School Bin Li, Interim Head Daegu International School Chris Murphy, Head of School Dostyk American International School (Kazakhstan) Seamus Marriott, Director Dwight School Seoul Kevin Skeoch, Head of School Ekamai International School Prachack Jitbunyad, Director Fukuoka International School Robin Schneider, Head of School International School of Beijing Patrick Hurworth, Head of School International School of Ulaanbaatar William Elman, Director International School Suva Stephen Cathers, Interim Head ISE International School Alexandar Benett, Superintendent Jakarta Intercultural School Tarek Razik, Head of School Kaohsiung American School Ben Ploeger, Superintendent Korea International School Michelle Quirin, School Director Kyoto International School Craig Dwyer, Principal Nanjing International School Laurie McLellan, Director Northbridge International School Cambodia Richard Vaughan, Principal North Jakarta Intercultural School Thomas Bendel, Head of School Punahou School James Scott, Head of School Shenzhen Shekou International School Robert Stearns, Head of School Suzhou Singapore International School Nicholas Little, Head of School Teda International School Tim Warren, Headmaster Thai-Chinese International School John McGrath, Head of School Tianjin International School Rachel Scroggins, Head Principal UWC Thailand International School Jay McBride, Head of School Wuhan Yangtze International School Erika Carlson, Head Principal Yew Chung International School of Qingdao Jeroen Gakes, Co-Principal Welcome New High School Principals >> American Pacific International School Luis Ramirez American School of Bangkok, The Neil Walton Asia Pacific International School Andy Murphy Ayeyarwaddy International School Ms. Barbara Schultz Bandung Independent School Amy Bowley Beijing International Bilingual Academy Sharyn Baddeley Brent International School Baguio Benjamin R. Josephson Brent International School Subic Brett Petrillo

4 EARCOS Triannual Journal British School Jakarta Dineke Spackman Chinese International School Laszlo Varro Christian Academy in Japan Damon Ealey Concordia International School Hanoi Ian Sutherland Dwight School Seoul Mark Geraets Ekamai International School Tommy Thomas Faith Academy, Inc. Jon Barlow Global Jaya School Steven Spannring Gyeongnam International Foreign School Charles Campbell Hong Kong International School David Lovelin International Christian School - Hong Kong Emerson Keung International Christian School - Pyeongtaek Charlie Mooney International School of Brunei Robert Commons International School of Dongguan James S.Anderson ISE International School Kristen Applegate Mont’Kiara International School Alan Shanks Nagoya International School Aubrey Curran NIST International School John Snowball Northbridge International School Cambodia Ben Holman Punahou School Emily McCarren Seoul Foreign School Jeff Holcomb Shanghai American School John Muldoon Singapore International School of Bangkok Ong Tech Chin Suzhou Singapore International School Richard Bruford Thai-Chinese International School Thomas English The British School, New Delhi Timothy Fryer Tianjin International School James Delzer United World College of South East Asia Rebecca Butterworth (Dover) UWC Thailand International School Jonathan Field Vientiane International School Christine Santilli Wells International School - On Nut Campus William Jones Yew Chung International School of Qingdao Jason Caruana Yokohama International School Elise Vitty Welcome New Middle School Principals >> American School in Japan, The Pip Curtis American School of Bangkok, The Neil Walton Asia Pacific International School Meg Hayne Bandung Independent School Amy Bowley Beijing City International School Colleen Drisner Beijing International Bilingual Academy Sharyn Baddeley Busan International Foreign School Jamie Robb Concordia International School Hanoi Ian Sutherland Dalat International School Steven Hutchcraft Dwight School Seoul Mark Geraets Hangzhou International School Jessamine Koenig International Christian School - Hong Kong Stephen Taylor International Christian School - Pyeongtaek Charlie Mooney International Community School - Bangkok Karen Conwell International School Bangkok Dennis Harter ISE International School Kristen Applegate ISS International School Michael Taylor Korea International School Jim Slaid Korea International School-JeJu Campus Julia Reynen Nagoya International School Aubrey Curran NIST International School John Snowball Osaka YMCA International School John Botting Punahou School Paris Priore-Kim Seoul International School John Benavidez Singapore International School of Bangkok Cecilia Ng Stamford American International School Sheila Klein Fall 2017 Issue 5 Taipei American School Shaun O’Rourke Thai-Chinese International School Conrad Pholar UWC Thailand International School Jonathan Field Vientiane International School Christine Santilli Yew Chung International School of Qingdao Julie Clegg Yokohama International School Elise Vitty Yongsan International School of Seoul Susan Sevey Welcome New Elementary School Principals >> Alice Smith School Tom Verity American International School of Guangzhou Tatiana Lopukhin American Pacific International School Christiana Cavaliere American School of Bangkok, The Neil Walton Asia Pacific International School Judy Park Bandung Independent School Amy Bowley Bangkok Patana School Jason Cooper Beijing International Bilingual Academy Cynthia Wrenn Busan International Foreign School Nate Swenson Cebu International School Theodore Mockrish Chatsworth International School Michael Berry Dalian American International School Peter Row Dwight School Seoul Susan Allenspach-Kuss Ekamai International School Hazel Ilao Hangzhou International School Robert Hyndman International Christian School - Pyeongtaek Charlie Mooney International School of Dongguan Raedel Bagley International School Suva Rebecca Clentworth ISE International School Holly Reardon ISS International School Sharyn Skrtic Kunming International Academy Rebecca Young Nagoya International School Aubrey Curran NIST International School Jane Cooper Northbridge International School Cambodia Kascha Reed Osaka YMCA International School John Botting Punahou School Paris Priore-Kim Raffles American School Tim Shepherd Saigon South International School Dan Keller Shanghai American School Michael Hibbeln Shenzhen Shekou International School Harish Kanabar Singapore International School of Bangkok Narisa Letnamwongwan Stamford American International School Clare Johnstone / Elena De La Rosa Surabaya Intercultural School Tylene Desfosses Thai-Chinese International School Betsy Fitch The British School, New Delhi Craig Lewis Tianjin International School Rachel Scroggins UWC Thailand International School Jaki Graham Western Academy of Beijing Angela Steinmann Yew Chung International School of Qingdao Gareth Probert Yongsan International School of Seoul Krista Roll

6 EARCOS Triannual Journal Welcome New Associate Institutions >>

Agenda Consulting Services: Agenda is a specialised consultancy service which provides creative communications, marketing and fundraising initiatives for international schools and educational institutions. www.agconsulting.asia

International Medical Group IMG Services: Insurance www.imglobal.com

KOMPAN ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD Services: KOMPAN is the world’s largest playground manufacturer/supplier; develop, produce and market an ex- tensive range of playground equipment that covers all age groups.. Offices in 17 countries. Globally distributed – in 65 countries. www.kompan.com

Moonlight School Services: Provide the quality education for the needy children in Nepal. www.moonlight.org.np

New Member Service – Update

The EARCOS Leadership Mentoring (ELM) initiative is enjoying the benefits of pilot cohort members’ reflections and improvement suggestions. These volunteer members have been engaged throughout the recent long holiday break. Cohort members completed either a mentor or mentee application in May 2017 and continue to work through eight common language modules (CLM), which were delivered via an online platform and opened for enrollment in mid-June 2017. EARCOS gratefully recognizes the commitment of these cohort members and warmly extends gratitude to each of them for participating during the long summer/winter holiday.

Pilot cohort reflections and improvement suggestions for all aspects of our new member service have been well received and predicts enhanced quality for those EARCOS members, who wish to join the ranks of ELM mentors and mentees. And, the meaningful feedback continues, as cohort members are completing the final stages of the online CLM. More formal avenues for cohort members to offer reflections will include a survey and individual interviews. The results from this data gathering will be studied to assure relevant content in the CLM and usefulness of the application process for subsequent matching of mentors with mentees.

EARCOS anticipates a formal launch of this new member service immediately following the 2017 EARCOS Leadership Conference, as applications for prospective mentors and mentees will be opened to EARCOS members at this time. Following the two-week application window (29 October – 11 November), those completing an application will be invited to join the inaugural CLM cohort, which is scheduled for 12 November through 06 January 2018.

Those interested in learning more about ELM, or certain that they wish to eventually join fellow EARCOS school leaders (mentors) and aspiring leaders (mentees) are asked to access this link (http://www.earcos.org/elm_application.php), which leads you to the series of articles published in three consecutive EARCOS Triannuals published during the 2016/17 school year. Also, at this link you will find additional details about this new member service.

Dr. Joe Petrone, EARCOS Consultant

Fall 2017 Issue 7 Global Citizenship Awardees >> List of Global Citizenship Award 2017 Winners

This award is presented to a student who embraces the qualities of a global citizen. This student is a proud representative of his/her nation while respectful of the diversity of other nations, has an open mind, is well informed, aware and empathetic, concerned and caring for others encouraging a sense of community, and strongly committed to engagement and action to make the world a better place. Finally, this student is able to interact and communicate effectively with people from all walks of life while having a sense of collective responsibility for all who inhabit the globe.

SCHOOL NAME OF STUDENT

Access International Academy Ningbo Chai Hyun Park American International School Hong Kong Yumeng (Alice) YANG American International School of Guangzhou Hyun Ji Jeong American School in Japan, The Kai Shimojo American School in Taichung Jenna Wu Bali Island School Song Hee Chang Bandung Alliance Intercultural School Jessica Hirianto Bandung Independent School Annabel Ashworth Bangalore International School Ryan Saleel Bangkok Patana School Chada (Jessy) Mahadumrongkul Beijing BISS International School Se Yeon Park Beijing City International School Sylvia Qiu Berkeley International School Missy Sorhirun Brent International School Baguio Sachitha Bhat Brent International School Manila Sung Won Hwang Brent International School Subic Jillian Davies Busan Foreign School Jihong Lee Busan International Foreign School Chaeri Yoo Canadian Academy Karuna Khemaney Canadian International School of Hong Kong Helena Hatrick Cebu International School Catrina Lee Sanchez Suarez Chadwick International School Yura Kim Chinese International School Victoria Ngai Christian Academy in Japan Angela Loh Concordia International School Shanghai Helen Zhang Daegu International School Anna Wonbeen Lee Dalat International School Areeya Kunawaradisai Garden International School Anoushka Upadhyay Hangzhou International School Prachi Sukhnani Harbour School, The Ignacio Hui Hong Kong Academy Jack Robb Hong Kong International School Ella Hurworth International Christian School - Hong Kong Hanming Zeng International School Bangkok Alaina Pinvises International School Ho Chi Minh City Hsin-Tien (Sandy) Lee International School Manila Khenzom Alling International School of Beijing Sean Wang International School of Kuala Lumpur Gayoung (Kris) Jeong International School of Phnom Penh Lefee Ouy International School of Qingdao Rachel Chee International School of Tianjin Amit Mishra International School of Ulaanbaatar Khaliun Enkhbayar ISS International School Tarish Kadam Jakarta Intercultural School Riwa Tamai Kaohsiung American School Angela Chen KIS International School Naleenvali Sirathanapornpat Korea International School Megan Juyon Lee Korea International School - JeJu Campus Yeon Jae “Skyler” Cho Korea Kent Foreign School Zafar Khaleque Kunming International Academy Yoon Kim 8 EARCOS Triannual Journal Lanna International School Thailand Hyeon Seok Marist Brothers International School Mariko Nomi Mont’Kiara International School Samuel Jian Xuan Ng Nagoya International School Haruka Takagi Nanjing International School Jen-wei (Willy) Wang NIST International School Rairat (Am) Chunnananda North Jakarta Intercultural School Putra Ngadimin Northbridge International School Cambodia Seimony Sun Oberoi International School Trisha Sharma Osaka International School Mia Lewis Prem Tinsulanonda International School Suchanan Rasnam Thakral QSI International School of Shenzhen Jin Gyu (Marcel) Lee Ruamrudee International School Nacha Rapeerattanakul Saigon South International School Kaithe Fadreguilan Saint Maur International School Seena Katayama Seisen International School Youkie Shiozawa Seoul Foreign School Erica Ji-hyun Kim Seoul International School Diane Dahyun Lee Shanghai American School - Pudong Campus Kevin Zhang Yang Shanghai American School - Puxi Campus Yujia (Shelly) Huang Shanghai Community Int’l School-Hongqiao Campus Charlotte Gray Shenzhen College of International Education Panzhen Wu Singapore American School Ruth Jaensubhakij Taejon Christian International School Rebecca Jiwon Park Taipei American School Claire Moy Teda International School In Ye Ram The British School, New Delhi Soo Min Park The International School Yangon Raj Venkatesh Tianjin International School KangHyoun Ryu Tohoku International School John Lee United Nations International School of Hanoi Yoav Shahar United World College of S.E. Asia-Dover Campus Chanreaksmey So United World College of S.E. Asia-East Campus Julia Hae Jin Kim UWC Thailand International School Diogo da Costa Vientiane International School Noni Flint Wells International School – On Nut Campus Chae Jin Shin Western Academy of Beijing (Bohong) Danny Du Wuhan Yangtze International School Cho Rock (Jessica) Park Yangon International School May Pyae Zaw Yew Chung International School of Beijing Vani Gupta Yew Chung International School of Shanghai Elizabeth Libby Robinson Yokohama International School Arunansu Patra Global Citizenship Community Grant Recipients >>

All of us here at EARCOS wish to extend our sincere congratulations to the following Global Citizens who have been chosen to receive an EARCOS Global Citizen Community Service Grant of $500 to further their excellent community work during this upcoming academic year. The recipients are: Chad (Jessy) Mahadum, Bangkok Patana School Elizabeth Fay Robinson, Yew Chung International School of Project Name: Palliative Care (Youth Association of Shanghai Thailand) Project Name: Make A Difference Run

Suchanan (Rasnam), Prem Tinsulanonda International School Helena Hatrick, Canadian International School of Hong Kong Project Name: Advocates for Global Welfare Project Name: RESPECT (Refugee Educational Support Program- Everyone Can Teach!) Hsin Tien Lee (Sandy), International School Ho Chi Minh City Project Name: Youth for Elderly Service (YES)

Helen Zhang, Concordia International School Shanghai Project Name: Huge Grace Orphanage Fall 2017 Issue 9 Faces of EARCOS

Sab Kagei - EARCOS Board of Trustees Saburo “Sab” Kagei is an example of a “third-culture kid” and a continuation of international school education. The sixth of eight children, Sab attended Ruamrudee and St. Mary’s International School in the EARCOS region, and is the headmaster at his alma mater St. Mary’s, an all-boys’ Catholic school founded by the Brothers of Christian Instruction in Tokyo, Japan. Four of his five sisters attended the International School of the Sacred Heart, and one of his two brothers is also a graduate of St. Mary’s. He has worked as an elementary homeroom teacher at the sixth & fifth grade levels, computer science instructor grades 7-12, coached sports and fine arts, and worked as the middle and high school principal at his current school. His wife, Ann, is the middle school principal at Seisen International School, and his daughter, Kristen, is a graduate of the same school. This three- some also attended and graduated from Georgetown University, and Sab further earned two MA’s from Cal State University Northridge. He is honored and humbled to serve as an EARCOS Board member, and is eager to learn and work.

Elsa Donohue - National Distinguished Principal Elsa has been named the 2017 National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary Principals. Elsa is currently the elementary principal at the Jakarta Intercul- tural School. Her work at JIS has included aspects of leadership that range from leading and supporting a shift in philosophical approaches to teaching and learning, to being involved in a master planning process for campus development, to strengthening the school’s image through government relations, specifically with the Ministry of Education. Elsa’s latest passion focuses on supporting the expansion of leadership capacity throughout the school, with special attention to growing teacher leaders, middle level leadership and highly effective teams.

Elsa holds two Master’s degrees from the graduate school of education at Michigan State University in Curriculum and Teaching and Educational Leadership She has provided professional development sessions at the Principal Training Center (PTC), EARCOS conferences and African International Schools Association conferences.

Bill Oldread - EARCOS Assistant Director After four years in the U.S., Bill Oldread has returned to his former position of EARCOS Assistant Director. Prior to his first four year tenure at EARCOS Bill held administrative positions at Brent International School and Shanghai American School. Previous to that he taught science in Maine and Massachusetts for 25 years.

In Memoriam - Dr. Ernie Mannino

Dr. Ernie Mannino has died. Ernie was truly a giant of international education who lived an exceptionally accomplished life of service as an educator and leader. He was a true vision- ary and a fearless crusader for ensuring the availability of high quality international education around the world. Ernie made a huge impact on international education and will be remembered fondly by his many colleagues, friends, AAIE, the Office of Overseas Schools, and educators in East Asia. In 2010 Dr. Mannino was inducted into the Watertown, Mas- sachusetts Hall of fame, his hometown.

Youtube Link: http://tinyurl.com/yckpnl37 Read more about Dr. Ernest Mannino: http://tinyurl.com/y7srjg77

10 EARCOS Triannual Journal EdThought >> Educational Leadership Philosophy By George Couros

I wanted to think about my own “Educational Leadership Philosophy” continues to change, schools need to adapt to best serve our stu- and put it into words as I come into the new school year. As I write this dents for their future as well as their present. Those that are willing down, I love the picture below that reminds me it is not only what we say, to adapt and learn from change now, will be the ones that are most but what we do that matters. likely to be successful in the future. As we see different jobs being created in our world, while other jobs are becoming irrelevant, we look to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs in schools. This is often created by instilling a sense of “intrapreneurial spirit” within educators that are always looking to develop and further the organization. While we look and build on what has worked in the past, we must also continuously look forward.

One of those changes in our world is a shift to an open and trans- parent environment. As an administrator, I have the opportunity to become better by continuously being able to visit classrooms and see what the most effective teachers do. Peers do not have this same opportunity because of our physical environment. Through the use of different technologies such as blogging and Twitter, we open up our classrooms to other educators not only in our own schools, but to schools around the world to bring them in on this collaboration. As I always focus on “what is best for kids”, it is crucial that we look to not only help our own students, but how we can Photo by Soliya help other students from around the globe as well. As we tell our students when they walk into our schools, we must ensure that we Education and school have traditionally been the hub of our com- create a culture of sharing within our own community to learn from munities. Not only for the wisdom and knowledge that they create others around the world, as well as within our own community. The for our present and future, but for the connections that they create most innovative environments outside of school tap into the “wis- amongst a community. Growing up in a small town, teachers were dom of the room” and bring in different voices to continuously learn revered and respected for the work that they did with students, and and grow; schools must do the same. they always made an effort to connect with parents to bring them in on the learning process of their child, not just with developing intel- To be successful, people must have a purpose within our organi- ligence, but developing students as people. The notion of, “it takes zation. This included parents who are a great untapped resource a village”, is something that I believe in deeply, and believe that it is within our own communities. We can no longer have children going more important now than ever. home and being asked the question, “what did you learn today?”, and responding with, “nothing.” By opening the doors to our class- As a leader, I believe in bringing a community together to share rooms through both physical and virtual environments, we have the leadership in many different avenues. In a quote from Tom Peters, opportunity to change the conversation at home. Parents are able he states that “leaders don’t create followers, they create more lead- to be actively involved in the process of learning, leading to a higher ers.”8 In a school community, this starts at the top in working with opportunity for success of each child. The more we can involve others to develop their leadership in every position and level of parents in this process at home, the more likely students will be suc- school. By focusing on an individual’s strengths, you show that you cessful in school, and beyond. This community support is imperative. value their expertise first, before you look to help them develop in other areas. This strength-based focus helps to build a relationship In summary, building relationships, developing leadership, and focus- with each individual, pushing them to be better every day. When ing on school as the “hub” of our community,we are more likely the leader of an organization has this belief and proves it through ac- to create an environment where our students are building a bright tions, it trickles down to students in the classroom. The more expe- future both today and tomorrow. By looking at what worked in rience I have in leadership, the more I see that effective teachers are the past while also looking to develop our future, our community is effective leaders, and have this same strength-based approach with more likely to be able to come together to create the schools our their students. If we have a community that focus on building leader- kids need. ship in all areas, we are more likely to be successful within our vision. Reprinted with permission of the author George Couros. Through this value on developing leadership,2 our schools are more www.georgecouros.ca/blog/about-me/educational-leadership-philosophy open not only to navigate but to lead change as well. As society Fall 2017 Issue 11 EdThought >> Building A Better Transcript: What Grades Measure, And What

They Don’t By Tony Wagner, Expert in Residence at Harvard University’s Innovation Lab

This month, approximately 3.5 million high school seniors will be and heart that cannot be measured by Carnegie Units. granted diplomas. Students who can take initiative, learn through trial and error, col- The rest of us will (and should) applaud their achievements, but laborate, persist, understand and solve problems through interdis- we must also stop and consider: What did these students have to ciplinary approaches, and who have strong moral foundations are do to earn their diplomas, and what, exactly, has their schoolwork set up to thrive in the future. The students who are merely good at prepared them for? the “game of school” — those with high grades but without those skills — are not. In 1892, The Committee of Ten, led by Harvard President Charles Eliot, created a standardized framework for the high school curricu- And if school is a game, then “losing” comes with stark emotional lum that, in turn, dictated essential prerequisites for college admis- consequences. Too many students in our “best” suburban and inde- sions. This system requires that students earn between 18 and 24 pendent schools increasingly experience high school as a cutthroat “Carnegie Units” in order to graduate. A Carnegie Unit is a stand- competition for admission to a selective college. Bright and resilient ardized measure of “seat time served” in a given class — roughly students who receive poor grades or don’t get into the “right” col- 120 hours of a class over the course of a year. lege often see themselves as losers for life.

Students’ grades in a particular class are supposed to represent how There is a better way. well they served that time, and students’ grade point average and class rank are taken as measures of how well individuals have per- In March of this year, some of America’s leading independent schools formed compared to peers. And these numbers still make up the announced the creation of the Mastery Transcript Consortium typical high school transcript, which is required by virtually every (MTC). It is an effort to create an entirely new way to assess and college and university in America in order to be considered for ad- report the quality of student work — one that is based on real evi- mission. dence of mastery, rather than a grade or time spent in a particular class. But these measures are more than a century old, and hopelessly obsolete. In this era of innovation, all students need essential skills The MTC is still in development; it will be built, refined and tested and dispositions for work, learning, and citizenship — habits of mind over the next several years.

12 EARCOS Triannual Journal But the goal is to finally see students’ educational record in clearer tery Transcript Consortium is developing ways to record what stu- focus, and in three dimensions. dents can do with what they know.

The new reporting will indicate the skills and knowledge that stu- “Each Mastery Credit applied to a transcript signifies complete mas- dents have mastered. But it will also include qualities of character tery of a specific skill, knowledge block or habit of mind as defined that make their humanity visible and help admissions officers make by the crediting high school,” says the Consortium’s founder, Scott better decisions when it comes to an applicant’s “fit.” The design Looney. Reading the electronic transcript “will allow college admis- will help colleges better understand students’ skill sets and potential sion officers to dive deep within a transcript to see the specific to succeed on campus, and allows students to present themselves standards of the sending high school and actual evidence of student more authentically to admissions officers. work and mastery, thus giving depth and transparency to the student’s work record.” Since the March announcement, more than 100 schools have signed up to join in the discussion and development of the Mastery Tran- There are many ways to acquire and demonstrate mastery. Some script, including renowned schools such as Phillips Andover Acad- students may choose internships to gain mastery of a particular emy and Punahou in Hawaii, President Obama’s alma mater. competency, take college courses or work in another country. The And the Edward E. Ford Foundation just gave the Consortium a $2 genius of the Mastery Transcript Consortium is that it will register million grant to develop its technology platform. Once there is a and reward individual students’ achievements and choices while still proof of concept, the Mastery Transcript Consortium membership providing a common framework for assessment. will be open to all public and private high schools at a cost com- mensurate with each institution’s resources. After 124 years, it’s time to reimagine the high school curriculum for the 21st century and to encourage teaching and assessment of How many of us studied a foreign language for four years in high the skills and dispositions that matter most. Our students deserve school, but graduated unable to carry on an extended conversation a more accurate measure, and they shouldn’t have to wait another in that language? How many of us did well enough in high school century for their transcripts to better reflect their accomplishments. geometry and algebra, yet struggle to use math to solve real-world problems? In the 21st century, academic content knowledge still Reprinted with permission of the author Tony Wagner matters, but essential skills and dispositions matter more. The Mas- http://www.tonywagner.com/2030

Global Issues Network 2018 Welcome to CISSMUN IX & GINAsia 2018! Concordia International School Shanghai is pleased to announce that this coming January, the CISSMUN conference will be held concurrently with Concordia’s first annual High School Global Issues Network conference, GINAsia 2018. The theme of this year’s conference is A Place to Stand.

Website: www.cissmun.org | Contact Us: [email protected] Welcome to GINBALI 2018 This year’s GIN Middle School Conference will be held at Canggu Community School in Bali, Indonesia from the 2nd - 4th of March, 2018 with students from all over the EARCOS region. GINBali will provide students from around the world an opportunity to Seek Solutions to the several environmental and humanitarian issues in our world today. Theme: “Seeking Solutions: Meeting Global Challenges in a Changing World”

Website: https://sites.google.com/ccsbali.com/ginbali2018 Contact: [email protected]

Fall 2017 Issue 13 Student Writing >> An Aging World

The global population is aging: the number of older persons—those Gradually with continuous exercise, external reward will be gradu- aged 60 years or over—has increased substantially in recent years ally transformed to internal rewards, while fear of incapacitation and in most countries and regions, with one in eight people worldwide a desire for buoyant health are frequent motives for initiation of ac- is aged 60 years or over. By 2050, the global population of older tivity, continued development may depend on the enjoyment and persons is projected to more than double its size in 2015, reaching the satisfaction of mastering new skills, the bettering of one’s own nearly 2.1 billion—one in every five people will be aged 60 years performance, a feeling of well-being and fitness. or over. Psychological: Cognitive function declines as a result of changes in In order to find the right solutions to help reduce the unnecessary nervous system. However, not all cognitive abilities decline so dra- negative changes accompanying aging, It is crucial to distinguish the matically as popular opinion expects them to: measures of vocabu- normal changes accompanying healthy aging from the stereotyped lary, information and comprehension often show minimal decline ones and this shall be the aim of the essay. well into the 80s. Considerable amount of individual differences exist in changes of cognitive functioning. Some people maintain the integ- Physiological: it is now believed that much so called ‘inevitable aging’ rity of brain structures very late into old age. The individual differ- is brought on by inactivity and disuse rather than the aging pro- ences may indicate some flexibility in these changes. cess itself. Many chronic diseases associated with aging are actually preventable or modifiable by, for example, changing lifestyles. The Being intellectually active thus becomes crucial. The key is to take psychology behind physical exercise has to do with improvement of initiation to start acting, which is also, in most cases, the most dif- self-image and sense of reward. ficult to achieve. The reason for this lies in the relationship between psychology and social factors. Physical confidence tends to decrease with age, old people to per- ceive their bodies as heavier and broader than they actually were, It has been shown that young, middle-aged adults, as well as el- and physical tasks harder to perform. Distortion of body image, fear derly persons, have stereotyped and essentially negative attitudes of activity, feelings of clumsiness and thus the following reduction in toward aging and old people, e.g. some judge the elderly to have physical activity could create a vicious cycle. Thus, taking actions to the fewest friends, and to be the least happy. However, a lot of the act first is important to end the vicious cycle. stereotypes, such as incapacity to work are not part of normal aging, but are caused by social expectations, which are learned mostly

14 EARCOS Triannual Journal via mass media and reinforced by attributional errors. Older people low-wage employment for another 14 years before retiring com- then tend to respond passively to these expectations, and this could pletely at the age of 68. During leisure activities, the mental stimula- result in self-fulling prophecies. tion itself may help preserve cognition. Participation in productive or social activities may help sustain a person’s self-concept of usefulness The underlying attributional errors should be realized and corrected. and competence Firstly, people, both young and old, tend to attribute social changes associated with aging such as retirement with internal factors ( e.g. “I More old people may hold a high value of autonomy and inde- am no longer capable of doing my job.’ ) rather than external factors pendence in industrialized and modernized societies and prefer to ( e.g. ‘Government policy that requires me to retire when I reach a live on their own. Despite the independence, the importance social certain age.’ ). Furthermore, the wide array of individual differences support from family and community cannot be ignored. Increased between old people are very likely to be ignored. In addition, any social support is associated with less functional decline, a good social negative signs associated with aging shown are mostly explained as, network may be protective against physical decline. Family support as Martin Seligman (1978) had termed, stable and global — quality also has culture-specific significance to aged people. such as irritability is regarded to be a common feature for all elderly and true across a range of situations. Therefore, in prevention of However, this support may be threatened by upcoming shift in fam- entering the golden age with a pessimistic attitude, people, both the ily structure. People will receive less family care as they have fewer young and the seniors, should start seeing healthy, nice and intel- siblings and fewer children. In addition, in many countries younger ligent aged people as the representative, not the exceptional, and populations are with higher rates of divorce rates and separation develop a more critical attitude towards the negative images in the age, meaning that futures generations may face more problems with media about aged people. living without spouses. Also, the number of available caregivers for old people is decreasing. As a result, more attention should be paid Social: “Old” social age is indicated by a range of social changes, such into community care to compensate for this. as more staving off of retirement, loss of loved ones, less likelihood of contacts with relatives, etc. Given their nature as social changes, ------they are much more dynamic with time and are influenced and per- ceived in slightly different ways under different cultural backgrounds. The author’s name is Ji Wendi or Renee Ji. She is a year 12 student at Shenzhen College of International Education studying AS and AL Psychol- Although retirement can be a stressful life event, it also means op- ogy and intending to pursue a career as a Psychologist in the future. portunities to escape from dissatisfying work, with the pursuit of a personally independent life. 51 percent of Norwegian workers The content is an extract of the essay which won top prize in the Ameri- were actually looking forward to a cessation of employment, for can Psychological Association TOPSS essay competition entitled ‘The the greater opportunities for leisure activities and a chance to rest. Multi-dimensional Aging: Subtracting the Unnecessary Expectations.’ Although retired, many chose to keep working part time, leaving career jobs for transition jobs, e.g. in South Korea, the average worker Photo by Carlos Paes, freeimages.com leaves employment at the age 54 but then engages in part-time or

Submit an Article >> The EARCOS Journal

We are currently planning the Winter issue with a submission deadline of December 1, 2017. As you can see from our previous issues, we have moved to more of a magazine format with regular features. We invite you to share the great things going on at your school with the other schools in the EARCOS region.

What can be Contributed? Welcome New Member Schools, New School Heads, Principals and Associate members. Faces of EARCOS – Promotions, retirements, honors, etc. Campus Development – New building plans, under construction, just completed. Curriculum Initiatives – New and exciting adoption efforts, and creative teacher ideas. Green and Sustainable – Related to campus development and/or curriculum. Service Learning Projects Action Research Reports - Summaries of approved action research projects Student Art – We will highlight ES art in Fall issue, MS art in Winter issue, and HS art in Spring issue. Student Writing – Original short stories, poetry, scholarly writing. Reading Corner

Submit your article to Bill Oldread at [email protected] or Edzel Drilo at [email protected]

Fall 2017 Issue 15 Student Writing >> Written and Illustrated by Allison Jiang Ling and the Wishing Tree Grade 4, Teda International School Through ancient China a terrible disease spread. Through mountains taught to be a doctor. She took her medicine bag and put her hand and oceans this disease caused many people to die. Year after year over his head. It was burning hot. So hot she used the art of pricking the people who died added up to ten thousand people. In all those needles in the man’s body and gave him a lot of medicine. That day years many healthy people were also killed to stop the spread of the she visited a lot of people in the village. They were all sick from that disease. That plan of killing people was unsuccessful. All those years disease. and still nobody found a way to destroy the disease. The next day she went to the city to visit At the same time, a village far away from the city did not catch the the emperor. The emperor said to Ling he disease. The people lived happily. Their ruler, a court musician named knew of only one way to cure the disease. Ling, ruled fairly among them. She was respectful and honorable, and Although many people had looked without that made her a good ruler. Ling had a thin oval face. She had a pair success, he would give permission for Ling of slant downward eyes that shone like the moon in a pool. She had to find the secret wishing tree of Pensivlla. a pointy nose that was perfectly formed. Her hair was long and black Ling was glad. -- soft black and smooth. Her skin was white and smooth. Ling was rich because she was the best musician in China. She mostly wore When she got back to the village she asked a long silk dress with little jade ornament on it. She liked to carry a three other friends to go with her to find special flute, a fan, and a small special precious amulet passed down the tree. Susan, Bing Qing, and La Chang all from her family ancestors. said yes. That day they packed their bags and decided to meet at Ling’s house at 8 o’clock. Ling packed her things Her village was near a river and a forest. In in a bag. She brought her puppy Sunlight with her and they set off. front of her house there was a flower field The forest was warm in the day but dark at night. Ling had to make with a beautiful smell of perfume. The garden fire from wood. It was a terrible night. All night long they heard was special; it had every kind of flower in the howls. It was the creepiest thing ever. world. On the right there was a river and then After two days they found a big tree with golden leaves. It was the a forest where her people went for walks. Be- wishing tree. Resting by some nearby trees were some chests. Ling hind her house there was a huge field where and her friends opened the chests and each found a bone and a her workers lived and planted crops. It was a sword. Ling found nothing. peaceful life. In her house you could hear her puppy Sunlight barking. Birds in the trees sing- Just then, Bang Bang, the dragon that was guarding the wishing tree ing, such a beautiful sight. In the morning the returned. Suddenly, there wasn’t only one dragon, there were four. sun was bright, the air damp and a cool wind blew on your cheek. In Ling’s friends all had swords to fight with. Ling had no sword and she the afternoon the heat came out. The water in the river was cool; it was so worried that she just pulled out her flute. When she looked was the best time to drink it. In the evening the moon shone brightly, carefully at the flute, there were words that said: “I work at the and everybody was off to sleep. end, blow me.” So, she tried. When she started to blow, the dragon whipped her with its strong tail. She fell to the ground. She just knew Ling had a big house. On the door step there were two big bronze that she was fighting the elder dragon, the strongest among all drag- lions that guarded Ling and her people from dark spirits and robbers. ons. The pain was a flash, but she got up again. The dragon wiped her On her house there were three symbols; one was a dragon, pearl, out again. Sunlight was furious. He jumped on the dragon, climbed and tortoise. The dragon meant: energy, law, masculinity, good magic, up to his face and used his claws to fight him. Within minutes, the of art of painting. The pearl was a symbol of treasure, and the tor- dragon was all covered with blood and could not see. Ling got up toise meant immortality. When Ling heard about the disease she or- and started blowing into her flute. The sound made the elder dragon dered her workers to build a huge wall around the village, and made disappear in a second. She had won. a good army to protect her village. The wall she built was magical, it would conceal her village from the disease. For many years that wall Her friend Susan had defeated another dragon and was now help- worked, but the wall was breaking up after all those years. Finally, ing La Chang so Ling went to help Bing Qing. Ling told Bing Qing to one day the wall lost its magic power and turned into a normal wall. strike at the dragon’s back and she would handle the front. She blew a sleeping song on her flute for the young dragon. It fell into a deep On a stormy Tuesday the story starts. Knock, knock Lings’ door sleep. Bing Qing killed the dragon with her sword. Victory! creaked. Ling was having breakfast at her table. She wasn’t in a good mood. She went to open the door. There stood her most honorable They went to kneel in front of the wishing tree. They made the wish man. He came in and said, “The wall broke down my lady. People that the terrible disease would disappear, and it came true. in our village caught the disease. They are sick, and they need help my lady.” Ling could not believe her ears, she quickly got dressed When they went back to her village, the village people threw a big and went down to her village with her maids and the honorable party for them. Soon after, this adventure spread, and people wrote man. They first visited the fisherman’s hut. He was lying in bed, and books. After some time, people made her the girl emperor. They his family was so worried. Ling, although a court musician, was also lived happily ever after.

16 EARCOS Triannual Journal 16th Annual EARCOS Teachers’ Conference 2018

October 27-29,2016 PRECONFERENCES (March 28) “50Kuala Lumpur, Years Malaysia of James Delisle — Gifted Education, Special Needs Students Ann Helmus — Neuropsychology (SENIA) Ochan Powell and Kristen Pelletier — What aspects of collaborative teaching models do teaching partners need to consider? Voices United Stephen Shore — Special Needs (SENIA) Bonnie Singer — Language and Literacy (SENIA) International Baccalaureate AP Chinese Language and Culture in Purpose” AP English Language and Literature (combined) KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Chip Donohue Technology in Early Childhood Norman Kunc with Emma Van der Klift Disability Rights Community Pernille Ripp Founder of Global Reading Program

Strands SPECIAL PRESENTERS Michael Boll Technology Literacy / Reading Sheena Cameron Reading Comprehension Strategies Early Childhood James Delisle Gifted Education, Special Needs Students Special Needs (SENIA) Chip Donahue Technology in Early Childhood Ann Helmus Neuropsychology Modern Languages Sandie Janusch ESL Media Technology Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift Disability Rights Community Counselors Lori Langer de Ramirez Modern Language, ESL Dianne McKenzie Librarian, International Baccalaureate ESL Jose Medina Bilingual and ESL Education Technology Kristen Pelletier The Next Frontier: Inclusion General Education Ochan Powell Inclusion and EAL Pernille Ripp Founder of Global Reading Program Childrens’ Authors Stephen Shore Special Needs Child Protection Bonnie Singer Language and Literacy Logan Smalley TED-Ed Place: Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand Steve Swinburne Author Preconference: March 28, 2018 Kathy Walker Early Childhood Regular: March 29, 2018 Fiona Zinn Early Childhood

EARCOS PRACTITIONER PRESENTERS For more information If you have any questions, please contact the EARCOS office or email Katie Day and Stacey Taylor Librarians Elaine Repatacodo, ETC Coordinator at [email protected] Zander Lyvers Action Research Kelsey Long Phone: +63 (02) 779-5147 | Fax: +63 (49) 511-4694 | Mobile: +63 928-5074876

E A R C O S visitS A www.earcos.org/etc2018/V E T E A C H E R S ' T H E D A T E C O N F E R E N C E 2 0 1 8 Opinion >> Navigating the Digital World Together – A Personal Reflection

I remember the first time I flew by myself to London. I was 19 or tablet. I’m afraid that while most parents would worry about and somewhat nervous to be traveling from San Francisco without their child’s safety and capableness when sending them alone on a friends or family. I was confident that I could manage the airports trip, they often allow their child to spend hours daily navigating the and the flight because I had frequently traveled with my grandpar- digital world completely on their own. ents when I was younger. I was more nervous about taking the Tube, finding my way to the hotel and knowing what to do if something From an alternate perspective, did you know that many children are unexpected came up. concerned about the amount of time their parents spend on a personal device? That children feel their parents have addiction issues My mother was worried about my being safe and naturally had in- with technology? That when parents engage with their personal structed me to call as soon as I got settled. Car phones were the device some children feel neglected? new fad at that time while mobile phones were rare, nearly unheard of; so international calls were conducted most frequently using an Educators are just as guilty as the next parent. Schools are not the operator and a phone card from a land line. How scary for her to only place where children should learn how to navigate the digital know that she had to wait on me to contact her first. world. Most children, aged 11 and above, spend as much as 6-9 hours on a computer or mobile phone after school hours (com- How things have changed! Now we live in a world where anyone monsensemedia.org). That’s why it’s so important that parents re- can connect with anybody else simply by using the personal device flect on what’s happening with their child at home. that they have in their pocket. Nearly every adult in the world car- ries a mobile phone according to the Pew Research Center and The digital world may seem foreign at times but it is important that many teenagers and young children have personal devices as well. families and the school work together to support children in being safe, confident and experienced digital travelers. Make a commit- You’ve heard it said that children are digital natives and those of us ment to spend more time being together with your son or daughter who were born before 1980 are digital immigrants. Our children using technology. Set boundaries about when and where technol- were born into a world that is very different from the one that we ogy can be used. Model for your child the way that you would like grew up in, even if you are a young parent. Technology is advancing them to use their personal device. Let them know who they can very rapidly. turn to when they come across the unexpected. You do not have to know it all. Learn together. In doing this, you’ll prepare your child Though our children are citizens of a world that may be a bit foreign better for navigating the digital world on their own. and overwhelming to us, it is still our responsibility to guide them on how to navigate through that world. This is done best when we By Allen Lambert spend time together with them. Director of Technology at Beijing City International School [email protected] It always amazes me to see a family spending time together out in public and each member is sitting quietly typing on their own phone Photo by Nevit Dilmen

18 EARCOS Triannual Journal schools all over the world that utilize programs other than AP or IB, having a “one size fits all” program can never work because it would Curriculum Initiative >> be difficult to meet the needs of all students in any one particular class. Not being able to fulfill these needs has caused some schools Will There Ever to create specialized classes for students because he or she exceeds the level of expectations in mathematics. This has happened at SIS in the past, and while creating a specialized program sounded like a be a Perfect Math good idea at the time, it also set a dangerous precedent. After all, By Lolita Mattos if you create a specialized class for one student, then how can you Program? MS/HS Mathematics Teacher deny another? This was part of the reason that the mathematics department decided to re-evaluate the program at SIS for eventually, Picture this…It’s the first day this will ultimately lead to teachers with too heavy workloads while of school and the counse- trying to accommodate the needs of a handful. lor’s office is flooded with students who are not satis- Currently, there are two specialized classes that exist at SIS and fied with their class sched- while we all know that there are some students who are extremely ules. I give it no thought high achievers and can afford to skip a grade, this is not the case for until I take attendance in my the vast majority. While both classes have extremely conscientious, Intermediate Algebra class. independent students capable of achieving excellence, not everyone There are only two students has the developmental capacity to fill in the gaps with concepts that in my classroom, but my they missed by skipping Prealgebra, on their own. While skipping class list indicates that there Prealgebra had little to no effect on the first class, the second class should be twelve. I follow is currently experiencing the ripple effect of not having all concepts a hunch and go to Dr. G’s mastered from Prealgebra which led to incompletion of a full-year Pre-Calculus classroom, and Algebra 1 course. Although students in the second class are high Properly placed students aren’t what do I see? Exactly 75% achievers and have proven they can handle higher math, it is evident afraid to work in front of peers. of my students sitting com- that they are lacking the concepts that are crucial in order to excel in fortably in his Pre-Calculus Algebra 2. By creating these two “special” classes, it has caused some classroom chatting away. I difficulty as to what we have to offer as a school. In the past, it was ask what they are doing there and they say that they should be in not unusual to have a class that consisted of three or less students. Dr. G’s Pre-Calculus class because they are in the 11th grade and this With the ripple effect in place, there were also whole classes com- is what they “want” to take? (Of course it has nothing to do with prised of students that were grossly underprepared. wanting to be with their friends). I explain to them that they can only take the class if they have taken, and passed, the prerequisite While there is a lot of pressure for high school teachers to main- classes. They all insist that they have taken the proper classes, but I tain high standards of excellence, the majority of educators are well know they haven’t. In order to make it official, I inform them that aware that mathematics teachers receive the most pressure from they must take, and pass, a “Readiness for Precalculus” test. Not sur- parents more than any other subject. Therefore, by using their com- prisingly, only two out of ten students pass the test and are allowed bined experiences, the SIS mathematics department began explor- to stay in Dr. G’s class. The rest, with great reluctance, accept the ing ways to help all students achieve success and be prepared to fact that they will be in my Intermediate Algebra class. I sigh and tell take AP Calculus by their Senior year. A course for the 10th and them “I get it! No one wants to be in the ‘dumb’ class, but trust me, 11th grades was created to fill in the gaps incurred in the middle it will all be worth it in the end.” They know that now. and early high school years. The math department also developed a system that will cater to incoming students’ immediate needs, but What is it with the pressure of having to have Pre-Calculus, AP Cal- at the same time, prepare them for higher level mathematics. In or- culus, AP Stats, on your transcript? And why do students risk lower- der to verify and confirm that SIS was on the right track, the team ing their GPAs just to have the titles on their transcripts? Do they attended the 2017 Annual EARCOS conference in Kota Kinabalu. not know that excelling in other math classes is not a bad thing? They attended a workshop titled “Tracking/Acceleration in MS Math: Here at SIS, one of the mathematics department goals is to help Pitfalls and Perils. This workshop also provided insights, and concrete dispel the myth that one must have AP Calculus on their transcript strategies for improving our mathematics teaching and programs. in order to increase their chances of being accepted into University. Does it look good? Absolutely! Is it imperative? No, it is not. The preconceived notion that taking AP Calculus will guarantee admission to any University, will never go away, despite the reassur- When it comes to reconfiguring a math program, one can’t help but ances and studies that prove otherwise. Parents are still going to imagine having a program that suits the needs and desires of all stu- push for it anyway. We are grateful to collaborate with EARCOS dents, parents, and teachers. However, we all know that there is no colleagues, as it confirmed that our mathematics curriculum is on “one size fits all” program for schools in general, particularly inter- the right track. Not every student dreams of taking the almighty AP national schools. For many international schools, there are several Calculus class, but we can at least try and provide it for everyone reasons why it is difficult to achieve the perfect math program. For who has a sincere desire to take it. Not because they are forced to, example, if the school is small, the ratio of teachers to subject choice but because they want to. So, in answer to the question “will there is limited. This, in turn, also limits the variety and availability of AP or ever be a perfect math program?” Of course not, but it will never stop IB mathematics subjects. Also, because students are coming from us from trying! Fall 2017 Issue 19 Curriculum Initiative >> The Importance of Trilingualism In st The 21 Century By Dr. John McGrath, Head of School, TCIS, [email protected]

In today’s world, we often hear about the importance of focusing This alone should be enough to encourage trilingualism. But there is our educational efforts on STEM practices. While science and math more to the story to be told. From an economic standpoint, trilin- are important, I feel that stressing them above all other forms of gualism is crucial. As noted in The New York Times, study misses an important point – that language and communication matter, now more than ever. “language learning and linguistic diversity ought to be taken as endogenous to the process of economic development.” This is why I want to call for schools not to ignore STEM studies, but also to focus on a subject just as, if not more crucial – trilingualism. This means that as the world becomes more competitive, the more Science Trilingualism is the ability to speak three distinct languages. languages you speak, the better the chances you have of getting and Daily writes about a research report that holding a better job in the marketplace.

“...brings forth six main areas where multilingualism and This makes sense when you think of the world we are creating. hence the mastery of complex processes of thought seem Not only are people becoming more mobile – and thus, willing to to put people in advantage. These include learning in gener- move for the right job – but the world is becoming smaller. Smart al, complex thinking and creativity, mental flexibility, interper- phones, tablets and other mobile devices make it just as easy to sonal and communication skills, and even a possible delay in hire someone in Hong Kong as someone local to where you live. But they need to speak your language. The people who speak more the onset of age-related mental diminishment later in life.” languages will receive more, and higher paying, job offers. Those who are limited to their own language will have less ability to move and Let me put that into plain English for you. Knowing at least three fewer chances to compete on the global stage. This is not the future languages helps you: – this is now. • Learn other subjects – including STEM – better • Develop complex thought Today English, Chinese and Spanish are the dominant languages in • Boost creativity the world. That is a trend that is likely to grow in the future. The Chi- • Become more mentally flexible nese economy on its own is vast. But now that it is actively seeking • See arguments from more than one side out more international business opportunities, it will become per- • Communicate better haps the predominant economy in the world. Their business leaders • Relate more directly to other people will want to work with people who can speak their language. There- • Delay Alzheimer’s and other mental diseases associated with aging fore, learning Chinese is an essential skill for the future. The same

20 EARCOS Triannual Journal thing applies to Spanish. As South American countries continue to be able to communicate it because the devices you need to spread show economic growth, they will become more important in the it don’t speak what you do. global economy. People will need to be able to communicate with them. At my school, we have made trilingualism a priority. Students are taught three languages starting at a young age. This is important, In fact, due to their size versus their growth potential, they may actu- because the younger you start learning a language, the more likely ally be more important than China for young people looking to seek you are to become adept at it. I believe all schools should follow a a high return on the work they are willing and able to provide. similar path. Communication matters – and people are more comfortable talking to people who speak their language. This matters Finally, English. While the United States may be seen as losing influ- and it is important to our children’s future. In fact, I’d argue that given ence in the world, the truth is they are an economic powerhouse. the cognitive benefits of trilingualism, it is even more important that Political influence should not be seen in the same light as economic STEM studies. Not everyone will be able to master science and influence. They are and will remain a huge market and a huge sup- math – but everyone can, if taught early, learn to become trilingual. plier of jobs for the rest of this century. Add in Canada, the UK and Australia – another growing market – and it becomes clear that the Learning multiple languages will give students a huge advantage no English language is here to stay in terms of economic development, matter what else they choose to study. It will lead them to becoming growth and the future. It should be self-evident that people who can more creative and that matters in all fields of the arts. It will help speak all of the three dominant languages in the world will have a them in seeing how other people view things which is important unique and potentially unstoppable advantage in the marketplace in to diplomacy, politics and generally being a good person. It will help the coming years. them in being more flexible and that allows them to adapt to new situations with greater ease and assurance in their skills. And, it en- Finally, let’s talk about computers and their influence. It seems obvi- courages communication skills that allow everyone from a STEM ous that communicating through computers will become increasing- master to a middle manager to become more competitive. ly more important as time goes on. This will force the industry – and all related companies – to default to common languages. Those will All of this comes together to indicate just how important trilingual- be English, Chinese and Spanish because of their numbers. What this ism is. It is the wave of the future, and we need to be able to be sure means is that understanding all three languages will be of paramount all of our students can ride it. importance – particularly for those involved in STEM learning. It makes no sense to have knowledge in math or science but not to

LEADING WHERE IT MATTERS MOST

THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FROM USF AND WSU Do you want to transform school culture and make a lasting impact on education APPLY FOR SPRING OR FALL in society? Do you wish to participate in a critical thinking, problem-solving approach to education.wsu.edu/certification/international leadership indiverse environments? Join a unique two-year program designed specifically for EARCOS members! FOR MORE INFORMATION UNIQUE FEATURES University of San Francisco Washington State University Dr. Walter Gmelch Dr. Shannon M. Calderone • Combines online coursework and on-site classes (held during EARCOS conferences) [email protected] [email protected] • Program internship prepares participants for a Washington State Principal Certificate that usfca.edu education.wsu.edu | wsu.edu meets certification requirements in many other states • Instructors are university faculty and international school leaders • Teamwork and collaborative learning

Fall 2017 Issue 21 Curriculum Initiative >> Successful Start for All: A unique design to intentionally build strong partnerships between home and school in the early years

By Evelyn Chaveriat, Director of Admissions and These “mini-school day” events, complete with playtime, story and Drew Gerdes, Elementary School Assistant Principal snack time, and a ride on the school bus, are meant to acclimate Concordia International School Shanghai incoming families to the campus and help lessen the stress of attending school for the first time. Incoming students are also invited to join current students and parents at the elementary school spring carnival and track/field fun day. New Concordia parents are excited to see their children embracing the school experience, and, by attending these events alongside their children, they have an opportunity to connect with current members of the school community.

Young parents, or parents of young children, often have unique questions and seek guidance or reassurance from the school. Success- ful Start provides an opportunity for teachers and administrators to address questions from new Concordia parents and mitigate their concerns. While students explore their new classrooms with their teachers and classmates, parents attend information sessions on ways they can partner with the Concordia to cultivate a positive school experience for their children. These sessions also share strategies that parents can use at home to help their children gain confidence and strong self-regulatory skills.

Successful start New Concordia families comfortably gather for story Helping young students feel comfortable and confident in their new time in Concordia’s Welcome Center. surroundings benefits early childhood teachers as well. By lessen- ing the anxiety of new students and slowly integrating them into Starting school for the first time can be an overwhelming experience the new school environment, teachers are able to focus on keeping for young children. However, the youngest learners at Concordia In- their classrooms running smoothly. At the same time, teachers are ternational School Shanghai began the 2017-18 school year with a fostering deeper relationships with parents, allowing for earlier and safe, low-stress transition to the classroom thanks to our Successful stronger parent-teacher partnerships. Start program. The program, a collaboration between the elementary school and admissions office, is designed to ease young students While there is no way to alleviate all the tears and worries associ- into their new environment by allowing them to visit classrooms ated with attending school for the first time, programs like Concor- and meet teachers and classmates in a way that relieves anxiety and dia’s Successful Start certainly make it easier for children, parents fosters social learning that benefits children, families, and teachers. and teachers to start the school year off right. Successful Start_Parents join their stu- Because social-emotional intelligence is so important for young chil- dents in the classroom for fun activities. dren, they need time to establish trust with caregivers and develop social competence with their peers. During the first three days of school, small groups of six preschool-3 students take part in 90-min- ute classroom periods, where they can engage with the teacher and classmates at a pace that is developmentally appropriate. The following week, students attend three half-day sessions with their entire class before starting their regular full-day sessions which they will continue for the rest of the school year.

For the majority of incoming preschool students, the transition begins the spring before their August start, when Concordia’s admissions office sponsors events for newly accepted preschool students.

22 EARCOS Triannual Journal TAUGHT IN CARACAS. READY FOR THE WORLD.

See where ISS can take you. Discover new opportunities at our upcoming International Recruitment Conferences and Job Fairs.

January 5-8 • Bangkok, Thailand October 14 • iFair® SHANGRI LA November 18 • iFair® February 8-11 • New York, NY MARRIOTT MARQUIS TIMES Visit ISS.edu December 3-5 •Atlanta, GA SQUARE 2017

GRAND HYATT BUCKHEAD 2018 March 17 • iFair® Curriculum Initiative >> STEAM is Strong at Taipei American By Ramy Youssif, Lower School Art School Taipei American School Three years ago the K-5 art program at Taipei American School (TAS) started incorporating grade level classroom integrated projects, teaching the design process, and developing STEAM curriculum to enhance the already strong art content and material skills teachers were providing in art classes. The overlapping of ideas inspired new, exciting projects, and also helped develop a budding visiting artist program while continuing to focus on meaningful, creative, and material exposure filled experiences for students in the Lower School.

Changes started to be noticed immediately after administration sug- gested to integrate where overlapping ideas fit well, and when communication was shared that the Lower School would be implementing STEAM curriculum the following year. Around the same time, a new mode for creativity in the form of a 3D printer was donated, STEAM drawing installation and circle painting banners created by along with a group of parents who volunteered their time to create grades k-5 students with visiting artist Mr. Hiep Nguyen. an artwork in the halls of the school, which straightaway inspired art teachers to implement new ideas in preparation for the future. Formosa Forever, the whole grade level, parent group, and art department collaboration was unveiled the following year, and will forever In October of 2014 digital displays of fifth grade Alien Architecture be a part of the Lower School building. Heather Hanson inspired full designs and display cases of their 3D printed designs emerged in body, kinetic drawings that integrated math and science concepts the hallways, and were being mistaken for middle school artworks! into students’ colorful chalk artworks on a rooftop of the school. The Shortly after, Lower School administration, who have been beyond application, Motion Portrait, brought Van Gogh styled self-portraits supportive of the art program, provided an opportunity to develop to life, while a wind energy unit constructed more durable pinwheels an art project with some eager, artistic parents. The art team took while also teaching color mixing and the six-step color wheel. Insect the opportunity as a chance to start talking about the design pro- anatomy content has been incorporated into drawing projects to cess with students and turned a third grade clay project into a huge reinforce even more science content. Technology continued to fuel group mosaic project. The remainder of the year continued to show a lot of project ideas, and digitally designed and individually stylized variety of design process guided projects. 3D printed glasses were being worn by art students! All of this and more lead to last year’s annually theme based exhibition that was dedicated to STEAM.

Another successful fall exhibition displayed at least two STEAM projects per grade level that was highlighted by robotic animal circuit drawings with working lights, and fourth graders’ exposure to the TAS Upper School’s visiting ceramic 3D printing artist, Yao Van Den Heerik. Afterwards, with special thanks to EARCOS funding, the Lower School hosted their first overseas visiting artist, Hiep Nguyen. Hiep brought his Circle Painting and STEAM drawing projects to all three divisions in TAS, and a weekend workshop exposed approximately twenty teachers from various international schools in the region. His processes and collaboration with the Lower School art team resulted in a large mural painting and an enormous K-5 hang- ing installation in the main lobby of TAS.

Integration, the design process, and STEAM continues to be a strong, yet still growing force in the TAS Lower School art program, and Bulletin display of k-5 student work for their STEAM themed art with all of the recent experiences there is much excitement to see exhibition. what amazing, inspirational art will come next.

24 EARCOS Triannual Journal Curriculum Initiative >> Project Innovate a New Vision for Future-Ready Learning at Canadian

Int’l School Hong Kong By Ms. Aly Trezis, [email protected]

Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) has enjoyed A good example of this is the new Lower School one-to-one ro- a reputation for innovation since it was founded in 1991. As an botics programme, extending their making and coding skills and de- IB through-train school, with results ranking among the best in the veloping their creativity and critical thinking beyond what can be world, CDNIS enjoys a privileged position on the world stage for achieved in a brief programme of weekly lessons. A new addition on progressive educational practices, attracting exceptional interna- campus is the Science & Innovation Lab whereby students can ex- tional educators. Recognised as one of the first Apple Distinguished periment with making, creating and responding to real world based Schools in Asia, CDNIS introduced the first personal 1:1 laptop pro- projects. gramme in Hong Kong over 10 years ago and has since remained at the cutting edge of digital innovation. This combined with a thriving In the Upper School, a student led initiative, The Blueprint Club, sup- Maker Culture, dynamic visual and performing arts, including an in- ports this next-level thinking by providing an incubator for develop- spirational Artist in Residence Programme, and a genuine commit- ing innovative ideas, encouraging students to push boundaries and ment to student-led sustainability projects has demonstrated the reach beyond themselves, while solving real world problems. One school’s commitment to creativity and innovation. group is currently working with Arduino hardware and software to monitor the use of recycling bins at the school with a view to increasing recycling.

Project Innovate is embedded into mainstream learning, quite different to the add-on programmes being offered elsewhere. Teachers are provided with professional development opportunities, such as design-thinking workshops, to build upon their skills and understand- ings, but are also challenged to find new ways to empower and engage students in their classrooms. Encouraging staff to bring their own passions into school, to share and develop networks, co-create projects with others and continue to push the boundaries is a key aspect of Project Innovate’s philosophy.

Students experience alternative realities in the classroom.

CDNIS has now developed a new, holistic vision for innovative education, to provide students with the skills, dispositions and mindsets they need to be successful in the fast-changing world. Project In- novate, grew from a think tank approach, driven by the desire to build upon the innovative culture flourishing in the school. Its core purpose, to deliver future-ready learning, is built around the World Economic Forum’s framework of 21st Century Skills, which bring together foundational skills, with the 21st century competencies of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity and the character qualities of resilience, initiative, curiosity, adaptability, empa- thy and leadership. This involves an increased emphasis upon hands- on, experiential learning and authentic problem solving, in combina- tion with the inquiry-based trans and inter-disciplinary approaches embedded in the IB philosophy. Students are encouraged to ask questions and follow their interests in contexts closely related to the Lower School one-to-one robotics program extends making and real world, while teachers challenge them to take their learning to coding skills. the next level, thinking always about what comes next.

Fall 2017 Issue 25 Service Learning >> Capstone Service Projects at Inter- national Community School Bangkok By Stephen Ladas, Assistant Headmaster, [email protected] International Community School

In 2012, International Community School (ICS) Bangkok’s administration envisioned creating a culminating project for graduating students that would demonstrate the accomplishment of our ICS educational goals – to become lifelong learners, competent communi- cators, discerning thinkers, quality producers, team players, responsible citizens, and followers of Christ. The Capstone Service Project was the outcome of this vision.

The 2017 graduating class just completed the third annual Cap- stone Service Project Fair. The overall project took two years to complete. Over 60 students finished individual projects, and this activity stretched every one of them in many ways. It began with students discovering what area they were passionate in serving in. Jade (12) shares on empowering women through education in Sri They completed a needs assessment within a given non-government Lanka.” organization (NGO) or mission agency. They then had to research the societal problem they were facing, serve many hours within their chosen organization - helping meet the needs of the people they were serving.

Finally, they brainstormed viable solutions. The culminating piece of the project consisted of them completing an 8-10 page research/ reflective paper and presenting their findings and final product to parents, teachers, board members, and NGO leaders in our annual Capstone Service Project Fair. Their creativity was pushed to the limit this year as they were not given any tables or chairs in their presentation areas, just a space to share and show their findings with the community in an engaging way.

Many of the products put forth were wonderfully innovative. Pro- jects ranged from helping develop clean water systems in up-country areas of Thailand, to doing a sustainable study to determine Fay Fay’s booth gives us a glimpse into the library he created in a rural whether coffee can be planted to help fund an orphanage in Sri school of Northern Thailand. Lanka, to creating a small business for an elderly family in need, to forging a relationship with a school in Northern Thailand and main- taining a library of both English and Thai books for them, to working alongside women escaping prostitution and using art therapy to help offer hope and healing to them, to creating a safe place to learn for Pakistani asylum seekers in Bangkok, and many, many more.

The beauty of the Capstone Service Project is that every student has an opportunity to serve and seeing the growth that takes place within each of them through their 2-year long journey. The Cap- stone Service Fair is definitely one of the “can’t miss” events of the year at ICS Bangkok.

Jean explains the impact that serving in a NGO, which offers work to 26 EARCOS Triannual Journal students with mental disabilities, had on shaping her heart. Service Learning >> Cebu International School’s Coopera- tive of International Service Learning Cebu International School (CIS) is a small community school lo- All of our service projects are sustained by providing multiple op- cated in the heart of the Philippines. Beyond our values as an IB portunities for students to remain engaged throughout the year. school, our mission seeks to create a collaborative, challenging, and This includes an authentic CAS program, Week Without Walls, and nurturing school environment that involves community members, service projects embedded in elementary, middle, and high school in order to provide all students with real opportunities to think and units of learning. Our students also provide ideas about projects contribute to bettering the world. Our guiding statements serve they would like to contribute to, including Cancer Warriors-Cebu, as a the springboard to collaboratively work with different service- Lihuk Panaghiusa, Gawad Kalinga, Children of Asia, CURE Founda- oriented international schools in South East Asia. The CIS’s service tion, and Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation. Students often attend learning program is guided by a collaboratively-developed program service activities over weekends or after school to support each called the Cooperative of International Service Learning, or CISL. other’s initiatives. CISL grew over time from 2012 to 2014 to become what it is today. CISL aims to connect various international schools around the Cebu International School remains committed to collaborating and world through inter-school collaborative initiatives and sustainable partnering with other international schools in the Philippines and service learning projects. The collaborative projects are carefully around the globe. This partnership is sustained by our belief that planned with, and for, less fortunate communities in the Philippines, each student must be globally engaged, positive contributors in a particularly in Cebu. CISL continues to partner with various non- competitive, changing world. Our projects are sustainable, and seek profit organizations and non-governments organizations that have to serve the local communities on issues that have global signifi- served as our extended arms in making our service learning experi- cance. We continue our work with schools and with the Yellow ences a success. Boat of Hope Foundation, and are also looking at ecological issues related to plastics in our oceans, something very critical to us in an Here is a short timeline describing how CISL is gradually developing archipelago nation. into an international school movement. We look forward to welcoming schools from around the region After a year of community soul-searching, in 2013, the entire com- this school year, and beyond. If anyone is interested in participating munity responded to a local earthquake and to Typhoon Yolanda. in service work, with your students and teachers working alongside This community-wide effort connected international schools from our students and teachers, please contact Mr. Arnulfo “Ace” Pierra, Jr around the region who wanted to help. Schools in Southeast Asia at [email protected] (CAS Coordinator at CIS). created fundraisers, concerts, and drives to send funds that we uti- lized locally, with 100% of the funds going to victims. At the 2014 Together we can all make a positive impact on our changing world. EARCOS Leadership conference, the idea of CISL was presented, and several schools began to contribute ideas towards its development.

In the spring of 2015, our first visitors came to CIS to participate in collaborative interschool service work. Students and teachers from the International School of Singapore (ISS) worked alongside CIS students and teachers. This group rebuilt a classroom in Daanban- tayan Elementary School, painted a 50-meter mural, painted and repaired the stage of the school, and donated boats to the local fish- 2016: Tohoku International School (Japan) In 2017, students and teachers from ermen for livelihood through the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation. joined a CISL project in Cebu donating Chadwick International School (South soccer shoes to local soccer players. Korea) visited CIS, and donated one Yel- low School Boat to High School students of Caubian Island through the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation

Students from Chadwick International School renovating a public school gymnasium and painting playground equipment for a local elementary school. CIS Grade 10 Students and teachers raised funds by putting up a small store inside a classroom, and donated Yellow School boats. Fall 2017 Issue 27 Curriculum/Service Learning >> Embedding Service Learning in the Curriculum - Authentic Learning By Florence Ho, [email protected] Through Doing International Christian School, Hong Kong

Service to the Community has always been part of the mission and and impact to the community. core values here at International Christian School, Hong Kong. Last Reflect - Students reflect on their learning, enduring understand- year during our pre-service professional development, teachers ings, and knowledge that can be transferred to different contexts, were challenged to take Service Learning one step further by incor- throughout the unit. porating it into our curriculum. As a grade 5 team, we were already planning to revamp one of our Social Science units on World Lakes From a teacher’s perspective, supporting my students through this and Sustainability anyway. It became an obvious unit to inject a ser- cycle of research, planning and implementation was most rewarding. vice learning element. Through our ‘professional learning community’ Students were highly motivated. They searched for solutions when discussions, we realized that we could leverage our Science unit on they encountered problems. They stepped out of their comfort zone Earth’s Spheres and Interactions to equip students with the neces- to communicate with diverse audience. A number of my students sary science background before they started investigating the ef- decided to interview high school teachers and other administra- fects of human interaction with nature. The team was getting excited tors to gather information. Those who designed surveys learned the about this opportunity for integration. Furthermore, students were concept of pilot testing their surveys and adjusting them based on learning research skills and presentation skills in English Language the feedback they received. One group studied water pollution and Arts (ELA), and therefore ELA could easily be integrated into the decided to survey beach visitors. When they thought about their unit as well. This new service learning unit became a perfect oppor- target audience, they realized the survey had to be in Chinese too. tunity to integrate multiple disciplines. They quickly sought help from their Chinese teachers to translate some special environmental terms. A brand new integrated unit “Sustainability and Service Learning” was created. We started by frontloading necessary scientific knowl- One brave group wrote a letter to the Head of Schools about re- edge, and then drawing students’ awareness to relevant human ac- ducing food waste. They were pleasantly surprised when they re- tivities in today’s society. Afterwards, students followed a combina- ceived an invitation to present their project in the boardroom. As a tion of Kath Murdoch’s inquiry model and Cathryn Berger-Kaye’s result of that meeting, this group launched an extension project to service learning inquiry model for their service learning projects. pilot worm composting. They had to go back to the drawing board to research about worm composting, design their experiments, collect results, fine tune their setups, and draw conclusions about fa- vorable conditions for worm composting.

The whole process took students much further than what teachers had originally hoped for. Initially students wondered how they could impact the adult world. But through this, they realized that they too have a voice. Reading their reflections was something that brought me much joy and satisfaction.

Tune In - Students explore their areas of concern and decide on their topics. Find Out - Students research to expand their understanding on their chosen topics. Sort Out - Students organize their research to help them propose a purposeful service project. Take Action - Students create project plans and act on them. Make Conclusions - Students present evidence of their service “Best project ever! We even presented to the Head of Schools.” 28 EARCOS Triannual Journal Community Service >> Three Days in Yushu: TIS Brings Service to Qing- Vairocana Temple By Aaron Falzerano and Yvonne Williamson Hai Teda International School It started with a simple question to Vera Chen of the Teda Charity Association: “Next time you visit our schools in QingHai, can I come too?” In 2015-2016, TIS students provisioned their first library in Qing- Hai at Galeng School in Xunhua County near Xining. Each class at Teda International School from K-5 created a service project to raise funds to buy books and bookshelves. It’s a touch too far to take the students on a field trip, so a group of three TIS staff, along with Ms. Chen took five days out at the start of summer holidays to go explor- ing.

With the plan in place, we wanted to take with us a useful gift to present to the children. So the Crayon Project was born with a modest goal of 140 packs of crayons at a value of around 5000RMB. Before the week was out, we topped 10,000RMB and with the help of the Tibetan Grasslands students, raised a total of over 17,000RMB enabling us to provision yet another library as well as gifting crayons and chalk to 150 children.

What for the future? We already have the name of the next school we will help. So much positive change has occurred in the last few years but there is more to accomplish. Our next school is a Kindergarten that was started by a Tibetan lama many years ago. The school is small and under-resourced but essential. The families in this region are uneducated and struggle to see how education can be helpful in their nomadic life. People like the lama see the value of education, especially for the young, and are willing to work hard to change the mindset and provide for the needs of the children.

You will see, as we did, this common thread of compassion and passion at work in many communities. Leaders who are making a difference. Tibetan lamas with a heart to build confidence and capacity Xiwang Elemtary in the underprivileged young. Headmasters and teachers who themselves surmounted incredible obstacles to gain an education and who have then returned to their communities to make a difference. So, next time you plan a vacation, take a risk and head to the hills. Remember, you have to actually be ‘in life’ in order to be in the right place when the opportunities come. This is a must do! Green & Sustainable >> Going Green in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

ers collect and use plastic bottle caps for mosaic projects. Those bottles that cannot be reused are given to The Waste Management Disposal Organization of Ulaanbaatar, where they are melted down and re-compressed to make outdoor furniture.

PAPER Whilst we teach students about the importance of reducing and reusing paper, of course we still end up with a lot of paper and cardboard waste. Through contacts with the school community we found out about a local organization, named Betel. Betel collect paper waste from many organizations in Ulaanbaatar. In their own facil- ity, they reduce paper waste to mulch, then press them into bricks that can be burned as fuel. Betel then donate the bricks to people living in the ‘Ger District’, an area of the city where people live in traditional Mongolian gers or yurts. This area does not have access to state heating and usually have to use poor quality coal to heat their gers. In a city that reaches temperatures of -40℃, these bricks provide a free, eco-friendly fuel supplement to help the city’s poor- Students use recycled egg cartons to plant seeds. est stay warm in winter.

The International School of Ulaanbaatar (ISU) is located in the capi- AIR POLLUTION tal of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. With a population of 3 million, Mon- Ulaanbaatar is situated in a bowl-shaped valley. As a result, pollu- golia is one of the least densely populated countries on the planet. tion and particulate matter have a tendency to remain in the air However, almost half the total population reside within the capital, throughout the city as opposed to disseminating into the wider at- a city originally designed for 500,000 people. Ulaanbaatar still has mosphere. This combined with the use of coal to heat gers and a developing infrastructure and therefore lacks major facilities for power electrical plants results in astronomically unhealthy air pol- recycling. The ISU community recognizes the challenges that arise lution levels throughout the city. The ISU Ecovengers import and from this unique situation and have taken action in a variety of ways. sell pollution masks, partnering with a company called Vogmask, to allow the masks to be affordable. The Ecovengers also donate masks In 2013, the Ecovengers Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) was founded to the school guards and the street cleaners in our area of the city. to address some environmental challenges faced by the community. Facilitated by passionate teachers, students are encouraged to PLANTS learn about and act on issues such as paper use and recycling, plastic As part of our ongoing investigation into the environment, the Ecov- waste, air pollution, and the importance of green plants to the envi- engers take responsibility for the growing, care and propagation of ronment. Since its inception, a number of new initiatives have been plants. This project not only teaches the students about the impor- set up in partnership with members of our local community. tance of the environment, but also how to take responsibility for and care for living things. The Ecovengers Indoor Garden is a paradise of Ecovengers promotes reduction in the use of disposable products, plants that help to clean the air! The Ecovengers sell these plants to including selling reusable mugs at an affordable price, encouraging our school community, and the money raised helps to fund further the reduction of printing materials, the use and reuse of scrap paper Ecovengers projects. in classrooms and our school copiers, and initiatives in our school cafeteria and cafe to reduce the sale of single-serve products such In a time when climate change and environmental concerns are in- as containers of yogurt. creasingly relevant, it is more important than ever to educate young people about their role in the care of our planet and involve them Even so, waste is inevitably produced. Through the Ecovengers CCA, in meaningful action. The students in Ecovengers develop passion our school community has explored and set up ways to reuse and for this subject, and their passion in turn positively influences their recycle. classmates, teachers, family members, and the ISU community to take action. Gradually, we are choosing to make positive changes to PLASTIC protect our environment. There is no national recycling center for plastic in Mongolia, so the Ecovengers work on a variety of initiatives to use and recycle plastic For more information about the Ecovengers at ISU, or for collaboration bottles and other plastic products. Ecovengers use bottles as pots opportunities, please email [email protected] or t.smith@ for plants, and are currently pursuing a project to create furniture isumongolia.edu.mn using plastic water bottles as an internal structure. Our art teach- 30 EARCOS Triannual Journal Accredited. College-Prep. Online.

Courses Online That Fit Any Schedule & Time Zone

• Accredited & NCAA-approved • 100+ core, elective, AP® & dual enrollment courses • Responsive staff • Affordable

highschool.nebraska.edu (402) 472-3388

The University of Nebraska is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Press Release >> The World’s Biggest Community Mathematics Event: Global Math Week

The Global Math Project aims to connect millions of students around the world through shared experiences of mathematics. For the past year, a leadership team of seven math professionals, together with a worldwide network of ambassadors and partners, has been laying the groundwork for the inaugural Global Math Week, which will launch on 10.10.2017.

See www.theglobalmathproject.org/gmw for details.

Our ultimate goal is bold and audacious. We want to generate a fundamental paradigm shift as to how the world perceives and enjoys mathematics. We want each and every person on this planet to see mathematics as human, relevant, meaningful, creative, uplifting, and joyful. We will show how the play and wonder of mathematics transcends borders and unite communities.

We are asking teachers, math club and Math Circle leaders, and other educators and math outreach specialists to commit the equivalent of one short class period during Global Math Week to conducting the first experience on our chosen topic for 2017, Exploding Dots, and to share that experience with the world in some way, most typically through social media (#gmw2017).

We are providing all the teaching guides, lesson videos, PDF written materials, and an interactive web app. Teachers and leaders can use full, minimal, or no technology in the classroom. One can learn about Explod- ing Dots at http://gdaymath.com/courses/exploding-dots/

The community supporting our inaugural Global Math Week 2017 is already strong. We have more than 300 ambassadors from over 60 countries helping to spread the word. We have tens of thousands of teachers and students from over 50 countries already signed up to learn about Exploding Dots, and we are proud to have an impressive number of notable partner organizations supporting our efforts. Our goal for this first year is to reach one million students.

We are truly honored to be working with such a fine, growing community of math leaders and partners equally dedicated to sharing joyful, uplifting mathematics with the world.

Please join us in the global experience of Global Math Week 2017.

In a Nutshell: Join ONE MILLION students, teachers, math leaders, and adults from around the world in an astounding shared mathematical experience!

Global Math Week: October 10 - 17, 2017. Information and Registration: www.theglobalmathproject.org/gmw

32 EARCOS Triannual Journal East Carolina University College of Education Department of Educational Leadership

EdD in Educational Leadership

An EdD for practicing educators Cohort II Begins June 2018

Unique Program Features Include: Meaningful Complete your EdD in 3 years, including dissertation Compact Courses on-line with an annual face-to-face component Affordable in Bangkok (Last two weeks of June each year) Prestigious Personal Dissertation Coach

Applications Due December 15, 2017

For application links and program information visit: www.ecu.edu/IntEdD

— Or contact —

Dr. Matt Militello, Program Coordinator

[email protected] | (919) 518-4008 Action Research >> Learning Vocabulary through Drama Games By Hamorn K. Y. Lau, Grade 1 Homeroom Teacher, [email protected] American International School of Hong Kong

The first two weeks (stage I) consisted of pre-intervention testing in order to measure children’s initial vocabulary size, word knowledge of the target vocabulary, and reading proficiency. First, all participants took individual Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with me in order to assess their initial receptive vocabulary size. Then, they were given 10 vocabulary-definition questions, in the format of Vocabulary Knowl- edge Scale (VKS), of the target words. The words came from a unit of Wordly Wise 3000® Book 1 (Grade 1) which would be taught in “textbook-only” condition at stage II. The children had 20 minutes to complete the pretest, and draw on a sheet of paper to show their word knowledge. The result was analyzed. In addition, Fountas & Pinnell reading assessments were implemented to diag- nose participants’ reading levels.

Introduction In the third and fourth weeks (stage II), the unit of Wordly Wise 3000 Children’s vocabulary has to grow substantially in order to become ® was taught exactly the way prescribed in the teacher manual (i.e., proficient readers. Schools which recognize the strong relationship textbook-only condition). At the end of stage II, twenty-four hours between one’s vocabulary size and his/her reading competence of- after the textbook-only intervention, there were post-intervention ten adopt a textbook-based vocabulary curriculum, such as Wordly VKS and drawings, and a follow-up group discussion. Wise 3000 ®. Such a curriculum provides a well-structured vocabulary program and makes teachers accountable for the delivery of In the fifth and sixth weeks (stage III), students first did another VKS explicit vocabulary instruction, which is particularly important to and drawing to assess their pre-intervention word knowledge of the young language learners. However, a textbook-driven vocabulary target words which would be taught in with-dramatization condi- curriculum offers teachers little space for teaching the prescribed tion. The result was analyzed. Words that 80% or more of students vocabulary creatively. were unfamiliar with would be taught through drama games, while familiar words were taught as described in the teacher manual. At To fill in this gap, I conducted an action research project to investi- the end of the Week Six, twenty-four hours after the intervention, gate how drama games, which might engage learners actively in the there were post-intervention VKS and drawing, and another group learning process, influenced my First-Graders’ vocabulary acquisition. discussion. Drama games offer students a lot of opportunities to get actively involved in the cyclical process of acquiring and deepening word Different statistical tests were carried out to analyze the collected knowledge. They also allow young children to recognize and utilize quantitative data. First, Pearson correlations were used to analyze words in various yet meaningful settings in their imagination while the relationship between vocabulary size and reading proficiency. transforming traditional vocabulary lessons to a more playful, crea- Second, paired-samples T tests were executed to investigate stu- tive, joyful experience. In this research, it was my intention to ex- dents’ performance in textbook-only and with-dramatization condi- plore the impact of a textbook-based vocabulary curriculum which tions. Next, one-way ANOVA (ANalysis Of VAriance) was carried was modified by dramatization, in order to enhance young learners’ out to compare the means of score change among different cat- learning experience. egorical groups. I hypothesized that with-dramatization was a more effective intervention than textbook-only in teaching young children Method new vocabulary. For triangulation purpose, this research adopted a mixed methodo- logical approach, which allowed me to validate and expand quantita- Results and Reflection tive results with qualitative data. The data revealed that vocabulary size and reading proficiency have a statistically significant linear relationship (r = .828, p < .001). The In my Grade One class, there were 12 boys and 12 girls, with an direction of the relationship is positive (i.e., vocabulary size and read- average age of 6. Most of them are bilingual (or trilingual) with Eng- ing proficiency are positively correlated), meaning that these vari- lish as one of their mother languages. A within-subjects design was ables tend to increase together (i.e., greater vocabulary size is as- adopted, i.e. each child experienced both learning conditions (text- sociated with higher reading proficiency). Even after controlling the book-only and with dramatization). effect of exact age (ranged from 6.3 to 7.6), the correlation between vocabulary size and reading proficiency remains unchanged (r =.828,

34 EARCOS Triannual Journal p<.001). Thus, age does not make a significant impact on the rela- provisation) to teach tier 2 vocabulary, which is usually more expe- tionship. Surprisingly, this statistical analysis contradicts to parent in- rience-oriented. terview findings. First-graders’ parents believed that if their children 3. Engage learners, regardless of their age, in the reflective process of were younger (even if they were just a few months younger) than stop, think and act. Their voice is essential. other students in the class, their younger ones would have disadvan- 4. Invite other teachers to your drama-driven vocabulary class and tages in reading testing. seek their feedback. Sometimes they can shed a light on matters that you seem to neglect. In textbook-only setting, pretest and posttest scores were strongly and positively correlated (r = .513, p < .05). There was a signifi- Conclusion cant average difference between pretest and posttest scores (t23 = Despite the practical constraints (e.g. time was not strictly controlled -2.725, p < .05). In average, posttest scores were 1.7 points higher and small sample size) faced by this action research, this empirical than pretest scores in textbook-only setting. On the other hand, in study was expected to explore several implications for early child- dramatization setting, pretest and posttest scores were strongly and hood teachers whose schools adopt a textbook-based vocabulary positively correlated (r = .508, p < .05). There was a significant aver- curriculum. Drama games can make traditional textbook-driven vo- age difference between pretest and posttest scores (t23 = -13.765, cabulary lessons more interactive and experiential. While dramatiza- p < .001). In average, posttest scores were 8.8 points higher than tion had a statistical significance on vocabulary test scores, young pretest scores in dramatization setting. In other words, students per- language learners in this study found such an intervention joyful. formed better in dramatization setting than textbook-only setting by Further studies should address how drama games can be integrated a mean difference of 8.8 - 1.7 = 7.1. into a vocabulary curriculum in a coherent and systematic way. It would be beneficial to study whether dramatization has differential The above statistical result was evident from participant interview impact on particular groups of children, such as emergent bilinguals as well as teacher reflection. All participants reflected that they en- (in English-speaking schools). joyed vocabulary learning more in dramatization condition than textbook-only condition. Although 6-year-old children are not yet Hamorn K. Y. Lau is a recipients of $1,000 EARCOS Action Research Grant. excellent in expressing themselves, they were able to explain briefly what they liked about drama games with phrases, such as “fun”, “do real action”, full of excitement” and “no making fun of others”. In addition, my teacher reflection notes documented my observation that students in dramatization condition were a lot more active and energetic than when they were in textbook-only condition.

In dramatization setting, the means of score change are significantly different for at least one of the initial reading ability groups (F2, 21 = 5.576, p < .05), which are “below Grade One expectation”, “at Grade One expectation”, and “exceed Grade One expectation”. Nevertheless, according to my class observation notes, children whose initial English reading ability was “below Grade One expectation”, were as active as others in acting, using props and using new word knowledge in various drama games. These children tended to Join us on Google+ be more sociable than usual in dramatization setting. Impressively, at the end of this search project, all “below Grade One expectation” Search: EARCOS Community children’s reading proficiency met the grade-level expectation and were promoted to Grade Two! Share great things going on in EARCOS schools. There is no significant difference of score change means between The EARCOS community consists of 158 inter- gender groups (F1,22 = .596, p > .001). Expectedly, dramatization national schools and over 10,000 educators in the is effective on young children regardless of gender. This quantitative East Asia region. data was consistent with my teacher field notes, which recorded that all children (both boys and girls) were actively engaged in acquiring and constructing word knowledge through drama games. This community is a place to share ideas and events taking place in EARCOS schools. Based on my self-reflection on this action research, I would like to offer the following guidelines to teachers who would like to integrate drama games in their vocabulary curriculum:

1. Use props, costumes and other visual tools to teach tier 1 vocabulary words, which are usually labels and can be taught through direct association with objects. 2. Utilize drama games (e.g. hot-seating, dramatize a story and im-

Fall 2017 Issue 35 Elementary School Gallery The Visual Arts are alive and thriving at CMIS (Chiang Mai International School). We educate our young artists using a T.AB. (Teaching Artistic Behavior) model at the elementary level. Students learn key concepts and techniques. Then they are challenged to creatively problem solve and think critically to develop their own unique solution to the task at hand. The room operates as an open studio where students move freely, brainstorm collaboratively, and constantly self assess. Our focus is on process over product but we are often rewarded with with the visually interesting. Please enjoy our fun, hard work! Mrs. Kate Carr, CMIS Elementary Art Teacher

Chiang Mai International School Fire Dragon Prab, Grade 1st Medium: Paint

Ayeyarwaddy International School This project was a 3rd grade project on contrast. Student explore ontrast through paper weaving.

Chiang Mai International School Red Hills, Elliot, Grade 4 Medium: Paint, oil pastels, and colored pencils

International School of Ulaanbaatar “Landscape Paintings in Impressionist Style”. Medium: acrylics Top: Mathew N. 5H Bottom: Enkhtushig Z. 5L

Suzhou Singapore International School Grade 4, Land Art They used his natural art works as inspiration while searching out- doors for colors, shapes, line, and texture in order to create patterns. Kaohsiung American School Flower drawing with pastel ink Jamie Wu, Grade 4

Ayeyarwaddy International School Ayeyarwaddy International School Concordia International School Shanghai This project was a 3rd grade project on contrast. In this 5th grade lesson students learned Celine Gr. 4 oil pastel Student explore ontrast through paper weaving. about Greek vases ans symmetry. Student painted with acrylic paint to create symmetry. International Christian School - Hong Kong Panda Scratch Art Clement Lee, Grade 5

Thai-Chinese International School Still Life Painting Nashnond Hsieh (Fa-Tian), Grade.3

Stamford American International School Stamford American International School Grade 2 - Stamford’s Starry Night - Students in grade two, Grade 1 - Aboriginal Art - Students in grade one, collaboratively created this collaboratively created this artwork for a charity art auction, artwork for a charity art auction, raising money for Stamford’s’ Cambodia raising money for Stamford’s’ Cambodia Hope School. Students Hope School. Students used the traditional dot painting technique to create used collage to build up the image of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry the symbolic aboriginal patterns. Night. Fall 2017 Issue 37 Campus Development >> Dominican International School

Inauguration day of Phase II of the new school buildings.

For the Dominican International School in Taipei, 2017 is indeed a In August 2010 Phase 1 of the construction of the new buildings very significant and exciting year. In early May, the school received started. In July 2013, the new buildings which included classrooms, confirmation from ACS WASC that it has been fully accredited for an audio-visual room, an art room, science laboratories, and a brand the next six years until 2023. The second phase of the project to new library, were complete and new technology was installed. That completely rebuild the school is coming to its final conclusion in first day in the new buildings was quite unforgettable with confused time for the school’s Diamond Jubilee – sixty years of serving the students and teachers looking for classrooms and offices. Open and international community in Taipei. closed boxes were everywhere, people were rearranging brand new desks and chairs, and teachers were allocating new lockers. For- On August 8, on the Feast Day of St Dominic, the long-awaited day tunately everyone settled down quickly and were overjoyed about of the inauguration of Phase II of the school’s new buildings arrived. the very fast Internet in the new building. These buildings will house a new gym and cafeteria, additional office space, the new chapel and a new convent for the Dominican Sisters. The remaining old buildings were still there as a reminder of the past. The students had a wonderful time when the Grade 12‘s set up The construction of the new buildings is just the latest chapter in a Halloween ghost house in the old building during a school event the story of the school which has contributed considerably to the at the end of October in 2015. The spookiness factor was just high spiritual life and academic achievements of so many students. It is enough in the old building at night to make it a thrilling experience. a story that goes back sixty years to a day when permission from When everyone returned after the winter vacation, the old school the Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic’s Mother General was ob- was gone. Some teachers expressed sadness that their old class- tained to start a school that provided tuition for Pre-Kindergarten, rooms were gone forever. Fortunately, Sr. Zenaida Ancheta, the Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 in a small house that was rented Principal, saved many of the old mementoes in the school’s museum for this purpose. that is open to students, teachers, parents and interested visitors. All the equipment in the school is state-of-the-art and the latest The school has a rich history. It was formerly a US Government addition is smart boards in every classroom. The school has just contract (D.O.D.) school for the military dependents of the United acquired its own radio station that has done some experimental States Forces in Taipei. In 1979, with the withdrawal of the American broadcasts already, and soon there will be a video recording studio Forces from Taipei, it became an international school. The modified and a photo studio for students to further hone their multimedia American curriculum remains in place to this day, and the school skills. takes pride in its innovative culture. It will be a double celebration when the school’s 60th anniversary In December 2008 the gymnasium, cafeteria, and the west wing gala event takes place in the new gym. of the main building were demolished to make way for the construction of new school buildings that were more suitable for 21st By Mercia de Souza, [email protected] Century education, also making provision for advanced technology. photographs by Ian Crisostomo 38 EARCOS Triannual Journal ST CENTURY CONSULTANCY SERVICES LEARNING INTERNATIONAL

21st Century Learning is uniquely positioned to provide across the spectrum review and consultancy services to school Boards and leadership teams. Using technology to support learning and teaching in schools requires a holistic approach that merges the underlying infrastructure with best practice in sta professional development and supported by a suitably focused support structure.

CHECKLIST SERVICES

Our ICT Best Practice checklist Review and Planning: provides a framework by which Development and review of strategic to reﬂect upon and audit a technology plans school’s ICT readiness. Planning assessment schemes for technology initiatives Development of 1:n technology infusion programs

Acquisitions and Implementation: SHARED VISION UBIQUITOUS TRANSFORMATIVE FOR LEARNING ACCESS LEADERSHIP & Student Information Systems CULTURE OF Learning Management Platforms INNOVATION www sites and Intranets

BUILDING & STUDENT TECHNICAL Professional Development: SUSTAINING VOICE SUPPORT CAPACITY Hands-on personalised training Group training for teachers, admin or support sta

IMPLEMENTATION CURRICULUM LEARNING CONTACT US FOR A CONSULTATION & CHANGE ALIGNMENT ENVIRONMENTS MANAGEMENT PLANS Every school is at a dierent place on their journey and often has unique requirements, so why not contact us for a personalised consultation.

Contact one of our Directors for further information: SUPPORT POLICIES Justin Hardman : [email protected] Graeme Deuchars : [email protected]

Building Communities of Learners 21c-learning.com/consulting 21st Century Learning International Campus Development >> Elementary Engineering and Design By Julie Lemley dents an ability to develop technical skills and use the design process throughout their schooling.

At the International School of Beijing (ISB), we are continuing the evolution of our elementary design curriculum, including our own ISB design process, as well as a scope and sequence of skills which aligns with our secondary school. In the past two years, we have adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which help spark design thinking through the process of engineering. We are also implementing Engineering is Elementary, to help develop a scope and sequence for engineering design. Ideally, we want to go beyond simply designing from the mindset of an engineer, and only through the lens of science, to understanding how the design process applies across all subject areas.

While we are still developing our design and engineering curriculum from Pre-K to Grade 12, we have already designed and equipped an incredible new Elementary Design Lab for teachers to use with their classes. This is a safe, well-resourced space, supplied with facilitators who help co-teach and embed more design thinking and technical skills into the curriculum. Our vision is to provide a space that allows students and teachers to explore the critical thinking and learning that is a natural outcome of the ISB design process.

In developing our design and engineering programs at ISB, we are learning, adjusting, and fine-tuning as we go. We developed our ES Design Lab before we had a set elementary school design and engineering curriculum. The ES Design Lab has been purposefully designed to be flexible and open; allowing students the freedom to define its potential. We feel that providing a well-resourced space Science Club to showcase the thinking and creativity of our youngest designers will be just the sandbox necessary to develop the great thinkers, problem solvers, and makers of the future. Design thinking, makerspaces, tinkering, and STEAM have become part of education jargon in the recent past. However, they are not We would love to collaborate with other schools and programs. trendy buzz words that will fade away in a couple of years: these are If you are doing great design thinking, STEAM, and/or engineering important components of all school curricula and spaces. Design work with your students, connect with us and share with the whole thinking and the process of making enhances student learning in EARCOS community so we can together provide the best experi- numerous ways. Students consolidate their understanding of con- ences for all of our students and teachers. tent with hands-on application, develop critical problem-solving skills, improve collaboration and management skills, and develop technical Julie Lemley is the Design Facilitator for International School of Beijing. skills, including using hand tools, digital drawing, sewing, and coding. Previous to working in Beijing, she taught MYP Design in Japan and Peru and has also worked as a EdTech Integrator. When design and engineering curricula are evident in a school, they @JulieLemley | #learnisb | [email protected] are usually only articulated in the secondary school. In many elementary schools, this important content area is often left to “open Facilities makerspace time” or sees individual teachers adding projects that incorporate the design process and materials in their individual classrooms. Often, elementary teachers integrate many great STEAM concepts in their classes, but the skills and processes of a robust design or engineering curriculum aren’t articulated across the grade levels like other curriculum strands. This is an area that can improve in many schools. Elementary-aged students love to learn through hands-on application and are keen to create; this can provide stu-

40 EARCOS Triannual Journal Punahou School, Hawaii - Affiliate Member School

Paula Hodges (Academy Asst. Principal), Jadie Geil, Nick Kapule, Wendi Kamiya (I.T., CIO), Ke’alohi Reppun (Co-Director Kuaihelani Hawai- L-R Ms. Kitty Wo Board Chair at Punahou, Dr. K, ian Learning Center), Lorelei Saito (7th grade So- Debbie Berger Trustee and Dr. James Scott President cial Studies), and Todd Chow-Hoy (Junior School of Punahou. Asst. Principal) On the Road with Dr. K...

Seisen International School Graduation

Dr. K and Collete Rogers with the sisters from Seisen International School

Dr. K participating in the “Senior March” at St. Mary’s International School celebrating their graduation.

Dr. K, Mrs. Kikuko Nomo, Mr. Hideo Nomo, and Yoshitaka Nomo. Yoshitaka Nomo’s father Mr. Hideo became the first Japanese citizen to join an American major league team in 1995. The LA Dodgers and Red Sox!

Simon Mann Headmaster of British School Manila L-R Head of School David Toze, ELM Assistant Princi- with his office staff Erwin and Runah. pal Jen Juteau and ELM Principal Adam Campbell. Partial List of Approved EARCOS Professional Learning Weekend for SY 2017-2018

One of the services EARCOS provides to its member schools throughout the year is the sponsorship of two-day workshops and institutes for faculty and administration. The topics for these workshops are determined according to the needs of members. Workshops are hosted by EARCOS schools.

DATE NAME OF SCHOOL CONSULTANT TITLE

AUGUST Aug 19-20 Korea International School Joe Brooks Sustainable Service Learning Model Aug 26-27 Medan Independent School Michael Boll Seeking, Finding and Using Technology to Improve Student Learning Aug 26-27 Surabaya Intercultural School John Stiles Science Inquiry, STEM

SEPTEMBER Sept 9-10 Bali Island School Lance King Teaching with ATL in Mind Sept 9-10 Northbridge International School, Cambodia Robert Steele Compass Level 1 Sept 16-17 Daegu International School Libby Jachles Seven Strategies for Teaching Writing Sept 16-17 Saint Maur International School Margaret Maclean Collaborative Skills and Practices to Enhance Student Learning Session 1 Sept 16-17 Shanghai American School Andrew Miller and Janet Claassen Project Based Learning (PBL) and Inquiry Approach to Learning Sept 23-24 Hong Kong International School Wendy Smith Reimagining Science and Engineering with NGSS & Three Dimensional Learning (Elementary and Middle School Teachers) Sept 23-24 International School Manila Lynn Kachmarik Leadership, Motivation, & Success in Sports (For Coaches and P.E. Teachers) Sept 23-24 Mont’Kiara International School Paul Anderson NGSS & STEM: Getting Started @ a Medium to Small International School Sept 23-24 Nagoya International School Margaret Maclean Collaborative Skills and Practices to Enhance Student Learning Session 2 Sept 23-24 The American School of Bangkok Peggy Rowe & Larry Ward Mindfulness in the Classroom Sept 23-24 The International School Yangon Dr. Shaun Hawthorne Visible Learning Foundations and How Students Learn Sept 23-24 United World College of South East Asia Sarah Whyte Supporting TCKs as a teacher Sept 30 Jakarta INtercultural School Natashya Hays Inquiry Based Word Study

OCTOBER Oct 7-8 American School in Taichung Rami Madani Learning Focused Instruction and Assessment Oct 7-8 Ruamrudee International School Sara Garrett Foundations in Math: Developing Mathematical Thinking and Conceptual Understanding in Grades K-5 Oct 14-15 Shanghai Americican School Amy Lauren Smith Developing a Health Curriculum in your School Oct 20-21 Hong Kong Academy Kendall Zoller Developing Effective Facilitation and Communication Skills Oct 21-22 PTIS - Prem Tinsulanonda International School, Cathryn Berger Kaye Embedding Service Learning Chiang Mai

NOVEMBER Nov 4-5 Cebu International School Ian Sutherland Active Assessment Through Action Research Nov 4-5 Canadian Academy Jim Noble Mathematical tasks to promote mathematical thinking and engagement Nov 11-12 UNIS Hanoi Fiona Zinn Early Childhood Nov 11-12 International School Bangkok Dr. Keith Collins and a team of specialists Understanding the Needs of Diverse Learners (and what we can do about it) Nov 11-12 Nansha College Preparatory Academy Patrick Love Using Data to Support Student Wellness and Academic Achievement Nov 11-12 NIST International School Compass Education Compass Education Nov 17-18 Bandung Independent School Jason Graham Learning Technologies Nov 18-19 Western Academy of Beijing Cathryn Berger Kaye Service Learning Institute Nov 25-26 Chatsworth International School Compass Education Compass Education Level 1: Compass Practitioner Thinking, Learning and Acting for a Flourishing and Sustainable World Nov 25-26 Shanghai Community International School Tania Lattanzio Informing Planning, Learning and Inquiry through Assessment

DECEMBER Dec 2-3 Suzhou Singapore International School Richard Bruford Supporting Students with the demands of Summative Assessment: Transferrable skills for Student Wellbeing Dec 2-3 Western Academy of Beijing Matt Glover Nurturing Writers Dec 8-9 Morrison Academy Matt Glover Writing Workshop in the Elementary Classroom

JANUARY 2018 Jan 20-21 Yangon International School Laurie Ransom The Writing Workshop: Creating a Community of Writers Jan 27-28 International School Manila Tom Nehmy Healthy Minds January Shanghai American School TBD Understanding by Design (UbD) approach to curriculum design

FEBRUARY Feb 3-4 Tokyo International School Lance King Approaches to Learning

MARCH Mar 2-3 Thai Chinese International School Dr. Steven E. Ballowe Strategic Planning: Survival Guide for School Leaders and Board members Mar 3-4 United World College of South East Asia John Zola Instructional Strategies that Engage and Assess Mar 10-11 Seisen International School Ms. Mignon Weckert An Inquiry Approach to Teaching and Learning in Mathematics: Research Based Strategies to Improve Student Learning

APRIL April 6-7 Canggu Community School Aaron Downey and Claire Dusting Visible Thinking in the Primary School April 7-8 Surabaya Intercultural School Ron Lancaster K12 Mathematics April 21-22 Hong Kong International School Wendy Smith Designing an Assessment System to Measure Three-Dimensional Science Learning (Elementary and Middle School Teachers)

TBA Jakarta Intercultural School Natashya Hays Inquiry Based Word Study