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Friday, 17 January 2025
Thinking & Musing in Ghana: The Job Hunt


Thinking & Musing in Ghana: The Job Hunt
Oct 2104
I’m 58 and job hunting… I admit it, I’m getting old. I have 25 years as an administrator and I’ve spent hours interviewing candidates for teaching positions but I can count the number of times I’ve been interviewed in my life on my fingers.


+ 2021
By Robbie Jefferiss
11-May-21
Covid-19 has definitively changed many industries, and Robbie Jefferiss thinks college counseling might be one of them. Is it time to acknowledge that campus visits and college fairs are an outdated model of recruitment in the zoom era? ..more
By Kathleen Naglee
27-Apr-21
There is no life now outside of work, confides Head of School Kathleen Naglee, who has stopped trying to pretend otherwise. In the throes of the pandemic, remaining committed to her community of learners and fellow educators has come at a great personal cost. ..more
By David Willows
27-Apr-21
The entire future of how our schools will function appears to be the subject of some considerable debate and not an insignificant amount of opinion and conjecture. Problem is, people are not very good at making predictions. ..more
By James Toney
27-Apr-21
James Toney doesn't want to talk about Chauvin's trial. All the same, this Black educator with a Black son of his own has generously and at personal cost laid out some of the many reasons why he's not up for talking. Are you listening? ..more
By Kelly Owens
30-Mar-21
Service learning, according to Kelly Owens, is problematic in that it reinforces the “savior” mentality among students at international schools. A different approach, community-based engagement, shows them the importance of working together for the betterment of all. ..more
+ 2020
By Renea Bartlett Pope
25-Nov-20
How are teachers refining their practices today in response to diverse students’ needs in remote modalities? Renea Bartlett Pope spoke with colleagues around the world and reports on three major shifts that will likely carry over into post-pandemic schooling. ..more
By Shwetangna Chakrabarty, TIE blogger
11-Nov-20
Many international school teachers have lost their jobs, their friends, their belongings, and their homes. Shwetangna Chakrabarty is one of them. In this moving piece, she reflects on her personal experience of loss and the wisdom that has helped sustain her while in full flux. ..more
By Eric Semler
14-Oct-20
What can you learn about leadership and leading during a crisis from the mud and mayhem of a reality show featuring incredibly dangerous roads? A lot, it turns out, if you've ever felt that leading a school can be a treacherous endeavor. ..more
By Jon Nordmeyer
30-Sep-20
As 21st-century educators, we need to build on multilingualism and transnationalism as resources in preparing students for increasingly more complex and more global challenges in the years to come. ..more
By Sadie Hollins
30-Sep-20
Encouraging positive change makes up much of what we do as teachers. Sadie Hollins explores habit formation among both teachers and students, encouraging us to move away from “should-ing” ourselves to focusing on how our habits help inform our identity. ..more
By Adam Bradford
30-Sep-20
Students struggle to work independently on developing lab ideas and carrying them out. @Home Experiments are designed to complement the IB biology curriculum by giving them memorable, safe, practical experiments to try at home. ..more
By Josefino Rivera, Jr.
15-Sep-20
In literature, we find comfort in narratives that follow what Joseph Campbell called the “hero’s journey,” the trajectory of a character who crosses into an unknown world only to return from the experience completely changed. But what about those that don’t return? ..more
By Lorelei Loveridge
15-Sep-20
Five days after Saudi Arabia’s King Salman declared a 21-day curfew that effectively turned into a compound lockdown, Lorelei Loveridge received the call every expat dreads. He was gone. She couldn't get home to be with family. And still the show had to go on. ..more
By Darnell Fine
04-Jun-20
Social justice facilitator Darnell Fine shares a reflection inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King. As international educators, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” ..more
Pam Mundy, ACS International Schools board trustee and Early Childhood education specialist, advocates the value of play in early years and primary years education, and, while children are still learning at home, has shared her advice for how parents can leverage the power of play activities to drive development and learning outcomes. ..more
By Francis T Chapuredima
06-May-20
As an educator, my blood boils when I see job specifications that strongly state “all applicants except those from [insert host country] must be native English speakers from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa." Schools should not restrict the pool of applicants to those hailing from a handful of countries. ..more
By Heidi Laws & Donna Bracewell
06-May-20
The new Life-Centered Education program at ISK is designed to serve students who have a diagnosed intellectual or developmental disability and require individualized academic and social skill instruction. ..more
Al-Rayan International School in Ghana is delighted to announce that it has received authorization to offer the fourth and final stream of the International Baccalaureate programmes: the IB Career-related Programme (IBCP). ..more
By Matt Piercy
22-Apr-20
Among the many criteria candidates consider when deciding what jobs to apply for or offers to accept--from "fit" to school size, and from housing to retirement plans--air quality should be a very real consideration. ..more
By Tamar Kosky Lazarus
22-Apr-20
IsraAID’s Tamar Kosky Lazarus visits northern Uganda, where a new center will provide daily support and activities for hundreds of refugee children--the Child Friendly Space, supported by the Children of Haiti Refugee Project (COHRP). ..more
By Graeme Boyd
22-Apr-20
The collaborative relationship between the school counselor and the school librarian has for the most part been vastly overlooked within international schools. Both these positions are pivotal for a successful learning environment but are often viewed as separate roles. ..more
By Akofa Wallace
26-Mar-20
Imaginative puppet shows, indoor sports challenges, interactive games and screencasts are some of the activities that have replaced classroom teaching at United Nations International School of Hanoi (UNIS Hanoi), which closed its campus to students at the start of February. ..more
By Jessica Schultz
26-Mar-20
We have a huge opportunity to improve classroom design, since schools no longer serve to prepare students for the workforce of the 1900s. The project of designing our ideal classrooms should naturally involve the students themselves. ..more
By Kristen MacConnell, Director of the Teacher Training Center Programs with the PTC
05-Mar-20
Due to the quickly spreading coronavirus, many schools in Asia and a growing number of schools in Europe have had to shift to short-term online learning to keep students, faculty, and families safe. Thousands of teachers are teaching online for the first time. ..more
By Kassi Cowles
26-Mar-20
In my years abroad, I’ve found that difficult teachers fall into one of three general categories: they are inexplicably and perpetually angry, or obsessively anxious, or vigilantly challenging policies and procedures in way that inhibits workflow. And they are all afraid to belong. ..more
By Xianxuan Xu
05-Mar-20
Providing timely, specific, and actionable feedback is one of the crucial instructional tools that helps students learn. However, research also suggests that effect of feedback varies considerably depending on how it is given and received. ..more
By Caitlin Tegenfeldt and Tabitha Davis
05-Mar-20
As international teachers, we have all experienced the loss of a close friend, whether they moved on to another school or they returned to their home country. After one teacher's best friend moved, “the challenge was to know where my space was in the school. I didn’t have a safe place.” ..more
By Anne Keeling
17-Feb-20
The International School Awards 2020 took place in London on Monday 20th January. Over 225 senior figures from international schools and education organizations attended the event. The annual Awards, which are hosted by ISC Research, recognize outstanding initiatives being delivered in English-medium international schools around the world. ..more
By Matthew Dicks
17-Feb-20
Matthew Dicks is an internationally bestselling novelist whose books have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide. He has shared his storytelling talents and insights with students from Yale University to Graded School in Sao Paulo, Brazil. ..more
By Nichol Niyibizi
05-Feb-20
When we arrived in Sudan in August 2019, I never could have imagined what lay ahead. As the new Head of Primary at Khartoum International Community School (KICS), the year started as any new year would... then we found ourselves in the middle of a full-on revolution. ..more
By Kristen DiMatteo
05-Feb-20
At Munich International School, over the course of a semester, groups of teachers met to explore self-determined areas of interest in their field. Trained faculty leaders facilitated these groups, and the meetings were paced to follow an inquiry cycle. ..more
By Anne Keeling
05-Feb-20
Due to the expanding options for undergraduates and the increasing aspirations of students and their families, ever more intricate “best fit” conversations between college counselors and individual students are necessary in order to increase the potential of degree success. ..more
By Dallin Bywater
03-Jan-20
Staff children often are given more attention, have unique social standing, and at times are treated differently when it comes to privileges and discipline at school. If you have taught a colleague’s child before, you likely would agree. ..more
By Julia Serrano
03-Jan-20
This year, one of my goals was to promote mindfulness activities in our community. I embarked on this journey thinking it was just breathing, meditation, & anti-stress practice, but in becoming familiar with the movement I ended up redefining my approach to teaching. ..more
+ 2019
By Kassi Cowles
19-Dec-19
What a crucial job it is to be a teacher. To be the seer and the hearer and the witness. And maybe the cosmic chance to witness and transmit is more rare than we professional teachers would like to believe. Over the years I’ve had hundreds of young people in my classes but I’m sure that not all of them were my students. ..more
By Allison Poirot
19-Dec-19
I don’t need to always be seeking the highest mountain in South America or the most remote and secluded beach in Brazil. I want to also be content with the view of the trees at a local park and the taste of a toasted bagel with butter from a close-by cafe. ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
03-Dec-19
As educators, we are naturally very future-conscious. Climate change, mass forced migration, extremism, digitalization and automation, fake news and post -truth opinion… How are we to understand these challenges, let alone adequately respond? ..more
By Mike Simpson
19-Dec-19
At ISY, we consider the development of compassion in all young people to be of the utmost importance. This need to reflect on compassion is and how we can develop it in our community was the driving force behind the Compassion Conference held in September. ..more
By David Callaway
19-Dec-19
Personalized learning is a complex approach, not least because its practice is determined by the context in which it is applied. Despite some promising high-level support from institutions such as the U.S. Dept of Ed, there is little to no real change in our classroom practices. ..more
By Meadow Dibble, TIE Editor
03-Dec-19
In eschewing the federal Columbus Day holiday this year, Maine joined seven other states and the District of Columbia in favoring celebrations that recognize North America's indigenous populations. Schools statewide have a mandate to teach Native American history and culture. ..more
By Oorna Mukherjee
03-Dec-19
Sustainability is the name of the 21st-century game. ARIS is looking to explore all possible avenues within our reach, and educate the next generations to be more aware, responsible, and forthright in their advocacy projects. ..more
By Dallin Bywater
13-Nov-19
Having lived in international school environments for much of my life, I've noticed a trend. There is something different about international school staff children, that is, the children of educators in international schools. ..more
By Ben Fishman
13-Nov-19
It can be hard for educators to see our students sad or feeling anxious about friendship dynamics. Having friends is important to children. They promote positive emotional wellbeing and a feeling of inclusion and belonging. ..more
By Shwetangna Chakrabarty and Natasha Hacque
01-Nov-19
The Kitenge Friday initiative at Dar es Salaam International Academy encouraged staff to make an impact within the local community by dressing every Friday in the colorful cotton fabric covered in unique designs and patterns known as kitenge or khanga. ..more
By Andreas Economou
01-Nov-19
This year, students at AISC performed admirably in a number of global competitions, even though there was not a clear “prize” at the end. Aware that their work was not necessarily going to be rated, graded, or possibly even acknowledged, they engaged regardless. ..more
By Rijul Gupta & Tomas Imparato
17-Oct-19
When planning their GHAMUN conference, Lincoln Community School students realized that if they only included kids from other international schools, they would be in violation of UN principles. So they reached out to DUNK, a local program in Accra that works with underprivileged youth. ..more
By Michelle Haner
03-Oct-19
Electric Voices, an immersive, site-specific play performed at the French-American International School of San Francisco, invited performers and audience members to forge an empathetic relationship with refugees. ..more
By Kristen MacConnell, Director of the Teacher Training Center
04-Sep-19
Starting the year strong for adults is just as important as it is for our students. Here are a few of my favorite ways to cultivate adult learning communities. These activities can be done with your faculty or with your teams/departments. ..more
By Jonathan Wai, University of Arkansas
04-Sep-19
Each year various magazines and newspapers publish college rankings in an attempt to inform parents and prospective students which colleges are supposedly the best. But what, if anything, do all these college rankings really reveal about the quality and value of a particular college? ..more
By Kenya Washington
13-Nov-19
In this article, I consider elements of cultural perspective and competence, examine what a culturally inclusive classroom might look like, and discuss the impact on students when we begin to get this right or, conversely, when we fall short of inclusion. ..more
By Jessica A. Hale
18-Jul-19
OIS just concluded its inaugural year, offering an American educational program in Kuala Lumpur staffed by U.S.-certified teachers that is designed to be academically challenging, integrated with cutting-edge technology, and centered on developing character in students. ..more
By Kenneth Muller
01-Nov-19
Academic awards and awards assemblies are an integral part of school tradition. But are these traditions we should perpetuate? There is no denying the importance of acknowledging accomplishments and achievement, but it is perhaps time we redefined how best to do it. ..more
By Forrest Broman, President of COHRP
18-Jul-19
The mission of the newly restructured Children of Haiti and Refugee Projects (COHRP) is to expand the program in Haiti while working with partners in Uganda, Jordan, and Israel to provide refugee children with access to educational services. ..more
By Young Jae Chang
01-Nov-19
The choice to become a counseling intern at an international school in Ghana meant choosing newness over familiarity and uncertainty over stability. On top of this experience of being in a new role, new country, and new culture, it was a new school and community to which I chose to commit for one year of my life. ..more
By Alexa P. Schmid & Pamela Pappas
20-Jun-19
International School Kenya has started to grapple with some questions around diversity—diversity in the curriculum, diversity in our staffing, how we support our diverse student population, and how we support professional learning related to cultural proficiency. ..more
By Holly Bowen Reardon
17-Oct-19
At the International School of Eastern Seaboard, we wanted to harness the gift of our diverse perspectives to learn from and with one another, because in learning-focused schools teachers take collective responsibility for student learning and wellbeing. ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
03-Oct-19
In a recent report titled The Future of Women at Work, the authors state that “in the automation age, women face new challenges overlaid on long-established ones. Technology adoption could displace millions from their jobs; many others will need to change the way they work.” ..more
By Joy Jameson
03-Oct-19
Workplace climate plays a crucial part in the success or failure of schools. How would you describe yours? Overall, is it as warm and inviting as a trip to a Caribbean island? As cold and hazardous as a visit to Antarctica in the dead of winter? As arid as a major desert? ..more
By Abel J. Koury, The Ohio State University
04-Sep-19
Despite the seeming consensus that children lose learning during the summer, a 2017 report from the Brookings Institute showed that the research on summer learning is actually quite mixed. ..more
By Laurie Colyer
05-Jun-19
What started as Saloni’s IB Middle Years Programme Personal Project is now the Aboli Foundation, a full-fledged NGO created to support young students in India. Her first outreach was to children at Temki Paada school in Mahim. ..more
By Cynthia Nagrath, TIE Staff Writer
05-Jun-19
Journey to Kebapistan and through the funhouse-mirror halls of the Swineforth Hospital International School and you'll be rewarded with a fast-paced novel that’s hard to put down. In this amusing satire of an international school on the periphery, Roe delivers a distorted, albeit somewhat truthful, window into the goings-on of a new school seeking respectability. ..more
By Margriet Ruurs
18-Jul-19
Canadian author Margriet Ruurs offers a selection of reviews for educators and their students: The Mistress of Nothing, Only in India, Let Me Tell You My Story, The Lost Words, After Life, Ways We Think About Death, Married to Bhutan... ..more
By Jim Murphy
22-May-19
In memoriam: Edna Murphy was a teacher and school head in France, the U.K., and Belgium. Her loss will be deeply felt by the many teachers and administrators who came to know her as a mentor and leader. ..more
By Alexa P. Schmid
10-May-19
Each year in January or February, the International School of Kenya celebrates International Day. This year’s theme was “Proud to Be Me,” inspired and led by middle school students eager to understand our diverse student body and the various aspects that make up our identity as a community. ..more
By Oorna Mukherjee
10-May-19
Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft lip or a cleft palate. Approximately 1 out of every 750 babies in Ghana are born with this condition. ARIS student Baiian has taken on the mission of raising US$2,400 to deliver safe surgery to 10 children in Africa. ..more
By Sonny Magana
20-Jun-19
Have our educational methods kept pace with the new 21st-century indicators of success? The epidemic of low-impact technology use is a wicked problem that matters to me. I’ve discovered a solution to this wicked problem after failing better for 35 years. ..more
By Ben Fishman
20-Jun-19
Avoiding the summer slump and keeping the kids learning, active, and engaged can be done in countless ways. What’s most important is maintaining the right balance between learning and leisure activities. ..more
By Matt Brady
05-Jun-19
Teachers did not create the delusions of digital competence that school decision makers use to justify their decisions to skimp on EdTech training. If anyone, school leadership should be held responsible for the limited success of EdTech. Otherwise, what does leadership even mean? ..more
By Kaleroy Zervos
05-Jun-19
Most international schools work hard to foster these professional learning communities for teachers, and many do a very good job at it. But it's the nature of the arts that often leaves music, theatre, and visual arts teachers working alone to develop curriculum and seek out their own, specialized PD. ..more
By Carolyn Asante-Dartey, Amanda Dzwairo, & Tom Lewy
22-May-19
Nine students from Lincoln Community School's Human Rights Club traveled to Rwanda with three facilitators to discover more about the Rwandan Genocide that occurred in 1994. They returned determined that “Never again” must not be just an empty statement but a reality. ..more
By Kassi Cowles
22-May-19
After years of monastic discipline and sacrifice, my students read their bright future between the lines of their acceptance letters. Meanwhile, in the news, headlines about climate change become looming deadlines for climate catastrophe. What do I possibly teach that will matter? ..more
By Justine Hitchcock
10-May-19
Thought Club began with a “Blue Skies” weekly meeting, where teachers could share daily experiences, successes, and worries with their colleagues. It breaks the regular rules of professional development, providing a prototype model of grassroots collegial learning. ..more
By Ke Huang & Xianxuan Xu
24-Apr-19
Given the challenges that seem to be inherent in teaching, how might we help teachers to deal with job stress and the negative emotions that ensue? One possibility worth exploring is how emotional intelligence (EI) might relate to teacher well-being. ..more
By Matt Harris, TIE Columnist
24-Apr-19
Imagine breaking down the walls of the classroom to share global connections that build 21st-century learning knowledge through hands-on experiences. This is best done with learning activities that connect students across geographies where they engage in authentic exchanges. ..more
By Emma Harper
24-Apr-19
Street art has moved out of alleyways and train stations and into the mainstream, with street artists now enjoying recognition with museum exhibitions and selling their works for large sums at auction houses. It has also entered art classrooms at the American School of Milan ..more
By Sophie Baillie
24-Apr-19
“Digital technology and media are changing our world and transforming how we think, communicate, and create. Digital society will allow educators and young people to critically explore the changing world to better understand where we are now and imagine where we might go next.” ..more
By Adam Smith
03-Apr-19
27 February was a special day on campus for students and staff alike at Esbjerg International School in Denmark. Pink Shirt Day was first celebrated in Canada in 2007 after a student was harassed and teased for wearing the “wrong” shirt. What was wrong with it? It was pink. ..more
By George Evans
03-Apr-19
Almost everything we do in class is centered on reading texts, annotating and analyzing them, writing about what we’ve read, and then talking (and preferably arguing) about what we’ve written. This recursive style of teaching and learning is simple. But simple isn’t easy. ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
03-Apr-19
Only six countries give men and women equal rights, according to the World Bank study “Women, Business and the Law 2019.” The average global score is just under 75. In other words, a typical economy gives women three quarters of the legal rights of men. ..more
By Matthew Caracciolo
22-Mar-19
South Korea is a prime target for native English teachers looking for that perfect cocktail of security and adventure, but it wasn’t always the case. In terms of exposure and competency of the English language, South Korea is a relative newcomer. ..more
By John L. Lyons
15-Mar-19
Cross-cultural interaction of this caliber in diverse schools can only increase understanding, empathy, and responsiveness among individuals who are different, and who, perhaps, first strike one another as incomprehensible and distant “others.” ..more
By Geoff Richman
01-Mar-19
Ultimate is a sport played in more than 80 countries by an estimated seven million men and women, girls and boys. Beyond the evident athleticism required—a boon for players of all skill levels as the sport keeps us active—Ultimate develops character. ..more
By Natasha Broman, Staff Writer
28-Feb-19
Using sociograms in a school reveals the patterns of interpersonal relationships in a class, allowing the teacher to see which children may be struggling with their place. The tool creates opportunities to put in place helpful interventions for the most socially vulnerable students. ..more
By Andy Dougharty
14-Feb-19
All breakdowns can be resolved through communication. Something needs to be said that hasn’t been said. A question needs to be asked that hasn’t been asked. There is an unfulfilled expectation that needs to be resolved... ..more
By Stephen Spriggs
14-Feb-19
Encouraging and supporting high-achieving students as they chase their dreams can help educators themselves feel fulfilled, but how exactly can they offer guidance without interfering too much with the students’ own process? ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
06-Feb-19
Projecting ahead to 2022, the Future of Jobs Report indicates that, while about half of today’s core jobs will remain somewhat stable, experts note big changes ahead in the world of work. New technologies are generating completely new roles and making others obsolete. ..more
By Jeremie Rostan
01-Feb-19
The main function of school leaders is arguably to be innovators and initiators of change. What they should lead, in the end, is this constant process of institutional self-improvement. However, it is teachers who are “the single most important school-based factor that determines the change outcomes." ..more
By Matt Harris
18-Jan-19
With resources, engaged teachers, and supportive leadership a school can plant the strategy, IT infrastructure, learning outcomes, instructional activities, and measures of impact needed to build success with technology for learning. ..more
By Kristen Moreland & Julia Dennis
03-Jan-19
When you are working in isolation, with the closest coach being a city or country away, how does collaboration in the international school community take place across time zones and geographic boundaries? Through the internet, of course. ..more
By Deidre Fischer
03-Jan-19
I have learned from the mistakes I’ve made over the course of my own journey toward head of school, and I continue to learn even as I coach and mentor aspiring leaders as well as established heads. Here, I’ve summarized five key lessons learned along the way. ..more
By David Zhang
01-Mar-19
Eight million tons of plastic enters the ocean each year. International School Manila welcomed Matthew Barrie to speak on his initiative to combat this global issue. Solu is a technology startup based in Metro Manila that utilizes the rise of mobile connectivity to improve the efficiency of waste collection in the Philippines. ..more
By Arun Subbian
14-Feb-19
The Sensory Learning Hub, situated in the heart of the American School of Bombay’s elementary school, is custom-designed with three distinct zones: Therapy, Calming, and EveryBODY. ..more
By Maciej Sudra & Denzil Mackrory
06-Feb-19
In the last 50 years, Kenya has lost over half of its forest cover and continues to lose its remaining trees at an alarming rate. The design challenge posed to students taking the STEM Engineering course at the International School of Kenya was to see if camels, rather than contribute to the destruction of the environment, could be part of the solution. ..more
By Diana Shanaa
06-Feb-19
This October, Cairo American College celebrated the 40th anniversary of CACMUN, now the biggest conference of its kind taking place in Cairo. This year, the conference welcomed students from Beirut, Lahore, and numerous other local private schools from around Egypt. ..more
By Brigitte Deussen
01-Feb-19
Bavarian International School recently held its third “BeInSp!red Innovation Summit.” Experts from innovation consulting, science, technology and design, together with 240 BIS students, developed ideas on the subject “Design your ideal school of the future!” using the creativity technique known as “Design Thinking.” ..more
By Uma Shankar Singh
01-Feb-19
Many Middle Eastern countries possess an abundance of resources. It has not gone unnoticed that recycling and conservation efforts have typically had trouble finding traction here. I felt it might be helpful to share my experience initiating environmental projects in this context. ..more
By Melanie Hnetka
18-Jan-19
His Excellency the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Mr. Sebastian Kurz, recently learned first-hand about the innovative teaching and learning taking place at Canadian International School of Hong Kong. ..more
By Freddie Oomkens
18-Jan-19
To increase the amount of highly skilled teachers around the world, the University of the People (UoPeople) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) have launched a tuition-free, online Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) program. ..more
By Nicole Swedlow
03-Jan-19
The American School of Puerto Vallarta developed the Sustainability and Community Outreach department to develop real opportunities that will allow students to get involved in caring for their community and their campus while developing their passions. ..more
By Jane McGee & Angie Andreas
03-Jan-19
Through the creation of a mosaic mural, members of Vientiane International School in Laos sought to express who they are, making manifest the school's mission and core values while enhancing its sense of community. ..more
+ 2018
By Jason Cooper
19-Dec-18
With the help of AI, we have the opportunity to capitalize on our students’ intrinsic motivation to learn anywhere, anytime. Imagine an individual mentor that engages with students and leads them through a learning journey that is anchored to prescribed standards. ..more
By Anton Pav
06-Dec-18
Teachers in international schools use formative assessment teaching strategies more often than do their counterparts in national schools in the United States, according to a recent study that included institutions in West Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. ..more
By Anne Keeling
06-Dec-18
Over 1,000 international school teachers and leaders participated in the first-ever research on student and teacher wellbeing. The study asked respondents about their own wellbeing as professionals working in an international school, as well as about that of their students. ..more
By Bambi Betts
19-Dec-18
Educational research across the board points to quality of teaching as the number one school-based factor contributing to learning. Teacher standards describe what an effective teacher who is routinely “causing learning” should aspire to embody. ..more
By Derek Kensinger
28-Nov-18
The idea is ancient: Mens sana in corpore sano—a healthy mind in a healthy body. Regular physical activity is linked to general wellbeing in school and in life. But what is being done about this at the curricular level? ..more
By Luci Willis
02-Nov-18
I am a relatively new leader. This is my second year as an administrator, and it’s been an especially hard one. It felt like the weight got very heavy very quickly. And I didn’t always feel strong enough to carry it. ..more
By Elizabeth Rossini and Maggie Hagen
19-Oct-18
In our role as educators, it is important to offer our students choice, though we often fail to provide authentic, alternative learning opportunities. Without choice, how do we nurture intrinsic motivation and authentic learning experiences? ..more
By Brandon Fisher
23-May-18
In the episode of Concordia International School Shanghai’s EdTech podcast, “Are You Ready to Be Amazed?” the EdTech team shares tips and resources teachers can use to help their students evaluate and interpret online news in order to best determine what information to trust. ..more
By Chris McCarthy
14-Oct-18
After implementing the Teachers College Reading Writing Project program, I noted measurable progress in the quality of my students' writing and their ability to read both fiction and non-fiction with incisiveness. But is a workshop model compatible with the inevitable high-stakes exams students must take in high school? ..more
By Nicole Schmidt
23-May-18
People’s reactions vary widely when they find out that my husband and I have both resigned from our jobs at the Luanda International School and plan to load up our 2007 Land Cruiser with two tents and two boys. ..more
By Michael Griffin
19-Dec-18
I’ve taken up surfing, and the challenge and difficulty reminds me of the learning and teaching process for mastering music skills. For some reason, we expect skills to just show up, without going through the process of developing them. ..more
By Rich Lehrer and Kristen MacConnell
14-Oct-18
A new generation of technology is emerging that allows students to create highly refined, professional, and effective products with the potential for actual impact in their communities and the world. ..more
By Bill Parsons and Linda Henderson
06-Dec-18
Rhodia Mann—an author, collector, and an expert on the Samburu people of Northern Kenya—approached us with an offer: if we could find a home for her collection of artifacts and photographs of the Samburu, ISK could keep her collection in perpetuity. ..more
By Tamara Studniski
06-Dec-18
At Xiamen International School (XIS), Secondary Principal Peter Burnside led a discussion with teachers that resulted in an agreement: limiting phone use to academic purposes was worth a try. Burnside, an avid guitar player, had an idea: why not give them instruments? ..more
By Meadow Hilley, TIE Editor
03-Oct-18
Christian Long is an educator, designer, school planner, edtech expert, and passionate advocate for innovative learning communities. He is also a longtime camp counselor. TIE Editor Meadow Hilley had the chance to chat with Christian about ways school might act more like camp. ..more
By Bradylee McGeough
13-May-18
Why don’t more international schools offer effective retirement packages? They don’t have to. The job market doesn’t require it. Many international teachers are temporary or peripatetic, and so a long-term benefit holds little appeal. ..more
By Matt Piercy
13-May-18
Grade 6 students at the American Cooperative School of Tunis are following the footsteps of Paul Salopek, a National Geographic Fellow, as he walks 21,000 miles across the planet to trace human migration, out of Ethiopia and all the way to South America’s Tierra del Fuego. ..more
By Marie-France Perron
13-May-18
Constructivist theorists believe that children learn best when actively involved in an activity through investigation and inquiry. For this reason, it is imperative that parents and teachers alike foster the development of inquiry-based skills and behaviors in children of all ages. ..more
By Kelsey Giroux
02-May-18
Build, design, create. Passion projects. Tinker Time. 20% Time. iTime… These are no longer the exception but part of the modern teacher’s daily lexicon of desired outcomes. However, the question of how to best structure time for these pursuits persists. ..more
By Chris Clark
28-Nov-18
WAB's Grade 7 students engaged in a month-long experience designed to enhance individualized learning. “What we’re aiming for is to have an individualized and personalized program that allows all students access to a range of opportunities to support their learning styles and their ability.” ..more
By Karim Dakmak and Wenlong Shao
02-May-18
The Theory of Knowledge (ToK) presentation accounts for 33 percent of one’s overall IB ToK grade. Its significance is, however, much greater. We decided to partner up, having noted that we both focused our research on how personal knowledge is shaped by shared bodies of knowledge at various stages of knowledge production. ..more
Laurin Gschwenter (Grade 8), American International School Vienna
27-Sep-18
It’s a Friday afternoon. I have social studies class… boring. I’m supposed to do a task on zoomin. Instead, I take out my phone, stand up and sit someplace where my professor can’t notice me. Instantly, my other mate takes his phone out too... ..more
By Cynthia Nagrath, TIE Staff Writer
20-Apr-18
Spiritual guru and best-selling author Eckhart Tolle tells us, if you want to start meditating, take one conscious breath in and one conscious breath out. In his book, Mindful Teacher, Mindful School, international school veteran Kevin Hawkins takes this instruction to the next level by laying out a practical and insightful guide on how teachers can bring mindfulness to the classroom by first bringing it into their own lives and daily practice. ..more
By Luís Campos Ferreira, Olivia Kelly, Sarah Román-Quezada, & Taila Senanu
19-Apr-18
STUDENT FEATURE - Each year, students in Mr. Anagnost’s Theory of Knowledge (ToK) class complete the ToK Interview Process, choosing an Area of Knowledge (AoK) of interest to explore in depth by having a series of discussions with a faculty member from their school. ..more
By Diana Martinez
02-Nov-18
This year in my classroom I struggled with a couple of students who were experiencing difficulty staying on-task. I decided to create a more comfortable classroom environment and give them options as to where to work, with whom, and in what order to complete their tasks. ..more
By Jennifer Abrams
19-Apr-18
In schools, it’s the connotation we attach to the word "trust" and the deep reservoirs of associated emotion that determine how we truly define it. Trust is unwieldy, vague, and fuzzy. It’s complex, huge, and complicated. And, by the way, it is essential: research says trust is critical to our schools moving forward. ..more
By Jason Hicks
13-Apr-18
We failed Cody. As I reflect on my development as a teacher leader, I now believe that we failed this student not because our team lacked efficacy or consciousness, but because we did not understand, and I did not apply, practices related to effective teacher leadership. Effective leaders understand how to develop collaborative groups. ..more
By Nina Blake
02-Nov-18
For its commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing its students to use the immense power of digital media to explore, create, connect, and learn, while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, ASF kicks off the 2018–19 school year having earned official recognition as a Common Sense District. ..more
By Kristin Heglund and Kelley McKenna
11-Aug-18
Instructional coaching is a practice that is gaining popularity in schools all over the world, based on research into the most successful models for continuous adult professional development. "“No matter how well-trained people are," says Atul Gawande, "few can sustain their best performance on their own." ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
13-Apr-18
Collaborative problem solving, as assessed by PISA in 2015, is indicated by “the ability to maintain an awareness of group dynamics, ensure team members act in accordance with their agreed roles, and resolve disagreements and conflicts while identifying efficient pathways and monitoring progress towards a solution.” ..more
By Eloïse Engel
19-Oct-18
Imagine a cold, dark space with beige walls, a collection of metal chairs with plastic covered seats surrounding two dilapidated tables, teacher mailboxes crammed full of paper overflowing onto the floor, and a copier loud enough to raise the dead... ..more
By Kristen Moreland
28-Jul-18
We hear the talk of self care all school year, but how committed to it are you? Here are 5 simple things I’m going to do this summer to heal any new wounds (or re-opened old ones) and come back even stronger than ever for 2018-19. ..more
By Joy Jameson
04-Apr-18
International schools pride themselves on having the latest educational materials. This process often results in the accumulation of huge quantities of books and supplies that are no longer used. Have you ever wondered what happens to all the obsolete materials? ..more
By Bonnie Billak
19-Oct-18
With proper instruction and scaffolding, EAL students at all proficiency levels are capable of and should attempt the same work assignments as their peers. Sometimes they even excel in the process. ..more
By Ettie Zilber
28-Jul-18
If songs are so socially and emotionally engaging and so instrumental in the cognitive and physical development of children’s first language, think of how useful they could be in teaching and learning multiple languages. ..more
By Maciej Sudra and Denzil Mackrory
11-Jul-18
Hand Out is a project led by a group of ISK students who use 3D printing technologies to create mechanical prosthetic hands for individuals who need them in underprivileged communities. The club is part of a larger global network known as Enabling the Future (ENABLE). ..more
By Elena Van Lare
11-Jul-18
International School Yangon recently embarked on a journey, asking: to what extent do we inspire students to be global learners who are fulfilled, confident, and willing to give back to this ever-changing world? ..more
By Derrick des Vignes and Jocelyn Wiley
30-Mar-18
Our biggest challenge as learners is prioritizing reflection in our busy lives, instead of filling what we perceive as empty spaces in our schedules with something else, whether in the name of connectivity or productivity. ..more
By Sophia Campbell & Natalia Mazhar, Grade 9 High School Students
14-Oct-18
We tackled this student “clique” issue by writing personalized notes to each student in Grade 9 with the goal of building community and showing each person that they are noticed, accepted, and appreciated for who they are. ..more
By Gail D. Schoppert
20-Jun-18
Gail Schoppert directed four major international schools in Kuala Lumpur, The Hague, Warsaw, and Rotterdam between 1978 and 1996. His poem “Wings and Roots” was quoted in two graduation speeches this year ..more
By Julie Lawton and Sally Richmond
23-Mar-18
Over the past 12 years, I have witnessed firsthand a culture and practice of collaboration at BCIS that has been nurtured and developed. This was not a decision that was made one day and miraculously occurred overnight. ..more
By Kimberly Fradale
07-Jun-18
I’ve found The Harkness Method, a collaborative form of class discussion, to be a pedagogical tool that improved my students’ performance, and I hope it can serve as a tool to help you. Here are some of the major challenges Harkness helps to address. ..more
By Ellen Foley
22-Feb-18
In his novel Running Full Tilt, Michael Currinder cracks open the door to the Coughlins’ home, allowing us a view inside. During this read, we clamber up and down the stairs with our main character, Leo. ..more
By Robyn S. Harwood
07-Jun-18
How can I do the most good? How can little ol’ me make a genuine impact on the next generation? I believe that all educators are asking themselves these questions all the time. This is why we all got into education in the first place, to make an impact and make the world just a little bit better, one child at a time. The big question is: How? ..more
By Joy Brooke
22-Feb-18
Outside the guard station of Academia Cotopaxi, you will now see a Little Free Library. The Little Free Library was designed and created by Carlos Eduardo Reyes and Maria Paula Vega, based on a request by Associate Principal Joy Brooke. ..more
By Jennifer Ann Aquino
14-Feb-18
Rather than perpetuate the cycle of anxiety-stress-unhappiness, exploring the university admissions process should be an opportunity for our students to learn more about themselves and to embrace their unique interests. ..more
By Kevin Hawkins
14-Feb-18
While working as middle school principal at the International School of Prague, I started to teach basic meditation techniques to middle school students who had signed up to take an exploratory class in philosophy and psychology. ..more
By Anne Keeling
02-Feb-18
Demand for international education is going from strength to strength in many countries of the world. At the recent ISC Research Conference, the company’s field researchers shared some of the very latest intelligence and data about developments within the international schools market this academic year. ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
02-Feb-18
A recent report from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) based on data collected in 2015 indicates that, although there is no gender difference in science assessment scores at 15, girls at that age are less likely than boys to see themselves in a science or engineering career. ..more
By Jen Girten
14-Feb-18
Carol Anklan, from The American School in Switzerland (TASIS), and Amy Husken, from the Atlanta International School (AIS), have found Heifer International’s school program, Read to Feed ®, a successful way to inspire their young students. ..more
By Brittany Betts, TIE CEO
02-Feb-18
TIE’s Brittany Betts talks with Homa Sabet Tavangar, keynote speaker at AAIE’s annual Leadership Conference in New York and author of Growing Up Global and The Global Education Toolkit. ..more
By C. M. Rubin
19-Jan-18
All innovators feel challenged at different points; it’s just part of the work. So how do we teach youth that struggle is good, working hard is good, looking back on your mistakes is good, and finding new ways to tackle challenging problems is really good? ..more
By Juli Harrington
02-Feb-18
Saint Maur International School in Yokohama, Japan has an amazing Adult Enrichment Program that offers over 80 classes and tours throughout the year, all led by parents and community members. A Knitting Blankets class has participants knitting for charity. ..more
By Bonnie Billak
19-Jan-18
It is common practice for schools to test student proficiency levels in a variety of subject areas at all grade levels. Should assessing the English proficiency level of Early Childhood students be added to this battery of testing? ..more
By Kevin Glass an Mike McCarthy
19-Jan-18
Kevin Glass of AIS and Mike McCarthy of CNN International want your school to join hundreds of others around the world in marking #myfreedomday, a global day of action to help end modern-day slavery. ..more
By Neil Morgan Griffiths
13-Jan-18
I’m not sure what amazes me more, the relentless conviction demonstrated by educators in their desire to still use grades or the abject failure of educators, demonstrated through their inability to stop using them? Through physical education we probably find one of our greatest opportunities to embrace a paradigm shift. ..more
By Jennifer Abrams
03-Jan-18
Being allocentric is to be ‘other-focused’ – to try to understand how someone else might see the world differently than you do. In order to collaborate and communicate more effectively, we must be more allocentric. It’s an essential skill and mindset. ..more
By C. M. Rubin
13-Jan-18
C. M. Rubin chats with Futurist and Global Ed Thought Leader Charles Fadel, who believes new and more innovative knowledge maps are now needed to help us navigate the complexities of our expanding landscape of knowledge. ..more
By Matt Harris
03-Jan-18
On the international school market, candidates have difficulty proving their skills and employers find it difficult to validate their claims. There is, however, one area in which educators can document their skills and distinguish themselves from others: Educational Technology. ..more
By Jeff Dungan and Jessica Hale
02-May-18
Change is critical in most organizations. International schools attempting to redefine 21st-century education for their students are constantly innovating pedagogies and school structures. However, ask someone what the word innovation in the context of international education means to them and you are likely to get many different answers. ..more
By Sarah Weidman
13-Jan-18
In this era, helping our neuro-diverse and over-stimulated students to hone these particular skills is especially vital. Now more than ever, we need to explicitly teach that success consists of a series of foundational steps in the categories of organization, time management, and studying. ..more
By Amreen Bashir
03-Jan-18
When a colleague asked me which subject I remember most from high school, my response was History. Specifically, I could recall with clarity a topic covered in my junior year regarding the Indochinese period in Vietnam’s history, and it was thanks to a field trip. ..more
By Jackie Wyncoll
19-Apr-18
Academia Cotopaxi's 2017 Journeys Toward Inclusion Conference kicked off under a blue sky in beautiful Quito, Ecuador. The event opened as over 200 participants listened, enraptured, to heartwarming and inspiring personal stories of inclusion. ..more
By Linda Belonje
08-Mar-18
Ultimaker together with Septillion company, leading 3D printing companies, recently recognized KIS International School as winner of the "Ultimaker Education Challenge APAC 2017." Ultimaker supports creative and innovative educators who boldly pioneer new technology in the classroom. ..more
By Sylvia Hendricks
14-Oct-18
24 June 2018 was a historic day in Saudi Arabia, as women were given the freedom to take the wheels of their vehicles and drive for the first time in their own country. Expatriate women also gained the opportunity to feel the freedom of this significant change. ..more
By Tara Russell Ethridge
03-Oct-18
Female students in a writing class at the Udhailiyah branch of the Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools decided to write a persuasive letter to Nike asking for some samples of their new Nike Pro sports hijab. It worked. ..more
By Chris Clark
19-Apr-18
Western Academy of Beijing’s (WAB) annual Global Issues Conference (GIC) aims to explore and raise awareness about challenges of our time. But this year was different. The focus was on inspiring action to make a difference in the world. ..more
By Lexi Lee
03-Oct-18
AISJ's former campus was over 40 years old. With aging buildings and a growing student population, it was time to upgrade facilities. This time, AISJ has moved to a new, purpose-built, state-of-the-art campus. ..more
By David Lewis
13-Apr-18
Glowing cheeks. Seeing breath in cold air. Shouts of glee. The sound of skates on ice. It can be cold and dark during the long winter in Kazakhstan, but Almaty International School decided to make it go quicker and have fun while doing it. ..more
By Natasha Broman
31-Aug-18
Recent statistics show that 1 in 10 students under the age of 16 in the U.K. suffer from a diagnosable condition. The U.K. government has rolled out plans to make it compulsory for all schools to teach lessons in personal health and mental wellbeing. ..more
By Matt Harris
04-Apr-18
Screen time is a key element of the hyperconnected world children live in today. Their access to information, entertainment, communication, and now learning is tied more and more to screen time. They need devices to fully experience modern childhood, for better or worse. ..more
By Jeff Johanson
04-Apr-18
Those of us who have spent years in education have inevitably come across bullying and have tried to address its causes and effects with varying degrees of success. The practice can take so many different forms. ..more
By Kelly McKay
11-Aug-18
Themed Theater is a strategy for educators. A theme is chosen, by the teacher and/or students, and a script is written based on the theme. At American International School – Riyadh, students chose to focus on the third-culture experience. ..more
By Jill Dobbe
30-Mar-18
The heavy, clinging smell of burnt rubber hovers in the morning air, while helicopters buzz low overhead. Streets usually packed with bumper-to-bumper lines of vehicles are nearly empty. Banks, stores, offices, and schools are reduced to limited hours... ..more
By Brett Snipes and Christine Xu
23-Mar-18
For the seventh year in row, YCIS Beijing was selected to host local teachers at our Honglingjin Park campus to observe classroom lessons and learn more about the unique learning communities and bilingual co-teaching model on offer for students. ..more
By Rachel Jenner
28-Jul-18
The primary division at the Pan American School of Porto Alegre, Brazil recently utilized Learning Labs as part of a two-month process to build understanding around the incoming Eureka Math program. ..more
By Sara Griffith
11-Jul-18
A few months back, more than 140 educators representing 25 schools in northern Italy gathered at the American School of Milan to share teaching philosophies, stories, inspirations, and techniques. This unique PD conference is called MITA, the Milan International Teachers Association. ..more
By Anita Brady
20-Jun-18
For the second year in a row, Mont’Kiara International School liaised with Hils Learning to bring a world-renowned expert to M’KIS. This year, the honored guest was Professor Tony Attwood, who shared his expertise on Asperger’s Syndrome. ..more
By Kathy Decker
20-Jun-18
I had been warned by friends having held this job of the many challenges involved in putting a school yearbook together. I’d been cautioned about the unfinished students pages, about the blurry, low-resolution photographs, about the nonstop work a month (or two) prior to printing... ..more
By Chloe McMath
08-Mar-18
Over 1,300 delegates convened in Jordan on 3 and 4 March 2018, for the fourth annual Teacher Skills Forum to hear renowned international education experts discuss key trends in education under the theme of Growth beyond Grades. ..more
By Gwendolyn Anding
07-Mar-18
Between the mishaps and typical wear and tear, instrumental repairs can easily eat up a music budget. The International School of Kenya invited Dan Parker of the Colorado Institute of Music Instrument Technology to lead a Professional Development workshop on instrument repair. ..more
By Terae Soumah and Rhonda Ike
07-Jun-18
Students in Rhonda Ike’s IB art class at the International Community School of Abidjan (ICSA) had the chance to explore the impact of movement on their creativity through their teacher’s graduate work. ..more
+ 2017
By Joseph H. Doenges
14-Dec-17
Students from Finland, South Korea, and Poland did well on the 2015 test as well, but those from Singapore clearly outperformed the rest of the world in every facet. For science, Singapore was number one. For reading, Singapore was again ranked first; the U.S. was 24th. ..more
By Lauren Schneider
22-Dec-17
Teachers face challenging schedules, trying to make time for meetings and lesson planning, not to mention teaching and a whole lot more. While an educator’s primary role is to support student learning, we must remember to take care of ourselves as well. ..more
By Sophie Baillie
14-Dec-17
‘A Better World Through Education’ is a news and current affairs-style programme that explores how IB programmes have been preparing children for life, allowing young minds to flourish across multiple disciplines and multiple cultures. ..more
By Juliette Harik
09-Nov-17
The American School of Doha (ASD) officially announces the Alfardan Group as the Sponsor Premier of the Machakos Education Center in Kenya. This sponsorship aligns with the Alfardan Group’s corporate social responsibility in support of global education. ..more
By Heather Vlach
22-Dec-17
The International School of Prague (ISP) Elementary School English language specialist (EAL) teachers and mainstream classroom teachers are increasingly working together through co-teaching models to support and enhance student learning. ..more
By Frank O'Gara
09-Nov-17
Five Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) students were named among 2018 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists this year by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). ..more
By Rob Clements
14-Dec-17
The “Klarlweiher” lake in Haimhausen has long been home to fishermen and nature lovers. Fabian Holland, a Grade 10 student at Bavarian International School e.V., who observed the decline of the area's pathways, has just completed the construction of a 5-meter footbridge as part of his MYP personal project. ..more
By Leila Holmyard
07-Dec-17
In the recently released second edition of Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom, the authors offer a book for classroom teachers, curriculum leaders, and administrators seeking to recapture the innate curiosity of students. ..more
By Proserpina Dhlamini-Fisher
17-Nov-17
Professional development opportunities have expanded exponentially in the last few decades. I am starting to wonder, however, if our intentions as school leaders are clear when it comes to the rationale behind PD. ..more
By Chris Clark
09-Nov-17
China's first Swiss School officially opened at the end of October as a section of Western Academy of Beijing, a world-leading international school. It offers a German-language education, based on the Swiss curriculum, within an international environment. ..more
By Jose Zarate
29-Nov-17
On the island of Jeju, South Korea, the Branksome Hall Asia (BHA) Film Department, in collaboration with Jeju’s KCTV station, is creating a student-led cable channel after producing a weekly news and variety show. ..more
By Esther Clark
26-Oct-17
Hosted by Academia Cotopaxi American International School in partnership with Special Olympics in Ecuador, a soccer tournament last May brought together athletes with and without special needs for an inspiring day celebrating sport and inclusion. ..more
By Jennifer Legra
19-Oct-17
I was a tree—before moving abroad, that is—before digging up my roots and moving them to foreign soil. So why, you might ask, would I have chosen to pull up those roots and attempt to transplant them elsewhere? ..more
By Henrietta Letschert
12-Oct-17
In February, 10 intrepid Grade 8 and 9 students from Bavarian International School boarded a flight to Mumbai, India for a 10-day adventure to participate in the Empowering Rural India initiative. The annual trip is a highlight of the school's service year. ..more
By Shannon Fehse
12-Oct-17
Dan Kerr has been sharing his thoughts and reflections about life and education for seven years, and just wrote his 200th post this week. That is quite an accomplishment for anyone, let alone someone also balancing a job as principal and roles as a husband and father. ..more
By Lim Lai Cheng
19-Oct-17
In 2016, Singapore took first place in PISA's core subjects. Additionally, it placed high in Boston Consulting Group’s study on wellbeing, as the only non-European country to make the top 10. But can academic success and wellbeing go together in our schools? ..more
By Jared Kuruzovich
12-Oct-17
For a few hours in late September, the cool touch of winter arrived in Thailand. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, widely recognized as Jamie Lannister on the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, served as a referee for the Global Goals World Cup (GGWCup) at NIST International School. ..more
By Kevin Bartlett
12-Oct-17
The one thing our profession should have mastered is the core work of providing all students with a learning experience that supports them as they progress through an appropriate plan, with sequenced goals at the right level of challenge, leading to their own, personalized success. ..more
By Nina Blake
04-Oct-17
A powerful, 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Mexico City on September 19, 2017, leaving over 300 dead and countless people missing. The American School Foundation Community was quick to respond, putting together a team of volunteers to take action amidst the crisis. ..more
By Akofa Wallace
04-Oct-17
Middle School and High School students at the United Nations International School Hanoi (UNIS Hanoi) are benefiting from a personalized and holistic student experience this year, following a split of divisions. ..more
By Cynthia Nagrath, TIE Staff Writer
04-Oct-17
The International Educator announced plans to support a school for Syrian refugees on the island of Lesbos, where a population of 4,500 refugees is waiting in limbo en route to Europe in what is considered one of the greatest human migration crises of our time. ..more
By Alfredo Papaseit
27-Sep-17
During this integrated Unit of Study, Grade 3 students at Saigon South International School learned about engineering and design within a unit that focuses on organizations, systems and community change. ..more
By Diana Wardyn
27-Sep-17
In cooperation with the renowned Standford University of California, Bavarian International School e.V. is organizing a "Summer Business Academy" for all students who are interested in the development of business ideas. ..more
By Chloe McMath
27-Sep-17
Research undertaken by the University of Bath into the impact of an extra-curricular component of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) has revealed that DP students are well-prepared for university, and for life.? ..more
By Jean Candol-Piscioneri
29-Nov-17
The middle school advisory program at Seoul International School (SIS) has been very instrumental in helping teachers to promote our TiGERS values beyond the subject areas, giving students opportunities to carry out service projects. ..more
By Carolina González
14-Sep-17
By integrating body, brain, and mind, brain-based learning honors all three areas of the human being. According to Leslie Hart, “teaching without the awareness of how the brain learns is like designing a glove with no sense of what a hand looks like—its shape and how it moves.” ..more
By Joy Jameson
13-Sep-17
Have you noticed that alcohol is creeping more and more into international school life? In my experience, alcohol was previously served on a limited basis and only at very special school events. Now, it is brought out for almost any celebration, no matter how small. ..more
By John Benson
20-Jul-17
I somehow slept through it all, waking at about 6:30 a.m. to get ready for school only to find my wife mopping out the bedroom. She’d been at it for about three hours. I put my foot down into a pool of water. We’d been flooded out. ..more
By Dr. Jim Gerhard with contributor Angela Choe
20-Jul-17
Seoul International School boasts a high school venture spearheaded by globally mindful students: the DMZ club, whose activities include visiting and cataloging levels of biodiversity in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. ..more
By Sheryl Krengel
07-Jul-17
Students at Vientiane International School (VIS) in Vientiane, Laos held the 2nd Annual VIS Business Challenge this past winter, applying their marketing, operations, human resources, and financial management skills to a real-life situation. ..more
By Sophie Baillie
07-Jul-17
Today almost 160,000 Diploma Programme (DP) students around the world will receive their results from the May 2017 examination session. They join a community of more than 1.6 million DP graduates in 152 countries worldwide. ..more
By Margriet Ruurs
20-Jul-17
Margriet Ruurs, author of 27 books for children, reviews some new favorites: Watch Me Grow, and Up We Grow, by Deborah Hodge; Water’s Children, by Angèle Delaunois; Safari, by Robert Bateman; and The Lemon Tree, by Sandy Tolan. ..more
By Frédéric Bordaguibel-Labayle
21-Jun-17
In education, we read and hear about high expectations all the time. The idea being promoted is that we should set the bar high for every student and they will rise to the challenge. I believe, however, that the phrase “high expectations” is suffering from semantic stretch. ..more
By Jill Dobbe
07-Jul-17
International schools are known for bringing together teachers and students from a multitude of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. This can however lead to large gaps in student learning and teaching pedagogy. Professional Learning Communities can help. ..more
By Emma L. Nason
08-Jun-17
An ecology unit taught elsewhere might draw on the biodiversity of a tropical rainforest or a river’s edge. We at KAUST have the fabulous opportunity to use the relatively untouched coral gardens of the Red Sea as our playground. ..more
By Chris Clark
08-Jun-17
As expat families prepare to move to a new country, the inability to tour and see potential international schools is a difficult obstacle—until now. WAB is the first international school to offer interactive robotic tours that put families in control of their school visit. ..more
By David Greenberg
30-May-17
As I tell the story of my historical novel, A Tugging String (Dutton, 2008), which describes conditions in America leading up to Dr. King’s Selma–Montgomery march and the change wrought by it, children listen intently. It is clear that most have an intrinsic moral sense encompassing themselves as well as the downtrodden. ..more
By Henry S. Adams
30-May-17
It seems that many, if not most international and overseas American schools have a hidden qualification to becoming an administrator: The right candidate must be a white candidate. There is a hypocrisy in preaching global citizenship, equity, and moral ethics while engaging in or condoning imperialist and ethnically discriminatory practices in reality. ..more
By Trae Holland
24-May-17
Every day, students in international schools throughout the world are too often faced with the grim possibility that the politics of fear, resentment, and exclusion dominating their TV screens and video feeds may be in danger of drowning out the message of tolerance contained in the missions those international schools collectively espouse. ..more
By Matt Harris
30-May-17
Certifications from companies invested in Educational Technology (EdTech) are often very worthwhile programs for teachers working in international schools. Though they are funded and delivered by for-profit multinational corporations that base the training on their own products and services, they are mostly designed to improve teaching practice. ..more
By Marc Calero
24-May-17
DoDEA announces that two 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars: Rachel L. Flatt, from Nile C. Kinnick High School, in Yokosuka, Japan, and John R. Casey, Ramstein High School, in Kaiserslautern, Germany. ..more
By Laura Cox
24-May-17
Last November, I had the opportunity to spend a few days at the Loris Malaguzzi International Center in Italy to learn about the Reggio Emilia philosophy. This approach to education and the ways in which children with special rights are included was a revelation. ..more
By Jared Kuruzovich
18-May-17
In February, NIST International School hosted the "Battle in Bangkok: Starstruck Thailand Vex Robotics Competition" with teams from NIST, International School Bangkok and Thai-Chinese International School all competing for a place at the world event. ..more
By Carmen Peters
10-May-17
This past fall saw the dedication of the Dr. Thomas H. Farrell Athletic Complex and Dining Hall, the final phase in realizing the seven-year vision of Kaohsiung American School (KAS) Superintendent, Thomas Farrell, to promote “balance in academics, athletics, and the arts." ..more
By Alan November
18-May-17
Fifteen years ago, a student I never taught forever changed my perspective on how students perceive authentic teaching and learning. This was one of the more auspicious turning points of my career, and the experience continues to challenge and inspire my thinking to this day. ..more
By Kathy Decker
10-May-17
IPS Reads is a two-week event that takes place at the International Program School (IPS) in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia designed to encourage students to have fun with their reading. A range of activities involves students in various ways. ..more
By Meadow Hilley, TIE Editor
18-May-17
“The objective of the Project Based Diploma program was to make sure our kids were learning and not being taught,” explains Cary Reid of UWC Mahindra, who received the International Innovative Leader of the Year Award at the Association for the Advancement of International Education’s (AAIE’s) annual conference in early February for his commitment to spearheading this phenomenal initiative. ..more
By Jaya Java
02-May-17
Highlighting an urgent need to integrate sustainable values in K–12 education, Esol Education, the world’s largest operator of American international schools, is collaborating with world-renowned progressive educator and green innovator Stephen Ritz to jumpstart sustainability projects within existing and future schools. ..more
By Kassi Cowles
18-May-17
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) mandates creativity through extracurricular pursuits, which can have a lasting impact on students who already love the arts. But allowing students to opt out of studies in the arts as an essential subject sends the same tired message: the arts will always be on the periphery of language and logic. As if. ..more
By Cheri Amarna
14-Dec-17
Every fall, the American International School-Chennai (AISC) sends its entire high-school student body on planes, trains, and buses to “Discover India.” This year, a group of 11 students visited Amboli, in Marharashtra’s Western Ghats—a biodiversity hotspot, where we studied some of the world’s truly rare animals. ..more
By Neil Morgan Griffiths
10-May-17
The topic of Fitness has been with us in one form or another for as long as I can remember. However, when it comes to defining its components, it would appear that we remain locked in perpetual confusion. ..more
By Matthew Good
02-May-17
Two international school teachers are about to embark on an around the world bicycle ride. Niamh Conway from Ireland and Matthew Good from England, currently teachers at Tashkent International School in Uzbekistan, are heading out of town on June 11th for a little jaunt across 18 countries to cover approximately 18,000 kilometers. ..more
By Laurence Cook
26-Apr-17
Dulwich College International has entered into a partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) Education Department to provide opportunities for students and staff to learn from experienced performing arts practitioners. ..more
By Cynthia Nagrath, TIE Staff Writer
25-Apr-17
The theme of ECIS's annual leadership conference was Curiosity, and educational leaders were challenged to inspire curiosity among all stakeholders in their schools, including students, teachers, administrators, parents, and trustees. ..more
By Anthony Ives and Kaity Kao
02-May-17
Author Alison Maitland maintains that "the future workplace will require that people adapt to high levels of change." This year, from 15–17 September, Taipei American School (TAS) held the second annual NOVA competition, a three-day event that inspires students to create effective and innovative solutions to real world problems. ..more
By Rachael L. Gerbic
19-Apr-17
At Carol Morgan School, middle and high school students go through extensive training, then work in pairs to help peers resolve conflicts. Students trained in peer mediation develop the understanding that conflicts largely arise due to limited resources, unmet basic needs, and differing values ..more
By Akofa Wallace
19-Apr-17
Thousands of young children in Hanoi are benefiting from inspired learning in the classroom thanks to a special partnership between their schools and the United Nations International School, Hanoi (UNIS Hanoi). ..more
By Nancy Craker-Yahman
19-Apr-17
Adding global connections to classroom walls, bulletin boards, and common school spaces helps to increase student awareness with respect to global issues and encourage students to pause, think, and reflect on the message being shared. ..more
By Jill Dobbe
19-Apr-17
An excerpt from Jill Dobbe’s book, Kids, Camels, and Cairo: "As I surveyed my modest outfit in the mirror hanging on our bedroom wall, I cringed knowing I would have to get used to dressing in this fuddy-duddy manner for the next two years." ..more
By Joy Jameson
19-Apr-17
Have you ever taken the time to consciously take note of the “invisible” staff members around you—that is, those people who quietly work to keep the school running smoothly each day? These unsung staff members, while giving of themselves each day, often go unnoticed. ..more
New regulations in China, helping undocumented educators in the US, Preschool and the PISA global math test, college courses taught in U.S. high schools, International students leery of Trump could cost U.S. billions, Refugee students teach languages in London... ..more
By Bonnie Billak
12-Apr-17
English-language support was traditionally covered by tuition; however, it seems a new trend is emerging as some schools are now considering ESL support services to fall outside the normal classroom offerings and are thus charging high fees. Should these be covered? ..more
By Adam Carter
05-Apr-17
To provide our students with an exciting day of learning, the middle school team at Schutz American School in Alexandria, Egypt has created what we call “Discovery Days,” in which we choose an overarching theme and then create a rotating station-based approach to allow students to learn about the issue in a multi-disciplinary style. ..more
By Alan November
05-Apr-17
According to a year-long study by the Stanford School of Education, across 12 states and 7,800 student responses, the overwhelming majority of our students—from middle schools to universities—were easily manipulated into believing falsehoods on the Internet to be true or credible. ..more
By Richard Gaskell
28-Mar-17
The total number of students aged between three and 18 enrolled in English-medium international schools in the Middle East and Southeast Asia continued to increase significantly during the past academic year. ..more
By Jennifer Legra
28-Mar-17
When my husband Mike and I launched Thanksgiving Beach Olympics for our community at Carol Morgan School (CMS) four years ago, we led more than 50 teachers through eight events. But what came of it was bigger than anyone expected. Team building, camaraderie, lasting memories... ..more
By Paul Magnuson
22-Mar-17
Two days weekly we have 35 mostly unstructured minutes with our small middle school. Depending on coursework and student and staff interest, activities are planned (or usually not) and carried out. The other day it left me with a really satisfying buzz. ..more
By Jane Barron
28-Mar-17
In any international school there are three types of students: The Leaver, The Arriver, and The Stayer. Most international schools support The Arriver and a few provide some support for The Leaver. What about The Stayer? ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
22-Mar-17
Over half a million students from 72 countries took the two-hour Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test in 2015, which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. ..more
By Alan November
22-Mar-17
As our schools and universities prepare students to make a contribution to the world, it is important to benchmark the emerging critical skills they will need to solve increasingly complex problems. One strategic skill has been absent from our teachings: global empathy. ..more
By Margriet Ruurs
22-Mar-17
Author of 27 books for children, Margriet Ruurs reviews some of her favorite recent titles aimed at young readers. ..more
By Lora Lee
08-Mar-17
Being an adolescent is never easy, even for the neurotypical. But for those on the spectrum—coping with changes in school structure; increased competition, pressure, and complexity in peer relationships; ever-changing pop culture or fashions—such challenges can make them feel even more out of sync. ..more
By Mira Kamat
25-Feb-17
At the start of this school year, American School of Bombay implemented a High Ability Program, created “out of the goal in the school’s strategic plan ‘to support and challenge all students.’” ..more
The Global Teacher Prize awards $1 million to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. ..more
By Mark Sunderman
17-Feb-17
Amanda and I had until very recently been living and working overseas—first in Brazil, then in Egypt, and most recently, Nepal. We had planned to be living overseas indefinitely, but sometimes the unexpected happens. ..more
By Clement Huang
07-Feb-17
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award at Canadian International School of Hong Kong is an internationally recognized youth program that encourages students to challenge themselves both physically and mentally. ..more
By Audree Chase-Mayoral
01-Feb-17
According to an international survey conducted by Lehigh University’s and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), K–12 international schools actively utilize ISTE Standards for teachers across the globe. ..more
By Cynthia Nagrath, TIE Staff Writer
26-Jan-17
Today, over 700 international educators from around the world arrived in Cambridge to attend Search Associate’s 27th annual International School Recruiting Fair, which brings together teachers and international schools looking to hire. ..more
By Michael Fehon
01-Feb-17
How much joy and happiness do teachers spread to students during the day? And how can we maximize those moments of microhappiness? As educators, we have to do what we can to ensure the environment we control is warm and exciting. ..more
By Susan Ravizza, Michigan State University
26-Jan-17
There is no doubt that having a desktop computer or laptop in school is useful for writing papers, gathering information and learning how to program and use software. But surfing the internet during class could also prove to be a source of distraction and hinder learning. ..more
By Alan November
12-Jan-17
“If you were going to hire a new teacher, what would you ask in the interview?” Alan November offers seven questions that should increasingly be asked of candidates, some of which point to how the Internet will force the redefinition of a teacher’s added value. ..more
By Brett D. McLeod
26-Jan-17
Children benefit when adults take an interest in their lives. Kids love to talk about their “day at work” too. It is vital that not just parents but educators and administrators take the time to converse with “their” children. ..more
By Anita Brady
12-Jan-17
Mont’Kiara International School (M’KIS) played host in September to Michelle Garcia Winner, the founder of Social Thinking®, which draws on various fields "to help interpret and respond to the information in your mind and possibly through your social behavioral interactions." ..more
By Emily Meadows
12-Jan-17
Many LGBTQ+ educators thrive in an international environment and contribute a valuable element of diversity to their school community. But many locations still do not provide equitable employment for sexual minorities, and LGBTQ+ teachers may face discrimination as they recruit overseas. ..more
By Jason Lane, University at Albany SUNY
12-Jan-17
As a scholar of global education policy, Jason Lane is looking to understand how college costs in the U.S. compare to those of the rest of the world. Nowhere is college truly free, he insists. The critical difference is whether the bulk of the costs are born by the student or by the government. ..more
By Kennedy Bwanga
05-Jan-17
By failing to integrate cell phones in our teaching and learning environment, we are losing out on the opportunity to utilize the excellent features offered by these devices. A normal high-end cell phone has the computing power of a mid-1990s personal computer, after all. ..more
By Crystal Vaught and Jennifer TeHuki
05-Jan-17
At Mont’Kiara International School, our social studies curriculum capitalizes on kids' curiosity through project-based learning units. Students study meaningful content, have voice and choice in their learning, and apply their 21st-century skills as they gain knowledge and an understanding of difficult concepts. ..more
By Jeffrey R. Sprague, University of Oregon
05-Jan-17
The National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers’ union, recently launched an information campaign to tie Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s “inflammatory rhetoric” to an increase in bullying in America’s schools. ..more
+ 2016
By Debbie Burns and Sylvia Bieniek
15-Dec-16
Play is a somewhat controversial topic in some schools in China, particularly in those with a parent clientele that is supportive of a more academic program with more teacher-directed academic activities. Concordia believes that we have the obligation to include play within our schedule. ..more
By Tom Fearon
15-Dec-16
Mindfulness meditation is the practice of quieting the mind to bring awareness and attention to the present moment. It is the beginning of a daily routine for International School of Beijing (ISB) fourth-graders preparing to give their racing minds a well-earned rest. ..more
By Meadow Hilley, TIE Editor
15-Dec-16
Two days after the U.S. presidential election, TIE and the Principals’ Training Center (PTC) conducted a brief survey of some 130 international schools around the world, the majority not specifically “American,” asking for their perspective on this event. ..more
By Becky Riddle
07-Dec-16
CAC coach and physical education teacher Becky Riddle felt that more could be done to support girls in athletics. She and her colleagues founded Girls Get Strong to utilize community resources to empower girls in health, fitness, and athletics. ..more
By Diane Glass
07-Dec-16
Western universities are increasingly turning to international schools as a reliable source for quality, degree-seeking overseas students as competition between higher education establishments grows. ..more
By Chi-Yan Shang
07-Dec-16
For the second year running, the ASD Parent Teacher Association (PTA) fully funded the cost of sending an ASD teacher to provide teacher in-servicing at St. Pius as one of their charitable initiatives. ..more
By Alexandra Kader
30-Nov-16
"All of the energy we’d poured into fundraising activities, the stress, the meetings, the early annual exams," writes Alexandra Kader, a student at the Pan-American School of Costa Rica who worked with COHP students in Haiti, "suddenly everything gained meaning on seeing the children for the first time." ..more
By Tracy Ramberg
25-Nov-16
Healthy Balance is one of our four priority goals at the American Community School (ACS) in Amman, Jordan. Over the years, ACS has not only worked to expand health and fitness opportunities for students, but has also taken on “play together” initiatives for the staff. ..more
By Bonnie Billak
25-Nov-16
The feedback that you offer your students has a major impact on their success or failure, especially in the case of ESL students. Whether it be subtle, overt, verbal, or non-verbal, it can raise levels of motivation and inspire success or hinder language-learning growth. ..more
By Akofa Wallace
09-Nov-16
The United Nations International School Hanoi (UNIS Hanoi) is taking a new approach to measuring the effectiveness of its IB Service Learning programs by linking them with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ..more
By Mick Amundson-Geisel
09-Nov-16
It is the responsibility of everyone who comes in contact with our students to ensure that they are learning and thriving within a safe environment. Beginning in the spring of 2015, International School Yangon (ISY) embarked on developing child protection policies and procedures. ..more
By Gurkaran Goindi and Stepahn Anagnost
09-Nov-16
Student Feature: Gurkaran Goindi completed his MYP Personal Project at the Lincoln Community School (LCS) in Accra, Ghana. His project focused on the creation of a humanitarian responsibility index, which he calls the “Refugee Responsibility and Sustainability Index.” ..more
By William Scarborough
03-Nov-16
A community impact statement highlights the economic and social benefits of the school. It can educate and impress neighborhood groups, government officials, business partners, applicants, and potential donors. It also presents a narrative that school parents and staff may not know, and of which they can be very proud. ..more
By Nicholas Alchin
03-Nov-16
"If we reduce education to a commodity then we are certainly in danger of fraying its moral character and of treating students as consumers to woo, rather than as characters to build. And despite my support of private education, I know I would think twice before working in a for-profit school." ..more
By David Penberg
03-Nov-16
I set off for my first international job in 1978, right out of Bard College, to become an ESL teacher in Bogotá, Columbia. For the last five years, I have been battling windmills and state bureaucracies as a school head in the contested world of charter schools—a test-centric universe in a city where education is a political football. ..more
By Lauren Schneider and Megha Radhakrishnan
27-Oct-16
International schools around the world have a growing population of English language learners (ELLs). Translanguaging helps ELLs access rigorous content even while building academic language capacities, by leveraging their first language. ..more
By Shannon O’Dwyer
26-Oct-16
Leaders, in striving to implement best practices don't underestimate the power of conventional teaching methods in the hands of thoughtful, creative experts. Great teachers are not teachers of curriculum, but teachers of children. ..more
By Debra McRoberts and Neil Hugo
27-Oct-16
The press around the world presents the same picture of life in Saudi Arabia, one that portrays westerners as unwelcome and targeted. Debra McRoberts, an American teacher at the Advanced Learning schools in Riyadh, presents a very different picture of life in this fascinating country. ..more
By Douglas Schuler
20-Oct-16
Civic intelligence describes what happens when people work together to address problems efficiently and equitably. It’s a wide-ranging concept that shows how positive change happens. It can be applied anywhere – from the local to the global – and could take many forms. ..more
By Nick Bowley
13-Oct-16
Nick Bowley has written a moving tribute to the late William (Bill) Powell, who was dedicated to the inclusion of children with special educational needs in international schools. Bill, together with Ochan Kusuma-Powell, Kevin Bartlett, and Kristen Pelletier founded The Next Frontier: Inclusion with the vision of making inclusive international education a reality. ..more
By Stephan Anagnost
13-Oct-16
Organized by Lincoln Community School in Accra, Ghana, the Krakow Journey is a unique, meaningful, and powerful initiation in which all participants begin to explore the roots and consequences of hatred, bigotry, and racism in their own lives and in the world. ..more
By Maciej Sudra, Anthony Charette, and Will Moore
05-Oct-16
In March 2016, three teachers from the International School of Kenya (ISK) set off on a four-day motorcycle expedition following the historic wildlife migration routes in Narok county, situated in southern Kenya, which is home to the world famous Massai Mara National Reserve. ..more
By Cynthia Nagrath
05-Oct-16
TIE has recently changed printers in order to promote more sustainable practices and make better use of natural and renewable products. TIE's CEO Brittany Betts discusses the company's green commitment. ..more
By Jonah Rosenfield
05-Oct-16
It’s hard to be yourself. And even when you think you know yourself, you can still be tricked. We all carry hidden biases, assumptions, and prejudices. So how do we stay true to ourselves—our real selves? In this deep and powerful reflection, Jonah Rosenfield shares some of his own strategies. Starting with: wear the clothes that fit you. ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
05-Oct-16
Professor John Hattie, whose research is summarized here, reports on the basis of his meta-analytical research, spanning 15 years and data from over a quarter of a billion students worldwide, that “homework in primary school has an effect of around zero." ..more
By Anne Keeling
28-Sep-16
Chinese primary and secondary schools are moving into a new era of technology. Last week, a trade mission from the United Kingdom to Beijing and Shanghai promoted successes within education technology already happening in schools in China. ..more
By Allison Master, University of Washington
28-Sep-16
What can we do to get more students interested in STEM? A study with pre-school children found that their motivation and interest improved when they believed they were part of a group. Even young children understand that working together unites people in meaningful ways. ..more
By Michael J. Hibbeln
21-Sep-16
The Power of Education Foundation’s Book Buddies Program is an engaging service-learning project created by Erin Masternak, a fourth-grade Spanish Immersion student from Forest Hills Public Schools in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ..more
By Anne Keeling
21-Sep-16
The impact of the world’s oil and gas slump on international schools in several countries will be most telling as the schools open their doors this new academic year. ISC Research predicts that international schools in Malaysia, Singapore and the Middle East will be hardest hit. ..more
By Maria Vioque
21-Sep-16
The International School of Kenya’s high school Spanish Department hosted the first Quixote Fair in Africa in May to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Miguel De Cervantes y Saavedra. ..more
By Robb Hoiseth
21-Sep-16
Organized by Shawn Plancke of AS Doha, Thomas Lambert of AS Dubai, and Brent Raven of ACS Abu Dhabi, this was what we hope will be the First Annual Teachers’ Basketball Tournament. ..more
By Joy Jameson
14-Sep-16
At international schools it seems that every few weeks an online survey of some sort is sent out to staff members. But do administrators truly want to hear what you have to say, do you dare speak the truth if it is less than glowing? ..more
By Lawrence Torres III
14-Sep-16
The selection of 2016 DoDEA Pacific Volunteer Excellence Award winners was recently announced, recognizing significant volunteer contributions to the DoDEA mission of educating, engaging, and empowering each student to succeed in a dynamic world. ..more
By Chelsea Meyer
31-Aug-16
When I became an elementary school teacher, driving my decision was my own powerful experience in your classroom. And when I took a second-grade teaching position, all I could think was, “How can I make these kids’ experience as magical as Mrs. Aschbrenner made mine?” ..more
By Kennedy Bwanga
15-Aug-16
The Design class of Year 9 students at Hanova international School experienced the joy of project-based learning first-hand in an engaging, two-unit “Robotics Engineering Challenge” in which they were to create robot of their choice that could perform a useful task. ..more
By Gwen R. Cario
02-Jul-16
Imagine the amount of discipline, loyalty, and sacrifice one must demonstrate to reach the biggest stage in the sports world: the Olympic Games. Now imagine attaining this feat just after finishing your sophomore year in high school, as Mohamed Hamza has. ..more
By Jennifer Passey
02-Jul-16
In December 2012, the American International School in Dhaka (AISD) invited internationally renowned architects Perkins Eastman to create an auditorium space that would best meet the needs of AISD. ..more
By Malak Fateen
15-Aug-16
El Alsson School had the honor of attending the annual High Achiever Awards ceremony held by the British Council Egypt and Pearson Edexcel, while commemorating Edexcel’s 25 years in Egypt. ..more
Danielle Rush
27-Jul-16
“I wish I had the courage to do this when I was younger, but 30 years ago you didn’t hear much about teaching overseas,” said Jacquie Bean. “Now I live in Myanmar, I’ve been to Thailand, and I want to go to Vietnam and Africa.” ..more
By Fatma Müge Göçek
27-Jul-16
A scholar who grew up in Turkey explains the important role Turkey's academics play and why, following the July 15 coup attempt, the government went after them, purging thousands of academics and deans from office. ..more
By Deron Marvin
27-Jul-16
Feedback, instructional quality, and direct teacher instruction are the most influential factors for successful student outcomes. But business-style methods of working are seeping into our schools, thus eclipsing the probability for those successful outcomes. ..more
By Nick Bowley
14-Jul-16
William Powell and Ochan Kusuma-Powell have written an important contribution to the teaching profession’s often conflicting efforts to resolve the two questions: what is the purpose of teacher evaluation and how should we go about it? ..more
The Clements Team
01-Jul-16
Open to youth ages 13 to 21, the Clements Expat Youth Scholarship asks participants to reflect on their time overseas and make a video about how they will use their experience living abroad to make the world a better place. ..more
By Suvidhi Bhalgat
16-Jun-16
As part of WOW Week this year, Ashely Bondurant and Emma Ahmed took 13 ISG Jubail students to Kathmandu, Nepal, to volunteer at the Centre for Disabled Children Assistance, or the CDCA. Now, Bondurant and her students are working on 3D-printed wearable fingers. ..more
By Matthew Johnson
16-Jun-16
Whether you are a classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a grade-level coordinator, or a teacher leader, there are very practical steps that you can take to move forward and enhance your role and position in today’s schools. ..more
By Robert Sawczuk
16-Jun-16
Forty students and three teachers from the American School of Santo Domingo left their school in the capital at 6 a.m. bound for Damajagua Waterfalls, a spectacular gorge of 27 natural chutes that provides visitors with an exhilarating canyoning experience. ..more
Shalini Shankar
16-Jun-16
When spellers win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, audiences always want to know their secret. Yet this question seems to be asked far more in recent years in response to an Indian-American winning streak. ..more
By Neil Griffiths
07-Jun-16
In education we often find ourselves entrenched in the vision that we need to aspire to the “real game.” However, in reality, the modified games used as stepping-stones almost exclusively provide a more enjoyable and fruitful experience for the learner than the real thing. ..more
By William Doherty
07-Jun-16
It is strange that an educational world that values the standardized test so regally exhorts me to teach critical thinking, creative problem solving, and entrepreneurship so vigorously. In a high-velocity world, it is time to take a look at the educational value of daydreaming. ..more
By Joy Jameson
07-Jun-16
Should school email accounts be considered as private or public domain? That is to say, should school administrators have free access to teachers’ school email accounts and the privilege of reading the emails in the accounts? ..more
By Lesley Murphy
01-Jun-16
The demand for Special Education is increasing worldwide, and with families looking to relocate for work reasons, the requirement for international schools to meet the educational needs of their children comes first. ..more
By Matt Harris
24-May-16
In developing your EdTech programs in international schools, I suggest you investigate the innumerable articles on the topic that you'll find on the Internet. There are a number of takeaways and tools that have immense value for international education. ..more
By Jess Hench & Xian Xu
01-Jun-16
Critics from the business sector suggest that current forms of education fail to promote the kinds of creativity, risk-taking, and ingenuity needed for the future economy. Nurturing creativity in the classroom takes disciplined and purposeful processes, and it should be practiced daily. ..more
Pamela Ashley
24-May-16
Several Sullivans Elementary School students were recently notified that their poems were chosen for publication in the 2016 Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans®. Those chosen are members of Mrs. Pamela Ashley’s gifted Discovery Workshop. ..more
By Joe Hart
19-May-16
From a simple idea of kindness came a lesson in giving and community involvement at Udhailiyah School (UDH), Saudi Aramco. Families and staff members donated items they no longer needed as a way of giving back to the many workers on our camp. ..more
By Frank O'Gara
19-May-16
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) named Dr. Christy Huddleston to a temporary appointment effective March 29 as the Interim Director for DoDEA operations in the United States and Cuba. ..more
Last Sunday, more than 150 alumni from eight schools joined together at NIST for the school's second Inter-School Alumni Soccer Tournament, hosted by the NIST Alumni Association. Now more than 1,500 strong, the association has expanded worldwide. ..more
By Sonia Livingstone
13-May-16
Have teens no time for the leisurely face-to-face conversations of old, for spending time with family, or even for a good night’s sleep uninterrupted by the glowing screen of a smartphone? I spent a year with a class of 13-year-olds to find out. ..more
By Hannah Hartman
13-May-16
When first asked if I had ever worked at a school that guaranteed academic success I paused and had to think long and hard. Academic success is implied through the program we offer and way we market our schools, but why has it not been explicitly promised to our families and students? ..more
By Tom Fearon
26-Apr-16
Starting at an international school can be a daunting experience for any student, but it can be an even more challenging transition for non-native English speakers. With a student body representing more than 50 nationalities, English is a second or even third language for many ISB students. ..more
By Uri Wilensky
26-Apr-16
President Obama is right: the next generation of learners will require a high level of fluency with modes of thinking in which computers act as interactive partners. The question is: how best to make sure they acquire that thinking? Are computing classes the only way to do this? ..more
Paul Morgan
20-Apr-16
A "leaky STEM pipeline" keeps many women, racial and ethnic minorities as well as adults from low-income families from pursuing STEM careers. How early do these leaks begin? ..more
By C.M. Rubin
20-Apr-16
A new OECD report finds no link between the share of immigrant students and the performance of school systems, but emphasizes that the way an education system responds to immigrants has a critical impact on successful integration and on the economic and social well-being of the community. ..more
The new International School of Curitiba (ISC) Wildcat Sports and Arts Arena was opened with a roar in March; the inauguration ceremonies were attended by more than 1,500 students, parents, staff, and alumni. ..more
By Paul Dodge
14-Apr-16
This creative and colorful kids' charity kicked off its fundraising year in March, when thousands of preschool, primary and secondary students "go purple" to raise money for children in Haiti, Nepal, and Kenya. ..more
By Steve Parker
14-Apr-16
Students from The Sullivans School visited United States Naval Hospital (USNH) Yokosuka for a smorgasbord of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities served up by the staff at USNH and had a chance to suture pig feet. ..more
By Jackie Douglass & Steve Bennett
05-Apr-16
At the American School in Japan, we address issues of inclusiveness, exclusiveness, and relational aggression through our Social Emotional Learning program. However, “You can’t sit here,” was a phrase often heard in the cafeteria. So we launched a “Mix it Up Lunch” program. ..more
By Jason Levitt
23-Mar-16
“How do we motivate the staff to be active over the summer?” This question from a casual hallway conversation became a life-changing event for many staff members; it provided a reason for people to get out or up and exercise and generate great summer memories with friends and family. ..more
By Matt Harris
23-Mar-16
We have a tool to bridge our recent past with the needs of contemporary teaching and learning: Digital Citizenship, which comprises the skills, attitudes, and basic knowledge students need to acquire in order to be safe, effective, and productive users of the Internet for work and life. ..more
By Warren C. Webster
31-Mar-16
I had the opportunity to leave the comforts of my retired life in Winston-Salem, NC to fill in for a counselor on maternity leave at the International School of Panama. Taking my bicycle out of our apartment, then making a right turn down Avenue A, then a short left... ..more
by Devin Jones
16-Mar-16
Why do people tell stories? This guiding question led the way for Grade 7 students from the International School of Kenya (ISK) to the Rift Valley Adventures Camp, and on to Irura Community School to engage in a digital storytelling project. ..more
By Sarah Lillo
16-Mar-16
In Sarah Lillo's third article in a series that explores how international schools can support service-learning programs the author focuses on the importance of understanding both the local and the school contexts. In order for service-learning efforts to thrive, teams need to lean on insiders and experts who can help them navigate the nuances of each community. ..more
By Steve Parker
09-Mar-16
Students at The Sullivans School in Yokosuka, Japan are spending their lunch and recess breaks teaming up, solving problems and racing to the finish line in a local version of the popular amazing race shows. ..more
By Michael Simpson and Gregory A. Hedger
09-Mar-16
The faculty of Escuela Campo Alegre (ECA) in Venezuela have been working together over the past four years on developing collaborative practices to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. This article is a reflection on the road they've traveled. ..more
NIST International School
09-Mar-16
Once composed of small and isolated school communities, the world of international education has radically changed over the past two decades. NIST hosted the 2016 biannual Alliance for International Education conference from 26-28 February on the theme Engaging with Difference. ..more
By Tim Sheu
09-Mar-16
Many English language learners (ELLs) and their parents in international school communities resist receiving ESL support. This problem can be tackled by dispelling misconceptions about language acquisition, maintaining effective communication, managing parental expectations, and enabling ELLs to feel highly valued in the learning community. ..more
By Lana Captan Ghandour
02-Mar-16
Lincoln Community School (LCS) in Accra, Ghana hosted a two-day Child Protection Professional Learning Institute in October of 2015, sponsored by the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA). ..more
By Jennifer E. O'Brien
02-Mar-16
Internet addiction has the same symptoms as any substance abuse disorder. Trying to stop its use can lead to moodiness or even depression. Individuals with PIU may have difficulty reducing their Internet use, may be preoccupied with the Internet, or may lie to conceal their use. ..more
By Sharon A. Sperry
02-Mar-16
This past November, over 100 educators gathered on the campus of Banjul American Embassy School (BAES) on the “Smiling Coast” to attend workshops, share ideas, and focus on inquiry-based education. ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
23-Feb-16
Craig Johnson from the American School of Bombay was selected as the 2016 AAIE International Innovative Leader of the Year and delivered a rousing address, asking why international schools still seem unable to change exponentially in the image of companies. ..more
By Gwen R. Cario
24-Feb-16
Rustin Rassoli, a junior at The Awty International School and an entrepreneur in the making, created and launched his own mobile app, Greetale, which allows users to send free digital cards. ..more
By Judith Locke
23-Feb-16
Research shows that giving your child too much help could actually hinder their skills development and lead them to feel incompetent. That’s not to say that parents shouldn’t get involved, just that they need to know when to step back. ..more
By Diana Lopez Hansen
17-Feb-16
Department of Defense Education Activity Japan District student and Navy JROTC Master Chief Petty Officer Cadet Caycelyn Badiola received the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement. ..more
By Christel Henke
17-Feb-16
While 90 percent of parents would encourage their children to pursue a STEM career, 87 percent say they would be concerned if their child decided to pursue a career as a K-12 STEM teacher, according to an online survey. ..more
KIS student Mathis (Ken) Lohatepanont is the winner of the Council of International Schools (CIS) International Student Award 2016 (Award for individuals) for his project on Thai and global politics. ..more
By Monika Schmid
09-Feb-16
If you want to learn a foreign language, should you begin before a certain age in order to fully master it? Popular opinion holds that young children find it easier than adults because childhood is a “critical period” for language learning. ..more
Tiffani Razavi
08-Feb-16
Some 120 participants gathered today for AISH’s 9th Annual OASIS Day at Atlanta International School to discuss learning and leadership in an interactive session with Kevin Bartlett, Former Director of the International School of Brussels and now Co-Designer and Co- Leader of Common Ground Collaborative (CGC). ..more
By Flynn Ross
02-Feb-16
Starting in March 2016, students will be taking a new version of the SAT. The redesigned SAT claims that it will, "remove barriers to college, making it possible for more students to own their future." Here's what will change. ..more
By Matthew E. Sipple
27-Jan-16
When should students be offered a choice of which second language they want to study? Matthew Sipple conducted a survey about this issue among members of the Academy for International School Heads (AISH). ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
03-Feb-16
Staff writer Tiffany Razavi describes in this forceful reflection our current educational imperative to foster a mindset among the children and youth of the world that will lay the foundation for a harmonious global society. ..more
By Warren Emanuel
03-Feb-16
Taipei American School (TAS) Summer Academy had a new and exciting opportunity for upper school students this year: the ability to become certified junior docents, also known as tour guides, at the National Palace Museum. ..more
By Tom Fearon
27-Jan-16
Futures Academy students from the International School of Beijing visited the UNESCO Cultural Heritage-awarded restored wooden temple on October 26 as part of a real-world learning experience. ..more
By Marianne Brooks
03-Feb-16
Typically, a new faculty orientation might mean having to leave a child with a stranger in a new home, with none of the familiar trappings to comfort her. But at the American International School of Chennai, my daughter was welcomed as part of the community. ..more
By William Scarborough
20-Jan-16
The Singapore American School community has undertaken many environmental initiatives, including the launch of a one-megawatt, 3,356-panel solar photovoltaic system, which is used as a “living laboratory” for students to learn about clean energy. ..more
By Kristina Doss
20-Jan-16
Last June, two Singapore American School (SAS) middle school teams won first and second place honors at the 41st annual National History Day (NHD) finals at the University of Maryland in College Park. ..more
By Tara Russell Ethridge
13-Jan-16
Second graders at Saudi Aramco Expatriate School invented a world in Minecraft that mirrored their own small, unique community in eastern Saudi Arabia, complete with a park, a library, and a soccer pitch. ..more
by James H. Stronge and Xianxuan Xu
12-Jan-16
James Stronge and Xianxuan Xu discuss the development and transfer of complex thinking skills as primary goals for education, focusing on students’ ability to transfer learning into out-of-school and other real-world contexts. ..more
A collaborative article by Joel Bourque, Karen Chan, Ken Rohrs, Geoff Moulton, Ian Wylie, Luann Fragale, Mason Gordon, Barbara Le-Mond, Dean Lea, & Maureen McCann
06-Jan-16
Over the past three years, science teachers at Hong Kong International Middle School have remained tenaciously wedded to the idea of refining project-based learning (PBL) projects to increase student learning, to great effect. ..more
By Chris Starr
06-Jan-16
By supporting professional development and bringing experts in education to Luxembourg, ISL is providing opportunities for teachers and educational leaders to participate in thought-provoking and transformative career experiences. ..more
By Fay Leong
06-Jan-16
Collaborative frameworks for teaching and learning put in place at Shanghai American School are beginning to have a real impact, in the classroom and throughout the community, thanks to collaborative frameworks, the mentorship of teacher leaders, and partnerships with consultants. ..more
+ 2015
In November, NIST International School in Bangkok and the Chelsea Football Club Foundation officially marked the opening of Chelsea FC Soccer School Bangkok. The soccer school aims to offer opportunities to all young players, male and female, from ages four to 16. ..more
By Lisa Martin
10-Dec-15
Thanks to collaborative mentorship through the Model United Nations program, five Afghan students were able to attend the THIMUN Qatar Conference in February 2015, then went on to form their own chapter in Kabul. ..more
By Steve Parker
10-Dec-15
Last spring, a World Premiere Film Festival was held in the upper cafeteria of Sullivans Elementary School featuring over 20 student-made films about the plight of Asian Elephants in Southeast Asia. ..more
By Sawsan L. Dajani
02-Dec-15
To celebrate 25 years of quality education, students at Modern English School (MES) Cairo staged the musical “Aida” on an outdoor stage six times as big as that any Broadway theater for an audience of over 1,800. ..more
By Rodrigo Cea
02-Dec-15
Rodrigo Cea's Spanish as a Second Language students took on a two-week creative writing project in their target language, progressing through the five stages of the Writer’s Workshop and publishing their stories thanks to an app called “educreations.” ..more
By Joy Jameson
19-Nov-15
Now that many well-qualified expat teachers can be found already living around the world, what if headmasters started hiring expats living abroad, instead of flying off to U.S. job fairs to recruit staff? ..more
By ISU Literacy Committee
28-Nov-15
Primary students at the International School of Ulaanbaatar showed off their Mongolian language skills at an annual performance put on by the Literacy Committee. ..more
By Matt Harris
19-Nov-15
"We educators excel at many things, but on the whole self-promotion is not one of them," writes Matt Harris. "The best way to solve this is for us to discuss and share our work with the broader community." ..more
By Richard Eaton
11-Nov-15
To truly feel at home abroad, the wide-angled lens of “international understanding” may not be enough. One must achieve a deeper sense of “local understanding,” which is best attained through fluency in the language, as well as a profound appreciation of the host population. ..more
Education news briefs from The New York Times, Education Week, U.S. News & World Report, thejournal.com, International Business Times, NPR, The Atlantic, and more. ..more
By Tom Fearon
05-Nov-15
During Experiential Learning Week at the International School of Beijing (ISB), learning leaves the classroom and students wander well outside their comfort zones to engage in thirty different activities. ..more
By Jason Underwood
29-Oct-15
Students from Hiroshima International School are promoting peace by cycling nearly 500 km, from Hiroshima Peace Park to Nagasaki Peace Memorial Hall, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ..more
By Troy Gordon
29-Oct-15
Last spring, Harare International School in Zimbabwe hosted the first ever STEM competition for International Schools of Southern and Eastern Africa (ISSEA), consisting of a series of math, technology, and design competitions. ..more
By Brandon Fisher
29-Oct-15
Through a tech-enriched physical education program, middle school students at Concordia International School Shanghai are using their iPods to improve their workouts and track every step they take on the road to a healthier and more active lifestyle. ..more
By Meadow Hilley, TIE Editor
10-Sep-15
While we accept articles on a rolling basis, submissions for The International Educator's upcoming December issue must be received by November 1. Texts should be no more than 800 words and include photographs, captions, a byline, and a very short author bio. Email all submissions to [email protected], or write for more information. ..more
By Josefino Rivera
21-Oct-15
This year, the Gay-Straight Alliance of Associacion Escuelas Lincoln hosted Ally Week, an international youth-led event encouraging students and staff to be allies with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) members of their community. ..more
By Nancy Craker-Yahman
21-Oct-15
Nancy Craker-Yahman shares her reflections on respecting cultures in and out of the classroom and points readers to a number of key resources for encouraging a greater appreciation of diversity. ..more
By Neil Griffiths
10-Sep-15
The teaching of PE has migrated through a multitude of approaches over the past century. With the evolving nature of education, concerning our students and the betterment of society, it is likely that the journey to identify what’s worth measuring in PE is not yet over. ..more
By Connie Buford
13-Oct-15
This year, NAESP recognized through its National Distinguished Principals Award Program Catarina Song Chen, from the American School of Belo Horizonte (EABH), Brazil, and Michael Schooler, from the International Community School of Addis Ababa (ICSA), Ethiopia. ..more
By Josefino Rivera
06-Oct-15
Last year, the American International School of Buenos Aires, Asociación Escuelas Lincoln, joined hundreds of schools around the world and started a TEDEd Club, a club that prepares students to develop ideas worth spreading into TED-like talks. ..more
by STIR Education
30-Sep-15
In the context of World Teachers' Day, Chalk Walk 2015 will unite thousands of teachers across India and Uganda associated with the Teacher Changemaker Movement in taking an oath in their schools and communities to reclaim the moral purpose of teaching. ..more
By Meadow Hilley, TIE Editor
08-Oct-15
Students at the Bavarian International School learned to manipulate torches, angle grinders, and other heavy tools when collaborating with artist Gavin Worth to create a monumental sculpture of Sophia, goddess of wisdom. ..more
By Paul M. Fochtman
30-Sep-15
Paul M. Fochtman, Head of School at Frankfurt International School, and Jonathan Clenshaw, Board of Trustees Chair, have written an open letter to announce that FIS has received a sizable donation from the estate of the Stroth family. ..more
By David A Gamson, Pennsylvania State University
06-Oct-15
UNESCO established World Teachers’ Day as a result of concerns about the historically low status of teachers and their mistreatment. Americans have long had a deep and enduring ambivalence about teachers... ..more
By Forrest Broman
24-Sep-15
Forrest Broman, CEO of TIE, decries the massive refugee crisis and addresses a plea to his colleagues in the international education community: "Isn’t it time for a concerted effort to intervene in some necessarily small but meaningful way?" ..more
By Bonnie Billak
24-Sep-15
When working with language learners it’s important to focus on creating producers of language, not solely consumers, argues ESL Specialist Bonnie Billak. In this article she offers classroom strategies that provide the scaffolding needed for success. ..more
By Gareth Jones
17-Sep-15
Five students represented ISS at the select Young Norwegian Researchers competition in Oslo and walked away with more cash prizes and trips than students from any other school in Norway. ..more
Mr. Ahmed
17-Sep-15
Khartoum International Community School has partnered with Nas with Notepads to host a poetry and spoken word event on 26 September in the context of the worldwide movement 100 Thousand Poets for Change. ..more
By Kim Maialetti
17-Sep-15
MSA's Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools announced today that 179 schools and school systems in 14 states and 10 countries have earned accreditation or reaccreditation ..more
By Frank O'Gara
02-Sep-15
DoDEA teachers Ryan Goodfellow and Jennifer Wilson were recognized as national awardees of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). ..more
By Kehkashan Basu
19-Aug-15
Fifteen-year-old Kehkashan Basu of the Deira International School delivered this speech at the United Nations Youth Assembly on 5 August in New York in her capacity as UNEP Global Coordinator for Children & Youth. ..more
by D.J. Condon
19-Aug-15
The International School Storytelling Project is an initiative of the Canadian Academy meant to collect and disseminate stories from international school community members around the world. ..more
By Claire Amber Young
05-Aug-15
Northumbria University is partnering with the Fulbright Commission to offer a prestigious arts scholarship to an American student in areas including performing arts, fashion, and industrial design. The deadline for applications is 13 October 2015. ..more
By Anu Monga
22-Jul-15
At Bangalore International School, learners with various abilities attend school alongside their typically developing peers, in a safe, happy, and inclusive environment supported by the Learning Centre. ..more
By Neal Dilk
22-Jul-15
"As a Head of School, it’s not every day that a police officer hands you a weapon and asks you if you would like to shoot your computer, but that’s what happened," explains Niel Dilk in this piece about improving security at AISR. ..more
By Shanna Hurt
07-Jul-15
The Advanced Placement Human Geography class from Karachi American School (KAS) won this year’s World Affairs Challenge (WAC), focused on the theme “The Gender Gap.” ..more
By Proserpina Dhlamini-Fisher
25-Jun-15
Proserpina Dhlamini-Fisher offers her take on racism in education, which in her experience is not only alive among students in the U.S. but among some international educators worldwide. "Are our international educators as internationally minded as our students?" ..more
By Jay Gramolini
25-Jun-15
A math and science teacher, Ricky Arnold was selected as a Mission Specialist by NASA while teaching overseas. He recently visited Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogotá and shared his thrilling experiences as an astronaut with a captivated audience. ..more
By Adam Campbell
25-Jun-15
Part science fair, part county fair, ACST's School Maker Faire held in April was the first-ever of its kind authorized by Make magazine, with over 400 students participating in 25 different exhibits and hands-on activities. ..more
By Tom Fearon
17-Jun-15
International School of Beijing’s youngest and most senior students teamed up to create The Great Animal Escape, a book written and illustrated by children in Pre-K, translated into Chinese by high school students, then staged as a play. ..more
By Shirley Dever
17-Jun-15
Specialist teachers, who see students far less frequently than classroom teachers, are rarely given in-class support for EAL or LS students. Yet they are held responsible for the progress of these and all students, without the benefit of teaching assistants. ..more
By Bill Willis
10-Jun-15
"It has now been three weeks since our world in Kathmandu changed," writes Bill Willis in this continued reflection on life in Nepal following the recent earthquakes, faced with "severe aftershocks, water shortages, and a rising sense of uncertainty." ..more
By John Mikton
22-Jul-15
We have entered a world where personal information aggregated over time is combined, analyzed, and generated into a profile. This rich set of information is then sold, traded, and curated by organizations, governments, and companies... what can we do? ..more
By Helin Aladaglioglu
10-Jun-15
Hisar School of Istanbul, Turkey took 1st place yet again in the 17th San Remo GEF School Festival of Music in Italy in the category of orchestra and covers for non-conservatory schools. ..more
By Reed Rhodes
26-May-15
There is often pressure to turn early childhood classrooms into “scaled-down first-grade classrooms with worksheets and drills.” While this format does not provide the underlying skills of self-regulation that make future academic learning more effective, mature dramatic play has proved highly beneficial in this regard. ..more
By Chris Clark
12-May-15
The Western Academy of Beijing set out to define International Mindedness in a way that allows students, parents, faculty, and staff to engage with cultures and communities worldwide, building upon existing elements and promoting action rather than simply empathy. ..more
By Andrew Livingstone
12-May-15
Grade 6 students at The American School Foundation in Mexico City combined academics, community service, and entrepreneurship to launch the Mazahua Tianguis—a chance to sell their bee products and donate the proceeds to a local indigenous community. ..more
By Joy Jameson
12-May-15
In the latest installment of her regular meditation on various aspects of the international education experience, Joy Jameson wonders why international schools work hard to create a protective bubble around their international hire staff members... ..more
By Cynthia Nagrath
05-May-15
“Teachers are the core of everything we do here at TIE, and we cannot thank them enough for their dedication, service and the professionalism they bring to their jobs each and every day,” said TIE founder and CEO, Forrest Broman. ..more
By Sean Fagan
06-May-15
Dr. Michael Baldwin, a science teacher at the Dalian American International School in China, was shortlisted as one of 50 finalists worldwide for the prestigious US$1 million Global Teacher Award. ..more
By Cynthia Nagrath
23-Apr-15
Part 1 of TIE's new in-depth feature on mindfulness training. Dan Harris shared his personal experience with a packed auditorium last week, explaining how mindfulness meditation can transform even the most harried of individuals in a talk sponsored by Calmer Choice. ..more
By Awty
23-Apr-15
The legendary French rap group iAM made a stop in Houston in late April, visiting with Upper School students at The Awty International School to discuss the themes behind their music. ..more
By Lee Fertig
16-Apr-15
Authenticity, engagement, collaboration, and transfer: these are the things we aim for in student learning. Well, why not practice what we preach? Innovate 2015, hosted by Graded School, set a new standard for professional learning at a conference. ..more
By Jeff Lippman
16-Apr-15
The theme behind this year's Innovate conference was to “reimagine school” and create spaces where children own the learning process and are engaged in an education that is authentic, connected, and has the possibility of positively impacting our world. ..more
Make sure to visit our ONLINE ARTICLEShomepage and sign up for our 30 day free content membershipfor access to all our content including weekly newsletters. ..more
By Tiffani Razavi
08-Apr-15
The core of the concept of deeper learning cannot but resonate with an educator: “Deeper learning is simply what highly effective educators have always provided: the delivery of rich core content to students in innovative ways that allow them to learn and then apply what they have learned.” ..more
The International Educator (TIE) and the Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) partnership will spread awareness of the CGC’s innovative approach to international education. ..more
By Robert Stearns
19-Mar-15
In July 2014, stolen fossils of over 20 Mongolian dinosaurs were handed over by the U.S. to the Mongolian government in New York City. Julie Pitzen, ISU teacher and Dino Club facilitator, was asked to help repatriate them. ..more
By Neil Griffiths
12-Mar-15
As a Middle Years Program (MYP) teacher of physical education, I recently learned in a conversation with two administrators that a high level of success for all students would not be commensurate with the expected spread of results for the summative assessment task. How could 95–100 percent of students get 8 out of 8 in the learning to perform unit? ..more
By Joy Jameson
05-Mar-15
International schools are thought to be exclusive institutions of the highest educational quality. Therefore, I wonder why staff members are often assigned to managerial or teaching positions in areas in which they have little or no training? ..more
By Andi O’Hearn
19-Mar-15
Students often struggle with the university application essay, asking their college counselors, “How do I personalize my story to stand out in a competitive admissions pool?” ..more
By Cary Markin
12-Mar-15
I’m lucky to have a job that constantly inspires my students. So it is with consternation that I've noted that most of the best international schools in the world are forgetting or neglecting the second half of the performing arts: dance. ..more
By Ohad Ben Shimon
26-Feb-15
Students spend a large part of their lives in classrooms, most of the time without their consent or desire. As educators and parents, we must be able to empathize with this inevitable experience of students at school. ..more
By Ellen Hovde
19-Feb-15
For four years now, Mr. Brad Ill, Aquatics Director at the International School of Aberdeen, has sponsored a Saturday Swim session for children with cancer, other medical issues, or special needs. ..more
By Shawn Hutchinson
12-Feb-15
Through enterprise education, students can be innovative, creative, and develop a “can do” approach to turning ideas into reality. They also develop financial capabilities as well as a critical understanding of the services available to both the producer and consumer. ..more
By Janice Myles
05-Mar-15
“Stuff the Bus” is an annual event at AISB that has taken place for the past seven years and aims to support the less fortunate in some villages of Berceni, a district of southern Bucharest. ..more
By Linda Mishkin
28-Jan-15
Linda Mishkin sends messages to her school community once a month. This meditation on teaching kindness and compassion within the curriculum is her most recent. ..more
By Andrew Hoover
21-Jan-15
Joseph CampbellI stated that all hero stories have a common structure. Andrew Hoover proposes that we might view the school year as a sort of hero’s journey, with its own set of challenges, compromises, and rewards. ..more
By Ada Renan
05-Mar-15
One hundred and fifty students from the International School of Choueifat – Lahore (ISC-Lahore) in Pakistan recently competed in the EdEqual Math Challenge and were awarded 2nd and 5th place nationwide for their efforts. ..more
By Jane Crowhurst
21-Jan-15
Educational architectural projects that open with an extensive, detailed briefing phase lead to effective and efficient learning environments. A most vital aspect of this briefing phase is stakeholder engagement. ..more
By Tomo Nishizawa & Rafael Quintero
14-Jan-15
Escuela Bella Vista sends its students every year on a Curaçao trip, which engages students to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize scientific information, while at the same time helping them to grasp the importance of collaboration in science. ..more
By Mark Elshout
26-Feb-15
Music teaching in the 21st century is evolving. Students still need the fundamentals, but educators now have access to a range of ICT sources to broaden learning opportunities. ..more
By Bonnie Billak
19-Feb-15
In schools around the world, it is common practice for ESL teachers to offer both pull-out and push-in services. Students benefit from the language assistance, while teachers can learn new strategies by observing how the ESL teacher works with students during the push-in time. ..more
By Tiffani Razavi, TIE Staff Writer
14-Jan-15
Recent studies challenge the assumption that homework is helpful, demonstrating its link to stress and health issues. “The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students’ advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and wellbeing.” ..more
By Meadow Hilley
12-Feb-15
AAIE's 49th annual conference has just wrapped up in San Francisco, centered on the theme “From the Creative to the Practical: Exploring Ways to Ensure International Schools are Safe and Dynamic Learning Communities.” ..more
Search Fair Cambridge 2015
07-Feb-15
Over 460 teacher candidates make the rounds of interviews with recruiters representing over 135 schools at the Search Associates Fair in Cambridge. ..more
By George H. Damon
06-Jan-15
Currently working and living in Beirut, Arwa is the recipient of the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) “Courage in Journalism” award, which celebrates the courage of journalists facing incredible dangers in pursuing a story. ..more
Recruiting fair season is in full swing and fairs are still being held in locations around the world. Check out the list for February and find one near you: San Francisco, Bogota, Dubai... ..more
By Gordon Eldridge, TIE Columnist
05-Feb-15
The Internet has become an invaluable source of information for learners and teachers, and some of the features that make it such a useful source of information can also serve to support the learning of vocabulary. However, it is also a place where learners can become easily distracted and lose sight of the goal they are working towards. ..more
+ 2014
By Tom Fearon
24-Dec-14
Students at the International School of Beijing (ISB) closed their textbooks and opened their minds when designing, planning, and carrying out a range of projects that aligned their passion with hands-on learning last June. ..more
By Alfonso De Falco and Jorge Nelson
01-Dec-14
The latest educational trend to increase the amount of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in school programs has sadly often resulted in the loss of a fully developed Art program. ..more
By Helin Aladaglioglu
10-Dec-14
Hisar students aged between 11 and 18 staged Catherine Johnson’s jukebox musical Mamma Mia! on May 18–20, 2014 at the Hisar Arts and Culture Center in Istanbul. ..more
By Yael Cass
10-Dec-14
International schools invest millions of dollars to keep their facilities up to date; can this investment be better utilized to improve the safety of those that use the schools and extend the useful life of the school buildings? ..more
By Jodi Berry
18-Nov-14
Middle school students from the American School of Guatemala watched and discussed the groundbreaking documentary Girl Rising, which delivers a simple, yet powerful truth: educating girls will change the world. ..more
By Mark Bennett
18-Nov-14
Increasing interest in inquiry-based learning marks a shift in which the emphasis is placed not on students’ ability to recall content from curriculum, but their ability think abstractly. Mark Bennett distills for readers his experience with this pedagogical approach into six key attributes. ..more
By Mary Gamache
18-Dec-14
As part of a campaign to educate the school community about the effects of plastic on the world, 800 students from the Carol Morgan School (CMS) of Santo Domingo collaborated to build a Peace on Earthbench. ..more
By Kathleen Goodwin
03-Dec-14
Generation Study Abroad is a five-year initiative of the Institute of International Education (IIE) to mobilize resources and commitments with the goal of doubling the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade. ..more
By Bryce McBride
18-Nov-14
When teaching in international schools, it is a common sentiment that somehow by doing so one is not living in the “real world” and that, while it may be fun to travel and have an adventure overseas, at the end of the day one’s teaching career is only real if it is in one’s home country. ..more
By Mark Bennett
03-Dec-14
In a highly technological age for which we are unable to anticipate future jobs, inquiry-based learning encourages students to undergo a process to enrich their critical thinking skills and be self-sufficient enough to manage new challenges. ..more
By Andrew Sewell
12-Nov-14
Writing to convicts was one of many ideas students proposed to make their study of justice in the political philosophy theme of IB Philosophy more authentic, relevant, and engaging through Project-Based Learning (PBL). ..more
By Monica Murphy
03-Dec-14
Shanghai Community International School (SCIS), Pudong Campus presented “All Shook Up!”, a rock ‘n’ roll musical based on Shakespeare’s romantic comedy Twelfth Night, set entirely to Elvis Presley hits. ..more
By Nitika Govind
03-Nov-14
Nitika Shalini Govind is a 16-year-old from New Zealand and a student at the International School of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. For her 10th grade personal project, she conducted interviews and wrote poetry related to the five most common mental health issues in Mongolia. ..more
By Chris Starr
29-Oct-14
Learning to Look is a series put on by the Art department at the International School of Luxembourg (ISL). Each month the school features a professional artist from across a wide range of disciplines whose work is placed on display in common areas of the school, and who visits the school to share his or her vision, career path, and techniques. ..more
By Gordon Eldridge, TIE Columnist
18-Dec-14
Gordon Eldridge discusses the findings of a recent paper on changing reading behaviors dealing specifically with the effect of Electronic Console (EC) books on parent-child interactions when reading storybooks. ..more
By Sarah Lillo
26-Nov-14
Sarah Lillo, alongside her students, took on her library's "Read Around the World" challenge, which led to a new personal goal: to read a text from every country in the world. ..more
By Charlene Roberts, Tim Rose, & Daniel Corrigan
18-Nov-14
What do you get when you combine a dynamic team of teachers, a standards-based curriculum, a supportive administration, and a commitment to cross-curricular initiatives? An interdisciplinary teaching unit that engages everyone. ..more
By Nikki Lardas
26-Nov-14
Kuwait has a conflicted relationship with animals. This results, among other things, in lots of wandering cats. At our school, we have a cat lady, whose example shows us that there are many ways to make a difference. ..more
By Margriet Ruurs
22-Oct-14
Margriet Ruurs reviews Peach Girl, My Name Is Blessing, Is This Panama, Who Wants Pizza?, Razia’s Ray of Hope, It’s About Time, Tips and Tidbits for Parents and Teachers, and Eyes Wide Open. ..more
By Amy Wesley
22-Oct-14
The International School of Minnesota (ISM), a member of the global SABIS® School Network, recently ranked 2nd in Minnesota on The Washington Post’s list of “America’s Most Challenging Schools.” ..more
By Meadow Hilley
14-Oct-14
The Irish charitable organization Headstrong, devoted to supporting young people’s mental health, has released a film titled “One Good Teacher,” which we urge you to watch. View it here. ..more
By Ione Swenson
14-Oct-14
The DoDEA proudly announces its 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year as Ms. Sarah Loomis, who was selected as Kaiserslautern’s District Teacher of the Year last spring and serves as an educational technologist at Kaiserslautern Elementary School. ..more
By Steve Parker
12-Nov-14
Last spring students from the Sullivans School (TSS) in Yokosuka, Japan attended the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Base Library for an orientation tour. "We want to start the children out young, feeling comfortable coming into our library." ..more
By Meadow Hilley
02-Oct-14
Established shortly after the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, the Kenbe La Foundation and its Purple Cake Day have once again pledged their generous support to the Children of Haiti Project. ..more
By Jeffery Devens
02-Oct-14
A school psychologist offers this crash course in all things gaming for educators and parents, from social enticements to worst-case scenarios. If you don’t know your FPS from your MUD, read on... ..more
By Nina FL Markham
24-Sep-14
At our school, the IB art program has a reputation of being difficult and a potential drain on one’s GPA. However, over two years of hard work students, develop important skills and a widened worldview. ..more
By Kate Ferrier
13-Aug-14
The International School of Beijing has launched a nine-week, project-based learning experience culminating in the Communication and Collaboration Project. ..more
By Andrew Powell
28-Aug-14
Andrew Powell shares his tips on making the most of conferences, from going with a specific goal in mind to touring the host city. ..more
By Kim Marshall, TIE Columnist
18-Mar-14
It is very important, in fact. Take a moment to think more deeply about the place of resilience, rewards, and challenging-but-attainable goals; like your friends and family, or the day's small pleasures, these have a central part to play. ..more
By Kim Marshall, TIE Columnist
10-Jun-14
In supervising your teachers, what works best when it comes to curriculum, documentation, teacher feedback, and classroom visits? On this one, Kim Marshall has his own views. ..more
By Jamie Tuttle
11-Mar-14
Writing in from São Paulo, Jamie Tuttle chronicles one middle school’s innovative approach to bringing a community together. ..more
by Jen Munnerlyn
24-Sep-14
If you are an educator interested in teaching relevant, transformative and real things to your students so they are truly prepared for the invisible “what’s next” in our ever-changing world, then I want to tell you about the Common Ground Collaborative. ..more
By Gordon Eldridge, TIE Columnist
20-May-14
Do you need some clarity here? Fear not, there is indeed some research into what constitutes effective inquiry, and how and when its methods can be productively employed. ..more
+ 2013
By Gordon Eldridge
10-Oct-13
In this research report prepared for The International Educator, Gordon Eldridge searches for elements of classroom culture that contribute to student success; mastery goals, as opposed to performance goals, could be one of them. ..more
By Cindy Pavlos
05-Sep-13
Fresh off the plane? With 14 international schools under her belt, Cindy Pavlos will set you straight: "Even if you live in a place where English is widely understood, resist the temptation to get by without learning any of the local language. I learned this lesson the hard way–in a maternity ward." ..more
By Martin Holbery
04-Jul-13
A preschool teacher from Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) reports on a growing trend: hands-on, green and sustainable learning. ..more
By Kim Marshall, TIE Columnist
21-Jun-13
It is very common for new teachers to leave behind the “best practices” they learned during their training, and regress to traditional, teacher-centered instructional practices. ..more
+ 2011
by Forrest A. Broman, President of TIE
19-Sep-11
As more teachers learn of the many opportunities to teach in another country, a strong note of caution must be interjected. There are literally thousands of institutions that now call themselves "international schools." But the great majority of them represent local ventures by local entrepreneurs... ..more






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