Pedagogy & Learning

The Courage to Try
By Shyamalika Nagendra
Mar 2026
The key to helping students cultivate an appetite for flexibility and growth in the face of challenge and discomfort is to help them see and feel their individual progress...

Don’t Skip the Reflection!
By Kathryn Berkman, Meredith Robinson, and Megan Vosk
Mar 2026
Examining the third of the four new community engagement learning objectives: Engage in reflective and reflexive practices...

The World Needs an Ecological Humanities Course
By Jared Rock
Mar 2026
Facing ecological crisis, schools must lead by teaching ecological interdependence through a new discipline to reshape values, institutions, and futures...

From Identity Theft to Asset Framing
By Jon Nordmeyer
Mar 2026
Labeling multilingual learners by English proficiency undermines identity; systemic change fosters inclusion, competence, and equitable learning...

Fuel for the Fire: When Direct Instruction Supports Student-Led Inquiry
By Ethan Van Drunen and Marcelle van Leenen
Mar 2026
Windhoek International School shares how a rebalancing of direct instruction with progressive inquiry has led to remarkable gains in student learning...

Designing Math Instruction to Intentionally and Effectively Include Multilingual Learners
By Jessica McArdle
Feb 2026
Functional linguistics can help teachers design accessible and inclusive math lessons for multilingual learners...

The Continuum of Autonomy: Moving Students Toward Self-Directed Learning
By Suman Choudhary
Feb 2026
Giving students liberty, supporting their interests, and allowing them to exercise choice can lead to organic learning that evolves naturally and prepares them for a rapidly changing world...

From Actions to Results: Language Based Teaching Strategies
By Scott Eder
Feb 2026
A practical framework linking instructional actions, teacher competence, and student motivation to ethical, evidence-based language teaching and meaningful learning outcomes...

Redefining Lifelong Learning With Microcredentials
By Uma Shankar Singh
Feb 2026
Microcredentials now offer flexible, targeted, affordable, stackable pathways enabling international educators’ lifelong skill development and leadership...

Permeable Minds: How Omission Forms Meaning
By Rachida Dahman
Mar 2026
Ethical classroom attention shapes judgment; repeated omissions erode trust, turning institutional commitments into contradictions rather than lived realities…

Multilingualism Is Not Support for Some; It Is Pedagogy for All
By Natasha Sarah Vinales
Mar 2026
An educator’s journey from EAL to multilingual pedagogy shows how translanguaging and asset-based practice build belonging, equity, and learning for all...

Righting Reports?
By Sou Leong-Ellerker
Mar 2026
Examining the difference between feedback and reporting, real learning cannot be captured through templated descriptions of experience...

AI War Games: Using Simulations in the Classroom
By Andrew Knox and Dr. Gregory Hessee
Mar 2026
ChatGPT simulations can be used in the classroom to develop student curiosity through real time global crisis scenarios...

Beyond Gaman: Why Endurance Alone Is Not Resilience
By Nickolas Hironao Harris
Mar 2026
True resilience isn't passive endurance (gaman) but purposeful effort. Education must shift from enforcing compliance to fostering agency and focus...

Pedaling with Purpose
By Andres Rodriguez Perdomo
Mar 2026
The tricycle unit at UNIS Hanoi showcases how a simple activity can yield profound educational, physical, and socio-cultural outcomes...

Beyond Remediation: A Case Study
By Maya Krishnadas
Feb 2026
Through trust, scaffolding, and targeted support, a struggling student transformed challenges into confidence and academic success...

International Mother Language Day: Embracing a More Expansive Vision of Language
By Jacob Huckle
Feb 2026
International Mother Language Day serves as a reminder that we need to go beyond tokenistic or superficial celebrations of diversity...

Building a Generation of Peace Brokers Through Dialogue
By Kathryn T. Berkman, Meredith Robinson, and Megan Vosk
Feb 2026
Dialogue fosters understanding, empathy, and shared purpose, while addressing power imbalances...

Self-Written Comments and Grades: A Win-Win
By Matthew Raggett
Feb 2026
Using self-written report comments and grades, I have been surprised how, again and again, the students write better reports than I would have…

What Pans Out? Teaching Science to Multilingual Learners
By Somaira Bilal
Feb 2026
Small modifications in teaching strategies can improve accessibility in science education while upholding high standards...

The Education Game: A Teacher’s New Year’s Reckoning
By Elijah Abdullah
Feb 2026
A reflection on privilege, institutional incentives, and moral agency in international schools...

Looking Beyond Accreditation To Include Assessment Reform
By Vickie Swann and James Mattiace
Feb 2026
Accreditation has the power to be used specifically to drive change in assessment practices...

Systems Thinking Is Necessary for Positive Change

By Kathryn T. Berkman, Meredith Robinson, and Megan Vosk
28-Jan-26

Explore systems thinking through real classroom examples, tools and student action, showing how community engagement empowers changemakers... ..more

Empowering Teachers Through PD Rooted in Local Context

By Shwetangna Chakrabarty and Natasha Haque
28-Jan-26

Teachers thrive when PD honors local context. Empowered educators reclaim classrooms for truth, inquiry, and identity in a world blurred by misinformation... ..more

Teaching Science With a More-Than-Human Perspective

By Dr. Ethan Lewis
28-Jan-26

Discover practical science projects that help students learn with nature, building curiosity, empathy, and real-world ecological understanding... ..more

A Multiplicative Framework for Teaching Language

By Scott Eder
28-Jan-26

The R = A × C × M framework for teaching language integrates pedagogical actions, instructor competence, and student motivation to predict and enhance learning outcomes… ..more

Build It and They Will Learn: Scaffolding Success

By Jon Nordmeyer
14-Jan-26

Investment in instructional scaffolding can empower all teachers to design and use approaches that balance challenge and support... ..more

When a Buzz Becomes a Breakthrough

By Sean Davis
14-Jan-26

A spontaneous teachable moment prompts Grade 9 students to immediately apply Hofstede's concepts, validating the framework and showing the power of inquiry learning... ..more

Learn From and Act With: The Global Citizen Attitude

By Nathan Haines
14-Jan-26

The motto of the Critical Global Citizenship course at ISK, "learn from and act with," sits at the heart of meaningful global citizenship... ..more

A Year Without Worksheets

By Sara Glenn
28-Jan-26

Swapping worksheets for hands-on, engaging activities boosts fluency, collaboration, and student enthusiasm... ..more

Copying the Masters: Learning Not Plagiarizing

By Dr. Debjani Mukherjee
10-Dec-25

One study at a time the students begin to see like an artist, ask like a learner, and create like themselves... ..more

Making Music Composing More Accessible Through Numbers

By Shayok Banerjee
10-Dec-25

Numeric note systems and pentatonic scales empower novice students to compose confidently, boosting creativity, identity, and musical expression... ..more

Feeding Minds, Nourishing Learning

By Ahmad Fadli
10-Dec-25

How a simple meal can transform learning, equity, and community, and what international schools can learn from Indonesia’s nutrition initiative… ..more

Self-Management and the Power of the 15-Minutes Strategy

By Don Merritt
05-Nov-25

A consistent 15-minute block of silent, independent work transforms classrooms, building focus, equity, and stamina for authentic learning... ..more

Why Presence is the Missing Link in Digital Safeguarding

By Anthi Patrikios
22-Oct-25

Firewalls can’t replace empathy. When adults shift from control to connection, digital safeguarding becomes an act of prevention and trust… ..more

Beyond English-Only

By Anita Louise Churchville and Ceci Gomez-Galvez
08-Oct-25

A research-based look at why we must shift from English-only to multilingual approaches, leveraging students' linguistic assets for sustainable success... ..more

The Influence of Play on Early Literacy

By Bree Kraft
24-Sep-25

What looks like play is powerful literacy in action. Early exploration fuels language, identity, and joyful learning... ..more

The Rhetoric of Elective Education

By Libby Sievert
24-Sep-25

Breaking the subject hierarchy is key to a complete and meaningful education. It’s time to build a framework that honors all learning as essential… ..more

When Assessment Holds Back Real-World Learning

By Dr. Sou Leong-Ellerker
24-Sep-25

What we assess signals what we value. If we want to inspire changemakers, our assessments must honor the full story of learning… ..more

The Culture Map for Kids

By Lyn Thompson Lemaire
04-Jun-25

Help students navigate friendships, expectations, and hidden cultural norms while building understanding, resilience, and a sense of belonging in new environments... ..more

Nurturing Student Growth

By Rachida Dahman
21-May-25

Students must be given space to grow beyond rigid systems, free to express their complexity, remain true to themselves, and challenge simplification... ..more

Student Wellbeing Must Come First

By Gabriela Molina
21-May-25

When students feel like they belong, everything else falls into place. One educator shares insights and strategies for supporting student wellbeing… ..more

Playing With Integrity: The Hidden Curriculum of Soccer

By Nickolas Harris
23-Apr-25

Soccer's hidden curriculum teaches integrity, teamwork, and character—lessons more lasting than trophies or stats, both on and off the pitch... ..more

Healing Through Storytelling: A Journey of Resilience

By LeeAnne Lavender
09-Apr-25

Storytelling techniques were used to promote healing and resilience after Khartoum American School relocated as a result of the civil war in Sudan… ..more

The Benefit of Think-Pair-Share in International Classrooms

By Steve Whyley
26-Mar-25

Think-Pair-Share boosts confidence, collaboration, and deeper thinking, making learning inclusive for all in international classrooms... ..more

Embracing the Gamer's Brain for Optimal Students' Learning

By Edlynne Venkataya
26-Mar-25

Three brain elements—emotions, attention, and growth mindset—impact gamers' brains, supporting brain-based learning to engage and optimize students... ..more

A Plea for Clarity in Progressive Education Rhetoric

By Yujiro Fujiwara
12-Feb-25

Terms like agency, personalization, and 21st-century skills are frequently presented as progressive solutions, yet they often mask underlying issues in current learning models... ..more

Interested in Cooking and Gardening at Your School?

By LeeAnne Lavender
12-Mar-25

At the International School of Kenya (ISK), a unique program intertwines the love of cooking with a commitment to sustainability... ..more

Outdoor Learning

By Danielle Nichols, Emi Hisamatsu, and Gayatri Bhavaraju
12-Mar-25

Aoba Japan International School shares how incorporating elements of outdoor learning enhances student motivation and makes interdisciplinary connections... ..more

Nurturing Principled Conversations

By Don Merritt
26-Feb-25

Empower students by modeling active listening, using positive feedback, addressing side chatter with empathy, and providing practice for improvement… ..more

Regenerative Education: Teaching and Learning that Heals and Restores

By Kenny Peavy
26-Feb-25

In a rapidly changing world where traditional education models struggle to keep up with societal and environmental shifts, a new approach is emerging... ..more

Turning Misinformation Into Education

By Stephanie Simoes
26-Feb-25

Educators can use controlled exposure to online misinformation to strengthen student's critical thinking and digital literacy skills... ..more

Using Research to Transform Multilingual International School Communities

By Jon Nordmeyer and Esther Bettney Heidt
12-Feb-25

Over the past decade, a change in student populations in international schools has led to data-based solutions for supporting students and teachers... ..more

A Collaborative Approach for Interdisciplinary Learning

By LeeAnne Lavender
12-Feb-25

Eleven tips for planning an interdisciplinary unit with examples from ACS Abu Dhabi’s “Quest for Green,” an engaging opportunity for meaningful action... ..more

Blended Learning: A Combination of Traditional and Innovative Best Practices

By Darcie Flansburg
12-Feb-25

Research and tips for creating a blended classroom with 21st century skills and traditional teaching practices... ..more

Empowering Multilingual Learners

By Anthony Harris
29-Jan-25

Learners face many challenges in second language acquisition. Strategies for building self-esteem and success for multilingual learners… ..more

Cultivating Student Agency

By Aaron Moniz and Brian Lavender
15-Jan-25

Five strategies for cultivating student agency in international schools, fostering engagement, leadership, and real-world impact… ..more

Poems Ground Community Partnership

By LeeAnne Lavender
15-Jan-25

AISL elementary students are building a partnership with Tarkwa Bay school through poetry and Earth Day activities, focusing on connection and collaboration… ..more

We Are Not Us Without You: Teaching for Belonging

By Rae Merrigan
18-Jun-25

Discover why true inclusion goes beyond diversity, and how fostering belonging boosts student success, wellbeing, and school community... ..more

The Inevitable Shift: AI Has Already Arrived

By Cora Yang and Dalton Flanagan
19-Nov-25

This new reality calls on us to shift from being the sole source of knowledge to being the guides who help students master the learning process itself… ..more

Ethical AI: Why the Monkey in the Middle Matters

By Bill Tolley
13-Aug-25

Ethical, purposeful AI integration empowers students as decision-makers, cultivating agency and critical thinking through inquiry-driven learning… ..more

Reimagining Education With AI: Ethics, Equity, and Transformation

By Karen Taylor
04-Jun-25

Exploring the way AI may transform education if equity, ethics, and teacher training are used to enhance learning and human connection... ..more

Promoting Responsible Generative AI Use in Schools

By Megel Barker
09-Apr-25

AI in schools presents challenges in defining use and ensuring integrity. The AI Indicator provides clear guidelines for students and educators… ..more

The Four Components of Community Engagement

By Kathryn T. Berkman, Meredith Robinson, and Megan Vosk
10-Dec-25

Let’s unpack each of these learning objectives, discuss what it might look like in practice to teach into these objectives, and set a bar for what we aim to uphold... ..more

When SEL Doesn’t Translate: Teachers’ Perspectives from East Asia

By Dr. Jennifer Sylvester
10-Dec-25

When Western SEL programs enter East Asian classrooms, cultural gaps emerge. Teachers share how to adapt SEL so it truly resonates across cultures... ..more

A Promising Mythconception

By Dr. Virginia Rojas
19-Nov-25

Exploring opportunities to make the often-repeated but inaccurate mantra that “every teacher is a language teacher” a potential reality… ..more

Inspiring Young Innovators: Inside the Design Studio

By Andrea Celestine
19-Nov-25

Fairgreen’s Design Studio shows that any school can cultivate creativity and sustainability by starting with what they have and growing from there… ..more

The Art of Seeing: When Words Become Windows

By Dr. Debjani Mukherjee
05-Nov-25

A simple classroom exercise revealed that seeing isn’t just looking; it’s an emotional, cultural, and intentional act... ..more

Building a Sustainable Vision for Physical Education

By Noah Randall and Aaron Beighle
05-Nov-25

A multi-year initiative at ASF Mexico City unified PE practices, developed a standards-based curriculum, and established sustainable professional learning communities… ..more

Teaching for Discernment in an AI World

By Samuel J. Richards, Sekou Otondi, and Rachel Hopkins
05-Nov-25

Grade 9 students at ISK critically explored AI’s accuracy and bias through inquiry, learning to challenge technology, not just use it... ..more

Exploring the Shift From Service Learning to Community Engagement

By Kathryn T. Berkman, Meredith Robinson, and Megan Vosk
05-Nov-25

This shift in terminology can be leveraged for more meaningful education systems, offering a chance to push service learning beyond volunteer work… ..more

A Seed of Equity: Lessons in Bridging the Digital Divide

By Ahmad Fadli
22-Oct-25

We do not need to wait for perfect infrastructure to start teaching digital literacy. We can start with creativity, with collaboration, with whatever resources are already at hand… ..more

Digital Tools as Bridges to Inquiry in Early Childhood

By Itzel Madero Hernandez
08-Oct-25

Technology can enrich play in early childhood, supporting inquiry, creativity, and meaningful expression... ..more

The Culture Shift That Keeps Students Safer

By Alistair Goold
08-Oct-25

Restorative practices move safeguarding beyond checklists, building safer schools through trust, belonging, and student voice... ..more

From Learners to Teachers: The Impact of Student-Made Tutorial Videos

By Tianshuai Jiang
08-Oct-25

Through these experiences, curiosity grew into ownership. Students were learning in connection with their peers, their families, and the wider community… ..more

Exploring the Range and Impact of Primary Student Supervision

By Dallin Bywater
24-Sep-25

Uncover how playground supervision impacts safety, behavior, and wellbeing, and why being present isn’t the same as being effective... ..more

When More is Never Enough, It’s Time to Think Differently

By Jon Nordmeyer and Dr. Virginia Rojas
24-Sep-25

EAL is no longer enough. Discover why schools need to evolve EAL teachers into multilingual learning specialists to meet the needs of diverse learners... ..more

What’s Not on the Schedule: Finding Meaning in a Shifting Role

By Ahmad Fadli
10-Sep-25

What would happen if we measured impact not by student data, but by student trust. What if teaching wasn't always about what we deliver, but about how we arrive… ..more

Embracing Plurilingualism in Education

By Yulia Akhmetova
10-Sep-25

Although multilingualism and translanguaging may be allowed or even celebrated symbolically, pedagogical practices largely remain monolingual... ..more

Bringing the Real World In: A Case for Short, Frequent Guest Speakers

By Michael Kramer
13-Aug-25

Bringing the real world into the classroom through guest speakers deepened engagement, improved learning, and showed that less can be more... ..more

Begin With Belonging

By Courtney Primus
13-Aug-25

Some simple, connection-centered activities to help you start the term with a focus on belonging, identity, and growth… ..more

Transitioning From Monolingual to Multilingual Approaches

By Megan Vosk and Shafali
16-Jul-25

Embrace multilingualism with inclusive practices and practical strategies that empower learners, support teachers, and celebrate language diversity... ..more

Beyond Strategies: How Counselor Training Transformed My Practice and Perspective

By Ashley Maxson
04-Jun-25

Insights into practical tools, cultural understanding, and real-world strategies to support student wellbeing, equity, and connection… ..more

Cultivating Multilingual Ecosystems by Embracing Systematic Change

By Mayuko Perkins and Beth Puma
21-May-25

What if “every teacher is a language teacher” wasn’t a slogan but a schoolwide commitment to multilingual learners’ success... ..more

Sharing Stories, Shedding Light

By Megan Vosk
07-May-25

As teachers, we often stress the importance of learning by doing. Perhaps we should also stress the importance of learning by listening… ..more

Dear Reading, We Need To Talk

By Donica Merhazion
07-May-25

When decoding blocks learning, students disengage. Educators need to rethink access and use inclusive strategies to reach every learner... ..more

Bold Ways to Belong: From Margins to Mainstream in Early Years Inclusion

By Inna Poliansa
09-Apr-25

A presentation at the SENIA conference highlighted a successful culture of inclusion, supporting students through Flexible Learning spaces… ..more

Cultivating Students' Self-Advocacy Skills

By Megan Vosk
12-Mar-25

Exploring self-advocacy's role in fostering agency, independence, and self-determination, with tips for teaching students to confidently express their needs… ..more

Measuring What Matters

By Lesley Tait
12-Mar-25

The Measuring What Matters project at Lincoln Community School tracks student understanding of learning, leadership, and connection to assess mission impact... ..more

One School’s Journey of Implementing DUcKS to Improve Student Learning

By Ayorkor Dankyi and Ruba Abi Saab
26-Feb-25

Intentional curriculum design can lead to deeper student engagement, meaningful learning, and a transformation in assessment practices… ..more

Tailoring Teacher Support: A Strategic Approach to Coaching

By Danielle van Zijl
26-Feb-25

Shifting from traditional, one-size-fits-all professional development to a more personalized, reflective approach can empower educators... ..more

What If...? From Imagination to Action

By Elke Greite
26-Feb-25

One of the most powerful ways to spark creative thinking is through a simple yet profound question... ..more

Supporting Local Teachers and International Mindedness in China

By David Whitmarsh
29-Jan-25

Locally hired teachers in China's IB schools bridge cultures, model International Mindedness, and deserve equitable pay, growth, and recognition... ..more

The Topic of Power: Why We Must Empower Students To Understand It

By Daniel Whitaker
29-Jan-25

EARJ’s "Power-User's Guide" exhibit sparked critical thinking, empowering students to become active agents of change in a more just world… ..more

Keeping the Real World in Mind to Power Up Learning

By Sarah Ssengendo
29-Jan-25

In our rapidly changing world, how do we keep the curriculum relevant and engaging for our students? Tips to power up learning in any class context... ..more

From Debate to Democracy

By Megan Vosk
15-Jan-25

Model UN inspires civic engagement and helps students to develop critical thinking, empathy, and leadership skills… ..more

A Student-Led Carbon Audit To Quantify Sustainability and Measure Impact

By Scott Jamieson
10-Dec-25

How might we empower students to take the lead on sustainability initiatives within our school community... ..more

Reflections on Teaching Essential Skills for the International School Counselor

By Heidi Mermis-Cava
12-Feb-25

Facilitating an online course for international school counselors allowed for professional growth, collaboration, and adaptive teaching strategies... ..more

Redefining Our Role: Educators as Advocates for Sustainable Development

By Nickie Hansen and Megan Vosk
04-Jun-25

Empower students through solutionary thinking and SDG-focused learning, fostering agency, critical thinking, and sustainable action for global impact... ..more

Using Robotics and Innovation for Social Impact

By Maura Osorio Rojas, Dr. Brian Kelly, and Dr. Kulangara Jacob Johnson
21-May-25

Team DRIFT shows how STEM education can drive real-world impact, using robotics to teach empathy, innovation, and social responsibility... ..more

How Do Advisory and Counseling Support Wellbeing?

By Tara Gabriel
07-May-25

When we proactively teach students how to care for their mental and emotional health, we lay the groundwork for stronger learning, connection, and growth… ..more

Service-Learning in Action: Leading with Compassion and Purpose

By Sandy Sheppard
09-Apr-25

ISY students led a health initiative through service learning, nurturing compassion, and collaboration to improve the lives of local children... ..more

Practical Strategies for Supporting Neurodiverse Learners

By Dr. Bob Cantwell
12-Mar-25

The SISA Learning Support event brought educators together to discuss strategies for creating inclusive learning environments... ..more

Transcripts Inform the Future and the Past: The GCD and Flight Path Project

By Ellen Thorne, Austin Volz, Dr. Julia Higdon, and Paul Magnuson
12-Feb-25

Innovative approaches to reshaping how school achievements are reported, emphasizing holistic student growth and skills over traditional test scores... ..more

A Symbiotic Friendship Between a Registered Blind AuDHD Rhino and a Visibly Disabled Oxpecker

By Nicole Levina Maria Demos
29-Jan-25

Highlights from a keynote presentation at the recent SENIA conference exploring the vital link between advocacy and agency in supporting students... ..more

Standards with Purpose - With Ginny Prairie

By Stacy Stephens
18-Jun-25

Listen to hear how the International School of Kenya is using standards not as a mandate, but as a meaningful framework for growth… ..more

Reflections on SEL From a Decade of Teaching

By Tammy Dang-Le
07-May-25

Not having resilience and emotional regulation will leave our students unprepared for life’s setbacks, no matter how intelligent they may be... ..more

Nurturing Psychological Safety in Classrooms

By Donica Merhazion
26-Feb-25

Psychological safety, co-regulation, and routines create trust, reduce anxiety, and promote learning in supportive classrooms... ..more

Leave The Door Open

By Donica Merhazion
29-Jan-25

Teachers shape spaces based on their view of safety, but learning requires meeting students' needs. How can we ensure students feel safe… ..more

Mission Dukwi: Lessons in Service, Partnership, and Purpose

By Marta Vernet
21-May-25

ASB's mission to Dukwi refugee camp deepened partnerships and built a lasting impact through education, connection, and shared purpose... ..more

Community Partnerships Lead to Equitable Student Learning

By Amber Ham
21-May-25

When funding falls short, creativity must rise. Discover how one school reimagined student-centered support through MTSS, community, and collective action... ..more

Limitless Learning: A Case Study in Inclusive Education

By Donica Merhazion and Sally Ratemo
11-Dec-24

Technology can break down barriers, provide equitable access, and enable all students to engage and excel in inclusive learning environments... ..more

Listen, Understand, Connect!

By Megan Vosk and Shafali
11-Dec-24

Deep listening can be built into the fabric of the school to strengthen the bonds between community members and foster open-mindedness and understanding… ..more

Equity in Gifted Education at International Schools

By Anita Louise Churchville, Selena Gallagher, and Cynthia Hogwood
11-Dec-24

Recent shifts in international education reveal that when it comes to meeting the needs of highly able and advanced learners, the real issue is ensuring equity… ..more

The Democratization of Education

By David Bauzá-Capart
20-Nov-24

The global education crisis calls for a shift toward a more humanistic approach that prioritizes the arts… ..more

Turning Talk into Action with Practical Strategies for Empowering Students

By Nicola Cosgrove
23-Oct-24

Using simple strategies, you can begin to create a student-centered environment and empower your class to take ownership of their learning... ..more

Five Ideas to Enhance Your Global Classroom

By Nancy Craker-Yahman
23-Oct-24

Having spent years teaching in classrooms worldwide, I share my top five tried and true ideas to enhance the respect and understanding of our world... ..more

Teaching Like a CEO: Boosting Classroom Productivity with Business Savvy

By Taj Siddiqi
25-Sep-24

With the right resources and continuous improvement strategies, educators can better manage their time and efforts… ..more

The Dalton Plan and Digital Innovation at Luxembourg's EIMLB

By Ingrid Delange
11-Sep-24

Focus on contextual learning, motivational analysis, and metacognitive growth to shift from traditional teaching to a student-centered, modular approach… ..more

Building Teacher Growth Plans That Impact Student Success

By Steve Barkley
11-Sep-24

In this episode, Tammy Joochinke shares a process for teachers to design professional growth plans based on a hypothesis from asking a question… ..more

Wonder as a Device for Inspiring Change

By John Bray
14-Aug-24

Awe and wonder are powerful reflective devices. They encourage us to reconnect and recalibrate with the world around us, using it as a lens to see ourselves… ..more

A Tree for All: Conversation With a UDL Expert

By Lori Boll
17-Jul-24

In this episode, Dr. Loui Lord Nelson explores the core principals of Universal Design for Learning and offers advice for schools beginning their UDL journey… ..more

Backward Design

By Edlynne Venkataya
19-Jun-24

It is critical to know where you, as teachers, are headed to ensure that an effective plan is in place to guide your students to the destination… ..more

Join the Conversation

By Shwetangna Chakrabarty
27-Mar-24

International schools are now recognizing the need to pivot from a one size fits all model to creating programs that serve a variety of learners and interests... ..more

Stepping From a Classroom Teacher to a School Teacher

By Gavin Kinch
05-Jun-24

Wherever you are in your career, take time to reflect and consider whether this is a season to consolidate your current position or to take the next step… ..more

Additional Tools for Integrating Technology in Instruction, Preparation, and Evaluation

By Amanda Bird and Samuel Landete
05-Jun-24

Exploring strategies that can help educators and students effectively implement technology aligned with learning objectives… ..more

Co-Constructing a Personalized Class Through Student Agency

By Jerome Lingo
05-Jun-24

Having student voices heavily involved in the curriculum planning have changed not only the landscape of education but, more importantly, their motivation… ..more

Teaching is a Cultural Activity: Reflections on Pedagogy in International Schools

By Simon Probert
22-May-24

Culture and academic research overlap in developing pedagogy in international schools… ..more

Educators’ Beliefs Drive Educators’ Behaviors

By Steve Barkley
22-May-24

In this episode, Kyle Coppes, an international school secondary Principal, shares the thinking behind his article, Student Laziness Is a Myth. Here’s Why… ..more

Make Every Day Earth Day: Leveraging Curriculum for a Sustainable Future

By Megan Vosk
08-May-24

Embedding climate change awareness into the day-to-day classroom curriculum will help to foster climate literacy in our schools… ..more

Integrating Technology in Instruction, Preparation, and Evaluation

By Amanda Bird and Samuel Landete
08-May-24

Exploring strategies that can help educators and students effectively implement technology aligned with learning objectives… ..more

Roadmap to Sharing a Vision

By Jaya Ramchandani and Cary Reid
24-Apr-24

This vision for education is both a challenge and a promise... ..more

A University Counselor’s Perspective

By John RC Potter
10-Apr-24

The world of teaching, leading, and counseling has become more complex and more challenging… ..more

Exploring Executive Function Skills Through a Professional Reading Circle

By Esther Yamada
27-Mar-24

A reflection on the trial application of classroom observations focused on executive function skills explored during a professional learning circle… ..more

International Athletic Coach “State of the Industry” Survey 2023

By Nick DeForest
13-Mar-24

Survey results are analyzed to understand the job of an international school coach and create discussion to help improve athletic programs… ..more

Navigating the Linguistic Labyrinth: From Elevated Cognition to Lofty Language

By Saqib Rasib
28-Feb-24

Bilingual language support can enhance academic success and contribute to the cultivation of essential leadership traits… ..more

Content and Language Integrated Learning: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The Best

By Scott Eder
31-Jan-24

Exploring the key advantages, potential drawbacks, and striking a balance to maximize the effectiveness of Content and Language Integrated Learning… ..more

Roadmap To Moving From Reality to a Desired Future

By Jaya Ramchandani and Cary Reid
28-Feb-24

A practical tool that can bridge the gap between our dreams and the realities of educational reform… ..more

Super Skilled EAL Teachers

By Susi Pucci
31-Jan-24

A peek into the deep skillset of the English as an Additional Language Specialist… ..more

Do You Favor Retesting?

By Jaya Ramchandani
17-Jan-24

At its heart, retesting is not about making things easier for students; it’s about making education more meaningful… ..more

Failing To See Physical Education for What It Is

By Neil Griffiths
17-Jan-24

When schools purportedly embrace physical literacy and then confuse it with misguided interpretations of assessment, we are doing our students a disservice… ..more

The Interplay Between Three Positive Discipline Approaches

By Alistair Goold
17-Jan-24

Exploring the synergy between Restorative Practices, Responsive Classroom, and Restitution in international school classrooms… ..more

Teaching Tolerance in an Era of Power Politics

By Mary Opalenik
13-Mar-24

A reflection on two decades of international teaching experience and the importance of considering how to approach the issue of human rights and social justice… ..more

Good Intentions

By Loretta Smith
17-Jan-24

Nurturing global citizens takes more than festivals and celebrations. Perhaps it takes even more than diverse resources, an inclusive curriculum, and a mission… ..more

Teaching and Learning

By Chanel Worsteling
17-Jan-24

In this episode, Chanel Worsteling interviews Mary Powell, a contributing author to AISA’s DEIJ Guide, Pathways to Transformation… ..more

AI Integration and the Alternative Diploma Dilemma

By Jérémie Rostan
08-May-24

Schools developing innovative alternative diplomas face a challenge aligning them with college applications. AI integration offers promising solutions… ..more

Inquiring and Reflecting: Artificial Intelligence and the Power of Human Intent

By Aberra B. Belayneh
14-Feb-24

Future discussions and decision-making around AI and education must include the fate of the unconnected/less connected… ..more

All Aboard! Designing an Integrated Studies Journey

By Don Johnson
20-Nov-24

A year 4 class designed a Chiang Mai rail system, integrating science, math, art, and English, fostering real-world critical thinking and creativity skills... ..more

Shifting From Access to Belonging in an Online Hybrid Program

By Damian Rentoule
20-Nov-24

Exploring the need to foster a sense of belonging for online students in a hybrid learning environment rather than just access... ..more

The Power of Why

By Shannon Wislang
06-Nov-24

By providing context and meaning, we engage and inspire our students, helping them internalize values and develop essential life skills… ..more

How To Develop Student Councils to Foster Global Citizenship

By Isabelle Wolfe
23-Oct-24

Student councils serve as an introduction to democracy and give students a voice in the decision-making process… ..more

The Role of Professional Standards in Elevating Teaching Practices for Gen Z Learners

By Lianne Dominguez
25-Sep-24

By embracing professional standards, we don’t just teach—we inspire, empower, and shape the future for every student we serve… ..more

Getting in the Zone for Effective Professional Development

By Dr. Christine Orkisz Lang
25-Sep-24

Leveraging the ZPD can elevate professional development, fostering a balance of challenge and support that leads to meaningful and sustainable growth… ..more

Empowering Students in the Age of AI

By Rachael Thrash
25-Sep-24

We can turn AI from a potential barrier into a powerful tool for authentic learning. A case for student agency in assessment… ..more

Back to School Once More...With Feeling!

By Kailyn Fullerton
11-Sep-24

Embracing emotions in the classroom is important for students and educators… ..more

Seeds of Change: Pursuing a Meaningful, Authentic Learning Experience

By Paul Browne, Nickie Hansen, John Milton, and Megan Vosk
14-Aug-24

A case study exploring the experiences of co-planning and co-teaching, and highlighting how IDUs can enhance the relevance and authenticity of student learning... ..more

Empowering Students Through Social-Emotional Learning

By Chloe, Grade 11 student, Luca, Grade 8 student, and Rachel George
11-Dec-24

SEL is integral to a holistic educational approach, fostering personal growth and active student participation... ..more

Building a Data Culture

By Suzie Boss
17-Jul-24

Analytical reasoning and emotional intelligence have helped Oberoi International School create an environment where teachers and students can thrive and grow… ..more

Middle Schoolers Explore Science Through Hands-On, Personalized Learning

By Karina, Grade 7 student, Sam, Grade 8 student, Kamil Rudolf, and Greg Brown
06-Nov-24

Students and teachers share the exploratory and personalized approach to science learning at Western Academy of Beijing… ..more

Embracing Multilingualism in the Classroom

By Miyori Takano
19-Jun-24

A personal reflection on the impact of hegemonic language ideologies in international schools and the benefits of translanguaging… ..more

Cultivating Collective Efficacy Through Inclusive Education

By Claire Farabee
19-Jun-24

We created a catalyst for collaboration, equipping teachers with the skills and insights to drive meaningful change while fostering a shared sense of purpose… ..more

Nurturing Social-Emotional Wellbeing Through Visual Literacy

By Robert D. Cantwell
22-May-24

An in-depth exploration of the transformative potential inherent in drawing within educational contexts… ..more

Integrating Design Thinking Into Service Learning for Sustainable Impact

By Maciej Sudra
08-May-24

The International School of Kenya shared how they integrated design thinking into service learning for sustainable impact… ..more

The Importance of Building Your Story in Secondary School

By Joachim (Kim) Ekstrom
24-Apr-24

Your story is more than just a list of achievements. It encompasses the experiences, challenges, insights, and personal growth that accompany each activity... ..more

Enhancing Teacher Agency in Professional Development

By Tina Fossgreen
14-Feb-24

This approach benefits teachers but also positively impacts students, underscoring the importance of teacher agency in shaping the future of education… ..more

Are Our Students Ready To Receive Teacher Feedback?

By Anna Hasic-Wallis
31-Jan-24

We assume that students are as engaged with their learning as we are, that they understand feedback is integral for improvement and growth… ..more

What Do International School Teachers Believe About Multilingualism?

By Dr. Samantha Olson-Wyman and Dr. Esther Bettney Heidt
17-Jan-24

Exploring language ideologies, how they might impact multilingual school communities, and how to shift toward more inclusive beliefs about language… ..more

Transcripts: Melbourne Metrics and Ecolint Learner Passport

By Ellen Heyting, Irina Lupu, and Paul Magnuson
20-Nov-24

If our goal is reshaping secondary education, the end is graduation and, often, admittance to a university or additional program... ..more

Story Circles for Impactful Community Engagement

By LeeAnne Lavender
20-Nov-24

The International Community School of Addis Ababa explored story circles with their Grade 9 Language and Literature students as well as community partners… ..more

Give Your Students Space to be Young and Stupid

By Chris Holmquist
22-May-24

In this Pearl, Chris shares that through adventures and failure, we can learn from our mistakes. Let students fall and then help them get back up… ..more

Connecting Businesses With Education for Real World Impact

By Shen Megalaa
17-Jul-24

Misk Schools recognize the importance of a strong internship program as part of a modern education for next generation leaders… ..more

Special Bonus Episode: Try Out Our Free Power of Play Planner!

By Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman
19-Jun-24

This episode discusses the upcoming “Power of Play” summer podcast series, the importance of play, and introduces and shares a free resource… ..more

Looking Back To Move Forward Into Our New School Year

As we embark on another school year, it's beneficial to reflect on strategies that enhance our school culture and support our staff... ..more

Looking Back To Move Forward Into Our New School Year

A look back on some articles that share ideas, discussions, and resources to support creating an enriching and nurturing environment for all our students… ..more

Designing an Innovative High School Diploma Together

By Corey Topf
13-Mar-24

Instead of individually shouldering the burdens of designing student-centered learning experiences, we want to design a collaborative, innovative diploma… ..more

Value of Positive Narratives of Students

By Richelle Pearce
14-Feb-24

The power of the narrative not only drives vision and curriculum implementation but has the power to inspire, enthuse, and move people to action… ..more

Nurturing Minds, Bodies, and the Planet

By Sarah Reich and Dr. Alan Knobloch
14-Feb-24

How the International School of Hamburg adopted a holistic approach to sustainable nutrition in school… ..more

Fashioning Identities: How Fashion Shows Can Stimulate Learning in Your Classroom

By Timothy Fuller Bazin, Jungmeen Lee, Calvin Kamphuis, Kasia Martin, and Vasile Lozneanu
31-Jan-24

Seoul Foreign School shares the student learning as well as practices that made it possible to create a project-based learning fashion show… ..more

Facilitating Social and Emotional Learning in Early Years Education

By Laura James
23-Oct-24

It has never been more important to facilitate social and emotional learning in early years education to nurture independent and confident young individuals… ..more

Metacognitive Strategies for Supporting SEN Students

By Dr. Niki Melanidou
17-Jan-24

Metacognition empowers these students to better understand their own learning processes, strengths, and areas where they might need additional support… ..more

Roadmap to Action

By Jaya Ramchandani and Cary Reid
27-Sep-23

Steps to inform and inspire the next phase of educational transformation, fueling collective action that spurs more reform. ..more

Enhancing Co-teaching for Student Success

By Erica Herro
06-Dec-23

In a co-teaching environment, taking observational notes during independent work facilitates effective differentiation and higher student outcomes... ..more

Roadmap To Creating Future Scenarios

By Jaya Ramchandani and Cary Reid
22-Nov-23

Exploring activities designed to inform and inspire the next phase of educational transformation, fueling collective action that spurs more reform… ..more

On Learning, Leading, and Loving in Complex Times

By Tim Logan
22-Nov-23

A conversation with Brad Kershner, Head of School at Kimberton Waldorf School… ..more

Chicken, Airplane, Soldier

By Jane Park, Grade 12, and Jim Gerhard
08-Nov-23

A salute to the host country teachers who make our schools thrive and survive… ..more

Expanding Our Options

By Adam J. Smee
25-Oct-23

We need to create interesting alternatives to more rigid academic programs like the IBDP in order to accommodate the ever-changing nature of education… ..more

The Benefits of Blind Marking

By Tristan Reynolds
11-Oct-23

Adopting double blind marking into your school’s practice can improve the learning environment for students, teachers, parents, and school leaders… ..more

About Boys in School

By Bruce Gilbert
11-Oct-23

Emotion and self-regulation skill deficits lead to ineffective punitive reactions from educators and can have disastrous consequences for students… ..more

Meet LUDIA, Your AI-Powered UDL Partner

By Jérémie Rostan and Beth Stark
27-Sep-23

AI integration will not be truly effective and impactful in education unless it helps us to augment and amplify excellent pedagogical practice... ..more

A Journey, Not a Sprint: Embracing the “Slow” Movement in School Assessment Calendars

By Anthony Gonsalves
27-Sep-23

In the end, it's not just about meeting deadlines; it's about empowering students to become lifelong learners... ..more

ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence: Creating Policies for a Rapidly Changing World

By Dan Worth
27-Sep-23

In this episode, Daniel Jones discusses how Globeducate is managing the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence… ..more

Is Today Saturday?

By Mark McGowan
27-Sep-23

Ideas on how to use summer bliss for a good start to the school year… ..more

Equip Each Child To Own Their Learning

By Leo Thompson
13-Sep-23

Give students control of their learning, growth, and development through an integrated learning system that is not solely based on relentless pressure… ..more

Six Suggestions to Spark a Spectacular School Year

By Scott B. Freiberger
13-Sep-23

Inspire scholars to take action, lead with love, and kindle compassion... ..more

Digital Organization Strategies for Educators

By Matthew Kloosterman
16-Aug-23

Digital organization reduces cerebral demands and minimizes the amount of thinking used to find files and documents, protecting finite mental resources… ..more

Critical Relationality

By John L. Lyons
16-Aug-23

Critical-relational learning is about forging quality intersubjective connections… ..more

A Human Learning Ecosystem for Our Times

By Kevin Bartlett
19-Jul-23

We set out to close gaps and build connections, to reinvent “school” as one coherent learning ecosystem, a culture in which all learning stakeholders thrive… ..more

Leaving Our Homes With Grace: Lessons From Transitions

By Matt Hajdun
07-Jun-23

In the end, we have to remind ourselves that it is not about us but about our communities and how we can lift them up and depart with dignity... ..more

A Case for Multilingualism in International Schools

By Christian Polizzi
24-May-23

Reflecting on the research, benefits, and desired outcomes, the advantages of the program are tangible and warrant the challenges faced… ..more

The Role Of Memory In Identity and Education

By Elke Greite
24-Oct-23

Memory shapes personal and cultural identity, influences education, and can drive paradigm shifts if we critically question our stories... ..more

Fostering Belonging in Our Learning Spaces

By Megan Vosk and Shafali
06-Dec-23

Drawing on survey data collected from students, explore the concepts of belonging and examine ways to foster it… ..more

A Commitment to Inclusivity and Linguistic Diversity

By Tiffany Crook
25-Oct-23

Alegria, the English language acquisition program, symbolizes a new beginning, reflecting the dawn of new opportunities, growth, and journeys… ..more

Advocacy in Action: From “Sit and Get” to “Get Up and Speak”

By Kim LaBaw
24-May-23

Utilizing the 15-Minute Rule creates an opportunity for multilingual learners to engage in writing, speaking, and listening… ..more

Generative AI: What Goes on the Upper Shelves Now?

By Dr. Richard Granger
08-Nov-23

The arrival of Generative AI and its impact on the study of writing compares to the arrival of the calculator and its impact on the study of mathematics… ..more

Resources for Educational AI Cohabitation: An Introduction

By John Mikton
10-May-23

As AI becomes an integral part of our daily lives and its impact on education becomes more significant, we must stay up to date with resources and support... ..more

Artificial Intelligence Policy Creation Guidelines for International Schools

By Adam Duckworth and Dr. Yujiro Fujiwara
25-Oct-23

It is vital that we examine the use of AI, reflect on its implications on educational practices, and provide guidelines for creating policies in schools… ..more

How Did We Get Here? The Dangers of Watering Down Curriculum for Multilingual Students

By Sarah Y. Ko
10-May-23

We have the privilege and power to teach and advocate in a way that undoes some of the wrong in our world: reflect on biases, determine gaps, and collaboratively plan… ..more

Play-Based Early Childhood Music Pedagogy in Your Context With Tina Arenas

By Chris Koelma
10-May-23

A music teacher shares her experiences engaging students in exciting music-making activities and encouraging a playful spirit in all people… ..more

Moving from Deficit Thinking to Asset-Based Thinking in Teaching Multilingual Learners

By Noria (ia) Adam-Lim
26-Apr-23

Our mindsets must shift from disadvantage to advantage, intervention to inclusion, monolingual to multilingual, equality to equity… ..more

Supporting High-Performing and Gifted Learners in Our International Schools

By Jody Ubert
26-Apr-23

Individuals who display exceptional abilities in one or more areas need additional attention and support in order to thrive in their learning… ..more

Tweet Your Way to Fluency: Authentic Language Acquisition

By Raquel Parra and Dr. Yujiro Fujiwara
12-Apr-23

Incorporating social media into language instruction has been found to have several benefits for language learners… ..more

The Pen and the Sword

By Bradford Philen
12-Apr-23

The process of creative writing is as interesting as the product… ..more

Why Growth Mindset Is Crucial for All Educators

By Michael Griffin
29-Mar-23

A teacher’s approach to cultivating a healthy student mindset regarding the quality and quantity of effort for learning is crucial… ..more

What Is Edible Education at ASD?

By ASD Communications
29-Mar-23

Food is one of the most important sustainability issues of our time. Watch and learn about an educational program focused on global food issues… ..more

Express, Heal, Advocate, and Overcome Through Digital Storytelling

By Megan Vosk and Shafali
15-Mar-23

Digital storytelling is a powerful way to foster project-based, deep-inquiry learning in the classroom and give students voice and choice, valuing their ideas… ..more

College Counseling Countdown: Part Four

By Shwetangna Chakrabarty
15-Mar-23

Data management and a whole school college counseling program are two key components to being an effective college counselor… ..more

Problematizing Your Definition For Collaboration

By Tricia Friedman and Kathleen Naglee
01-Mar-23

Explore the “Unhinged Quarterly Review” resource, developed for teams to use in order to feed their curiosity about what collaboration is…. ..more

The Mastery Transcript

By Ross Parker
15-Feb-23

An innovative qualification which allows schools to balance the needs of higher education admission with the desire to promote a wider view of learning… ..more

Leading Not Lecturing

By Doline Ndorimana
15-Feb-23

What are the approaches that we can take to train students who can think critically, construct meaning, take risks, and make sense of the world around… ..more

The Impact of the MARIO Approach

By Lori Boll
15-Feb-23

This uniquely structured approach to one-to-one learning conversations is in the top five percent of educational interventions… ..more

The Importance of Social-Emotional Learning

By Paula Brunning
01-Feb-23

Integrating social-emotional learning through the curriculum supports each child’s developmental needs and ensures students feel connected and cared for… ..more

Purposeful Grade Reporting in the Student-Centered Classroom

By Dr. Yujiro Fujiwara
01-Feb-23

A framework that describes a purposeful instruction/learning/assessment cycle… ..more

Educational Athletics: A Teacher’s Playbook for Success

By Nick DeForest
01-Feb-23

Outreach and understanding of athletic programs will improve and “raise the game” of entire school communities… ..more

Out With the Old Medical Models, In With a New Ecological Response

By Dr. Virginia Rojas
18-Jan-23

A call to replace historically-steeped “fix the English learner” medical models with linguistically-just ecosystems for multilingual learners… ..more

Amala Education: Bridging the Education Gap

By James Mattiace
22-Nov-23

The hope is to bridge the gap in quality education provision for displaced youth… ..more

Embracing Hope and Preparing Learners for the Future

By Jessica Schultz
27-Sep-23

By embracing AI with confidence, we can inspire hope and guide student towards a future with endless possibilities and a zest for lifelong learning… ..more

Reflecting on Assessment, and Leading Learning

By John Bray
27-Sep-23

Change in how we assess is happening but slowly. There are ways schools can adapt, even within structures with culminating examinations... ..more

A to Z Teaching Tips for Teachers Everywhere

By Nancy Craker-Yahman
13-Sep-23

Classroom reminders for the start of the new school year… ..more

ChatGPT: Exposing the Need To Re-Evaluate Our Assessment Strategies

By Nickolas Hironao Harris
16-Aug-23

We must take into consideration the various advantages and disadvantages of technology’s educational transformation… ..more

The Relationship Between Restorative Practices and Consequences

By Alistair Goold
19-Jul-23

Restorative practices and consequences are not opposing forces. They should complement one another in fostering a relational and healthy learning environment… ..more

Changemakers and Problem-Solvers

By Aisha Kristiansen
19-Jul-23

Using design thinking and real-world problem-solving assists with developing future-ready skills in our learners… ..more

An Elementary School’s Journey Fostering an Inclusive and Safe Space

By Michael Neumann and Tyler Shepard
21-Jun-23

Through our school-wide celebration of Pride, we aim to cultivate an atmosphere of inclusivity where every member of our community feels valued… ..more

Using Food as a Conduit to the Curriculum

By Sandra Carden
07-Jun-23

We have the ability to empower all community members to be changemakers, starting with the food they choose to put in their bodies… ..more

The Catalyst for Change: Why We Chose to Implement International School Standards

By Lianne Dominguez
25-Oct-23

Adopting the international school standards of practice is our collective testament to prioritizing holistic growth… ..more

Education for Impact

By Daniel Cruz, Alannah William, Grade 10, Safia Ben Halim, Grade 11, and Mayz El Abiedi, Grade 11
25-Oct-23

Students need hands-on learning with real-world projects that not only highlight global issues but also drive them to find solutions for change… ..more

Elevating Student Learning: The Impact of Standards-Based Growth and Appraisal Systems in International Schools

By Sue Easton
11-Oct-23

In the ever-evolving landscape of international education, the pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning is a fundamental goal... ..more

To Be or Not To Be? Encouraging Risk-Taking

By Megan Vosk and Shafali
24-May-23

Risk-taking is a way to be better prepared for the future and is key to making the most of what we have in the present… ..more

Five Reasons Coaches are Essential in Schools

By Kim Cofino
27-Sep-23

When coaching is done right, coaches can do so much more than “just” improve student learning… ..more

Putting Learning Into the Hands of Students Through Self Directed Projects

By Laurence Myers
10-May-23

True learning is a shared conversation with a common goal, growing from doing and reflecting… ..more

Augmenting Entrepreneurial Mindset via Technology

By Uma Shankar Singh
16-Aug-23

Resources and ideas for teaching product design and entrepreneurship courses… ..more

Integrating Social-Emotional Learning

By Rae Merrigan
22-Nov-23

A seventh-grade science project in the Peruvian Amazon allowed for the development of important social-emotional skills… ..more

FutureTech

By Yosef Karasik
16-Aug-23

FutureTech is a new course designed to meet the needs of our rapidly evolving, technology-driven world… ..more

Climate Action Begins With Getting Outside To Play

By Ian Paynton
19-Jul-23

In this episode, Kenny Peavy discusses his mission to help young people and educators discover a love for the beauty and mystery of the natural world… ..more

Interdisciplinary Learning Through School History

By Samuel J. Richards
21-Jun-23

One-hundred-and-ten-year school history was used to cultivate design thinking and interdisciplinary project-based learning… ..more

Within and Without: Facilitating Students’ Authentic Exploration

By Shannon Kerry
10-May-23

Course content can act as a bridge between a student’s inner emotional world and their developing conceptual understanding of the real world… ..more

Environment and Identity: A Fragile Balance

By Rachida Dahman
16-Aug-23

Schools have a responsibility to create environments that are conducive to open discussions, free from aggression, and safe for authentic conversations… ..more

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence

By Margareta (Margo) Tripsa
12-Apr-23

Practical ideas to leverage the potential of artificial intelligence… ..more

Getting Back to the Why: Why is History Such a Key Subject?

By Jeremy Hoover
15-Mar-23

The shift from the role of a historian being a “fount of knowledge” to a “teacher of historical skills” demands a re-evaluation of the why of history… ..more

Collaboration is a Mindset, Heartset, and Skillset

By Megan Vosk and Shafali
01-Feb-23

Real collaboration is rooted in vulnerability, trust, and a shared mission. It’s purposeful and meaningful… ..more

Artificial Intelligence and the Automaticity of Skill Development

By Conrad Hughes
26-Apr-23

Victorian-styled tasks built on regurgitating memory should be replaced by those requiring more distinctly human traits of intelligence... ..more

Dr. Jane Goodall Shares Wisdom and Hope With International School Students

By Alona Vendel
26-Apr-23

The world-renowned primatologist and conservationist reminds students that hope is about action… ..more

From “English-Only” to Dual Language

By Stephanie Drynan, Dr. Esther Bettney Heidt, and Jon Nordmeyer
26-Apr-23

A reflection on developing a dual language program with hopes of informing how to move toward more inclusive approaches to language education… ..more

Transforming Education through Multilingual Education: Going Beyond Celebration for International Mother Language Day 2023

By Jacob Huckle
15-Feb-23

Activities focused on celebration and raising awareness are important, but are they enough… ..more

Below the Tip of the Iceberg: Rethinking Social-Emotional Learning in International Schools

By Rose Marie Dzugan and Christopher Corby
15-Mar-23

Now more than ever, our children need help processing emotions, building relationships, and connecting with others in meaningful exchanges... ..more

Language Policies Should Be a Part of Our DEIJ Conversations

By Alysa Perreras and Matt Hajdun
01-Feb-23

Guiding questions to invite schools to analyze their current language policies with a DEIJ lens… ..more

Instant Orchestra

By William Norris
01-Mar-23

A sustainable and innovative model for music-making within a general music curriculum… ..more

ChatGPT: A Partner in the Future of Learning in Schools

By Dr. Megel R. Barker
18-Jan-23

School leaders are compelled to reflect on future-facing strategies to embrace AI in their schools and provide a sustainable platform to reap the benefits… ..more

A Conversation With Doline Ndorimana

By John Mikton and Dan Taylor
18-Jan-23

In this episode, explore Doline’s facilitation of DEIJ awareness, and the different strategies schools and school leaders can engage with… ..more

Promoting Teacher’s Growth With Instructional Rounds

By Monica Bennett
18-Jan-23

Teachers can learn a lot by watching other great teachers in the building, observing strengths and embracing new ideas and opportunities for growth… ..more

To Be Noticed Is To Be Loved

By Damian Bacchoo
01-Feb-23

Noticing is the root of belonging. And belonging is, I think, the root of happy and healthy children... ..more

Sample Lessons for Centering Social Media in Our SEL Conversations

By Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman
09-Nov-22

If our SEL lessons do not include conversations about the effects of social media… ..more

Radical Simplicity

By Kevin Bartlett
07-Dec-22

Our only goal is to improve student learning by informing teacher practice. If we want to get better at something we have to learn to get better at it... ..more

Engaging Boys in Early Childhood Learning

By Sarah Metzger
07-Dec-22

Teachers must be open to change or provide new opportunities… ..more

Challenging Curriculum

By Stephen Dexter Jr.
07-Dec-22

For reasons that are complicated, we are uncomfortable with leveraging the opportunity that a once in a generation global catastrophe has gifted us... ..more

The Future of Reading in the Digital Age: The Shift to “Bi-Literate” Brain

By Aberra B. Belayneh
23-Nov-22

For young readers, the future is to cultivate a new kind of brain that is able to both “deep” and “shallow” read… ..more

Allow Them To Try, Fail, and Bounce Back Using Regular Formative Assessments

By Ingrid Delange
23-Nov-22

Schools must create a safe environment where teachers’ evaluations are individualized, differentiated, and human... ..more

Educational Athletics: A Playbook for Success

By Nick DeForest
23-Nov-22

At its core, education should be dynamic, progressive, and at the forefront of today’s changing landscape. School athletic programs should be no exception… ..more

In Response to English-Only: A Translanguaging Call to Action

By Dr. Virginia Rojas
09-Nov-22

A call for us to rethink the oppositional intentions of English only vs. translanguaging in school policies and classroom practices… ..more

Puppets on a String

By John Mikton
26-Oct-22

Resources and lessons to support leveraging digital fluency into the curriculum… ..more

Challenging Ourselves

By Stephen Dexter Jr.
12-Oct-22

The greatest existential threat to our product is the teaching of traditional, discrete subjects… ..more

The Perils of Praising and the Benefits of Alternative Encouragements

By Fanny Passeport
26-Oct-22

Explore the collateral damages of praising and the opportunities that encouragements offer… ..more

From Deficit Thinking to an Asset-Based Paradigm

Dr. Virginia Rojas
12-Oct-22

Explore a paradigm shift calling for us to reframe our perceptions to improve multilingual learners’ learning experiences and identities… ..more

Educational Athletics: A Playbook for Success

By Nick DeForest
12-Oct-22

When schools focus on educational athletic programs, they will see their school culture improve and their entire school community will be a better place… ..more

The Importance of Play

By Dr. Ben Fishman
23-Nov-22

Play and unscheduled time that allows for peer interactions are important components of social-emotional learning… ..more

Day 9: Making Time for Student-Driven Learning

By Chris Clark
23-Nov-22

Two students and their vice principal discuss how Day 9 has led to impactful and innovative projects, leadership opportunities, and deep learning… ..more

Leading With the Whole System: School-Based Social and Emotional Learning

By Kelli Holm
26-Oct-22

What is social and emotional learning (SEL) and how can you implement it systemically? SEL leaders at CASEL offer information and resources… ..more

Sage Advice to Jump Start a Teaching Career

By Geoff Smith
28-Sep-22

A variety of experienced educators provide a collection of thoughtful insights for first year teachers and veteran educators alike… ..more

Obstacles in Technology Integration and Implementation

By Roselyn Pastorfide Baronia
28-Sep-22

The successful implementation of technology in schools is faced with many obstacles... ..more

Pivoting in Times of Change

By Benny Kharismana
28-Sep-22

Adapting digital and analog art projects while pivoting between in-person and online classes produced inevitable challenges and creative solutions… ..more

Ten SEL Strategies for Secondary Teachers

By Ruth Poulsen
14-Sep-22

Between the crush of curriculum expectations and disengaged teens, secondary teachers sometimes struggle with how to incorporate SEL lessons… ..more

Computer Graphics for STEAM Education

By Nate Madrid
14-Sep-22

The potential for computer graphics software to help perpetuate students’ love of STEAM subjects… ..more

Looking Beyond Grades That Speaking Loudly, Say Little, and Undermine Real Learning: A Five Point Transition Plan

By Carl Hooker and Fanny Passeport
14-Sep-22

The need to change how we do grading… ..more

Elevating Instruction With Essential Questions

By Dr. Rachel Ball
17-Aug-22

Modifying student questions while planning for instruction enables teachers to see an immediate impact on student engagement and understanding… ..more

There Is a Downside to “Hearing All Voices”

By Emily Meadows
17-Aug-22

To achieve safety, equity, and belonging at your school, take a firm position that does not endorse identity-based marginalization... ..more

From Monolingual Mindsets to The Multilingual Turn

By Dr. Virginia Rojas
17-Aug-22

A look at the policies and practices of multilingualism misaligned with current research… ..more

College Counseling Countdown

By Shwetangna Chakrabarty
17-Aug-22

A month-by-month countdown of university counseling… ..more

Co-Teaching for Inclusion

By Karen Taylor
13-Jul-22

Co-teaching may offer an enhanced learning experience for our students and less stress for teachers, which creates a more inclusive classroom for all... ..more

Check Our Assumptions

By Natasha Winnard
28-Sep-22

Not all children attending international schools come from wealthy backgrounds… ..more

Taking Responsibility for Your Communications

By Jennifer Abrams
13-Jul-22

Taking responsibility for our communications is an inside job related to reliability and a strong awareness around contributing positively to your team… ..more

What Should a School Holiday Look Like for Our Older Teens?

By Natasha Winnard
13-Jul-22

The key to a successful start of school often begins with how well teens have spent their holiday time. But what does that mean in practical terms... ..more

How to Learn a New Language in 90 Days

By John Ross
13-Jul-22

An easy-to-follow roadmap to learning a new language in just 90 days… ..more

Transforming “I Don’t Know!”

By Michael Griffin
22-Jun-22

Transforming “I don’t know” into a learning experience enables and scaffolds better quality thinking, problem-solving, and hence, learning… ..more

Are We Preparing Our Students for the 4th Industrial Revolution?

By Josh Bishop
08-Jun-22

As we prepare to enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, how has our education changed to meet this challenge? I suspect, a significant shift is necessary... ..more

Conceptually Speaking

By Julie Stern and Mihai Catrinar
08-Jun-22

In this episode, Cheryl-Ann Weekes talks mental health, resilience, and self-compassion... ..more

Is School Inevitable Anymore?

By David Willows
25-May-22

I find myself reflecting on the fact that when something stops, even for a while, it stops being inevitable… So, did the pandemic really break school… ..more

Defining Service Learning: What Are “Authentic Needs?”

By Jérémie Rostan
25-May-22

The “authentic needs” addressed by service learners are second-order deficiency needs. They are issues of capability and sustainability… ..more

Influential People Positively Influence Our Communities

By Freshal Abcede
22-Jun-22

Students learn and understand how influential people make decisions based on their values and beliefs, and how they positively influence the community... ..more

Key Takeaways: ISC Research Edruptors@School Conference

By Nalini Cook
13-Jul-22

At the ISC Research Edruptors@School conference, discussion panels addressed the transformation of today’s international schools through a leadership lens... ..more

Six Tips to Beat Exam Stress

By Bernadette Roberts
25-May-22

After a two-year break from “real” formally assessed exams, the upcoming exam period is sure to be more daunting than ever… ..more

To My Graduating Students

By Rachida Dahman
25-May-22

As graduation approaches, a teacher shares a letter with prayers for her students... ..more

Why Are You (Not) Picking on Me?

By Damian Bacchoo
11-May-22

At school, did you notice that the same kids were always given all the special jobs, the opportunities to show guests around, to speak at assemblies… ..more

The “Latent” Crisis of Sexual Harassment in International Schools

By Bridget McNamer
11-May-22

How can our schools create cultures where sexual harassment has no place to thrive – so females, and indeed all members of our communities, can... ..more

Is Your School’s Mindfulness Initiative Working?

By Andrew Mitchell and Eleni Vardaki
27-Apr-22

A genuine sense of care for your students’ wellbeing, as an educator, and for the members of your community, as a leader, is needed for mindfulness initiatives in schools to work. ..more

How Much Help is Too Much Help?

By Natasha Winnard
27-Apr-22

Just as you have only so many hours in the day, your students too can only take on so much before all that help becomes the problem, not the solution. ..more

Staying in Wonderland: The possible futures of education

By Colleen Broderick
16-Mar-22

This provocation to expand what is possible for the future of school is a curated collection of resources organized to provide fodder for a very different conversation about change. ..more

What Happens to the Experience of School When the Masks Come Off?

By David Willows
27-Apr-22

What was the experience of school now that faces were back on show? And what were some of the most important lessons that our students had learned throughout the pandemic? ..more

Internet Courage: Is This the Biggest Challenge Facing School Leaders?

By Megel Barker
27-Apr-22

The issue is the level of preparedness that teachers have in a fast-changing technology space to handle matters of digital citizenry. ..more

Teaching in the New Normal: How the Pandemic has Changed Learning

By Malcolm Nicolson
13-Apr-22

Students at the Sreenidhi International School in India respond to questions about their experiences and the future potential of online learning. ..more

Collaboration and Action: Tactics for Tackling the Climate Crisis

By Tom Wallbridge
30-Mar-22

Students for the Environment (SFE) gained board approval to make the International School of Kenya (ISK) carbon neutral by 2030. Students helped rewrite and strengthen the school environmental policy. ..more

Does it Really Take a Village?

By Natasha Winnard
22-Mar-22

Why is it that parents look outside the school’s services for additional help? They say that it takes a village to raise a child. These days that “village” often seems to include a range of specialists. ..more

Data Visualizations for Schools

By Piotr Olczak
30-Mar-22

For data to be useful they should be collected and collated systematically and for a clearly identified purpose. The right data collection method can mean the difference between useful insights and time-wasting misdirection. ..more

How to Educate in a Time of Conflict

By Conrad Hughes
16-Mar-22

One of the most challenging problems of practice that teachers and heads face in schools is how to discuss burning political events, in particular, war. ..more

A School Staff Guide for Supporting Students Impacted by the Crisis in Ukraine

By Ellen Mahoney
16-Mar-22

The following is a guide for International School educators working in schools in Ukraine, Russia, and other impacted communities. It is designed to help educators navigate through the coming weeks and beyond. ..more

Guidelines to Consider when Explaining the Russia-Ukraine War to Elementary Students

By Ben Fishman
16-Mar-22

Keep your conversations simple and easy to understand. Conversations should be developmentally appropriate. The age of your students will dictate how much information is shared. ..more

How to Talk about Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Using Model UN

By Kyle Wagner
16-Mar-22

I truly believe as cultivators of our world’s future decision and policy makers, that the best starting point is to talk about what is happening, and help students understand what is at stake. ..more

Leading Learner Centered Team Meetings

By Kristen MacConnell
02-Mar-22

Leading a high functioning team that transforms learning is easier said than done. Learn about several improvement tools to ensure the team you lead is keeping learning at the center. ..more

Art and Social Awareness

By Jessie G. Saclo III
02-Mar-22

Exposing students to the realities of art activism unlatched a fresh perspective in learning about the function of art in society. ..more

We DON'T Need to Educate Our Parents

By Kevin Bartlett
02-Mar-22

As a school leader, that phrase, “We need to educate our parents” always jarred with me. So, when it comes to parents, and learning, some new perspectives... ..more

The Evolution of School to Places of Transformation

By David Willows
16-Feb-22

If we moved beyond the idea of school as simply about a set of products and services, what kinds of experiences would we create? How might it impact the way in which students access curricular content? ..more

Shifting the Culture of Education with Jaime Casap

Interview by Silvia Tolisano, AMISA radio
16-Feb-22

This episode is dedicated to the late Silvia Tolisano. She was an author, an educational consultant, and international educator. This interview explores shifting the culture of education. ..more

Understanding the Role of the Elementary School Counselor

By Ben Fishman
02-Feb-22

Today’s school counselors play an integral role in schools, but sometimes old stereotypes can limit the understanding of how they can help and support students. ..more

What is Beautiful? A Transdisciplinary Journey

By Kevin Bartlett
02-Feb-22

At the heart of our Ecosystem is one simple Impact Goal…We build Expert Learners, with deep conceptual understanding of ideas that matter. ..more

Developing a Programme Development Plan

By Tania Mansfield
02-Feb-22

The new IB process for evaluation is the presentation of a Programme Development Plan (PDP). Schools engage in a continuous cycle of inquiry, action, and reflection that reflects the school’s context and strategic goals. ..more

Does My Student Need a Tutor?

By Natasha Winnard
19-Jan-22

A step by step, collaborative and holistic approach where home and school work side by side to support students who have missed out on some aspects of their learning during the pandemic. ..more

Reaching for the Future

By Melanie Ward
19-Jan-22

The pandemic has reinforced the interconnectedness of countries, whilst sadly highlighting inequalities and global challenges. One international school is aiming to foster global citizenship and prepare its students for the future. ..more

Consent, Assent, or Coercion? International Schools and Student Image Use

By Dallin Bywater
19-Jan-22

In a show of authentic care for child well-being, we must more thoroughly safeguard the digital lives of students through our words, policies, and our actions. ..more

Starting the Year with Sharpened Tools

By Jeff Utecht
19-Jan-22

This week’s podcast episode aspires to set you up to take another step forward on your personal learning journey. ..more

Getting Our Values Right: A Case for Global Citizenship

By Leo Thompson
08-Dec-21

In the wider scheme of things, it may be a child’s ability to lead responsible change with the necessary competencies, understanding, and dispositions that define their future. ..more

Promoting Genuine Engagement in the Classroom

By Travis Hostetter
08-Dec-21

Collaboration can transform classrooms where students are compliant to become learners who have voice, choice, autonomy, and ownership of their own learning. ..more

“Try it!” High School Transformed

By Samuel J. Richards
08-Dec-21

An interdisciplinary, project-based learning institute at the high school level was launched at Shanghai American School, Pudong campus. ..more

From Greenwash to Global Green Intercultural Competency

By Beccy Fox
24-Nov-21

Action is the “so what” of learning ... when [students] can apply what they have learned to real world situations ... where perspective and an empathetic lens move the action from a “Global North greenwash” to collective and sustainable development. ..more

Addressing Learning Gaps: Formative Feedback for the Win!

By Dr. Rachel Ball
24-Nov-21

How do we evaluate and subsequently address the learning gaps that were widened during the pandemic and how do we prioritize instructional strategies that lead to results? ..more

Working Smarter: The Instructional Hierarchy

By Priscilla Bade-White
24-Nov-21

The Instructional Hierarchy is a stage-based conceptual model of learning that provides a framework for assessments, differentiation, and instructional methods. ..more

Want to Foster Global Citizenship? Offer AP Human Geography

By Isaias Salomon Torres
24-Nov-21

Most social studies classes look back on history. AP Human Geography looks at our world and helps to explain it through nearly every other lens besides the historical. ..more

The Need for Standards of Excellence

By Daniel Slevin
24-Nov-21

Standards of excellence for the international educator can create shared understanding between generations and nationalities. ..more

From Measuring Test Results to Personal Growth

By Stephen Chatelier, Elke Van dermijnsbrugge, and Mark Harrison
24-Nov-21

When we start perceiving values, attitudes, and ways of being as measurable units, we are missing something fundamental about what it means to be a human being. ..more

Teaching on Principle: Building Learning Cultures in Every Classroom

By Kevin Bartlett
10-Nov-21

We believe that great learning cultures are framed by a few shared principles ... We define a principle as “a shared truth that brings order and freedom to a system.” ..more

Mathematical Culture Change

By William Pamperin
10-Nov-21

Writing an IB Extended Essay in Mathematics has not been so much of a hot topic for a variety of reasons, be it general interest, preconceptions, and sometimes fear... ..more

Time Management Tips for Third Culture Kid Teens

By Eleni Vardaki and Megan Norton
10-Nov-21

Good time management is important for any teen’s well-being and academic success - and even more so for Third Culture Kid (TCK) teens who are constantly moving. ..more

Reinventing High School Transcripts: The Learner Passport

By Dr. Conrad Hughes
27-Oct-21

Ecolint in Geneva worked with UNESCO to create seven global competences to encapsulate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to flourish as a global citizen. ..more

The Question Behind the Question

By Matthew B. Dwyer
27-Oct-21

Educators must push back against the focus on division. By asking the questions behind the question we focus on what unites us as humans. ..more

The Internet of Things: Educational Gamechanger

By Uma Shankar Singh
27-Oct-21

How is the 'Internet of Things' impacting education? Has it made positive impacts in the educational field? Changed how students learn or how schools function? ..more

The Power of an Apology in Creating Safe Spaces for Students

By Cheryl-Ann Weekes, M.Ed
13-Oct-21

When we listen to students and allow them to speak without judgement, we create spaces where they can be safe to make mistakes, and to make amends. ..more

Student Choices, Student Autonomy, and Student Agency: What are the Relationships?

By Nicholas Alchin
13-Oct-21

There are important distinctions between offering students choice, developing their autonomy, and supporting their agency. ..more

Nicotine Addiction and The Teenage Brain

By Stephen Rhodes
13-Oct-21

Policies and curriculum on dealing with e-cigarettes should be based on an understanding of current research on the relationship between nicotine addiction and the adolescent brain. ..more

Play in Post Pandemic First Grade

By Sarah Metzger
13-Oct-21

A look into the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on young children and how to use play to support the needs of young learners. ..more

All Learning is Personal

By Dr. Karen L. Taylor
29-Sep-21

Understanding of the conditions necessary for deep learning leads naturally to high quality teaching. Classroom practice is ideally based on research-informed principles of learning. ..more

Moving Beyond Inclusion: Integrating Critical Gender Analysis into Social Studies Curricula

By Sinéad Fitzsimons
29-Sep-21

The intersectionality of gender, sexuality, and power are often not incorporated into secondary or primary social studies curricula. ..more

What’s Worth Learning ...and Why?

By Kevin Bartlett
29-Sep-21

“What body of knowledge is important for these learners, right now?” As we set out to identify learning that really matters, we framed our DESIGN question like this: “What’s Worth Learning and Why?” ..more

The Right Direction

By Neil Morgan Griffiths
29-Sep-21

The evaluation of individual student physical literacy levels feels like an imprecise practice…. Perhaps we could pause right there and consider a solution. ..more

The Shifting Landscape of Professional Learning

By Dr. Kristen MacConnell
15-Sep-21

As educators look forward to a new school year filled with many unknowns, learning continues to be at the heart of all conversations. ..more

An Antidote to Learning Loss: Unlocking the Potential of Pre-assessment

By Rachel Ball
15-Sep-21

As classrooms return to their in-person learning settings how do teachers assess and address the learning gaps that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic? ..more

Dear Teacher

Doline Ndorimana
01-Sep-21

In the spirit of listening and elevating student voices, TIE is creating a “Dear Teacher” series to designate a space to have these voices heard. ..more

Discovering the DNA of Learning

By Kevin Bartlett
01-Sep-21

When we set out to re-engineer learning, it felt like common sense to start by defining it. We’re all in the learning game, so wouldn’t it be sensible to decide what learning actually is before we start trying to make it happen? ..more

Which Hat Are You Wearing?

By Natasha Winnard
15-Sep-21

It can be a challenge to navigate the different hats we wear in our international school communities. One of the most challenging can sometimes be the teacher-parent hats. ..more

Solving Meaningful Problems and Transferring Knowledge Across Domains Contributes to Deep Learning

By Dr Karen L. Taylor
01-Sep-21

There is a difference between knowing and understanding. A list of facts is not going to get you very far in the long run. ..more

Centering Healing as We Return

By Jessica Huang
01-Sep-21

This is a call to normalize the space that we all need to humanize this moment. To leave space for all that we and young people need in order to journey on a path to healing and create a more liberating school environment ..more

“Why Don’t You Ask Grandad?”

By Natasha Winnard
04-Aug-21

Intergenerational connections provide kids with an extra tier of support ..more

Finding Myself Through Language Barrier

By Dana Shpak
04-Aug-21

Grade 12 student, Dana: "Moving to a new place and learning a new language helped me become the best version of myself." ..more

Solutions for the Future of International School Education

Anne Keeling
04-Aug-21

What skillsets are essential to today’s international school teachers? These and many more questions were addressed at the Edruptors Conference which was hosted online by ISC Research in July. ..more

Same Game, New Playbook

By Kevin Bartlett
06-Jul-21

The CGC team looked at the current state of play in ‘the learning game’ and saw too many things that didn’t make sense to us. Where there should be connections, we saw gaps ..more

Learning Occurs at Various Levels of Complexity

By Dr Karen L. Taylor
06-Jul-21

In grappling with the complexity of learning one might say that on the surface there are facts, information, and simple processes. On a deeper level, we find complex concepts and universal understandings... ..more

Social Emotional Learning: Making the Most of the Shifts

By Laurie Forrester
06-Jul-21

How have schools pivoted to meet the needs of students and families in the last year? What have we learned about ourselves, our students, and our supports in complex times? ..more

Dance/Sports Medicine Bridging International Studies in Higher Education

By Jaleea Price
06-Jul-21

A small group of International School Bangkok (ISB) students were guided by professors as they literally connected their embodied knowledge to the laboratory testing capabilities of motion analysis. ..more

What I Learned Teaching Critical Race Theory to American Adolescents Overseas

By Dr. Paul Richards
06-Jul-21

I have taught critical race theory for the past ten years in three different overseas American schools, and that experience has solidified my unequivocal belief that teaching diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental ..more

Global Citizenship: Mapping the Work and Creating a GC Model

By Leo Thompson
06-Jul-21

Introducing an inclusive global citizenship model and linked resources to help busy educators and invite further discussion and impact. ..more

From ‘Oh No!’ to ‘Oh Wow!’

By Suzanne Laong and Liam Hammer
06-Jul-21

Sharing the various approaches in Tenby Schools Johor has adapted to the COVID crisis and thrived as a school community. ..more

Travel Without Leaving Home

By Lori Langer de Ramirez and Martina Mencer Salluzzo
06-Jul-21

During the Covid crisis, language teachers worked to expand our digital toolkit and find ways to connect our students with the world outside our Zoom rectangles. ..more

Become A Young Green Leader

If you are a student aged 12-16, working on a project to make our world sustainable, we want to hear about it! The #YoungGreenLeaders Award. ..more

Student Voice: Fenced // Isabelle

By Alec Roisko
22-Jun-21

This short story was produced by Alec Roisko at Frankfurt International School’s Writing & Art Symposium, where authors and artists worked with students on a bilingual interschool publishing project. ..more

The Masks We Wear

By Megel R. Barker
06-Jul-21

School leaders have always had to wear “masks” in order to be successful change makers. Leadership is surely about being honest but isn’t it also about being cool under pressure? ..more

Picking Up after the Pandemic: Preparing for a New School Year

By Dr. Rachel Ball, on behalf of Stronge & Associates Educational Consulting, LLC
22-Jun-21

How do we reacclimate to the in-person classroom? What technology lessons learned can we apply in the in-person classroom? What virtual practices can we carry forward? Rachel Ball outlines instructional silver linings to help move your school, classroom, and learners forward. ..more

Affectively and Socially Healthy Environments Promote Learning

By Dr Karen L. Taylor
22-Jun-21

Thanks to developments in neuroscience we now know much more now than we did in the past about the interplay of emotion and cognition, feeling and thinking. What could this interconnectedness mean for us in terms of our classroom practice? ..more

The Value of Restorative Practices

By Alistair Goold
22-Jun-21

The final article in a three-part series exploring the role restorative practices can play in both personal and professional contexts, beta-tested as the author's family underwent a perfect storm of challenges in the midst of a global pandemic. ..more

Learning Occurs in a Space Where Objectives Are Just Beyond But Not Too Far From the Learner

By Dr Karen L. Taylor
08-Jun-21

As important a pedagogical tool as scaffolding may be, we should not oversimplify its relationship to the zone of proximal development. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive, but they are also not synonymous. ..more

Not Light But Fire

By Kelli Powling
22-Jun-21

Not Light but Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom by Matthew R. Kay is a critical read for any educator interested in building authentic classroom community and makes a particularly good text for study by a PLC. ..more

Following the Silver Linings of a Pandemic into a New Version of School

By Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox
22-Jun-21

21 years into the 21st century, we still are having discussions about how to teach 21st-century skills and dispositions. Among educators who are ready to explore the ideas of creativity, passion, identity, collaboration, and self-directed learning a new version of school can emerge. ..more

Student Voice: Here Comes the Bride

By Hamsini Sivakumar
08-Jun-21

This short story was produced by Hamsini Sivakumar at Frankfurt International School’s Writing & Art Symposium, where authors and artists worked with students on a bilingual interschool publishing project. ..more

Taking Restorative Action

By Alistair Goold
08-Jun-21

When covid hit and Alistair Goold's family underwent a major life transition, he turned the focus inwards and sought to find out if the restorative methodologies he employed in the classroom could be helpful in restoring relationships on the homefront. ..more

Prototyping During the Pandemic: The PLA

By Marina Gijzen
08-Jun-21

At Lincoln Community School, elementary school teachers and leaders learned from their emergency online experience that there might be a more effective way to provide a student-centered approach to online learning. ..more

Incorporating Student Voice: Choosing Courage over Comfort

By Anna Rose Sugarman
08-Jun-21

Feedback is most powerful when it comes from the student and is directed toward the teacher. Have yours had any voice in the trajectory of their learning? I have started to ask students what they consider to be the best ways for them to learn. ..more

ISTA’s global Verbatim Theatre project: A Memoir of an Extraordinary Year

By Sally Robertson
08-Jun-21

80 students from 10 schools in 9 countries on 4 continents collaborated to produce 60 stories in Hear It Out – A memoir of an extraordinary year, a performance project that celebrates real life stories and creates a significant piece of collective oral history. ..more

Employing Restorative Justice Practices in Navigating One Family's Move during Covid-19

By Alistair Goold
25-May-21

In his Action Research Project, Alistair Goold examined the role that restorative justice practices can play for international families in transition, using his own family as a case study as they moved during the Covid-19 pandemic and faced a perfect storm of challenges. ..more

Elevate Student Voice & Choice in Diverse Learning Settings

By Lindsay Kuhl, Jane Russell Valezy, & Esther Bettney
25-May-21

Teachers everywhere have repeatedly faced new and ongoing challenges over the past year as we have transitioned through various forms of learning. We have tried to ensure that multilingual students' voices are heard and that we provide a variety of options so all students can succeed. ..more

No Matter How Dark It Gets

By Ranjana Harlalka
25-May-21

Students at Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti school in Guwahati, India have been working with enthusiasm, hope, and determination on meaningful creative projects throughout the pandemic, sometimes in collaboration with students around the world. ..more

Book Creator and Planet Classroom Network Announce the Winner of the Global Writing Contest for Youth

In a global competition launched by Book Creator and Planet Classroom, youth aged 11-18 were asked to create a one-page storybook, including a cover illustration, and to read it aloud. Over 480 stories poured in. ..more

Fostering a Translanguaging Pedagogy within a Blended Learning Environment

By Alexandra Ritt Gustad & Esther Bettney
11-May-21

Translanguaging is the adaptable way in which multilingual people use their languages to communicate. As the action and practice of using a person’s full linguistic repertoire to construct meaning, we should be deploying this approach more broadly with our students. ..more

Increasing Student Autonomy Through Time and Place

By Tim Johnson & Tony Winch
11-May-21

Tim Johnson and Tony Winch decided to give more autonomy and control to their students. Some failed to prioritize work, but many adapted well. The new approach generally made students more responsible for their learning, boosted achievement, and taught critical skills. ..more

Learning Progresses With Effective Feedback

By Dr. Karen L. Taylor
11-May-21

In an ideal world, feedback and instruction are intertwined and multidirectional. Karen Taylor offers some thoughts on how to make sure that the feedback we offer students is focused specifically on how to improve their work and takes form of questions rather than instructions. ..more

What Will the Future of International Education Be? Five Lessons in Superforecasting

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

Hisar Schools Organizes the 7th Hisar Coding Summit

By Irem Noyaner
27-Apr-21

Organized for the 7th time this year and attended by more than 1,400 students to date, the Hisar Coding Summit offers courses and workshops in a variety of fields, such as artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and application, and game development—all taught by students. ..more

Cognitive Overload Causes Inefficient, Ineffective Learning

By Dr Karen L. Taylor
13-Apr-21

The whole point of the learning sciences is to use what we know about human cognition in order to create the best possible environment for student learning, so taking cognitive load into account when preparing a lesson is critical. ..more

How to Maximize Student Feedback in Hybrid and Virtual Learning Contexts

By Dr. Rachel Ball
13-Apr-21

Formative assessment presents a powerful opportunity for improving student outcomes. Here are several practical suggestions for providing formative feedback to students in hybrid and virtual learning settings. ..more

Running Compelling Middle School Science Lab Activities During Virtual Learning

By Mrs. Jean Candol-Piscioneri
13-Apr-21

Despite uncertainty, and constant changes in our daily or weekly schedule, science lab activities at Seoul International School continue to be implemented effectively through flexible thinking and focusing on the possibilities rather than limitations. ..more

Education Research Is Still Too Dense. We Need More Teacher-Researcher Partnerships.

By Kristin Simmers
13-Apr-21

While today’s unprecedented levels of educational challenge may merit equally unprecedented levels of teacher support, it can be hard to know where to begin, or even who to trust. Educators need to critically evaluate educational claims and pedagogy. Here's a way forward. ..more

Charge to Change: A Student's Simple Yet Powerful Innovation

By Ahaan Chakrabarty
30-Mar-21

For his Grade 10 IB Middle Years Programme Personal Project, Ahaan Chakrabarty decided to build a solar power bank that his fellow students would use at school to charge their phones. In the era of COVID-19, staying charged up and connected is all the more critical. ..more

The Time is Now: Rethinking Service Learning

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

Student Perspective: We Are Not the Same

By Justin Connors '21
15-Mar-21

Justin is a Senior at the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel devoting his senior project to examining the means by which foreign students might receive better support at school by taking into account their pedagogical conditioning. ..more

The Ability to Follow Thoughts Carefully and Control One’s Attention Are Prerequisites for Learning

By Dr Karen L. Taylor
15-Mar-21

One of the challenges of teaching is to capture students’ attention when they enter the classroom and to keep it. Which means being aware of attention span and cycles of attention in relation to the rhythm of the lesson. ..more

An Introduction to Metacognition

By Michael Griffin
15-Mar-21

Metacognition is about thinking. It is about knowing not only what you think, but why you think it and how you arrived at your thoughts. Metacognition is about active learning. It is empowering. Effective teachers foster a metacognitive learning approach, to generate better quality thinking. ..more

Building Understanding Is Enhanced Through a Culture of Thinking

By Dr Karen L. Taylor
03-Mar-21

Thinking routines are pedagogical tools that promote the development of critical thinking skills. This doesn’t happen by accident. Classroom teachers work hard to create an environment in which such powerful learning experiences take place. ..more

Helping ESL Students Transition from Virtual to Face-to-Face Classes

By Bonnie Billak
15-Mar-21

After months of virtual classes, students have become accustomed to being at home with parents. Now that schools are reopening, special attention needs to be focused on ESL students to ensure that the transition from virtual to face-to-face classes is a smooth one. ..more

The Most Important Lesson of 2020

By Will Richardson & Homa Tavangar
16-Feb-21

In their free ebook, BIG Questions Institute co-founders Will Richardson and Homa Tavangar offer practical steps to reflect on who we are now as individuals and institutions and to begin a process of reinvention to ensure our students can thrive in an increasingly uncertain future. ..more

The Wellbeing Fingerprint

By Sadie Hollins
16-Feb-21

With the onset of the pandemic, the idea of wellbeing exploded. Schools were simultaneously contested as sites of poor wellbeing and under pressure to actively promote its importance. Sadie Hollins reminds us that wellbeing is individual to each of us, just like a fingerprint. ..more

Student Initiative and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

By Lawrence Shepherd
16-Feb-21

All Grade 11 students were given the opportunity to organize a senior school Creativity Activity and Service (CAS) project. When no one else stepped forward, Lawrence Shepherd raised his hand. The experience was challenging but a huge lesson in the potential of student agency. ..more

Training vs. Teaching: Reflecting on Practice

By Adelina Holmes
03-Mar-21

Initially when leading trainings, Adelina Holmes was giving fast lectures and expecting participants to absorb the information she was "gifting" to them—a common mistake. Everything shifted when she started designing her workshops in the same way she planned a class. ..more

Supporting Classroom Discussions in Remote and In-Person Learning Contexts

By Rachel Ball
16-Feb-21

Teachers in a virtual setting may observe a lack of student engagement during synchronous instruction, resulting in classroom discussions that feel strained. Here are some instructional tips that will support the integration of class discussion in your current teaching context. ..more

Learning Principle N°4: Making Mistakes Is a Normal, Inevitable and Even Fertile Part of Learning

By Dr Karen L. Taylor
02-Feb-21

Understanding and correcting one’s mistakes offers critical learning, but getting there can be tricky, particularly in a context that traditionally viewed mistakes as failure. The classroom environment must foster conditions in which students can view them as learning opportunities. ..more

5 ways the Biden Administration May Help Stem the Loss of International Students

David L. Di Maria Associate Vice Provost for International Education, University of Maryland
16-Feb-21

Associate Vice Provost for International Education at the University of Maryland feels that President Biden’s rollbacks on former President Trump’s travel restrictions signal new opportunities for international students. ..more

A Lesson on Why Words Matter

By David Willows
02-Feb-21

When Amanda Gorman stood at the podium on the Capitol steps a couple of weeks ago and recited her poem for the new president, the world was once again offered a lesson on why words do matter after all. ..more

8 Ways to Use Teacher Standards to Boost Quality Teaching

By Bambi Betts
27-Apr-21

Professional standards are a key to boosting the quality of teaching. We rely on these standards to define the essence of the work of the profession and to ensure integrity, keeping us grounded in the best of what research can offer. So how do we leverage them fully? ..more

Are We Putting Out the Same Fires? Serving Multilingual Learners During the Pandemic

By Esther Bettney & Jon Nordmeyer
02-Feb-21

In the past year, WIDA has partnered with a variety of researchers and practitioners to better understand how to support multilingual students, their teachers, and their schools in the midst of the ongoing COVID pandemic, and they have some ideas to share. ..more

School of the Nations’ Service Projects: Evolving Virtually

By Lisa Perskie & the UNAtions Team
02-Feb-21

School of the Nations has found that it is possible both to sustain and strengthen its service projects and connections with its sister schools online thanks to friendship, collaboration, and empathy. The trust developed prior to the pandemic helped tremendously. ..more

When It Comes to Distance Learning We’ve Got It in the Bag!

By Angela Beach
02-Feb-21

Dalian American International School Elementary in Dalian, China takes distance learning beyond the screen by offering student toolkits to enhance instruction and add a personal touch—a weekly-refreshed bag of physical supplements to online learning. ..more

Fairgreen Partners with Swiss Sustainability Management School to Launch IB Careers Programme

By Jill Alali
02-Feb-21

Commencing in the 2021-2022 academic year, Fairgreen students will be able to embrace an international network of experts in sustainability by choosing tracks in Nature Conservation, Sustainable Hospitality, Sustainable Fashion and more. ..more

Upcoming Event: What Does It Mean to Be a Global Citizen?

By ACS Press Office
02-Feb-21

Open to all interested in building a better, more sustainable future, "The world needs global citizens" will be hosted by ACS International School Hillingdon on Tuesday 9 February and will feature a number of speakers who will share perspectives on the global challenges before us. ..more

How Do We Know If Students Are Learning?

By Kristen MacConnell
19-Jan-21

What classroom assessment practices will contribute most to understanding and improving student learning? And what is the role of the teacher leader in supporting student learning through effective assessment practices? Here are some effective strategies and tools. ..more

How Concordia International School Shanghai Is Bringing Social Emotional Learning to Mainland China

By Ben Fishman and Josh Lange
19-Jan-21

Concordia International School Shanghai has forged a partnership that allows international school students and staff to work together with local Chinese in community development efforts, mainly through education and health projects in rural parts of the country ..more

Finding an Opportunity for Service Learning in an Unusual Time

By Justin Sheehan
06-Jan-21

Unable to travel out of province due to the global pandemic, students and teachers at Dalian American International School developed a partnership with regional corporations in order to bring online learning opportunities to children in local communities. ..more

Is Having a Growth Mindset Enough in Math? Introducing Mathematical Resilience

By Priya Shah
06-Jan-21

How do we create a group culture of “can do” math in a safe environment with ample support? This research adds to the growing body of work on the concept of mathematical resilience, taking a close look at case studies involving third culture kids and students with IEPs. ..more

Should Teachers Have a Voice in School Decision Making Related to COVID?

By Joy Jameson
06-Jan-21

Since teachers are key players in the educational process, should they have a voice in school decision making related to COVID-induced changes? Should they be invited to participate and have a say in admin meetings at which key decisions are made? ..more

Involving Students in Constructing the Criteria for Good Writing

By Kim Marshall
13-Apr-21

Including students in shaping what will be assessed by co-constructing success criteria has proven an effective way to improve student writing, according to Jennifer Gonzalez. “It’s essentially backward planning with students for success.” ..more

Why I Talk About Consent with My High School Students

By Cheryl-Ann Weekes
23-Dec-20

Cheryl-Ann Weekes believes it is never too early to help students understand the need for consent and encourages all counselors to start having conversations on this critical topic. Because the absence of a no is not a yes. ..more

Silver Linings and the Work to Be Done

By Matt Brady
23-Dec-20

Matt Brady offers an examination of potential next steps in techno-social transformation as a result of the effects of Covid-19 on technology integration in schools. One silver lining: how the pandemic has obliterated so many long-held limiting beliefs of what was possible. ..more

Taking Action During COVID19

By Amanda Sunderman
08-Dec-20

As an International Baccalaureate continuum school, service learning and taking action are key parts of the program at I-Shou International School in Taiwan. Students and teachers participated in the Million Mask Challenge by donating, prepping materials, or sewing masks. ..more

New Research Finds Higher Levels of Critical Thinking in IB DP Students

By Dr. Tiffani Betts Razavi
08-Dec-20

Critical thinking skills are cited as one of the key strengths of the International Baccalaureate, vital to the core mission of IB programs. Recent research has found that students of the program have significantly greater critical thinking skills than their non-IB peers. ..more

ACS Hillingdon Launches Global Citizens Diploma to Recognize Every Student's Achievements Beyond Grades

By ACS Press Office
08-Dec-20

ACS International School Hillingdon has become the first school in Europe to offer the Global Citizens Diploma (GCD), a qualification that acknowledges all of the exceptional citizenship and service-related activities students undertake to become global citizens. ..more

How Are Supports for Diverse Learners Shifting in Distance Learning?

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

Teaching for Fun or for Real

By Michael Griffin
25-Nov-20

“Will this be fun?” students often want to know. Too much focus on instant gratification can be problematic for children’s development. Fun and enjoyment are not the same. Effortful experiences such as writing result in enjoyment while building self-esteem and self-growth. ..more

Home Sweet Exile

By Bruce Gilbert
25-Nov-20

Canada presents as an idyllic place to weather the pandemic. But while the move "home" has its obvious advantages, longtime international educator Bruce Gilbert is having trouble making small talk with other parents on the sidelines at his kid's soccer game. And that's a problem. ..more

A Day in the Life of ASM During Covid-19

By Jane Segre
25-Nov-20

Walking through the corridors of the American School of Milan, whether on campus through our virtual classrooms, the positive atmosphere is palpable. Teachers are discovering that Covid-related adjustments have forged a stronger sense of community among students. ..more

Change: The New Normal

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

Principals and Counselors Can Team Up for Student Success

By Tory Potter, Eric Semler, Dawn De Koker, and Ben Fishman
25-Nov-20

Having a strong, positive partnership between school administrators and counselors is critical in supporting student success. Concordia International School Shanghai has taken intentional steps to strengthen this partnership and shares the key elements of its model here. ..more

Pandemic-Prompted Progress?

By Dr. Tiffani Betts Razavi
11-Nov-20

After some seven months of covid-19, educators and researchers are asking: what progress has been prompted by the pandemic? Are any of the lockdown-induced adjustments here to stay? Are there any old ways that won’t survive the virus? ..more

Online and Blended Learning: Six Steps for Instructional Success

By Scott B. Freiberger
11-Nov-20

This in-depth article provides six steps for instructional success at a time when fine-tuning online and blended learning environments is becoming paramount in international school settings. ..more

Masked Challenges of Language Learning

By Bonnie Billak
24-Oct-20

The use of face masks presents a number of challenges for ESL students, as much of language learning and comprehension is based on visual perception of facial body language. Teachers need to alter their methods to ensure that all students experience maximum success. ..more

Field Testing Quality Virtual Learning Offline

By Elijah Petersen
24-Oct-20

Teachers will try almost anything for their students, including, it turns out, teaching remotely with no internet. When Algeria’s Baccalaureate exams prompted an internet blackout during the week of September 13, staff at American International School of Algiers got creative. ..more

How to Increase Learning through Disciplinary Literacy

By Xianxuan Xu
14-Oct-20

Recently there has been a call for teachers to teach disciplinary literacy—literacy skills specialized to individual subject matter, especially in middle and high schools, since experts from different disciplines approach their respective texts quite differently. ..more

Teaching Better Post-Covid

By Steven Carber
14-Oct-20

We surveyed international school staff, asking them to suggest the top skills and dispositions needed among professionals working in K-12 international schools. The broad intention was to better connect “the industry” with the university and addressing any perceived disconnect. ..more

Standards-Based Report Cards: If Not Now, When?

By Colin Brown and Lindsay Prendergast
14-Oct-20

Standards-based grading practices proved to be a critical element of consistency and stability in guiding our focus around student learning and in providing accurate, meaningful, and proactive feedback to our learners and their parents during these turbulent, complex times. ..more

Instructional Coaching at Frankfurt International School

By Antony Winch & Robin Neal
14-Oct-20

In 2018, FIS introduced an Instructional Coaching program that has brought positive results and become a useful tool for nurturing transformative pedagogical change, even through the pandemic, when positive coaching relationships have grown even stronger. ..more

Language Matters

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

Technology and Support: Helping Our Teachers Through the Pandemic

By Matt Harris
14-Oct-20

The virus is still ever present, and our school situations are still ever-changing and uncertain. Drawing upon our technology and our teachers are still the lynchpins for learning in the coming months. It is critical that we support both. ..more

How Parents Can Support Their Children Emotionally With the Return to School

By Debbie Stanton & Tanya Coffey
30-Sep-20

As parents, you may be wondering what role you can play in supporting your children through this unusual return to school, making sure that they feel safe and secure, but also that they are resilient to the challenges and ready to accept and embrace the new classroom normal. ..more

MUN@Home: Transforming Model UN in the Age of COVID-19

By Lisa Martin
30-Sep-20

Disrupted Model United Nations seasons, cancelled conferences, and tens of thousands of disappointed delegates around the world have been grappling with the impact of the pandemic... and innovating like crazy, leading to program growth and increased engagement. ..more

At Home Experiments (@HE)

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

Are International Schools Becoming More Inclusive?

By Anne Keeling, ISC Research
15-Sep-20

A new report published by ISC Research and Next Frontier Inclusion describes inclusion practices and trends within the world’s international schools market. A total of 207 international schools from 69 countries were surveyed; students with learning needs are present in most. ..more

College Counseling in the Age of COVID

By Robbie Jefferiss
15-Sep-20

Here in Singapore, we do an exercise with our Grade 11 students, asking them to visualize their future lives at age 30. COVID-19 rendered the exercise more fraught than usual. Flexibility of thinking may be one of the greatest strengths we can impart to our students at this time. ..more

The IB and the World Academy of Sport Extend Partnership to Support CP students and Announce Global Scholarships

By George Pickford
15-Sep-20

The successful project for student-athletes at International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools, supporting their dual career aspirations, has been approved to now applies to both IB Diploma Programme (DP) and IB Career-related Programme (CP) students. ..more

Divided Views on Distance Learning: A Glimpse Into Three Students’ Lives

By Sena Chang
03-Sep-20

The abrupt change in pedagogy at The American School in Japan (ASIJ) brought on by the pandemic has sparked many conversations about the effectiveness and value of digital learning. Three middle schoolers shared their views with ASIJ student Sena Chang. ..more

The Sound of One Hand High-Fiving

By Matthew Dicks
15-Jul-20

We might be raising the first generation of children who truly understand the value of school and appreciate all of the educational opportunities that have been afforded to them. Unfortunately, it is coming at great cost. ..more

Singapore American School Shares Lessons from Reopening in Covid Conditions

By Lauren Mehrbach, Chris Beingessner and Chris Raymaakers
03-Sep-20

Reimagining school during the pandemic is a global re-creation. Students disembarked the buses at Singapore American School, excited for their first full day of in-person school since March. In many ways it resembled the start of the 2019-20 school year. But it wasn't. ..more

ISC Research: How Covid-19 Has Impacted EdTech Use

By Anne Keeling, ISC Research
03-Sep-20

Technology played a vital role in supporting the continuation of student learning in schools during covid-19, according to a new report by ISC Research, focused on understanding the use of technology during campus closures and its impact on international schools. ..more

Adopting a Future-as-Present Frame of Mind

By Emily Sargent-Beasley
15-Jul-20

No longer is there a chance to kneel beside a child, smile from across the room, or nudge with clear feedback using a tone that invites listening and understanding. The traditional toolkit has been left behind. Each tool now feels as if it must be replaced. ..more

Experiences in Distance Learning and How to Make It Better

By Owen Su, Grade 8
15-Jul-20

Distance learning has become inevitable for schools around the world. As educators continue to consider the best ways to approach this new reality, it might be helpful to hear directly from students about their experiences. ..more

Racism in International Schools: Let’s Start Educating Parents

By Heidi Dyck Hilty
15-Jul-20

Racism in international schools sounds like a misquote. There can’t be racism in international schools; it goes against everything we’re supposed to believe in, against everything we say we promote. And yet... ..more

Teaching Diversity Across Cultures: Words Without Borders Campus

By Douglas Unger
15-Jul-20

Teaching literature-in-translation, especially by contemporary writers, is one way to approach expanding diversity in both what and how students learn. This is one of the primary missions of Words Without Borders Campus. ..more

The Learning Must Never Stop!

By Nafisa Mustafa, Age 10
15-Jul-20

"Throughout this learning experience, I have missed many things, but the biggest one is socializing. Being there in the physical classroom with the teacher was better and easier, for some inexplicable reason." ..more

Addressing Concerns About Student Screen Time

By Kim Marshall, TIE columnist
24-Oct-20

In this summary of an Education Week article by Catherine Gewertz, Kim Marshall offers a number of suggestions on how to reduce screen time for students. Teachers need to be critical consumers of technology. ..more

Remotely Interesting

By Jazz Victoria Griffiths, Grade 8
18-Jun-20

Without a doubt, this remote learning experience has brought both positives and negatives. At times I’ve been tearing out my hair, whereas at other moments I’m basking in a state of Zen that I’d never possessed while engaged in standard schooling. ..more

ACS International Schools Raises £5,000 to Fund Food Packages for Local Children

By ACS Press Office
18-Jun-20

ACS Internationals Schools has raised and donated £5,000 to the Magic Breakfast programme, which will provide over 7,400 breakfasts to vulnerable children in Surrey and Greater London over the next few weeks. ..more

Psychological Factors That Perpetuate Racism and Can Be Changed

By Kim Marshall, TIE columnist
18-Jun-20

Racism: “a system of advantage based on race that is created and maintained by an interplay between psychological factors and sociopolitical factors… so deeply embedded within U.S minds and U.S. society that it is virtually impossible to escape.” ..more

Moving from an Industrial to a Postindustrial Model

By Julie Wilson
22-May-20

Changing a system is one of the most challenging things to do. If we are saying that we want to support more creativity, collaboration, and appetite for risk in schools, then the organizational structure, systems, and processes must change significantly in order to support and reflect that pedagogy. ..more

Bilingualism and Cultural Awareness

By Gregory R. van Goidtsnoven
22-May-20

Learning a foreign language is not simply about understanding the vocabulary, and it requires much more than simply the ability to “pass.” These reductive perceptions don’t begin to take into account the complexity of systems at work in language development. ..more

ACS International Schools Shares Best Practice for How Parents Can Leverage the Power of Play in Their Child's Education

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

Breakout ZOOMING into A Personalised Learning Experience at ARIS

By Henry Afful
22-May-20

It’s often said that adversity is the mother of innovation. This has been a true reflection on the response we had to our teaching and learning experience at ARIS. Truly, the challenges the COVID-19 global pandemic has fueled our quest for excellence and led to some serious creativity and innovation. ..more

International School of Kenya Embraces Life-Centered Education

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

Toolboxes, Platforms, Strategies, and Community in Online Learning

By Josefino Rivera, Jr.
06-May-20

All schools in Hong Kong were suspended until 20 April 2020, but that did not stop students at the American International School (AIS) of Hong Kong from learning as AIS educators elaborated their innovative teaching strategies using various online tools. ..more

ARIS Has Received Authorization for the IB Career-related Programme

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

The Case for Bringing University-Style Writing Centers to International School Contexts

By Thomas Ferrebee & Ernesto Carriazo
22-Apr-20

At Colegio Nueva Granada’s Writing Center in Bogotá, Colombia, students serve their peers in a space where the school’s core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, and caring are made manifest and academic rigor is cultivated in community. ..more

Expanding Facilities & Growing Community at Dalian Huamei Bilingual School

By Miles McFall
22-Apr-20

When the decision to expand the Dalian American International School program offerings to include a bilingual school for Chinese nationals was made in 2017, we asked: What do we value? What do we mean when we say we’re a “bilingual” school? How do the influences of culture on individuals and systems inform our planning? ..more

ACS International Schools Designs New 3D-printed Parts to Convert Snorkels into Emergency Ventilator Masks for NHS

By Joanna Colley
08-Apr-20

ACS Internationals Schools has developed a new adapter to turn full face snorkel masks into emergency ventilators for hospitals struggling to find enough equipment to treat the influx of COVID-19 patients. ..more

Coronavirus Swiftly Reshapes Chinese Educational Industry, Jeopardizes International Schools and Small Training Centers

By Jeffrey Weiner
08-Apr-20

We have witnessed a seismic shift in the for-profit, private school, and international school segments of education as a result of coronavirus-related quarantines and travel restrictions. Can teachers and small training centers quickly adapt this specialized technology, or will the educational industry be drastically changed for good? ..more

Virtual Opportunity for International Choir Enthusiasts

Naomi Greenberg
08-Apr-20

A Grade 12 student at Frankfurt International School has created a virtual choir for singers in international schools around the world. If you have students in your school who would like to be part of a global choir, encourage them to join VOICE! ..more

The Top Three Things Teacher Leaders Should be Doing to Lead Remotely

By Bambi Betts & Kristen MacConnell
27-Jun-20

Your team needs your leadership more than ever. Here are the top three things you can be doing as you lead your team remotely. In our independent, international schools, teacher leaders are best positioned to have meaningful and lasting impact. ..more

When Collaboration Goes Online, and Around the World

By Andrea Honigsfeld & Jon Nordmeyer
08-Apr-20

Some international teachers have been in virtual school for months, while for others it is a new experience. This article will share some key takeaways from what are we learning about international schools maintaining collaboration in support of English Learners (ELs). ..more

When Collaboration Goes Online, and Around the World

By Andrea Honigsfeld & Jon Nordmeyer
08-Apr-20

Pursuing In-Person Learning in the Time of Coronavirus

By Tom Boasberg
08-Apr-20

Since this article appeared in TIE's April print edition, the Singapore American School campus has closed for the next month, per government guidelines. New SAS Superintendent Tom Boasberg shares lessons learned in facing the COVID-19 crisis. ..more

There’s No Overstating This Challenge

By Meadow Dibble, TIE Editor
26-Mar-20

TIE Editor Meadow Dibble interviews Edward E. Greene, Executive Director of the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS), who describes the impact of the coronavirus on international school communities throughout his region. ..more

ARIS Personalized Learning Department on How to Improve the Virtual Learning Experience for Students

Funke Baffour
26-Mar-20

Funke Baffour, ARIS Head of Counseling and Support, addresses health and wellbeing concerns raised by parents and professionals in response to the massive transition to online learning, offering practical advice for helping students establish balance. ..more

UNIS Hanoi’s Distance Learning Lessons Go Global

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

Learning Together in Times of Uncertainty

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

The Coronavirus Threatens to Upend Higher Ed. Here Are the Latest Developments.

By Chronicle of Higher Education Staff
05-Mar-20

The novel coronavirus and Covid-19, the disease it causes, are becoming a public-health threat across the world. The Chronicle of Higher Education has compiled what you need to know — to be updated regularly — on the virus’s spread and its implications for higher ed. ..more

Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve

By Bambi Betts, Director - The Principals' Training Center
05-Mar-20

What might the curriculum look like if the primary purpose of school were to prepare all learners to be of service, to make the world better for others? "Primary" being the key word that might significantly inspire movement and potential impact on learning. ..more

Successful Schools Are Run by Effective Leaders

By Forrest Broman
05-Mar-20

The founder of TIE and Director of Children of Haiti and Refugee Projects (COHRP) shares 14 lessons learned during his many years as a school head in at Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel and Escuela Campo Alegre in Venezuela. ..more

How to Talk with Students About the Coronavirus

By Ben Fishman
17-Feb-20

An elementary counselor with a PhD in psychology offers some basic tips for educators when talking with students about the coronavirus outbreak. ..more

Piloting Education 4.0 Prompted by the Coronavirus Crisis

By Shwetangna Chakrabarty
17-Feb-20

Education 4.0 is a term used to describe the ways in which we need to prepare students for the fourth industrial revolution, or the advent of the 22nd century. Guangzhou Nanfang International School in China has had the opportunity to pilot Education 4.0—albeit under duress. ..more

Understanding by Design

By Carlos Minuesa
17-Feb-20

The 21st-century school aspires to teach through comprehension, but how do teachers know when students have understood a topic? ASV is using various indicators to renovate their academic programs and to respond to challenges in contemporary education. ..more

The Hard Work of Innovation in Schools

By Ewan McIntosh
05-Feb-20

Independent schools are swiftly abandoning traditionally static long-term strategy planning. Instead, they’re adopting agile approaches to designing strategy so that they engage their whole community in changing how they think about what’s possible in school. But this process of agile innovation isn’t all fun and games. ..more

The Importance of Defining Learning

By Matt Piercy
05-Feb-20

What does “learning” really mean? It seems essential that we define it—if not as a society, or as an international school community, then at least at the institutional level. How do we expect students to think critically if we are not providing them the necessary time and space in which to do it? ..more

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in a Changing World

By Kim Marshall, TIE columnist
04-Jun-20

The current health and economic crises will bring about permanent changes. Leaders need to work with colleagues on adopting new practices, distribute leadership in order to draw on collective intelligence, and lead in emotionally intelligent ways. ..more

Lessons on EdTech Integration From the Boeing 737 MAX Disasters

By Matt Brady
03-Jan-20

An imagined conversation among a school’s leadership team reconvening for 2019/2020, discussing tech integration—or taking old systems and tacking on the latest tech, taking as many shortcuts as possible, and then assuming everything will work just fine. ..more

Why Teaching in a Virtual Space is Draining

By Kim Marshall, TIE columnist
06-May-20

In this National Geographic article, Julia Sklar reports that many K-12 and university teachers are finding remote instruction more exhausting than in-person teaching. Cognitive scientists say that virtual interactions are more taxing on the brain. ..more

Planning for Schools’ (Hopeful) Reopening

By Kim Marshall, TIE columnist
22-Apr-20

In this Education Gadfly article, Robert Pondiscio predicts that when the current crisis is over, remote learning won’t continue. The online learning being implemented by hard-working teachers is an emergency response. ..more

Putting the Pandemic in Historical and Epidemiological Perspective

By Kim Marshall, TIE columnist
22-Apr-20

In this New Yorker article, Michael Specter describes the scientific events that have shaped the career of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Since 1984, he’s been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and he’s currently at the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis. ..more

Online Teaching Resources for the Coronavirus Crisis

By Kim Marshall, TIE columnist
26-Mar-20

As educators wrestle with the current crisis and massive shift in learning paradigms, Kim Marshall has assembled an extensive list of resources with suggestions for online instruction, from video calls to 'zines and everything in between. ..more

Thinking Math: A Conceptual Approach to Math Instruction

By Vicky Placeres
03-Jan-20

This year, the elementary school at Uruguayan American School adopted the Math In Focus program, based on the Singapore Math Approach for Grades 1–5. This program emphasizes collaboration, discussion, the use of models, and multiple problem-solving strategies. ..more

An Action-Based Model to Help Students Embody Core Values

By Andrew Ranson
13-Nov-19

International schools everywhere are seeking ways to help their students live the core values of the mission statements that define school communities. Five years ago, in our work as coaches of the high school girls’ volleyball team, my colleague and I began an experiment. ..more

News in Brief

The news in brief from all corners of the education field: dangers of early school enrollment, international enrollment in U.S. way down, flipping an entire school day, U.S. schools hiring teachers from overseas, ranking U.K. schools, dropping standardized testing. ..more

To Infinity and Beyond: An Infinity Learning Space in Valencia, Venezuela

By Todd Lichtenwalter
17-Oct-19

When increased insecurity within Venezuela forced Colegio Internacional de Carabobo to discontinue its yearly field trips to Hato Pinero and Morrocoy, a committed team created an Infinity Learning Space for the collaborative practice of 21st-Century Learning Skills and Systems Thinking. ..more

Learning to Ask the Right Questions

By Michael Griffin
17-Oct-19

Consistently, the quality of teaching is recognized as the most important factor in elevating student achievement. So what makes an effective teacher? What exactly is it that sets good teachers apart? ..more

Bilingual Education in Southeast Asia

By Gregory R. van Goidtsnoven
13-Nov-19

With the emergence of a robust Asian market in global economics, the role of “English language” skills has been placed at the forefront of competitive and effective business strategies. What English should be taught? How should we teach it? ..more

AASSA Emphasizes Partnerships and Transformative Learning

By Kristen MacConnell
20-Jun-19

In hosting the AASSA Educator’s Conference, our Nido de Aguilas Theme Team imagined a wide variety of partnerships. Little did we know, one of the most powerful partnerships to yield transformational learning was right under our noses. ..more

Six Reasons to Start a Travel Program at Your School

By Sara Segar
05-Jun-19

Traveling as a teenager with purpose, accompanied by trusted advisors and peers, is an invaluable learning experience. A school travel program gives students the resources, support, and guidance to make educational travel a reality. ..more

Education Is About the Search for Freedom

By Derrick C. des Vignes
18-Jul-19

There are many ideas about what education ought to be as we look to the future. Positive education has proven to be a pathway toward a flourishing life that can transform our world. I would like to offer a simple concept: education is about the search for freedom. ..more

Fostering Creative Movement and Critical Thinking Through Parkour at Concordia

By Andrei Ghicu
20-Jun-19

Concordia's physical education (PE) program began offering parkour for students up to Grade 4. After just six weeks devoted to exploring parkour daily, students can perform stunning moves on the equipment by going under, over, jumping, and landing at a very high speeds. ..more

Five Key Steps Along the Admissions Journey

By Shwetangna Chakrabarty
05-Jun-19

Council of International Schools (CIS) organizes a university tour once every year during the summer. From this experience, I've distilled five main tips for students as they embark on the university admissions process. ..more

Future-Ready Learning

By Helen Kelly
22-May-19

Successful change leadership in this context involves leaders not only developing a vision for future-ready learning and providing structures for implementation but also attending to the emotional climate in which they are operating. ..more

Education in China: How Demand and Supply Are Changing

By Anne Keeling
03-Apr-19

Latest market trends from ISC Research on international education in China show that the international private schools market has grown substantially due to an increasing demand from Chinese parents for an international, bilingual approach to learning for their children. ..more

Redesigning Learning at the International School of Kuala Lumpur

By Norma Hudson
22-Mar-19

Designing its learning environment from the ground up is quite possibly one of the most invigorating and thought-provoking opportunities a school can experience. In envisioning its new campus, the International School of Kuala Lumpur sought to create an environment that supports creative, collaborative, and constructive learning from prep-reception all the way through Grade 12. ..more

Second-Language Programs in International Schools

By Maurice Carder
22-Mar-19

Detailed, long-term research shows that a professional program of second language instruction is the key element allowing second language students to develop their English. However, many international schools have found it more convenient to follow national models of the Anglosphere. ..more

Theory into Practice: 21st-Century Learning and the Learner Profile

By Maritte Moskovics
14-Feb-19

To define the UAS learner profile, we all worked together as a community of educators, students, and parents to create the conditions that will help our students be globally aware, creative, emotionally intelligent, and collaborative critical thinkers. ..more

Creative Strategies for Embracing Diversity

By Shwetangna Chakrabarty
01-Feb-19

As an international school teacher, my biggest challenge is to cater to the needs of a diverse population of students from all over the world. At the same time, my greatest teaching asset is precisely the diversity of the student population! ..more

Transformative Learning Through Cross-Cultural Exchange

By John Lyons
18-Jan-19

Students at Kyiv International School (KIS) can now participate in the school’s first Student Diversity Project (SDP), a weekly intercultural communication activity to help promote student cross-cultural learning, understanding, and activism on campus and beyond. ..more

The Student as Teacher: Putting Theory of Knowledge into Practice

By Shir Shoval-Simhoni, Amanda Dzwairo, and Carolyn Asante-Dartey
01-Mar-19

Let’s face it, the Theory of Knowledge (ToK) class, mandatory for all IB Diploma candidates, is a challenge. We are exposed to so many new ideas, concepts, and vocabulary that it seems sometimes the toughest of our seven IB subjects. ..more

Cairo American College Celebrates CACMUN’s 40th

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

A Continued Legacy: TAS iGEM Team Brings Home Award Yet Again

By Anya L.
01-Feb-19

iGEM is a premier synthetic biology competition for high school and university students, where teams use biological parts to synthetically design a system and operate them in living cells. The TAS team won a gold medal and was also nominated for seven other awards. ..more

ISM Students Seek Cures for Cancer at the Nuclear Level

By Anna Seipelt Goco
03-Jan-19

International School Manila’s Beamcats team was given the opportunity to carry out its proposed experiment at the CERN physics lab in Geneva, Switzerland. The project aims to determine the viability of using pion therapy as an alternative method of cancer treatment. ..more

Closing Relevance Gaps and Building Schools of the Future

By Scott McLeod
19-Dec-18

Like most institutions in society, international schools are realizing that the intertwined, very disruptive forces of technology and globalization require us to rethink things, often at an elemental level. As they reassess, they are typically focused on four big shifts. ..more

Cultural Diversity in International Schools: Building Bridges of Understanding & Learning

By John L. Lyons
02-Nov-18

Cultural differences offer potent opportunities for building walls of separation or bridges of understanding between people. International schools--places of learning that by definition contain high levels of cultural diversity--should be in the business of building more bridges. ..more

It’s Time to Graduate Beyond STE(A)M and Coding

By Matt Harris
19-Oct-18

Are STEM, STEAM, and coding programs having the desired effect of building intrinsic technical skills among students that will be used in university and beyond? My travels and experiences have shown the answer to be… maybe. But we can do better. ..more

Integrating Theory of Knowledge Into Your Curriculum

By Mark McGowan
19-Oct-18

In recent years, the IB Diploma Programme has asked schools to more actively integrate Theory of Knowledge (ToK) into their curriculums. However, some continue to struggle with the how and why of such an undertaking. Here are a few strategies. ..more

M’KIS Explores How Expressive Methods Can Improve Behavior

By Anita Brady
19-Dec-18

Drawing on Eriksonian theory, Dr. Joyce Mills works to improve behavior through expressive methods. Combining a strong belief in the power of telling stories and the importance of play, Dr. Mills’ StoryPlay® emphasizes cultural diversity, natural healing abilities, and creative solutions. ..more

M’KIS Explores How Expressive Methods Can Improve Behavior

By Anita Brady
19-Dec-18

Exercising Student Choice Through Guided Independent Inquiry

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

Reading & Writing Workshop for the Middle Years: Lessons of an IB Examiner

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

Am I a Tech-Savvy Teacher?

By Matt Harris
23-May-18

Technology tools differ in every school and the needs of students vary based on age and curriculum. There is no clear bifurcation between those who are and are not tech-savvy teachers. Instead, tech-savvy teaching encompasses a spectrum of skills across a range of categories. ..more

Authentic Project-Based Learning: A Perfect Fit for International Educators

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

Education & the Common Good: Who Cares?

By Tiffani Razavi
14-Oct-18

A recent report by the Making Caring Common Project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education calls attention to the values at the core of education as the potential foundation for real social change. ..more

AISA Global Issues Service Summit 2018

By Maya and Patricio Saenz Flores
13-May-18

This year, the AISA Global Issues Service Summit was held at the International School of Kenya (ISK), from 18–20 January. Schools from all over Africa, and even one from Europe, joined us for three days filled with inspiration, excitement, enjoyment, and hard work. ..more

In Defense of Wandering and Wondering

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

ACS Tunis Is Out From Behind School Walls at Last

By Matt Piercy
06-Dec-18

For the past six decades, The American Cooperative School of Tunis (ACST) has embraced this inevitable change. Recently, this manifested in the reinstatement for the 2018–19 academic year of the previously discontinued Tunisian Studies trips, or Week Without Walls Program. ..more

It’s Alive! The Compelling & Challenging Cycle of Inquiry-Based Learning

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

Making Time to Create: Ignite Weeks in Futures Academy

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

Grade 7 WAB Students Design Their Own School Days

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

To Partner or Not to Partner? Lessons From a ToK Presentation

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

New Finnish-American School Model Introduced

By Dick Moore
28-Nov-18

International Schools Services (ISS) and Lumo Education Ltd. (Lumo) signed a formal collaboration agreement to co-develop new schools on behalf of clients, using a blended Finnish-American model within an international framework to serve the K–12 community. ..more

Becoming Knowledge Experts Through the ToK Interview Process

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

Flexible Seating Favors Focus

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

Alternative Treatment Options for Attention Deficit Disorder

By Ilana Amar-Leshem
25-Aug-18

The Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in children of all ages has, in the last decade, become virtually as frequent a diagnosis as for the common cold. I would like to bring to your attention some alternative medicine methods and treatments that can help your child or student concentrate and thrive in the classroom and at home. ..more

Evolving Teacher Leadership

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

Education Is not a Zero-Sum Game

By Mike Simpson
04-Apr-18

“Sport is, to use the jargon of economics, a zero-sum game: if I win, you, by definition, lose.” But education operates on a different model altogether. It is a game where everyone can win simultaneously. ..more

The EAL Poetry Challenge: We Can Do It!

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

Sing It! Songs as a Tool for Language Acquisition

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

Time to Update the Program: Reimagining School with Will Richardson

By Meadow Hilley, TIE Editor
30-Mar-18

Over the past dozen years, Will Richardson has become an outspoken advocate for change in schools worldwide. Writing and speaking about the intersection of social online learning networks and education, Will has worked with educators in over 20 countries to understand the opportunities and challenges of learning in the modern world. ..more

Inclusion Sooner Said Than Done: Improving Special Ed Support in International Schools

By Beckett Haight
19-Oct-18

International schools are quickly moving in the direction of ensuring broad support for students, wherever their needs may lie. Just because a student is in a college prep school or has been accepted to be full IB, doesn’t mean that staff won’t need to collaborate and co-plan. ..more

Enhancing Vitality and Positivity Through Reflection

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

Addressing Classroom Challenges With the Harkness Method

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

Concordia International School Shanghai Hosts 6th Annual Big Data and Analytics EdCon & 2018 Watson Analytics Global Competition

By Brandon Fisher
08-Mar-18

The Big Data and Analytics Education Conference (6th BDA EdCon) at Concordia will bring together academics, educators and industry partners to exchange knowledge and ideas to better prepare students for the work force. ..more

Assessment, Success, and Success Skills

By Mike Simpson
07-Jun-18

Resilience, along with perseverance, diligence, self-discipline, positivity, and a love for learning, is a success skill that we are working hard at our school to develop in all of our children. I believe that the development of all of these success skills are dependent upon a child’s sense of capacity—the belief that they are capable of achievement. ..more

International School Teacher at ASIJ Publishes First Novel

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

WBAIS: A Forward-thinking and Vibrant School

By Aviva Rosensweig
22-Feb-18

Walworth Barbour American International School (WBAIS ) in Israel is a very professional, and at the same time friendly, community that embraces new members with great warmth and personal attention. ..more

Desperately Seeking Mindful Educators

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

Rethinking Learning Space and Pedagogy in Africa

By Chipo Marunda-Piki
14-Feb-18

Through an action research, I set out to assess the extent to which elements of space affect the development of academic skills in my learners. This article is a glimpse into my journey as a teacher-researcher and into how I can use space as curriculum in my teaching and learning in Southern Africa. ..more

Homa Tavangar Sees Empathy as Key to Global Citizenship

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

No Pain No Gain - Top Global Teachers on Risk-taking and Normalizing Struggle

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

Benefits of English Language Testing at the Early Childhood Level

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

Grades: A Hurdle Worth Knocking Over in Physical Education

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

Knowledge in the Age of AI

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

Becoming an IB School

By Ana Leahy
13-Jan-18

The long pathway to becoming an IB school has finally come to an end! We, at the International Programs School, have reached the goal we set four years ago, having completed our last Middle States Association accreditation self-study. ..more

Former Governor of Vermont Inspires Shekou International School Students

By Liz Jheeta
02-May-18

Peter Shumlin, former three-term governor of Vermont, visited with Shekou International School (SIS) students recently. Urging the young people to “use their voice to make a difference,” the former governor recounted the story of how he entered politics to make change at the local level. ..more

Classroom Organizational Skills: Stepping Stones to Success

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

The Differentiation Station

By Geoff Richman
02-May-18

Two learning support teachers from The International School of Amsterdam (ISA) presented “The Differentiation Station,” a reclaimed bookshelfish piece of furniture with six compartments, each containing a specific tool students might use to find success in their classrooms. ..more

Beyond Walls and Outside Boxes: Experiencing the Power of Field Trips

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

KIS International School Wins APAC 2017 Ultimaker Education Challenge

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

Service & Experiential Learning in the Amazon

By Christian Orlic
19-Apr-18

Last August, 13 students from the American School of Barcelona (ASB) took two weeks off their summer vacation and traveled to the Amazon basin in Peru to participate in a student-run medical mission organized by Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM). ..more

The Phoenix Rises: American Cooperative School of Tunis Rebuilds to Learn

By Lesley Tait
27-Sep-18

In September 2012, the American Cooperative School of Tunis (ACST) was confronted with a monumental challenge when protests erupted and attention moved from the U.S. embassy to the school. Over the past six years, the ACST community has sought to rebuild better. ..more

TASIS Leadership Academy Explores Entrepreneurship & Service in the Balkans

By Daniel Ware
27-Sep-18

Students from TASIS The American School in England (TASIS England) recently participated in a 12-day trip to the Balkans as part of the TASIS Leadership Academy (TLA) with the aim of exploring political and diplomatic leadership, as well as conflict resolution. ..more

International College Adopts the Danielson Framework for the New Academic Year

By Richard Bampfylde
27-Sep-18

International College (IC), Lebanon, one of the largest international schools in the world with over 3,600 students across two campuses, has successfully integrated the world-renowned Danielson Framework into its educational practices. ..more

U.K.: New Government Plans for Mental Health Support and Education in Schools

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

Computer Science: An Essential Life Skill for Students at ISL

By Linda Egan
04-Apr-18

Computer Science Education Week is a worldwide annual program. For the fifth year in a row, students from the International School of Luxembourg (ISL) took part in “The Hour of Code” and other activities to develop their computational thinking skills. ..more

Themed Theater: Expressions of the Third-Culture Experience

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

Cutting Through the Edu Babble to Articulate What Is Most Important

By Michael Johnston
30-Mar-18

Parents of PK–12 students are consistently subjected to edubabble, which creates a disconnect when the conversation about learning gets picked up at home. At Colegio Maya, creating a common way to organize learning and having a consistent definition of what it means has been a game changer for teachers, students, parents, and all stakeholders. ..more

Teaching the Teachers at YCIS Beijing

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

Learning Labs as a Way to Approach the Incoming Math Curriculum

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

Educators focus on Growth Beyond Grades at Teacher Skills Forum 2018

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

Instrument Repair Workshop at ISK

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

An Exploration of Creativity and Movement in IB Art

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