Pedaling Purposeful Pedagogy | TIE Newsletter 11 March 2026 | The International Educator (TIE Online)

11 March 2026

RESOURCES

In times of acute regional conflict, international schools must respond swiftly to safeguard student wellbeing, foster a sense of safety, and equip educators to lead calm and developmentally appropriate conversations. The following resources are offered to support schools as they navigate these moments... more

SAFEGUARDING IN SCHOOLS

The Threshold for Reporting is Concern: Promoting an Ethos of Safeguarding

By Debbie Downes

We need to hold each other accountable and avoid prioritizing the reputation of adults in the school ahead of the safety of students… more

AI War Games: Using Simulations in the Classroom

By Andrew Knox and Dr. Gregory Hessee

ChatGPT simulations can be used in the classroom to develop student curiosity through real time global crisis scenarios... more

Beyond Gaman: Why Endurance Alone Is Not Resilience

By Nickolas Hironao Harris

True resilience isn't passive endurance (gaman) but purposeful effort. Education must shift from enforcing compliance to fostering agency and focus... more

Pedaling with Purpose

By Andres Rodriguez Perdomo

The tricycle unit at UNIS Hanoi showcases how a simple activity can yield profound educational, physical, and socio-cultural outcomes... more

Are Our Growth and Appraisal Systems Meeting Our Needs?

By Stacy Stephens

A system only works when it leads to better teaching practices that educators actually use, not another layer of paperwork that produces compliance... more

From Identity Theft to Asset Framing

By Jon Nordmeyer

Labeling multilingual learners by English proficiency undermines identity; systemic change fosters inclusion, competence, and equitable learning... more

Seven Ways to Support Students Observing Ramadan

By Amin Hussain and Sagda Khalil

Creating welcoming, inclusive schools during Ramadan means honoring Muslim students’ faith through empathy, access, understanding, and thoughtful support... more

C.R.E.A.T.E. Your Way to Effective Teaching and Learning

By Cora Yang and Dalton Flanagan

We need to treat AI integration like any other pedagogical strategy, with backward design. The C.R.E.A.T.E. framework transforms your ideas into reliable educational assistants… more

Fuel for the Fire: When Direct Instruction Supports Student-Led Inquiry

By Ethan Van Drunen and Marcelle van Leenen

Windhoek International School shares how a rebalancing of direct instruction with progressive inquiry has led to remarkable gains in student learning... more

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Being the Leader That Would Inspire You

By Bryan Dennie

Grounded in the reminder that “somebody is learning how to be a person by watching you,” the true measure of leadership lies in the emotional imprint we leave on others... more

Permeable Minds: How Omission Forms Meaning

By Rachida Dahman

Ethical classroom attention shapes judgment; repeated omissions erode trust, turning institutional commitments into contradictions rather than lived realities… more

SENIA HAPPY HOUR PODCAST

Show #112 Western Academy Beijing

By Lori Boll

In this episode, Dr. Christin Topper of Western Academy of Beijing shares how WAB places inclusion at the center of its policy ecosystem and daily practice... more

Action Research Snippets

By Paul Magnuson

A colleague asked me for some examples of action research, or “teacher experimentation.” She used the word “snippet,” which is a fantastic word. snippet (n.) – “small piece snipped off,” 1660s, from snip (n.) + diminutive suffix -et.* So here are eight snippety examples of real teacher projects illustrating what I consider the Most Needed Professional Learning Practice: action research and teacher experimentation… more

Finding the Pulse of Life in the Valley of Death

By Conrad Hughes

Death Valley is no ordinary place. In 1913, the air temperature was recorded at 56.7°C, the hottest in the world ever. Furnace Creek lies 282 feet below sea level. The perpetual micro sand avalanches of the Mesquite dunes cause them to sing a low frequency hum, like the Om of ancient Vedic texts. The Devils Hole Pupfish lives at the pit of a 500 foot deep cavern reaching into the prehistoric, unchanged bowels of the earth… more

Blue Skies Leadership – Episode #20

By Daniel Kerr

Stop trying to be the best in the world. Start being the best for the world. We are thrilled to celebrate a major milestone—Episode #20 of the Blue Skies Leadership Podcast! To mark the occasion, we sat down with a true titan of international education, Tim Carr. Tim doesn’t just talk about leadership; he lives it through a lens of “Islands of Sanity.” In a world that often feels like an “achievement factory,” Tim challenges us to pivot toward a more humane, redemptive, and joyful model of schooling… more

Global Book Recommendations: Books To Inspire and Lead Classroom Discussions

By Margriet Ruurs

All of the people featured in these titles, have made a difference in the lives of others. Books to inspire and to lead to classroom discussions! Malala, My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights, written by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick; Chasing A Star by Norma Charles; Seeker of Knowledge, the Man who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs, by James Rumford; and more… more