Duangporn Turongratanachai
Consilium Education library specialist, Sal Flint continues her column – School Readers – in which she talks to educators about their favourite books. This month’s Reader is school librarian Duang Turongratanachai.
Consilium Education library specialist, Sal Flint continues her column – School Readers – in which she talks to educators about their favourite books. This month’s Reader is school librarian Duang Turongratanachai.
Colin Bell looks at a new global coalition supporting safeguarding initiatives in British International schools.
The population of the UAE is growing and there is pressure on class sizes – but will this mean poorer learning? Ger Graus looks at the research.
Ekxel Carlo T. Degollacion looks at how an elementary government school in the Philippines has challenged traditional approaches to teaching and learning.
Too many years ago than I care to remember, I was sitting at the side of our little school hall for the weekly primary assembly. There must have been singing – there always was – and then a presentation or two. Certificates were being given out and then a Year 6 boy was called out to receive a medal he had won in an inter-school-sports meet the week before. He beamed as we applauded. At the end of the row where I was sitting a small boy turned to his friend:
“That’s my brother!”
His smile of pride was, if anything, broader than his brother’s. His friends smiled back and a girl in the row in front of him turned around:
“Isn’t that your brother??” Again, smiling, slightly incredulously.
Schools are full of stories. Here the headline story was on stage, but perhaps the real story was going on all around us. The whole community had created an amazing culture in which young people took enormous pride in themselves and each other without any kind of one-upmanship. We had our medals (there was some debate about that!) but most importantly, we had our friends.
Teachers are great story-tellers and, dare I say, yarn-spinners. And schools need their stories – it makes them what they are. However, schools don’t always do so well in sharing their stories. Writing the weekly newsletter piece becomes a chore and an exercise in beating the clock. And then there’s the website and social media: website content can be impressive but soulless. As Martin Skelton argues in this issue of ITM – can we really be that amazing?
So where are the real stories? The stories that will reach and engage different audiences of parents, teachers, visitors (and inspectors?). Stories that will tell them what the school is really all about? The answer is that a school’s stories are all around us. They are about the lesson that has had an unexpected impact and is then discussed in the staffroom. They are about the planning and achievement of an initiative that has worked and improved learning, perhaps in a small way, and not just on a grand scale. They are about the little acts of kindness, humanity and growth that happen every day in a school. The sort of story an enthusiastic member of staff or a student will tell off-the-cuff when I met them while showing a prospective family around the school.
Schools need these stories to be written and shared, on line, in print, in podcasts and on YouTube. It’s just good practice – a win for the school in defining what makes it a great place to be and an opportunity for a member of staff to reflect on something they care about and even learn to do better through the very process of writing things down. A link to a published piece also looks great on a CV!
Sharing these stories is really a form of ‘inbound marketing’ – the kind of marketing that a variety of audiences interested in education prefer and which educators actually enjoy writing, for a number of different reasons.
Even if someone thinks they can’t write this sort of story, they can. Like everything else we learn to do, they need a little time, a little space, someone to suggest what works and what doesn’t work and someone to listen to them.
Sound like anything you enjoy doing already?
ITM Editor, Andy Homden will be talking about ‘Finding your school’s stories’ in the latest Outstanding Schools Webinar on Thursday March 7th at 1:30 pm UK time.
You can register here.
FEATURE IMAGE: Unsplash+In collaboration with Getty Images
Support Image : https://www.istockphoto.com/en/portfolio/MakhbubakhonIsmatova?mediatype=photography
Ecuador-based Uno a Uno is one of many not-for-profit, low-cost organisations making a difference to children’s education around the world. But what they wanted to know in 2023 was just how much impact they were having. Brian Ambrosio reports.
Gavin Judd describes how a school community in Mexico City designed its new campus to be actively used as the students’ ‘third teacher’.
Pınar Gökbayrak looks back on her journey as a school architect, reflecting on classrooms, how a school’s ‘forgotten places’ can be used and designing schools with the community.
If we want students to excel and be inspired, we should be designing schools that they will actually enjoy, argues David Judge.
Jane Crowhurst asks us to think about what physical spaces say about a school’s learning culture and values. What stories do they tell?
Clara Garriga suggests that following the successful opening of an innovatively designed extension to a heritage primary school building in Edinburgh, Passivhaus can become ‘the new normal’ for school design.
Architect Ian Bogle always has an ear open for any conversation about learning: listening with understanding to a client can then set a new design apart.
Ashley Currie looks at how part of a heritage school building in rural Derbyshire has been repurposed for Global 21st Century learning.
Holly Warren has recently moved to Switzerland and has been spending time walking and thinking about her teaching journey.
Erika Elkady laments the narrow ‘academic’ approach of modern education, but sees the potential of an ancient ideal to provide a framwork for change.
A new study by Lisa Wishart Terry explores the possible impact of high teacher turnover in international schools on the cognitive and social development of Third Culture Kids (‘TCKs’). Chris Terry reports.
Matthew Savage reflects upon his experience as a disabled wheelchair user in a world which was neither designed nor built for him.
In the latest ITM Podcast Rob George and Sal Flint reflect on what it means to be an international school librarian and why they love the job so much.
Was 2023 the year everything changed because of AI? Perhaps some of our old priorities just became more essential.
Holly Sullivan, Head of Creative and Expressive Arts at The Alice Smith School, Malaysia, looks at the link between the Creative Arts and developing a sense of belonging in an international school.
No one wants to end up at an international school in a position that is an overall bad fit for them. Ron Rosenow emphasises the importance of considering some of the smaller aspects of international living and teaching.
In the first of two articles, Matthew Savage reflects upon his experience as a disabled wheelchair user of a world which was neither designed nor built by or for him and why every physical space, including our schools, is in need of liberation.
In preparing young people for the challenges ahead of them, empathy has a vital role to play. Reading provides the perfect vehicle to develop this skill, according to Helen Mulligan.
Assistant Head Teacher, Katie Latham, took the plunge this year to set up her own company and she is now Managing Director of Teacher Card Limited. We all stand to benefit!
The British School Muscat has made a radical break from conventional PD and evaluation systems, which have beeen replaced by a framework based on coaching. Principal Kai Vacher reports on the dividend.
The heartbeat of any school
Putting this learning support mantra into practice is the best way to meet an increasing range of post-covid needs, according to Krystle Flack, Head of Learning Support at Cranleigh School.
I cannot begin to imagine a school without music. Any school, whatever the age range. Music is as important to 18 year olds as it is to 3 year olds, not to mention all the adults in the school community.
The sound of a choir in rehearsal, of a class enjoying a music lesson, of a band practice, of a pianist and director putting performers through their paces as they all prepare for the latest production, are among the most evocative sounds associated with a school.
It’s true, in general you’ll find a lot of music going on in most international schools.
And yet, do we value music education as we should? It is rarely seen at the centre of the curriculum and although it is regarded as a major component of an extra-curricular programme, music during the school day has become a diminishing experience for many children as they grow older.
Few secondary schools would expect many of their students to choose a university course that would include the study of music.
The idea of music as a ‘luxury subject’ for a handful of extremely talented older students who have somehow managed to fit in a course of instrumental tuition on top of their other studies surely does not serve the majority of our students well. The International Baccalaureate has of course done a great deal to keep the Arts as an essential part of a well-balanced curriculum for children of all ages and this should be applauded. International Educators might also take note of the powerful new preuniversity courses emerging from the UK offered by the University of the Arts, London (UAL).
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But surely, all children deserve – and need – more access to a music education than they have now. This is no nostalgic aspiration harking back to a pre-national curriculum ‘golden age’ of music in schools. It is an urgent and modern need. Music affects people in powerful ways. In times when we are increasingly concerned about student and staff wellbeing, music has the power to uplift and inspire. If we are concerned about physical health, it has the ability to get people moving, and, as has been increasingly shown (think of recent TV favourites like The Choir or The Piano) to have a unique ability to bring people together in a wide range of social experiences – in choirs, in bands, in church and simply as individuals enjoying a day out who encounter a street performer and find themselves as part of an impromptu audience on a station concourse. You can see the smiles.
A good musical education enriches the lives not only of music specialists who go onto to become professioanl performers but also of the rest of us who become their audience. The more we experience music, the more we can be transported by the emotion of a musical moment or transfixed by a performer’s skill, because we have ‘had a go’ at playing an instrument, however badly and have come to appreciate just how wonderful their performance is.
This month ITM takes a special look at music. The authors of three articles in our first edition of 2023 – 24 highlight its special qualities and in effect invite us to re-evaluate music as one of the most important 21st Century subject areas. The connection between music and resilience is powerfully demonstrated by Anna Azarova when she looks back over 2022 – 23 as experienced by the British International School of Ukraine, while Martin Barraclough, Director of Music at Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi examines the importance of music for developing wider academic skills. Finally, Jordan Laidlow and Dr. Winston Wuttenee tell the compelling story of how music is playing a critical role in facilitating social and cultural reconciliation in Canadian schools..
Music. It’s powerful stuff. Let’s get as much of it into our schools as we can!
Andy Homden is the CEO of Consilium Education, publishers of International Teacher Magazine.
FEATURE IMAGE: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/FangXiaNuo?mediatype=photography
Martin Barraclough, Director of Music at Cranleigh, Abu Dhabi, thinks music should be placed at the centre of a modern curriculum. All else follows.
Through their friendship and shared love of music Dr. Winston Wuttunee and Jordan Laidlaw feel that they have been able to contribute to the process of reconciliation in Canada.
In a difficulty year, Anna Azarova reflects on how music has enabled students from the British International School Ukraine to communicate and work with peers from around the world.
Wherever your school is with the issue of equity, this well-informed, down-to-earth conversation between Nunana Nyomi and Clare Ives, two of the most experienced educators responsible for establishing a culture of equity in a school, is a must-listen.
Holly B.F. Warren reflects on how teachers and parents can collaborate to explore and celebrate the role of imagination in schools.
Matthew Savage considers the importance of symbols and flags for young people as they develop their own sense of belonging and identity in their school.
Sports Facilities Lead at Alleyn’s School, Joel Stewart describes how a visit to Qatar changed his world view – and his life.
Katherine Beith Director of Studies at Alleyn’s Junior School considers the reading journey the school has recently experienced. According to Year 4, things are on the right track!
Gordon Montgomery, Head of Partnerships and Outreach at Oundle looks at how the school has developed its culture in order to embrace an enriching range of different partnerships.
Gavin English, Deputy Head Pastoral at Alleyn’s School in London, considers whether the pursuit of ‘greatness’ is overrated.Could good be better?
Nicholas Chaddock asks if it isn’t time for all international schools to bring outdoor education in from the cold and give it parity of esteem with ‘academic’ subjects.
For Danau Tanu, Alien Citizen a movie by Elizabeth Liang is a must see for international teachers wanting to understand the ‘TCK’ experience.
According to IBDP Geography teacher, Paul Thompson, developing empathy as a key meta-skill enhances understanding and is the 21st Century key to ‘building’ character.
Clare Brokenshire reminds us that frequent examples of good pastoral practice within a positive school culture can make a big difference to a student’s day.
For Nunana Nyomi, it is fear itself that holds us back from addressing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice issues in international schools. Two strategies can take us forward.
Thomas Kelley and Kathy Marshall propose that if we are to address the issue of poor wellbeing and mental stress in our schools, we must grasp a sufficient understanding of the way every person’s psychological life is created from the “inside-out”.
Despite the huge benefits of an international education, we know there can be a downside for ‘third culture kids’. Tanya Crossman looks at awareness and risk mitigation in schools.
Can the social and emotional state of our students be tracked to enable early intervention? Jonathan Taylor and Simon Antwis think so.
Matthew Savage looks at why students in international schools might choose to mask their real self and the consequences for student wellbeing.
Tash Hingston with news of an opportunity for the views of international school students to be heard by participating in the ISC Research student voice survey.
With teacher retention and wellbeing more important than ever, Cindy Adair looks at what makes a great induction programme for international staff.
David Cole, Principal of the British International School Ukraine looks at how an online art project has kept the school community together during the country’s diaspora.