School professionals are often blamed for the ills of society. Yet, there are countless administrators, teachers and counselors who challenge and inspire students to do their best and strive for excellence. Leah Davies suggest 10 ideas educators may want to consider as they continue their work.
Taking up a principal’s role for the first time – or taking over at a new school – is tough for anyone. Ciaran McMahon suggests that you have to adjust, be patient, listen, get the right people on your side and acquire “the knowledge”, and thinks they should be more like lambs than lions.
The expansion of British international education is now a global phenomenon. International educator, Andy Homden, looks at two new ways in which this growing community can share opportunities, news and ideas with each other.
Providing great PD on a tight budget is always a challenge. Lural Ramirez, Director at the Centro Educativo Futuro Verde and her team have been implementing a creative solution.
Having spent six years teaching at a leading international school in South-East Asia, Matt Tighe was delighted to be appointed International Link Coordinator at Farlingaye High School in the UK. A central focus of his work now is developing an international mind-set that is both meaningful and practical for a school in semi-rural Suffolk.
A well written article, shared actively online demonstrates authority and will get a school noticed in the right kind of way. Andy Homden looks at different types of article that engage, entertain and inform. Almost all are written by practising educators.
An increasing number of students in international schools, including those following IB Diploma courses are sitting the IELTS and similar examinations of language competence, but many under-perform. Chris Jay provides some useful guidance on how to avoid pitfalls and achieve success.
Educational technology has long been acknowledged as a valuable learning and teaching tool. Many teachers are highly skilled in this field but failure to document these skills often means their achievements go unrecognised. Matt Harris, Ed.D suggests a way forward.
Andrew Kingham had a career change at the ripe old age of 47. Here he reflects on the effects of making this adjustment from engineer to teacher.
Sue Collins has been working on the Endicott International M.Ed. Programs for the last five years. She was moved by the testimonials of the program alumni, and reflects on how the M.Ed. programs have changed so many lives.
Piia Parviainen from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, explores how it is the underlying pedagogy that unites us as teachers and has the most significant impact on children’s learning.
A vist to Taylor’s International, KL
My taxi, adorned with a myriad of good luck charms: coins, mystic knots, Dzi beads and even a laughing Buddha, battled through the tropical downpour and dropped me at the gate of the school. It was “Home time!” and scores of shrieking children danced excitedly through the torrential rain and waiting cars, seeking sanctuary from the storm.
How two CPD specialists designed a new curriculum
You leave the training enthused, revitalised, even inspired; you can’t wait to put into practice the ideas you have gleaned from it. Sadly, on your return to school, the demands of the over-crowded curriculum, the daily routines and your seemingly infinite pastoral responsibilities result in those fresh ideas being mentally filed “for another time” that never seems to arrive. It is a scenario experienced by many teachers and recognised by Amanda McCallum and her colleague Karen Green who set out to create a different approach to professional learning, and carved out a new career as a curriculum designer in the process.
Peter Hudson
I had just finished having breakfast at what used to be called a country house party in the UK. Having listened to several guests for several minutes, asking them about their work and families, I was asked what I did. ‘I teach teachers how to listen’, I replied. One of the guests, herself a retired teacher, said ‘Oh that’s the top skill in teaching!’ When I asked her what she thought the reason for that was, she said ‘It builds respect with the students and when you have that you can achieve so much more with them’.
Mark Wood
There are times when, according to Mark Wood, who works in Dubai, you should ask yourself a simple question: “Why do I love teaching?” This is how it works for Mark.
I have been teaching for almost 10 years. I love my job, but every now and then I have to stop and think “Why? Why do I love teaching?” I’d like to suggest that every now and then you ask yourself the same question. I guarantee that just thinking about the answer to this question will have an impact on your teaching and, more importantly, on your students’ learning.
Published by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), 1987, now available as The 5 Core Propositions.
I found this short tract when I inherited the contents of the bookshelves in my office at Enka Schools in 2002. It lingered there for a little longer, but then I picked it up one afternoon and read it from cover to cover in an hour (it’s 21 pages long). I was fascinated by the unambiguously simple title and I was not disappointed by what it had to say. In making the case for rigorous and thoughtful practice, it makes five propositions: