Educating in the Dark
Jason Lasky looks at the elements of his work as an IB Drama teacher that have become central to his personal repertoire, and which help students to ‘let go’.
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Secondary
Challenging convention
Mark Beverley, Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning at Sevenoaks School explains why he thinks schools should rethink the idea of creativity.
Flipping across the curriculum
Ross Corker, Secondary Learning and Teaching Advisor at Bangkok Patana School explains their approach to ‘flipped learning’ with secondary students.
Why teach Shakespeare?
Sally Flint revisits a classic dilemma – just how relevant is Shakespeare to a modern audience?
Emily Melynn Alexander considers how lack of sleep can impact on the lives of teens and young adults: can they study effectively without it?
Language and learning
In the second of a series of articles on Language: The Key to Learning, Orla Redmond builds on her tips for creating a communication-rich classroom and examines ways to develop vocabulary.
Bridging a divide through lifelong learning
Tony Dickenson believes the relationship between teacher and student is evolving. Today, a more holistic approach, centred on inquiry requires a “collective approach,” with teacher and student exploring these concepts side by side.
On independent thinking
If your brain hurts as you read this article about thinking, teaching and learning, Ian Gilbert has done his job. Go on – have a go, but you’ll have to think for yourself – he won’t give you the answers.
Blended learning in an international school
Blending on-line and in-class learning has clear advantages for international schools. But how can it be sustained in practice? Catherine Brandt and Neil Hardy-Johnson report from Dubai.
Using GCSEPOD to flip the classroom
When working to develop a new concept school in Bali, Indonesia, maths teacher, Stephen Powell-Peterson wanted to introduce a truly functional flipped classroom. His goal? To enable students to learn theoretical information independently in class or at home and then apply what they learn during lessons. Now at Lucaya International School in the Bahamas, he reflects on where this idea has taken him.
Supporting EAL learners
According to Elly Tobin. the needs of learners in international schools have changed dramatically over recent years and at Consilium we have seen a shift from school populations being largely English speaking expats to host national students with limited inital English proficiency seeking an international education through the medium of English.
Sing for a change (and dance and paint and . . . . )
Susan Hamilton, Executive Director at educational youth opera organisation ‘Performability’, thinks it’s high time the curriculum was broadened, and talks about the company’s ground breaking, immersive creative projects in schools – both in the UK and overseas.
Miles to go before I learn
For Shimmi Sharma, discovering Skype in the Classroom opened up a range of experiences for her students, resulting in a sustained impact on their learning.
The International Award and university application
For Nick Chaddock, a student’s life skills are as important as academic achievement when it comes to making a university application. He also thinks that the International Award for Young People or “Duke of Edinburgh Award” has a profound impact on both.
How music education enriches child development
Jules Fitzgerald argues that access to a good, all-round musical education gives children significant advantages in their cognitive and social development. He identifies 5 areas of development in which a music education can make a difference.
Proofreading as a skill to improve writing.
Proofreading is generally considered the last part of the editing process during which students check for errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Chris Jay believes it can be so much more.
Using the Field-Tenor-Mode matrix to support EAL writing and textual analysis
Language curricula in international education place increasing significance on student ability to produce and analyse a range of text types. The Language Acquisition and Language B Courses of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years and Diploma Programmes are good examples of this trend.
Chris Jay reports how the “Field-Tenor-Mode” analytical approach can build understanding of English texts.
The fuel that feeds the flame
Educational technology is central to the construction of a modern program of learning, argues Matt Harris. To be properly implemented and sustained over time it must have the committed support of a transformational leadership team.
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The home of big questions
Dr. Richard Lofthouse reports on a new digital outreach initiative from Oxford University. Launched originally with a UK audience in mind, Oxplore asks “big questions” that are relevant to students around the world.
The digital threat to cultural diversity
The digital revolution has brought many benefits, but librarian Uma Shankar Singh argues it can also pose a significant threat to cultural diversity in an international school.
The importance of mother tongue language in education
A consequence of the ever-increasing popularity of international schools is the growth in the number of children learning in a language other than their first. This can open opportunities for the individual but, as Carolyn Savage explains, continuing to develop the mother tongue is vital to enhance learning.
Putting students in the driving seat
Giving students the opportunity to think for themselves in an unforgiving environment leads to the best kind of learning as David Gregory explains. What’s good for Outdoor Ed is also good for the classroom.
Dawn of the Makerspace era?
Despite widespread concerns over declining library usage, the impact of instant access technology and budgetary constraints, Uma Shankar Singh believes libraries are of vital importance and are set to remain exciting and innovative areas in school.
Grace Kelly firmly believes that Franklin’s maxim, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn” holds true when investigating the benefits of collaborative learning.
Learning how to be independent
Andy Homden suggests that unless students acquire the habit of academic independence, they will neither fulfill their potential nor be ready for the expectations of higher education and the world of employment. But – they have to be shown how.
What’s worth learning?
In our efforts to define 21st Century learning, Andy Homden thinks it is worth revisiting a question we all discussed when we were trainee teachers: what knowledge is worth having? If we then widen this out a little to consider what skills are worth developing and what kind of understanding we wish our students to acquire, I think we have a good place for taking the discussion about 21st Century learning forward quickly.