Music, learning and excellence
Martin Barraclough, Director of Music at Cranleigh, Abu Dhabi, thinks music should be placed at the centre of a modern curriculum. All else follows.
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Secondary
Developing FlexEd, a blended learning solution for a smaller partnered school
Kai Vacher, Principal British School Muscat and his team, devise the provision of an affordable blended education programme for secondary students in a new partner school, the British School Salalah.
AP: different, not easier
A senior prank and the student reaction that followed, got Darcie Flansburg thinking about comparing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) with Advanced Placement (AP).
Building on Bloom
Dr. Domenico Meschino would like us to take Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning to a new level in order to help us meet the needs of 21st Century learners.
Teaching creativity
Professor of Educational Technology and Creativity, Mike DeSchryver thinks that if we want to teach creativity, we must first explore our creative selves – while also having some fun!
Innovative approaches to personalised learning in international schools
International schools are leading the way when it comes to effective differentiation, according to David Williams.
‘Great’ is all well and good, but ‘good’ . . . now we’re talking!
Gavin English, Deputy Head Pastoral at Alleyn’s School in London, considers whether the pursuit of ‘greatness’ is overrated.Could good be better?
The crucial importance of experiential learning
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.
Encouraging students to choose Computer Science and Career Technical Education courses
Larkin LeSueur explains how the Humble Independent School District in Texas has used the ‘Goldilocks Principle’ to encourage students to choose courses in Computer Science and Career Technical Education (CTE).
Writing, lifelong learning and gender equity
Tony Dickenson teacher, lifelong learner and writer reflects on gender and equity. How should we be encouraging boys to understand the obstacles that girls face every day?
Equity and school culture
Clare Ives makes a persuasive case for using the concept of equity to lay the foundations of a school’s culture and to guide a range of school interventions.
Tips for moving towards a Standards-Based approach to grading
Darcie Flansburg offers advice for transitioning from traditional high-school grading to less subjective, standards-based assessment.
Future skills, A Level and the IB Diploma
Both programmes have their merits – but which of these two well-regarded programmes best equip students with future skills? Alessandro Capozzi pauses for thought.
Technology and student assessment
Formal assessment at 16+ really is starting change. Dr. Sarah Watson wonders how much further this can go and what we have to think about.
Quicker and more reliable? Surely not . . .
Does ‘çomparative judgement’ provide a more reliable – and quicker way to mark written work? Daisy Christodoulou certainly thinks so.
A framework for teaching the world’s most important subject
You’d have thought governments would be rushing to get the issue of sustainability into the mainstream curriculum. Apparently not. Stephen Scoffham and Steve Rawlinson are looking to fill the gap.
The Wild Wisdom challenge for students aged 10 – 14
Raising awareness of critical environmental issues has never been more important – but it can also be fun, as Charlotte Bouchier reports.
Is it all about trauma and mistakes?
Drew Thomas who teaches IB History at NLCS on Jeju Island questions the narrowness of popular history courses offered by most international schools.
Why is long term memory important for learning?
IB teacher and Head of Physics at Sevenoaks School, James Tate looks at tablets, long term memory and problem solving.
Improving listening skills in Modern Languages and beyond
Head of IB French at Sevenoaks School, Dr Fabienne Cheung, thinks it’s time to challenge traditional approaches to teaching listening skills in Modern Languages.
Hearing student voices for the climate crisis
Pete Milne is a man on a mission – to help young people understand the climate crisis and show schools how they can take action quickly and effectively.
The road to real inclusion, taking one step at a time
According to April Remfrey, international schools need guidance, support and clear standards to follow in order to become more inclusive.
Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and classroom practice
For IB Geography teacher, Elen Harris, understanding CLT can enhance effective student learning, especially when introducing and developing a new topic, concept or idea.
Experimenting with the Harkness Method
Isla Phillips describes how she uses the Harkness method of discussion for developing student-lead interaction in Years 7 to 10.
Recognising student learning
Concerned that conventional assessment undermines rather than meets student needs, Conrad Hughes suggests a different approach to the recognition of learning. Other Heads obviously agree.
Allowing a poetry opt-out is wrong
Just when poetry was becoming really interesting both to teach and even more important to study, it has fallen victim to post-covid curricuum cuts. Jill Pritchard laments the move.
Measuring the social and emotional skills of 10 and 15 year olds
A recent study by the OECD strikingly confirms the importance of holistic education. Andreas Schleicher looks at the outcomes of their 2018-20 global Survey of Social and Emotional Skills.
Teachers’ leadership styles and student performance
Do ‘inclusive’ leadership styles in teachers motivate students? A study by Paul Parham and Gloria Moss at Sevenoaks School suggests there is a significant correlation.
Charley Openshaw, IB teacher and Head of Art at Sevenoaks School recommends the virtues of careful observation and drawing as useful techniques for wider learning.
Fake News vs School Libraries
Julian McDougall places school libraries and an effective programme of media literacy in the front line to confront and counter ‘fake news’.
The purpose of education in the 2020s
For Kirsty Knowles, there are two crucial purposes in education. 1. Bringing sustainability to the centre of the curriculum and 2. Supporting them in taking action as a result.
Forward looking learning
Just how do you undertake a comprehensive review of a well-established and popular international curriculum like the IPC and IMYC? Gregory Biggs looks at the dynamic process being used by Fieldwork Education.
Instrumental music teacher Julia Kiggell suggests that understanding connections between dyslexia and mastering a musical instrument can help transform a student’s learning.
Interdisciplinary projects using 3D printing
Uma Shankar Singh looks at the huge potential for using a 3-D printer to stimulate interdisciplinary project work.
New thoughts about an old debate
Chris Taylor wonders if the ‘skills / knowledge’ divide is really so deep and, if not, what are the implications for learning and teaching?
The power of good assessment data
If data from objective testing like MAP are to be useful, students have to take it seriously. Kawai Liu and Sharon Ma look at how Shanghai SMIC Private School helped their students understand the way testing supports them.
The problem with paper-based examinations
Ian Grove-Stephensen makes a strong case for abandoning paper-based summative assessments as soon as possible.
Supporting Year 13 / Grade 12 in uncertain times
Careers and Universities Counsellor, Paul Yap, looks at how graduating students can ‘win the wait’ imposed on them as they plan for the future during lockdown.
The use of Meta-thinking and Self-regulation in remote learning
Using the principles of High Performance Learning, Neil Thomas suggests five ways in which teachers can encourage self-directed learning during periods of online learning.
The only stupid question is the one never asked
Hélène Bonsall looks at the value of student questions, and asks why they are not asked more frequently in class.
Embracing the complex
Effective language teaching in a multi-cultural international school is a complex undertaking. By embracing this complexity, the International School of Paris aims to ‘go beyond bilingual’ as Primary Principal, Jason Taylor, reports.
Essential elements of a modern curriculum
Brendan Law identifies four key elements that should feature in a modern curriculum, but everything must unleash a child’s curiosity.
Developing conceptual understanding in mathematics
Alex Cull, director at Mangahigh, shares her experience of developing children’s conceptual understanding of mathematical skills before, during and after Covid.
Whole class feedback
Elen Harris looks at how Sevenoaks School has developed a model for giving high-impact feedback to students, while saving teachers time.
The first thing I invested in was the school library
Former Head Teacher of the Year, and President of the School Library Association, Richard Gerver, explains why libraries are more important than ever.
Creating deeper learning experiences
Farida Danmeri looks at the link between constructionism and ‘making’, analysing how one enhances the other for effective learning.
. . . and why it matters
Kyra Kellawan and Andreu Gual i Falco ask schools to challenge attitudes that both undermine student aspiration and lead to an unbalanced workforce.
The foundation we forget to teach
Whatever you teach, argues Richard Evans, helping students know themselves is equally important. Acquiring emotional literacy transforms lives – yours and theirs.
Feature Image: Courtesy of Brian D’Cruz Hypno Plus https://www.briandcruzhypnoplus.com/
Self-assessment in the online classroom
India is going through a process of educational change, which the pandemic has accelerated. For Gargi Sarkar changes in assessment should be embraced, not resisted.
Alexis Anderson and Himani Sood from the I & S department at Oberoi International School-JVLR Campus describe how they have been using social media to support historical inquiries.