Student-directed learning spaces
Learnlife’s Ulrike Suwwan makes a strong case for incorporating ‘Hublings’ – flexible spaces for self-directed learning – into the design of any school.
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The Future
International schools with affordable fees are in demand
According to Sam Fraser there is significant growth in the enrolment of international schools with affordable tuition fees: ISC Research intelligence suggest this sector will continue to expand.
How stable are your systems? How safe is your data?
Glaucia Rosas and James Wilkinson of the EduTec Alliance see a ‘perfect storm’ on the horizon for educational technology in schools. Here they explain why and what schools can do to prepare.
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.
Embedding data-led decisions in the strategic planning cycle: COBIS21 link article
While schools understand that data should inform strategic planning, they often get their timing wrong or rely on unreliable anecdotal evidence. Ashley Kirk and Doris Suchet of ISC Research have advice.
The most important future skill
Two keynotes. Two stories. One message about the future, and it might not be what you were expecting. Reflections on the COBIS 2021 conference from Andy Homden.
The importance of external space and environmental design in schools.
Architect Ian Bogle reflects on how a school’s interior must connect with its external environment for great learning to take place.
Why continuous assessment will redefine global education
Alex Mirza has no doubt that digital assessment platforms, properly aligned to formative principles, are set to change the world of education.
Interdisciplinary projects using 3D printing
Uma Shankar Singh looks at the huge potential for using a 3-D printer to stimulate interdisciplinary project work.
Learning for an interconnected world: COBIS21 conference link article
Andreas Schleicher takes an in-depth look at the measurement of ‘Global Competence’ in PISA 2018. As he argues at the COBIS21 conference, the associated concepts and skills should be at the core of any modern curriculum.
How the pandemic is affecting practice in international schools
Sam Fraser, leader of the ISC Research field team reflects on how the pandemic has changed international education in ways of which we should all be aware.
. . . when choosing an international school
Anne Keeling looks at a recent White Paper published by ISC Research which provides insight into what parents are looking for in an international school this year.
Adopting an Environmental Social Governance code at school
Lisa Walsh thinks that the adoption of Environmental Social Governance codes by an increasing number of companies could – and should – be an example for school Boards.
Covid-19 and school leadership in disruptive times
Richard Gaskell invites us to pause, take stock and listen to each other as we prepare to take on the next section of the Covid white-water ride.
‘It is what it is, and we are where we are’.
Imagining a ‘new normal’ is backward looking, argues Ger Graus. For Ger, it’s time to build on what we have learned in 2020, move on to create genuine opportunity for all children, globally.
Creating deeper learning experiences
Farida Danmeri looks at the link between constructionism and ‘making’, analysing how one enhances the other for effective learning.
The lessons of the corona crisis in Denmark
Kevin Goggins, Head of Skt Josef’s International School, Denmark considers how the Danish experience of the pandemic may point the way to more lasting educational change.
Pilot online accreditation visits
Gary Minnitt, Director of Accreditation at COBIS looks at the advantages emerging from a series of online pilot school visits. Not easy, but so far, so good.
. . . 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.
Making difficult decisions in difficult times
A survey for the February 2021 COBIS Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff Conference, throws light on how schools are steering a course through the troubled waters of the pandemic. Paul Cabrelli and Andy Homden report.
SCHOOL DESIGN FOR THE POST-COVID WORLD
As the Covid-19 crisis continues, Andy Homden looks at implications for new school design.
How Covid-19 is changing the recruitment landscape for 2021
Diane Jacoutot, one of the most experienced recruiters on the international scene. analyses the contradictory impact of Covid-19 on recruitment, and predicts a teacher shortage in 2021 – 22.
The long view for international education in Egypt
Despite all the problems associated with Covid-19, Mansoor Ahmed reminds us that many longer term data point to further growth in international education. Egypt is a case in point.
Phys Ed teachers respond to Covid-19 as a global community
PE and sport in schools has been profoundly affected by the pandemic. Phil Mathe hates the constraints, but describes how PE teachers around the world have come together like never before to find solutions for their students.
. . . I want to be an ethical hacker.
We must prepare children for the future world of work, where young people could become ‘urban shepherds’ or ‘robot monitors’, or . . . . ? says Ger Graus.
Picking up the baton
It’s been a long time since Ken Robinson’s famous TED talk in 2006. Andy Homden asks whether the baton of the learning revolution has been picked up by a new champion who is already putting ideas into practice on a large scale.
The impact of Covid-19 on school design
The prolonged closures of schools in 2020 has been shocking. How should new schools be designed to prevent a future calamity on this scale? Andy Homden considers the phoenix of school design that could rise from the ashes of Covid-19.
What lies beneath?
Matthew Savage, creator of the #monalisaeffect® approach to personalised learning and wellbeing considers what other masks children will be wearing in 2020.
Learning does not live in a vacuum
In the latest of a series of articles about the Common ground Collaborative Kevin Bartlett explains how the Common Ground Collaborative focuses on learning that matters.
Converting a school’s student population from fluid to solid
Esther Clark looks at online opportunities available for international schools to offer greater breadth and stronger continuity of education for their students.
How the CGC Cracked the Learning Code
Having considered ‘Why’ the Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) set out to create a new paradigm for teaching and learning, Kevin Bartlett and his colleagues ask ‘What is Learning?’
New reports highlight inclusion and edtech practice in international schools
At a time of such profound and rapid change, it is vital to keep up with emerging trends in order to plan effectively. Diane Glass of ISC Research looks at two important studies that are hot off the press.
Is there a cure?
Stephen Cox has been reflecting on the state of world education, using Covid-19 as a metaphor for outdated systems that need to be changed.
Closing the online learning gap
Derek Devine thinks that distance learning can be personalised without adding to the pressure that teachers are already under – quite the reverse in fact.
Teaching the 2020 World Economic Forum skills
Teacher, journalist and trainer, Jackie Beere reviews the ‘must-have’ skills as defined by the World Economic Forum in 2020 and how we can teach them.
“How important it is for us to recognise our heroes and she-roes!”
Ger Graus looks at the role models we all look up to and asks how Maya Angelou’s ‘heroes and she-roes’ affect the changing aspirations of young people.
The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC)
After such a rich and successful international career in education, most people would be reflecting on a job well done. Not Kevin Bartlett. With a nod to Simon Sinek, he starts with ‘Why?’ he and a group of other like-minded educators founded the CGC.
The Asian Century is well underway
Dr Stephen M. Whitehead looks at how the default position that ‘West is best’ is being questioned in Asia more than ever. What this might mean for international education?
Study reveals both optimism and caution in K-12 sector amid pandemic
In May 2020, Colliers International conducted a major market sentiment survey in the UAE. What do parents, school leaders and operators see in the future for one of the world’s most important international education hubs? Mansoor Ahmed reports.
What it means to be an educator in 2020
At a time when Covid-19 is provoking a radical re-appraisal of almost all our assumptions, Daniel Shindler asks some important questions about teaching, and the point of being an educator.
Developing good habits for the next stage of learning
Statistics show that ‘Dropping out of uni’ is getting worse, not better. David Craggs thinks that schools have a major role to play in addressing the issue.
An underused resource for building school admissions?
Online chat does not seem to be commonly used by international schools. admissions teams. ITM asked an industry expert, Kaitlyn Shipp to explain how a ‘live’ chat feature can be used by a school admissions team to grow student admissions.
A personal and professional reflection
When lifelong international educator and leader, Ronald Stones OBE was issued his Work From Home (WFH) order by the Singapore government, he wondered what would happen next.
Recalibrating our schools
Education has become a rushed process, and the skills that young people most need are in danger of being left behind. Time to recalibrate, says Robert Lloyd Williams.
International schools and the adaptation to crises
Will Bedford of ISC Research, asks how resilient the international schools’ market has been in historic times of crisis and how this might inform future planning.
An Early Years team in Brunei reflects on the experience of distance learning
Janice Ireland talks to the Early Years team at Panaga School in Brunei about teaching and learning during the lockdown and its impact on their practice.
Practising what we teach
Design Technology teacher Joan Brown looks at how schools in Wales became involved in the design and manufacture of PPE, and found themselves at the heart of a global movement.
Can all international schools survive the virus?
Stephen Whitehead looks at key variables that will affect the ability of international schools to weather the storm of Covid-19.
Claiming a place in the ‘new normal’
Whatever else changes in education after the lockdown, according to Ger Graus, Global Director of Education for KidZania, widening horizons and raising aspirations must become an integral part of the ‘new normal’. Social mobility should at the heart of all we do.
How to create a great school website with WordPress
Developing your old website, let alone creating a new one can be a daunting and potentially expensive prospect. Mike Khorev suggests that understanding the basics puts a school in control of the process, while minimizing costs.