Having had a long and very happy association with distance learning, Professor Helen Bilton of the University of Reading suggests it opens up new worlds for adults as well as for children.
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.
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.
Stephen Walshe argues that engaging young people in philosophical enquiry creates an environment conducive to building constructive confrontational skills and emotional intelligence.
Since children’s worries often interfere with their learning, it is helpful to understand their concerns. Sometime before lockdown, Leah Davies asked 320 third graders to list one or two things they think about when they cannot sleep. Perhaps these worries are even more important now.
Janice Ireland talks with Henk van Hout, Global Head of Shell Education Services, about how students and parents are coping with lockdown and the demands of remote learning.
Jason Tait, Director of Pastoral Care and Designated Safeguarding Lead at TASIS, The American School in England suggests that maintaining student wellbeing during the lockdown is possibly even more important than a school’s online academic programme.
It’s official – laughing is good for you, and as far as Dave Keeling is concerned, the more we use humour in class, the better our teaching will be.
Ian Gilbert reflects on the nature of loss, and the contradictory ways in which it might be confronted with a bereaved child.
Stephanie Quayle of ISC Research looks at how schools may be coming through the lockdown phase in China, and what we can all learn from their experience.
Does getting out of the classroom help you de-stress? Caroline Ferguson, Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Leader at Bangkok Patana School looks into CAS and stress levels.
While school and teachers provide a cornerstone that offers a daily structure and routine to many children, it is also important to look after your own well being. Leah Davies gives us a few points to consider.
Making the most of being at home with a family during the lockdown may depend on getting everyone into a new routine. Easier said than done, but not impossible, thinks Orla Redmond.
Laurie Lewin has been organising the international charity music project Voices Around the World since 2011. Over 7,000 students took part last year. He’s hoping for even more schools to join in when Voices Around the World launch their new song for 2020! Here Laurie tells us what is happening now and what’s in store for the future.
Establishing an effective safeguarding regime can be challenging even on one campus. Primary Principal Graeme Chisholm looks at how his school took on the task of coordinating a consistent programme across four sites in the Czech Republic.
Teacher, writer and social activist, Ger Graus is also a successful businessman and Global Director of Education for KidZania. He thinks that young people can imagine their future with confidence – if they know how. ITM’s Andy Homden caught up with him recently on-line.
An enforced school closure can be sudden and present a range of daunting problems. James McDonald looks at what he learned as a Principal during two periods of crisis, one in Japan and another in Thailand, when he had to close his school.
Leah Davies suggests ways to help children differentiate between ‘tattling’ and responsible ‘reporting’. Here”s her advice for teachers and parents.
Stephen Walshe and his colleagues Alexis Bucher and Michelle Sun describe how the Fortune Kindergarten in Shanghai is providing distance learning for very young learners during the Covid-19 epidemic.
International teacher Susan Bennett contemplates the moment that darkness becomes light as the sun rises over the Borobudur Temple in Central Java.
Leah Davies offers educators ten tips for supporting children as they learn how to manage their feelings and grow emotionally.
Following a decision by the state of Victoria government in Australia to exclude smart phones from primary and secondary schools, Sam Chester looks at arguments for and against banning phones in school.
Emily Melynn Alexander considers how lack of sleep can impact on the lives of teens and young adults: can they study effectively without it?
As former first lady Michelle Obama advocated, let’s get our kids to move. Leah Davies gives us some pointers for getting children to move throughout the school day.
Stephen Walshe suggests we are not just absorbers of knowledge but active creators of our own knowledge: in learning how to think we can get more not just out of learning but, more importantly, out of life.
Sally Flint talks to ITM about her new book ‘I Love My Grandpa’ in which she explores dementia from a child’s perspective.
Since parent involvement relates positively to student achievement, Leah Davies discusses how to encourage parents to participate in their children’s education in a variety of ways both at home and in school.
With the 101st anniversary of the November 11th Armistice at the end of the Great War approaching, Peter Hudson looks at the work of Dr. William Rivers and his radical treatment of ‘shell shock’
According to Emily Melynn Alexander, teachers could be missing out on one of the most important things they need to be successful in their careers: plenty of good-quality sleep.
For School Librarian, Sally Flint, a great library is a living and breathing organism, filled with users’ laughter, love and thrills. Parents are an important part of the mix.
Fed up with conventional professional development? So is Natalie Croome who suggests a radical, made-to-measure alternative.
Matt Harris Ed.D., Mike Pelletier and Angelica Nierras talk to ITM’s Andy Homden about providing effective safeguarding training for all members of an international school’s community.
School personnel need to provide a safe, supportive environment where children feel free to discuss their thoughts and feelings about war. Leah Davies advises that by listening carefully and answering questions on a level students can comprehend, children will learn that they are not alone in their concerns.
Do you remember your first time? Dipping your toe tentatively in the water. The feeling of trepidation, of exhilaration, the palpable sense of fear because you did not know how to swim? Chris Jay tells the story of how Splash is helping a wide range of adults to take to the water.
Empathy is a formidable confidante which allows educational leaders to build collaborative communities which influence, innovate and enhance student outcomes. Melissa Etherton explores empathy as a leadership tool and how it can have a positive impact on a school community.
Aggression or bullying can be defined as any action that inflicts physical or mental harm upon another person. Leah Davies discusses why girls usually differ from boys in the type of aggressive behavior they exhibit.
Richard Campbell of Effort Tracking looks at how tracking a student’s effort and application using a new formative – based assessment system is having an effect on student motivation and learning.
As Ziwei Luo herself is the first to explain, there is nothing new about ‘educating the whole child’. What is new, however, is the growing appeal of this approach for Chinese families. Here she suggests that with the right support, students from families unused to a holistic approach are able to develop skills that allow them to thrive beyond the classroom.
When the going gets tough, we often turn to music. According to Curtis Dean, recent research confirms that music can motivate, energise and soothe.
Sleep affects us in all ways, including how productive we are. If we get too little sleep, we find it harder to concentrate and give our all at work or at home. Lisa Smalls lists seven ways that sleep affects us that we should all be aware of.
Matthew Savage, Principal at the International Community School in Amman, Jordan, talks about ‘the Mona Lisa Effect’ – a model for personalised learning, which enables us to see beneath the masks that children assume as part of their everyday lives.
Leah Davies reminds us that schools have an opportunity to enhance children’s social and emotional growth, as well as their academic knowledge. The following activities foster self-understanding, positive peer interaction, initiative, and, of course, learning.
Natassja Williams believes that student well-being depends on a strong, values-based culture at the heart of a school, created and defended by a committed team.
In many countries, it is now mandatory to report suspected cases of abuse. How should we react if approached by a child who wants to talk about a problem? Leah Davies has some practical advice.
Homelessness seems to becoming an increasing global problem and children are inevitably involved. Leah Davies looks at how, as a profession we might address the issue. One thing is for sure – it cannot be ignored.
Although new technology in schools has undoubtedly enhanced teaching and learning, Matt Harris thinks we tend to neglect our duty of care when it comes to all things digital. The answer? Digital Citizenship integratration across the whole school.
Children and students retain more information, and also gain greater understanding, when they hear someone read to them, argues Stephen Murgatroyd, Head of Libraries at Bangkok Patana School.
There is a lot of talk about “Values Education”, but what values will be relevant for an interconnected, mobile world, in which our two to six year olds will be living and working. Stephen Walshe looks at the role Philosophy for Children (P4C) can play in uncovering their “submerged” values.
As an Outdoor Education instructor, David Gregory has learned to strike a balance between taking the lead in the field, and allowing others to do the leading. Everything depends on the needs of the students