Tricky – but necessary
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.
Well Being
Collaborative music recording project for children around the world
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.
Going digital
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.
Future imaginative
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.
The experience of school closures
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.
Tattling and tale telling
Leah Davies suggests ways to help children differentiate between ‘tattling’ and responsible ‘reporting’. Here”s her advice for teachers and parents.
Providing effective learning and support for young learners
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.
That moment of greatness
International teacher Susan Bennett contemplates the moment that darkness becomes light as the sun rises over the Borobudur Temple in Central Java.
The importance of adult role modelling for children’s emotional development
Leah Davies offers educators ten tips for supporting children as they learn how to manage their feelings and grow emotionally.
Should smartphones be banned in school?
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?
Language: The Key to Learning – The Importance of Discussion
In the third of three articles on the development of language in schools, Orla Redmond examines the value of discussion as a learning tool.
Movement Activities and Games for Kindergarten & Elementary Classrooms (Part 1)
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.
P4C: preparation for Life
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.
Understanding dementia
Sally Flint talks to ITM about her new book ‘I Love My Grandpa’ in which she explores dementia from a child’s perspective.
Encouraging parent involvement in school
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.
Listening and the War Poets
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’
Are teachers getting enough?
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.
Parents and librarians working together
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.
Haute couture PD
Fed up with conventional professional development? So is Natalie Croome who suggests a radical, made-to-measure alternative.
Widening the base of safeguarding training in international schools
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.
Helping students cope
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.
Taking the plunge in Hong Kong
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.
The importance of empathy for school leadership
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.
A different type of bullying
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.
Learning is not a competition
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.
Introducing holistic education to a new generation of international students
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.
Music, therapy and motivation
When the going gets tough, we often turn to music. According to Curtis Dean, recent research confirms that music can motivate, energise and soothe.
7 ways that sleep impacts your productivity
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.
Seeing what is really there
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.
Enrichment activities for children
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.
Creating a culture of well-being and character
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.
Helping sexually abused children
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.
Breaking the cycle
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.
Extending our Duty of Care
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.
The importance of listening to stories
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.
Uncovering submerged values with P4C
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.
To lead – or not to lead?
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
The importance of home languages
Much has recently been written highlighting the importance of a child’s mother tongue (or “home language”). Susan Stewart, describes the advantages of putting home languages at the centre of a school’s curriculum.
How to avoid under-performance in IELTs
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.
White water challenge
If we advocate challenging students, we must be ready to challenge ourselves. Outdoor educator David Gregory leaves his zone to see what it’s like.
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.
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.
Managing the media
Children learn not only through real life experience, but vicariously through media exposure which defines our culture and shapes our norms. Exposure to television programming and video streaming profoundly affects how children view their world. Leah Davies advises us to take control.
Take the risk and give responsibility
David Gregory describes how a school trip can become a deeper learning experience by giving students the responsibility for making difficult decisions.
Differentiation and assessment for learning, a personal view
Last year Paul Jackson was approached by a neighbour whose Grade 7 (UK year 8) daughter, was struggling in Maths and wanted him to tutor her. This is not something he usually does, but as a neighbour, he reluctantly agreed. Some serious thinking followed.
The key to collaborative planning and decision making
Listening, rather than talking, is the key to making an effective plan of action for a company or school, according to Peter Hudson. The trouble is, most people are not very good at it. Here Peter looks at five key ideas that will help the members of a team improve as listeners, and therefore as effective collaborative planners.
Five reasons why listening is important for school leaders
Listening is invaluable in schools in all sorts of ways and at many levels of responsibility – teachers, school leaders, students themselves and parents. Here Peter Hudson explains why listening is vital for school leaders.
Five reasons why listening is important for teachers
Listening is in fact invaluable in schools in all sorts of ways and at many levels of responsibility – for teachers, school leaders, students themselves and parents. This is the first of a series of articles from Peter Hudson focusing on listening in schools. We start with teachers.
Whilst we all recognize the opportunities the Internet offers, keeping children safe online is a constant source of concern often exacerbated by the gap in online proficiency between child and parents/teacher.
Encouragingly, Jackie Harden reports that support is available and easily accessible. If you feel able to recommend other sources of support, we would love to hear from you.