School professionals are often blamed for the ills of society. Yet, there are countless administrators, teachers and counselors who challenge and inspire students to do their best and strive for excellence. Leah Davies suggest 10 ideas educators may want to consider as they continue their work.
For both parents and educators, modern technology is a double-edged sword. Jenny Silverstone applauds access to exciting learning resources, but excessive screen time can also be addictive, and looks at striking a balance.
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.
On Friday 5TH October celebrate World Smile Day 2018 with your class, year group or school community. Organise a day of fun – there are lots of ideas collated by Jan Homden in this free to download PDF.
Parent involvement in schools has traditionally been carried out by mothers. Yet boys and girls need positive, male role models. Leah Davies believes when fathers take an active role in education, schools report an increase in student achievement.
David Gregory asks, “What happens when you swap out the adults and replace them with children?”
As Bob Marley famously said, One good thing about music is when it hits you, you feel no pain Diego Cardini looks at the evidence and sees 21 benefits of learning a musical instrument.
Acccording to Leah Davies, building self esteem is a process, not an event. How do children build a sense of self and how does it influence their attitudes about what they can do, how to cope with problems, and how to get along with peers?
Gustavo Moura, Robert C. Mizzi and Clea Schmidt from the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba, Canada are conducting a study of LGBTQ educators working overseas.
Trust and trustworthiness are essential for happy, vibrant, and successful schools. Mark Starbuck looks at how leaders can build trust within their school.
For Leah Davies valuing diversity should be at the heart of any school. Here she explores how administrators and staff can get things under way and why it is so important.
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
Leah Davies examines the stimulating opportunities for learning and skill development that a well-thought out buddy program gives everyone as students from upper elementary grades interact with children who are at least two years younger.
Having spent six years teaching at a leading international school in South-East Asia, Matt Tighe was delighted to be appointed International Link Coordinator at Farlingaye High School in the UK. A central focus of his work now is developing an international mind-set that is both meaningful and practical for a school in semi-rural Suffolk.
Expatriate life can be challenging with a young family. Having worked in Ho Chi Minh City for two years as an International teacher, then spending the following three years as a full-time mum and occasional supply (substitute) teacher, Jessica Gosling knew the learning needs of her own young family were not being met locally. In the tradition of other international teaching pioneers, she took the initiative and decided to do something about it herself.
Much has recently been written highlighting the importance of a child’s mother tongue (or “home language”). Susan Stewart, of the International School of London (Surrey), describes the advantages of putting home languages at the centre of a school’s curriculum.
Badrika Bahadur, a student at the Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur, looks at the demands and rewards of taking on the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
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.
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 growing number of students learning in English is a global phenomenon. At this UK boarding school, the EAL provision is led by the school’s International Student Counsellor, Debbie Taylor, who looks at how Giggleswick School has developed a successful programme of support.
Children can be intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. Leah Davies discusses how we acknowledge and affirm student achievement.
Planning for post-secondary education for students with various disabilities raises complex questions about how to best prepare for next steps, but so much is possible. Stephanie Martin dispels three common myths.
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.
Our words can have a profound effect upon a child’s attitude and behavior, says Leah Davies.
Many people face a lifelong struggle with stuttering. Adam Black relates how a unique approach was life-changing for him, enabling him to break free and be himself.
If you are a KG or Early Years teacher with new children starting school this term/semester, why not download this free PDF and send it to your new parents? If you are a parent, with a little one about to start school, here are 10 things to think about that will help make the transition easier.
Founding a grassroots support group for Maasai women in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) of Tanzania was to change Kim Laizer‘s life. This is Part 2 of her story.
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.
An increasing number of schools around the world – both national and international – are discovering the benefits of running Philosophy for Children (P4C) courses.
A new study commissioned by the Nuffield Foundation and conducted by the Durham University School of Education now suggests such benefits might be non-cognitive as well as cognitive. ITM’s Andy Homden reports.
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.
Leah Davies discusses ways of working with children who have “perfectionist” tendencies.
Jane Barron pens a letter of thanks and encouragement for the important role Expatriate Dads play in their family and suggests 10 ideas for busy dads to stay connected with their kids.
David Gregory describes how a school trip can become a deeper learning experience by giving students the responsibility for making difficult decisions.
Recognising the importance of education, Hope for Justice established a Cambodian school for sex-trafficking survivors. Andrea Bailey, Nourn Vanna and Ngin Sam Onn report
Peter Milne looks at how the environment is an integral aspect of the struggle to promote human and particularly children’s rights.
Born and raised in northern California, environmental educator Kim Laizer has recently been working on a new project with Massai women in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This article is the first of two highlighting her story and collaborative efforts to provide education, training, and development opportunities for Maasai women in Naiyobi, Tanzania.
The benefits of playing an instrument go further than the enjoyment of music. Here Sally Phillips provides some useful guidance for helping parents and teachers choose the right guitar for their children: “a very good place to start.”
David Gregory outlines the challenges as some boys will find any excuse to try something dangerous.
Catherin Lorenzen was medical officer at the British School, Jakarta in the 1980s and 90s. In the second of three articles, she describes how her life opened up with a series of adventures in the Java Sea on board her family’s yacht, Rolling Home, which also became a teaching resource at school . . . .
Inspired by the most famous eyes in the world of art, Matthew Savage explores how data, when used effectively, can have a transformative effect on every child.
The issue of children in our classes who are overweight may concern many of us, but taking the initiative can lead to even more problems. Leah Davies believes that rising rates of childhood obesity are a problem, which educators have a responsibility to address. Here she offers some practical advice.
Grace Kelly’s belief that experiences outside the classroom are a vital component of ‘the hidden curriculum,’ prompted the idea for an innovative school exchange – a dream which then become a reality.
Outdoor Educator David Gregory describes a very different building project and the benefits it brings for those students participating.
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.
What’s a young family to do? Travel of course! In the first of three articles, the intrepid Catherine Lorenzen tells how she got caught up in the whole business of international education as a nurse, married to a marine engineer, with three children in tow. Part 1 of her adventures takes us from revolutionary Iran to Yemen and on to Jakarta, where the family learn to sail.
David Gregory is a specialist Outdoor Education instructor who has also worked in schools and as a teacher and form tutor. Here he suggests a powerful technique used on outdoor courses and trips could be applied in class to really good effect.
Trinity All-Through School in London has been planning and implementing a three-step strategy to address the needs of student wellbeing. As Rob Thomas, the school’s Executive Head Teacher, argues, this work is a timely response to the mental health needs of young people.
Roz O’Shea had already taken the plunge to “go international” when she left the UK to teach in SE Asia. Moving on she found what she considers to be her true calling – teaching Health Education based on a completely different set of cultural ideas in New Zealand.
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.
According to Moya O’Brien, a school really flourishes when it practises “positive psychology”. Here she explains the connection and examines an organic approach to the development of wellbeing in schools. Academic success follows.
For further ideas about “positive psychology” see the downloadable PDF at the end of the article.