ConneXions August 2015

August 2015 Edition

the bi-annual newsletter of the Association of International Schools in Africa

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING INSTITUTES 2015/16 AISA GISS 2015 with Pull Out Poster inside

including a full pictorial on the fun and learning at AISM Mozambique

PLUS

2015 • 1 NEW AISA BOARD • THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY • 30 DAYS TOConnexions MAKE| August A CHANGE

Whether you are a department head, school governor, curriculum leader, school leader, whole school director or anyone with responsibility of leading a team of people, join AISA at the 2016 Leadership Conference for three days of thought provoking sessions, networking with international school leaders and the opportunity to enhance your leadership expertise. This is a conference not to be missed, with sessions from: • Kevin Bartlett: Leading for Learning • Chip Barder: Financing Learning • Teresa Arpin: Governing for Learning • David Willow: Marketing for Learning • Andy Page Smith & Liz Hargreaves: Coaching for Learning

IN THIS ISSUE CONNECT WITH AISA’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 3

New Beginnings

AISA CONNECTIONS 4 5-7 8-9 10 12-13 14 15-17 18

AISA: Reaffirming Our Identity and Mission AISA Board AISA Child Protection Working Group AISA Professional Learning Working Group AISA 2015 - Cape Town AISA Service Learning Working Group AISA GISS 2015 AISA Schoolink Project

LEARNING CONNECTIONS 19 20 21 22-23 24

Have Books, Will Travel Visible Thinking in the Classroom Khartoum American School Award Winner Creativity in the Classroom Making Play Intentional

ASSOCIATE CONNECTIONS 25 26

30 Days to Make a Change International Schools Assessment (ISA) Writing

2 • Connexions | August 2015

Connexions is the biannual newsletter of the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA), a non-profit education association supporting the professional learning and school improvement strategies of international schools on the continent of Africa.

Through our programmes and services AISA provides for the varying needs of nearly 27,000 students and over 3,000 teachers and school leaders in 72 member schools across 34 countries in Africa.

Membership of AISA is open to elementary and secondary schools in Africa which offer an educational programme using English as the primary language of instruction and offer an international curriculum to suit the needs of its culturally diverse student body. Businesses and organizations who support the mission of AISA are also invited to join as Associate Members.

Connexions is produced by: Editor: Chanel Ryall Creative: Lenjo Maza Do you have school news to share? Perhaps an update on: • School or student awards • School celebrations • Campus development • Service learning programs • Innovations in the classroom Then we’d love to hear from you and share your news with the rest of the AISA community.

Or, if you would like to advertise in Connexions then contact us.

All enquiries and submissions can be sent to info@aisa.or.ke P.O. Box 14103-00800 • Peponi Road • Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254 20 269 7442 or +254 20 8076067 Email: info@aisa.or.ke • Web: www.aisa.or.ke Facebook: Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) Twitter: @AISA_Schools YouTube: Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA)

CONNECT WITH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

NEW BEGINNINGS A very warm welcome back to the 2015/16 school year to all our AISA members and friends.

During the break the AISA team has been very busy preparing another year of exciting and worthwhile programmes for you. Throughout the pages of this edition of ConneXions you will see we are reminding you of some of the great services we offer and also introducing you to some new programmes and services that we know you need. How do we know that? Well over the last 2 years AISA has been asking you what you think of what we do. You told us you wanted to see more diversity in our Professional Learning Programme because in learning – one size does not fit all - so we have added a whole new PL stream in the form of our Professional Learning Institutes taking place across the region throughout the year. But you also told us that you really value our AISA Leadership Conference and AISA Educators Conference so these will continue as well. BUT as you also requested, we will be changing the format of these to ensure you have the chance to share your knowledge with others as well as learning from some of the world’s great thought leaders in education.

You also asked if you could be more involved in AISA so we have initiated three new working groups made up of truly dedicated educators from a variety of our member schools: the AISA Professional Learning Working Group (PLWG) that helps us design our annual PL programme, the AISA Service Learning Working Group (SLWG) that helps us ensure that meaningful Service Learning programmes are created and supported in our schools, and the AISA Child Protection Working Group (CPWG) that helps us ensure our schools have the policies and procedures in place to ensure we safeguard our children. All three of these working groups are described in more detail later in this newsletter. During the year we also plan to form an AISA Governance Working Group that will help guide a new initiative at AISA that will see the development of a Code of Governance for AISA schools. More on this later in the year.

I’d like to say a particular welcome to our AISA Representatives (AISA Reps) from all our schools. This dedicated group will help us to ensure you hear about what is going on in our region: not just what AISA is up to - but all the great things you are doing with your students as well. I invite you to find out who is the AISA Rep at your school and let them know you want to be kept up to date about all the Professional Learning opportunities, the Research Scholarship opportunities, the Student Award opportunities, and the opportunities to connect and learn from your colleagues around Africa.

We are your Association – and this year we want to hear from you so follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, join one of our online Communities of Practice, or just email us to say ‘Hi’!

Email info@aisa.or.ke

Have a great year!

Facebook Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA)

Dr Peter Bateman Executive Director (AISA)

Twitter @AISA_Schools Website www.aisa.or.ke YouTube Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA)

Connexions | August 2015 • 3

AISA CONNECTIONS

AISA: REAFFIRMING OUR IDENTITY AND MISSION Since its inception in 1969, AISA has always recognized that an essential component of our work in the region is to support our member schools as they strive to improve the quality of teaching and learning. However, when the AISA Board began to unpack this idea, during a strategic thinking retreat in October 2013, we realized that too few of our initiatives actually included any worthwhile evaluation of the impact they had on improving the effectiveness of our member schools. The AISA Board concluded that this was an especially critical time to ask ‘How does AISA’s Professional Learning programme actually impact the quality of learning in our schools?’ This key question prompted a two year process of reflection and redesign of AISA programmes and services we dubbed ‘AISA Pathways’.

The Pathways evaluation has resulted in AISA fine-tuning our strategic direction to ensure that we clearly focus the services, resources and networks we offer our members in four key ways: 1. To improve student learning 2. To develop and implement strategic thinking and planning in their schools 3. To increase their school effectiveness 4. To develop the capacity of all school employees As we begin to implement our revised programme, we move forward with confidence that our core values, our identity and our mission serve the needs of AISA members now and well into the future.

AISA Identity – Who we are AISA is a collaborative learning community of accredited internationally-minded schools in Africa, which provides targeted services and relevant resources, facilitates innovative programmes, and connects people.

4 • Connexions | August 2015

?

‘How does AISA’s Professional Learning programme actually impact the quality of learning in our schools?’

AISA Mission - Why we exist AISA is dedicated to transforming student learning by leading and supporting strategic thinking, professional growth and school effectiveness.

AISA Core Values - Our guiding principals We believe that: • • • •

• • • •

Being open to differences leads to knowledge and understanding All individuals have intrinsic worth Nurturing is necessary for growth and change Personal fulfillment derives from defining a sense of purpose and making connections through service to others A sense of belonging enables people and communities to thrive All people want to learn, and people learn differently When people work together better outcomes are more likely The development of international-mindedness is fundamental to being successful in an interconnected world

AISA CONNECTIONS

MEET THE AISA BOARD

AISA Board at the AISA 2015 Conference, Cape Town

Many of you may not know the people who are the driving force behind AISA. Here, we take some time to introduce you to each of our fabulous Board members and recognise the invaluable contribution they make to AISA.

Dr. Peter Bateman AISA Executive Director Born in Australia, Dr. Peter Bateman has worked in the education sector in Africa for the past 25 years during which time he has developed a particular interest in supporting differentiated approaches to supporting Professional Learning for international educators.

Having been an educator and administrator in International schools, Peter also has an interest in developing and facilitating online Communities of Practice that enable collaboration. Peter holds a PhD in Education (UK), a Masters Degree in Micro Technology in Education (UK), a Bachelor of Education Degree (Australia), and a Post Graduate Diploma in Online Instruction (USA). He was recently selected to participate in the Leadership for the 21st Century program at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Dr. Dennis Larkin AISA Board Chair Head of School, Lincoln School, Ghana Dennis Larkin currently serves as Head of School at the Lincoln Community School in Accra, Ghana.

He has been a teacher and administrator in international schools since 1984 serving in 8 different countries and three different regions: East Asia Regional Council Overseas Schools (EARCOS), Near East South Asia (NESA) and now the Association of International Schools Africa (AISA). Dennis is presently the Chair Person of the Board of Directors of the Association of International School in Africa (AISA), is a member of the Board of The International Educator (TIE) and is past president of the West Africa International Schools Athletic League (WAISAL). Dennis has served on or chaired accreditation teams for Council of International Schools (CIS), New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Middle States Association (MSA).

During the course of his career in international education Dennis has served as teacher, assistant principal, Director of Educational Programs, Principal and Head of School. He has worked at Hong Kong International School, the International School Manila, Philippines, The International School of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the American International School of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Shanghai American School, China prior to moving to Ghana in 2009.

Dennis holds a BA in Education and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from The College of New Jersey and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Washington State University. Originally from New Jersey on the East Coast of the US, he now makes his home in Seattle, Washington. Dennis is married to Dr. Lois Engelbrecht and has two children both of whom are international school teachers.

Connexions | August 2015 • 5

MEET THE AISA BOARD Dr. Alan Knobloch AISA Member at Large Director, International School of Dakar Alan has 20 years of overseas experience, beginning is his international career at the American School of Niamey in Niger followed by stints at the Singapore American School, American International School of Riyadh, and the Shanghai American School. Alan has served in leadership roles both overseas and in the U.S., in elementary, middle, high school as well as school-wide. He has 13 years’ experience as a building administrator including serving as Budget Director of the Shanghai American School, overseeing the development and implementation of a budget in excess of 100 million dollars.

Alan is a special educator by training and in his heart. He has worked as a special educator at the secondary level, as an elementary classroom teacher, a middle school math and English teacher, and a university instructor.

He has a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Argosy University, a masters from Plymouth State University, and his undergraduate degree is from Boston University.

Caroline Jacoby AISA Vice Chair Head of School, International School of Uganda After growing up in Melbourne, Australia where Caroline studied Primary Education and taught for five years, she headed overseas to combine her love of travel with her teaching career. Caroline has taught all elementary grade levels and is an experienced PYP teacher, coordinator, workshop leader and school visitor. For over 20 years Caroline has worked as a teacher and more recently in senior leadership roles in various counties including Italy, Spain, Vietnam, Japan, Zambia, Bangladesh, and most recently Bamako Mali, where she was the director. Despite a coup d’etat, a counter coup, a military intervention, Ebola and most recently a terrorist attack in the city, Caroline has enjoyed all that Mali has to offer and the challenge of enabling the school to continue to maintain a world class program despite the difficult times the country has been through. Caroline obtained a Masters of International Education at the University of Bath and will be the Head of School at the International School of Uganda from July 2015.

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Dr. Amy Parish AISA Member at Large Head of School, American School of Antananarivo Amy joined the ASA having spent most of her career in the United States in Wisconsin public schools. Dr. Parish served as a secondary social science teacher and an elementary principal before becoming a Director. She holds a Master’s degree and Doctorate degree in education administration and leadership.

Dr. Parish is looking forward to her continued work on the AISA Board. Amy is passionate about culture and nature and enjoys meeting people from around the world. She enjoys time reading and writing and she also enjoys time outdoors especially swimming, bicycling, and hiking.

Catherine Motunrayo Ige AISA Secretary Head of School, Ibadan International School in Ibadan, Nigeria Catherine has over 17 years of post-university experience in the education sector as a teacher and school leader as well as a Workshop Leader and Trainer for the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), including authorization and programme evaluation visits on their behalf in her region which is Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Being African and educated in Africa herself, Catherine has a true insight into the significant role AISA plays in supporting international schools on the continent, despite the challenges of location, and size. She is committed to the attainment of education for all and gender equality, two UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are crucial to the growth and development of Africa as a continent and the world as a whole, and is particularly pleased to see what a difference the Margaret Sanders Scholarship for Girls has made to the lives of some deserving girl students in AISA member schools.

Catherine is the current Head of School at the Ibadan International School in Ibadan, Nigeria, which she has headed since 2005. She enjoys reading and travelling, and is the mother of three children.

MEET THE AISA BOARD Martin Hall AISA Member at Large Director, International School of Tanganyika

James (Jim) Laney Jnr AISA Treasurer Director, International Community School of Addis Ababa Jim began his teaching career in the US Peace Corps in Kenya in the early 1980s. Now in his 30th year as an educator, he worked in schools in New York City, Nicosia, Taipei and Warsaw before joining the staff at ICS Addis in 2005. Since joining the staff at ICS Addis, Jim has worn many hats, including Middle/High School Principal, High School Principal/Deputy Director and has been the Head of School since 2010.

Jim holds a BSc in computer systems engineering, an MA in Science Education, and has completed his doctoral coursework in International School Leadership from Boston University.

Jim is a firm believer in a holistic and inclusive education focusing on the knowledge and skills that will enable all young people to not only succeed, but thrive. Jim is most interested in providing effective leadership for 21st century learning, at his current school and within the AISA region.

Dr. Mary Jo Heatherington AISA Member at Large Director, American International School of Mozambique A U.S. citizen, Mary has worked as an international school director for 23 years. She has served as the school director at the American International School of Mozambique since 2005. Previously, she was the director of the Cochabamba Cooperative School in Cochabamba, Bolivia and the Pan American School of Bahia in Salvador, Brazil. Mary Jo holds a PhD in Educational Administration, a Master’s Degree in Special Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education/Humanities.

Martin, currently Director of the International School of Tanganyika since 2012, has previously worked in schools in England and Switzerland.

Martin holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and the National Professional Qualification for Headship, as well as a PGCE. He also holds a MA (Hons) degree in Political Economy and Philosophy from the University of Glasgow and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).

Martin has a particular passion for developing student voice in schools, as means of improving learning and strengthening school effectiveness.

Nikolas Bishop AISA Member at Large Bishop Mackenzie International School, Malawi Nikolas has been the Director of Bishop Mackenzie International School, Malawi since 2011.

Prior to Malawi, Nikolas was Headmaster of the British School of Nanjing, China and Principal at Alice Smith Secondary School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where he served on the Executive Board of FOBISSEA for several years. Nikolas also worked in Qatar for nine years as well as several UK secondary schools.

Nikolas is also an avid photographer and videographer with a passion for big motorcycles.

Connexions | August 2015 • 7

AISA CONNECTIONS

AISA CHILD PROTECTION WORKING GROUP

AISA CPWG meeting at Cape Town in March, 2015

International schools have a moral as well as a legal duty to safeguard the welfare of our students. The AISA Child Protection Working Group (CPWG) was established to provide an impetus and much needed support for all AISA member schools (and international schools more broadly) to embrace Child Protection as an essential responsibility of the school in their community.

Objectives: The CPWG aims to support the development and strengthening of Child Protection systems and programs in schools by: •

•

•

•

• • •

Raising awareness of the vital importance of child protection and the roles and responsibilities of every member of staff in creating schools that are safe and nurturing Developing an open source resource bank that would enable schools to strengthen child protection systems and capacities Develop resources, guidelines and tools that will enable schools to strengthen child protection programs and systems Develop a network open to all staff of member schools that would foster collaboration, facilitate resource sharing and dissemination of good practice Provision of consulting services to the AISA community Train schools on Child Protection systems strengthening through AISA Professional Learning Institutes Support the work of the International Task Force on Child Protection

8 • Connexions | August 2015

Composition of the CPWG: The CPWG consists of 9 members, appointed by AISA’s Executive Director. Dennis Larkin, AISA Board Chair and Head of Lincoln Community School Ghana and Lois Engelbrecht lead the CPWG which is comprised of: • • • • • • •

Robyn Harwood, Lincoln Community School, Ghana Tania Ribeiro, American Int’l School of Mozambique Lyla Philip, International School of Tanganyika Sekai Chitaukire, Harare International School Natasha Winnard, Khartoum International Community School Sean Areias, American International School of Lagos Heather Cronk, International School Kenya

Key Resources Developed by the CPWG Include: • Child Protection Handbook – Provides the context and rationale for the creation of a Child Protection Framework, guidance for the development of policies and procedures; links to curriculum resources; and suggestions for connecting to local, national, and international resources dedicated to the legal, investigative, social service and advocacy needs of abused and neglected children and their families.

• AISA Model for Adult Education on Child Protection – Guidelines and resources to help your school develop effective prevention interventions that focus on the adults in our schools.

• Expanding Your Expertise And Support By Building And Using Multidisciplinary Teams For AISA Schools – Guidelines on how to develop multidisciplinary teams, including external partners, as part of a comprehensive child protection school program.

AISA CONNECTIONS

Vision:

To support schools to build and maintain a proactive environment that protects children by either preventing child abuse before it occurs or by ensuring its earliest possible detection, intervention and reporting.

Child Protection Keynote at the AISA Educators Conference, Cape Town March 2015

AISA CHILD PROTECTION SYMPOSIUM The most significant event of the year to many of us was the AISA International Child Protection Symposium held in Cape Town on 9-10 March. The two-day symposium consisted of 8 halfday workshops, giving each participant the chance to attend 4. The eight workshops were: • Child Protection the Community & the Law • Child Protection and the Curriculum • Child Protection and School Policy • Child Protection and Research • Child Protection and Trauma Counseling • Child Protection and School Accreditation • Child Protection and Recruitment • Child Protection and School Security A significant outcome of the AISA Symposium was the launch of the next steps to understanding child protection issues in our community. Dr. Sherry Hamby, co-author of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) and presenter at the Symposium, is also editor of the Psychology of Violence Journal. Dr. Sherry has agreed to assist AISA in designing a revision to the JVQ that focuses on the vulnerabilities and strengths of our unique populations. This will help our schools design child protection lessons and counselor sessions specifically for our students, rather than so often depending on research and materials from other countries. This process has already begun among our CPWG member schools.

AISA & THE INTERNATIONAL TASK FORCE ON CHILD PROTECTION Natasha Winnard, a member of the AISA Child Protection Working Group, represented AISA at the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) Meeting in London that took place in May, 2015.

The Charter of the ITFCP “is to apply our collective resources, expertise, and partnerships to help international school communities address child protection challenges”. At this meeting the three committees: School Evaluation, School Recruitment and School Policies and Resources held morning meetings and then reported their discussions and actions to all attendees during the afternoon general session. Also, during the afternoon there were invaluable sessions from Maura Harty, the Executive Director of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, USA, Andrew Griffith, Diplomatic Security Service, US Department of State and Rosie Atwal, CEOP Command, National Crime Agency, UK. This was an excellent opportunity to connect the work of AISA’s Child Protection Working Group with the work of the ITFCP and for us to work together with a common and vital goal – the safety and welfare of the children whom we serve.

The CPWG is also leading a Professional Learning Institute in Ghana on 2-3 October, 2015. See the web site for more details and to register.

Connexions | August 2015 • 9

AISA CONNECTIONS

AISA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WORKING GROUP

Left to right: Graham Watts, Rebecca Caudill, Liz Hargreaves, Jodi Lake, Jessie Jac, Elaine Nicholson, Andy Kimwele, Dustin Collins

The AISA Professional Learning Working Group, or PLWG, is a drive team consisting of teachers as well as those with responsibility for professional learning in their school. The group works to ensure AISA’s professional learning programe is needsbased, challenging and differentiated. Acting as both an advisory forum as well as active planners and organisers, the PLWG works to develop a world-class programme for teachers across the continent.

Professional learning is an Vision for AISA Professional ongoing process where Learning: adults are empowered to: AISA is dedicated to • assess one’s current developing a culture where perspectives and beliefs professional learning • actively engage improves student learning in purposeful opportunities with a growth mindset • internalize for effective and sustainable change • implement new strategies, reflect, refine professional practice and engage in further, ongoing learning Our model of professional learning is:

act

self assess learning internalize

engage

Objectives: The PLWG aims to support Professional Learning programs for teachers at our member schools through: • Identifying professional learning needs of teachers, school leaders and co-professionals; recognising that all those working in schools contribute to school effectiveness and school improvement • Creating and promoting a varied professional learning programme including face-to-face, online and blended learning options to suit the schedules of busy educators • Offering differentiated learning to suit the level of prior experience and expertise of teachers 10 • Connexions | August 2015

• •

Organising highly focused learning in our Professional Learning Institutes as well as opportunities to explore new ideas and practice in our annual conferences Ensuring AISA teachers have access to the best in the world and can contribute to emerging educational ideas and good practices.

Composition of the PLWG: The group is chaired by Graham Watts, AISA’s Director of Professional Learning and has 7 other members who share their expertise in, and vision for, high impact professional learning across the region. Whilst some members hold senior leadership positions, others are classroom practioners; some are from larger schools with others from small and remote schools. The group reflects the rich diversity of the AISA school community and works together for mutual gains. They are: • Rebecca Caudill, Lincoln Community School, Accra • Dustin Collins, American School of Kinshasa • Jessie Gac, Rosslyn Academy, Nairobi • Liz Hargreaves, American International School of Johannesburg • Andrew Kimwele, Brookhouse, Nairobi • Jodi Lake, International School of Kenya • Elaine Nicholson, International Community School of Addis Ababa Recent Achievements: Since our first meeting in November 2014, the PLWG have surveyed members on their professional learning needs for the next school year, designed the AISA Professional Learning Framework to organise and track what we offer, have created a robust schedule of specialised and highly focussed Professional Learning Institutes taking place across the region, have consdiered evaluation strategies to assess the impact of professional learning on teacher practices, planned the next AISA Leadership Conference to include a focus on middle leaders and are researching key facilitators to be at our next Educators’ Conference in Johannesburg in 2016.

To find out more of the PLWG’s work, please email gwatts@aisa.or.ke

Accredited. College-Prep. Online.

100+ core, elective & AP courses to interest and challenge your students. http://highschool.nebraska.edu/AISA

The University of Nebraska is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

AISA CONNECTIONS

AISA 2015 CAPE TOWN In March of this year, AISA put together a 6 day program of institutes, key notes and social events to encourage, renew and inspire educators from across the continent. Held in the beautiful city of Cape Town, a perfect backdrop to a world class event, AISA facilitated the Leaders Retreat, Business Managers Retreat, Working Group meetings, the Child Protection Symposium and the Educators Conference, attended by more than xx people from every corner of the world. It was a wonderful time to connect with old friends, make new ones, and most importantly, to gain new skills and learn new approaches to progress the learning happening in our classrooms.

With 20 workshop options to choose from for the Educators Conference and 10 Pre-Conference options, there was a lot on offer this year. These photos tell just some of the story of our time at Cape Town. May it inspire you to attend next year’s Leadership Conference in Cape Town on 4-6 March or the Educators Conference in Johannesburg on 16-19 October. Mark your calendars!

12 • Connexions | August 2015

Connexions | August 2015 • 13

AISA CONNECTIONS

AISA SERVICE LEARNING WORKING GROUP Vision: To Connect with AISA schools in order to inspire and support each other as we create a culture of service learning across the region.

2014-15 AISA Service Learning Working Group members: Back Row from left: LeeAnne Lavender; Kathleen Chromicz; Rebecca Gillman; Tara Barton (AISA SL Coordinator); Chris McBride; Gabriel Limaverde; Front Row from left: Sarah Lillo (Guest), Rhona Polansky; Cathy Berger Kaye (advisor); Kalimah Fayele Ayele;

The AISA Service Learning Working Group, or SLWG, serves as an advisory body to the Executive Director of AISA and the AISA Service Learning Coordinator in the planning, execution and evaluation of Service Learning activities for AISA’s membership. The work of the SLWG is in service of AISA’s mission and vision.

Objectives: The SLWG aims to support Service Learning programs at individual member schools through: • • •

•

Creating and promoting an AISA Service Learning Handbook, supporting and coordinating AISA-GISS conferences, hosting and maintaining a Schoolink site that will serve as a resource bank (sample units, resource lists, Moodle resources etc.)

Envisioning and designing professional development/ learning ideas to support service learning.

Composition of the SLWG: The SLWG consists of seven to nine members, appointed

by AISA’s Executive Director. The membership of the SLWG reflects the diversity of the organization, comprises a variety of perspectives and serves the current needs of AISA’s membership. If needed, the SLWG may engage the services of outside consultants who will serve in a voluntary and ex-officio capacity.

We have recently completed the service learning working group survey for the region to gather information on our community. We welcome feedback and input on service learning from schools in the region and look forward to offering a wide range of professional learning opportunities based on the needs of our schools.

For more information please contact the AISA Service Learning Coordinator Tara Barton: tbarton@aisj-jhb.com

AISA-GISS 2016 March 11-13th

Hosted by INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF TANGANYIKA Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania 14 • Connexions | August 2015

AISA CONNECTIONS

AISA GISS 2015

The 7th edition of the AISA Global Issues Service Summit (AISA-GISS) happened from the 23rd to the 25th of April, 2015 in Maputo, hosted by the American International School of Mozambique. The Summit provided a forum for more than 400 national and international students representing 17 schools and ten countries across Africa and Middle East to discuss global issues facing the 21st century and to formulate strategies to tackle them. The theme for 2015 was Lanzelela: “Educating for Sustainability”.

Over the course of three days, notable speakers from a variety of different fields shared their stories about their passion and determination that drives them to make change, inspiring all of us to pursue our own courageous journeys to shape a better world for the generations to come. Most of the speakers are from our very own African continent, and highlighted the strong relationship between Service Learning and Social Entrepreneurship.

Students also participated in discussions with experts and organized workshops around strategies associated with sustainable solutions to local and global problems.

On the final day, participants engaged in various service projects throughout the city, and shared their ideas for sustainable solutions to global issues and renewed their commitment to service and service learning.

Teachers from attending schools were also empowered by the summit, especially during the several Professional Development sessions carried out to adults only, in which the stimuli and different approaches to Service Learning were discussed.

AISA-GISS started in 2009 as a grass-roots initiative by a group of dedicated educators in the region, and developed with AISA’s support. It has now become an event not to miss on the calendars of schools throughout our continent. AISAGISS is the ideal opportunity for students to share ideas, build relationships, and get empowered to make change.

For more information, please visit www.aisagiss.org. Next year’s conference is scheduled for March 11-13th, in Dares-Salaam, Tanzania, to be hosted by International School of Tanganyika. Save the date!

Connexions | August 2015 • 15

AISA CONNECTIONS

Africa is moving forward!

stain educate, suge to s it mm co M S AI of ) M IS an ozambique (Aange the world through the exch M l oo ch S al on ti na er Int American r those who have the will to ch and empoweures and collaborations. ideas, cult

GISS was one of the best s ce experiena that I h dv.e ever ha

Talking to lifechanging ople and inspiring pe was amazing!

in 2016, we aim to International School Tanganyika (IST)- As the next hosts of AISA-GISS the incredible continue thinking critically, effectively and efficiently and to build from accomplishments and ideas from AISM GISS 2015.

d ISK is commitmtinei) K S (I a ny e K youth hool of International gScand hosting a local Kenyaonn a recycling to preparinhin our school we will focusder to use food GISS. Wit well as composting in or e the school to initiative asctively. We’ll also encouragar for our school waste effede coffee, tea and even sug buy fair tra canteen.

16 • Connexions | August 2015

Having so many things in common with other students is awesome.

I cannot express how much the conference has inspired me.

KAUST - KAUST commits to challenge the school’s status quo through empowering the students to take direct action. We will do this by immersing students in real life local situations.

AISM has wonderful and inspired students

Amazing youth leaders!

Go Africa!

Francisco Manyanga Secondary school (Public Mozambican school) - We commit to diminishing the use of plastic bottles and encourage the use of water dispensers. Create a recycling club. Create a student association to provide help to impoverished communities.

Connexions | August 2015 • 17

AISA CONNECTIONS

AISA SCHOOLINK PROJECT AISA SchooLink is a Moodle based platform providing AISA schools a Learning Management System to provide....

• a blended learning platform - allowing for the combination of internet-based resources and activities to be integrated into the daily practices of teaching and learning • a collaborative platform - allowing participating schools to work on joint projects and share valuable open educational resources • an emergency platform - allowing schools to sustain our academic program even if access to the campus is not possible The AISA SchooLink provides participating schools with a reliable and secure moodle platform and an opportunity for technology directors to meet regularly to share and review progress. AISA SchooLink is part of the World Virtual School Project (WVS).

What is the World Virtual School Project?

The World Virtual School Project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools to assist participating schools and regions in terms of curriculum quality and continuity, opportunities for collaboration, progressive professional development, and resiliency in the face of natural or manmade emergencies.

This unique project is premised on the assumptions that...

• schools value the integration of relevant and effective online resources for their varied learning communities; • schools value working regionally to collaborate and to share perspectives and methodologies, and to consider and nurture best practices; • schools value their integrity in the face of adversity, and seek cost-effective and reliable means of assuring continuity of operations.

AISA SchooLink members at AISA 2015 Cape Town

18 • Connexions | August 2015

What can AISA SchooLink Provide?

1. School hosting & back-up support: AISA schools can host their Moodle instance with SchooLink, which hosts their Moodle instance in Europe and provides backing up and update services. Some schools may choose to host their Moodle instance in their school servers and host a back-up with SchooLink. This is a boon for AISA schools as this is available as an affordable package and schools cannot easily find a similar hosting arrangement from a reliable supplier elsewhere.

2. The AISA SchooLink arranges for an annual meeting of member school tech directors/coordinators to share and review their progress. In addition, regular online meetings are organized to share issues and provide support.

3. The AISA SchooLink platform provides opportunities for schools in the region to collaborate among themselves as each of their Moodle instances are connected through SchooLink. In addition, it also provides the ability to collaborate with schools in other regions as well.For example the NESA region organizes Virtual Science Fair, which many schools from other regions including AISA participate. i-Olympiad is another event participated in by schools from other regions.

4. The platform also provides opportunities for PD for teachers in AISA Schools. IB workshops, ASCD workshops and the AERO summer institute are all run using Moodle and teachers registered from different AISA schools can participate through their school’s Moodle instance.

5. AISA offers one year free hosting service for new schools who sign up for SchooLink.

Currently in 2014-15, there are 10 member schools and 3 pilot schools in the project: School Country AS Antananarivo AIS Abuja ISK Kenya AIS Bamako Brookhouse School Corona School IS Dakar ISTanganyika ICS Addis Ababa IS Ouagadougou ICS Abuja Khartoum ICS

Madagascar Nigeria Kenya Mali Kenya Nigeria Senegal Tanzania Ethiopia Burkina Faso Nigeria Sudan

For more information on how your school can be part of SchooLink, contact Santha Kumar skumar@aisa.or.ke or schoolinkrc@aisa.or.ke.

LEARNING CONNECTIONS

HAVE BOOKS, WILL TRAVEL AUTHOR VISITS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS IN AFRICA

Margriet Ruurs, a Canadian, is the author of numerous books for children, and is a long time visiting author both at home and more recently, internationally. Having been bitten by the travel bug, visiting international schools allows Margriet to combine her interest in world cultures with connecting with her readers who keep her excited about writing. Here Margriet reflects on her recent visit to AISA member schools in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.

I was able to bring some 55 pounds of books for Ethiopia Reads, an innovative library program that brings literacy to children across the country.

In Kenya, I enjoyed conducting presentations and writing workshops to hundreds of elementary school students. The parents seemed as excited as their kids! The teachers even coordinated a wonderful Authors’ Brunch whereby third graders enjoyed a breakfast buffet while listening to the guest speaker as if they were attending a university lecture.

Being in Nairobi allowed me the enriching experience of visiting an orphanage in the nearby hills, Creation of Hope, started by a Canadian author. Sixth grade students wrote me letters, following my talks with them. Wonderful letters that demonstrate to me that author visits do have a lasting impact on kids’ attitude towards books. Aden writes: “I was shocked to learn that it takes years to write a book. Your presentation gave me ideas on how I can be creative when I write!”

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“I was recently invited to work at international schools in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. What an amazing opportunity! I had dreamed of Africa for most of my life so I loved coming to the continent. The sights, sounds and smells were enchanting. I learned so much. I had no idea that people in Ethiopia celebrate an elaborate coffee ceremony each day, burning incense and roasting popcorn, too. First graders made books based on my book Families Around The World while I was able to share stories about nonfiction research with fifth graders. Other kids honed interviewing skills and we talked about books and illustrations all week long.

I was shocked to learn that it takes years to write a book.

From Nairobi I flew, right along Mount Kilimanjaro, to Dar Es Salaam and into a very different, hot and muggy, climate. At the wonderfully enthusiastic school I worked with children on writing their own poetry and stories.

Upper elementary students even formed a Poetry Slam Club following my visit.

The students may have been excited following my presentations, but I was just as excited to have the opportunity to travel and work with teachers and kids all over world. Just because I write books. I count my blessings.

Margriet Ruurs lives in British Columbia, Canada.

You can see her more than 30 books on her website: www.margrietruurs.com

Ravi told me that “Your book about libraries around the world (My Librarian is a Camel) shows me how lucky I am to have a school library.”

Connexions | August 2015 • 19

LEARNING CONNECTIONS

VISIBLE THINKING IN THE CLASSROOM

By Ingrid Turner, American International School of Lusaka I first became interested in Project Zero’s Making Thinking Visible Routines six years ago when fellow teachers returned from their institute at Harvard University. After observing their classes where they employed their newly acquired Visible Thinking Routines, I was immediately convinced of their efficacy and determined to learn more about them myself. I now make constant use of Visible Thinking Routines across a variety of subject areas and grade levels and believe they have transformed my lessons and student learning. Here I outline some key routines and how to use them.

‘See Think Wonder’ (STW) is an ideal tool for a beginner and helps learners to observe closely and see what’s there.

For instance, if you are starting a new text you may begin by examining the image on the front cover, asking students to name what they see. These can be recorded. Once ideas dry up, students are asked to say what they are thinking.

This can also be recorded. They then begin wondering and asking questions. I get students to do this routine in a variety of ways: in groups, as a whole class or individually, written, verbalized, the three elements explored all at once and separately. It is always successful and promotes superb thinking and questions.

the characters, plot and themes. They are asked to write down any questions they have or what they find puzzling to them and then they are asked to write down ideas that they think might be worth exploring. This routine is fabulous for evaluating evidence and deciding on action.

‘What Makes You Say That?’ (WMYST?) is a routine which I use all day, every day. My students identify me with this question and they use it themselves, sometimes with reminders. I have it on a sentence strip on my classroom wall! This routine really pushes students to give solid reasoning behind their thinking and works so much better than ‘why?’ I use this routine in conjunction with all other routines. When students say what they are thinking for instance in STW, I would ask WMYST?

‘Claim Support Question’ is used in a number of ways including helping learners to recognize literary techniques such as foreshadowing in a text. Students must claim where they recognize it, support their claim with a quotation and develop a question. In English, this routine promotes stronger answers when students are analyzing fiction and fits in nicely with Point, Evidence, Exploration, or PEE, paragraphs.

Students can then share their exploration with others in the routine ‘Think Pair Share’. This is an effective way for students’ ideas to be heard and is less time consuming than if you as a teacher ask each student individually to share in the class. This routine gets students up and moving, and I often incorporate music or my granny’s silver bell (very precious and only used by me) to indicate when they should find another person to pair and share with.

‘Circle of Viewpoints’ is done in small groups of students,

‘Think Puzzle Explore’ can be used for a variety of texts and in different ways. Students read for example half of a short story and then write down their thinking about

20 • Connexions | August 2015

with one of the students becoming a character in the text.

Students must respond to a prompt or prompts and each person takes turns to talk as naturally as possible from the point of view of that character. This routine really helps students to understand what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes. You can add props and costume and play light music so less confident students feel safe.

4Cs, Connect, Challenge, Concept, Change, is just fabulous. Recently, my students read a poem by Langston Hughes. I then asked them to make connections between the poem and the novel they were reading. They then had to say what they found challenging or something they wanted to argue with. They decided on a concept worth holding on to and then recognized how their thinking had changed. This routine can bring students intensely into a text, so much so that recently two of my students were moved to tears. We were exploring dreams and the students just loved the poem and text chosen which promoted deep thinking and exploration. We all had to huddle and blow noses.

‘321 Bridge’ captures the heart of the matter and helps students form conclusions.

I used this routine in one unit with a nonfiction piece of writing about immigration to fit with the poetry, novel and short story. Students were asked to come up with 3 words that came to mind when they thought about ‘migration’. Then they were asked to come up with 2 questions and 1 analogy (I often ask for either a simile or metaphor). Students read the article and then they came up with 3 more words, 2 more questions and another analogy. It is incredible to see how student thinking deepens and ‘aha’ thinking occurs.

‘I used to think… and now I think…’ serves to help students reflect generally about a novel or text.

If you would like to learn more about these routines, full descriptions can be found on Project Zero’s web site. I also urge you to read Ron Ritchhart’s book ‘Making Thinking Visible’. Our school bought each member of staff this book and we also share our lessons which helps us to see different ways of using the routines. If you are new to MTV, I suggest you begin with ‘See Think Wonder’ (STW) and What Makes You Say That? (WMYST?) Then try to incorporate one routine a week into your planning.

The questions are ‘the thing’.

Sometimes I have to adjust my line of questioning and I reflect aloud to my students when I am doing this. We are all learners.

To find about more why not attend Ingrid’s Professional Learning Institute in February 5-6, 2016 at the Lincoln Community School, Ghana.

KHARTOUM AMERICAN SCHOOL WINS AWARD PLACES 1ST, 2ND, 3RD (TIE) AT THE ERICSSON CORPORATION “SMART SCHOOLS” TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CONTEST

The Khartoum American School of Sudan wishes to share the good news that three of its high school students recently placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd (tie) in the ‘Ericsson Smart Schools’ technology innovation ideas contest that was held in Khartoum this past April. The Ericsson Corporation started the contest in the region in 2013 in Oman. The second country to have the contest was Egypt, and now the contest is also held in Sudan. For the students and KAS the wins are a huge achievement. Our first place winner is grade 11 student, Hiba Salih (her idea “Self Watering Plant”); the second place winner is grade 11 student, Prateek Samal (his idea “The Holographic Teacher)”; and, the third place winner is grade 9 student, Talha Kayani (his idea “X Help” x-ray camera). We are proud of the students and proud of the staff that supported them. Mrs. Egbal Mohamed, KAS IT Computer Integration Teacher, coordinated the students’ submission of project ideas. It is an exciting moment for the students, the staff and the KAS community. The three winners are being sent by the Ericsson Corporation to their headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden this summer.

Connexions | August 2015 • 21

LEARNING CONNECTIONS

CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM How can you not be passionate about teaching the visual arts and witness the development of creativity taking place in your learners? Here, Alex Blaauw-Reenalda of AISJ Pretoria shares her passion for using the arts to stimulate critical thinking and active learning.

For me, teaching art has only one main aim: to develop my students’ ingenuity, imaginative insights, and new ideas.

In order to understand how young people think, one of my favorite resources is the brain guru, JoAnne Deak.

She is a preventive psychologist who specialized in brain development during the first six years of a child’s life.

Deak perceives the brain as a fantastic elastic band which needs to be stretched and shaped by learning new things.

Learning something new causes the brain to develop more connections among the neurons. These connections help to stretch the brain and make it more elastic, so that it can hold more information and ideas.

The Visual Arts in particular enable me to design and develop assignments with a strong focus on creative thinking and how to identify and solve visual problems. It’s an effective tool to introduce and stimulate new ideas and new ways of doing things, and thus stretching the elasticity of the brains.

Consequently art should be exciting and thought provoking; it should inspire a natural curiosity to explore new media, new materials and develop new techniques and new skills, while stimulating problem solving and decision-making.

This view is echoed by creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson, author of The Element, in a conversation with Educational Leadership: ‘Not giving all the answers but giving the tools they need to find out what the answers might be or to explore new avenues.’

Additionally, you may also reconsider your art units by beginning with the question, ‘How can this art assignment facilitate ‘brain stretching’ and enhanced creativity?’ To start with, keep in mind that the key for a successful art production depends on your personal commitment as a teacher. To do this, we as teachers must feel challenged to engage and exercise our own thought processes, allowing greater insight, productivity and reflective learning. Elliot Eisner, author of ‘Cognition and Curriculum Reconsidered’ calls it ‘cognitive flexibility’. Eisner emphasizes that we as artist-teachers need to develop this ‘cognitive flexibility’ continuously and promote artistic growth not only in our students but in ourselves as well. In developing interesting, stimulating, thought provoking art projects I investigated and explored a large variety of handbooks for primary and secondary art teachers, however one of my most valuable resources became ‘Engaging the Adolescent Mind’ as well as ‘From Ordinary to Extraordinary’, both written by Ken Vieth (Montgomery High School in Skillman, New Jersey). Many of my units were inspired and shaped by Vieth’s vision on art education and are based on the following criteria: • • • •

Based on the above, it is highly possible that you might reconsider the lay-out of your art room. It is essential to offer your art students an inviting, supportive space of thinking and expression, designed to meet their needs, allowing them all necessary investigation, exploration and production, and providing the opportunity for ownership over their work and the creative process. Ownership refers to the value students derive from being included in the decision-making processes during a lesson. When students feel that their own voice matters, a subtle, yet important shift in perspective and energy occurs: they move from being a passive receiver to an active explorer which is precisely what we want to foster in our students.

22 • Connexions | August 2015

The creative idea to be developed must stimulate both student and me Clear objectives yet allowing multiple outcomes Technical challenge, demanding physical skill and personal expression Opportunity for students to reflect/evaluate on what they have learned

Through the years I refined my strategies, with a stronger focus on abstract thinking; teaching skills and techniques in ‘layers’, including small experimental exercises depending on the needs of my students, approaching steadily a final, holistic end product. Since joining the International Baccalaureate Organization as a Visual Art examiner, I have been introduced to the IB Design cycle and have been developing my units according to the various steps of the design process. Closely related to Vieths’ set of criteria, this tool gives students a clearly defined structure and guides them through the process of investigation, design, planning,

creation, and evaluation. Students learn to reflect on different explored resources and their visual potentials related to the theme/topic. They learn how to ‘mix’ diverse ideas of prominent contemporary artists, and invent ways how to express their personal intentions better: a personal developmental process which will lead them eventually to a different final art product than what they initially had in mind.

The following are some practical strategies that incorporate some of these ideas: In your art room, do not provide colors other than primary colours and black and white.

Be careful with black as the younger students tend to darken their projects very quickly.

Students’ brains will be stretched by solving their problems; making their own green, orange and purple. You will enjoy when all your students start to compare all these different greens/oranges/purples. As a result all end products will look different thanks to all these personal greens/oranges/purples.

Stimulate abstract thinking, focusing on form and shape outlined by air/forest/ mountain/meadow. Students transfer investigated shapes and specific colors to bubble wrap blending colors on the outlines, within the bubbles.

Develop abstract thinking by stimulating ‘to think big’ and the grid technique, learning to measure, calculate and work with a ruler in order to enlarge self-portraits, after having manipulated original pictures with Photoshop.

Developing the ‘eye’ by designing masks based on African patterns. Students make masks of recycled material and papier-mâché. Before painting the masks, students explore African patterns and make a prototype-design (photocopy of the unpainted mask) which they use when transferring their design onto the papier-mâché mask.

Students’ brains will be stretched by carefully copying the design unto their mask.

Be always open-minded as a teacher, looking for new ideas, especially those that will relate and connect with what your students are already interested in. Introduced by my students and fascinated by the popular computer game ‘Minecraft’ I developed an architectural unit based on the famous Bauhaus’ architect Mies van der Rohe and his Barcelona pavilion. In Part 1 students developed the plan and measurements of the pavilion through Minecraft. In Part 2, students applied the Minecraft technology to create three 3D images of their Barcelona pavilion from different perspectives. As a follow-up activity, students made a small model of the Barcelona pavilion to scale. To incorporate personal expression, students will create their own specific pattern (based on Oriental pattern motifs) on one of the main walls of the pavilion.

Building a Visual Arts course that develops creativity and design skills in students is, thus, more like painting from a blank canvas than painting by numbers, more like cooking from available ingredients than following a cookbook recipe. (Understanding by Design, Professional Development Workbook, by McTighe/Wiggins, 2004) I hope the above inspires you as a teacher and a life-long learner. Please don’t hesitate to contact me; I would be very pleased to support you in the creative journey to promote and develop artistic growth in your students and yourselves.

Connexions | August 2015 • 23

LEARNING CONNECTIONS

PlaY

MAKING INTENTIONAL A collaborative article by Abeni Johnson & Janine Stegall, Pre School Teachers from International Community School of Abidjan (ICSA) The importance of learning through play is a passion that both Abeni and Janine share. Here, they share their thoughts on why play is so important and the role play has in promoting learning – it’s more than just good fun!

All parents want their children to thrive and be successful.

Oftentimes this can mean that the well-meaning parents 4 year olds have expectations of their children, and their pre-school classroom, that are beyond what is developmentally appropriate for their children. Parents often do not realize the benefits of incorporating play in the classroom to help develop social, emotional, problem solving and self-regulation skills.

According to the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, “Play is so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized as a right of every child.” Specifically, Article 31 on the Convention of the Rights of the Child states that; “That every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.” Just some of the many benefits of play include; a richer vocabulary and verbalization skills; higher language comprehension; better problem-solving strategies; increased curiosity; an ability to take on the perspective of another; and improved attention spans for early learners.

There are several types of educational play that benefit the young learner. Solitary, parallel, and group play.

SoliTary play is when a child may prefer to play on their own in activities like building, drawing, inventing, exploring, and making up stories and tend to show no interest in joining in the play of others. For a younger child, this is a typical developmental stage.

However, when the child is school age, the teacher can facilitate play with this child by playing beside the child and modeling play schemes with at least one other child. The teacher can use this opportunity to interfere in the solitary play of the child by scaffolding their play and helping them move to the next level of play.

Parallel play is when children play alongside other children without much interaction while engaging in similar and different activities. This is another beginning level of play that teachers in an early childhood classroom can help students move through by modeling turn taking skills using the same toys or materials, and making simple comments during the play scheme with children playing side by side.

Lastly, there is group play. Group play is when children communicate and socialize with others by sharing ideas and toys during a variety of play schemes. This important level of play moves the child into the socio-dramatic play of older children. The

24 • Connexions | August 2015

(top) Mrs. Abeni Johnson and Pre-k students and Ms. Janine Stegall and Kindergarten students as scientists presenting at the Science Fair at the International Community School of Abidjan (ICSA).

child takes on make-believe roles, pretends with actions, and uses toys and objects as substitutes for real objects. The play scheme is more complex and extends for a longer time. More children can be included in the role playing opportunities. The teacher can facilitate this more complex level of play by observing the children in play, planning with children for the play scheme, extending the play scheme if play is not moving forward, responding to the actions of the children, and continuing to model by taking a role in the play.

Implementing play with materials also makes learning more practical and intentional. The types of play using materials are constructive (using materials like blocks to build), dramatic (playing house, restaurant, dress up, and doctor), and games with rules-movement and board games.

At ICSA, our school’s goal is to focus on curriculum, scope and sequence. Our early childhood program uses the AERO Common Core Plus standards and benchmarks to measure and to align our curriculum to meet the learning outcomes of our young learners.

The curriculums that supports educational play are Splash into Pre-K and Reggio Emilia. These are great resources as the curriculum is child-centered, promoting play-based learning, as we as providing lots of guidance to teachers.

This school year, our students have benefited from opportunities to develop their individual play skills through role playing and dramatic play activities. Our math curriculum (Math in FocusSingapore Math) in Kindergarten offers lots of hands-on activities with manipulatives/materials and small and large group games.

Our playground acts as an extension of the classrooms where children get to practice higher level play skills facilitated by adults.

There is also opportunities to communicate our play philosophy with parents in our weekly newsletter. The collaboration of teachers and parents in this approach has allowed our students to be supported through play both at home and school in their learning.

Janine Stegall B.A., M.A. in Ed. & H.D., NBCT (Kindergarten Teacher- jstegall@icsabidjan.org) Abeni Johnson B.A. (Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

ajohnson@icsabidjan.org )

ASSOCIATE CONNECTIONS

30 DAYS TO MAKE A CHANGE To accelerate change and radically improve behaviour in your school a bold first step is pivotal.

You need the best possible start. One that interests and excites. A first move that sows the seeds of change and sets a high expectation for new policy and practice. To break away from a corrosive culture of negative behaviour your first initiative should be as much about proving to your colleagues that things can and will change as it is about making an impact on the children.

After extensive consultation with all stakeholders there may be many areas of policy and practice that you are keen to change immediately. Resist the temptation to launch into new ideas or float a raft of new initiatives. Instead take time to fully engage your most valuable resource. Behaviour management is truly a ‘hearts and minds’ issue. You need to take time to prove to the teaching team that change can and will happen, to remind them of the power of a wholly consistent approach and to sell the idea that the needs of the team are above the politics of individuals. Sounds like a tall order but there is a simple process that all staff can contribute to which convinces hearts while engaging minds.

The process is simple. Choose one issue; one behaviour that you wish to change.

One behaviour that has been ignored or allowed to grow. Perhaps a behaviour that colleagues have stopped challenging or resigned themselves to accepting.

Everyone will work to address this single issue for the next 30 school days.

Everyone will try and shoot one rabbit because when we try and shoot two we will surely miss both. Every adult will commit to persistently tackle the chosen behaviour, to give time to the single issue. Never aggressively, often kindly, at times assertively. This focus must be shared by all adults who interact with the children in school; the site manager, head teacher, lunch time supervisors, reception and office staff, assistants, teachers, governors, visiting teachers.

Mark the day that you will begin to challenge the behaviour, tell the parents, tell the students, count down the days and make sure everyone is prepared for the changes that are about to take place.

‘30 Days to Make a Change’

allows everyone to feel that they are an essential part of a tight, consistent team. Good parenting relies on the same consistency. Children who are allowed

to exploit the differences between the adults at home learn that where there is inconsistency there is space to move freely. In schools the tighter the team the less opportunity there is for children to receive mixed messages and to play off one member of staff against another.

In the next 30 days children who have previously enjoyed exploiting different expectations will find the gaps narrowing.

We often resist any attempts at uniformity of practice as we protect our independence and our idiosyncratic teaching style. Independence is part of our job satisfaction. Idiosyncrasies can be exciting and interesting to pupils but when trying to change the culture of a school and revolutionise the management of behaviour genuinely consistent practice is the key to the door of the new world.

Even within the 30 days things may get worse before they get better. The team’s energy and motivation to succeed will be battered and at times confronted by students and parents who do not share your enthusiasm. Hold tight, keep hard to your task and focus on what is being done rather than what is not. You must give your time to the collective effort. Instead of overlooking you will be challenging, rather than leaving it to someone else you will be involved; ignoring the behaviour will no longer be an option.

The aspect of behaviour that you choose to tackle - uniform, manners, lateness language etc is important, the fact that you succeed in dramatically improving if not eradicating the behaviour is more so.

This is about proving a point as much as it is about enforcing a rule that has been ignored. The magic happens at the end of the 30 days, when things have changed.

Staff look around at the change that they have initiated and sustained. They see the evidence of improvement all around them. Visitors, parents children...everyone knows what has happened and what the catalyst was. Excited by the possibilities,

colleagues look at other areas of practice, roll up their sleeves and say, ‘Right, what else are we going to change’. The 30 day experience is a genuine catalyst for change. It motivates everyone, renews expectations and defeats the mutterers at the back of the staff room with their, ‘You can’t do anything with these kids’ mantra.

With everyone’s opinion garnered and a simple unified approach agreed as a first step the foundations for sustainable change are set. As you watch the green shoots appearing it is not time to reach for the champagne/chocolates/holiday brochure. Although the concrete you have used for the foundations is setting well your design for building change must be equally sound.

There are certainly more battles to be won but with hearts engaged and minds sharpened you have some well tuned warriors on your side.

Paul Dix leads a team of Behaviour and Child Protection specialists who are creating unprecedented change in schools worldwide.

Pivotal trainers have been working in schools in Egypt and Uganda recently and many more teachers in International Schools in Africa are listening to our weekly podcast and accessing our free weekly classroom management tips.

The Pivotal Podcast has an episode dedicated to ‘Managing Behaviour in International Schools’ it is free and available for download here: http://www. pivotaleducation.com/behaviour-ininternational-schools-pp/ The Pivotal Curriculum is a licensed trainers scheme for teachers working in any context.. For more about how you can create lasting change in your school see www.pivotaleducation.com or email Ellie on ask@pivotaleducation.com Connexions | August 2015 • 25

ASSOCIATE CONNECTIONS

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS ASSESSMENT (ISA) WRITING: HOW IS IT ASSESSED AND WHAT IS IMPORTANT FOR TEACHERS TO KNOW?

The following article discusses Writing in the ISA and offers teachers information and advice about the assessment.

Background

During the October (2014) and the February (2015) ISA assessment periods, over 73,000 students from 340 schools in over 80 countries, wrote two essays each in the ISA Writing Assessment. That is a staggering 146,000 essays which were marked by a large, dedicated, and highly experienced team of markers! The rigorous processes used in the creation and marking of the ISA Writing assessment make it an invaluable source of data for teachers.

In considering the assessment of ISA Writing, it is important to keep in mind the broad purposes of any educational assessment. These purposes are generally agreed to be to i) clarify educational standards ii) ensure that all students achieve essential skills and knowledge iii) monitor trends over time and iv) evaluate the effectiveness of educational initiatives and programs.

It is against the backdrop of these broad goals that the ISA Writing assessment, alongside assessments of mathematics, reading, and more recently, science, has operated for 14 years.

In ISA Writing, the marking and reporting scheme that has evolved is similar to that used in the International Baccalaureate MYP, and the AERO standards for writing. It also references writing frameworks such as the McRel Standards, the Alberta writing program, and the Six Traits of Writing (Ideas, Organisation, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Voice, Conventions).

The Writing Tasks

The ISA includes two extended writing tasks: one narrative/ reflective task and one exposition/argument task. For the Narrative/ Reflective task the students are asked to write a story, or a reflective piece. The Exposition/Argument task requires a piece of writing setting out ideas about a proposition. In the latter, students may take an explanatory approach (exposition), a persuasive approach (argument), or they may combine the two approaches.

In an effort to simulate good writing pedagogy, time is allowed at the beginning of each writing session for a brief class discussion of the topic, and for individual planning. Students are encouraged to spend the last few minutes of the session proofreading their work.

Students’ responses are evaluated on the basis of three criteria for each task.

Choosing a Topic for All Grades

It is a challenging process to determine interesting and appropriate topics for students in Grade 3 through to Grade 10 that are suitable for them to write about. Topics must be accessible for the younger students and challenging enough for the older students.

The process of topic choice is a careful one, with a team of test developers all working together to find what they view as the ‘best’

26 • Connexions | August 2015

topic. For the Narrative/Reflective task the stimulus is usually a picture (either a photograph or an illustration). For the Expository/ Persuasive task a few sentences or a short dialogue are generally provided as a prompt.

Marking Criteria

Both Writing tasks are scored on three major criteria. In the scoring the Narrative/Reflective Task, the Content criterion includes consideration of the quality and range of ideas, development of plot, characters and setting, the writer’s sense of audience and purpose, and the overall shape of the writing. The Language includes consideration of sentence and paragraph structure, vocabulary and punctuation, and the writer’s voice. In the Narrative/Reflective Task, the Spelling criterion considers phonetic and visual spelling patterns and the kind of words attempted, and correctness.

In the Exposition/Argument Task the Content of the piece is scored by considering the depth and range of ideas, the quality of the reasoning demonstrated, the ability to provide evidence and the presence of logical argument in support of a position. Because of the high number of ISA students who have a language background other than English, the Language criterion for this task considers ESOL Language features and it is scored by considering grammatical correctness and command of English syntax, sentence fluency and variation, and vocabulary use (applied to all students’ writing regardless of their language background). The third criterion for the Exposition/Argument Task is Structure and Organisation. Here, consideration is given to the overall global structure, e.g. presence of a clear introduction, development and conclusion. The internal coherence of the piece is assessed, such as the linking between and within paragraphs.

Reporting the Writing Results

The ISA scale makes it possible to make meaningful comparisons of results between different grade levels and between different calendar years even though the tests administered are not the same (i.e. do not have the same topics from year to year. The ISA scales for mathematics and reading are based on those developed for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The reporting of each individual student’s score on each criteria can be very helpful for teachers. They can compare these scores to the class mean, the mean for each gender, and each language background. They can also compare their students’ scores to those of other students in other classes at their school and at other ‘like’ schools. This can be very helpful in determining the strengths and weaknesses of student writing and can aid in assisting teachers in planning and informing their teaching. PISA does not currently include an assessment of writing.

The ‘Take-Home Message’?

The ISA Writing test is a valid and reliable test of student writing that informs both good teaching practice and the monitoring of student achievement over time.

To learn more about the ISA online and paper-based assessments, see www.acer.edu.au/isa

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS’ ASSESSMENT (ISA) Are your students performing to international standards?

Introducing ISA Online

INNOVATIVE

FLEXIBLE

• Online assessments specifically designed for international school populations: – Mathematical Literacy, Reading and Writing for Grades 3–10 – Scientific Literacy for Grades 7–10

• Choose one of two online testing windows – February or May

• Mix of open-ended and multiple-choice questions to better illuminate students’ thinking processes • Based on the internationally endorsed frameworks of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) • Comparisons with ‘like schools’ and with PISA country results for Grades 8, 9 and 10 • Interactive diagnostic reports show patterns of strength and weakness • Longitudinal reports track growth over time • Fast reporting of results

Australian Council for Educational Research

• Fully web-based service (no software installation required) • Works on many platforms (Macs, PCs and iPads) • Combine testing modes in February – choose between online and paper-based assessments by grade level.

Paper-based assessments still available in September and February

For dates, fees, samples and further information visit www.acer.edu.au/isa

Connexions | August 2015 • 27

Each year AISA awards the AISA Student Service Leader Award. The award is offered

by AISA to support the Service Learning programme this student has led. This year, the $1,500 prize has been won by an ISK student, Antonia Shaw. The winner is an outstanding young woman, whose work with the Autism Centre of Kenya recognizes that ‘every child is amazing in their own unique way’.

To quote her own words: I have learnt so much over the past two years about mental disorders affecting children and have made close bonds with many of the children and realized how much they have to offer. I have seen the joy on their mothers’ faces when they see that so many ISK students truly care about their children.

AISA congratulates Antonia and all students who have contributed so much to their communities through their Service Learning Projects. Well Done!

Welcome New Associate Members Curriculum Associates www.curriculumassociates.com EdTechTeam https://www.edtechteam.com/ Edu-Lab http://www.edulab.com/ Faria Systems Inc. http://faria.co/ Interactive Data Partners http://www.interactivedata.com/ Planson International http://plansonintl.com/ Slate Science www.matific.com Sugar Bay Educational Resort http://www.sugarbay.co.za/ Techyclass Incorporated www.techyclass.com Twig World Ltd www.twig-world.com

AISA Staff Peter Bateman Executive Director pbateman@aisa.or.ke Graham Watts Director Professional Learning gwatts@aisa.or.ke Chanel Ryall Partnership & Communications Manager cryall@aisa.or.ke Constancia Munene Finance & Administration Coordinator cmunene@aisa.or.ke Barnabas Suva Office Administrator bsuva@aisa.or.ke Steve Muthiitene Executive Assistant & Events Coordinator smuthiitene@aisa.or.ke

Welcome New Member Schools • • •

Luanda International School, Angola – Full Member Machabeng College Int’l School of Lesotho – Full Member Acorns International School, Uganda – Affiliate Member

We also wish to acknowledge and congratulate the following schools who have moved from Affiliate to Full Members: • • • • •

Bingham Academy, Ethiopia Haven of Peace Academy, Tanzania International School of Ahafo, Ghana International School of Kigali, Rwanda Rain Forest International School, Cameroon

Welcome New School Heads • • • • • • • • • • • •

Dr. Bernard Mitchell - American School of Douala Terry Howard - American International School of Libreville Dylan Hughes - Luanda International School Brad McClain - Ambatovy International School Fatoumata Magassa - Iringa International School Dr. Lauryne Massinga - American International School of Conakry Irene Epp - American International School of Freetown Roy Douthitt - American International School of Nouakchott Simon Gillespie - The American School of Kinshasa Caroline Jacoby - International School of Uganda Bradley Waugh - American International School of Bamako Dr. Peter Zeitoun - The International Community School of Abidjan