The EARCOS Triannual JOURNAL A Link to Educational Excellence in East Asia
FALL 2016
Featured in this Issue - Introduction to EARCOS Leadership Mentoring - At the crossroads of globalisation and education Faces of EARCOS Remembering William Powell 1949-2016
The EARCOS JOURNAL The ET Journal is a triannual publication of the East Asia Regional Council of Schools(EARCOS), a nonprofit 501(C)3, incorporated in the state of Delaware, USA, with a regional office in Manila, Philippines. Membership in EARCOS is open to elementary and secondary schools in East Asia which offer an educational program using English as the primary language of instruction, and to other organizations, institutions, and individuals. Objectives and Purposes * To promote intercultural understanding and international friendship through the activities of member schools. * To broaden the dimensions of education of all schools involved. in the Council in the interest of a total program of education. * To advance the professional growth and welfare of individuals belonging to the educational staff of member schools. * To facilitate communication and cooperative action between and among all associated schools. * To cooperate with other organizations and individuals pursuing the same objectives as the Council. EARCOS BOARD OF TRUSTEES Margaret Alvarez, President (ISS International School) Stephen Cathers, Vice President (Korea International School) Diane Lewthwaite, Secretary (Fukuoka International School) Tarek Razik, Treasurer (The International School of Beijing) Stephen Dare (Hong Kong Academy) Andrew Davies (International School Bangkok) Norma Hudson (International School of Kuala Lumpur) Anna Marsden (International School Suva) David Toze, Past President (International School Manila) Office of Overseas Schools REO:
Larry Hobdell (ex officio)
EARCOS STAFF Executive Director: Richard Krajczar Assistant Director: Joe Petrone Consultant: Bill Oldread Vitz Baltero Ver Castro Robert Sonny Viray
Elaine Repatacodo Edzel Drilo Rod Catubig Jr.
Letter from the Executive Director Dear Colleagues: I wish everyone the very best for the 2016-17 school year! A special welcome to 33 new heads of school and principals. See pages 4-6 for all the names and schools. In addition to new leaders, we have three new member schools for a total of 152. We now have over 115,000 students, and nearly 15,000 teachers and administrators! As we grow, we are still committed to providing the best quality professional development and support for the educators in our region. We were all shocked by the death of Bill Powell in July. Please see his obituary and information on his memorial fund on page 10. After speaking with Ochan Powell she assures all of us that their work will continue. Bill’s work has changed the way schools view students with special needs. He was a friend, colleague and visionay. May he rest in peace and his work go on forever. The 2016 EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC) is scheduled for October 27 - 29 at the Shangri La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We have an excellent group of presenters, and it should be an outstanding conference with keynoters Sir John Jones, and Ruby Payne and we will repeat Leadership Stories by our own leaders in EARCOS schools.The ELC has a host of special presenters and EARCOS leaders offering practical, hands-on workshops. It is going to be a great one! Please review the EARCOS-sponsored events on the last page of this magazine. It is a full year of activities, with 51 weekend workshops. Last year, our weekend workshops were attended by over 1,500 teachers. These are truly some of the best and most cost-effective professional learning experiences available. Thanks to our small, medium, and large schools who will host these events this year. I look forward to seeing many of you in Kuala Lumpur and wish you all the best for a most successful and rewarding school year. We hope you enjoy our EARCOS Journal. Please remember that it is our mission to help you in your task of school leadership. Keep in touch with Bill Oldread’s E-Connect and the EARCOS community on Google Plus.
Dick Krajczar Executive Director Check out our updated website at www.earcos.org, our E-Connect blog, and our Google+ Community.
Editor: Joe Petrone Associate Editor: Edzel Drilo
East Asia Regional Council of Schools Brentville Subdivision, Barangay Mamplasan Biñan, Laguna, 4024, Philippines PHONE: 63-02-697-9170 FAX: 63-49-511-4694 WEBSITE: www.earcos.org
L-R Rod Catubig, Edzel Drilo, Elaine Repatacodo, Dick Krajczar, Joe Petrone, Vitz Baltero, Robert Viray, and Ver Castro
In this Issue
contents
4
Welcome New EARCOS Members - New Schools - New Heads - New High School Principals - New Middle School Principals - New Elementary School Principals - New Associate Institutions
8 9
Global Citizenship Awardees Global Citizenship Community Grant Recipients
10
Faces of EARCOS - Remembering William Powell
11
Professional Development - International School Teaching Internship Pays Off for Chinese Graduate Student
12
EARCOS Special Features - At the crossroads of globalisation and education - Rationale for Teaching Sociology in China
20
Curriculum Initiative - Reading for Empathy Project - Use of technology to ensure students are prepared for a world beyond school
24
Featured Article - Introduction to EARCOS Leadership Mentoring
26
Community Service - Building Change That Lasts
27
Action Research - An Exploration of Online Testing
28
Book Review - 5 Cognitive Strategies for Promoting Learning
29
Campus Development - Upgrades at Concordia Shanghai Improve Student Learning and Safety for School Community
30
Press Release - Earning Buffalo State Graduate Credit for Attending Educational Conferences
31
Elementary Art Gallery
32
On the Road with Dr. K
Back cover: Approved EARCOS Weekend Workshops SY 2016-2017
Front cover photo
The Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Photo by Aureliy Movila
EARCOS and CIS - Institute On Higher Education Admission and Guidance
EARCOS and CIS are pleased to announce the 2nd Annual INSTITUTE ON HIGHER EDUCATION ADMISSION AND GUIDANCE. Sept. 30 - October 1, 2016 Bangkok, Thailand, Shangri-La Hotel visit www.earcos.org
The EARCOS Action Research Grant
In an ongoing effort to implement the EARCOS Strategic Plan, specifically Strategy E, to conduct, communicate, and archive relevant data and research to identify and enhance exceptional educational practices, grants will be made available to encourage our teachers, administrators, and professional staff to conduct action research to improve educational practices for the purpose of enhancing student learning. Action research is a reflective process, conducted in the school setting, to solve a real problem, or to improve and enhance the instructional process.This research may be undertaken by an individual, or by several people collaboratively. It is our belief that the results of such research will impact not only the researchers’ practices but also those of others with whom they share their findings.To that end, grantees will be expected to publish their findings, which will be made available to all EARCOS members on the website. Some researchers may elect to present their work at a subsequent ETC, ELC, or publish it in the EARCOS Journal. Please visit the EARCOS website for more information. www.earcos.org and see page 25 for a report from a recent researcher.
Contribute to the ET Journal
If you have something going on at your school in any of the following categories that you would like to see highlighted in the Winter issue please send it along to us: Faces of EARCOS - Promotions, retirements, honors, etc. Service Learning Campus Development - New building plans, under construction, just completed projects. Curriculum - New and exciting curriculum adoptions. Green and Sustainable - Related to campus development or to curriculum efforts. Community Service Student Art - We showcase outstanding student art in each edition. (E.S. Fall Issue, M.S. Winter Issue, and H.S. Spring Issue) Student Writing Press Releases Thank you for your help in allowing us to highlight the great things that are going on in EARCOS schools.
Fall 2016
Fall 2016 Issue 1
EARCOS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2016 OCTOBER 27-29, 2016 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Create, Connect, Commit
The East Asia Regional Council of Schools is excited to invite you and your administrative staff as delegates at the 48th annual EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC2016) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia scheduled for October 27-29, 2016. We have a host of excellent keynote speakers and workshop presenters. Our keynoters are: Sir John Jones and Ruby Payne. We think the conference will prove to be professionally stimulating and will provide you with an opportunity for networking and building camaraderie.
EARCOS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2016 Create, Connect,Commit SPECIAL PRESENTERS KEYNOTE SPEAKERS SIR JOHN JONES - One of the most entertaining, inspiring and sought-after speakers on the global educational stage, his achievements and reputation for straight-talking, leadership and creativity have led him to be invited to a number of panels and think-tanks. Sponsored by International School Services DR. RUBY PAYNE - Recognized internationally for her foundational book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, now in its 5th revised edition (1996, 2013) which has sold more than 1,500,000 copies, and won the REVERE Golden Lamp Award for Professional Development in 2014. Sponsored by Taylor’s Schools LEADERSHIP STORIES Sponsored by Carney, Sandoe & Associates
Preconferences Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Marc Frankel, Leadership Through Partnership(LTP) Paul O’Neill / Rami Madani, Curriculum Coordinator Precon. IB PRECON, (2 day workshop)
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Jennifer Abrams Margaret Alvarez / Liz Duffy / Anna Marsden / Joe Petrone Jonathan Borden Eeqbal Hassim Lance King Laura Lipton Rami Madani Mina Merkel Mike Rodman and Tim King Jennifer Sparrow Deb Welch Kendall Zoller visit website www.earcos.org/elc2016/
Jennifer Abrams Jonathan Borden Jenny Chiang Kim Cofino Marc Frankel Mary Ann Haley-Speca Eeqbal Hassim Sir John Jones Lance King Mike Kuczala Laura Lipton
Rami Madani Mina Merkel Ruby Payne Richard Pearce Cary Reid Mike Rodman Jennifer Sparrow Deb Welch Andy Whitney Kendall Zoller
EARCOS MEMBER PRESENTATIONS Margaret Alvarez and Deidre Fischer Kevin Baker Steven Ballowe Chip Barder Megan Brazil Sonia Bustamante Chris Capadona Ashley Cornfoot Dale Cox Stephen Dare Howard De Leeuw Marcia De Souza Mindi Dryer Darin Fahrney Thomas Farrell Louise Favaro Deidre Fischer Beccy Fox Richard Gaskell Matt Harris Jon Hill Kevin House Virginia Hunt Matthew Johnson Dan Keller Daniel Kilback Chip Kimball William Kralovec Larry Leaven Marc Lheureuxl Erin Lillis Kent David Lovelin Stuart Macalpine
Rami Madani Aracelis Maldonado Deron Marvin Nicola Mason Lauren Mehrbach Margie Mitchell Theodore Mockrish Ken Morrisonb Suzzane Murray Seppie Myburgh Heather Naro Maya Nelson David Neudorf Hieu Nguyen Paul Oneill / Carrie Bennett / Brady Cline Kurtis Peterson Derek Pinchbeck Lindsay Powell Richard Pratt Angela Reilly Alan Runge Maija Ruokanen Kevin Ruth Mona Stuart Tim Stuart Nisanart Tavedikul Jaime Thistleton Rob Thompson Sarah Verdaguer Colter Watt James Wellings Karen Whittaker
Welcome New Schools >> British School Manila, Philippines www.britishschoolmanila.org Yew Chung International School of Beijing, China http://www.ycis-bj.com/en/
Welcome New Heads >> American Pacific International School American School in Japan, The Beijing BISS International School Beijing International Bilingual Academy British School Manila Busan Foreign School Canadian International School, Tokyo Cebu International School Chiang Mai International School Christian Academy in Japan Concordia International School Shanghai Concordian International School Faith Academy, Inc. Garden International School Grace International School Independent Schools of Riau Intercultural School of Bogor International School of Kuantan International School of Myanmar Medan Independent School Mont’Kiara International School Nakornpayap International School Nanjing International School Nansha College Preparatory Academy Nishimachi International School NIST International School North Jakarta Intercultural School Raffles American School Shanghai American School Shanghai Community Int’l School The International School Yangon UIS, Guangzhou Yew Chung International School of Beijing
Stacey Gailey, Head of School Areta Williams, Head of School Randall Eplin, Head of School Paul Yau, Director Simon Mann, Head of School Iain MacFarlane, Principal Lee Koran, Principal Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent Ronelda Capadona, Superintendent Anda Foxwell, Head of School Mary Scott, Head of School Laurent Goetschmann, Head of School Thomas Hardeman, Head of School Mark Ford, Principal Jurrian Van Der Straaten, Interim Superintendent Alasdair Maclean, Director Michael Donaldson, Head of School Benjamin Tamte, Principal Bryn Gabriel, Director Gerald Donovan, Head of School Trevor Laboski, Head of School Stephen Roderick, Principal Arden Tyoschin, Director Michael Cyrus, Director Michael Hosking, Headmaster Brett Penny, Head of School Markus Baloun, Head of School Lyle Moltzan, Superintendent Marcel Gauthier, Head of School Daniel Eschtruth, Director of Schools - Shanghai Gregory Hedger, School Director Amanda McDonald, Acting Head of School Noel Thomas, Western Principal
Welcome New High School Principals >> American International School of Guangzhou Kerry Timmerman American Pacific International School Luis Ramirez Aoba-Japan International School Robert Thorn Asia Pacific International School Bruce Knox Bali Island School Justin Walsh Bandung Alliance Intercultural School Jeremy Thomas Beijing BISS International School Antony Geralis British School Manila Helen Olds Busan Foreign School Iain MacFarlane Canggu Community School Keegan Combs Chadwick International School Russell McGrath 4 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Chiang Mai International School Christian Academy in Japan Concordia International School Hanoi Concordia International School Shanghai Dalian American International School Ekamai International School Faith Academy, Inc. Fukuoka International School Gyeonggi Suwon International School Hangzhou International School Hokkaido International School Hsinchu International School International School Ho Chi Minh City International School Manila International School of Dongguan International School of Kuantan International School of Myanmar International School of Tianjin ISE International School Korea International School Nansha College Preparatory Academy Prem Tinsulanonda International School Ruamrudee International School Saint Maur International School Shanghai American School Shanghai Community International School Shenzhen College of International Education Stonehill International School Teda International School Wells International School - On Nut Campus Wuhan Yangtze International School Yew Chung International School of Beijing
Aaron Willette Anda Foxwell Steve Winkelman Christopher Schuster Chris Boyle Dannie Storie Steve Taylor Paul McKenzie JP Rader Jessamine Koenig Neil Cooke William Butcher Philip Rogers Michael Dickinson Howard De Leeuw Beanjamin Tamte Bryn Gabriel Michael Conway Kristen Knudsen Michelle Quirin Aracelis Maldonado Paul Sebastian Daniel Smith Timothy Matsumoto Ben Lee Frank Volpe Neil Mobsby Narendra Mehrotra Andrew Frezludeen Cindy Chen Samuel Goh Don Collins
Welcome New Middle School Principals >> Access International Academy Ningbo American International School Hong Kong American Pacific International School Aoba-Japan International School Asia Pacific International School Bandung Alliance Intercultural School Brent International School Manila Busan Foreign School Chiang Mai International School Concordia International School Hanoi Concordian International School Dalian American International School Ekamai International School Hangzhou International School Hsinchu International School International Community School - Singapore International School of Kuala Lumpur International School of Myanmar International School of Tianjin International School Suva ISE International School Kaohsiung American School Nansha College Preparatory Academy Nishimachi International School Saint Maur International School Tianjin International School UIS Guangzhou
Jennifer Burns Zachary Post Luis Ramirez Robert Thorn Bruce Knox Jeremy Thomas Andrew O’Hara Iain MacFarlane Tyler Stinchcomb Steve Winkelman James Leung Chris Boyle Dannie Storie Patricia Long William Butcher Tony Widder Peter Casey Matt Leishman Michael Conway Mere Fong Kristen Knudsen Daryl Imanishi Hanson Yeung Meredith Lawson Timothy Matsumoto James Delzer Amanda McDonald Fall 2016 Issue 5
Welcome New Elementary School Principals >> American Pacific International School Asia Pacific International School Ayeyarwaddy International School Beijing BISS International School Busan Foreign School Canadian International School of Hong Kong Chadwick International School Chiang Mai International School Faith Academy, Inc. Garden International School Gyeonggi Suwon International School Hangzhou International School Hokkaido International School International School of Kuala Lumpur International School of Kuantan International School of Myanmar International School of the Sacred Heart International School of Tianjin Jakarta Intercultural School Marist Brothers International School Nishimachi International School NIST International School Oberoi International School Ruamrudee International School Shanghai Community International School Stonehill International School Suzhou Singapore International School Wuhan Yangtze International School Yangon International School Yew Chung International School of Beijing Yokohama International School
Luis Ramirez Bruce Knox Joe Kaminski Jennifer Le Varge Iain MacFarlane Helen Kelly Julian Taylor Tyler Stinchcomb Angela Olson Colter Watt Jeff Williams Russell O’Neill Neil Cooke Julie Olson Beanjamin Tamte Clive Herde Ellen Yaegashi Mark Stride Elsa Donohue Cushla Jones Mihoko chida Kevin Hall Anthony Batchelor Julie Schuilwere Melanie McClure / Elizabeth Gale Simon McCloskey Catherine Nicole Joel Gibson Deanne Emond Dairne Fitzpatrick Jacqueline Pender
Welcome New Associate Institutions >> Age of Learning Service Offered: Early Learning Education Provider www.AgeofLearning.com Alges Asia Pacific Ltd. Service Offered: Choral Risers, Mobile and Platform Staging, Portable/ Fixed Seating. Music Stands and Instrument Storage Racks. www.algescorp.com/ AppsEvents Service Offered: Google Apps Training and Google Education Partner appsevents.com aquaBUBBLER Service Offered: Australian made drinking fountains with wter bottle refill stations for schools - indeal for inside or outside www.aquabubbler.com.au Axis IMPACT Marketing, Inc. Service Offered: Marketing Management Consultation www.axisimpactmarketing.com Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Service Offered: Publisher-higher education, primary & secondary education and trade www.bloomsbury.com 6 EARCOS Triannual Journal
C & E PUBLISHING, INC. Service Offered: Publisher/provider of academic textbook, reference materials, and e-learning solutions www.cepublishing.com CHQ Group Ltd Service Offered: Extra-curricular activities management software www.chqgroup.co.uk Collins Service Offered: Publisher www.collins.co.uk/international Custodian International Pty Ltd Service Offered: Security Consultants for International Schools www.custodian.international Double First Ltd (we brand as Engage by Double First) Service Offered: Developer and support of Engage dedicated independent and international school management information system and integrated finance system www.doublefirst.com Harlequin Floors plc Service Offered: Specialist floors for dance and the performing arts www.harlequinfloors.com Mallory International Ltd Service Offered: School Consolidator - Books and Educational Materials www.malloryint.net Regional Training Center Service Offered: Graduate Courses in Partnership with LaSalle University www.thertc.net Scanning Pens Ltd Service Offered: Supplier to education www.scanningpens.com Sensavis Service Offered: Educational software www.the3dclassroom.com Teach for the Philippines, Inc. (formerly Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation) Service Offered: Education / Training www.teachforthephilippines.org/
2nd Annual Institute on Higher Education Admission & Guidance EARCOS-CIS is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual EARCOS-CIS Institute on Higher Education Admission and Guidance which will be held on Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October 2016 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok,Thailand. The EARCOS-CIS Institute will present a perfect opportunity for admission officers from CIS member colleges and universities around the world to connect with guidance counsellors from CIS and EARCOS member schools throughout East Asia. Conference details and registration are both available in the EARCOS and CIS website. www.earcos.org | www.cois.org Fall 2016 Issue 7
Global Citizenship Awardees >> List of Global Citizenship Award 2016 Winners
This award is presented to a student who embraces the qualities of a global citizen. This student is a proud representative of his/her nation while respectful of the diversity of other nations, has an open mind, is well informed, aware and empathetic, concerned and caring for others encouraging a sense of community, and strongly committed to engagement and action to make the world a better place. Finally, this student is able to interact and communicate effectively with people from all walks of life while having a sense of collective responsibility for all who inhabit the globe. SCHOOL
NAME OF STUDENT
American International School Hong Kong American International School of Guangzhou American Pacific International School Ayeyarwaddy International School Bali Island School Bandung Independent School Bangkok Patana School Beijing BISS International School Beijing City International School Beijing International Bilingual Academy Brent International School Baguio Brent International School Manila Busan International Foreign School Canadian Academy Canadian International School of Hong Kong Cebu International School Chadwick International School Chatsworth International School Chinese International School, Hong Kong Christian Academy in Japan Concordia International School Shanghai Daegu International School Dalat International School Faith Academy Garden International School Gyeonggi Suwon International School Hong Kong Academy Hong Kong International School International Christian School of Hong Kong International Community School - Singapore International School Bangkok International School Manila International School of Beijing, The International School of Kuala Lumpur International School of Phnom Penh International School of Qingdao International School of Tianjin International School, Ho Chi Minh City ISE International School ISS International School Jakarta Intercultural School Kaohsiung American School KIS International School Korea International School Korea International School - Jeju Campus Korea Kent Foreign School Kunming International Academy Marist Brothers International School Mont’Kiara International School Nagoya International School
Kelly Lo, Pui-Ting Lynn Maekawa Prim Poungpet Thura Naing Sierra Anderson Kaitlyn Chieh Florence Lacrosse Maniza, Tasnuva Fahmeema Ya Fei (Daisy) Zheng Alfio Lococo Kim, Yae Ryung (Emily) Eugene Enclona Marita Forde Irma Elsa Maria Sjogren Rachel Tse Yan Wong Shin, Seung Heon (Brian) Pedroh Kim Megan Conceicao Jasmine Topp Micah Taylor Helen Zhang Marvin HoJun Kweon Andrew Kim Gabrielle (Gabbie) Fonacier Nanami Katakura Loukas Kang Alessandra Bremer Serena Nanji-Totani Yan Tung Rachel Tam Ha Hae Son Banthisa (Ice) Somboon Jessica Cuadro Kelsey Schoeman Hannah Arafeh Chorvivann Chay Hyun (Belina) Lee Chang Kai Chieh Lucy Borevinporsial Snekha Selvkumar Rin Wada Cindy Parris Dylan Kroft Nishmaiah (Maya) Shaleem Leona Maruyama Halin Yu Christine Chae Jonathan Tannous Konomi Honda Anne-Kirsten Verwoerd Christopher Lindstrom
8 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Nanjing International School NIST International School North Jakarta Intercultural School Northbridge International School Cambodia Oberoi International School. Osaka International School Prem Tinsulanonda International School QSI International School of Shenzhen Ruamrudee International School Saigon South International School Saint Maur International School Seisen International School Seoul Foreign School Seoul International School Shanghai American School - Pudong Campus Shanghai American School - Puxi Campus Shanghai Community Int’l School-Hongqiao Campus Shanghai Community Int’l School-Pudong Campus Shenzhen College of International Education Singapore American School Stamford American International School Taejon Christian International School Taipei American School Teda International School The American School in Japan The International School Yangon Tianjin International School UIS Guangzhou United Nations International School of Hanoi United World College of South East Asia - Dover Campus Vientiane International School Wells International School - On Nut Campus Wuhan Yangtze International School Yangon International School Yokohama International School
Sophia Rinker Kengo Shigeta Yu Heng Li (Johan) Rindeth Long Akash Apte Sophia Grabowski Areeya (Irene) Jamieson Nishant Aswani Supisaranee Komthongchusakul Angela Mariz Carlos Tarrobal Yuki Kawamura Momoe Anno Leslie Jinha Kim Young Suk (Eric) Song Mildred Aneth Alvarez Grajeda Mijin Hur So-Yun Bae Maayke Vlas Neil Qiao Hope Tanudisastro Selina Ruf David Yang Brendan Wong Wo Ye Andy Takagi Amy Win Hannah Elizabeth McElroy Antonia Moreno Olivares Son Dao Maggie Yiting Dong Monica Fenema Srishti Soni (Sami) Austin Yu Thu Wati Aung (Chloe) Hemanth Aroumougam
Global Citizenship Community Grant Recipients >> All of us here at EARCOS wish to extend our sincere congratulations to the following Global Citizens who have been chosen to receive an EARCOS Global Citizen Community Service Grant of $500 to further their excellent community work during this upcoming academic year. The recipients are: So-Yun Ivy Bae – Shanghai Community International School Project Name: Qingpu Migrant School and Shelter Project Hope Tanudisastro – Singapore American School Project Name: Computer Lab – Riau Islands Antonia Moreno – Utaholy International School Guangzhou, China Project Name: Joy in Action Eugene Enclona – Brent International School – Manila Project Name: Project Compassion Helen Zhang – Concordia International School Shanghai Project Name: Huge Grace Orphanage Lorraine Jiang – Western Academy of Beijing Project Name: GM English
Fall 2016 Issue 9
Faces of EARCOS
Remembering William Powell 1949-2016
Dear Colleagues: As many of you learned this past summer, we lost an extraordinary professional and, for many of us, a good friend. Bill Powell was a gifted educator, who worked tirelessly to advance the inclusion of children with special educational needs in international schools. He and Ochan have changed the International schools admissions policies by accepting more kids with special needs. Ten years ago this was unheard of as International schools had exclusionary entrance policies. Thank goodness Bill and Ochan’s efforts have circled the globe and we are better because of Bill Powell. The Powell family shared an announcement of Bill’s passing in an email that I have included below. “It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, William Powell, on the evening of July 11, 2016. Surrounded by his family: Ochan, Sean, Colin, Gulay, and Jenny and the grandchildren, Bill suffered from a sudden heart attack. In the week leading up to July 11, we had all gathered near Halifax, Nova Scotia, to unwind after a long year and to “make memories”. The four grandchildren, Ceren, Kerem, Dylan, and Sam brought laughter and love to Bill’s life. We had spent the afternoon of July 11 at the beach making sandcastles and had a wonderful family dinner. Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out to us. Your messages of love and care continue to provide us with comfort and solace in our time of grief. We have created a Facebook page where we invite you to share photos, memories or anything that you are moved to share in order to celebrate Bill’s life.” Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/hblnnyb Ochan shared the schedule for two celebrations of Bill’s life. The dates and venues are as follows: September 14, from 5 - 6pm, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the International School of Kuala Lumpur November 19, from 5 - 6 pm, in Genoa, Italy, at the International School in Genoa The international community will miss him, but I am assured his and Ochan’s work will continue. You can help keep this work moving forward by visiting the link regarding information about the William Powell Inclusion Foundation. http://tinyurl.com/zflpou6 Warm regards, Dick Krajczar Ed.D Executive Director
10 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Professional Development >>
International School Teaching Internship Pays Off for Chinese Graduate Student By Simon Gauci
One outstanding intern this year is Zoe (Shouyi) Li, a master’s student at Sun Yat-Sun University (SYSU). With an undergraduate degree in English translation and minor in German, she lived in Germany for one year studying German and English, she arrived at AISG well prepared for an internship in the classroom. Before she came to AISG there was a presentation about the internship at SYSU and as the interview process was described to candidates she had apprehension about the challenges and possible hardships of an internship. However, after a week as an intern she reflected on what she learned but still felt quite nervous. After the spring break she asked for a lot of advice from veteran teachers and “over time I began to feel more at ease,” Li said.
Zoe (Shouyi) Li preparing the class The American International School of Guangzhou (AISG) World Languages Department, under the leadership of Ms. Sarah Ting, has been sponsoring Chinese Interns at AISG for six years. In 2007 she did workshops for Sun Yat-Sun University graduate students but noticed they struggled with grasping western ideas about teaching. “They had no ideas about the educational settings for an American school or a Western style of teaching. It is difficult for them to comprehend the teaching philosophy or strategies that I shared during the workshops,” Ting stated. The interns are from the Sun Yat-Sun University School of International Education in Guangzhou (SYSU) graduate program and the intern are volunteers but receive graduate credits hours toward their Master’s in Education. Every year in November graduate students visit AISG and compete for a full time three-month teaching internship but only seven are chosen. On that day in November all of them observe various classes, meet and talk to AISG faculty and students, and then participate in a lunch and mingle during which they are being causally and formally evaluated for suitable Internship potential.Ting mentioned that “Starting from 2012, we added an English Interview Process to assess their English Proficiency as a selection tool.” Once selected, the interns will be part of the teaching AISG faculty from mid-January to the end of April. Generally, there are five interns at the Science Park campus and usually work in the High School/Middle School Division and four work at the elementary campus located on Ersha Island in Guangzhou.
At age 23, Li clearly possess a determined mindset when it comes to success. Her inspiration comes from her passion to be an educator and the internship has helped her to meet that goal. Hailing from Yunnan Province, Li came to SYSU Guangzhou campus in March 2015. Li said that “helping to gain a real teaching experience and to apply teaching theories and classroom management as well as technology was emphasized, provides me with a real teaching ability.” She is currently in her seventh week as an intern in the high school and middle school divisions. Other students who try out for the internships lack the fluency skills. Clearly, Zoe was an excellent intern choice. Li also stated that the advantages of AISG is a sense of belonging, “we are part of the teaching team.” Ms. Ting told Zoe that she does a good job organizing the classes. This comment came after many “failures” for Li trying motivate the students and make the lesson interesting; a tale most teachers can relate to. This reflects the value of an internship for a pre-service teacher and will help build her instructional skills set for her career as a teacher. There is good news. In August 2016, Zoe is off to Miami, USA to be a teacher of Chinese for a two-year contract in a private school. It seems the internship held her in good stead. She feels respected by Ms. Ting. A change from other internships where “free [exploitive] labor is common and securing a teaching position is highly competitive,” Li said. The first AISG Chinese Intern, Lloyd Lu, is currently teaching in Toronto, Canada and is waiting for his citizenship. On behalf of the teaching faculty at AISG, we wish Zoe Li and all the interns the best in their career. Simon Gauci was a teacher at AISG when this article was published. He moved to Macau in August 2016 where he is the Director of Boarding at TIS-Macau. Photos by Simon Gauci. 2016. Fall 2016 Issue 11
EARCOS Special Features >>
At the crossroads of globalisation and education
EARCOS is pleased to feature two articles from member school, Shenzhen College of International Education. We are delighted to recognize an exceptional student and her talented teacher. Kari Wang recently won the British Sociological Association (BSA) Teaching Group Sixth Form Sociology Competition, which is held annually. Her teacher, Richard Driscoll, said, “This competition demonstrates that students with the right passion for learning and dedication can achieve whatever they set their hearts on. I have some exceptional students here, they work incredibly hard.” BSA’s Journal, The Sociology Teacher, featured Kari and Richard’s articles in their Spring 2016 publication. EARCOS is honored to reprint these articles here for our members.
—In response to “What is the most important topic for sociologists to study over the next 20 years?” By Kari Wang Having spent my first thirteen years of life in a quiet small city, I had absolutely no idea what kind of life I would step into when I made the decision to enter an international high school in Shenzhen—one of the most prosperous cities in China. From my very first day, I was overwhelmed by the thousands of imported books gracefully arranged on shelves, English pop songs played inside the shopping malls, and foreigners in bars chatting around…three years have passed, and I gradually discovered that the idea of ‘globalisation’ had in fact diffused into every street corner of this modernised city with only less than forty years of history. More remarkable is the trend of overseas studying. In Shenzhen, there are over 30 international schools and education centres providing international courses; a variety of overseas studies agencies smartly locate themselves around schools and occupy metro stations, web pages and their sponsored events with eye-catching advertisements. A recent survey conducted by a group of students from No. 3 Senior High School of Shenzhen found that, among 2,985 middle-school students in Shenzhen, more than 70% inclined to study abroad (despite the fact that over 60% of all students had little or no overseas experience), and over 60% of families would support their children to do so. Even for kids, there are thousands of them living in Shenzhen who travel back and forth the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border daily to attend kindergartens and primary schools in Hong Kong. Same situation applies to other parts of China. According to Project Atlas, 459,800 students left China for overseas studying in 2014, and each year this figure rewrites its record. The reason behind these phenomena is worth thinking. Why are students from the most affluent cities of China—world’s largest and fastest growing economies with one fifth of population on this planet, rushing out of their own country for foreign education? Is it that people think Chinese education is falling behind, or that they all have an extremely open and global mind? Are those so-called ‘international’ schools in China actually providing a free and cosmopolitan environment? How could they be sure that foreign education would really be better for them before trying it out?
With these questions, I conducted a research on the globalisation of education in China, which was specifically focused on Chinese Student Migration. I designed an online questionnaire and received 57 responses ranging from primary to college students (the majority was high school students) Among the 51 students who were currently studying in an international school/programme in China, 84% claimed that their schools valued extracurricular activities as well as academic knowledge, and 78% believed their school had a great cultural diversity (for example, had teachers from different parts of the world). 60% said their school had a combination of Chinese and foreign values, while 27% suggested Chinese traditions were maintained as the core value. However, 14% of them said their schools only focused on preparing students for exams, showing that some schools were still examoriented despite their ‘international’ nature.
When asked about their reasons for studying abroad, three quarters (74%) of the participants said they believed foreign education would make them more well-rounded individuals (as a way to increase human capital). For example, they could be more involved in extracurricular activities and community service. 68% saw overseas studying as an opportunity to explore about different culture and enrich their experience. 60% believed more resources and information would be accessible in foreign schools. 20% said it would be a good way to get a decent job, which means a better future. This might be both a pull factor and a push factor due to the inflation of degrees, that a foreign diploma is not only necessary for getting better jobs abroad, but also particularly useful when finding jobs in China.
12 EARCOS Triannual Journal Reason
for studying abroad
68% students felt the Chinese education system was not suitable for them, and wished to escape ‘Gaokao’ (The National Higher Education Entrance Examination in China). An interesting point is over 80% of those students intended to have a major in either art, music, humanities or liberal arts. As a matter of fact, the Chinese education system values less on humanities subjects compared with science and economics. Many Chinese parents would discourage their children from pursuing artistic/musical professions for the ‘instability’ of those careers. The good news is there has been an increase in the variety of majors taken by Chinese overseas students. In the past, most students would prefer to choose ‘safer’ subjects such as maths, engineering and economics which Chinese students are generally good at. But nowadays, students devote themselves to different areas, and most participants’ interests are not restricted to one single subject. As for their destination, USA(32%) and UK(30%) were still taking the lead, followed by Canada(12%), Australia(11%) and other European countries(9%). These are positive signs of diversity. Since the tuition fee of overseas studying is often high, it would only be affordable for the more wealthy families. This was also tested in the questionnaire. Most participants were economically dependent high school students, which means they have their parents to pay for the education. 42% of the participants’ family ran their own business, and another 37% had parents with decent salary, and in relatively important positions at workplace. 5% of parents worked for the government, and another 5% were rich enough that they didn’t need to work. Thus, at least 84% of the participants’ families were presumably privileged financially. This is a perfect illustration of social stratification in China. In 1981, the State Council approved the Temporary Regulations on Self-financed Overseas Education, and a decade later a new policy known as “support study overseas, encourage returns, guarantee freedom of movement” was introduced, causing a rapid increase in the number of overseas students, especially since the 2000s.
yuan). Obviously, only the rich can afford to send their children abroad, while the poor have almost no chance. This can be further linked to Marx’s idea of ‘social reproduction’, in which social inequality is transmitted from one generation to the next. The elites, or those who receive the best education usually come from the best backgrounds, and are far more likely to provide the same or even better opportunities for their offsprings. In this way, inequality is reinforced in society. As for the participants’ plan after graduation from foreign schools, only 24% of them said they would immediately or eventually return to China, and try to make use of the knowledge and experience abroad to make China a better place. 28% thought it doesn’t really matter which country they work for, (which seems like a very globalised idea on the one hand), and a significant minority (22%) were determined to stay overseas and hopefully take up another citizenship. On the other hand, these figures are quite worrying. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, though the ratio of returnees to the total number of Chinese students leaving for overseas had reached a climax at 85.4% in 2013, accumulatively there have been over 1.5 million Chinese students who went abroad and never returned. A large proportion of the returnees are ordinary people who relied on parental financial support to study abroad for several years, while those best-educated people tend to stay overseas. A strong evidence of this is a retention rate as high as 87% for both science and engineering fields. Chinese government had introduced several programmes to attract the talents back, nevertheless there is still no substantial solution to the massive ‘brain drain’. Is it that people don’t recognise the heavy responsibility of their generation in constructing the country’s future? Two thirds of the participants believed a country’s future depends on education to a great extent (5 out of 5 mark), and the rest of them all thought education plays quite a significant role in shaping a country’s future (3 or 4 out of 5). This might be either suggesting a possible dilution of patriotism or indicating an increasingly globalised mindset. Also, through observation I noticed many teenagers and some adults (in my school it’s probably everyone) have access to online education. Comparing with books and newspapers, I see more fingers sliding over phone screens and Kindles on trains. Will online education ever replace our current form of education now? If that happens, what are the benefits and drawbacks it would bring us?
According to recent data, the average cost for an international student at undergraduate level is £11,987 per year in UK, which is 7.4 times of the per capita disposable annual income of urban households in China (15699 yuan in the first half of 2015) and 20 times of the per capita disposable annual income of rural households (5554 Fall 2016 Issue 13
Would Chinese students still be eager to study abroad, or would they be satisfied with the global environment on the Internet? Only 44% of the participants genuinely thought school education would be the best way for teenagers to learn, and less than half (46%) believed school education could prepare them for work in the future. 18% said they didn’t like school that much but they had no other choice. About three quarters (74%) thought they could acquire useful skills such as social skills, flexibility, and the ability to deal with pressure from schools. The participants gave an average rating of 3.67 on a scale of 5 when they were asked about the influence of school education on their values. This suggested that school education plays a fairly important role in the socialisation of most people, which seemingly supports from Parson’s idea of education as the main agent of secondary socialisation. The thoughts of quitting the Chinese education system, however, is obviously not directly taught by the Chinese education system, but something produced from dissatisfactions with the system. In this case, it seems that more and more people start to diverge from the ideal of ‘value consensus’ into a more diverse and versatile reality. Going back to my personal story which might not interest you much, but from a perspective I believe millions of Chinese teenagers now stand—I gave up my peaceful life in that small city where I could have entered the best local high school, an okay university and so on, but chose a risky path instead—to study abroad. Where to? What kind of future will I face? In which way will I contribute a little to this world? These are questions I could provide no answer to, but here I am for only one reason—to think in a free environment. Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this report, or spending days researching for the future of education, which is another question I have yet to find an answer to (and will probably never figure out). What I am presenting you is not just an interesting phenomenon of Chinese Student Migration, but more importantly what it reflects. Education is apparently a global issue—in some states of the USA,
the high school dropout rate is as high as a quarter; in the UK, the dual education system reinforces inequality between the uppermiddle class and the working class; in India, there are still 287 million illiterate people. Class reproduction, credential inflation, under-education, over-education, bullying, disrespect towards teachers, a lack of parental involvement…the list can go on and on, and it will be our generation’s mission to gradually come up with solutions to some of those problems. The future of education is, and will continue to be a major topic for sociologists and those who genuinely care about the future of human beings as long as our species still exist. It is a matter of the persistence of human intelligence, the prerequisite of further advancement, and is definitely not just limited to the school curriculum. A reform of education in a global context is taking place through a silent revolution. Standing at the crossroads of globalisation and education in this interconnecting world, I wonder where the path will lead ‘us’ to. Bibliography: - A survey by Shenzhen middle school students http://www.szdaily.com/content/2015-07/22/content_11947646.htm - Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cross Boundary Students https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen%E2%80%93Hong_Kong_crossboundary_students - Project Atla’s data on the number of overseas students from China 2014 http://www.iie.org/Services/Project-Atlas/China/Chinas-Students-Overseas - Average cost of an international student in UK http://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/student-finance/how-muchdoes-it-cost-study-uk - Chinese official data of per capita disposable annual income(in Chinese) http://www.askci.com/news/finance/2015/07/27/85342952u.shtml - International student migration and social stratification in China http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073805930900042X - Chinese students leaving for overseas studying&returning https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUKNBIkWEAAuYCf.jpg - Why Are Overseas Chinese Students Not Returning to China http://www.chinasmack.com/2013/stories/why-are-overseas-chinesestudents-not-returning-to-china.html - Sociology 7th edition by Anthony Giddens Kari Wang is a student at ShenZhen College of International Education
Submit an Article >> The EARCOS Journal
We are currently planning the Winter issue with a submission deadline of December 1, 2016. As you can see from our previous issues, we have moved to more of a magazine format with regular features. We invite you to share the great things going on at your school with the other schools in the EARCOS region.
Submit your article to
Joe Petrone at jpetrone@earcos.org or Edzel Drilo at edrilo@earcos.org 14 EARCOS Triannual Journal
EARCOS Special Features >>
Rationale for Teaching Sociology in China By Richard Driscoll
Sociology (I did not see any adverts on TES in two years) I was fortunate to find out about a position at Shenzhen College of International Education by a change Facebook message from a friend from my PGCE course. Within a week a Skype interview had taken place and I was researching a city I knew very little about despite it boosting a population of over ten million.
On completing my PGCE in social sciences at the Institute of Education in 2007 I spent a month travelling around China and developed a fascination with the country which would lead to subsequent visits and eventually to my current situation of leading an expanding Sociology department. Many of my initial observations on my first trip to China formed the basis of my introduction lessons on both the formation of culture and global culture. For example, on a local Yangtze river cruise in which I was one of there western tourists I was exposed to the differences in personal space and privacy. I would regularly have my shoulder tapped by a Chinese man who would request a photo with their wife or children by a professional photographer. In addition, a group of teachers on board would ask direct and personal questions in relation to my marriage status and income. I was also intrigued to see first hand what Ritzer had referred to Starbuckization of society (1) and the cloned shopping centres in every major city with conspicuous consumption clearly evident. In Chengdu I had a Sichuan fish which was despite off the spiciness scale particularly tasty. The staff outnumbered the customers by a ratio of three to one. Next door an overpriced and bland pizza hut had a queue to get a reservation. My Sociology students in the state comprehensive school I taught in Epsom were fascinated by many of the cross cultural examples in class and would occasionally attempt filibuster tactics to try and sway a discussion onto the topic of China. After seven enjoyable years teaching and then leading a social sciences department I was hoping to get the opportunity of finding a Sociology job in China. With very few international schools offering
Sociology in China a brief overview For an account of Sociology in China as a discipline a good starting point would be the journal article by Yanjie Bian and Lei Zhang ‘Sociology in the people’s republic. (2) In brief Sociology as a subject emerged in China in the 1920s only to be banned in 1952 partly influenced by Lenin’s assertion that Comte’s sociology being bourgeois. In the modernisation era, Sociology returned in 1979 with the reestablishment of the Chinese Sociological Association. Whilst over seventy universities offer Sociology at undergraduate level the picture is different at high school. The public schools do not offer Sociology with the typical humanities offer being history, politics and geography. Whilst there has been a substantial growth in the number of international schools in China very few have Sociology as part of their curriculum. Based on the uptake at the school I would not be surprised if this was to change in the short to medium term, especially in the context of a recent discussion I had a professor of Social Policy at York who highlighted that the majority of masters students are from the South East Asia region. Teaching sociology at Shenzhen College of International Education (SCIE) First impressions I started employment at SCIE August 2014. SCIE is fee paying international school following the IGCSE and IA Level with only a few non Chinese students. It has a high ability cohort with typically about 16 students going on to study at Oxford or Cambridge university. There has been a recent increase in the number if applications to American universities. Sociology had been introduced the previous year following the Cambridge International Education (CIE) International A-level. My first challenge was that I had been given one class but had had 72 students wanting to enroll onto the course. So I was in a new experience of delivering lessons in an auditorium and then devise a fair selection criterion to narrow down the students. At the end of my second lesson on the nature nurture debate it became apparent that one of the students had in advance on the course ordered the vast majority of the CIE recommended reading list and had in fact read and understood Gender by R W Connell (3) and asking applying the readings to the lesson. I quickly realised that I was in a privileged position and had an exciting opportunity. It was also a very difficult decision to have to turn away many enthusiastic students who could not be accommodated and to see their obvious bitter disappointment. This is something I never had to do in the Fall 2016 Issue 15
UK where on occasions students would be recommended towards signing up to make up the numbers as opposed to having a specific passion for the subject. I was pleased therefore the department to have expanded this year. With 3 students obtaining A* for the first cohort and the highest examination result in China I expect the demand to continue to rise. Challenges and experiences of teaching sociology in an international context When teaching Sociology in an international school for the first time there are many challenges which at first can be somewhat daunting. The CIE exam board has a syllabus which allows for flexibility so as to utilise the experiences of the student’s home country but whilst still have a framework which is based upon the context of Sociological research from UK and USA. A good starting point to the course is the well known ‘Shirbit Culture’ example to explore some of the features of British culture although I was surprised for one student to guess first time where this culture was having been accustomed over the years to guesses of the Amazon, to the Pacific islands to somewhere in Africa. The topics I teach on the Sociology of the Media, Religion, Education and the Family require a substantial amount of contextual knowledge of the situation in the UK. When I had taught in the UK I had used twitter to share contemporary examples which were often used in a starter activity called ‘Have I got Sociology for You’. In China twitter is blocked alongside many useful blogs. The guardian website is available and alongside ‘Sociology Review’ magazines I was able to provide the relevant material from the UK. I found it interesting that the writings and television interviews of Owen Jones was just as popular with the Chinese students as the UK. The case study of the media portrayal of Shanon Matthews in the excellent chapter in the demonization of the working class resonated equally with my Chinese students as it had with my previous students in Epsom. (4). Similarly, when exploring subcultures the popularity of Louis Theroux is obviously universal. In fact surprisingly my poor attempts of humour for example on questions on conflict approaches asking students to check their MARX scheme have the very same groans as to what I have been accustomed to. A couple of effective teaching strategies I have adopted to assist with the context of the sociological research are role plays, in which students can read sections of research findings in character. This has worked well with studies such as Learning to Labour (5), Wilmot and Young Kinship networks (6) and Ann Oakley’s Housewives study (7). Having established the importance of explaining the UK or USA context of Sociological research another challenge is to have the right balance of cross cultural comparisons from China in order for the lessons to remain relevant and engaging to the students. Of course it is a two-way process and I am fortunate to gain an insight to Chinese culture. One effective example to illustrate this point is following a lesson on family diversity a student of mine Hecate exposed me to a rare example of a matriarchy tribe, the Mosuo. Hecate decided to with a research partner carry out a small scale ethnographic piece of research in the summer. I shared the findings with text book author Chris Livesey who has included on his blog (6). One of the most interesting aspects of teaching in an international school is adapting a teaching style which is suitable to you students 16 EARCOS Triannual Journal
whilst staying true to your teaching philosophy. Having been trained on a pedagogy which places great emphasis on the importance of questioning, I found it disconcerting in my first few lessons when I posed a question to be met with absolute silence. At the end of the lesson feeling a bit disheartened that I had failed to enthuse I was then met with a queue of students all asking me excellent and perspective questions based on the lesson. When I asked why they had not asked them in the lesson it became apparent it was largely not to lose face in case the rest of the class thought the questions were not of sufficient usefulness. It took a while to embed a culture of questioning. Similarly, it took a while before students worked effectively in a group work. Other teaching methods were assimilated far more quickly. For example, the WWW, EBI, INT feedback approach approved to be popular. Students acted on feedback in a more thoughtful way to my students in UK and it progress particular in terms of essays was rapid. In fact, by the end of the year many of the essays I would mark would be full marks. Student successes In a short period of time there have been many successes by SCIE sociology students. A few students inspired by forth wave feminism campaigns such as work of UK Feminista decided to create awareness around school by designing a T-shirt with the slogan the FWord not a dirty word and on the back proud to be a SCIE Feminist. Students have carried out some really exciting research in China on topics such as cultural capital, parental pressure on marriage and impact of mass media on changing perceptions of Americans. Undoubtedly the success which has caused most excitement in the school with news that Kari Wang had won the BSAs annual essay competition with her entry on globalisation and education. News of her achievement spread through the social networking application wechat rapidly and is likely to have a knock on effect with even more students being encouraged to study Sociology. From my point of view what was most impressive was that she had only been studying Sociology for just over three months. I asked Kari to summarise what she has gained from studying sociology so far and she wrote “It’s been really a pleasure and privilege to read the works from people who had dedicated their whole life in hopes of making a better society for all of us. Though different sociologists have different approaches and look into different issues, they’re all more or less contributing to the human society in terms of understanding social relations, improving government policies, and maintaining social justice”. This strikes me as a very mature and perspective attitude from a sixteen-year-old student. In addition, I arranged for Stefan Kühner from the University of York to give a lecture to the students on ‘Are we growing unequal, and if so should we care? Events such as this as well as extra sessions I deliver which go beyond the curriculum have helped to inspire six students to study sociology, social policy at institutions such LSE, Durham and Warwick. The future Next year I look forward to even more students going on to study social sciences at university and perhaps explore the opportunity of a project with UK students. A student I taught in my NQT teacher went onto to become a teacher of sociology in Epsom and I joke to my current cohort that in five years time I hope to return to see one of them teaching. It may not be such a far fetched idea!
15th Annual EARCOS Teachers’ Conference 2017
Connecting Global Minds October 27-29,2016 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Strand
Science Math Social Studies/Humanities Global Issues/Global Citizenship Middle School Service Learning S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Technology Counseling General Education Topics Place: Sutera Harbour Resort, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Preconference: March 29, 2017 Regular: March 30- April 1, 2017
For more information If you have any questions, please contact the EARCOS office or email Elaine Repatacodo, ETC Coordinator at lrepatacodo@earcos.org Phone: +63 (02) 779-5147 | Fax: +63 (49) 511-4694 | Mobile: +63 928-5074876
PRECONFERENCES (March 29)
AP Calculus AB and BC (combined) AP Computer Science Principles Kim Cofino – Student Learning Through Social Media Karim Medico Letwinsky – Creating an Inquiry Learning Environment in the Math Classroom Kenny Peavey – Science Integration: Everyone Needs to Get Outside to Learn and Play **(March 26 - 28: Pre-Conference Trip - Title: Borneo Adventures!) Tina Quick – Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and Cross Culture Kids (CCKs) – Successful Transitions
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Christophe Galfard – The Universe In Your Hand - Physics For All Kim Phuc Phan Thi – A Vietnam Journey Aaron Tait / David Faulkner – Educators, Entrepreneurs and Service Learning Stewards
SPECIAL PRESENTERS
Paul Andersen – Best Practices in the K-12 Science Classroom Waka Takahashi Brown – Humanities: Case Studies in Democracy-Building; Divided Memories: Explore bias, perspective, media literacy, and historiography; Chinese Dynasties; and, Religions and Philosophies in China Kim Cofino – Technology: Understanding the Power of Audience; First Steps in Trans forming Learning Using Technology; and, Making Time to Create Lynn Coleman – Authentic, Formative Assessment; and, PLCs Christophe Galfard – The Universe In Your Hand - Physics For All Tim Gerrish – Student Wellbeing: Protection, Safety & Security Julie Harris Stern – Conceptual Understanding and Unit Design for Real World Transfer in the Middle School; and Tools for Conceptual Understanding in High School Humanities Karim Medico Letwinsky – Math Differentiation, Brain-based Research in the Maths Classroom, and Hands-on Math Steve Money – Service Learning - Transformative Power of Experiential Learning, Global Citizenship, Cultural I.Q. Ron Lancaster – Middle School Math - Posing Powerful Questions; Growth Mindsets; Artists Using Math; and, Math Modelling in Architecture Stefanie Lamb – Humanities: China’s Cultural Revolution; Islamic Civilization and the Arts; Historical Overview of Korea through Art; and, Japanese Art in the Edo Period Kenny Peavey – Adventure Learning: Basics of Program Design and Standard Operating Procedures; and Making Service Learning Happen Kim Phuc Phan Thi - A Vietnam Journey Tina Quick – Supporting TCKs Transitions; Challenges of Leaving a Third Culture; and, Culture and Communications Kirk Robbins - Next Generation Science Standards; Three Dimensional Science Assessment; Engaging Students in Authentic Science; and Engineering for Elementary Science Classroom Logan Smalley - TED-Ed Working For You and Your Students Aaron Tait / David Faulkner – ‘Edupreneurs’: Unleashing Teacher-led Innovation in Schools James Tanton – Creativity in Mathematics; Power of Visualization; Exploding Dots; and Power of the Area Model Jennifer TH Wathall – Concept-Based Curriculum including Unit Planning and Student Engagement through Instructional Practices in Math and Sciences
EARCOS PRACTITIONER PRESENTERS
Mary Ellen Ryan – Math Proficiencies Through Problem Solving; Differentiation in the Maths Classroom; and Math Games Jane Alteman – Hands on Science Steve Sostak / Aaron Moniz- Middle School Global Citizenship Post Conference Trip (April 2 - 4) Kenny Peavey - The Best of Borneo
www.earcos.org/etc2017/
Curriculum Initiative >>
Reading for Empathy Project By Maureen McCann Teacher Librarian, Middle School, Hong Kong International School I had many interesting conversations with students as they selected books. I told one athlete he might choose to read about a ballerina like a biography about Misty Copeland or a romance like There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones. I advised an academically gifted student to read a book about a young person with dyslexia like Gary Schmidt’s Okay for Now. Some students sagely told me that any book they read could be seen as an empathy book because all books make readers stand in the shoes of characters. My heart cheered at this astute observation. After reading through the survey responses, a few titles emerged that seem to resonate with several of the students. Two often-selected titles were Wonder by R. J. Palacio and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Hadden. Students enjoyed the plots of these books and reflected that they developed an understanding of what it is like to be different after reading them. One student noted that what is on the outside of a person does not often match what is on the inside of that person.
This year, I challenged the Middle School students I serve as teacher librarian at Hong Kong International School to select a book based on a character unlike them or about a situation for which they had no connection or experience. This purposeful literary selection would be called their Reading for Empathy choice and would be part of their Language Arts reading log. All students are required to read a variety of genres and record the titles and authors on their log, so I simply added an “empathy” category. I shared my idea with all the Language Arts teachers first, and they supported the project wholeheartedly. The purpose of this tiny project was to explore if our adolescent readers would be able to read and reflect about developing empathy for people not like them and places totally different from their familiar homes. The participating students completed a survey to share how they felt they grew in empathy from reading the book they selected. Like many reading teachers and librarians, I recently read several articles in magazines and newspapers about how students who read a lot of literary fiction tended to develop more empathy than those who did not. Since our conflicted world is in sore need of more empathetic people and problem solvers, I was interested in encouraging reading to nurture this character trait in our middle school students.
20 EARCOS Triannual Journal
A few student responses included the idea that even though the reader realized characters were different than they were, they also noticed that there were many similarities as well. Students were becoming aware through reading and reflecting that we all share a common human experience no matter how different we seem at first glance. Several historical fiction books like For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Bradley, The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig, and Morris Gleitzman’s Holocaust series Once, Then, Now, After, and Soon were mentioned as solid Reading for Empathy choices. Students that read about time periods from the past commented that they never realized how wars affected people. They said that reading the books made them realize that war impacts everyone in a society. As the middle school teacher librarian, I plan to continue to encourage students to read books about people unlike them and about situations unfamiliar to them with the intention of increasing student growth in empathy, thereby contributing in a small way to creating a better world. Although I collected data through a Google document survey, recording the growth could easily be done through informal conversations, book clubs, and reading journal entries. Wise young adolescent readers realize that reading any book in the right frame of mind can cause empathy to grow. And who in this world would not want more empathetic people to run the show?
Two classics.
One familiar, one new
Create a framework for transformational change in the classroom The New Art and Science of Teaching is the ten-year update of Marzano’s original comprehensive framework of instruction, The Art and Science of Teaching. This resource provides specific guidance for transformational changes in instructional planning, classroom assessment, grading, developing thinking in students, ensuring student retention of content, teacher feedback and development, and much more!
Take your school to new levels of global excellence Tailored specifically to international schools, this resource guides teachers and administrators through every aspect of PLC implementation. The book’s contributors are all international-school educators with firsthand experience in successfully reculturing their schools into PLCs. They offer real-world examples, strategies, and techniques for taking schools from great to even greater.
LEARN MORE!
SolutionTree.com/Global
17247-ST-AU-Resources-TriennialMag-Ad.indd 1
Fall 2016 21 8/3/16 Issue 1:49 PM
Curriculum Initiative >>
Use of technology to ensure students are prepared for a world beyond school By Karen Wong Marketing and Communications Manager, Alice Smith School
Technology is used at every school to support the already diverse curriculum and to help develop students as individuals and thereby prepare them for a world beyond school; for university and, ultimately, the world of work. In conjunction with our learning technology vision, the Alice Smith School’s curriculum sets out to create students who are problem solvers, who are tenacious and confident and prepared to take risks in their learning. We encourage in them an independence which enables them to make decisions about when and how it is appropriate to use technology to support their learning. We also ensure our students are able to make considered judgements about when - and where - it is not appropriate to use technology and to be mindful of how much they are using technology. We foster creativity, invention, innovation and anytime, anywhere mobile learning which allows students to assess how their learning fits into the wider world and to extend opportunities to collaborate beyond the school community. By doing this we hope to better prepare them to be responsible global citizens with an interest in, and respect for, the wider world. Students of all ages get to experience a wealth of technology; hardware and software ranging from iPad to PCs to Google Apps to 3D printing. The immediate access to technology affords has broadened and en22 EARCOS Triannual Journal
hanced what is possible in the classroom. This could be something as simple as looking up the share price of a company to explaining their changing fortunes, using online learning tools, collaboration via Google docs or more extended projects such as creating digital content for others to peer-review. All valuable skills that will stand our students from Year 5 and up under our KLASS 1:1 iPad and ‘Bring your own browser’ programme in good stead when they leave school. The use of all these technologies is targeted and purposeful with the aim of providing students with a range of opportunities to explore different types of technology and how they can be used to best support their learning and fire up their interest and enthusiasm. As one of their Year 6 student puts it; “Children love using their technologies so much that if you put devices into school time, they don’t even know they are learning.” By giving students experiences of dealing with a wealth of different technologies and different platforms, we are enabling them to learn the skills to adapt to the changing world that they are faced with. Crucially, we also equip them with digital literacy skills to help them make sense of the world in which they live.To be critical users of digital technology but also to be responsible digital citizens, who can not only contribute to the online world but to also help shape it.
This enables them to set work and have on-going dialogues with students away from the traditional confines of a classroom. Google Classroom helps students to stay organised as well as to interact with their peers and their teachers. “Learning technology has made school fun by unlocking new ways to discover and learn. As well as this, it is easier to ask teachers questions and give in your homework if we’re not in school the next day,” shared another student.
Technology also enables students to interact with professionals in a way that they could not previously. For example, you can have Skype conversations with authors around the world or question a scientist in some other part of the globe. Google apps also offer a range of tools for students to work with. This could be collaboration on a shared document to produce a group presentation, or it could be using Google Hangouts to engage with their teachers when they are unable to have face-to-face lessons within school. Teachers also engage with their classes via Google’s Classroom.
We are aware that the pace of technological change is fast moving and that parents need to be kept informed as to how to support their children. A range of workshops are offered aimed at helping parents navigate their way through this changing technological landscape. This could be hands-on sessions or discussions on screen time and distractions or best practice in online safety. It is important to help parents feel empowered to know what technology is out there and how to best support their children in their use of it. Technology is one of many facets we use at the Alice Smith School to help equip our students with relevant and necessary skills as they make their way on this successful journey both during their time at the school and beyond. “EARCOS readers with questions may inquire with Karen Wong, Marketing and Communications Manager - Whole School at: marketing@alice-smith.edu.my.
Join us on Google+ Search: EARCOS Community Share great things going on in EARCOS schools. The EARCOS community consists of 149 international schools and over 10,000 educators in the East Asia region. This community is a place to share ideas and events taking place in EARCOS schools.
Fall 2016 Issue 23
Featured Article >>
Introduction to EARCOS Leadership Mentoring A Three Part Series for Fall,Winter, and Spring ET Journal By Joe Petrone, PhD, EARCOS Assistant Director
• secure feedback from participants on emerging elements of the EARCOS model, so that the final model reflects the needs of the region. The last aim is critical among these all-important goals, as EARCOS is committed to better understand the mentoring needs of the region during the initial development stage. And, EARCOS will continue to collaborate with mentors and protégés to learn valuable improvement suggestions from the inaugural cohort. A three part series of articles outlining the philosophical base and process components of the EARCOS Leadership Mentoring program begins in this edition of Fall 2016 EARCOS Tri Annual Journal. The follow on articles in winter and spring will describe more details of the program, provide progress on the pilot activities, and outline the result of collaborations among inaugural cohort members.
For some time, EARCOS has noticed a need to provide a deliberate and quality mentorship option for the region’s practicing, aspiring, and newly appointed school leaders.There is interest in such professional coaching opportunities among our members. Also, successful school-based mentorship programs are available in the EARCOS region. These exemplars offer optimism that the region’s school leaders will be prepared to share such examples. However, the general sentiment is mentorship programs vary widely from school to school and are inconsistently implemented. EARCOS has learned of this less than optimal condition from the region’s heads and other international school administrators. With the guidance of the region’s school leaders, EARCOS is proposing a process and, ultimately a solution to address this complex challenge. The task of sharing evidenced-based elements of quality mentor relationships is being addressed during a day-long preconference workshop titled, “Leadership Mentoring”, at ELC 2016 Kuala Lumpur facilitated by Dr. Margaret Alvarez, Head of ISS International School and EARCOS Board President; Ms. Liz Duffy, President of International Schools Services; and Ms. Anna Marsden, Head of International School Suva, Fiji and EARCOS Board Member. Dr. Joe Petrone, EARCOS Assistant Director, will attend to explain initial process components, record participant feedback and invite improvement suggestions. The aims of the preconference workshop are to: • provide an overview of the newly emerging EARCOS mentoring program, • understand personal leadership style, • introduce the principles of effective mentoring, • practice the skills of mentoring, • design bespoke mentoring model, • outline the basics of virtual mentoring, • identify diversity within mentoring programs, and 24 EARCOS Triannual Journal
EARCOS members are invited to join with Margaret, Liz, and Anna in the pre-conference to hear about quality mentorship and contribute directly to this developing model of mentoring. *****
EARCOS Leadership Mentoring Program – Part One of Three Part Series Need for Quality Mentorships: Building Partnerships and Collaborating with Members Introduction The EARCOS Leadership Mentoring (ELM) initiative is being developed to make available consitent and effective, standards-based mentoring to school leaders in the region. It aims to establish a reliable professional mentoring option for member schools.The program will primarily use an online software platform for communications, but may bring mentors and proteges together for planned collaborations. ELM will aid the development of a dependable coaching relationship between mentors and protégés. Also, protégé opportunities will be available to veteran heads of schools and school leaders, who wish the benefit of another leader’s expertise with a common initiative, or experience in a strategic innovation. The mentors will be experienced administrators, who are former and successful school leaders. Ideally they will have served in a parallel role, as the assigned protégé. ELM is not intended to take the place of mentorship programs already organized in member schools for principals or heads.
Rather, ELM is aimed at broadening the view of leadership and offered to provide other veteran perspectives, which are based on successful practice and international standards. The success of ELM will be measured, in large degree, by the support it receives from aspiring administrators (protégés) and, especially, experienced international school leaders (mentors). Also, regional services agencies, like EARCOS, and worldwide, full service educational organizations, which include recruitment divisions, like International Schools Services, will be essential to the success of the program. Therefore, an important goal of this initiative is to assure that the needs and the benefits of online leadership mentoring is clarified with end users and agency supporters. Also, it is expected that the program will be piloted and carefully vetted throughout the first year of operation. An open invitation will be extended to inaugural participants for feedback and improvement suggestions. The initial vetting avenue will be opened during the “Leadership Mentoring” preconference held at the upcoming EARCOS Leadership Conference in Kuala Lumpur. It is anticipated that from the participants at this workshop an EARCOS mentorship task force will be invited. This collaborative group and original mentors and protégés will assure that the program is developed with the needs of the region’s school leaders firmly fixed at the foundational base. Long-Term Sustainability Newly appointed international school leaders are oriented and inducted with good intentions and, necessarily, in the local context. Generally, the orientation is focused on their chosen schools’ individual policies, prevailing culture, and relevant country characteristics. Most often, locally sourced and well-meaning administrators are assigned and provide mentoring. Frequently, this task is left to the protégés’ immediate supervisor. Site-specific mentorships are highly valuable, yet variable. And, success is often based on the coaching experiences and training of the mentors found in the school. ELM aims to align itself to evidencebased leadership and online process standards. Through advance and consistently applied training for mentor and protégé, the expressed needs and predictable requirements of the protégés and mentors will be consistently addressed. Worldwide demographics predict steady departures of senior education administrators and, most, after long and effective careers, thus school leaders are entering the profession at an increasingly rapid pace. And, there are many successful leaders wishing to share their expertise and experiences with incoming and continuing school leaders.The need exists to provide school heads and boards of trustees with experienced and motivated mentors in support of newly elected, promoted, and continuing international school leaders. Conditions have convinced us that such experienced professionals are available to engage in virtual leadership mentoring and EARCOS aims to match these talented resources with those in need of quality mentoring.
model by engaging in collaborative dialogues with the initial cadre of mentors and protégés. The goals for ELM are: 1. To use defensible leadership and mentor standards as a basis of the mentoring process. (The standards for protégées will be the Standards for International School Heads and International School Principal Standards from Academy of International School Heads and The Principal Training Center, respectively.) 2. To secure understanding of online leadership mentoring, especially among administrator decision-makers, e.g. heads of schools, deputy heads, and trustees. 3. To assure the mentors and protégées are carefully screened and accurately matched (gender matching as requested). 4. To establish standards–based training program for protégés and mentors. 5. To integrate social networking capacity for those protégées and mentors wishing to e-connect with other mentors and protégées. 6. To provide a user-friendly online platform, which supports frequent communications between mentors and protégés and, when possible, in-person collaboration. 7. To intentionally and purposefully solicit improvement feedback from end users and make requisite modifications to process and, ultimately, the product. Summary EARCOS realizes that a properly executed leadership-mentoring program will contribute to the success of internally promoted, newly appointed, and continuing school leaders. Armed with this understanding, the proposed program intends to develop a regionspecific program and implement a collaboratively designed model for EARCOS members. This introductory article is the first of a three part series of articles outlining the philosophical base and process components of the EARCOS Leadership Mentoring program. EARCOS members are invited to reach out to Joe Petrone jpetrone@earcos.org, should they wish to engage in the initial development of this initiative or have questions about the emerging program. As noted in the “Introduction to EARCOS Leadership Mentoring” found herein, Winter and Spring ET will include articles, which address progress on the pilot activities, outline the result of collaborations among inaugural cohort members, discuss leadership and virtual platform standards, sketch recruitment plans, provide training and matching expectations, examine program evaluation, and specify norms of conduct and confidentiality expectations.
Goals for EARCOS Leadership Mentoring The goals for ELM are centered on the perceived needs of the region and deliberately provide opportunities to develop a tailored Fall 2016 Issue 25
Community Service >>
Building Change That Lasts By Leanne Talavera Grade 12, Brent International School Baguio, Philippines People often believe that opportunities involving giving back to the community are things that can easily come to us, if only we just put in the effort to look. However, the truth some people fail to come to terms with, is that ‘giving back to the community’ means more than just giving away your material possessions, or even our time. And that’s one of the reasons Gawad Kalinga has been such a worthwhile experience for us as Brentonians. It opened our eyes to the fact that giving back meant a lot more than what we thought it did. We saw that ‘giving back’ also meant fostering life-long change—one that will transform lives in the long run and not just temporarily. Gawad Kalinga taught us to share not just our blessings, but also our knowledge.
This school year of 2015-2016, I—along with my fellow Brent students, including faculty members—have had the life-changing opportunity to collaborate with Gawad Kalinga in some of their community service programs, which involved interaction with the people of Sitio Coroz, Tublay, Benguet, and the children of Dorencio Elementary School. We also had the privilege of building houses for families within that same community, in which we were guided by Ms. Gia Mendoza of BHF Corporation and Bloomsfield Hotel, and an Alumna of Brent Baguio. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that the experiences we’ve had to endure, though tough and admittedly really tiring, were some of the most unforgettable memories we’ll ever carry with us throughout the rest of our lives. Gawad Kalinga is a national organization dedicated to gradually solving and eradicating poverty within the less fortunate sectors of the Philippines. However, aside from what their aims are, Gawad Kalinga stands as something more than just another ‘charity organization’. Gawad Kalinga itself is an embodiment of what it means to work together in order to truly commit change. It provides an entirely different perspective when it comes to serving those less fortunate than ourselves—that it’s not enough to simply give, but to educate in order to achieve long-lasting results.
It not only encouraged us to give, but also to ‘build’. It encouraged us to ‘build’ knowledge, or to teach skills that the people of Sitio Coroz could utilize to help them live better lifestyles. It encouraged us to ‘build’ awareness, and opened our eyes and minds to the harsh realities of life. “It was really an enlightening experience overall, and I truly got to see what life is like for others who are less fortunate than myself. It really puts a lot into perspective for someone.”, Steven Wyks recalls, a grade 11 student in Brent Baguio. But most of all—and the most precious one in fact—it encouraged us to ‘build’ relationships. Friendships. Memories. It pushed our boundaries in terms of communicating with people from a completely different walk of life; in terms of physical and mental strength. It forced us to ‘build’ character on top of who we already were, and in the end despite all our complaints of being tired, we knew we were walking away as better students, adults, or just better people in general. The chance to work with Gawad Kalinga has truly been an inspiration for Brent International School Baguio, providing us with insights that we will hold on to for many, many years to come. Personally, I hope that Brent Baguio’s involvement in activities such as these never cease, for it teaches students so much more than what is in our textbooks. Experience such as these teach us about life, which is far better, and significantly more valuable.
E-CONNECT
Stay in touch with many current ideas and trends in education at EARCOS Connect Blog. Welcome to EARCOS E-Connect.Teachers, counselors, and administrators are extremely busy people.You don’t always have time to search for articles, blogs, videos, and books that will educate and enhance your practice.This blog will offer links to relevant educational discussions, articles, book reviews, and videos that you may find informative and useful. http://earcos-connect.tumblr.com/
26 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Action Research >>
An Exploration of Online Testing By Kaity C. Kao, Head of Upper School English, Taipei American School, kaoka@tas.tw and Tommy Yuan, Student at Rice University, tommyy16107259@tas.tw
Given the proliferation of web-based educational technologies, teachers often feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices available. Which tools produce results? Is a high-tech tool more effective than a low-tech tool? Is it worth the time to learn to use a new tool? Faced with these questions, I conducted an action research study to explore how web-based tests affect student performance on the AP English Language and Composition multiple choice exam. Method The students in my AP class participated in this study over the course of two months. After the diagnostic test, I divided the students up into the experimental group (online) and the control group (paper) based on ability to establish an equal distribution of skill levels between the two groups. All of the students took multiple choice tests with identical content, the only difference being that the experimental group took the online version while the control group took the paper version. I administered the online tests through Google forms and then used the add-on, Flubaroo, to grade the tests and send the scores to students. Results and Reflection
students can see a pie chart breakdown of the students’ responses for each question, which gives the teacher an immediate sense of which questions the students struggled with the most, information that is harder to assess when grading paper tests. Overall, from a teacher’s perspective, the online tests can be more efficient to grade and more effective in the post-test debriefing. Conclusion The results of this study reveal that online tests have no significant positive or negative effect on student performance, making them a suitable but not superior alternative to paper tests. Teachers can benefit from the more efficient grading process for online tests and the ability to identify difficult questions with the help of immediate data analysis. In our digital world, teachers and students are increasingly moving towards reading texts in electronic form, which as the students indicated, feels much more cumbersome than reading texts in paper form. Although the students did not enjoy reading the passages online, they had no difficulty comprehending the text in digital form, which provides evidence against the commonly held notion that digital texts hinder comprehension.
The data revealed no significant difference between the scores of the control group and the experimental group and no significant change in individual student scores pre- and post-intervention. The slight variation in scores between tests can be attributed to the varying difficulty levels of the passages rather than the effect of the intervention. Although the data revealed that the online tests led to no significant improvements on student performance, it also showed no significant detrimental effects of using online tests. However, when the students were asked to choose their preferred test form, they unanimously chose the paper test. The students disliked reading passages online due to the cumbersome scrolling and the inability to annotate the passages or cross out answer choices. When asked whether they thought their scores were affected by taking online tests, all of the students in the experimental group reported that they thought they performed worse on the online test than they would on a paper test, though this conjecture was not supported by the data. Pre- and post-intervention, the students’ opinions about the online tests had not changed. In fact, the students in the experimental group regularly asked to be given paper tests. In terms of teacher experience, the online tests took extra time to create because the original tests came in paper form. However, the Google add-on, Flubaroo, significantly reduced the grading time. In addition to grading, Flubaroo also emailed the answer choices chosen, the correct answers, and total percentage scores to the students individually, allowing them to immediately review their performance. Another advantage of Google forms is that teachers and Fall 2016 Issue 27
Book Review >>
5 Cognitive Strategies for Promoting Learning Based on the article “The Psychology of Academic Achievement” by Philip H. Winne and John C. Nesbit Marcella Cooper, MYP Language A and Humanities Teacher, Osaka International School, Japan
While all teachers strive to design instruction that all students will benefit from, sometimes the gap between the art of teaching and the science of learning can become painfully apparent. Cognitive load, which refers to the limited capacity of working memory when taking in new or not yet familiar information, provides a good start in trying to bridge this gap. So what can we do to ease our students’ cognitive load and allow information to pass more efficiently from their working memory to their long term memory?
ability to judge their comprehension, learning, and memory should not be trusted because of an inherent bias toward overconfidence. Teachers can compensate for this in their instructional design by having students engage with information in meaningful ways. Also, having students come back to information they have studied after some time is beneficial; delayed monitoring forces students to recall (or fail to recall) the information, which reveals areas that need review.
1. Approach the material from different directions. Teachers should design instructional experiences that develop “cognitive flexibility”; in other words, students need to see the same concept from multiple viewpoints that link facts, skills, procedures, and deep conceptual principals. Along the same lines, teachers should take advantage of “dual code and multimedia effects” by presenting materials in verbal, visual, and multimedia form; this provides a much richer experience than a single medium.
4. Frequently assess Research has shown that there is a positive “testing effect”. Testing enhances learning, particularly when the tests are aligned with important content. In addition, students benefit more from repeated testing when they expect a final exam. There is also evidence for a “spacing effect”; students benefit from regular intervals of studying and testing. This produces better long-term retention than a single study session or test. Tests designed to elicit written responses or require mathematical numeration provide better results that simply recognizing the answers.
2. Make real-world connections Students’ learning becomes deeper and students are more motivated when the materials and skills are anchored in real-world problems that matter to the learner. When students connect to realworld problems that matter to the learner, they are more open to deep questions. Deep reasoning and learning is stimulated by problems that create conflicts in our minds, such as obstacles to goals, contradictions, conflict, and anomalies.
5. Design tasks with students in mind The “Goldilocks principle” suggests that assignments should not be too hard or too easy, but at the right level of difficulty for the students’ level of skill or prior knowledge. Teacher designed instruction would ideally involve challenges that are achievable but require effort to learn and retrieve the necessary information needed. The reward of such tasks is a significantly positive effect on students’ long-term retention.
3. Teach self-regulated learning strategies Most students need training in how to self-regulate their learning and other cognitive process. There is a lot of evidence that suggests students rarely have accurate knowledge of their cognition, so their
Bibliography Winne, P. H. and J. C. Nesbit. “The Psychology of Academic Achievement.” Annual Review of Psychology 61 (2010): 653-678.
28 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Campus Development >>
Upgrades at Concordia Shanghai Improve Student Learning and Safety for School Community By Brandon Fisher, Communications & Media Specialist, Concordia International School Shanghai
If you’ve visited Concordia International School Shanghai lately, then you would have noticed some new and interesting features throughout the campus. During the summer of 2015, Concordia underwent some exciting campus improvements, adding a business hub and a welcome center in addition to four distinct maker spaces designed to expand opportunities in the school’s fine arts, world language and STEM-related courses. The school also revamped its outdoor facilities with the installation of a FIFA-certified turf sports field and running track, which can be used year round and in the evenings, allowing Concordia to extend its athletic and physical education programs. At the same time, the Founder’s Garden was repurposed into an outdoor recreation area that provides an open, natural grass lawn for students and families to enjoy during school and on weekends.
Summer 2016 brought even more improvements to Concordia’s campus, including two additional maker spaces, a kinesthetic learning lab and athletic training room for sports medicine. The school also upgraded safety and security systems throughout the campus, which included adding vestibules to better maintain the optimal indoor air quality and enclosing walkways to make it possible to move from one end of the campus to the other without stepping outside during inclement weather. Development of the type seen over the past two summers supports Concordia’s mission to provide students with a holistic education in safe and nurturing environment. “Concordia’s recent facility upgrades better serve the needs of our students and our community,” says Dr. Mary Scott, Concordia’s new head of school, “and they reflect a renewed attitude about who we are as a school and where we are going.” Fall 2016 Issue 29
Press Release >>
Earning Buffalo State Graduate Credit for Attending Educational Conferences Dear International School Educators, Buffalo State has a long history of supporting international educators as they work towards earning their Master’s Degree through our Masters of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies. We also grant graduate credit through pre-approved professional development workshops done at your schools and through the always popular conferences hosted by the various regional educator associations held around the world. As we begin a new school year, I wanted to share with you that our approach to offering Buffalo State (EDU 596) graduate level credit at these annual educator/leadership conferences has changed for the upcoming year. In the old model, educators simply had to attend the conference, write a reflective paper that tied the workshops they attended into their practice, and then submit the work to IGPE office. We modified this old model as a result of feedback from both our international partners and our own Buffalo State college leadership. The feedback from our partners in the field was that they wanted a more rigorous approach, centering on the teacher as researcher, and resulting in an educator leaving a conference with skills they could integrate into their practice. From this end, our college leadership asked that we create a model which ensured rigor in every Buffalo State credit granted. To give you a sense of where we are going with this, the new model allows for 1, 2, or 3 credit options for conference attendees. As there are significant differences between what we will do and what we have historically done, you will need to review those changes carefully should you decide to pursue conference credit though us. Those who want 2 or 3 credit options will have some literature review work centered on the conference theme, PRIOR to coming to the conference. Those who want 3 credits will also have to attend the pre-conference in order to get to the 45 hours it takes to earn those 3 credits (15 contact hours per credit is the college standard). The information you need to earn conference credit through Buffalo State is available at our website http://igpe.buffalostate.edu/conference-credit/. We have also shared this same information with our educator association partners and asked them to put a link to the same information on their conference websites. We will also publish articles in those educator association newsletters as another way to notify the members of these changes. Finally, we will also publish a newsletter from our IGPE offices informing our international graduate students of the new requirements for earning. Thanks for all you do to serve international education. See you at the upcoming conferences! Robert D. Imholt, Ph.D. Director International Graduate Program for Educators
30 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Elementary School Gallery
Phuket International Academy School
Stamford American International School Pte Ltd
Collaborative Mural
Elementary - Margaux Maillard – Grade 4
Shekou International School Rachel Zhou, 5th grade Ink and colored pencil
Concordia International School Shanghai Cupcakes – Grade 4 students
Kaohsiung American School Anson Huang, Grade 3
Fall 2016 Issue 31
On the Road with Dr. K >>
EARCOS Spring Heads’ Institute/Retreat 2016 Jefferson Cann leading this year Spring Heads’ Institute/ Retreat 2016.
Visit to Brent International School Baguio Todd Wyks Deputy Head Brent Baguio in front of Ogilby Hall, the oldest building in the entire city!
Applying School British School Jakarta (L-R) Deputy Head for Learning Matt Harris and Simon Shand Assistant head for Activities.
Visit to Mont’ Kiara International School EARCOS Exec. Director Dick Krajczar with Trevor Laboski the new Headmaster of Mont’ Kiara International School.
Visit to International School of Kuala Lumpur ISKL Deputy Head Rami Madani and EARCOS Teacher Representative Christine Baker.
Visit to Singapore International School of Bangkok EARCOS Executive Director Dick Krajczar makes a new membership visit to Singapore International School of Bangkok. In photo (L-R) Dr. K with Victor Giam, Headmaster, and Cecilla Ng, Primary Principal.
32 EARCOS Triannual Journal
TAUGHT IN DUBAI. READY FOR THE WORLD.
November 19 iFair – Connect
one-on-one online
December 4-6 Atlanta IRC at the
Westin in Buckhead
2017
2016
See where ISS can take you. Discover new opportunities at our upcoming International Recruitment Conferences and Job Fairs.
January 5-8, 2017 Bangkok IRC
February 9-12 San Fran IRC
at the Shangri La
at the Hyatt Embarcadero
February 6-8 AAIE San Fran
March 22 iFair
at the Hyatt Embarcadero
May 17 iFair
Visit ISS.edu
Partial List of Approved Weekend Workshops for SY 2016-2017 One of the services EARCOS provides to its member schools throughout the year is the sponsorship of two-day workshops and institutes for faculty and administration. The topics for these workshops are determined according to the needs of members. Workshops are hosted by EARCOS schools. DATE NAME OF SCHOOL CONSULTANT TITLE SEPTEMBER Sept. Brent International School Subic
Jennifer Wathall
AUGUST Aug. 27-28 Brent International School Subic Margaret Maclean SEPTEMBER Sept. 2-3 Concordia International School Hanoi Kasey Perry Sept. 3 Nagoya International School Margaret McLean Sept. 3-4 Hong Kong Academy Peter Muir Sept. 9-10 Morrison Academy Steve Leinwand Sept. 10-11 International School Eastern Seaboard (ISE) Scott Riley and Anne Marie Chow Sept. 10-11 Wells International School Hsin Yi Chen Sept. 10-11 Kaohsiung American School Eric Smith Sept. 16-17 Taipei American School Anthony Ives, Matthew Fagen, and Leanne Rainbow Sept. 24-25 Hong Kong International School Wendy Smith Sept. 24-25 Suzhou Singapore International School Renee Rehfeldt and Richard Bruford Sept. 24-25 Xiamen International School Margaret MacLean
Strategies on Teaching and Learning Collaborative Skills and Practices To Enhance Student Learning: A Tool for Setting up PLC’s and Traning Middle Level Leaders Using Reading and Writing Workshop (TCRWP) to Improve Literacy Instruction Collaborative Skills and Practices to Enhance Student Learning Developing Opportunities for Action within the Curriculum Practical Strategies for Making Math Truly Work for All Students: A two-day workshop for teachers of mathematics in grades 4-8 “From Basics to Blastoff ” Getting started with Reader’s Workshop Compass Education for Sustainability ELL in the Mainstream Classroom Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Bringing Great Ideas From School to Life Reimagining Science & Engineering with NGSS & 3 Dimensional Learning Literacy across the curriculum: Every Teacher is a Language Teacher Collaborative Skills and Practices to Enhance Student Learning
OCTOBER Oct. 1-2 United World College of South East Asia Sarah Whyte Oct. 8-9 American School in Taichung Rami Madani Oct. 8-9 Busan International Foreign School James Stronge Oct. 15-16 Brent International School Manila Carolyn Coil Oct. 15-16 Shanghai American School Puxi Campus Kofi Gbolonyo Oct. 22-23 United Nations International School - Hanoi Fran Prolman Oct. 22-23 The American School in Japan Michael Kuczala Oct. 29-30 International School Beijing Tania Lattanzio
Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom Curriculum Development: How can our planning enhance our teaching? Hiring the Best Teachers Solving the Assessment Puzzle: Making Assessment Understandable for All Orff-Schulwerk and African Music Education: Games, Choral/Vocal Music with Dance and Drumming in an International Classroom Building students’ agency, self-advocacy and their ability to take responsibility for their own learning Kinesthetic Classroom Workshop Moving from Traditional Pedagogy to Inquiry
NOVEMBER Nov. 5-6 Bali Island School Nov. 5-6 Intercultural School of Bogor Nov. 5-6 Mont Kiara International School Nov. 12-13 Taipei American School Nov. 12-13 International School Bangkok Nov. 12-13 International School Manila Nov. 14-20 Western Academy Beijing Nov. 23-24 Chiang Mai International School Nov. 26-27 The International School of Kuala Lumpur
Management 101 - A Practical Approach Making Sense of Spelling: An Orthographic Journey Teaching, Learning, and Assessing the Common Core Social Studies Nonfiction Literacy Standards Circle Painting - Putting the A in STEAM Understanding by Design Essential of Writing Workshop in K-6 Classrooms Thinking Collaborative Adaptive Schools Training (Days 1-4) Dnlocking the Common Core Mathematics Standards: Shifts in Mathematical Practices Tough Conversations. Managing Ourselves - Supporting Others
Deidre Fischer Lynette Anderson Robert Pierce Hiep Nguyen Elizabeth Rossini Matt Glover Rebecca Fudge / Kristie Dila Tim Shanahan Rob Whiting
JANUARY 2017 Jan. 28-29 Ruamrudee International School Sara Garrett Jan. 21-22 The International School Yangon Greg Duncan
Foundations in Math: Developing Mathematical Thinking and Conceptual Understanding in Grades Kg-5 Re-Envisioning Languages for 21st Century Learners
FEBRUARY Feb. 25-26 American International School of Guangzhou Penny Kittle Feb. 25-26 Thai-Chinese International School Liang-Kuang Chen (Kevin) Feb. 25-26 Bandung Independent School
Engaging Adolescent Readers and Writers Teaching the i-Student at International Schools: Intergrating Media and Technology into Chinese Classroom Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners
MARCH Mar. 2-5 Chadwick International Bambi Betts, John Gierrell, and Caroline Rennie Mar. 4-5 Tokyo International School Kath Murdoch Mar. 11-12 Phuket International Academy Virginia Rojas Mar. 11-12 Jakarta Intercultural School Mignon Weckert Mar. 18-19 The International School Yangon Deron Marvin Mar. 25-26 Brent International School Manila Bambi Betts APRIL Apr 8-9 Canadian Academy, Kobe, Japan Apr. 21-22 Concordia International School Hanoi and UNIS Others TBA TBA TBA
Ron Ritchart Virginia Rojas
Seisen International School Alec Couros Canggu Community School Singapore American School
** More will be added and posted on the EARCOS website. (www.earcos.org)
Teacher Leadership in the 21st Century Building Learning ‘Assets’ Through Inquiry’ Differentiation and assessment strategies for ESOL learners within the classroom from K - 12 Inquiry Mathematics: Research Based Strategies to Improve Student Learning Effective Strategies for the Instructional Leader Empowering Learners Through Assessment Cultures of Thinking (Harvard Project Zero) EAL Students and Blended Learning Developing a Culture of Digital Citizenship & Digital Resilience ES Principal MS Leadership Conference