The Future of Education. Next.

The Future of Education. Next.

Degerloch Upper School Divisional Planning: People, Program, Place

The Future of Education. Now. 2019 2

Our bond.

The International School of Stuttgart (ISS) has always been about the powerful bond between the teacher and the learner. Alumni always speak about their teachers and their accomplishments…together. It is always the collaboration they remember.

From the very beginning, driving learning forward meant the recognition that the very rituals of school are changing at a rapid pace. Three years ago, when we committed to the Future of Education. Now., we had no idea of the massive disruption to come in both the world and the way we learn. Now the Future of Education. Next. aligns what we value with how we build connections to build understanding. No matter how things change however, one constant remains; one reason for all the investment, all the conversation and all the preparation this guideline provides.

We learn best through relationships.

Timothy Kelley, School Director

Carrie Turunen, Upper School Principal

IN S PIRE . CHALLENGE . S U PPORT. 3

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Being together.

ISS aspires to be a beacon of learning. We want to be a respectful and inspiring center for discovery where students prepare for the change and challenges of our time with the confidence that their aim for excellence will turn knowledge and understanding into action. We want to be a school with an entrepreneurial mindset. We want to encourage a curious and resilient learning community to actively inspire, challenge and support students and each other to positively impact our dynamic and interconnected world.

Mission

We actively inspire, challenge and support students and each other to positively impact our dynamic and interconnected world.

Values

Caring • Respect. We treat others the way we want to be treated and champion individual freedom of thought and expression.

• Belonging. We foster an environment conducive to empathy, inclusivity, and togetherness.

• Service. We treasure community, partnership and collaboration.

• Balance. We strive for resilient physical, social, and emotional health.

Competence • Learning. We encourage passion for discovery, curiosity and academics.

• Critical Thinking. We stimulate creative and systematic analysis that considers multiple perspectives.

• Global Mindedness. We embrace world challenges such as sustainability and equality.

Character • Integrity. We behave in an honest and ethical way, even when no one is looking.

• Courage. We are brave and determined to act.

• Drive. We demonstrate initiative, creativity and celebrate effort.

IN S PIRE . CHALLENGE . S U PPORT. 5

Our Vision

From the launch of our strategic plan last winter, ISS has focused on the principle that we all are responsible for a dynamic, organized environment that honours relationships, involvement expectations, voice and visibility. Our building project is merely the final step that will provide emphasis on caring, coaching, mentoring, modelling and communication as we discussed in the opening of this academic year.

The Voices Inside our Heads

We are all responsible for a dynamic, organized environment that honors relationships, involvement, expectations, voice and visibility.

If we create a sense of belonging and wellbeing

then we will empower learning and learner agency

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Caring

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Modeling

Mentoring

Communication so that our students can create local and global impact

Our Collaborative Actions

As a whole school, we continue to use our Strategic and Leadership Focus Groups to focus on simplifying the tools we use, aligning curriculum (especially Subject Overviews) to empower each other for more efficient and purposeful partnership. We have also collectively updated our policies and programs for care including Removing Barriers, Mentoring, DEIJ and inclusion policies and implementing how best we converse through data interpretation and looking for learning.

On a Divisional basis we are focusing our meeting times to not only allow for strategic conversations, but more specific Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to identify and clarify essential elements in preparation not only for our physical move into our new building, but the more important move to the Future of Education. Next.

September 1:1 Conversations Goal Setting

February Sharing and reflecting on impact

October

November

SLT: Building and aligning PLCs PD Days: PYP, SEL WS, PLCs, Coaching WS

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Strategic Wednesdays: PLCs Focus Groups Middle Leader Development

March PD Day

December

April 1:1 Conversations Next steps

Strategic action planning 2024/25

January

Break

May

June Ending the year well

Our Upper School Professional Learning Communities

During our initial faculty meetings in September, teachers were surveyed to see what they were excited and concerned about, and what they wanted to learn more with regards to co-teaching and collaboration in the new building. The Upper School PLC topics, based on these conversations, historical context and recent discussions and inputs from our October professional development days include Universal Design for Learning, scheduling and timetabling, best practice in innovative learning spaces, assessment practices for coteaching and collaboration models, and how can we prepare students for new ways of teaching and learning.

IN S PIRE . CHALLENGE . S U PPORT. 7

Our Timeline September & October

In Wednesday meetings, staff have discussed what they are excited and anxious about regarding co-teaching, collaboration and moving into the new building. Simultaneously, Ms Carrie Turunen and Mr Vedran Kapetanovic have been working with researchers from the University of Gavle in Sweden to better understand how to link pedagogy and architecture around Innovative Learning Spaces.

Dr. Anneli Frelin and Dr. Jan Grannas

October 26 & 27

Professional development days focusing on co-teaching, collaboration and best practice. Invited speaker: Margaret Ward and Riccardo Italiano from the International School of Augsburg joined to speak about their school’s experience moving towards a collaborative/coteaching model.

Middle Level leaders enjoyed the first session of the Middle Leaders Symposium series to be sponsored

by Mr Tim Kelley with Ms. Helen Morgan from ECIS. The workshop focused on training coaches and the coaching mindset. It was a preparation for the kind of courageous leadership we all must adapt when moving into a new paradigm of learning. At the core is the belief that you must be genuinely interested in the person you

Mid-November

PLCs and action research framework based on feedback from our October Professional Development sessions were introduced and implemented.

2023 2023

will come to ISS to help our staff visualize and work within the new spaces in March, 2024.

Do you feel that you have come away from this session with a new understanding of co-teaching and collaboration?

Yes No Not sure

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2023 “I used to think that co-teaching/ collaboration was the same thing but now I know it is not. I’m looking forward to doing both.” are coaching. The client must believe you care, certainly a transferable proposition to teaching.

“Do we really understand and appreciate the power of togetherness?

Do we really understand the power of relationships?” Helen Morgan

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November - February Teachers engage in action research through PLCs.

Subject teams will have time on alternate Wednesdays to plan and map curriculum for co-teaching and collaboration. During this time, teachers will also work to develop IDUs in line with our co-teaching and collaboration philosophy based on grade levels.

January - March

Parents and students will be engaged to prepare for the move into the building through Principal Forums and student listening circles.

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Late February - March

Staff will prepare for the physical move into the new building.

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Inform staff, students and parents about specific moving plans and special schedule implementation as needed.

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Opening of the new building and moving plans initiated.

We will also prepare for focused surveys and add an additional

2023/24

April - Mid-June

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Teachers will trial and experiment with co-teaching and collaboration models discussed in PLCs.

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Differentiated collaborative models initiated such as

2024 2024

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question or two to our reenrollment survey for great information and data.

Select Middle Leaders will visit the International School of Augsburg and other programs that engage in co-teaching.

2024 Independent, Parallel or fully integrated co-teaching.

Swedish researchers from University of Gavle will arrive to conduct training sessions.

Teachers will reflect on first months in new space and set strategic goals for 2024-25 school year.

“I used to think we’d never connect the dots, now I know that we’ve got this! - ISS Teacher 2023 IN S PIRE . CHALLENGE . S U PPORT. 9

August

Review of strategic initiatives and development of success criteria

September - June

Teachers and students engage in coteaching and collaboration models on a grade level.

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Examine the impacts on of these models on learning Continue to trial and experiment

2024 2024/25 • •

in new spaces PLC/inquiry model continues based on strategic initiatives Meetings and guest speakers to be determined.

“I used to think the building was a project but now I understand that it is a new culture.” - ISS Teacher 2023 10

I N S P I R E . C H A L L E N G E . S U P P O R T . 11

Our mission is to actively inspire, challenge and support students and each other to positively impact our dynamic and interconnected world.

Our Vision is to place learning at the core of all that we do.

We define learning as being a transformative process for each learner that combines their unique predispositions and experiences with the development of disciplinary and transdisciplinary skills, knowledge and understanding, in order to nurture and develop character and intellect.

We believe that learning happens when learners:

International School of Stuttgart e.V. Sigmaringer Str. 257 70597 Stuttgart Germany Tel +49 (0)711 76 96 000 iss@issev.de www.issev.de

www.facebook.com/issevde @SchoolStuttgart www.linkedin.com/company/international-school-of-stuttgart/

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understand what they are learning and why they are learning it, demonstrate agency in guiding their own self-directed* learning journey, reflect on their strengths and monitor their own success, take informed risks that allow them to experiment and learn from mistakes, make connections between each other and the world around them, and embrace multiple perspectives with humility and harness the power of our diverse community.

*Self-directed learning is when learners are accountable for and joyfully engage in choosing the process, content, skills, and outcomes of their learning, with the guidance and support of others, to positively impact our dynamic and interconnected world.

These learning actions engage us in lifelong learning and active participation in a changing world.