et THE EARCOS JOURNAL A Link to Educational Excellence in East Asia SEPTEMBER 2011 Featured Articles EdThought: Mapping for the Right Reasons by Giselle O. Martin-Kniep, Ph.D see page 23. Identifying Academically Gifted and Talented Students in Your School by Nicki Charles, Ed.D. see page 29. The Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn 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 Tim Carr, President Ben Norton, Vice President Deidre Fischer, Secretary David Toze, Treasurer Tom Farrell Anne Fowles Brent Mutsch Chris Akin Office of Overseas Schools REO: Letter from the Executive Director Dear Colleagues: I wish everyone the very best for the 2011-12 school year, and a big welcome to our 24 new heads of schools. The EARCOS region continues to grow with 120 member schools, 90,000 students, and over 11,000 full and part-time teachers and administrators. As we grow, we are committed to providing the best quality professional development and support to help the educators in our region. The EARCOS annual principals’ and teachers’ salary survey is being overhauled and will hopefully be back in use by next August. The committee is made up by David Toze, headmaster of International School Manila, Deidre Fischer, head of school in Cebu International School, Curt Larson of Concordia International School, and Steve Panta of Taipei American School. We hope to have a draft survey in the near future. We know it is a very important survey that provides much needed information to our schools. The EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC) is scheduled for the Shangri-La Hotel from October 29 to November 1, 2011, in Bangkok, Thailand. Please make your reservations early, and if you have any questions, call or write our office. We have an excellent group of presenters, and it should be an outstanding conference with keynoters Hafsat Abiola, on the role of education in the economic independence of women, Martin Skelton on curriculum, and the ever popular Pat Basset, President of NAIS. We will also have a host of special presenters and our own EARCOS leaders offering practical, hands-on workshops. Please review the EARCOS sponsored events on the last page of this magazine. It is a full year of activities, and we have increased our weekend workshops again to 46. Thanks to all the schools who will host and with whom we will work to bring the best professional development opportunities to our membership. These schools represent large, medium, and small schools. Great effort! I look forward to seeing many of you in Bangkok, and I wish you all the best for a most successful and rewarding school year. We hope you enjoy our new EARCOS Journal. We are here to help YOU!! Remember, EARCOS strives to offer its members opportunities for, “personal growth and professional collaboration.” Connie Buford (ex officio) EARCOS STAFF Executive Director: Assistant Director: Richard Krajczar Bill Oldread Vitz Baltero Ver Castro Robert Sonny Viray Elaine Repatacodo Edzel Drilo Editor: Associate Editor: Bill Oldread 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 Dick Krajczar Executive Director Check out our updated website at www.earcos.org In this Issue 2-3 4-5 6 7 8 43rd Annual Leadership Conference 2011 Welcome New Heads/Principals Welcome New Schools/Associates/Individual Members 9 Student Essay 10 11 12 13 Community Service 14 15 16 17 Curriculum Initiatives 18 19 20 21 Green and Sustainable 22 Campus Development 23 EdThought 24 Book Review 26 27 Press Release 28 Students On Ice 29 EdThought In Memoriam List Global Citizenship Award 2011 China’s Gift of a Global Perspective Shanghai American School Pudong Campus Cash for a Cow American School in Taichung Celebrates “12 Days of Giving” Saint Maur Rallies Around Sendai Developing Local Mindedness Hangzhou Int’l School and Shanghai Community Int’l School Take Their Curriculum Framework to Another Dimension Twitter in the Kinder Classroom Camp Halfblood comes to the American School in Taichung Growing Green Sustainability at Nakorn Payap International School Rechargeable Batteries vs. Standard Batteries Bandung International School - Earth Day Celebration “Our Action, Our Future” Saint Maur International School Celebrates the Opening of its New Science Center Mapping for the Right Reasons Faces of Learning: What was your most powerful personal experience in a learning community Bali International School - Water For Life Brent International School - Congratulations to Ms. Stefanie Walmsley! Faith and Love in Action - A Visit to Bethlehem Marian School of Pulilan Arctic Youth Expedition 2011 Identifying Academically Gifted and Talented Students in Your School 30-31 Shanghai Student Film Festival 32-33 Student Art Gallery: Middle School 34-35 Approved Weekend Workshop 2011-2012 36 On the Road with Dr. K 37 The 10th Annual Teachers’ Conference 2012 We are proud to announce the 43rd Annual Leadership Conference 2011 October 29 - November 1, 2011 Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand Welcome! The East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools is excited to invite you and your administrative team as delegates at the 43rd annual EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC 2011) in Bangkok, Thailand, scheduled for October 29 through November 1, 2011. We have a host of excellent keynote speakers and workshop presenters. Our keynoters are: HAFSAT ABIOLACOSTELLO, PAT BASSETT, and MARTIN SKELTON. Please navigate through our website to view the list of speakers and their presentation topics along with titles and descriptions. This will be updated weekly to maintain the most current information about the presentations. Please use the menu bar above and side bar for additional information on the conference. We are confident that the conference will prove to be professionally stimulating and will provide you with an opportunity for networking and building camaraderie. Conference Cost and Inclusion This year’s conference fee will remain as it has been at $360. However, delegates may take advantage of an ‘early bird’ dis- count price of $340 by registering and sending payment prior to August 31, 2011. Registrations submitted after September 14 will be at $380. The fee for attending a preconference session is an additional $75.00. Conference fees are inclusive of all coffee breaks, lunches, and social functions. Theme and Keynoters The theme of this year’s EARCOS Leadership Conference is, The ‘Why’ of School in 2030. Our keynote speakers, HAFSAT ABIOLA-COSTELLO, PAT BASSETT, and MARTIN SKELTON, as well as our lineup of special presenters will offer provocative glimpses of the future of education as well as practical ideas for the present. The Venue With lush gardens, river views, and a signature spa, the ShangriLa Hotel, Bangkok, offers guests the warmth of the Thai capital amid the serenity of a tropical retreat. Banquet and catering services in over 20 various room sizes are available for groups ranging from 10 to 1,600 people. These include the Garden Rooms, versatile event suites featuring modern technology and a relaxed yet sophisticated elegance. ******** Keynote Speakers HAFSAT ABIOLA-COSTELLO Born to political leaders who died in the course of Nigeria’s democracy struggle, Hafsat Abiola-Costello is the founder and non-executive president of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), an NGO that promotes democracy and development in Africa by strengthening organizations and creating initiatives that advance women. In July 2011, she was appointed as special adviser on MDGs to the Government of Ogun State of Nigeria. She is also the co-chair of the South-South Cooperation Taskforce of the Young Global Leaders, a community of the World Economic Forum. An Ashoka fellow, Hafsat graduated with a magna cum laude degree in development economics from Harvard in 1996 and holds a masters in international development degree from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. http://www. kind.org/newsite/ PATRICK BASSETT Patrick F. Bassett became the president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS www.nais.org) in August 2001. NAIS, a membership organization for more than 1,800 independent (private) schools and associations of schools in the U.S. and abroad, is the “national voice for independent schools and the center for collective action on their behalf,” providing advocacy for independent K-12 college-prep education, research and trend analysis, leadership and governance guidance, and professional development opportunities for school and board leaders. In June of 2010, Bassett was appointed to the board of trustees of Williams College (MA). Professional recognition has included being named a Kellogg National Leadership Fellow in 1986; a recipient of the Educational Leadership Award in 2000 by The Klingenstein Center of Teachers College (Columbia University), and global leadership awards from both the European Council for International Schools (ECIS) and from the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA). MARTIN SKELTON Martin Skelton has worked for 40 years in education, originally as a teacher and then a principal of two schools. He was cofounder of Fieldwork Education and is now a director of the parent organization, World Class Learning. Martin was the designer and founding director of the International Primary Curriculum, designed the Looking for Learning protocol and Toolkit, and is currently working with Emily Porter in leading the development of the International Middle Years Curriculum. Martin works with schools around the world. His educational passions are learning, international mindedness, how brain research is helping us, and how we can provide practical, accessible, and jargonfree support to school leaders, teachers, students and parents. He has set himself the challenge of making sure that his keynote and his sessions reflect all of his passions, including the last! ** visit www.earcos.org/elc2011 for more of their biographies Preconferences Kevin Bartlett / Teresa Belisle / Brian OMaoileoin Bambi Betts Faye Brownlie David Shepherd and Tracy Savage (CASE) Marc Frankel with Bill Kentta and Josh Reckord Marilyn George Patricia Handly-Johnson Bill Kentta / Josh Reckord Brent Mutsch / Chris Akin Jennifer Sparrow David Warlick Peg and Rob Watson Special Presenters Hafsat Abiola Tracy Alloway Marla Bainbridge Patt Basett Bambi Betts Faye Brownlie David Shepherd / Tracy Savage - CASE Carol Commodore Marcel Daane Marc Frankel Paul Ginnis Philip Hallinger Patricia Handly-Johnson Chris Jansen Kevin Bartlett / Teresa Belisle / Brian OMaoileoin Bill Kentta / Josh Reckord Martin Skelton Jennifer Sparrow David Warlick Peg / Rob Watson A New Way of Doing the Learning Business High Leverage Leader Strategies Instructional Leadership Educational Fundraising: Your GPS for Success Governance WASC Visiting Committee Chair Training Lesson Study: Professional Development Nirvana Organization Development School Leadership Transforming Data into Action Leadership in the Conceptual Age Sustainability Leadership Human Rights / Democracy Special Education Curriculum Mapping / Technology/PLC Leadership Evaluation / Assessment Assessment / Instructional Leadership/Literacy The Role of Volunteers in School Fundraising Leadership / Assessment AD Governance, Leadership and Strategy Insights into teaching and learning to inform policy-making, monitoring and professional development Leading Change: Eastern & Western Perspectives Supervision/Evaluation/Professional Learning Communities(PLCs)/Lesson Study Leadership The Common Ground Collaborative: The Elevator Conversation Board / Organizational Development Curriculum Assessment / Use of Data Learning Literacy Green Schools EARCOS Member Presentations Sim Cook / Chris Jansen / Todd Parham Chip Barder / Ettie Zilber Mike Callan Andy Davies / Pat O’Brien Alison Davis Paul DeMinico Charlotte Diller / Sue Easton Thomas Farrell Nigel Forbes-Harper Richard Gaskell Marilyn George Jim Gerhard Nancy Hargrave-Meislahn Dennis Harter / Philip Bradley Clay Hensley Michael Hogan David Hoss / Marian Graham Andrew Houghton(APPLE) Jennifer Hung Topics Mark Jenkins / Christina Devitt Alan Knobloch Gavin Lazaro Shaundele Leatherberry Brent Mutsch / Mark Boyer James Penstone Roxy Pestello / Dew Intakanok Tarek Razik / Greg Curtis / Peggy Shaw Tammy Rodabaugh Greg Smith / Kim Green Joe Stucker Shawn Taggart(APPLE) Rob Thompson Melanie Vrba Paul Wood / Tarek Razik / Dale Cox Teresa Belisle/Andy Davies/Chris Tananone Bill Gerritz/Andy Davies/Kelly Armitage/Ann Straub TK Ostrom / Aimee Gruber / Mike Connor / Kevin McAllister / Anne Sullivan Welcome New Heads Welcome New Heads Garden International School Simon Anthony Mann, Principal Simon (MPhil) was trained and spent seven years teaching in the UK prior to moving to New Zealand. After nine years he took his first international school post as principal of the high school at the American International School in Hong Kong. In 2007 he moved to his present post in Malaysia Hokkaido International School Barry Ratzliff, Headmaster International School Ho Chi Minh City Alun Cooper, Headmaster Alun will assume the position of head of school at International School Ho Chi Minh City in July 2011. Alun is a committed member of the International Baccalaureate “family” and very much looks forward to leading his third three-programme IB school. Alun has previously worked in Argentina, Bahrain, Belgium, Chile, Egypt, Liberia, and will be returning to Vietnam as he was previously head of school at UNIS-Hanoi. He is passionate about his role in school but still finds time for tennis, diving, sailing, photography, opera, music, and reading as well as writing poetry. Alun is journeying to Ho Chi Minh City with his wife Mary, who is an early years teacher. This will be the first time that they will have moved to a new city without their children, all of whom have now left home. This will be a new adventure for the Coopers and one that they are very much looking forward to. International School of Ulaanbaatar Robert Stearns, Director Robert was born in 1950 and raised by an American father and French mother in Ottawa, Canada. He began his adult working life as a researcher in the animal disease section of the Federal Department of Agriculture. However, he had always wanted to share his passion for nature and science with others and so it was inevitable that Ihwould leave the lab bench to become a school teacher. Now, after more than 35 years of teaching and school administration, he finds himself as director of the International School of Ulaanbaatar, an IB World School in the rapidly changing Mongolian city of the same name. He is thrilled to be working with so many others in the ISU community who are as committed as he is to the IB principles of paedagogy. Yvonne, his wife and partner for 40 years, is just as excited as he is to experience the exhilaration of life in Mongolia, to travel over the steppes from where Chinggis Khaan once ruled the largest kingdom in history. Ruamrudee International School / Redeemer International School, Thailand Peter M. Toscano, Head of School Peter has been promoted to head of school of Ruamdudee International School and its sister school, Redeemer International School of Thailand. He is the first non-clergy head of school at RIS since its inception in 1957. He possesses a B.S. in English, secondary education from Buffalo State University, an M.A. in education from San Francisco State University, and a doctorate in educational leadership and change, with a concentration in grounded theory methodology, from Fielding Graduate University. He is currently in the process of completing a graduate citation in educational technology with Harvard University. Western Academy of Beijing Geoffrey Andrews, Director Geoffrey recently served as superintendent of schools in Oberlin, Ohio. Under his direction, the district experienced an academic renaissance, including implementation of the IB Programme across all schools and resulting in an “Excellent” rating by the Ohio Department of Education. Geoff brings 23 years experience as a teacher and administrator in both independent and public schools. -4- Greg Von Spreecken, Principal/Director Greg is the director of Yangon International School. He is in his sixth year at YIS. Previously, he was an administrator at the American School of Dubai and was a teacher at the Cairo American College in Egypt. Greg has more than 32 years of overseas experience. Busan Foreign School Canadian Academy Dalian American International School Dominican International School Ekamai International School Fukuoka International School Hong Kong International School International School Yangon Kunming International Academy Marist Brothers International School Nakorn Payap International School Tianjin International School Kelley Ridings, Headmaster David J. Condon, Headmaster Kurt Nordness, Head of School Carolyn Terencio, O.P., Directress-Principal Rajdeep Takeuchi, Director Muriel Daine Lewthwaite, Head of School Kevin Dunning, Head of School Stephen Plisinski, Director Marina Lytle, Director Marijana Munro, Head of School Lawrie Shier, Principal Scott Finnamore, Head Principal Welcome New Principals SCHOOL HS PRINCIPAL MS PRINCIPAL American International School of Guangzhou Theressa Smith American Pacific International School Richard Swann Richard Swann Asia Pacific International School Scott Paulin Beijing BISS International School Danielle Fredericks Beijing City International School Craig Rodgers Brent International School Manila Brent International School Subic Patrick Higgins Ximena Silva Busan Foreign School Scott Jolly Scott Jolly Carmel School Cebu International School Neil Walton Chiang Mai International School Andrew McRady Andrew McRady Dalian American International School Joseph Rosevear Ekamai International School Jathrow Sikul Fukuoka International School Robert Northcutt Garden International School Graham Wilson Gyeonggi Suwon International School Dwight Carlblom Gyeongnam International Foreign School David Schult David Schult International School of Beijing, The Paul Wood International School Manila Simon Gillespie International School of Phnom Penh Anthony Coles International School of Tianjin International School of Qingdao Nitta Song Raul Harri International School of Ulaanbaatar Kunming International Academy Lanna International School Thailand Mont’Kiara International School Northbridge International School Cambodia Osaka International School Kurt Mecklem Prem Tinsulanonda International School QSI International School of Shekou Mark Hemphill Robert Jackson Redeemer International School Thailand Sudarat Tanattanawin Sudarat Tanattanawin Ruamrudee International School Eric Monson John Westerman Seoul International School Jarret Lambie St. Mary’s International School Teda International School Cavon Ahangarzadeh Thai-Chinese (American) International School Michael Cyrus Tianjin International School Brent Luman United Nations International School of Hanoi Jon McLeod United World College of South East Asia Di Smart (Dover) Jon McLeod Vientiane International School Western Academy of Beijing Wuhan Yangtze International School Yangon International School Greg Von Spreecken Yongsan International School of Seoul Darrell Druvengah Yokohama International School John Snowball -5- ES PRINCIPAL Julie Lawton Ian Sutherland Ximena Silva Scott Jolly David Serkin Patricia Phillips Neil Smith David Schult Catherine Nicol Richard Elya Jeff MacDonald Hugh Williams Deborah Chisholm Robert Cody Karrie Dietz Cliff Geis-Poage Sudarat Tanattanawin Michael DiMuzio Yvonne Williamson David Swanson Jon Davidson Casey Cosgray Jessica Ivey Donny McCoy Jacqueline Pender Welcome New Heads / Principals Yangon International School New Schools Welcome New Schools Beijing City International School Address: Website: School Head: No. 77 Baiziwan Nan Er Road Beijing 100022 China www.bcis.cn Nick Bowley, Head of School Canadian International School, Tokyo Address: Website: School Head: 5-8-20 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku Tokyo, Japan 14-0001 www.cisjapan.net Ian Robertson, Principal Dalian American International School Address: Website: School Head: 2nd Dianchi Rd, Golden Pebble Beach National Resort Dev. Area Dalian, P.R. China 116650 www.daischina.org Kurt Nordness, Head of School Garden International School Address: Website: School Head: 16 Jalan Kiara 3, Off Jalan Bukit Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur www.gardenschool.edu.my Simon Anthony Mann, Principal Yangon International School New Individual Members New Associates Address: Website: School Head: 117 Thumingalar Housing, Thingangyun Township Yangon, Myanmar www.yismyanmar.com Greg Von Spreecken, Principal and Director Welcome New Associates Advanced Media Supplies Co., Ltd. Amazing Adventures in Education Aon Hewitt Camps International Designability Group Pty Ltd Etas Group FCD Educational Services Network of International Christian Schools People to People Leadership Ambassador Programs Perkins+Will Siemens Limited Studies Abroad for Global Education, SAGE Program Taylor’s Education Sdn Bhd (School Division) Teachanywhere The Haut-Lac International Centre The MRV Project Ltd (Maekok River Village Outdoor Education Centre) Trinity Holdings International Limited Visualeyez (Thailand) Ltd. Welcome New Individual Members Chris Bayley Azucena Camagan Christopher Chambers Robert Landau -6- Faces of EARCOS IN MEMORIAM Bob Dunseth It is with deep sorrow that we report the tragic, accidental death recently of Robert Dunseth, Vice President, ISS Asia Pacific. For six years Bob served as the Director of Shekou International School in Shekou, China before joining the ISS regional office. Bob worked overseas as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and school head in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and China. He had lived in Asia for the past 22 years. Bonnie Campbell Hill This past May 12, Bonnie Campbell Hill died after a short battle with liver cancer. She was diagnosed with the disease the previous October. Bonnie taught in elementary schools in Colorado and Washington State as well as two universities in Seattle. She was known internationally as a speaker and educational consultant specializing in the area of literacy instruction and assessment. Bonnie was the author of several books on assessment and literacy and was a keynote speaker at the 2003 EARCOS Teachers’ Conference. Despite being diagnosed with cancer, Bonnie began a project to fund literacy projects in the third world with an ambitious goal of raising $500,000. The program was called “Bonnie’s Big Idea” and consisted of read-a-thons conducted in schools around the world. Amazingly, the goal of $500,000 was achieved in just six months. Bonnie will be sorely missed by her many friends in the international community. -7- Global Citizenship Award EARCOS Global Citizenship Award 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. List of Global Citizenship Awards 2011 SCHOOL SCHOOL STUDENT NAME American Int’l School Hong Kong YU, Ka-Man Jasmine American Int’l School of Guangzhou Yi Tong (Katie) Kan American School in Japan, The Kentaro Okazaki American School in Taichung Karen Sims Bali International School Julia Edwards Bandung Alliance Int’l School Min Young Park Bandung International School Rachel Holland Bangkok Patana School Rohan Roy Choudhury Beijing BISS Int’l School Jun Su JANG Brent International School Baguio Sang Hoon (Lee) Kong Brent International School Manila Alaaddin Abdelbagi Ismail Brent International School Subic Felicia Lin Busan Foreign School Jinney Chong Canadian Academy Maximilian Jost Canadian Int’l School of Hong Kong Aneta Kanturkova Cebu International School Christelle Lou Dychangco Chinese Int’l School, Hong Kong Tiffany Chan Christian Academy in Japan Mariko Kuroda Concordia Int’l School Shanghai Chia-Ping Chin Dalian American Int’l School Jing Hao Liong Dominican Int’l School, Taipei Charles Hsieh Faith Academy Manila Jacob Harada Fukuoka International School Ji Eun Park Gyeonggi Suwon Int’l School Meena Huh Hangzhou International School Maaike Spiekerman Hong Kong International School Jodie Chan Int’l Christian School - Uijongbu Vo Ram Yoon Int’l Christian School of Hong Kong (Winnie) Wing Yan TANG International School Bangkok Emily Corning Int’l School Eastern Seaboard Jenjira (Jenny) Yossomaskdi International School Manila Lynn Shao Yu International School of Beijing Francesca Bottorff Int’l School of Kuala Lumpur Fidan Tahir Gizi Karimova International School of Kuantan Hajera Shah Syed International School of Phnom Penh Sovann Dara Hok International School of Ulaanbaatar Neil Bolyard-Rutherford International School Qingdao (MTI) Jasmine Shin International School Singapore Johanna Ohlman International School Yangon Jay Bahubali Shah Int’l School Ho Chi Minh City Munin Kim Jakarta International School Aashna Topandasani Kaohsiung American School Angel Hsu Kunming International Academy Daniel Nikles Marist Brothers International School Ji Yang Shin Mont’Kiara International School Nina Kamaruddin Morrison Christian Academy Devan Gibson Nagoya International School Aileen Frotten Nanjing International School Ju Hyun Kim New Int’l School of Thailand Rachel Fucella Northbridge Int’l School Cambodia Jeannette Jitobu Osaka International School Shia Yamamoto QSI International School of Shekou Tatiana Reiter STUDENT NAME Ruamrudee International School Pattaratida (Owi) Singhaesenee Saigon South International School Wei Syn Tan Seisen International School Sakiko Tamura Seoul Foreign School Jacob Lunden-Welden Seoul International School Ye Eun Chun Shanghai American School, Puxi Melissa Krassenstein Shanghai Community Int’l SchoolHongqiao Campus Leonardo “Leo” Magrin Shanghai Community International SchoolPudong Campus Mason Ma Shekou International School Hiu Lok (Barbie) Chung Singapore American School Carolyn EunJung Koh St. Maur International School Ashna Deepak Mukhi Surabaya International School Alessandra Bertone Taejon Christian Int’l School Rong Han Taipei American School Josephine Jung Teda International School Luis Sanchez Thai-Chinese Int’l School Prem Vichienwanitchkul Tianjin International School Steffen Pollock Tohoku International School Leina Konashi United Nations Int’l School of Hanoi Hazel Akester United World College of South East Asia Marlon Jimenez Oviedo Vientiane Int’l School Sengamphon (Emily) Lathanavong Western Academy of Beijing Camila Ochoa Mendoza Xiamen International School Laura Lin Yokohama International School Nobuhiro Roppongi ** THE RECIPIENTS OF $500 COMMUNITY SERVICE GRANTS Brent Int’l School Baguio Sang Hoon (Lee) Kong Busan Foreign School Jinney Chong Int’l School Eastern Seaboard Jenjira Yossomsakdi Int’l School of Kuantan Hajera Shah Syed Int’l School Ulaanbaatar Neil Bolyard-Rutherford Saigon South Int’l School Wei Syn Tan ** http://www.earcos.org/other_award.php -8- Student Essay China’s Gift of a Global Perspective cussed, including environmental pollution, immense economic growth, and human rights violations; I was able to witness this right in front of my eyes. Seeing world problems come alive before me, I felt a growing urge to take a step further and take real action with the learning I had gained about them. Jasmine Shin, International School of Qingdao Living in a foreign country for most of one’s life undoubtedly shapes one’s perspective of the world, and I am no exception. Although I am a Korean, I have lived in Qingdao, a coastal city in China, for more than eleven years, which is about two-thirds of my life. Establishing Club Amnesty International at our school was one of the accomplishments I have made in response to this urge. Beginning with a group of around eight students, our club actively wrote letters each month to authorities around the world regarding a human rights violation that was being committed, including the freedom of expression in Sri Lanka, persecution of Egyptian protestors, and forced evictions in Cambodia. Furthermore, the Qingdao English Speech Contest provided me with another opportunity to demonstrate what I had learned through my experiences in China about having a wide, open perspective. My speech, which won first place in the competition, centered on the unique environment and opportunities available for me in Qingdao. This helped me open my eyes to the current world and planted passion in me to fulfill my role as an informed, knowledgeable global citizen. Living in China was not always something I enjoyed—often times I missed the convenient facilities available in the urban cities, going to the bustling streets of Korea full of Korean shops where I can bargain in my own language, and the delightful restaurants that prepared dishes that perfectly matched the Korean appetite. However, if I were to be given the decision of whether I would relive those eleven years in Korea or in China, I would have to choose China because I cannot trade the valuable experiences and opportunities I have been given by living here. If I had never come to China, I would never have attended an international school and I would never have learned what it means to be a global citizen, not just a citizen of one nation. By being a part of a culturally and ethnically diverse community and participating in activities that helped me widen my perspective, I was able to see the importance of understanding what goes on beyond my home country’s borders. One of the first activities that really inspired me to be engaged with global events was Model United Nations, a simulation of the United Nations meetings with students all over the world. Starting from eighth grade, I have steadily built up my MUN career as well as my knowledge and awareness about world issues. MUN was especially meaningful to me because of where I was living; many issues were dis- The things I have accomplished so far, although not grand or world changing, are I believe a definite step for me to become a more active participant of the world. Still, I am certain that there will be much more I could do to contribute to society in the future, as I am constantly in the process of learning and experiencing. Until then, I will continue to contribute to my own community in ways that I can help the people around me to gain a wider perspective and make the best out of the opportunities that are available in this unique nation, China. -9- Community Service Shanghai American School Pudong Campus by Max Wang, Grade 12 Student, Shanghai American School Pudong Campus “We can’t draw!” whined the fourth grade class at Liming School. That Tuesday, three other 12th grade students and I found ourselves in the position of teachers. As members of the Liming Service Project, every week, we teach English to local migrant school children to supplement the instruction they receive during the school day. That day’s lesson was on body parts, and we had asked them create paper puppets. This involved drawing three circles, four oval shapes, and a rounded triangle – hardly a difficult process. “Of course you can draw,” I asserted, “everyone can draw.” I sighed, remembering similar past experiences. Because the students did not have regular art classes at their school, they had little confidence in their artistic abilities. When assigned a creative task, they would ask us to complete their projects for them, or, if presented with an example, would try their best to copy exactly what was shown to them. The students protested that they couldn’t, that their drawings would be ugly. One girl looked close to tears. Still, I would not concede their point, would not draw for them. Like the children, I used to be insecure about my art. I got frustrated when my drawings did not look exactly as I had intended. I understood their frustrations, which was exactly why I wanted to help them overcome them. I wanted them to realize that with practice comes—not necessarily perfection, but—better. I am still embarrassed about my earlier drawings, but I look at them as having been necessary to help me get to where I am today in terms of art. I became aware, then, that the true meaning of teaching extended beyond imparting knowledge to your students. With one of my co-teachers, I decided for the moment to drop the English lesson. We realized that we had to help the students recognize their own capabilities, so that they could extend their learning themselves. We had to instill the confidence that would spark their creativity. We explained to them that when faced with a challenge, that they had to have the confidence to at least try. “Repeat after me,” I announced. “We can draw!” The students quietly obliged. “Louder!” I said. “We can draw!” they exclaimed. After that experience, my commitment to the Liming Service Project was solidified. I teach English at the Liming School because, though I come from a different walk of life, I see much of myself in the children, from their insecurities in art, to their unwillingness to interrupt the teacher. Through teaching, I see that art is essential to a child’s education, by teaching students the power of creative self-expression. By being able to express themselves, they are better able to learn English. Now whenever I teach classes, I know that confidence and self-belief must first be established. I hope, through my short interactions with the children, to help them realize their full potential—greater than even they would imagine. My students still like to exaggeratedly criticize their own artwork, but now when I ask them if they can draw, they reply, with great volume and conviction: “YES WE CAN!” Max Wang is an IB diploma student and for two years has been teaching English integrated with art, music and drama to elementary school students at Liming Migrant School in Shanghai. -10- Community Service Cash for a Cow Spending a week in a rural village community far removed from the luxuries of air conditioning, TV, Facebook and McDonald’s, may not seem appealing to many teenage students; however each year the Vietnam Service Discovery Week program at Seoul Foreign High School attracts fifteen committed students who willingly put up with the heat, hard work, and humidity because not only do they want to learn about Vietnam and its people and history, but they have a passion to serve. SFS students work on projects established by the LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) World Mission in partnership with the Vietnamese National Institute of Nutrition. In the past two years, they have planted trees for a village reforestation project, dug irrigation ditches, taught English to first year university students, played games with children in a local orphanage, and visited communes north west of Ha Noi. The value of such experiences is that our students connect with people like them who live in some of the poorest villages in the poorest province of Vietnam. They encounter the face of poverty, in some cases, for the first time. And they have the chance to make a difference. Last May, students met a farmer who had become so gravely ill that he had to sell his cow, his only source of income, to buy medication. The $100 a year Mr. Kien was earning did not stretch very far in his family of four. Moved by this encounter, the students returned to Seoul and raised $400 to pay for a cow for Mr. Kien, so that he could start again. In July 2010 representatives of the NGOs traveled to Dieu Luong commune and presented the gift to the Kien family. They were ecstatic. And so were our students; they had made a difference. Often students feel overwhelmed by the poverty and destitution and injustice they see in the world around them. It seems impossible for one individual to have any impact. But as our students come to see through their involvement in the Vietnam Service Trip—we are not powerless, we can affect change—perhaps not for millions or thousands or even hundreds, but certainly for some. For Mr. Kien and his family. And for the students, too. Mark Altmann and Cathi Wiebusch Vietnam Service Trip Sponsors: Seoul Foreign High School Where InnovatIon Is tradItIon Advance YOUR Teaching Career Advanced IB Studies English as a Second Language Elementary Education Learning Support Phone: 703-993-2794 • E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://fasttrain.gmu.edu • Licensure and Graduate Degree Programs • Online and Intensive Summer Courses • In-State Tuition Rates • Serving International Teachers for 20 Years ® Community Service American School in Taichung Celebrates “12 Days of Giving” by Jennifer Wright, American School in Taichung, [email protected] The “12 Days of Giving” has been a long-standing tradition at the American School in Taichung for more than eight years, although it was only three years ago that it assumed its current title as a play on the holiday song title “12 Days of Christmas.” During this event it has been our goal as a school community to support a local orphanage within our city. In the past, the “12 Days of Giving” was a period of fund raising, using decorated collection receptacles to collect money in a competition between grade levels. This allowed us to reach our goal of assisting the orphanage, but did it really get the students involved on a personal level? Sure students may have enjoyed the rivalry between the different classes, and we did attain our collection goal, but were these the desired outcomes of community outreach? This year, the mission was the same, but the process was tweaked to enrich the experience for those involved. Looking back on past activities, I recalled the “Giving Tree” in which students assisted a local orphanage by selecting an orphan’s name from a holiday tree and purchasing an appropriate gift. This seemed to engage the students in a more meaningful experience. Thus the new and improved “12 Days of Giving” was initiated. Once again, AST formed a partnership with the local special needs orphanage and asked the administrator of the home to supply us with a list of the residents along with a gift wish for each. A team of elementary students then went to work creating a paper stocking for each of the orphanage residents, including names and gift wishes. The stockings were then hung with care on clotheslines in the lobby. Each stocking also contained a small paper clipped to it that contained all pertinent information. An individual could then select an orphan from the wall, detach the detail paper, and sign his/her name on the stocking under the title “Santa’s Helper.” Once the wall was complete, a group of students introduced the project via a skit at a school assembly and, thus, the new and improved “12 Days of Giving” was launched. It was heartwarming to witness what transpired in the lobby later that day. “Santa’s helpers” of all ages were swarming the wall, excited to select a child for which they would supply a holiday surprise. I immediately realized that, although the goal of supporting the orphanage was the same, the process by which it was realized made a dramatic difference. Each student that participated was connected on a personal level once they had chosen a child, and each was committed to bringing joy to a stranger in his/her own community. The response and resulting effects were worlds away from those gained from dropping coins into a can. During the next 12 days, students shopped and dropped their gifts off to the designated area. Soon after, a team of volunteers festively wrapped each one and gave the gift list a final once-over. Then it was off to the orphanage with a very special guest in tow. Of course, we could not just deliver the gifts without involving the jolly, plump, white-bearded fellow adorned in a red suit. As our team of Santa (a.k.a. Mr. Corcoran, our school’s director) and his “helpers” made its way into the common area of the orphanage, it was greeted with the smiling faces of children from 3 years of age to 21. Excitement tickled the hearts of the little ones, as their faces were filled with curiosity and anticipation. And soon Santa commenced with his duties—the distribution of gifts. It was a festive occasion and one that will be long-lived in the memories of those who took part. Community service is an invaluable and vital aspect of school life. It creates a connection between students and their community, provides ample real-world opportunities for students to apply learned skills, assists community members in need, and builds a sense of belonging among the students regardless of academic levels, cultural differences, or age. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sums it up best in the following quote: “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” -12- Almost before the ground stopped shaking, various sectors of the Saint Maur International School community in Yokohama started to find ways to assist and support the devastated people of the Sendai area. During the period of time that school was closed for a couple of weeks, teachers collected immediate and essential items and cash for the evacuees and sent these to the most devastated areas through an organization called “Peace Boat.” Some teachers got students together to bake bread for the nearby evacuees in the Yokohama area. Saint Maur put a hold on fund-raising for its new state-of-theart Science Center, which had opened on February 14th, to focus entirely on raising funds for the victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster which devastated the lives of so many people on March 11th. Immediate collection of funds and initiating a SAINT MAUR JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND through the Saint Maur home page, brought in well over a million yen prior to school even being opened again on April 4th. As soon as school got underway, three student councils in the elementary, middle, and high school, got together to find ways to collect money for these needy people. Students put on their uniforms and went to busy shopping centers and churches to collect several more hundred thousands of yen. There is a relief committee comprised of teachers, administrators, students, and parents. Several activities were initiated: The middle and high school student councils purchased a 40-meter clear tube that was taped onto the stairway for the four floors going down to the cafeteria. Anyone walking by could put coins into the two openings at the top floor. The school staff and administration decided that the usual raffle tickets, which are a major fund-raiser for the school needs, would be used completely for the Tohoku purpose. That brought in well over 2 million yen. The Parent Support Group (PSG) also pledged another half million yen that also would have been utilized for the betterment of the school. Red and white wrist bands that say, in English: HOPE FOR JAPAN on one side and, in Japanese, the same message on the other side, became big sellers immediately upon arrival from California. Those continue to be sold, bringing the intermediate collection to over 5 MILLION YEN. Yet, the students and community members have not slowed down at all. They have adopted one school in the Miyagi area for which they will try to purchase needed supplies for students and teachers. This disastrous event brought the total Saint Maur community together like no other previous event, and we are all committed to pursue this effort for the many months needed to help people gain back a sense of a normal life. Richard B. Rucci, Coordinating Principal, [email protected] Software Solutions for International Schools $GPLQLVWUDWRU¶V3OXV 6,6 $IXOO\LQWHJUDWHGVFKRRODGPLQLVWUDWLYHVRIWZDUHV\VWHP ,%VWXGHQWDVVHVVPHQWVDQGPXOWLODQJXDJHUHSRUWLQJ %DFNHGE\WKHEHVWWHFKQLFDOVXSSRUWLQWKHLQGXVWU\ $GPLVVLRQV3OXV3UR 7UDFNDSSOLFDQWVWKURXJKWKHDGPLVVLRQVSURFHVV $XWRPDWLFDOO\NHHSSDUHQWVVWXGHQWVDQGVWDII LQIRUPHGWKURXJKHDFKVWHS 2QOLQHLQTXLULHVDSSOLFDWLRQVSD\PHQWV HUHFRPPHQGDWLRQVDQGYLVLWDWLRQGD\V $GPLVVLRQV3OXV3URZRUNVZLWKDQ\6,6V\VWHP $FFRXQWLQJIRU,QWHUQDWLRQDO6FKRROV 'XDOFXUUHQF\DQGPXOWLODQJXDJHFDSDELOLWLHV 6KRZERWKFXUUHQFLHVLQWKHVDPH¿QDQFLDOUHSRUW :RUNVVHDPOHVVO\ZLWK$GPLQLVWUDWRU¶V3OXVRUDQ\6,6V\VWHP 6HH8VDWWKH($5&26/HDGHUVKLS&RQIHUHQFH 7UXVWHGE\LQWHUQDWLRQDOVFKRROVLQPRUHWKDQFRXQWULHVZLWKVXSSRUWRI¿FHVLQ,QGLD(FXDGRUDQGWKH86 +DPSGHQ0$86$__ZZZUHGLNHUFRP EARCOS-Ad-Sept 11 Newsletter.indd 1 -13- 8/9/2011 5:29:44 PM Community Service Saint Maur Community Rallies Around Sendai Curriculum Initiatives Developing Local Mindedness by Liz Gale, [email protected] As the IBO strives to develop students with a strong sense of international mindedness, many primary aged students attending international schools within our Asia Pacific region enter the learning environment with an array of knowledge regarding cultural awareness and understanding. This is partly due to the fact that a large number of these children have spent varying portions of their lives living in countries that are vastly different from their native environments or home culture. Undoubtedly, most individuals would agree that students attending an international school separate from their home country and culture innately develop a broad world view; however, elementary teachers at the American International School of Guangzhou (AISG) feel that it is not only important for students to be globally minded, it is crucial for the children to formulate a comprehensive understanding of the local culture and environment in which they live. When planning the six transdisciplinary units of inquiry all elementary teachers at AISG constantly consider the ways in which they can assist students with forming connections between their classroom learning experiences and the interactions they have with the local community outside of school while walking on the street, playing in a park, shopping at a market, or eating at a restaurant. Classroom teachers collaborate across grade levels and with specialist teachers to design meaningful learning opportunities that involve direct contact with the local community and culture. For example, during their inquiry into the transdisciplinary theme Where We Are in Place and Time, fifth grade students inquired into past civilizations. Their investigation led them to Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, the Lingnan Impression Chinese folk village, as well as a variety of Buddhist temples. All of these establishments are highly valued within the local community of Guangzhou, and through these excursions student learning was not only enhanced, but a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and tradition emerged. While exploring the theme How We Organize Ourselves, first grade students inquired into the roles and responsibilities of community members. Grade one teachers received the assistance and support of many parent volunteers, various local community helpers, and school support staff in their effort to provide children with multiple learning opportunities to inquire into the daily responsibilities of different individuals and their work environments. Students acquired knowledge through openly interviewing community members, close job observation, and diverse field trip excursions. As a result of providing these insightful learning experiences, students were able to extend their connection to the local community and grow in their appreciation of local culture and values. As a direct outcome of their learning and desire to be more effective community members, grade one students organized a book and toy drive for the handicapped and disabled children of a local primary school. Although providing off-campus opportunities to develop understanding of local culture is a wonderful way to engage students, creating a school learning environment that values local traditions also helps cultivate a genuine curiosity and awareness for national customs and traditions. Chinese New Year is perhaps the biggest and most widely celebrated holiday throughout China. In preparation for this celebration, AISG elementary language teachers engage students in learning Chinese poems, dances, and songs related to traditional Chinese culture. Students are given the chance to present their new-found learning to the school community at a beautiful Chinese New Year assembly production. The power of many international schools in the Asia Pacific region is that they have the opportunity to provide invaluable cultural learning experiences through direct interaction with the local community. Elementary educators at AISG have discovered that students benefit tremendously when learning is situated in a meaningful context such as an inquiry into various aspects of the community. Providing learning experiences that enable children to connect directly with the local environment not only ensures that curriculum is engaging, relevant, challenging, and significant, but it allows for the formation of a positive and respectful relationship between the school and the greater local community. -14- HIS and SCIS teachers take on the challenge of a curriculum framework that unites disciplines, standards, and expected learning results in what curriculum director Tammy Rodabaugh has dubbed a Three-Dimensional Framework. What follows is a glimpse into the evolution from 2-D to 3-D. The 2-Dimensional Model: A Standards and Benchmark Framework We started with a curriculum framework based on the standards and benchmarks model, in which discipline specific content is articulated in terms of expectations, with the ultimate goal articulated as standards and aspects of each standard articulated by grade (age)-level goals called benchmarks. Grade 1 Benchmarks.......... Grade 6 Benchmarks.......... Grade 9 Benchmarks.......... Standard A Grade 1 Benchmarks.......... Grade 6 Benchmarks.......... Grade 9 Benchmarks.......... Standard B Grade 1 Benchmarks.......... Grade 6 Benchmarks.......... Grade 9 Benchmarks.......... Standard C Thus the curriculum framework is a 2-dimensional matrix in which discipline-specific standards define the rows, specific gradelevels define the columns, and benchmarks are the matrix contents. In addition to discipline-specific standards, our school has Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLR) that transcend the individual disciplines. We needed a way to articulate the connection and show that the ESLRs drive our curriculum. A 2-D Framework with ESLR Tags Continuing to use the standards and benchmark framework, units were tagged to the expected learning results by way of noting which of the results were being targeted in that unit of study. The tag method produces inconsistent results. Some expected learning results had many tags and others had only a few. The strength of the connections was also inconsistent. Sometimes the connection was a link to assessment; other times the link was to a vague reference to context. Unlike the discipline-based standards, the ESLRs were not articulated in a scope and sequence that provided context, content, or benchmarks towards the ultimate goals. We believed that our ESLRs were imbedded in our curriculum and that through teaching the discipline content our students were progressing towards the ESLRs, but evidence of this was weak. We needed a model that included both ESLR and discipline standards in the framework and provided a sequencing of benchmarks leading to both. A 3-Dimensional Model: ESLR Driven, Standards Aligned, Benchmark Sequenced Starting with the ESLRs as our ultimate standards, we distributed the discipline-based standards as they aligned to the ESLR standards (criteria had to be established to guide the alignment process), thus creating a two-dimensional matrix in which ESLRs define the rows, disciplines define the columns, and discipline-specific standards are the matrix content. This two-dimensional matrix became three-dimensional as each cell was expanded in the form of grade-level benchmarks. Now there is an articulated progression towards our Expected Schoolwide Learning Results using discipline-based content as the medium of this progression. In essence the discipline-based standards became the benchmarks for our ESLRs and the discipline-based benchmarks became indicators of progress towards those benchmarks. We can analyze cross-sections by grade-level, discipline, or ESLR. So not only can we articulate what science looks like at any grade-level, we can also articulate what global and community appreciation looks like at any grade-level and how it is developed through every discipline. It is too soon to tell what the impact will be on student learning but we are already reaping the benefits to curriculum development. As one teacher put it, “The connection is now so clear.” -15- Curriculum Initiatives Hangzhou Int’l School and Shanghai Community Int’l School Take Their Curriculum Framework to Another Dimension Curriculum Initiatives Twitter in the Kinder Classroom * Each class would have to have/create a Twitter account * Each class would have to have regular Internet access These were things that I could handle! I set up a protected Twitter account for my class. In order to follow our tweets a person needed to be approved by me. Our partner class did the same and we were on our way. The general goals put forward by our friends at CFIS were: * Compare and contrast their own daily lives with those of other students around the world * See themselves as part of a larger international community of kindergarten students around the world * Develop awareness and appreciation for other cultures * Reflect on their own school lives and daily activities * Explore the use of technology as a tool to communicate and build relationships Teaching at a small, somewhat remote, school can pose some interesting challenges. One of those challenges is bringing variety into our classroom. There are only so many ways to mix up grouping a class of six students. Even though my students are amazing, sometimes they yearn for something new and exciting. I have really turned to technology this year to try and expand my repertoire of resources and bring in current and exciting content to keep the kids pumped and engaged. While I feel I have been somewhat successful, the students still long to connect with content on more of a personal level. They want to share experiences as well as to hear about the different things that other kids their age are doing. This is exactly what happened when I started using Twitter to connect with other kindergarten classes all over the world. The interesting thing is that I wouldn’t be using Twitter with my class if I didn’t use it personally first. The reason behind this is actually pretty simple. I really started investing time in growing a PLN via Twitter in the fall of 2010. After a couple months of working to build a network of professionals and educators to follow on Twitter I noticed a tweet from a kindergarten teacher at the Calgary French & International School in Canada about a project they were launching called “Kindergarten Around the World.” The idea was to connect kindergarten classes from all over the world with each other using Twitter. I thought that would be something that my students would really enjoy. I sent a message to the teacher expressing interest. I got a message back with details about the program, and since this was the first time the project would be undertaken there was a set of goals but also a bit of wiggle room for participants. The requirements were actually very simple. * Each class would need to be in the 5-6 year old range. * Each class would have to speak either French or English as the primary language. (The school spearheading the project was a French/English school) As the project progressed our classes go to know each other better. Throughout the course of any given day a student might mention that s/he wanted to share whatever it is that they were working on with our friends in Canada. There were other times that my students would connect something we were talking about back to our friends in Canada. It was a way for students to personalize content on a number of levels. The actual “Kindergarten Around the World Project” ran for one month, and although the initial project is complete we continue to converse via Twitter with a number of kindergarten classes around the world. Checking our Twitter page is still part of our morning routine. The project has pushed me to expand the use of technology in our classroom as a way of collaborating and sharing information. If I hadn’t been using Twitter as a way to connect with my PLN I would have never found out about how to use it in my kindergarten classroom. It has changed the way I look at what I do and what is possible to do in my classroom. I really see my class as part of a larger community of kindergarten classrooms around the world. I know that my students feel as though they are part of a community of kindergartners as they have learned and shared with students in different parts of the world. It has broadened the scope of what they can experience and see in such a personal and relevant way. If I’ve learned one thing from the experience it’s the power of sharing and collaboration using tools such as Twitter and blogs. If you are looking for something new, exciting, relevant, and resource-rich, I’d recommend Twitter as a great place to start. It may take a while to develop a first rate PLN, but you’ll be paid back in spades. If you can’t find what you are looking for then develop it yourself and share it with others. Chances are someone else is looking for the same thing. by Ben Sheridan Pasir Ridge, [email protected] -16- by Frank & Krista McGowan, [email protected] Students determine pi during Architecture Anxiety and concern greeted students upon their return from winter break. “Good, everyone made it safely. We don’t have long and need to reach camp before a monster arrives. Hold onto your bags.” Students exchanged looks of confusion as the need for quiet silenced their questions. Minutes later, we were in an unused classroom on the other side of campus. The room was in turmoil. Desks were overturned. Only a ripped sign reading Monster Sightings adorned the wall. Students passed more confused looks as teachers ushered them in to sit on the ground around a “campfire.” The door reopened to admit the school director, dressed in the same orange t-shirt as other staff in the room, “Welcome to Camp Halfblood [CHB]. I am happy that everyone arrived safely and am sure that you have many questions. As you can see, monsters destroyed Camp. You are the first returning demigods and it is your task to learn the knowledge of the Greeks and rebuild CHB...” This group of 6th grade students was thrust into an integrated unit using the Scottish Storyline Method to teach language arts, mathematics, science, and physical education. The popular Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan provided the overarching story that connected curricular goals. By placing students into the role of a CHB camper, the intent was to tap into their power of imagination while giving them a reason to learn about Greek myths, astronomy, geometry, and track and field. lyzed Perseus’ conquest beside Percy Jackson’s. Hades’ kidnapping of Persephone emotionally charged the students and when they realized that this was a Greek explanation of the seasons, they eagerly explored the science behind the seasons. Storyline also gives students the need to know. When students are engaged, they will do almost anything to find solutions, provide explanations, and learn more. As our story continued, incidents arose while monsters invaded camp. Urgent monster alarms halted activity to see which monster was sighted and which student was in charge of defeating it. Suddenly a student desperately needed to learn research skills to find out how the monster could be defeated. It was a question of life or death! Then, like the return of an epic hero, the student presented the encounter with the monster at campfire, improving oral storytelling and myth writing abilities as they explained their battle. In “Architecture and Design” class students prepared blueprints to rebuild the camp. Using photographs of existing Greek structures, students built vocabulary, explored angles and shapes, and calculated area and perimeter. Finally, the revealing of “god parents” brought forth another flurry of reading, research, and writing. Using geometric skills and knowledge of the gods, each student designed a cabin that honored a Greek god through design features. With the unit coming to an end, projects finished up and the once plain walls of the rundown camp were transformed into displays of work. The grand reopening of camp was almost upon us! Invitations went home and students rehearsed presentations. Each student presented multiple times as parents (over 75% turnout!) listened to the recounting of student arrival at CHB, myths of the Greek gods, Greek and modern understanding of the seasons, lunar cycles, and polished cabin designs using symbolism to represent gods. Mythological stories being written As a teacher, I constantly return to the question of how can I The integration of multiple subjects, while tapping into the help my students make meaning of my lesson? Integrated units amazing imagination of our sixth graders, was the primary goal provide students multiple opportunities to hear vocabulary and of the unit. As lessons unfolded, students became increasingly concepts while also opening the possibility of increased connec- engaged and often shared information gathered on their own. tions to subject matter, and storyline gives the umbrella under The unit also provided teachers with valuable opportunities to which various subjects can be bundled. Greek mythology capti- collaborate and discuss student learning. The culminating event vates students. At campfire, they begged for just one more story was an overwhelming success as proud students displayed their as they sat on the edges of their mats, eager to discuss, barely work to parents and teachers. able to allow the story to continue. These age old stories opened up their curiosity and lessons naturally unfolded. Medusa was a springboard for literary compare and contrast as students ana-17- Curriculum Initiatives Camp Halfblood comes to the American School in Taichung Green & Sustainable Growing Green Andrew Morgan, Primary Green Team Coordinator, and Amanda Heddle, Secondary Green Team Coordinator The metaphor for growth is one that is often overused in an educational setting, but it is unavoidably apt when applied to Bangkok Patana School’s flourishing student environmental groups, the members of which call themselves ‘The Green Tigers’. Over the last six years the school’s ‘Green Team’ has expanded rapidly in terms of its scope and influence, placing environmental considerations very much at the forefront of the school’s agenda. The very first ‘Green Team’ was established in 2006 by a group of year 12 students after watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, and their first initiatives, directed towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, included fund-raising and tree planting at the school. This student-led initiative chimed in well with the focus on environmental awareness and education that already existed within the school’s academic community—Bangkok Patana piloted the International Baccalaureate course Ecosystems and Societies for five years before it became the current Environmental Systems and Societies course available to all schools. With the support of the school’s foundation board, the PTG, and the wider community who made generous donations through the Annual Fund, construction was soon underway on an Outdoor Classroom, a miniature nature reserve including wetlands, built with sustainable materials and stocked with native species which conform as much as possible to the original ecology of the area. The students use the Outdoor Classroom to observe the ecology in detail, see how it evolves over time, and develop an appreciation for the importance of biodiversity and conservation. Open since 2009, the Outdoor Classroom has become a fantastic teaching tool at all levels of the school. From the Foundation Stage upwards, students spend time exploring and learning about the importance of the delicate balance of nature and the fragile nature of ecosystems: the K2 students take part by having a ‘mini-beast’ hunt, while the year 11s make detailed surveys of the reserve’s biodiversity and record the various species found there over time. Meanwhile, the Green Team continues as a student-led organization today and has grown in strength and numbers from year to year. It has spread through both the primary and secondary schools and in term 3 this year students will be able to choose from six different Green Team extra-curricular activities: Green Team - Habitat Conservation Green Team - Energy Savers Green Team - Recycling Green Team - Wildlife Green Tigers – Year 3/4 Green Tigers – Year 5/6 At our Outdoor Classroom, Green Team members have planted native rainforest trees, cleared the pond of excessive algae (and clearly enjoyed doing so), planted a bamboo barrier to reduce road pollution, and started an evaluation of this natural classroom to improve environmental management strategies there. Around campus, Patana students in primary and secondary have also been learning about the wildlife on the school grounds. They’ve created a nature diary, identified local bird species, learned to use identification keys, and created a bird species checklist. Besides getting muddy and sweaty, the students also pitch in to help with the school recycling programme by collecting used paper from classrooms and encouraging everyone to recycle their wax-coated juice cartons for Tetra Pak’s Green Roof Project. Students have also been looking at ways to make the running of the school more energy efficient and sustainable in a wide number of areas from championing the installation of solar panels as an alternative energy source to successfully lobbying for the switch from a weekly printed newsletter to an online format. Through their work, students are learning not only about environmental conservation, but also the mechanics of introducing change to a broader community, the challenges of raising awareness of issues, the delicate art of negotiation and the demands and responsibilities of leadership. As one Green Team member wrote of his teammates, “These students are at the forefront of the global race to go green with numerous projects concerning a diverse range of topics and incorporating the strengths of the students to create new concepts and put them into practice.” In a few short years, these committed Green Team members and the hardworking staff who support them have already had a huge impact on the school, and we know that they will continue to grow and lead the way when they leave Bangkok Patana School. Go Green Tigers! -18- Green & Sustainable Sustainability at Nakorn Payap International School At Nakorn Payap International School moves are afoot to take sustainability seriously. There are various initiatives being implemented throughout the school as well as by the Roots and Shoots Club. It was the high school Roots and Shoots Club that initiated the school paper recycling program. So that was a ready-made project for our Elementary Roots and Shoots Club when we started up last year. Each club took care of its respective building. This year the elementary club has taken over the entire program. From the proceeds from the selling of the paper, we have built up a small kitty fund. This fund became substantial enough that it is this fund from which we drew to purchase needed cooking and washing supplies for a local child support foundation. As part of the “Community” mandate of Roots and Shoots, we researched to find a suitable community-based foundation. We found Croston House in Lamphun. We asked parents for donations and then went shopping to fill some of their remaining needs. Loaded with rice, salt, noodles, soap, shampoo, etc., along with donated clothing items, we headed for Croston House on a Saturday, when the children would be around. Their buildings, open and naturally cool, had cement foundations with bamboo walls and grass roofs. Simple and attuned to nature, they had a garden and a few animals. Rather than having plastic toys everywhere, the children there taught our students traditional games using stones and seeds. We were happy to discover that we were supporting one of the most sustainably run institutions I have visited. A favorite Roots and Shoots activity is always the waterfall cleanup. Locals sitting enjoying a picnic at a local waterfall are always bemused by this diverse group of students equipped with gloves and garbage bags, joyfully discovering garbage to add to their collection. We make our way up the mountain to our reward— the sliders! Hungry stomachs are forgotten as the students slide and scream in delight, moaning when it is time to dry off and head to the bus. In preparation for setting up composting at NIS, the grade three class went to visit the worm farm at the environment department of a local university. We learned how efficient worms are (red ones in particular) at turning food waste into fertilizer, how to care for them, and that worm urine is a good bathroom deodorizer as well as fertilizer! We are now carefully nursing our fledgling composting system at school into fruition. To ensure that these endeavours continue and to help ensure that Nakorn Payap International School does what it can for sustainability, the school now has a Sustainability Committee and has included sustainability standards into the curriculum. by Cindy Sepp Grade Three Teacher Nakorn Payap International School EARCOS Global Issues Network Conference 2012 International School Manila, February 16-19, 2012 The 2012 EARCOS Global Issues Network conference will take place at International School Manila. The conference theme is ‘Compassionate Action.’ The theme is designed to reflect the two key aspects of the conference: 1. The conference will be built around a day of action in Manila tackling some of the global issues identified by Jean Francois Rischard in his book High Noon: 20 Global Issues, 20 Years to Solve Them. 2. The intended outcome of this conference is 20 student-created sustainable action plans that use Alan Atkissson’s compass methodology. These action plans should form the basis for some of the GIN 2013 student workshops. Furthermore, progress in completing these action plans will be updated on a regular basis between the 2012 and 2013 conferences. http://earcos-global-issues-network.org/ -19- Green & Sustainable Now we proudly say, “Don’t forget to remove your batteries at the end of the period. Secure them into the chargers or place them at the station so they’ll be ready tomorrow.” But how much do we really save by using the rechargeable batteries versus buying and replacing standard batteries? Well, you do the math. Rechargeable Batteries vs. Standard Batteries “Don’t throw those batteries away. Place them into the recycle box. Then go and get another six for your robot battery pack.” By not throwing standard batteries in the trash but rather sending them to be “recycled” was our institution, Concordia International School Shanghai, being environmentally green? Or were we just being economically practical? Careful! Those could be trick questions! Because on both accounts the answer is, “Definitely No!” We should never have been using standard batteries for two reasons. First, it is environmentally careless to continually use more resources than necessary. Secondly, with the cost of rechargeable batteries now so reasonable, it is economically wasteful. Here is what we were doing wrong. We were providing standard batteries to our 100 fifth grade students for their Mindstorm Lego robotic units. Our school has 20 robotic sets. Each set requires six AA batteries. That equates to 120 batteries. Standard batteries cost about 2.5 rmb each. Last year on average, teams went through one and a half sets of batteries during the robot unit. (20 sets X 9 batteries = 180 batteries). By the end of the end of the year the entire fifth grade had consumed approximately 540 AA standard batteries at a cost of 1,350 rmb. This year we were on our way to doing the same thing. Cost for two full years would have been about 2,700 rmb. Because we were constantly buying only 40 batteries here, 16 there, another two dozen here the costs seemingly never amounted to much. (And those were only batteries used for robotics. Our school has forty Flip cameras that use AA batteries. I started to wonder if we could use those same batteries in other devices when we were not using them in the robots.) With the sign “Recycle” on the box it appeared like we’re doing the environmental friendly thing but could we do better? Then we bit the bullet and bought the more expensive batteries and necessary chargers. 1. Regular AA batteries cost approximately 2.5 rmb. 2. Rechargeable AA batteries cost about 10 rmb each. That’s a cost factor of four to one. 3. A four-battery charger cost 55 rmb. 4. We purchased one charger for every ten batteries. 5. We required three extension plugs (150 rmb) to plug in the dozen chargers. 6. We purchased 120 batteries (1,200 rmb) plus 12 chargers (660 rmb) and 3 electric extension plugs (150 rmb). 7. The grand total for a *truly rechargeable program cost 2,000 rmb. Even my fifth graders can calculate at 1,350 rmb a year that it takes 1.48 years to spend 2,000 rmb and recoup all your costs. After that you have a “cost-free environmentally friendly program.”* If we continue this for five years we’ll have saved the school 6,750 rmb. That is over $1,000. Oh, and did I mention that when the robots are not in use we have a gaggle of battery hungry Flip cameras? It pays to go green, not the other way around. You will also be doing your small part in consuming less. Are those noble reasons for going green? *It makes perfect sense to spend more up front and recoup your money over time. I realize for the rechargeable batteries scheme that electricity costs should be factored into the equation. But then there are many unseen cost considerations for the standard battery program too. Someone has to spend the time and energy to take continued trips to the store to buy more standard batteries. Who’s paying for those trips? Let’s not forget to calculate the four, five six, ten times more packaging that will ultimately be consumed and discarded by using standard batteries. What is the waste cost to society here? And who pays for the transportation required to haul the boatloads of discarded batteries to the recycling center? Then someone (maybe not us, but someone) has to pay for the energy required and the pollution created to ultimately breakdown the old batteries and “recycle” the materials into new batteries. Even if we don’t “personally see” these costs when we buy standard batteries, they are there. Thank you in advance for showing this article to your administrator to help get the funding your school needs to be truly green and for teaching our children how to be responsible global citizens. [email protected] teaches middle school grade five at Concordia International School, Shanghai, China -20- Green & Sustainable Bandung International School – Earth Day Celebration “Our Action, Our Future” we exercised our creativity in recycling pieces of cloth by transforming them into beautifully decorated necklaces. It wasn’t difficult at all! Any small steps we make to conserve nature can help make a difference. As we all know, our planet is deteriorating and this involves major global problems. But are we truly aware of them? Every year, for example, 16 million hectares of forest are destroyed, and now half of the world’s tropical forests are gone. Earth Day at Bandung International School is a day where we remind ourselves about the importance of protecting our planet. Our aim was to spread the message of the importance of taking responsibility for protecting our forests. As 2011 is the Year of the Forests, our theme was deforestation, where students were led to explore deeper into one of the major environmental problems impacting our planet. Our Earth Day celebration means nothing without a core understanding of the problems we are facing. Educating the younger generation is vital. Students explored the issues through social studies, science, art, and even physical education. In social studies, interactive activities were used to inform students about the relationship between trees and the level of carbon dioxide. The fewer trees, the more the carbon dioxide emitted, which leads to global warming. Through games, students were taught how destructive human activities, such as illegal logging, affect the carbon dioxide’s level in the air. In addition, an inspiring environmentalist came to our school from the Nature Conservancy to give a presentation on the orangutans’ habitats in Borneo and REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) scheme, a project to cut down carbon emissions by allowing companies to keep the Indonesian forests unharmed in return for financial incentives. As we enthusiastically played games, we realized the significance of saving trees and protecting nature. In addition, After a meaningful day of workshops, we were entertained by an Earth Day assembly. We sang songs about protecting nature and pondered each word in our hearts. The students who went to the Brunei Global Issues Conference also shared their feelings and thoughts about their experience in surviving in the jungle. They also encouraged other students to save trees and care for nature together. The following day, we were ready for a nature walk in the beautiful hills around Bandung. Students, teachers, and parents came to taste the beauty of nature. ”The Lodge” in Maribaya is a site where horizons of green-forested hills stretched before our eyes. We would not have such a panorama in an urbanized, modern city. After team-building games and a beautiful walk up and down the mountain, each of us was responsible for planting a tree, possibly the first such experience for many. The air was humid yet refreshing. The sides of our track were fully lined with pine trees that were ten meters high. It had to have taken around 30 years for the trees to grow that tall! The Earth Day celebration taught us many priceless things. We now know that to reach our goal to protect Indonesian forests, we need to take the first steps and encourage others to make a difference. We can start from the smallest things within our community to save our forests. They are the lungs of our planet and the source of life of all living things. The Environmental Club at Bandung International School is committed to spreading environmental awareness in our community. “Save trees, save us all.” Jane Michelle Julius Bandung International School, Grade 11 [email protected] -21- Campus Development Saint Maur International School Celebrates the Opening of its New Science Center On February 14, 2011, Saint Maur International School celebrated the opening of its new purpose built state-of-the-art Science Center. The two storied building which has solar panels on the roof, and several environmental features imbedded into the fabric of the building, boasts four dedicated labs and preparation rooms for physics, biology, chemistry, general science, and robotics. Our collaboration with the Yokohama Science Frontier High School continues to provide both schools with unprecedented opportunities to participate in joint projects, meet and listen to lectures by renowned scientists, some of whom are Nobel Peace Prize winners. We are confident that our new Science Center will further enhance our science programme at all levels, and we trust that the students using the new labs will develop an interest in, and love of, science. Mr. Haruyuki Sasaki, from A & T Associates, who designed our award winning Fine Arts Center in 1998, and our sports facility at Peverely Place in 2003, is also the architect of our new Science Center. His use of natural light, along with his understanding of what is essential within a school environment, has resulted in a building which is not only practical in design and caters to the on-going needs of the students and curriculum, but is also a work of art to be admired. Having an additional fourth lab will provide students in preschool through elementary school with an opportunity to experience working in a dedicated science lab environment, which until now, was restricted to students in the secondary level. Thanks to our dedicated teachers and volunteer parents, the students have made marked progress in robotics, winning competitions against seasoned Japanese robotic teams. Now that we have a lab to accommodate the students’ growing interest in robotics, we are looking forward to developing the programme further. -22- by Giselle O. Martin-Kniep, Ph.D There are many compelling arguments in support of curriculum mapping . The process itself enables teachers to articulate what they teach and how they assess inside a time frame. Completed maps can show the relationship among desired standards, skills, lessons, assessments, and resources. They can offer teachers from within a subject or grade level opportunities to compare instructional strategies, identify resources to differentiate student learning, make adjustments in units and lessons to build understandings, or compact the curriculum by consolidating or merging two units. When reviewed by teachers across grade levels, curriculum maps can reveal redundancies and unnecessary repetition of lessons and topics, or uncover gaps in standards and skills that need to be addressed. Individuals and groups of teachers can use them to share, reflect, collaborate, evaluate, adjust, and plan. Few could argue about the value of explicitly articulating the operational curriculum that teachers use either before they teach it, while they are teaching it, or after they have taught it, and there is ample empirical evidence to support its value (Jacobs , 1997, 2004, 2010). The growing popularity of mapping is evident in the dramatic increase in schools engaged in this process and in companies generating technology-related products to support it (e.g., Rubicon Atlas, Techpaths, CurricuPlan, Curriculum Mapper). The most useful maps are different from scope and sequence documents because they incorporate information about curriculum, instruction, and assessment. They describe learning in terms of what students should know and are able to do, include concepts, essential and guiding questions that anchor the content and skills of each unit, classroom assessments and scoring tools, and allow for links to student work and other resources. When done well, these maps, and the process for creating them, serve as a powerful and dynamic resource for the kinds of curriculum and assessment design work that is needed in response to internationally recognized standards. Ideally, curriculum mapping is a means to a shared end and an ongoing collegial and rigorous process. In many schools, however, mapping is an exercise in compliance, understood and done by few, and shared in ways that preclude revision or improvement. There are several factors that result in an ineffective use of mapping. Sometimes schools jump into the mapping processes without devoting sufficient time to discussing its role in their school improvement agenda. They do not include key stakeholders in the determination of the purposes and uses of mapping, or in the completion of the maps themselves. They fail to allocate sufficient time for teachers to actually work with the maps, or they launch competing initiatives that dilute the work on mapping. As a result, teachers experience curriculum mapping as a self-contained event that culminates in a fairly static product. Much of its inherent value is lost in terms of offering teachers an opportunity to capture, analyze, and reflect on their practices. Given the inherent complexity of school systems, it is not always possible to determine the robustness and effectiveness of initiatives such as mapping. What follows are specific behavioral manifestations of two schools that have engaged in a very different curriculum mapping experience, one leading to ineffective results and the other leading to effective ones. Some questions to consider as you read include: Where is your school in its mapping journey? Who believes in the maps? What do the maps convey about what your school and its educators value? Which of these characterizations, or which indicators most closely describe how your school uses mapping? School A School B • Teachers describe mapping as an activity that occurs in one or more discrete events throughout the year. • Teachers describe mapping as an ongoing process that unfolds naturally and organically throughout the year and as a means to a broader conversation related to curriculum, instruction and assessment. Teachers use it to uncover, dialogue and negotiate what is worth identifying, teaching, or assessing. • The information mapped articulates teachers’ current understandings, knowing that these will change with every incoming class of students. • Some of the statements teachers use to characterize their work around mapping include: “We use the maps in our grade level meetings as we revisit our weekly plans.” or “The maps help us determine and align our expectations from grade to grade.” or “We moved our unit on families so that the middle school students could work with the primary students at the community fair.” • All teachers participate in mapping and use the maps to ground their individual decisions and conversations with each other. • The information mapped corresponds to what teachers think they teach during different months in the school year. • When asked to describe their mapping work, teachers and administrators describe it in terms of the time and energy expended in producing the maps. They use statements such as, “We mapped language arts last year,” “We are using our four extended days for mapping,” or “We still need to map science.” • Teachers who represent specific grade levels and subjects come to these events to complete the matrices that depict their curriculum rather than to discuss or analyze what is on the maps already. • If anyone were to extract one or more maps at random, the unit maps would have a common structure but vary significantly in terms of the amount of specificity and would therefore be difficult to decode or use by anyone other than the individuals who produced them. The positioning of curriculum mapping needs to be timely and strategic. Treating mapping as a means to an end can enable schools to leverage it to deepen teachers’ mindfulness about what they teach and assess, and improve teaching and learning. In order for this to happen, the motivation to create and use maps should be grounded in the need to deepen, reflect upon, • Teachers’ maps reveal a shared understanding of what is to be included and they are written in such a way that enables different readers to make sense of them. consolidate, and expand the access and use of curriculum. Such motivation would lead to design work that is rigorous, strategic, and articulated within and across grade levels and subjects. This may set a high standard for mapping, but also a most worthy one. -23- EdThought Mapping for the Right Reasons Book Review What was your most powerful personal experience in a learning community? Last month I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in the National Constitution Center’s Conference on Civility and Democracy. I was in the company of some of the country’s leading historians, political scientists, and educators. I served on a panel with Ken Burns, THE documentary filmmaker, Alan Brinkley, famed Columbia University history professor, and Sam Chaltain, educational writer and change agent. It was an amazing experience. However, it was the conversation that Sam and I continued, post-Civility and Democracy panel, which intrigued me the most. At the conclusion of the two-day conference, Sam presented me with his book, Faces of Learning (2011). This book tells “50 Powerful Stories of Defining Moments in Education.” Each story is unique. Each story truly is powerful. Each story reflected on two questions: 1. What was your most powerful personal experience in a learning community—regardless of whether that experience took place inside or outside of school? 2. Who was your most effective teacher, and what was it about that person that made him or her so effective? Each story was listed in one of five categories created by Sam to describe what makes a learning experience powerful. Each of these five categories aligns with Project Based Learning. Challenging: “Meaningful learning can be… the moment when we first discover what we’re capable of.” In PBL teachers challenge their students with authentic learning tasks. We ask students to work through the inquiry and innovation process as they create possible solutions to problems that have no one right answer. We immerse students in the challenging task rather than simply “challenging” them to get an A on the end of the unit test. Engaging: “What we remember, and what changes us, is when a new idea comes alive….” cess as the facilitator. Students still need guidance. As teachers manage the process of PBL, they quickly discover that their role as facilitator is even more crucial to the learning process than it ever was in the more traditional classroom. Guiding students in their learning through PBL is both challenging and rewarding. It is in a supportive environment that the process of feedback and revision occur. Creating a supportive classroom environment is as imperative as creating a challenging, authentic, PBL task. Relevant: “For real learning to remain with us, it must in some way be relevant.” Allowing students to have voice and choice in their learning automatically creates an element of relevance. Not only does true PBL require students to have voice and choice, but it also focuses on authentic learning. Applying learning to the real world promotes 21st Century Skills as students think critically and collaborate on projects. Experiential: “Books and classes are useful—but only to a point.” PBL requires students to learn by doing or experiencing. No longer are students passive recipients of information. Rather, students are actively involved in creating and defining their own learning experiences. It is through experiential learning that students are able to complete some form of a publicly presented product. Experiential learning leaves a lasting impact on students, as information is not merely memorized, but assimilated. Each of you reading this blog post has your own answers to Sam’s two questions. Take time to reflect on them. Relate your own positive learning experiences to the five core elements that create a truly transformed learning experience through Project Based Learning. Isn’t this what you want for your own students? Thanks, Sam, for the quotes and the inspiration. Dayna Laur BIE National Faculty http://www.biepbl.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-was-your-most-powerful-personal.html PBL engages students in their search for answers, meaning, and connections to the real world. A need to know is established for the project and students immediately become engaged through the project launched entry event. Throughout the entire project students are engaged in finding their own answer to the driving question presented by the project. Supportive: “Behind every great learning memory is a great teacher.” Many teachers attempt some elements of PBL. However, many teachers forget the important role they play in the project pro-24- For Math, Science, English and the Arts, Your Teachers Have the Answers. When the Subject is Healthcare Coverage, Will You? Since 1997 Insurance Services International has been providing the community of international schools and their staff with a unique portfolio of insurance benefits plans designed to meet their needs, along with our personalized service that makes all the difference in the world. Our service culture to international schools spans Asia, Europe, Africa, Central America, South America and the Middle East. We work with major international insurance companies, such as Aetna Global Benefits, Atlas Expatriate Benefits, BUPA, Cigna International, InterGlobal and Unum International. So you can rest assured that a coverage plan with ISI will be well suited for your specific needs. Experience peace of mind knowing the firm you've hired will be there for you. Contact Insurance Services International today at [email protected], or visit our website at isiww.com Press Release Bali International School Water For Life In late April student members of the Water for Life group from Bali International School travelled to the village of Ban, located in East Bali at the foothills of the sacred Mt. Agung. The trip was a culmination of a number of months of fund-raising and involved students contributing to the construction of a cubang, the local term for an in-ground concrete water tank. Working with the East Bali Poverty Project, students spent a day moving dirt, mixing cement and lining the walls of the cubang with concrete. In the words of one of the students, “It was hard but rewarding work”. Water for Life is a project team that runs as a part of the school’s Global Citizenship Programme, which sees students initiate and then lead various service learning activities. The Water For Life group aimed to assist the areas of Bali that receive limited amounts of rainfall. Aside from raising awareness about the plight of people in these impoverished areas, the students also raised funds for the construction of cubangs to collect and store water. The group managed to organize school-based events and activities to raise Rp.5,036,000. The group also approached some local businesses for sponsorship to assist them in their goal of assisting the people of Ban. Student Bruce Smith said that their efforts would not have been possible if not for the support form the BIS community. “We would like to thank everyone who supported this cause, particularly our sponsors Surfer Girl, Amanusa Resort Bali, and CV. Sinar Mutiara Bali for their generous donations. The Water For Life members now look forward to next year, where they aim to seek new students to join them in their efforts of spreading awareness and supporting those places in Bali that have limited access to water, while further increasing their knowledge of issues with Bali’s water supplies. For more information on this initiative or on other aspects of the school’s Global Citizenship Programme,phone +62 361 288770 or email [email protected]. More photos of this activity are also available. ****** Congratulations to Ms. Stefanie Walmsley! Film Producer and winner of the 83rd Oscar Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film entitled “God of Love.” Twenty-eight year old Filipina Stefanie Walmsley is one of the producers of the Academy-Award winning short film “God of Love”, which tells the story of Raymond Goodfellow, a lounge-singing darts champion who receives a mysterious package of passion-inducing darts. Stefanie Walmsley is a 2000 graduate of Brent International School, as well as taking part in productions by Repertory Philippines as an actress. -26- and science and good manners and right conduct. The school also partners with other agencies to offer skills training for parents towards values formation, community participation, self and social awareness, and environmental protection. There are those ‘lightning bolt’ moments in our lives when the realization of how blessed and how fortunate we are strike us. A Thursday in May was such a day for us when we paid a visit to Bethlehem Marian School of Pulilan, Bulacan, Philippines, to deliver some EARCOS surplus supplies; pens, notebooks, mugs, and t-shirts to the school. There we met with Ms. Celerina M. Navarro, the sub-site project director of the program who gave us an overview of the program and a visit to the squatter’s village along the river where many of her students live.. Ms. Navarro was very grateful for the donated items and very anxious to describe the work they are doing. It was truly an eye opener—a wonderful example of how much can be accomplished with a small amount of material things coupled with a great deal of dedication and love. The school, which opened in 2004, is supported by CHALICE, a Canadian Catholic sponsorship and development organization working to alleviate the effects of poverty in the developing world. Each child at the school, as well as at other schools in Pulilan are sponsored by generous individuals in Canada. For a mere 24 Canadian dollars per month, each child receives an education, food, uniform, and transportation. Currently there are 220 children enrolled at the BMSP site and another 400 at other schools in the area. The school provides day pre-school and primary education with focus on spiritual formation, English, arithmetic, reading, arts, (L-R) Crisanto N. Santos, Emma B. Ilag, Dick Krajczar, Celerina Navarro, and Bill Oldread. “we need our binumi” binumi.com -27- Press Release Faith and Love in Action – A Visit to Bethlehem Marian School of Pulilan Students on ICE Scholarship Recipients Bo Yeon Jang from International School Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Beatrice Yeung from Hong Kong International School ***** About the Arctic Youth Expedition 2011 The Students on Ice Arctic Youth Expedition 2011 represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for youth to expand their knowledge about the circumpolar world, and to gain a new global perspective on the planet, its wonders, and its present and future challenges. The ship-based journey explored Iceland, Greenland, northern Labrador and the northern reaches of Nunavik, Canada from July 27 -August 7. It involved 75 international high school students, 14 to 18 year old. 80% of participants were funded by government, NGOs and corporate partners. The students traveled with a team of 45 scientists, educators, aboriginal elders, historians, artists, writers, innovators, leaders and polar experts. Activities included extraordinary wildlife encounters, visits to remote Arctic communities, archeological sites, as well as the opportunity to acquire first-hand knowledge and insight into the dynamics of climate change. Participants encountered whales, seals, polar bears, caribou, seabirds, and more. Below are excerpts from the journal of Beatrice Yeung and Bo Yeon Jang The SOI Team in front of the Presidential Residence (Right)Bo Yeon Jang from International School Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, practices a First Nations’ drumming song. JOURNAL : Bo Yeon Jang, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Students on the bow of the ship JOURNAL: Beatrice Yeung, Hong Kong A whole pot of mixed feelings is stirring up inside of me right now. It has almost been a week since the expedition started, and we have already spent one and a half day on the Clipper Adventurer, but everything still seems beyond surreal. Iceland was definitely a terrific start to our journey, and the opportunity to have a nation which operates mostly under green energy to welcome us was an invaluable experience. However, now that we are all finally on the ship, sailing in the Denmark Strait and on our way to Greenland, our journey really begins here. Our first day on the ship set off with a warm welcome from several dolphins, and thanks to Richard, an SOI staff member who studies whales, we all had perhaps a once-in-alifetime opportunity to see several blue whales, a few of them really close by the ship. Our journey has already begun to unfold itself, and it is just the beginning. Expedition Leader Geoff Green checks the charts on the bridge Living in the city, my world has always been fringed by forests of skyscrapers and fields of pavement. Green is a color not often seen in the industrialized world; and the occasional flashes that do occur are garishly out of place. They are reminders of a nearly-forgotten world that used to be. Not so in Iceland. There are clouds in Iceland, clouds as bright, silky, and moody as anywhere else in the world. But these clouds shade a sun that looks down on acres and acres of never-ending wilderness, with only a few bright patches of white and red and black. The past few days have gone by in a blur- a very distinct blur, vibrant and memorable, but I won’t delineate because if I did, I’d fill two books and a half. While we only touched the surface of Iceland’s many wonders, we saw it from unusual and unique point of views. I walked Thingvellir with a botanist who was extremely well-versed in both arctic and bipolar plants, learning how to identify heather, sorrel, and willow and even spotting some carnivorous plants. I talked with Gabriel the laser physicist, who had helped develop a way of surveillance that enabled people to spot whoever was looking at them (a former military secret years and years ago.) There was no formal learning environment, no curriculum, but each person on the trip, students, staff, and chaperone alike, had things to say that was unique and meaningful. But they were more than dry tomes of knowledge; talking with them, laughing with them, eating with them (and finding out who had a fish allergy) made the information as well as the people fleshed out and real. We’re not only learning new things, we’re seeing for ourselves where all that information comes from, how we know the things we know, and feeling the land. To me at least, this expedition lets us get in touch with the place in more ways than we would ever have done before, seeing it as a breathing cohesive whole, and adjusting it to our own lenses of experience. -28- http://www.studentsonice.com/arctic2011/daily.html EdThought Identifying Academically Gifted and Talented Students in Your School What do you do to challenge the students who already know everything you plan to teach in your class? How do you assess how much they can do? Each year, hundreds of thousands of students in the United States and an increasing number of students from outside the U.S. participate in talent searches through above-level testing or educational programming opportunities. But for educators or families who are new to talent searches, the idea can be confusing. What is the history of talent searches? What do participants do? And how can they benefit academically talented students? History of Talent Searches From the beginning, talent searches have had a two-fold mission: to identify academically talented students and to help them develop their exceptional abilities. Talent searches began in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s when psychologist Julian Stanley began administering the SAT to 12- and 13-year-old students whose ability was above the range that could be measured on grade-level tests. Based on their performance on this above-level test, typically taken by college-bound high school students, Stanley concluded that these younger students were capable of working above their assigned grade level. Stanley began using above-level testing to diagnose areas of strength and weakness in academically advanced students. His approach quickly gained popularity, and participation grew each year. In 1979, Stanley established the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University to administer the annual talent search program he had developed. Soon after, other sites across the country began to replicate the talent search model. The first of these new programs was the Duke University Talent Identification Program in 1980. Immediate Benefits Today, talent searches give parents an important tool when advocating for the educational needs of their highly-able child, allowing them to use above-level test scores to engage decision-makers and convince them to unlock opportunities and resources that will enable their student to achieve at the optimal level. Parents and educators of students who have participated in Duke TIP have used their student’s above-level testing score or supplemental educational experience to participate in a district’s gifted program, fulfill an educational requirement early, or convince school officials to allow the student to skip a grade. riety of advanced curricular options. Organizations that offer talent searches have expanded to include more than testing, and nearly all talent search programs now include at least one, if not all of the following benefits: - above-level testing; - access to further talent development opportunities such as weekend programs, summer programs, contests, competitions, or distance education programs; - and guidance delivered via specialized publications, conference presentations, and sometimes individualized counseling. Long-term Benefits Research has also shown substantial long-term benefits for students who participate in a talent search, particularly those who participate in both above-level testing and educational programs. Overall, students who participate in both above-level testing and educational programs through a talent search have higher academic aspirations and receive more academic achievements, including the receipt of more honors and awards in high school, higher scores on high school standardized tests, a higher likelihood of pursuing a math or science degree or career, and attendance at more selective colleges. Additionally, students who participate in both testing and subsequent academic programs are more likely to pursue academic challenges such as advanced-level math courses or Advanced Placement examinations while in high school. These students also enter more competitive colleges and universities than students who participate in talent search testing only. For questions, please contact: Nicki Charles, Ed.D. Assistant Director, Field Studies and Institutes Duke University Talent Identification Program +(919) 681-6519 | [email protected] Talent searches also offer a means to a very important end: optimal development of a student’s ability through access to a va-29- The Shanghai Student F Everyone loves movies. We love to laugh with them, we want them to scare us, make us sad, shock us, and excite us. Films persuade us, they inspire us, they educate us; Joseph Campbell called movies our ‘modern mythology’ —they are our modern conduit for telling stories about what it means to be human. It is easy to see why such a medium is so important for integration into the classroom. In creating videos, students have an amazing opportunity to share the results of their hard work and effort. It affords an opportunity for them to teach each other in a medium that is engaging and exciting. Exemplary films not only communicate interesting content, but also tell a story about how learning has fanned the flames of enthusiasm in a student. These films create meaningful, memorable learning experiences that are delivered to an authentic audience. However, when the projects are over, and the lesson objective reached, the students’ work still has an audience waiting. In 2008, the first Shanghai Student Film Festival brought together students of all ages from international schools from across our city to help the students share their films with a wider audience. The festival was born out of a collaboration between schools established at the first Learning 2.0 Conference in Shanghai. We began as a small festival of three schools, and subsequently grew to nine and then eleven Shanghai region schools in our second and third years. During this time, we also began to connect with other film festivals that were being created around the region, including Korea International School’s Phoenix Film Festival, the International School of Beijing’s Film Night, the Singapore Student Film Festival, and the Saigon Student Film Festival. In 2011, we took the festival to a new level. The Shanghai Student Film Festival became the first host of the EARCOS Asia Student Film Festival. In addition to accepting films from all across Asia, we were joined by students and faculty from Beijing, Korea, and our neighboring city, Hangzhou, for two days of workshops, film challenges, and screenings. We kicked off the festival by getting right into filmmaking; the students were challenged to write, shoot, and edit a short film in eight hours. To push them a bit further, they were required to work with peers from other schools and other countries, and include predetermined objects and lines of dialogue. The students spent their first hour storyboarding, scripting, and planning—and continued to do so as we traveled to People’s Park, which would be their on-location destination. After a few hours of filming, and a few more hours of editing, the students had produced some amazing short films built on quick thinking and collaboration. That evening, the students put down their cameras and took on the role of audience for the film “Touching Home” — to be followed the next morning with a panel discussion with the directors, writers, producers, and stars of the film, Logan and Noah Miller. The Miller brothers’ story of determination was truly inspiring. Having no background in film, they set out to make a film about their father who had died in prison. Independently, they studied scriptwriting and filmmaking techniques, and were able to assemble a formidable cast and crew, including the acclaimed actor Ed Harris to play their father. Special guests, Logan and Noah Miller. ilm Festival Following the Miller brothers’ discussion was a presentation by Hammond Peak, the Academy Award winning sound recordist for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, and other films. Hammond gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how sound helps transform films and brings out their true emotional content… and he also let us all hold his Oscar. The students then had a number of film workshops to choose from. Teachers and students volunteered to share their interests and knowledge of film, and offered over 20 workshops in two time slots. Students could choose to spend the afternoon learning about any number of film topics, including animation techniques, Film Noir, shooting video on DSLR cameras, learning advanced editing techniques, or how to make convincing wounds and black-eyes with makeup. Hammond Peek with Breen O’Reilly’s class from ISB Beijing As evening approached, the students finally had a chance to watch the films that they had shot in the park the day before. We were all amazed by the quality and diversity of the films produced. From the quirky comedies, to dark and somber horror, each one was unique and provided the students with an amazing opportunity to see what others had created with the same basic guidelines and materials. Finally it was time for the showcase of student films. When the lights went down, the feeling of excitement was palpable. The showcase was divided into three sections for elementary, middle, and high school. As the films began to play, high school students laughed and cheered for elementary school animations, and younger students gasped at the technical mastery of the older students. This is how we hope to encourage students to raise the bar for themselves as the competition increases, and learn techniques and styles from one other that they might not be exposed to otherwise. Next April, we will host the EARCOS Asia Film Festival for a second year, and we invite you to join us. We will once again have some creative challenges for the students, innovative workshops, and inspiring speakers. More importantly though, we will once again create a place for students to get together to share their amazing work. For more information on our festival, please check our website at http://shanghaifilmfest.org. If you have any questions or would like to be put on our mailing list, please email us at [email protected]. We welcome participation from other film festivals in the region or individual schools. Finally, organizing a film festival can be a big undertaking, requiring collaboration between teachers from various schools or it can be a simple celebration of student achievement within a school community. If you are interested in organizing your own festival in your school or city and would like to partner with our festival, we’ve created a presentation to get you started at http://shanghaifilmfest.org/create.html We’ll see you on the big screen. David Gran Shanghai American School [email protected] Student Gallery Artist: Anushka Bahl Hong Kong International School Artist: Audrey Pecot Hong Kong International School Grade 6 group project Collaborative Reflection on the Week of Classroom Without Walls. International School Manila Grade 5 Collagraph International School Yangon Grade 5 Pandas International School Yangon -32- Artist: Suriyzah Shaminan Mixed Media Self-Portrait International School Manila Artist: Hyeonim (Tina) Baek Title: MOVING TO ANOTHER WORLD Medium: Acrylic on canvas Surrealist painting Cebu International School Artist: Ruby Huh (Grade 11) Seoul International School Correction: This piece appeared in the MAY 2011 ET as by a student from Seoul Foreign School. Apologies. -33- Student Gallery Middle School Student Gallery Approved Weekend Workshops SY 2011-2012 August Weekend Workshops The 10 Things that Matter from ASSESSMENT to GRADING Consultant: Tom Schimmer Date: August 20-21 School: Saigon South International School Coordinator: Theresa Flaspohler Thinking and Learning in Today’s Classrooms Consultant: Michael Pohl Date: August 27-28 School: International Christian School-HK Coordinator: Salome Tam September Weekend Workshops Rubric Design and Data from Common Formative Assessments Consultant: Jennifer Sparrow Date: September 3-4 School: Brent International School Manila Coordinator: Joseph Levno 21st Century Learning: Applying What We Know - Teaching for Transfer (Neurology for Classroom Teachers) Consultant: Judy Willis Date: September 3-4 School: International School of Beijing Coordinator: Jill Raven Addressing Eating Disorders in International Schools (for school counselors) Consultant: Mary Sean O’Halloran Date: September 3-4 School: International School Bangkok Coordinator: David Anderson Teaching About the Holocaust in a Global Context Consultant: Manli Ho Date: September 15-17 School: Concordia Int’l School Shanghai Coordinator: Mark Johnson The Networked Educator Consultant: Chris Betcher & Kim Cofino Date: September 17-18 School: Yokohama International School Coordinator: Leanne Erickson Making Inclusion Happen: Four Keys to Differentiation Consultant: Bill and Ochan Powell Date: September 17-18 School: International School Manila Coordinator: Samuel Cook BuildingEducation 3.0: From Vision to Assessment Consultant: Jim Lengel Date: September 24-25 School: The American Int’l School of Guangzhou Coordinator: Meagan Pavey Upgrading Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment with Digital Tools Consultant: Bill Sheskey Date: September 24-25 School: St. Mary’s International School Coordinator: Linda Wayne Kagan Training Consultant: TBA Date: September TBA School: Dalat International School Coordinator: Heather Fischer October Weekend Workshops Teacher Emotional Intelligence Consultant: Bill and Ochan Powell Date: October 1-2 School: Seoul International School Coordinator: Heather Purcell Foreign Language Proficiency: Performance Assessments & Instructional Practice Consultant: Paul Sandrock & Yu-Lan Lin Date: October 1-2 School: Hong Kong International School Coordinator: Karen Rohrs Learning Through Inquiry Consultant: Kathy Short Date: October 1-2 School: Nagoya International School Coordinator: Paul Ketko 6+1 Writing Traits: Introduction and Implementation Consultant: Christie Powell Date: October 1-2 School: Nakornpayap International School Coordinator: Elissa R. Francemone Middle Leaders Workshop Consultant: Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change Date: October 7-8 School: Canadian Int’l School of Hong Kong Coordinator: Dean Croy THE BRAIN FRIENDLY CLASSROOM: What teachers need to know about recent brain research? What strategies can I use that will be brain compatible? Consultant: Bill and Ochan Powell Date: October 8 -9 -34- School: Cebu International School Coordinator: Lyneth Rozzuell Magsalin Interpreting Assessment Data to Inform Literacy Instruction Consultant: Kristy Wood Date: October 15-16 School: International School Bangkok Coordinator: Ann Straub Assessing Student Writers Consultant: Carl Anderson Date: October 22-23 School: American School in Japan Coordinator: Paul O’Neill November Weekend Workshops Adaptive School’s Foundation Training Adaptive School’s Foundation training- 4 days over 2 weekends (Nov. 5-6 & Feb. 11-12) Assessment with the Brain in Mind When Teaching Becomes Learning Consultant: John Joseph Date: November 5-6 School: Western Academy of Beijing Coordinator: Rebecca Butterworth Inquiry into Science Inquiry: An Interactive Look at Effective Strategies Consultant: John Stiles Date: November 5-6 School: Ruamrudee International School Coordinator: Lisa Monson Differentiated Instruction Consultant: Bill and Ochan Powell Date: November 5-6 School: Teda International School Coordinator: Yvonne Williamson Brain Research to Inform Best Teaching and Learning Practice Consultant: John Joseph Date: November 11-12 School: American Pacific International School, Chiang Mai Coordinator: Maxine Driscoll Visual Literacy Consultant: Michael Lambert/Michael Boll Date: November 11 School: Shanghai Community Int’l School Coordinator: Tammy Rodabaugh Balanced and Formative and Summative Assessment Consultant: Bambi Betts Date: November 12-13 School: Ruamrudee International School Coordinator: Lisa Monson Approved Weekend Workshops SY 2011-2012 The 21st Century Classroom Consultant: Kim Cofino Date: November 12-13 School: Suzhou Singapore Int’l School Coordinator: Allison White Thinkers Keys Consultant: Tony Ryan Date: February 18-19 School: International Christian School-HK Coordinator: Salome Tam ELL Consultant: Jon Nordmeyer Date: TBA School: Kaohsiung American School Coordinator: Dawn Rock Digging Deeper into Reading Comprehension Consultant: Susan Zimmermann Date: November 19-20 School: Saigon South International School Coordinator: Theresa Flaspohler ESL and Special Needs Inclusion Consultant: Bill and Ochan Powell Date: February 18-19 School: International School Manila Coordinator: Samuel Cook Making Meaning of Data Consultant: Jennifer Sparrow Date: November 19-20 School: Int’l School of Kuala Lumpur Coordinator: Sue Easton New AERO Social Studies Framework Implementation Consultant: Naomi Woolsey & Rob Pierce Date: February 18 -19 School: Thai-Chinese International School Coordinator: Paul Henderson ***** One of the services EARCOS provides to its member schools throughout the year is the sponsorship of two-day institutes and workshops for faculty and administration. The topics for these institutes are determined according to the needs of members. EARCOS will provide reimbursement for a consultant’s airfare, honorarium for two days, and per diem for three days for lodging, meals, and incidentals (up to $3,000.00) to schools wishing to host an EARCOS weekend workshop. December Weekend Workshop The 21st Century Educator: Embracing Web 2.0 in Your Professional Practice Consultant: Kim Cofino Date: December 2-3 School: Shekou International School Coordinator: Shirley Droese January Weekend Workshops Leading Assessment in International Schools Consultant: Bambi Betts Date: January 14-15 School: Western Academy of Beijing Coordinator: Rebecca Butterworth Learning Through Inquiry Consultant: Kathy Short Date: January 21-22 School: New International School of Thailand Coordinator: Paul Cooper February Weekend Workshops Adaptive School’s Foundation Training Adaptive School’s Foundation training- 4 days over 2 weekends (Nov. 5-6 & Feb. 11-12) Authentic Assessment and Digital Media in the Classroom Consultant: Andrew Churches & Kim Cofino Date: February 4 - 5 School: Yokohama International School Coordinator: Leanne Erickson Learning through Structured Play Consultant: Eleni McDermott Date: February 11-12 School: Shanghai Community Int’l School Coordinator: Tammy Rodabaugh Supporting Mother Tongue AND English Language Acquisition Consultant: Kath Upshall Date: February 25-26 School: Bandung International School Coordinator: Mary Collins EARCOS Weekend Workshops http://earcos.org/ww_workshops-2011.php Dual Workshops: English Language Learners/ Host Culture: Confucius meets Piaget Consultant: Jonathan Borden Date: Late February School: Shanghai American School Coordinator: Alicia Lewis Action Research April Weekend Workshops Thinking and Questioning for Deeper Understanding Consultant: Kathy Murdoch Date: April 16-17 School: Jakarta International School Coordinator: Mark Jenkins Coaches and Advanced Coaches Institute Consultant: Maggie Moon Date: Fall/Spring School: Shanghai American School Coordinator: Alicia Lewis Others Many Countries, One Classroom Consultant: Britanni Sonnenberg Date: TBA School: Hong Kong International School Coordinator: Karen Rohrs Inquiry-Based Instruction Consultant: Kathy Murdoch Date: TBA School: Int’l School of Kuala Lumpur Coordinator: Sue Easton -35- EARCOS Annual Report 2010-2011 http://earcos-article.tumblr.com/ EARCOS Action Research Grant Application is now available! visit the EARCOS website for more information www.earcos.org Deadline for proposal is on February 1, 2012 Action Research @ ETC2012 Dr. Donna Kalmbach Phillips of Pacific University, Hillsboro, Oregon and will be presenting at the 10th EARCOS Annual Teachers’ Conference 2012 on Action Research. Dr. Kalmbach Phillips teaches in the area of literacy. Prior to her life in higher education, she taught primarily in the middle school, spending her days reading and writing with young adolescents. She conducts research in the areas of literacy and teacher identity acquisition. Dr. Kalmback Phillips is a professor of education at the Pacific University Oregon. On the Road with Dr. K On the Road with Dr. K. Jefferson Overseas Technology Institute Jefferson Overseas Technology Institute Dr. K in Washington DC at the JOSTI conference hosted by the US State Department Office of Overseas Schools Larry Johnson of the International School Yangon and colleague Brian Inskeep of Int’l School Kuala Lumpur. Olwen Millgate of Vientianne I.S and colleague Emily Butler of Chiang Mai International School. South Saigon International School Charles Barton , with the new SSIS campus in the back ground. Charles and his SSIS staff have a wonderful new and renovated campus. L-R, Charles Barton, Elem. Principal Gary Woodward, and Elem. Asst. Principal, Adam Dodge. Headmaster of SSIS Charles Barton and his H.S. Principal Paul Johnson. International School Ho Chi Minh City The “Irish Scholar” Sean delivers his last headmaster address at ISHCMC. “The Wizard of Oz” was a great historical overview on the history of Oz , and how it applies to those seniors today. Sean O’ Maonaigh is accompanied by the faculty member Garreth Hubbuck, who provided the graduation address. -36- Parents, students, teachers graduation in the Saigon Opera house—a fitting setting for Sean’s last graduation at ISHCMC. We are proud to announce the 10th Annual Teachers’ Conference 2012 March 28 - 31, 2012 Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand We are pleased to announce the 10th annual EARCOS Teachers’ Conference (ETC2012) in Bangkok, Thailand, scheduled for March 28 for the preconferences and March 29 to 31, 2012, main conference. We have a host of excellent keynote speakers and workshop presenters. Our keynoters are: Cathy Davidson, Steve Layne, and Jason Ohler. We think the conference will prove to be professionally stimulating and will provide you with an opportunity for networking and building camaraderie. PRE-CONFERENCE Bromenschenkel, Jill Cornelius, Ben Davis, Stan Ewing Monroe, Eula Johnson, Doug Lambert, Michael and Boll, Michael Langer de Ramirez, Lori Peaveay, Kenny Utecht, Jeff/ Cofino, Kim KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Davidson, Cathy Layne, Steve Ohler, Jason WORKSHOP PRESENTERS Adams, Julie Berger Kaye, Cathryn Boll, Lori Bromenschenkel, Jill Brownlie, Faye Burns, Tim Cofino, Kim Davidson, Cathy Davis, Alison Davis, Stan Dillingham, Brett Ewing Monroe, Eula Furth, Sandy Grant, David Jackiw, Nicholas Johnson, Doug Johnson, Nancy Kett, James Langer de Ramirez, Lori Layne, Steve Moon, Maggie Ni Oisin, Bairbre Ohler, Jason Perez, Ericson Phillips, Donna Sale, Dennis Sharp, Peggy Shore, Stephen SPICE Stucker, Joe/ Wood, Paul Sugarman, Anna Utecht, Jeff AREA OF EXPERTISE ESL, ELL & Classroom Collaboration AP Calculus (AB & BC combined) Counseling / Bullying Elementary Math Library Digital Literacy World Language Education and ESL Environment COETAIL AREA OF EXPERTISE Digital Media: Collaboration & Innovation Author / Literacy Digital Literacy STRANDS Literacy / Reading Math Special Needs Modern Languages Counselors ESL General Education Digital Literacy AREA OF EXPERTISE Literacy / ELL Service Learning Special Needs ESL, ELL & Classroom Collaboration Literacy Brain-compatible Learning Strategies / Well-being and Stress Hardiness Technology Digital Media: Collaboration & Innovation Reading Counseling / Bullying Performance Literacy Elementary Math Counseling Project Based Learning / Digital Literacy Math Library Literacy HS Math World Language Education and ESL Author / Literacy Literacy Action Research Digital Literacy Special Needs for more information visit www.earcos.org/etc2012 Action Research Thinking Curriculum OR email Elaine Repatacodo at [email protected] Library Special Needs Social Studies Recruitment Process Special Needs Technology -37- East Asia Regional Council of Schools www.earcos.org
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