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GLOBAL INSIGHTS
FRESH INSIGHTS ON ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE
TO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

11/19
THE EDUCATIONAL COLLABORATIVE
FOR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
WWW.ECIS.ORG

WHICH THREE

GULF CITIES HAVE MORE

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE?

SEE PAGE 11.

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2
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CONTENTS
01
WELCOME | Kevin J Ruth

03
THE ROLE OF ENGLISH | Sarah B. Ottow

07
THE BRAIN & TEACHING | John Polias

11
IN NUMBERS | ISC RESEARCH

12
ACTION & SERVICE LEARNING | Barling & Green

18
A LOAD ON THE MIND | Steve Garnett
35
22 COACHING CULTURE | Hall & MacDonald-Brown
SCHOOL SNAPSHOT | ISL
38
23 CITIES OF DREAMING SPIRES | Carolyn Llewelyn
CIRCLE TIME | Kayode Alowu
41
26 TO PD OR NOT TO PD | Liz Free
AFTER THE BELL | Hitchcock & Magnuson
45
30 PRINCIPAL POINTS | Omolola Wright
AUTHENTIC LEARNING | Kim Cullen
46
HIGHER EDUCATION | The College Board

49
PHYSICS MASTERCLASSES | Bilow & Cecire

52
SPORT & INTELLIGENCE | Cambridge Int’l

54
SUCCESS IN COLLEGE | McMammon & Therriault

58
TARA WAUDBY | International School Services
Cover: Ryan Miglinczy, www.unsplash.com
Contents page: Swiss International Scientific School, Dubai

Copyright 2019
www.ecis.org | Twitter: @ecischools
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 Gi

KEVIN
J RUTH
Chief Executive, ECIS

F
ostering a sense of community, as Kayode Alowu What we do matters, and it matters every single day,
discusses in this issue, is at the core of what we do usually in ways that we do not see or appreciate for years to
in schools. It is essential. Communities are where come. As Angelou concludes her poem, underscoring the
we establish and reinforce norms and behaviours, where impact on us of these great souls who are made possible by
we frequently celebrate and where we sometimes mourn. our communities:
Kim Cullen’s focus on authentic learning, also in this issue,
underscores the power of this kind of learning; they too are “We can be. Be and be better. For they existed.”
predicated on the principles of community.
May the learning spaces that we call “schools” nurture
It is in communities that we can create the conditions for you more than ever, and compel you to be a relentless
success, as well as the conditions that allow our students community builder so that we all can “be and be better”
to become deeply human. It is easy to get caught up in as a result.
the race to results so that a student can get into the ‘right’
university, land the ‘right’ internship, and so on. Yet,
leading and shaping a community is perhaps the ultimate
lesson in modelling what we desire to see in the world
around us.

“Community” is a profoundly human endeavour, and it Twitter: @kevinjruth

requires profoundly human touch-points. It engenders
what Maya Angelou calls “great souls” in her poem “When
Great Trees Fall.” Without community, there are no great
souls to create impact in the lives of others.

01
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THE ROLE
OF ENGLISH
IN OUR
INTERCONNECTED
WORLD SARAH B. OTTOW
Professional Learning Specialist

A
s a self-proclaimed “edupreneur” who started my own business with the distinct goal of
supporting educators of multilingual learners in innovative ways globally, I’ve been reflecting
on the role of English in our rapidly changing world. My team of consultants and I provide
professional learning for educators of multicultural, multinational learners through innovative
technology, curated content and relationship-building near and far. In our increasingly interconnected
world where knowledge is less centralised and more valuable through social media and crowdsourcing,
we find it critical to engage through agile, flexible options for our clients and broader professional learning
networks. We find it critical to promote the value of multilingualism in our largely monolingual, English-
only schools and workplaces.

03
 Gi
Confianza, the name of my business, is a word in Spanish,
derived from Latin, that means more than one might think
if looking only at the root, “confiar”: confidence. Like many
words that don’t quite translate between cultures, Confianza
is more than a word, it’s a cultural concept, meaning mutual
respect and trust. It means promoting reciprocal power
relations and equality between stakeholders. Confianza
is a missing ingredient often in education when we are
focused so much on standardised outcomes at the expense
of capitalising on reciprocal ways of teaching, learning and
relating. The concept of confianza is often overlooked in
communities where the dominant culture and dominant
language overshadows funds of knowledge of all people in
that community. This is particularly true in the focus area
that my organisation supports—honouring multilingual,
multicultural education which has been historically
centrered around the English language.
In a world where English is very much the language of
money, the language of technology, and the language of
access, largely coming out of the impact of American-global
capitalist structures, it can be all too easy to devalue other
languages and other perspectives. For example, in many
spaces on this planet, the “America” is used to connote the
United States. Yet all of the Western Hemisphere is also
known as the Americas. As my time living in Latin America
taught me firsthand, the word “American” is ethnocentric,
rather than creating an English word equivalent (which
does not exist in the English language as it does in other
languages) to “United States-ian”.
Naming my organisation a non-English word was
intentional in this landscape of overemphasising English
and, where my team does much of our work, in the United
States where monolingualism is not only expected but
enforced in ubiquitous subtractive language program
models. I am not a native Spanish-speaker but rather an
long-term tourist, a wanna-be bi-cultural, bilingual—and
multicultural, multilingual—humble citizen of the world.
Wherever I travel in this world, I learn basic phrases and seek
to acculturate as opposed to imposing my “ugly American”
stereotype on those I have the privilege of visiting. I did
the same when I was in the classroom teaching children
from over 40 different linguistic groups. I aim to model
what the traditional, US-born, white, monolingual can
actually be, which is to learn about others’ ways of being,
talking, learning so as to not over-emphasise a historically
imperialist frame of mind, an ingrained colonist framework
with its impact still felt from the inception of the United
States through today.
04
As the joke goes, “What do you call a person who speaks
two languages?” (Bilingual) “What do you call a person
who speaks more than two languages?” (Multilingual
or polyglot) “What do you call a person who speaks one
language?” (American). It takes effort to go outside of
one’s comfort zone, to learn not just another language but
another cultural perspective. It takes extrapolating oneself
from the dominant white racial, “American”, English-
dominant framework and becoming an expatriate even
if by frame of mind only. In fact, you don’t have to leave
your own country or the country where you are currently
inhabiting to have a global mindset.
The contributors on my team and I share practical tips for
learning about students’ and families’ ways of life, cultures,
languages, practices right without going too far from your
own backyard. One helpful tool for valuing all perspectives
is the concept of ensuring that texts in a classroom have
windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors for all children.
Mirrors are texts that mirror one’s experience, whereas
windows show other ways of being and sliding glass doors
allow one to enter other experiences. “Diversity needs
to go both ways,” explains Rudine Sims Bishop, “It’s
not just children who have been under-represented and
marginalised who need these books. It’s also the children
who always find a mirror in the books and therefore get
an exaggerated sense of their own self-worth and a false
sense of what the world is like because it’s becoming more
and more colourful and diverse as time goes on.”
“Is this ‘English bubble’
helping or hindering our global
society?
In a global scale, “diversity going both ways” means
learning about and integrating languages and cultures even
while teaching in an English-forward curriculum and even
in an international school. If you are working as an English
speaker abroad, you can resist what I call the “English
bubble” in the international school space. The “English
bubble” is when you are promoting an English-focused
curriculum taught by English speakers living in another
country with another language yet you are speaking English
most if not all of the time in the larger community outside
the school. In the English bubble, English can often usurp
the mother tongue(s) because of English’s rank in the world,
its role in power historical and current relationships, and
often because those of us who speak English and are hired,
in part, for their language skills can easily get away with
 Gi

not learning much of the heritage language of the country ABOUT THE AUTHOR
in which they are living. I urge us to ask ourselves, “Is this
‘English bubble’ helping or hindering our global society?
By not taking the time to learn other mother tongues, are
we promoting mutual respect and trust in our changing
world or are we perpetuating mainly an English-centric,
Western-dominant perspective?”

Things are changing though. “America is no longer the

centre. Now we have a multi-polar world,” author Fatima
Bhutto explains. When it comes to cultural influences,
with the popularity of K-Pop, Bollywood and Turkish soap
operas, the days of “American dominance” are over, Bhutto
asserts in her book “New Kings of the World”. However,
when it comes to languages, we are seeing mother
tongues become extinct while the prevalence of English
flourishes. I met student Fatima Djalalova through my
work at the Tashkent International School in Uzbekistan.
In her TEDxYouth talk titled, “What if English was the
Only Language?”, Farima ponders that whole having one
language may unite the planet and even bring us more
towards world peace, we should consider the very real
impact losing one’s mother tongue can have. “Language is
not just about communication. It is about sharing a part
of your soul.”
We need to remember that educators are social agents in
schools where we are either promoting or interrupting
power relations through our actions, and what languages
cultures we choose to emphasise or de-emphasise, to
integrate or ignore. To deliberately move away from
monolingualism and monoculturalism is a small but
important step in this increasingly interconnected and
multi-polar world, especially if we are to retain the richness
that cultural and linguistic diversity inherently brings to the
proverbial table. Let’s promote mutual respect and trust for
all stakeholders by learning, retaining and promoting non-
English languages and non-Western cultures in this global
world. We can indeed create an international educational
ecosystem where all ways of being and communicating are
not just integrated but valued and utilised as the strengths
they are.
Sarah Ottow is a professional learning specialist focused
on improved cultural understanding, communication and
collaboration with twenty years of teaching, training and
coaching experience. Sarah is the author of The Language
Lens for Content Classrooms: A Guide for K-12 Educators
of English and Academic Language Learners published by
Learning Sciences International. Having taught English
language and literacy skills to every age group, including
adults, Sarah has enjoyed working in public and private
schools, non-profit organisations and corporations across
the US and internationally.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Reading Rockets: Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass
Doors, by Rudine Sims Bishop.” YouTube, January 30,
2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AAu58SNSyc
The Days of American Culture Dominance Are Over,
Author Says. National Public Radio, September 27, 2019.
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/27/764946119/the-days-
of-american-culture-dominance-are-over-author-says
TEDxTalks: What if English Was the Only Language?
Fatima Djalalova, TEDxYouth@TashkentIntlSchool.”
YouTube, May 23, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=3BnKF8OD7C8

05
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06
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THE BRAIN
& TEACHING
USING RESEARCH ON NEUROPLASTICITY TO
INFORM OUR TEACHING

JOHN POLIAS
Lexis Education

07
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W
hat can educators take from recent brain
research, especially the research around
neuroplasticity? Neuroplasticity claims that
the brain is able to change in ways that previously were
not thought possible and the research around the changing
brain provides a convincing argument that educators
are not simply facilitators of their students’ learning but,
rather, play a crucial role in that learning.
Since the research identifies language development, where
language is the principal resource for making meaning,
as being critical to brain development, that will be a focus
here. Some observations from the research and the main
pedagogical implications are the following:
1. Strong brains are built through the simultaneous
activation of brain cells. This is neatly expressed by
Doidge (2007) as: “When two neurons fire at the same
time repeatedly (or when one fires, causing another to
fire), chemical changes occur in both so that the two tend
to connect more strongly.”
2. The more a system in the brain is activated, the more the
system strengthens.
3. Language development (and, therefore, brain
development) doesn’t happen discretely in
compartmentalised parts of the brain but involves
complex synergies between multiple brain systems.
(Deacon 2012)
4. The stronger brain is the one that has developed through
moderate stress in patterned and recycled activities.
Also, the brain functions as a predictor and is alert
to identifying meaningful patterns in the messages it
receives. The direct implications for pedagogical practice
are:
• understanding and framing teaching according to the
patterns in the knowledge, which are construed through
the patterns in language (text, lexis and grammar), and
predominantly visuals (still and animated)
• making the patterns explicit to students
• designing activities in teaching programs in sequences
that are meaningful to the disciplines in schooling and,
hence, the teachers and students
• recycling meanings (not simply repetition) through the
myriad interactions that occur between students and
teachers using the various resources in the classroom
• maintaining a suitable challenge for students but
providing the support that allows them to meet the
challenge—this is the meaning of scaffolding.
08
5. Our students’ brains are responding to all of the
complexities of a classroom through all the different
senses and so we need to be making meanings in ways
that give students multiple access points to the meanings.
6. It is difficult to unlearn the learned—the paradox of
neuroplasticity. When learning something new, those
parts of the brain that are involved can get so efficient
at doing their job that they resist doing the same thing
in a different way. That is why the learning pathways
for students ought to be set up for success in order to
mitigate the need for repairing so that both students and
teachers are not de-motivated in their attempts to learn.
I will elaborate here on the research evidence that teachers
should be providing students with multiple access points
to meanings, and using the patterns in the knowledge
and language to shape their teaching; the ‘how’ we teach
should resonate with ‘what’ we teach, which I have termed
pedagogical resonance (Polias 2010, 2016).
When we talk about making meaning in multiple ways,
it is not a matter of quantity only but of quality as well.
Using a range of meaning-making resources may not
necessarily result in effective and efficient learning; we
need to consider the patterns in what we are teaching and
the patterns in how we are teaching. There are recognisable
and, therefore, predictable patterns that construct
knowledge, which teachers of that knowledge need to be
intimately acquainted with. These are the generic patterns
that construe discipline knowledge and the patterns of
texts that are construed predominantly through language.
The more teachers use these patterns as framing tools for
how they teach, the more likely it is that students are not
encountering hurdles in their learning. This interplay is
pedagogical resonance and, in this way, we can and should
maintain a high challenge for the students in what they
need to learn.
I will use one simple example of how discipline knowledge
is patterned and what is meant by not creating hurdles
for students in their learning. If a science teacher is
comparing the components of animal and plant cells, then
some representation that sets up the comparisons would
be appropriate. For ease of comparison, this would have
to have the things to be compared immediately adjacent
to each other rather than physically distant from each
other. This could be in a Venn diagram format but it would
preferably be in a table format with columns and rows
allowing the reader’s eyes to quickly and easily compare.
All of this might be co-constructed by any combination of
 Gi

teacher and students. Taking the table of animal and plant of, say, critical perspectives on their worlds is from the
cell comparison (Fig. 1), we can see that the column for point of being equipped with the resources needed for
animal cells should be on the left of the plant cell column taking a challenging approach and being ‘successful’ in
because we read, in English, from left to right and because that endeavour. The efficient pedagogy is now an effective
the simpler one, as the teacher’s starting point, is on the pedagogy.
left.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The teacher who knows the discipline knowledge is also
aware that all of the components in the animal cell will
be found in the plant cell but the plant cell will have more
components. This allows us to say to the students that when
they think about the components of the cells, that they
should not think randomly but according to the structure
of the cells themselves—start from the outside of the cell
and then move to the centre and then fill in the last two
parts of the plant cell.
John Polias is an international consultant in the
classroom applications of the role of language in learning.
He is the co-founder and director of Lexis Education,
an international provider of train-the-trainer professional
development for educators.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Deacon, T. (2012) ‘Beyond the symbolic species.’ In

Comparison genre: Comparing components of animal and plant cells
Keep in mind that, in the classroom, while all of this
knowledge is being talked about and drawn up, the student
is sending the many visual and sound messages to the brain
and the brain is setting up nascent networks or linking to
and expanding existing networks. If all of this knowledge
were presented to the student in, say, a mind-map that is
constructed through some kind of brainstorm, then there
is much more work to be done in the students’ brains,
trying to make sense of what they are seeing, hearing,
and drawing. So we can see that, in accordance with the
research evidence, the way we represent knowledge (in our
spoken texts and in our visual texts on the board and in
our worksheets) is crucial to the efficiency of the learning.
With the success in learning maximized, the students can
get through the curriculum faster.
Schilhab, T., Stjernfelt, F. and Deacon, T. (eds) Symbolic
Species Evolved. 81-96. New York: Springer.
Doidge, N. (2007) The brain that changes itself: stories of
personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science.
New York: Penguin Books.
Polias, J. (2010) ‘Pedagogical resonance: improving
teaching and learning’. In C Coffin (ed.) Grammar and
the curriculum. London, UK: National Association for
Language Development in the Curriculum (NALDIC).
Polias, J. (2016) Apprenticing students into science:
doing, talking and writing scientifically. Melbourne:
Lexis Education.

In this article, I have introduced some of the recent brain

research supporting the claim that an efficient pedagogy
is an effective pedagogy, and that we can both support
and challenge our students concurrently. This kind of
pedagogy provides students with the meaning-making
resources needed to venture further, independently or
collaboratively, to interrogate their worlds, and inquire
and explore. Importantly, the exploration and the taking

09
 PHYSICAL
EDUCATION
25-28 MAR

EVENTS AMSTERDAM | NL

2020
Join the largest #physed department
in the world at our annual gathering ,
this year occurring at the International
School of Amsterdam. Our Theme
this year centres around
ACCESS TO ALL.

To register and to
see other upcoming
events, please visit:
www.ecis.org/events

DD

EARLY
ee
ee

CHILDHOOD
09-10 MAY
ZUG | CH
The theme is “Working and Wondering
Together: Fostering Playful Inquiry.”
Join us for two days of sharing ideas
about environments for playful enquiry,
cultivating curiosity, and collaboration
with young learners.
ANNUAL
LEADERSHIP
24-25 APR
MADRID | ES
Learning Ecosystems: How are we
paying attention to our complex learning STEAM
ecosystems that we call ‘schools?’ For DEEP DIVE
example, how does your ecosystem
exhibit a true sense of community
05-07 MAR
through respectful, healthy, and ethical LEYSIN | CH
relationships and interactions?
Curious about STEAM & the challenges
of interdisciplinary education? Would
you like to learn new ways to combine
science, tech , engineering, art &
mathematics learning for
your students?

10
 Gi
#INTLED IN NUMBERS DATA: JULY 1ST 2019
ISC RESEARCH
DESIGNED BY ECIS

AN IMPRESSIVE

GULF
TOP 3 CITIES WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER
OF ENROLLED STUDENTS AT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS.
QATAR

DUBAI 276,400
112,000 DOHA

E
ABU DHABI 152,400

GLOBAL NUMBERS
10,937

SCHOOLS
5.65M

STUDENTS
535K

STAFF
$51.8B

FEE INCOME
U A WHERE ARE THE
MOST STUDENTS?

UAE

INDIA

WHERE ARE THE SCHOOLS?

56.3% 19.2% 12.8% 11% CHINA

ASIA EUROPE AMERICAS AFRICA SAUDI

ARABIA
ISC Research is the leading provider of data and intelligence within the world’s English-medium K-12 international
schools market. The company produces independent, primary sourced market data, and also supplies trends
and intelligence to inform investment and development potential within the market. Products and services
include a range of reports and a database platform. ISC Research was established in 1994 and has specialised
in the international education sector since then. www.iscresearch.com

11
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PROMOTING ACTION
& SERVICE LEARNING
IN THE CURRICULUM.

MARK BARLING
Leader of learning for Individuals and Societies,
Sotogrande International School

DAVID GREEN
Educator, Green School, Bali

12
 Gi
T
he African proverb that “it takes a village to raise
a child”, offers a reminder that meaningful
education has been taking place long before the
first use of the word ‘school’; that action and service learning
(a form of action that should benefit others whilst also
providing opportunities for learning such as developing
new skills, knowledge or conceptual understanding),
is perhaps the oldest form of education. What might be
gained from providing opportunities for action and service
learning in education in the 21st century? And what
strategies might we employ in our classrooms to promote
action and service learning?
Service learning can allow students to formulate questions
based upon their own areas of interests, before engaging in
subsequent stages of active student planning, investigation,
action, reflection and demonstration. Each of these stages
requires a wide range of approaches to learning and
connects the individual learner to the real world, it provides
context to learning, it is a chance to empower students and
encourage them to be lifelong, change makers and develop
an awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth.
In the 21st century, service learning can be modified and
adapted in response to the changing needs of societies and
workplaces. Employers on a global scale are increasingly
valuing the skills, values and mindset associated with
active, service learning, including creativity, imagination,
collaboration, resourcefulness, empathy, able to view
situations from multiple perspectives and curiosity.
To do so, I would argue that approaches to education in the
human sciences also need to modify and adapt in response
to a changing world. The human sciences have traditionally
neglected service learning as a form of action. For example,
history is often concerned with the causes and effects of
past events but how often is this then used as a force for
good and a foundation to consider future possibilities and
action? Only by doing so can the human sciences, and indeed
all areas of knowledge, play a role in education in creating
future change makers and effective problem solvers. The
human sciences encourage holistic thinkers that can view
issues and challenges from multiple perspectives and this
is essential when considering possible forms of action in
service learning. Crucially for student wellbeing, adopting
a solution-focused approach can empower students when
investigating global issues such as climate change, poverty,
health or conflict as opposed to harbouring anxieties and
pessimism.
13
A recent example involved an M2 class investigating
modern systems of food production and in particular
the impact these systems can have on the environment,
resources and the health of societies. The action component
required the students to plan, investigate, and build a
sustainable system of food production on the school site.
One group built their own aquaponic tank growing herbs
in a large funnel above a fish tank that provided water and
nutrients for the plants and in turn filtered the water for the
fish. Other projects included forms of rainwater harvesting
and composting for the school garden. Beans grown in the
garden were harvested and served in the school kitchen.
Students gained intellectual, experiential, social and
natural capital from this unit whilst being empowered by
the understanding that they can take action to transition
the world towards more sustainable agricultural practices.
Furthermore, students were able to reflect on the
connections between the local to the global as well as the
importance of interdisciplinary approaches to problem
solving. The unit incorporated at least three of the 4
classifications of service learning; direct in working with
the people and environment that they wanted to impact,
advocacy in allowing them an opportunity to speak up about
what they considered to be the negative aspects of modern
agricultural practices and research required in order to
inform their actions and to raise awareness. Opportunities
also existed to include the fourth type, ‘indirect’ by working
on behalf of other groups to initiate change, for example
the food produced could have been sold to raise funds.
It helps to have a tool kit full of strategies to help guide
students through this form of solution focused inquiry and
I will outline some examples below.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Action through service learning can be encouraged through
providing opportunities for social entrepreneurship in
the curriculum. This form of entrepreneurship may use
business models and a sustainable income but should
benefit people and/or the environment. This form of action
often requires an interdisciplinary approach, requiring
students to transfer knowledge and skills from different
disciplines and develops important thinking, research
and communication skills. An M2 class were assigned the
task of setting up a company that would be an example
of social entrepreneurship addressing a chosen issue/
challenge related to food production or consumption. One
group looked at the issue of plastic waste and considered
how to turn this issue into an opportunity. Using design
 Gi

thinking (see below) they researched and created a

prototype food wrapper made from organic material that
was biodegradable. The final products were presented
using an elevator pitch to the rest of the class. This example
fully engaged and motivated the students because they
had autonomy over what they focused on, the task was
challenging but achievable because they had the tool kits,
they saw the role they can play in being active change
makers and also the way this task can link to real world
careers.

DESIGN THINKING

This approach starts by making observations, empathising

with different groups and identifying the problem, for
example the amount of food waste created each day in the
school cantina. The 2nd stage is to carry out research and
investigation into the issue and also existing solutions.
How have other groups tried to address this issue? What
were the strengths and limitations of these solutions?
The students now move on to idea generation regarding
possible solutions (see divergent/ convergent thinking).
From this some form of prototype of test should be carried
out followed by reflection and revisions before the final
action can be implemented. For example, students develop
a system of waste food collection that can quickly be sorted
and then suitable waste used as food in the wormery for
the school permaculture site creating a circular system.
Reflection plays a key role in all stages of design thinking
and another useful tool here is the perspectives compass
(see next page).

DIVERGENT AND CONVERGENT THINKING

This is a very simple brainstorming tool that encourages
idea generation, creativity and focus. This tool is normally
FINDING THE RIGHT FINDING THE RIGHT
PROBLEM SOLUTION used after a problem has been identified and there has
been some level of investigation into its causes, effects and
existing solutions. Students begin by brainstorming a
1

whole range of solutions. At this stage it is about quantity

ALTERNATIVES

not quality and encourage them to think big with no

limitations. No ideas should be judged at this stage, every
suggestion is noted. Ideas can include technology not yet
invented or “out of the box” solutions. A time limit can be
set to encourage rapid brainstorming. After this initial stage
CONVERGENCE
CONVERGENCE

DIVERGENCE
DIVERGENCE

students should start to group/ rank the list of suggestions

1

and then try to focus these down to what might be the most
appropriate or effective solution. Once the ideas have been
TIME 1 focused divergent thinking can once again take place to
consider all the different ways this could be done, applied
or created. The cycle can continue until students have

14
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reached a possible solution to the initial problem and from impact and then rank each idea on the graph in order to
here further research, testing or prototyping can take place. identify the ones that achieve the highest in both criteria.

SCAMPER MODEL

This is a useful tool for encouraging students to be creative.

SUBSTITUTE
SCAMPER (see over) is an acronym and each letter provides REVERSE
a way to consider a new perspective. For example, a student
that is concerned about plastic and waste pollution in the COMBINE

oceans considers the idea of substituting toxic fibreglass

used on surfboards with a new, more organic material such
as cork. This material is waterproof, strong and locally
available and is biodegradable. SCAMPER
ELIMINATE TECHNIQUE
THE PERSPECTIVES COMPASS
ADAPT

NATURE PUT
ENVIRONMENT TO
RESOURCES MODIFY
ANOTHER
ECOSYSTEMS USE
CLIMATE
WELL-BEING

ECONOMY
INDIVIDUAL HEALTH

SELF-DEVELOPMENT

N
QUALITY OF LIFE

CONSUMPTION
EMPLOYMENT

2 CRITERIA SLIDING SCALE

PRODUCTION
INVESTMENT
FAMILIES

W E

S
CRITERIA B

GOVERNMENT
CULTURE HIGHEST
INSTITUTIONS SCORING
SOCIAL CONCERNS IDEAS

SOCIETY
1

This is a useful tool for considering multiple perspectives

on a proposed solution or form of action. It considers
environmental, social, economic and political viewpoints.
1
For example, what would the cost be of implementing a CRITERIA A
system of sorting food waste? How would this pose risks to
health? What are the laws regarding food waste on a school
site in this location? LOWEST
SCORING
IDEAS
SLIDING SCALE FOR RANKING IDEAS

Students may be generating ideas and suggestions to

address a particular issue or challenge faced by society
but how can they decide which ones to develop further?
A sliding scale (see opposite) requires them to select two
important criteria, for example, cost and environmental

15
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CONCLUSION ABOUT THE AUTHORS

If the aim of education is to prepare students for the

future, and to contribute to the communities and world in
which they live, then it stands to reason that there must be
opportunities for student led action. This is the generation
that will have to face complex issues and it is more
important than ever that they see themselves as change
makers. If education is really to be a force for good then
action must, where possible, lead to service learning. From
a teacher´s perspective what could be more satisfying and
rewarding than to guide young people towards being part Mark Barling is the Leader of learning for Individuals
of a change towards a more sustainable, optimistic and and Societies at Sotogrande International School, Spain.
equitable future? He has worked in international education for over 25 years
in schools in Colombia, Egypt, South Korea and Spain.
His recent interests are in designing flexible and inspiring
BIBLIOGRAPHY learning spaces, concept based learning inquiry, inter-
disciplinary learning and the development of effective
Norman, D. (2013) The design of everyday things. e-assessments for integrated humanities.
Basic Books. (Divergent and Convergent Thinking)

Meadows, Donella H, and Diana Wright. Thinking In

Systems. (Perspectives Compass)

Elmansy, R. (2015). A guide to the Scamper technique for

creative thinking. https://www.designorate.com/a-guide-
to-the-scamper-technique-for-creative-thinking/

An educator who draws upon a diverse career that includes

work in the music industry and in corporate entertainment,
David Green is committed to exploring innovations in
educational environments and practices. David has taught
both the national curriculum in the UK and the International
Baccalaureate at Sotogrande International School in Spain.
He is currently working at Green School, Bali. His recent
work has included exploration of innovative educational
environments, development of integrated, experiential
units of work, concept based inquiry, permaculture and
education, arts integration, developing student autonomy,
introvert friendly classrooms and mindfulness in schools.
His study of Gaia Education’s, ‘Design for Sustainability’
course is part of a lifetime commitment to contributing
to more sustainable and regenerative cultures through
education.

16
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MLc MIDDLE LEADER

CERTIFICATE

MLc
For those who desire to create impact

2020 CALENDAR
NEW DATES ADDED REGULARLY. VISIT WWW.ECIS.ORG/EVENTS TO LEARN MORE & REGISTER.

THE CULTURE OF LEADERSHIP

This core module focuses on the unique and crucial aspect of effective MADRID DUBAI
operation of international teacher leadership at the middle level. During
the course, participants explore critical aspects of the middle leader role, 24-25 JAN 16-17 FEB
enhancing understandings, developing knowledge and building and 2020 2020
practicing skills.

BUILDING AND LEADING TEAMS

Teachers and administrators are by definition expected to be leaders. DUBAI FRANKFURT
How do we use that authority thoughtfully, sensitively, and productively?
Should we find ourselves in the role of a leader without perceived
15-16 APR 05-06 JUN
authority – a more informal position, it is a different dynamic. 2020 2020

CURRICULAR DESIGN AND LEADERSHIP

At the centre of teacher leadership is a commitment and desire to MADRID MADRID HANNOVER
improve student learning. We know there are several factors that impact
student learning and at the top of the list of school-related factors is a
24-25 JAN 28-29 JAN 25-26 JAN
guaranteed and viable curriculum. What role do teacher leaders play in 2020 2020 2020
supporting the curricular vision of the school?

ASSESSMENT AND LEADERSHIP

In this course we will cover key areas to deepen the understanding and
HANNOVER
best practices that should be at the heart of student learning. Explore
how you can influence and support the use of internal assessment data 23-24 JAN
to inform teaching and learning. Practical knowledge, powerful strategies, 2020
and with protocols and tools for assessment leadership.

MANAGING AND EMBRACING CONFLICT

Participants learn to identify when they are in a conflict and what their DOHA WASHINGTON DUBAI
roles and responsibilities are within such a situation; strategies and
protocols to draw on for further conversations / dialogue / discussion 20-21 MAR 01-02 MAY 23-24 AUG
to prepare for, engage in, and manage conflicts; and to explore ways to 2020 2020 2020
recognise and avoid conflicts.

DESIGNING ADULT LEARNING

Designing Adult Learning is a hands-on interactive course that gives

MLc
teachers effective facilitation tools to lead teacher teams. Whether you LAUSANNE
are interested in being a subject area leader, department head, grade lev- 28-29 FEB
el team leader (head of year), or are just interested in being an effective
2020
team member, join Designing Adult Learning.

17
 Gi

AN
EXCLUSIVE
ECIS
MEMBER
OFFER!

REACH THE
WORLD
WITH ECIS
MEMBERSHIP
& TEACH AWAY!

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Join ECIS and take advantage of this exclusive offer!

membership@ecis.org
www.ecis.org/membership

18
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A LOAD ON
THE MIND
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF
COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY

STEVE GARNETT
Author, Teacher, Facilitator,
Dragonfly Senior Trainer

I
remember very clearly what I was thinking when I read a tweet that
Professor Dylan Wiliam posted on 26 January 2017, a tweet that
made a pretty emphatic claim incidentally!

“I’ve come to the conclusion Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory is the single
most important thing that teachers should know”

What I was thinking was quite simple: “I have absolutely no idea what
that is!”.

I spend my professional life working with teachers on all aspects of trying

to improve the learning experience for pupils they teach. Over the last
12-15 years this has extended to over 30 countries around the world.
When I count up the number of workshops and whole school/whole staff
professional development sessions I have run, the number of teachers I
have delivered training to must have extended to over 15,000 quite easily.

19
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The point to this is that, up until the Dylan Wiliam tweet,
the concept of Cognitive Load Theory never, ever came up
in terms of a question raised when training teachers, never
came up within a wider more general conversation related
to aspects of pedagogy nor was it ever requested as a focus
for training.
In short my view was that whilst I certainly had no idea
about Cognitive Load Theory, teachers, working in
the primary and secondary sectors, whether state or
independent, as well as international schools across the
world, had no idea either.
Once a teacher understands how this system works, the
teacher can improve the quality of instruction a pupil
receives. If the teacher doesn’t understand the system the
brain uses to process this new learning then the quality of
learning is hampered.
This is why Sweller describes CLT as an ‘instructional
theory’ so by understanding it, teachers will be better able to
deliver better quality lessons.
There are two major components in Sweller’s system:
Working Memory and Long Term Memory.

So when a claim as emphatic as this is made about Cognitive

Load Theory I felt I should not only find out what it was all
about (almost for my own sake!), but more importantly,
put this new knowledge I gained together so that busy
teachers could use this knowledge to improve the learning
experience of their own pupils.

Q: WHERE DID COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY

ORIGINATE?

Emeritus Professor John Sweller (University of New

South Wales, Australia) conceived the theory of Cognitive
Load Theory (CLT) and published a paper in the journal
‘Cognitive Science - A Multidisciplinary Journal (Vol 12,
Issue 2) in April 1988. Sweller himself says that after this,
his work was then largely ignored for the next twenty years!.
So it’s clear from the timing of Dylan Wiliam’s ‘tweet’
that it had remained a theory largely confined to narrow
academic fields and certainly not within the thinking of a Q: WHAT ARE THE ISSUES TEACHERS NEED TO BE
normal classroom teacher. AWARE OF IN WORKING MEMORY?

His theory was used to generate hypotheses that were
tested using randomised controlled trials. CLT rests on a
base of hundreds of randomised controlled trials testing
many thousands of primary and secondary school children
as well as adults.
CLT can be described as something of a ‘moving target’ in
the sense that it has been constantly evolving and updating
itself since those early years in the late 1980s (see the
timeline of major developments in CLT later).
Q: WHAT WAS SWELLER’S ‘BIG IDEA’?
Sweller’s big idea is that the brain has a very specific
system for processing the learning of new or novel ‘domain
specific biologically secondary knowledge’, in other words
the knowledge that schools are tasked with passing on.
Sweller says that the working memory is the part of the
brain that processes what we are currently doing and
thinking. If what we are currently thinking and doing is
completely new or ‘novel’ then we can only deal with a
finite amount of information at one time. It is too easily
overloaded.
Essentially the working memory acts as a ‘gatekeeper’ to
new learning.
The implications for a classroom teacher then are clear.
When teaching a class of pupils a new topic or skill then
the teacher must be aware both of the limitations of the
working memory, and also how it functions, because it is
this part of the brain that will be attending to all the new
learning the pupils are receiving.

20
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Sweller is really clear on the implications of working ABOUT DRAGONFLY

memory limitations:

‘The implications of working memory limitations on

instructional design can hardly be overestimated ...
Anything beyond the simplest cognitive activities appear
to overwhelm working memory. Prima facie, any
instructional design that flouts or merely ignores working
memory limitations inevitably is deficient.’

The absolute key for all teachers is that they need to be aware
of the effects (some desirable and others undesirable) that
all impact on working memory resources (listed in the table
below - please click below to open a PDF version).

SWELLER’S COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY With almost 20 years experience as a successful

The topic of CLT has become one of the most popular
INSET requests that schools are making to us. If you are
interested in hearing more about this course and all about
what teachers do in their classrooms to embed CLT then
please contact Mary Chapman who is our International
Director and co-ordinates all international Inset.
international provider of CPD across all types of schools,
Dragonfly have established an excellent reputation as a
highly reliable provider of engaging, interactive, inspiring
and practical training across the globe.
We deliver bespoke training as well as ready-to-go courses
in schools of all sizes and contexts, for Secondary staff,
Primary staff or Early Years staff, as well as all staff together.
Many schools choose to bring our trainer over for a few
days to make is as cost-effective as possible. You can view
our case studies to get an idea of our varied programmes or
contact us to discuss your bespoke requirements.

We are delighted to now be partnering with ECIS to

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Garnett is an award nominated author and has
been a teacher for 29 years. He has delivered INSET for
Dragonfly Training to over 12,000 teachers in the last ten
years across the UK and Ireland as well as Europe, the
Middle East, Africa, South America and the Far East, too.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://csjarchive.cogsci.rpi.edu/1988v12/i02/
p0257p0285/main.pdf
deliver several ECIS accredited courses on Securing
Success for EAL Students in the Mainstream Classroom,
Effective Differentiation and Awe & Wonder in the Early
Years Classroom, as well as the ‘Teaching Essentials’
programme for Teaching Assistants and those without an
internationally recognised QTS or for Teaching Assistants.
Please do get in touch if you have any training requirements.
+44 (0)29 20 711 787 or email:
Mary Chapman our International Director on:
mary@dragonfly-training.co.uk
Gail Hewett our International In-school Training
Co-ordinator on: gail@dragonfly-training.co.uk

https://link.springer.com/
article/10.1023%2FA%3A1022193728205

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-019-
09474-4

21
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M E M B E R
SCHOOL
snapshot

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF LUXEMBOURG

www.islux.lu | info@islux.lu | @ISLuxembourg
FOUNDED
OUR SCHOOL IN THREE WORDS...
1963
“Inspired, resilient, passionate.”

WE’RE PROUD OF...

1,393 80+
AFTER-SCHOOL
...the inclusive Design Thinking process with which STUDENTS ACTIVITIES
all our community has been recently involved in the
development of our new mission and values. Examples
that epitomise those values include ISL’s first Tedx
Youth event, the LuxTech School programme, an all 57
school approach to the UN sustainable development NATIONALITIES
goals and most importantly the daily engagement ISL
teachers have with their students. All of these teachable
moments are inspirational and build upon the teaching
and learning that takes place in all classrooms each and
every day, guided and nurtured by all staff.
5 YEARS FROM NOW?

Well-being by Design is at the core of everything we

WE BELIEVE...
do. We value the dynamic partnership between home,
school and the wider community which speaks to our
...the power of listening to each other.
mission and values. We believe in the continual process
...learning happens in and out of the classroom.
of growth and reflection within our community. We
...we’ll achieve more if we work as a team.
strive to be a “lighthouse” for innovative and authentic
...that change is almost always a force for good.
professional development, leveraging emerging
...in looking after each other like family.
technologies to be the international school of choice
in Luxembourg. This ensures we provide our students
WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO...
with multiple opportunities to develop the confidence
and skills they need to be lifelong learners and meet the
...seeing our new mission and values embedded in daily
constant complexities of change.
life and how we challenge ourselves to continue to
impact lifelong learning at ISL.
Interested in featuring your school?
Contact globalinsights@ecis.org

22
 IM E
L E T
C
IR C
KAYODE ALOWU
Colegio Anglo Colombiano,

C
Bogota, Colombia

ircle time is a meaningful part of the day for young children in a

Pre-School prepared environment. If well-planned, it has many
benefits and should be considered an essential part of the daily
classroom routine.

WHY IS CIRCLE TIME IMPORTANT?

Circle time teaches patience and encourages interactions in a group setting.

It fosters a sense of community as it tends to a child’s individual needs. A
caring and supportive circle enhances a child’s self-esteem and confidence,
while permitting freedom of expression among peers. Circle time is perfect
for introducing and reinforcing classroom rules and routines.

23
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HOW DO CHILDREN BENEFIT?

• A positive circle time will encourage social, emotional,

physical and academic growth

• Children love to sing, dance, role play and engage in

various other social activities. They will learn valuable
listening skills as well as problem solving strategies and
patience. The students will also master the important
rules and routines, which allow for the smooth
functioning of a Pre-School classroom.

• A child will gain confidence, a heightened sense of self-

esteem, and a positive feeling about expressing himself
in a group setting.

• A child can enhance his hand-eye co-ordination and

refine his fine motor skills through various games and
finger play. Also, a child can improve his gross motor
skills through games, dancing, music and movement, etc. WHEN IS CIRCLE TIME NECESSARY?

• Academically, the child will also develop. Many themes
and lessons are taught at circle time, including important
concepts such as the calendar, various cultural themes,
and individual news items. Attendance is taken to ensure
promptness and accountability.
HOW TO ORGANISE A CIRCLE TIME
Planning and organising is the key to a successful circle
time; it is extremely important to be prepared. It must be
interesting, fun, keep the group’s attention, and at the same
time, remain organised and controlled. It is important to
have a mixture of resources available, for example, songs,
games, finger plays, props, stories, etc.
A session should not be too long. If it is kept relatively
short, the teacher is better able to activate the group’s
interest and attention. Most pre-school aged children are
unable to maintain focused during a circle time longer than
fifteen minutes.
Ideally, there are two circle times in a day.
The first circle is at the beginning of the day. This circle
should be kept between ten to fifteen minutes. It is
important to keep the first circle relatively calm and quiet,
as this sets the tone for your entire day. During this time,
the children should come in, shake the teacher’s hand, and
respond with a polite greeting. Each child should put on
their slippers and quietly sit down, waiting patiently for
the other students to arrive. The brevity of the meeting
does not weaken its importance. It is a special time that
reinforces the meaning of shared rituals. Children will
learn to contribute to the group while acknowledging the
contributions of their peers. This adds structure to the day
and makes the child feel safe, cared for and accepted.
After the children form the circle, the session should
start with a greeting song; this strengthens their feelings
of inclusiveness and togetherness. Next, a brief check-
up time reacquaints the group and recognises individual
needs. The teacher moves around the circle, asking each
child if they feel well today. Discomforts of any kind should
be acknowledged and accepted. A group cheer for “good
health” can be invigorating.

It is then that a teacher decides who will need additional

support during the day. The teacher’s unique response to
each child gives the children information on how to care for
each other. The teacher’s empathy or praise helps foster the

24
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children sensitivity towards their peers and will hopefully
encourage more caring interactions. Children may also
conduct their own check-up times as their familiarity with
the ritual grows.
The focus is on sharing. Children speak their mind as
clearly as possible, while others listen to their words and
respond with questions or concerns of their own. New
topics can be introduced and discussed, with the teacher as
a guide. The first circle also includes news presentations,
learning the calendar, a few other quiet songs or finger
plays, and attendance.
The only rule is that the children sit quietly when
appropriate, and follow the teacher’s direction. Non-
competitive games will end the circle on a high note and
heighten a “whole-class” identity. The last activity should
be another group song that brings the children full-circle
and signals a new beginning.
what they consider important will be continued in the next
meeting.
The second circle end with a closing song. It should be
the same song each day, as with the morning song. The
children should be reminded that they are a unique part
of a special group and that everyone is looking forward to
seeing each other the next day. They leave knowing that
their community is supportive and dependable.
Circle time can be a very positive aspect of the day. As a
teacher, it is important to be enthusiastic, prepared, and
to make it fun. Building a good community feeling is the
key to success. Remember, it does not matter how well you
sing, but it does matter how enthusiastic you are.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The second circle often includes music and movement,

snacks time, story time, games and songs. This is also the
time for the children to put on their shoes and coats. To
bring the children together, a transitional activity such as
a song or a poem should be used. This time, activities and
songs should reflect curricular themes and the children’s
favourites. If calendar time is not part of the first circle, it
should be included in this circle.
Kayode Alowu is an experienced International
Time should be taught as sometimes that continues and is educator with seventeen years’ experience in Early
shared by all, and as a way of recording what has passed and Childhood and Elementary Education. He has worked
planning for what is to come. Emphasis is placed on what in 5 International Schools and currently work at the
makes each day special to the group, so that the children Colegio Anglo Colombiano, Bogota, Colombia. As a well-
can all relate to it and know that each day has meaning. rounded educator, he has gained in-depth knowledge
of accommodating the different style of learners and
The second circle should increase the child’s involvement incorporating effective methods to meet student’s unique
and self-esteem. For example, selecting different children needs. He encourages student learning by incorporating
to act as calendar helpers will eventually allow everyone creative learning centres with various forms of technology,
to select a special event from their day to highlight. The hands-on activities, and fun manipulative.
calendars can also be made into books to serve as reference
tools in the class library, with everyone playing a variety of BIBLIOGRAPHY
roles in their construction. Whatever is done should reflect
the morning’s work and play activities. Children will www.teachpreschool.org
reflect on what they have accomplished and learn habits www.circletimeonline.com
of thinking that builds on their understanding of more www.circle-time.co.uk
expansive ideas. It is a positive time, free from criticism.
If the second circle is at the end of the day, it is a time to
look forward into tomorrow. Children will again listen to
each other and plan what activities or project will begin the
next day. The teacher should record the information so
that the children learn that their ideas are respected and

25
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AFTER
THE
BELL
LEADING SCHOOL CHANGE THROUGH
RESIDENTIAL LIFE AND
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

DARYL HITCHCOCK
TOK Department Chair
Leysin American School

PAUL MAGNUSON
Director of Educational Research
Leysin American School

26
 Gi
O
ur education system was designed to meet a
need for a workforce capable of learning and
implementing a standard set of skills. Though
there have been adaptations, we are all too familiar with
rows of students taking instructions from a single teacher
in order to pass a standardised test. Order is maximised
and deviation is identified and rectified.
Schools may need to identify the appropriate levers to pick
up their rate of change. In a workshop at the beginning
of the school year, educators were asked to identify the
skills students need to navigate the modern landscape
and workplace. Soft skills like resilience, flexibility,
creativity, and the ability to embrace continually emerging
and evolving competencies were all put forward. Nary a
mention was made of content mastery, standardised tests,
or the Common Core.
RESISTANCE IS DEEPLY EMBEDDED
That our educational system is in need of an overhaul
shouldn’t be news to anyone. What can be much more
difficult is making it happen. Change is hard, and real,
substantive change in schools has been particularly
27
difficult to achieve. Will Richardson and Bruce Dixon
(2017) remind us that “truly transformative change … in
pre-existing schools is very difficult to find. It’s easier to
build a new school than to change an old one” (page 2).
School practices calcify and too often petrify.
We know that teaching soft skills, e.g. collaboration,
perseverance, leadership, and respect, is important. We
also know that course content crowds out soft skills. That
doesn’t negate the need for them. And the problem is, even
when some parts of the educational equation are ready
to embrace change, there are plenty more forces ready to
defend the focus on content.
Parents demand it (I want my kid to get into such-and-such
university), teachers are trained in it (it’s easy to hire a
history teacher, it’s harder to find a perseverance teacher),
government programmes require it (no more needs to be
said), materials, books, nearly everything is provided for
content. And here is the kicker: students demand it, too.
We came face to face with this traditional demand of school
- content over skills - in our progressive middle school. It
is unfortunately too easy to believe that learning soft skills
 Gi

is soft, meaning easy, and learning hard skills (content),

is hard, and therefore worthy of school. We think it’s just
the opposite, by the way, but this message is a difficult one
for parents, students, and educators. For example, instead
of finishing learning by virtue of a grade entered in the
gradebook, good or not, the middle school introduced a
policy of redoing work when needed, something central
to mastery learning and standards-based assessment.
You would think this is a win for education. Alas, not
necessarily.

On average, our middle school students did not perceive

our assessment system as enabling further learning. A
serious school - we think this sums up their feelings - is
hard and sometimes painful. Serious schools give Fs and
make you stay up late to complete lots of homework.

And why not? It’s what they are used to. While we can
disagree with them, it’s not hard to see where they
are coming from. The vast majority of the models we
experience, literally anywhere on the planet, work this
way. School is in fact so predictable that when we walk into
one in Moscow or Malaga, Taipei or Toronto, we can feel
right at home. If you doubt this, ask a group of six-year-
olds to “play” school. They will select one teacher, who will
stand while the rest will sit, so the teacher can start asking
them questions. We’ll even wager this: the child playing the
teacher will quickly become a disciplinarian and delight in
pointing out errors. Try it.

THE LEVER OF CHANGE MAY LIE OUTSIDE THE

ACADEMIC DAY

Traditional school is built for predictable events. At the end

of the unit there will be a test with questions. The questions
will have right answers. And, perhaps almost comforting,
one can study for them. Life, though, is full of complex
questions with fluid responses. So like Don Quixote and
Sancho going after the next windmill, we continue to
implement progressive programmes in our traditional
structure. Our justification is that we believe we can nudge
education in a direction it needs to go.

We also feel that there is a place in school where

experimentation with more progressive education does
not suffer nearly as much from the gravitational reversion
to the status quo. This is in our residential and extra-
curricular programmes, where, if we were clever, we might
be creating much more curriculum, and planning much
more instruction, than we currently do. In fact, we wonder
if it might be these programmes that should be the drivers
That our educational system is in need of an overhaul shouldn’t be
news to anyone. What can be much more difficult is making it happen.
of a focus on skills in addition to content. Perhaps it is only
when the residential and academic programmes of school
are functioning together, intentionally, that a school can
fulfill its promise.

28
 Gi

WHERE TO BEGIN
Student life outside the traditional bell schedule is a
rich archipelago of clubs, sports and activities. These
programmes offer more flexibility, are often much less
hidebound or “curriculum bound,” and pave a path for
schools to begin the process of implementing learning
principles for the 21st (and 22nd) century. Here are a few
steps to move forward:
the world we were preparing our students for: simple,
complicated, complex, or chaotic. Most of us moved into
the section called “complex.” He next asked us to move to
the quadrant that best described our current curriculum,
instruction, and assessment practices. We all moved to
“simple.”
We can do better.

• Start with a definition of learning (see for example ACE ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Learning, 2017).
• Ensure the definition of learning is transferable across
all parts of the school. Curriculum does not end when the
last bell rings. To be blunt, we are suggesting that the
curriculum our students need often starts when the last
bell rings.
• Create opportunities to meet learning standards in many,
if not most, parts of school life. If this statement does not
make sense with your current standards, examine your
current standards.
• “Map out” the residential and student life curriculum. Daryl Hitchcock is the Theory of Knowledge department
These maps provide orientation and keys to help students chair and a resident scholar at the Leysin American School.
navigate their way. He has lived and worked throughout his career in boarding
• Identify the skills that are, in fact, better suited for after schools around the world, including more than 20 years as
school moments than inside the traditional classroom the head of large dorms of teenage boys.
setting. Maximise their impact. dhitchcock@las.ch
• Avoid the easy temptation to make the residential and
extra-curricular day more like the school day. Doing so,
we believe, will lead to a loss of good learning experiences.
• Extend curriculum planning into residential life and
extra-curricular activities.
• Define common understandings that describe the ethos
of the school. For example, if a school is seeking to
create leaders, then a definition of “leadership” must
be defined. Then articulate pathways to be leaders
and to practice leadership. Students should be able to
understand the steps to becoming a leader, just as they Paul Magnuson is the director of Educational Research
need to understand the steps to solving a math equation. at Leysin American School and adjunct faculty for the
• Make multiple routes to reach learning goals known, International Education Program of Endicott College.
across the entire school experience. His interests include student agency and self-regulated
learning for students and teachers.
CONCLUSION pmagnuson@las.ch

We might do ourselves a favour by examining residential

and extra-curricular (even the name gives away our bias,
doesn’t it) programmes and their role in leading a shift to
greater inclusion of soft skills. For that matter, we might
want to reconsider how we speak about soft skills. In the
same training we mentioned earlier, our facilitator asked
us to step into one of four quadrants which best described
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Richardson, W. and Dixon, B. (2017). 10 principles for
schools of modern learning. Modern Learners Media.
Accessed 20 October 2019.

29
 THE NEED FOR
AUTHENTIC
LEARNING
KIM CULLEN,
M.A., M.S., B.A. Upper School Director,
The American School of Madrid

Image: Diego L., Iceland, April 2019

30
 Gi
A
s a twenty-year veteran in education, with 15
years of experience in secondary administration
and counselling, I get frustrated by conversations
like this one:
“What’s going on at school today?” I ask my teenagers on
the way to school in the morning.
“Nothing” one responds, a little too quickly for my taste.
And so I press.
“Really? Nothing?” I wait a moment. My son, in grade
9, shrugs his shoulders. “There’s nothing interesting
happening in any of your classes today?” I can almost feel
my daughter, in grade 11, roll her eyes in the back seat.
“Not really, mom, “ she answers. “I mean, I have a quiz in
math, but that’s not interesting.”
“What about your science class?” I ask her. “You like that
one. What are you guys learning?” She answers “We’re
starting a new unit today.” Oooh! A new unit! I think.
“What’s it on?” I ask.
“Um, science something or other”. Science something or
other? I throw my hands up, defeated, as we pull into the
parking lot.
Today, kids are faced with intellectual challenges far more
complex than those of their parents. They have access to
information at a dizzying pace, and they don’t know how
to process all that they see, read and hear. Their adolescent
brains struggle to make sense of the news, complex socio-
political situations, rapidly changing weather patterns, and
the vastly mixed messages of and in democratic leadership.
They embody the narcotising effect of the information era.
Sadly, they are used to guns, blood, war, bomb threats, and
school shootings. All the while, they struggle to balance
raging appetites and fluctuating hormones, and they still
face the same hallway dramas of ole. So given all that they
are forced to process on a daily basis, it’s not surprising that
factoring quadratic equations may not be all that inspiring.
My eldest was unmotivated in high school. He was
obedient enough so he never fell too far behind, and he had
moments of enthusiasm over the four years, usually tied to
passionate teachers. But he, too, was uninspired by school.
He discovered toward the end of grade 10 that he loved to
travel; he found inspiration in adventure. Through middle
school, he had watched every episode of Bear Grylls, and
he followed people like Paul Nicklen, Chris Burkard, Mike
31
Horn and Jimmy Chin on Instagram. Just getting him to
jump through the hoops of high school would be challenge
enough so instead of talking about moving straight on to
university, we instead encouraged him to do a gap year
after graduation. In September of grade 11, he set his goal:
he and a friend would embark on an 80-day hiking and
camping trip around the island of Iceland, and they would
do this completely unassisted. If successful, they would
be the youngest team ever to do so. To make this happen,
they would spend the next two years developing business
plans, designing merchandise, and presenting their project
to sponsors. They grew a strong social media presence
and raised thousands of dollars to support their trip. They
storyboarded and began to script a documentary to that
would feature their journey.
There is no shortage of
research to illustrate that
kids learn best from authentic
experiences.
As the boys grew increasingly committed to their project,
my son found that he would much rather devote time to
planning for his trip than to completing the IB diploma. As
a family, we made a strategic decision to allow him to drop
the full IB, knowing that just the experience of creating
this trip was teaching him more than he would ever have
learned in school. As an educator, I regretted this. Yet, I
could not find a strong enough reason to tell my son to
stick with the full diploma at the expense of the one thing
that was finally motivating him - and that one thing had
nothing to do with school.
Unfortunately, this is where schools get it wrong. Most
of us in education know this. There is no shortage of
research to illustrate that kids learn best from authentic
experiences. From Ken Robinson (Creative Schools, 2015)
to John Moravec (Knowmad Society, 2013) to Wagner and
Dintersmith (Most Likely to Succeed, 2015): it is evident
that when kids are given the opportunity to break out of
the confines of traditional education, amazing things can
happen.
Ours is a k-12 international school. We went through a
significant leadership transition a few years ago, and with
it, the school began the slow, often painful move away from
a focus on content and grades to a focus on learning. We
moved to a block schedule, began the shift to standards-
 Gi

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32
 Gi
based grading, created collaborative learning spaces, and
emphasised on site professional development for our
teachers. We worked with our parents, students, faculty,
and the Board to identify a set of learning beliefs that
would guide our future. We hired coaches to work with
our teachers and our administration, and we continue the
important work of rewiring our Board to focus on what
education could be. In only a few years, we have made
tangible changes in our institutional philosophy. Yet, as
is evident in the conversation I had with my own children
on the way to school, we still fall short. There remains an
important gap between what we say and what we do.
All one needs to do is look at our learning beliefs to know
that our heads and hearts are in the right place. But the
challenge here is twofold: 1) Change is hard. Generally,
educators feel much safer when we can control the
outcomes. We all agree that learning should involve real
world experiences as well as risk and failure, but to engage
kids in the process of experimentation and inquiry makes
us feel like we are throwing content out the window, and
frankly, in the face of high stakes exams, there’s nothing
safer than a course guide. 2) We are making it up as we go.
As Cristel Hartkamp suggests in Knowmad Society (2013),
the great paradox of defining what learning for the future
looks like is that most of us are products of traditional
education: “it is rather grotesque that societies, which
essentially depend on and intently strive for innovation
and progress, should try to source the power and energy
for their innovative and progressive future from the
physical and conceptual conditions of the educational
mills of the 19th century.” It goes without saying that when
we can’t fully predict the outcomes of our efforts, we’ll
revert to the familiar.
At the beginning of each school year, our opening days for
faculty and staff include discussions designed to provoke:
What would innovation look like in my classroom? If we
could untie ourselves from content, what small steps could
each of us take to innovate in our own classes? Teachers
are challenged to think about how they can bring alive
the school’s learning beliefs, even in the smallest of ways.
While many of the conversations focus on instruction and
assessment using standards, the conversations inevitably
move into how we might shape learning differently.
And now I think again of my son and his friend, and
everything that they learned during the two year planning
for their gap year trip to Iceland. From business plan and
grant writing to communication and networking, graphic
design, managing social media, photography and film
33
editing, the boys learned more real-world skills than our
school could ever have taught them. That their project
was real, personal, multi-layered, and impending meant
that the stakes were high enough to make it so that “just
getting by” was not an option. There was no grade. There
was simply “we do this right or it doesn’t happen.”
Schools need to give students more authentic learning
opportunities that raise the stakes and the engagement.
Like I said, change is hard. But there is a slow and steady
shift happening as more and more teachers begin to think
outside the box. Kudos to those who are deciding to be bold,
to take a leap of faith, to let go of some of the traditional
control. Here’s to courage, initiative and authenticity. In
order to learn, our kids must be inspired. Anything less is
not education.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Cullen has years of experience in international
education. As an American citizen born in Brazil and raised
in Texas and Spain, Kim is an adult TCK (*third culture kid)
who understands the unique benefits and opportunities
that come from having cross-cultural experiences during
the developmental years. Kim cares deeply about young
people and how they learn and she has devoted her entire
professional career to fostering supportive, impactful and
relevant learning for both students and educators. Kim’s
unique longevity at the American School of Madrid has
given her a professional profile that is comprehensive with
experiences in visioning, strategic planning, relationships,
team-building and compassionate leadership. Since 1997,
she has been a member of the school’s Leadership Team
serving in various capacities both in operations and in
education.
 Gi

CREATING
A COACHING
CULTURE
HOW ONE SCHOOL INTRODUCED A
COACHING CULTURE TO
TRANSFORM WELLBEING
(AND A FEW OTHER THINGS)

MATT HALL
DIRECTOR, MAKING STUFF BETTER

ANDREW MACDONALD-BROWN
DIRECTOR, DULWICH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, ZHUHAI

C
oaching is emerging as a powerful tool to create transformation
in school.1 The days of a standardised ‘one size fits all’ CPD
model, that expects everyone to sit through the same endless
INSET presentation, are (fortunately) in decline.

Practitioners in schools rightfully expect professional development that is

suited to them at their stage of the career, is adaptable to the ever-changing
educational landscape, is bespoke to their context and, most importantly,
is directly applicable and thus can have an impact.

Coaching is uniquely placed to help schools achieve this. At its heart,

coaching is about a creating the conditions for a powerful conversation
that helps someone move forwards.

34
 Gi

1 PROCESS MENTORING TEACHING COUNSELLING TEACHING

1
HOW CAN
MY I AM I SUPPORT YOUR
I WILL
EXPERIENCE IS... AN EXPERT GROWTH?
HELP YOU
THOUGHT HEAL FROM WHERE WOULD
I KNOW I HAVE THE YOU LIKE
THE CAUSE
HOW... KNOWLEDGE TO GO FROM
HERE?

1
“WHAT HAVE
“THIS IS HOW “TELL ME ABOUT YOU TRIED
“THIS
TO DO IT” YOUR PAST” ALREADY?”
IS HOW
STATEMENT I WOULD
“HOW IS THAT
“THIS IS HOW YOU “WHAT DID YOU SERVING YOU?”
DO IT”
SHOULD DO IT” GO THROUGH?” “WHAT ELSE IS
POSSIBLE?”

1
EXPLORE
DIRECTION, PROBE, EXPERIMENT
GUIDANCE METHOD, PSYCHOANALYSE, LEARN NEW METHOD
ACTION & ADVICE TECHNIQUE REFLECT, COME THINKING, DOING,
& INFORMATION TO TERMS PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL

As such, coaching can be used across the educational Despite a clear ethos built around the traditions of a holistic
context. Broadly speaking its impact manifests in the education3 and a genuine belief (regularly articulated
following areas: to key stakeholders) in ‘best fit’ university destinations
(rather than ‘best in ranking list’) there pervades a broader
belief in the significance of ranking, relative status and
COACHING COACHING
examination outcome.
FOR FOR
LEARNING LEADING
This is not to suggest that parents and students do not
YOUR recognise the importance of pastoral care, wellbeing
SCHOOL focused support, and the value of positive relationship
with peers and with their teachers - they do (and this is
COACHING COACHING
clearly expressed and evident in our stakeholder surveys).
FOR FOR
WELLBEING COMMUNITY However, there does appear to be a possible juxtaposition
with regards to where we see intrinsic versus extrinsic
motivation.

Dulwich International High School Zhuhai (DCZH)2 have
chosen to develop a coaching culture in their aspirations
to address student wellbeing. They believe that this is in
keeping with their broader underpinning intention to
develop student agency and collective teacher efficacy.
Located in southern China, just across the bay from Hong
Kong and adjacent to Macau, Dulwich students exist
in a context of ‘heightened expectation and aspiration’,
Students join at the age of 14 (in Year 10) and all of are
sitting external high stakes exams at some point in the year.
They come to Dulwich because their parents want them to
study at some of the ‘best’ universities around the world.
In this context DCZH set about building capacity towards
an enhanced approach to achieving their wellbeing
objectives. They wanted to enhance their pastoral support
by ensuring that their staff were trained in advanced
level coaching techniques. The focus was on training key
student-facing staff as coaches so they were able to use
coaching techniques in their pastoral interactions with
students, especially those related to wellbeing. Their belief
was that this would not only develop important skills in
this area, but also work towards the benefits of collective
teacher efficacy.

35
 Gi

Coaching was chosen as the ‘tool’ to achieve this. Forming

a partnership with UK-based leadership coaching company
Making Stuff Better (MSB), they set about identifying a
provider that understood their context and needs and
could support them in an enhanced approach to developing
capacity.

There was some in-house experience of coaching but it

was evident that there were a number of advantages in
accessing ‘outside’ expertise. As an international school in
China there are some contextual considerations. On-site
professional learning was of course possible. However, they
needed to give consideration to virtual access too. A one-
off course for a day or two might create some momentum
and interest, but this was likely to wane over time as the
realities and priorities of life in school ‘took over’. They
also wanted to work with a team that understood an
education/ schools’ context. Their sense was that ‘coaching
for performance’, as you might see in a business context,
just wasn’t the right fit for their purposes.

MSB and DCZH were able to build a programme that

allowed them to achieve the blended delivery model they
were after. A ‘kick off’ two-day workshop in November
was planned to really build buy-in, gain traction, immerse
participants early on in the practice of (as opposed to the
study of) coaching. This was followed up by monthly virtual
sessions that would be used to:

1. reinforce and consolidate existing skills practice

2. address participant-specific case work queries (“I am
working with a student and would like your advice/
perspective on taking XYZ forward….”)
3. introduce new skills so participants feel a continuing
sense of progression
4. maintain frequent ‘touch points’ so participants feel an
ongoing sense of commitment and association with the
programme.
12 participants (about 30% of their expatriate staff) joined
the programme, which was completely ‘opt-in’ and elective.
These ranged from teaching staff to professional support
staff (all student facing), expat, local bi-lingual, and also
expat but with Asian heritage. Virtual sessions were
arranged into two sub-groups based on the practicalities
of ‘availability’ and a recognition of the benefits of a more
‘intimate’ and personalised virtual experience.
Thus, the staff followed a 9 month programme that
skilled them up in the ability to hold effective coaching
conversations with their students.
The impacts have been powerful. Participants report far
greater agency in holding pastoral conversations with
students in a way that is culturally effective. It has allowed
them to let go of their need to ‘fix’ the circumstances that
students find themselves in, but rather has given them
the skills and language needed to help students find their
own way through their circumstances, thus in turn giving
students far greater agency.
The project has now moved into its second year, with a
second cohort of staff training as coaches and the original
moving onto Advanced coaching skills. In addition,
Making Stuff Better are co-creating an 8-week coaching
programme for Year 10 students in partnership with the
school’s pastoral leaders.

36
 Gi
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Matthew Hall is a Director at Making Stuff Better. Matt
believes that people are capable of far bigger leadership
and lives than they ever dare let themselves believe. His
life as a senior leader in secondary schools in the UK and
overseas gave him a deep understanding of what makes
engaging learning and leadership.
As a CTI-trained coach Matt has an incredible ability to
really understand others and move them forward to what
they want. Matt has a MA and MPhil from the University of
Cambridge, a PGCE from Nottingham University and holds
the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers.
Matt is a licensed training facilitator and is accredited (by
NCTL/COBIS) to facilitate leadership training.
Matt delivers across all of the MSB programmes and is
responsible for the strategic development of the company.
He is currently co-authoring a book for Crown House
publishing about leading schools in exceptional
circumstances, due for release in summer 2020.
Andrew Macdonald-Brown is Director at Dulwich
International High School Zhuhai since August 2017,
having spent the previous 5 years at British School Muscat,
most recently as Deputy Head (Whole School).
Andrew holds a BSc in Sport Science and Business
Studies, and PGCE in Business Education and Computing,
and an NPQH (National Professional Qualification
for Headteachers). He has over 25 years experience
in education having spent the first 17 of these in West
London schools where he had significant middle and
37
senior leadership portfolios. Andrew is a licensed training
facilitator and is accredited (by NCTL/COBIS) to facilitate
leadership training.
Prior to this he completed 5 years at the SSAT (Specialist
Schools and Academies Trust/The Schools Network)
having worked with a number of influential Professors and
academics leading research in education. There Andrew
also established professional learning networks across
London; and then, as Operational Director, oversaw
national programmes supporting many schools in the UK
and internationally.
Andrew is passionate about learning and education, and
encourages students to be ‘the best you can be’.
FURTHER LINKS:
Making Stuff Better’s Leadership Coaching Module as
part of the ECIS Middle Leader Certificate https://www.
ecis.org/events/middle-leader-certificatedeveloping-
leadership-coaching-skills-15-16-january-2020-dubai/
A full article on this project and its impact can be found
in CollectivED October 2019 Issue 9: https://www.
leedsbeckett.ac.uk/-/media/files/schools/school-of-
education/collectived-issue-9-oct-2019.pdf?la=en
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-
education/research/collectived/
2) https://zhuhai-high-school.dulwich.org/
3) https://www.dulwich.org/learning-at-dulwich/
wellbeing
 Gi

CITIES OF
DREAMING
SPIRES CAROLYN LLEWELYN,
INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR
Oxford International Study Centre

38
 Gi

P
restigious universities in Britain (“Russell group”
universities) welcome applications from the
brightest and the best students worldwide. There is
no magic formula for success….you must have an excellent
school record and show that you have the stamina to work
hard in a very competitive environment.

Almost certainly you will apply to University (and

remember the closing date for Oxford and Cambridge
and for courses such as Law and Medicine at some other
universities is earlier , October not January!) before
the results of your final school examinations, Abitur or
A-Levels, or IB. This means that your previous school
results ((I)GCSE or equivalent ) are very important , since
it is the only solid evidence that admissions tutors will have
of your academic ability. Typically Oxford expects at least 6
A* grades in GCSE.

Of course your predicted grades in your A-Levels or

equivalent must be excellent. Typically the best academic
universities will be looking for at least A*AA at A-Level or
39 points in the IB or 1.1/1.2 in Abitur.
But many students achieve these grades. The top
universities therefore need additional criteria by which
they can select the best students. This is why there are
admissions tests in many subjects . At Oxford and
Cambridge and some other universities the admissions
tests include BMAT(Medicine), ELAT (English Literature),
LAT (Languages), LNAT (Law), and TSA (Thinking Skills
Aptitude Test, leading to various degrees). These tests
are not intended to assess subject knowledge, but your
aptitude for studying a certain subject. For example the
LAT sometimes asks candidates to work out the meaning
of phrases in an invented language and the TSA often
asks candidates to logically interpret data from a written
article. All the tests are looking for the ability to reason
critically and to express yourself clearly. Sample papers
do help, since you are then used to the format of the
examination ,and they are available online.
Alongside these exam results, the UCAS form contains a
reference from the school or college of the student, and a
Personal Statement, in which the candidate must try to
impress the admissions tutors from their universities, by
writing about why they deserve a place, and their passion
and enthusiasm for their subject. The admissions tutors
assess these forms, and then offer interviews to the
students they feel are the best candidates.
THE PERSONAL STATEMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
IT SHOULD HAVE THREE INGREDIENTS:
1. Why you want to study your chosen subject. This is
very important. Having been part of an admissions
team at a leading University I used to tire of reading
about applicants “enjoying football” or “have travelled
extensively”. This does not show anyone why the
candidate is suited to studying History or why the tutor
would enjoy teaching him or her. If you have done any
additional reading about your subject, or if you have
used your initiative to gain insight into it (eg by attending
some lectures in your local university) then this does
warm the admission tutors to you.
2. As a potential member of an academic community you
need to be able to show a breadth of other interests. It
does not matter what they are….sports, cinema, debating
and lots of others…. but these interests must be actively
pursued. No-one is impressed by a candidate who
watches chess on television. You need to show that you
will be a worthwhile member of the University and will
contribute to its life.
3. You also need to show that you are a mature and
responsible person. Work experience, holding positions
of responsibility or voluntary work all help. You are a
member of society and need to show that you can make
a contribution.

39
 Gi

The interview procedure is almost unique to Oxford and ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cambridge, and is the best way for the admissions tutors
to decide which candidates are the most talented in their
subject of choice. Overseas candidates are normally
interviewed in their own countries. Candidates are
generally interviewed 2 or 3 times, in order for the tutors to
gain a complete picture of the student and their academic
interests and abilities. Tutors will also ask questions about
the Personal Statements, and about the students’ own
particular areas of interest.

After the interview period, which usually takes place in
December, the tutors will offer a place at the university for
the students they believe to be the best candidates.
The offers given are conditional upon the results of
school leaving , which the students sit the following
Summer. Therefore, in order to gain the place on their
course of choice, they must gain excellent results in their
examinations. Many students fail to make their offers, and
therefore cannot study at a leading university.
Carolyn Llewelyn is International Director of Oxford
International Study Centre , an International College in the
heart of Oxford . She studied languages at St Anne’s College
, University of Oxford , and has worked in international
education for over forty years , including at Oxford Brookes
University and Queen Mary , University of London. Her
interests are travel and languages , and art. She describes
herself as a language freak and lifelong learner, having
attended University continuing education classes in
Japanese and Mandarin Chinese for several years.

Some subjects have a much higher success rate for receiving

an offer. For instance, a student applying to study Classics
at Oxford has a 42% chance of receiving an offer. Yet a
student who is applying to study English at Oxford has only
a 20% chance of receiving an offer.
Learn more about Oxford International Study Centre.
For the students who receive offers, and attain the required
grades their course of study at a leading university will
begin the following October. They will spend their Summer
Holiday reading and preparing themselves for the start
of their courses, where they will receive some of the best
education in the world.

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TO PD
LIZ FREE
Director, International Leadership Academy

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I
t is THE question that cuts to the core of what we
believe as teachers and school leaders. Just as Hamlet
faced core moments of ethical quandary, so do we as
educationalists. And it is in these moments of adversity,
of challenging financial times, that the decisions we make
about appropriate funding (in all its forms) for professional
learning and development exposes our core education
beliefs. Is professional learning and development a luxury
we can ill afford or an anchor we can ill lose?

I ask this question for several reasons. As a UK teacher I am

concerned about the funding crisis, and the catastrophic
situation regarding initial teacher training, recruitment
into the profession and, most importantly, retention of
our teachers. Secondly, as a global leader in education
professional learning and development, I am challenged Leading the charge for the profession, and supporting
by the predictions of exponential growth in the youth concerns about this, Professor Dame Alison Peacock, Chief
population, predominantly in Asia and Africa, alongside Executive, Chartered College of Teaching, added: “Every
the meteoric rise of international education where we’ll day we see excellent teaching delivered despite huge
need more than half a million teachers to service these pressures. We need to give teachers the opportunities and
schools within the next ten years (thank you ISC for the tools to develop their skills and to be proud of what they
data in this field). What, if any, is the role of professional are doing.
learning and development in schools?

Q
ARE WE INVESTING IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
AND DEVELOPMENT?
Well, before we hit the global, let’s start with the UK. The
Teacher Development Trust announced in their annual
data review produced by SchoolDash in 2019 a staggering
12% drop in secondary teacher training budgets and a 7%
drop in primary; the first time there has been a decline
since the data has been collected. This confirmed what
many teachers and school leaders were reporting and led
to universal concern across the profession.
James Bowen, Director of NAHT Edge, National
Association of Head Teachers, in response to this data,
said: “This report reflects exactly what we hear from
our members – that they are being forced to reduce CPD
as school budgets are cut. NAHT’s most recent funding
survey showed that 70% of schools have had to reduce
investment in CPD due to funding pressures. We also know
that finding the time for CPD, especially out of school, is a
challenge due to unmanageable workloads. Time for CPD
is vital to school improvement and to ensuring children
get the very best education. Lack of dedicated investment
by the government in this area is a false economy.”
However, due to the demands
on their time, learning and
development is all too often
neglected, with the average
teacher in England spending
only four days on CPD per year.
If our pupils are to receive the best possible education, we
at the Chartered College believe teachers must have access
to good quality CPD. With the profession struggling to
recruit and retain teachers, we need to show that we are
willing to invest in them from the second they enter the
classroom”.
As budgets are squeezed, expenditure on professional
learning and development both in terms of time and
funding are cut, we start to realise the actual value placed on
this activity. The research from #EduGreats like Vivienne
Robinson clearly demonstrates that leadership focussing
on professional learning and development will lead to the
highest outcomes for young people and yet, when it comes
to the crunch, we still see this as a nice-to-have and not
a critical activity to core business. Last week I was told
by a headteacher that it feels wrong to invest resource in
professional learning and development when he has just
had to let 4 staff go. This reveals the very real challenges

42
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our leaders face and some of the underlying beliefs about
the profession. When the chips are down the glue sticks
and blu-tac are rationed (if you’re lucky to have any at all!)
and so does the investment in the profession.
Parallel to the financial situation, we can track the impact
of the current climate on recruitment and retention. The
‘Teacher Workforce Dynamics in England’ (2019) report
by NFER and the Nuffield Foundation highlights the scale
of the crisis as the number of trainees on initial teacher
training have increased but still fall short of targets by
around 2500 whilst also seeing a 25% decline in qualified
teachers from Europe applying for QTS ; yes, the BREXIT-
effect is rearing its head! At the same time the school
workforce census shows that a third of teachers left the
system within five years of qualifying, it predicts a 19%
growth of student population in the next decade. We
are also now seeing that the number of teachers leaving
the profession increased from 6% to 8% between 2011
and 2016. In bite-size clarity, there simply aren’t enough
teachers entering the profession, staying in the profession
or returning to the profession.
Q
CAN WE MAKE A CORRELATION BETWEEN
INCREASED DISSATISFACTION OF THE
PROFESSION AND DECREASED INVESTMENT IN
THE INDIVIDUAL TEACHER?
The NFER report highlights teacher concern about
workload as a primary reason for teacher attrition from
the profession and goes on to assert that ‘To improve
teacher retention, nurturing, supporting, and valuing
teachers is vital to keep their engagement high.’ There
is, rather unsurprisingly, a direct correlation between
high engagement and higher retention. So, whilst also
considering the weighty beast that is workload, what does
nurturing, supporting and valuing teachers actually look
like?
This year a study was completed by Teach Away into the
global international school workforce which explicitly
looked at push and pull factors in more detail. The 2019
International Education Recruitment Report: Insights and
Trends collected data from 12,618 Teaching Candidates
which highlighted the top three attractions for a teacher to
a new role (weighted responses, respondents were asked
to rank their preferences):
• 66% Salary and bonus
• 65% PD Opportunities
• 49% Career Progression Opportunities
43
We can see that investment in the individual within a
workforce is an aspect that matters when it comes to
recruitment but what about retention? The Council of
British International Schools looked in more detail at this
in July 2018 in the largest study of British international
teachers ever, ‘Teacher Supply in British International
Schools’, and concluded:
Schools reported that the most prevalent method of
facilitating teacher retention and recruitment in the
last two years was through ‘enhanced professional
development’, with ‘improved marketing of our
schools’ ranking second most prevalent. Note that
increases in salary and improved benefits are both
ranked as significantly less important as retention and
recruitment tools.
Looking beyond education there is much written about
a changing landscape where employees have different
expectations. They want greater input from their
employer and are looking for career growth within their
organisations, very much as we can see within teaching
through the TeachAway and COBIS reports.
Dr Holbeche, a global giant in the field of HR and previously
Director of Research and Policy for the CIPD , presented
at Relocate’ s Festival of Global People in London’s King’s
Cross in April 2019 and said, ‘Staff are saying: we are
good, you as an organisation have got to bend towards
us, and provide what we need. This might be a career
path, a four-day week or more of a work/life balance.’
She goes on to assert that current research of trends is
identifying that people tend to move on if they start to
become disengaged, particularly in the UK where we have
got full employment. He advises HR and recruitment
departments, ‘if you have got good people you have got to
find ways to hang on to them and develop them, and they
will be asking for more in return.’
We have the perfect storm. Increased global demand
for teachers and a period of decreased supply leading to
significant competition alongside changing priorities
for the profession as employees. And yet, knowing all of
this, the truth is that when faced with financial adversity,
leadership decisions around allocation of extremely limited
budgets are resulting in decreased spend in professional
learning for school improvement.
The challenge faced by school leaders is to ensure we have
the highest return on investment through the outcomes of
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our young people. Difficult decisions have to be made and,
whilst cutting expenditure and resource on professional
learning and development is an easy cost-saving in the
immediate term, the ongoing impact for schools to both
your own staff, your recruitment/retention of staff and,
most importantly, the impact on your students will be
costly notwithstanding the longer term impact on the
profession.
The NFER report highlighted the importance of nurturing,
valuing and supporting teachers as the only way to secure
a sustainable and stable global profession. We need to do
this full stop. And when it comes to professional learning
and development, if I were to look to a football analogy,
and for the record I’m not a great footballing expert, but
what I do know is no team that had limited resources ever
said, we will stop developing our team to save scarce funds.
If anything, they go even further and do everything they
can to optimise the potential of what they have. And so,
this begs the question in education, knowing what we
know, facing what we face; to PD or not to PD, that is the
question!
44
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Liz Free, teacher and headteacher, has worked in some of
the world’s leading schools before specialising in learning
and development. Liz is Director of the International
Leadership Academy (ILA), the professional learning home
for international schools as well as the school improvement
arm of The British School in the Netherlands. Liz is a global
board member for the TES Institute and global strategic lead
for #WomenEd. She is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered
College of Teaching and Fellow of RSA. Liz has recently
published with Sage and writes for publications around the
world on the theme of global education leadership.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
i: https://tdtrust.org/cpd-spend-pressrelease
ii: https://nfer.ac.uk/media/3112/teacher_workforce_
dynamics_in_england_research_overview.pdf
iii: https://info.teachaway.com/hubfs/Teach-Away-
International-Education-Recruitment-Report-Second-
Annual.pdf
iv: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1536159762/
cobis/bu6zyw9c7cdxpjsbq2uk/COBISTeacherSupply_
FinalReport_July2018.pdf
v: https://www.relocatemagazine.com/articles/hr-talent-
management-how-to-tackle-the-employee-retention-
challenge-curphey-dr-linda-holbeche-0519
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PPOINTS
RINCIPAL
WITH LEADERS OF ECIS MEMBER SCHOOLS

OMOLOLA WRIGHT-ODUSOGA
English Modern School, Wakra Campus, Qatar.

Lola is the founding Head of School at the English Modern
School and The English Modern Kindergarten in Al Wakra,
Qatar. She joined The English Modern School (Doha
Campus) as a Year One teacher in September 2010, after
which she moved on to set up the Al Wakra City campus as
the Early Childhood Education Coordinator.
With over twenty years experience working with children,
young people, and adults in the areas of teaching,
administration, and leadership, Lola has a wealth of
knowledge and experience in early childhood education and
primary education, using both the Early Years Foundation
Stage Curriculum and The Cambridge International
Curriculum.
Can you tell us a little about how you came to
be in Qatar?
The initial idea was to see what else is out there and
what teaching and learning looks like in other countries
compared to my teaching, learning, and leading experiences
in the UK. I commenced my employment in Qatar with The
Ministry of Education, as an inspector for Independent
schools. I later joined The English Modern School.
You have 3 post-it notes to write down one goal
on each for the year ahead. What would yours
say?
To make a significant improvement in every English
language learner’s reading ability.
To be an agent of change and foster community
engagement with stakeholders and service providers.
If you had to choose one pressing issue facing
International schools, what would yours be?
To engage in consistent learning and knowledge-building
around human resources strategies such as the recruitment,
selection, and retention of teachers, and administrators, as
well as ensuring the alignment of recruitment plans to the
school’s needs assessment, mission and vision statements.
Thinking longer-term, is there anything
international schools could do better, be it for
staff, students, or parents?
To have international schools as a model of diversity and
community that promotes Global mindedness, values,
culture, tradition, that builds a stronger understanding
of best practices approaches for 21st-century learning
with all stakeholders. Great emphasis should be placed on
embedding multicultural education in the international
curriculum.
And finally, the best lesson you have learned as
a senior leader?
As a senior leader, I have learned to apply a balance of
judgement and objectivity in reaching decisions, whilst
also guided by several educational philosophies relevant to
what is happening in the real world.
Our thanks to Lola for her insights.
Would you like to be interviewed
in a future issue? Contact:
globalinsights@ecis.org.

Promote the provision of special education needs

practices in schools.

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BROADENING
THE HORIZONS
OF HIGHER
EDUCATION
THE SAT AS A PASSPORT FOR SUCCESS

THE COLLEGE BOARD

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F
or decades, certain institutions have dominated
the international higher education conversation.
Schools like Oxford and Cambridge come to mind.
But as countries continue to invest in education resources,
a host of new international universities are drawing in
students from all over the world. According to the Institute
of International Education, enrolment of international
students in universities in places like the UK, Canada and
Australia has been consistently growing year-over-year.

For Essosolim Apollinaire Abi, there were plenty of reasons

to apply to universities outside of where he grew up in Togo,
the West African nation on the Gulf of Guinea. He was
looking forward to visiting different places, experiencing
traditional foods and immersing himself in a culture unlike
his own. When his school counsellor suggested he study in
India, it sounded like the perfect place.

“She told me about the diverse internship opportunities

and the toughness of academics,” he recalls. “I was also
interested in the diverse culture and curious minds, as
well as helping to eliminate the myths and ignorance The SAT is one of the most accepted entry exams for universities all
over the world.
about Africa. Plus, the travelling and food are cheap!”

THINKING OUTSIDE THE US BOX

With so many international academic options, it can be

difficult for students to know which schools are right for
them. Representing over 6,000 of the world’s leading
colleges, schools and educational organisations, The
College Board holds an exhaustive and comprehensive list
of international universities and colleges that accept the
SAT, AP (Advanced Placement), and SAT Subject Tests for
application.

“The College Board application resources are very clear

More destinations are becoming lucrative hotspots for international
students.
Abi’s counsellor suggested Ashoka University in India, and
recommended he take the SAT to apply with his scores. Abi
was accepted to Ashoka with full needs-based financial aid
that allows him to have a financially stress-free experience
while studying in India.
The SAT is a valuable tool for students looking to study
abroad and broaden their educational opportunities. As the
global interest to study internationally continues to grow,
more universities worldwide are accepting SAT scores.
and well-organised,” says Beini Wang, a Chinese student
currently attending McGill University in Canada. “The
content can be sorted and easily filtered. It’s super helpful.”
From South Korea’s Seoul National University, to the
Alberta College of Art and Design in Canada, and from the
UK’s University of Birmingham, to the Florence Institute
of Design International in Italy, the College Board’s
directory of Higher Education Recognition of SAT and SAT
Subject Tests is constantly being updated and maintained
for internationally-bound students to access and use.
Many of these schools are becoming ever more lucrative
destinations to pursue posts-secondary education - and
College Board programs serve as passport examinations to
world higher education hotspots.

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The world of higher education is opening up. Students

like Mao are navigating a world of options that were
previously unavailable to them - or any generation before.
It’s an exciting time for students interested in studying
internationally - and universally-accepted standardised
tests are serving as tools for students who want to achieve
academic success abroad.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The College Board represents over 6,000 of the world’s leading

educational organisations.

A CENTRALISED HUB OF INFORMATION

Once a student takes a standardised test, it isn’t always
clear how to receive test scores or how to use them to apply
internationally. The more international universities that
require tests like the SAT for admission, the more familiar
students will become with each component of the globally
standardised test.
“Organisations like the College Board are helpful for
anyone short of a college counselling resource,” says Dr.
Victor Chuang, Principal of the Kang Chiao International
School’s East China campus in the Jiangus Province. “The
SAT is one of the most-accepted application materials for
universities all over the world. A good report will enhance
any student’s application competitiveness.”
THE RIGHT FIT
College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit
organisation that connects students to college success
and opportunity. Founded in 1900, College Board was
created to expand access to higher education. Today, the
membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the
world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated
to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each
year, College Board helps more than seven million
students prepare for a successful transition to college
through programs and services in college readiness and
college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced
Placement Program®. The organisation also serves the
education community through research and advocacy on
behalf of students, educators, and schools.
For further information, visit collegeboard.org.

Accessing a centralised hub of academic information that

aggregates and organises application factors can be a
game changer for students who truly want to find the right
university for them. Students who have used preparatory
resources say they’ve felt more supported and confident
going through the university application process.

“More and more universities are accepting SAT and AP

scores, which is a win-win outcome and helps high school
students from all over the world,” says Runyang Mao, a
student from Ningbo, China who attended both Durham
University and Imperial College in the UK. “Students are
now able to choose the curriculum that fits them best.”

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INTERNATIONAL MASTERCLASSES:
JOIN THE
GLOBAL PHYSICS
COLLABORATION!

UTA BILOW*
Technische Universität Dresden

KENNETH CECIRE*
University of Notre Dame

*On behalf of the IPPOG Collaboration

Image: ATLAS Masterclass at TU Dresden. Credit: Juliana Socher

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GLOBAL STUDENT INVESTIGATIONS OF
AUTHENTIC PARTICLE PHYSICS DATA
H
ave you considered International Masterclasses?
Heard about them? Under any scenario, if
you want to give your students a great physics
experience in a truly international environment,
International Masterclasses may be the opportunity for
which you have been looking.
International Masterclasses take place each year
around March with some 13,000 students worldwide
participating at more than 225 institutions and most
connecting by video conference with particle physicists
at CERN in Europe or Fermilab in the United States.
Students in international schools can participate by either
joining up with a nearby university or research institute
that is hosting a masterclass or by holding one right at
the school. The latter approach takes a little more doing,
but it has been done before (see our article International
Masterclasses: Global Engagement in Particle Physics in
the previous issue of Global Insights) and help is available.
Let’s explore both avenues.
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AS THE SEASONS CHANGE
International Masterclasses (IMC) bring expertise from
frontier scientific research to high school students. In
a masterclass, particle physics is a hands-on activity.
Students learn about methods, tools and open research
questions in this field and are enabled to take part in
the research process. Scientists introduce them to the
world of the tiniest bits of matter and the accelerators
and detectors used to study them. By analysing authentic
data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN or
a neutrino experiment at Fermilab, students get a taste of
what cutting-edge physics is really like. At the end of their
masterclass, students connect in a video conference with
physicists at CERN or Fermilab and other student groups
from different countries. They discuss their results, ask the
scientists questions, and deepen their understanding of
scientific research.
All resources for IMC are available on the web and free to use
for educational purposes. In 2020, the program spans the
period February 26–April 8. International Master classes
are organised by IPPOG, the International Particle Physics
Outreach Group, an international network of scientists,
science educators and communication specialists with the
goals of conveying particle physics to the general public
and improving science education.
50
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, INTERNATIONAL
MASTERCLASS: GREAT MATCH
International Masterclasses work at international schools
because they share two major attributes. For IB schools,
make it three.
The first attribute is, of course, an international outlook.
Students participate in masterclasses worldwide because
particle physics is worldwide. For example, the ATLAS
experiment at CERN may be located just outside Geneva, but
physicists participate from 183 institutions in 38 countries.
Many visit CERN regularly, but most do the largest part of
their ATLAS work at their home institutions. International
Masterclasses mirror this worldwide collaboration: in 2019,
133 masterclass institutes in 33 countries participated in
ATLAS masterclasses. On just one fairly typical day, 29
March 2019, there were four video conferences moderated
by CERN and Fermilab for 13 groups of students from 10
countries, covering three particle physics experiments.
Thus, international schools can help model international
scientific collaboration to their students with masterclasses
and make unique contributions due to their own global
stance.
The second attribute is rigor. International schools promote
high academic standards. Master classes are challenging
and interesting: International school students can and
do thrive. They also bring back a unique perspective on
physics that is not found in the textbook or even, often,
the science lab. Add to that an awareness of physics at
the cutting-edge—the data used in masterclasses is from
this decade—and students get a real boost in their physics
education.
Finally, if a school is part of the International Baccalaureate
program, the physics teacher will find particle physics
right in the IB Physics curriculum. And we think the
masterclasses provide “real physics research” insights that
highlight that curriculum.
HELP IS ON THE WAY
If it works for you to bring your students to a university
or laboratory, your first step may be to consult the
International Masterclasses website to see if you can find
a masterclass institution near your school. The site has
profiles of the institutions, providing a contact in most
cases. You can e-mail that contact directly to see if they are
open to involvement by your school. (They may be looking
for more students or may already be filled up; you have to
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ask!) If that does not work, contact one or both of us; we Bringing authentic physics research to the classroom and
will try to find you another institution. attracting students’ attention by offering activities that
connect them to world-class labs has a great potential to
If a nearby institution is not your best bet, you can run spark their interest in science education. Teachers and
your own masterclass. It is more challenging and requires students thus profit from taking part in IMC, be it at a
a somewhat bolder attitude. But we can help. First, you will nearby research lab or at their own high school.
need to register your school as a masterclass institution
(see below). Then, let us know you are in and we will ABOUT THE AUTHORS
provide an extensive orientation via video conference to
build your knowledge and confidence. We can also partner
with you in finding a physicist to work with you and your
students during the masterclass, either in person or online.
Since you are doing this on your own, the only “hard”
appointment will be the video conference, so you may be
able to stretch your masterclass out over several days to
give students bite-sized chunks of the masterclass, which
some institutions have found to be an advantage. For
example, several teachers at different schools who work Kenneth Cecire is a co-leader for QuarkNet, a U.S.
with the University of Notre Dame often use this approach. program to bring particle physics to high schools, at the
University of Notre Dame. He has an M.A. in Physics
We want your masterclass to join the ranks of the many and long experience as a teacher and in national and
successful participants of International Masterclasses. international physics outreach and education.
Together, we can make it a great experience for you and
your students.

SIGN UP NOW FOR YOUR CONNECTION TO CERN

OR FERMILAB

Registration for IMC 2020 starts the end of October and

runs until the beginning of January. Let us know when
you are interested in joining this international endeavour.
You pick your preferred date, and we provide valuable
information in a weekly circular on how you can prepare
for your event. Whether you plan an orientation with your Uta Bilow is a science communicator at TU Dresden,
students or you want to print certificates of participation, Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, where she is co-
we keep a wealth of material and ideas that will help you to leader of international and national outreach programs for
adapt the masterclass to your needs. To get on the mailing particle physics. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry and has
list for information, including registration, please fill out worked as a scientific writer for many years.
the online form at the link to the right or this QR code:
RELEVANT LINKS:

International Masterclasses:
https://physicsmasterclasses.org

LHC Masterclass Library:

http://tiny.cc/lmclib

E-mail list form:

http://cern.ch/go/c7fK

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DOES SPORT
MAKE YOU
MORE INTELLIGENT?
THE LINK BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

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A
s we launch our new Physical Education (PE)
curricula for Cambridge Primary and Lower
Secondary learners, we were interested to read
some recent research from the University of Cambridge
Sports Service showing a link between sport and improved
academic results.
The Sport and Academic Performance Report 2019
compared the exam results of undergraduates who had
represented the University in their sport with those who
had not. The research analysed the results of over 4,000
students and found that 28.4 per cent of undergraduate
sports people gained first class results, compared to 23.7
per cent in the University as a whole. The percentage of
upper second results was also higher (achieved by 63 per
cent of sports people compared to 51.8 per cent of other
undergraduates), which of course also meant that the
University’s sporting students were awarded fewer than
average lower second and third class passes. Individual
sports people interviewed for the research also noted how
physical activity was an important release from academic
studies, improving their mental health and also helping
them develop valuable social networks.
RESOURCES FOR SCHOOLS
We know that many Cambridge schools – both local and
international – will already be teaching PE, but our new
curricula give teachers access to a wealth of extra resources,
including schemes of work with lots of lesson ideas, that
will also help learners progress along the Cambridge
Pathway to the Upper Secondary level.
In fact, PE is one of four new subjects that we are launching
in September 2019, also adding Art & Design, Digital
Literacy and Music to the Primary and Lower Secondary
curricula. As a result, Cambridge schools will now have 10
Primary and Lower Secondary subjects to choose from,
helping them deliver a broad, balanced and culturally
sensitive programme of teaching that can also be tailored
to the needs of their learners.
Our new PE curricula will be available to Cambridge
schools, free of charge, from September 2019, and
curriculum frameworks, teachers guides, schemes of
work and assessment guidance can all be accessed via the
Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary support sites.

The University’s research adds to the findings of the 2018

British Universities & Colleges Sport Active Students
Survey. One of the survey’s key conclusions was that
physical activity improves personal and mental wellbeing,
social inclusion, perceived academic attainment and
employability. In the survey, over 50 per cent of graduates
said that their sporting involvement had helped their
teamworking and leadership skills, while 94 per cent of
employers identified a clear link between participation in
university sport and the valuable strengths and skills they
look for in potential employees.

ESTABLISHING HEALTHY FOUNDATIONS

While Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary learners

may only be at the start of their academic journey, it is
no less important for them to access the positive benefits
that regular physical activity can deliver - which brings us
back to our new PE curricula. The Cambridge view is that
an early, structured introduction to the benefits of physical
activity will help students of every ability – not just talented
sportspeople – to develop healthy patterns that can last a
lifetime. Both of our PE curricula develop movement skills
while also encouraging creativity, collaboration, leadership
and responsibility. We also want our younger learners to
understand the positive impact that a healthy lifestyle can
have on their wellbeing.

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ACHIEVING
SUCCESS IN
COLLEGE:
STRATEGIES FOR STUDENTS
ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

DR. MICHAEL MCMANMON

Founder, College Internship Program (CIP)

RYAN THERRIAULT, MA
Lead Academic Coordinator , College Internship Program (CIP)

54
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W
hen students with autism and learning
differences start college, they are considered
adults for everything except residency and
tuition. Since they are no longer high school students,
they are expected to ask for help, track their grades, plan
out assignments, follow through with work, and make
decisions on how to complete assignments.
Many young adults may not be prepared for such a
high level of independence quite yet due to their social,
emotional, and executive functioning needs, however,
there are many practical and valuable things you can do at
home to support them in their growth.
ASSESS THE STUDENT’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEED
All young adults are at different stages in their development,
but there is often a larger discrepancy with young adults
who have learning differences. This needs to be considered
when planning a timeline to complete college and deciding
who would be best to support your young adult.
At the College Internship Program (CIP), we work with
hundreds of young adults each year in the US helping to
prepare them for college, employment, and independent
living. Consider CIP’s Continuum of Growth and answer
the following:
SELF-AWARENESS
1
SELF-KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING
1
SELF-ACCEPTANCE
1
SELF-ADVOCACY
1
SELF-DISCLOSURE
1
SELF-DETERMINATION
55
SELF-AWARENESS
How well do they know their learning difference and how
it impacts them?
SELF-KNOWLEDGE/UNDERSTANDING
Do they have the self-knowledge to accept that there is a
need for reasonable accommodations?
Example: “I read the book and do the homework, but when
I’m tested, I still get stuff wrong. Maybe I need help.”
SELF-DETERMINATION
How hard are they willing to work? How open are they to
change if the path isn’t working?
It is a continuum, and while this kind of progress may not
occur in perfect order, generally it does.
College-age students with learning differences may be
stronger in some areas than in others. For example, I
once had a student with severe dyslexia that was very
determined to achieve a certificate in college. He was aware
of his challenges and had adapted his learning to include
assistive technology that enabled him to hear what was
read.
In addition, he developed a strategy to memorise what he
heard because he was unable to reference what he saw. In
college, he chose a certificate program that involved hands
on learning to supplement what he read. In addition, he
explained to his teacher what he needed to support his
learning style and his professor was happy to oblige.
As a result of his self-understanding, willingness to advocate
and determination to do whatever it took, this young adult
was able to achieve a College Credit Certificate. However,
his self-understanding of how he affected others when he
did not get what he wanted right away affected his success
in relationships. So coping with delayed gratification was
the area of focus for improvement.
In contrast, I have a student that is able to understand some
of her challenges and is determined to get a college degree.
However, she is unaware of how her poor performance and
lack of self-awareness affects her and those around her.
She is still learning basic skills like tracking assignments,
calculating grades, reading critically and meeting teacher
expectations. Also, at times she is unwilling to do quality
work independently. She will require coaching to help her
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build these skills. This coaching consists of an objective

approach to help her stay accountable to her goals. If
families are unable to remain objective, it is important to
find people who can.

WHO CAN PROVIDE ACADEMIC SUPPORT?

Once admission to college is achieved, and the students

are accessing these support services independently, they
are now practicing an effective interdependent lifestyle.
While the need to utilize these services may vary, supports
services should remain available, regardless of success.

An environmental change may cause a backslide and the

student will need support to help them return to their
personal best. In addition, connections with these people
could provide social connections and job opportunities as
well as educational experiences.

These services could include, but are not limited to:

• Therapist: To provide emotional support and guidance

• Occupational Therapist: To develop strategies to deal
with environmental factors
• Peer Mentor: To provide support accessing college
services and making social connections
• Tutor: To assist with content based skills
• Academic/Study Skills Coach: To build study skills and
check in times to verify completion of quality work.
• Life Coach: To build life skills that impact academic work
and to add an element of accountability
• Campus Disability Support Office: To provide a level
playing ground for learning. For example, extra time
on tests, preferential seating, recording lessons, use of
assistive technology, etc.
• Professor: To provide clarification, advice, tutoring and
career guidance
HOW DO WE HELP STUDENTS ACCESS SUPPORT
SERVICES AND FOR HOW LONG?
Many of these services are intended to help the students
build skills and access further services that ensure their
success in college. Unfortunately, we often find that
students do not take advantage of these services. We
can help them access services as needed and gradually
withdraw our support when not needed.
• Fear of failure: Students may need assistance visualizing
what success and failure looks like. For example, I have
had students say to me on more than one occasion,
“What if my professor fails me, I flunk out of college and
my parents disown me?”
• Fear of success: Students may be overwhelmed at the
idea of the future that success may bring. They may
need help weighing out the good things that come out
of success and help them create a timeline that matches
their pace.
• Need for skill building: Students may need help scripting
what to say. They may also require help with non-verbal
communication such as tone, proxemics and facial
expression.
• Need for understanding: Student may not know how
their performance impacts class grades and overall GPA.
• Need for self-care: Students may possess skills,
display independence and have motivation, but show
inconsistency. This could be due to unresolved mental
health issues or not planning enough time for self-care
and relaxation.
HOW CAN YOU ASSIST STUDENTS WITH
ACCESSING SUPPORT SERVICES?
• Script the interaction. What might be said? Ex: “I missed
class because I wasn’t feeling well, can I have a copy of
the notes please?”
• Practice different scenarios such as what might be done
if something goes wrong.

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• Model similar interactions and discuss what went right
and wrong. Discuss what you were thinking during the
interaction.
• Plan times for interactions. You can go along in the
beginning, but make a plan to fade supports and prompts.
Ex: I’ll go in with you this time, but next time I will sit in
the hall and after that I’ll be in the car.
• Reflect on how it went. Did they receive the outcome they
were expecting.
• Revise the plan. Refer back to why students don’t access
support and address the underlying problem. Have the
student come up with a scenario in which they arrive at a
better outcome. Do they need to:
to old habits, shutting down or rebelling and deciding to no
longer pursue that goal.
By building a strong support team we can develop realistic
expectations and reduce frustration. We can feel confident
that as we fade away, our young adults will continue to
move forward. They will adapt and overcome the many
challenges they face in order to become productive
members of society.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS

• Add supports
• Reduce intensity
• Lengthen timeline

CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, REFLECT AND REVISE

Students will consistently use the skills learned and then

all of the sudden they stop. I had a student complete his
Associate’s Degree and continue on to the university in Dr. Michael McManmon is the Founder of The
order to complete his Bachelor’s. He was an A student College Internship Program (CIP). Established in 1984,
and became active there, participating in clubs and even CIP is a comprehensive transition program in the United
assisted his professors with research. States helping young adults with autism and other
learning differences achieve success in higher education,
A personal event in his life sent him into an emotional employment and independent living.
tailspin. He was no longer able to do work and was in
desperate need of support, which he could not access
because of his therapeutic need. Because he was so
successful before, the people who assisted him in accessing
services had all but faded away. It was time for them to
come back into the picture to help him get over this set-
back by leading him to the services that could best support
him.

In this case that was a therapist and a life coach. It was

discovered that he was in need of medication and therapy
to help him regulate his mood. It was agreed that focusing
on mental health should be at the forefront. Therefore, the
intensity of his college work should be reduced. In the final
step, the family supported him in slowing the time it would
take to get his degree.
They accepted the fact that intellect is only one piece of the
puzzle. Even though he was taking one step forward and
two steps back, no matter how frustrating it was, he would
eventually grow to live a healthy interdependent life. They
knew that although it was important to push him out of his
comfort zone, too big of a push could lead to a him reverting
Ryan Therriault, MA is the Lead Academic Coordinator
at The College Internship Program (CIP). She received
a Bachelor of Science From the University of Central
Florida in Psychology with a Master of Arts in Social
Science Education. Ryan appreciates the opportunity to
train, develop projects and facilitate communication with
Academic Coordinators at all CIP locations.
For more information about CIP’s five year round and
summer programs across the United States,
visit www.cipworldwide.com or call (+00) 1 877-566-9247.

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PROMOTIONAL MEMBER FEATURE

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

TARA WAUDBY
AN INTERVIEW BY ISS

I
n 2000, Tara Waudby was just beginning her international job search
at an International Schools Services (ISS) San Francisco recruiting fair;
today, she is the Head of School at Riffa Views International School
in Bahrain. Follow the chapters of her career around the world, learn what
she loves about the Middle East, and what advice she offers to potential
international educators:

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WHEN WHAT WAS YOUR JOURNEY INTO THE
WORLD OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION LIKE?
Having grown up as a TCK myself, I always knew I was
going to go back overseas. I got a couple years of experience
in the states once I decided to be a teacher, and in my third
year of teaching, decided that I needed to go to an ISS job
fair. Otherwise, I was going to get tenure and probably
never leave.
I grew up in Sweden, so when I attended that first ISS San
Francisco job fair in 2000, I was mostly looking at schools
in Europe. Very early in the recruiting process, when going
through all the introductions and orientations, an ISS
representative told us, “Don’t limit yourself to one region!”
I didn’t really listen. I had all these interviews in Europe,
but at the last minute, they all kind of fell through. So I
took a job in Taiwan, which was so completely different! I
absolutely fell in love with it. I worked at an ISS managed
school for the first five years of my overseas career.
When I was ready to move again, I knew I needed to take
the ISS advice. I said to myself, “I won’t limit myself to any
region except — as a single female — I won’t go to Kuwait
or Saudi.” Those were the two schools at the job fair that
I thought I wouldn’t go to, but I ended up taking a job in
Kuwait. Loved it. Stayed there for ten years, then went to
Saudi, and now I’m in Bahrain. I’ve been in Middle East for
fourteen years now.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST?
You get the best of everything. I like interacting with
people, I like living abroad, I like the diversity of culture,
and I like the fact that you become different yourself. My
husband and I joke now that because he’s English and I’m
American, either of our countries are too far for the other
one. But the Middle East has all the American and British
things, in addition to all the Middle Eastern things. We
think we’re actually more at home here than we would be if
we moved to England or the US!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO SOMEONE
CONSIDERING A CAREER IN INTERNATIONAL
EDUCATION?
I think the main thing is just to be open. Don’t limit yourself
to a region, take risks, open up your worldview, and then
fall in love with the place. I loved Taiwan, I loved Kuwait,
I still love Sweden where I grew up — all of the places I’ve
lived and worked in are vastly different regions, but there
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are so many beautiful things about the whole world. Get to
know people, don’t limit yourself to a place, and bust those
stereotypes.
Thanks to Tara for sharing your journey and insight!
If you’re interested in taking your career abroad too,
join this season of recruiting fairs with ISS-Schrole
Advantage at iss-schrole.com/fairs. If you’re an educator
seeking professional learning opportunities in the Middle
East, check out the new LEVEL 5 Bahrain innovation
hub at the Riffa Views International School. You’ll
experience cutting-edge workshops, supported by agile
floor plans and an eclectic range of design tools. More at
https://www.iss.edu/events
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE
Tara Waudby began her teaching career in Phoenix,
Arizona before moving into international education where
she has spent 20+ years in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
and Taiwan. Tara has served in numerous leadership
and teaching roles including assistant superintendent
for learning, high school principal, assistant principal,
professional development coordinator, ESL coordinator
and a teacher of special education, ESL and secondary
English. Currently, she serves as Head of School
at Riffa Views International School. Follow her at
https://twitter.com/tarawaudby
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS SERVICES
International Schools Services (ISS) is a leading non-profit
with more than 60 years of experience in international
education. Whether it’s developing and managing world-
class international schools, staffing schools, ordering
equipment and supplies, performing accounting functions,
or supporting best-in-class teaching and learning
approaches, ISS provides the full range of services
necessary for schools to thrive and deliver an outstanding
global education to their students.
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