The International Schools Network

Alice Curwood and Mark Atkinson discuss how they revolutionised professional development in their Physical Education department at the Alice Smith School in Malaysia

What does an effective professional development programme look like?

While there is no unique formula, there are some characteristics that make a PD session particularly useful: for example, being tailored to your – and your students’ – needs, and being time and cost-effective. Alice and Mark told us how they revolutionised professional development in their department to create a programme with all those characteristics.

Their secret? Tapping into their department’s colleagues’ expertise to produce and deliver PD in-house.

In this video interview, they discuss:

• How a new system for sharing short PD sessions during a weekly meeting was introduced;

• What instructions and suggestions were put forward to support staff to create their PD sessions and effectively share their expertise;

• How the whole department was successfully involved in the initiative and some of the key outcomes for teachers and students.

What are the consequences if schools cannot create a truly diverse environment for their staff and students?

Kevin Simpson is an educator with two decades of experience in several countries and he is the founder of the Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color (AIELOC).

A lack of diversity, he says, means a loss of perspectives, ideas, and potential to innovate. And for schools, it’s the very notion of being international that is at stake.

In this interview, Kevin discusses how schools can become environments where diversity can thrive. The topics he touches on include:

• Why diversity is an asset to any team and school;

• What type of support is available through AIELOC for teachers and leaders;

• How to ensure a school can attract and retain diverse talent;

One of the first steps in the process is assessing the current school culture and identifying barriers by asking: who is here? And then the crucial question becomes: who is not here – and why are they not here?

How can international schools effectively cater for learners who need a high level of support?

Lori Boll, executive director of the Special Education and Inclusion Association (SENIA), tells the ISN how she set up a successful programme at the International School Bangkok.

Intensive needs learners (or higher support learners), she explained, are those students who need a higher level of support – for example, they may have profound autism or be non-verbal.

This is what she shared with the ISN about her experience spearheading inclusion at the International School Bangkok:

• How she and her team created a programme based around an individualised learning classroom, and how this classroom benefits all students in the school;

• How they created and fostered community support both in and out of the school;

• Suggestions on what teachers and schools planning a similar inclusion programme need to consider;

• An outline of what type of support and training is available for schools and teachers through SENIA

Lindsay Skinner, head teacher and author for Collins, shares her journey to becoming a published author and her top three tips for writing educational resources:

Tip 1 - Structure your texts clearly so they are functional resources

Tip 2 - Think about your syntax and craft beautiful sentences

Tip 3 - Get feedback

Find out what the benefits of becoming an author are, and how you can create resources that can be adapted to fit different learning needs.

Robert Peel, head teacher and author for Collins, shares his journey to becoming a published author and his top three tips for writing textbooks:

Tip 1 - Use concrete examples for abstract ideas

Tip 2 - Don't try to put too much flare into your writing that may distract or confuse your pupils

Tip 3 - What you find interesting and what your pupils find interesting are often two very different things

How do you ensure your writing is suitable for an international audience? Why being a teacher is a benefit when writing a textbook?

Julia Burchell, author for Collins, shares her journey to becoming a published author and her top three tips for writing textbooks:

Tip 1 - It's not about setting tasks but thinking about the whole series of skills you're trying to teach

Tip 2 - Timing of your writing

Tip 3 - Keep your glossary and answer log as you go along

Find out how getting stuck in the mud in Costa Rica led to a chapter on metaphor and why you should look to the world around you for inspiration.

In this interview, published author Isabel Thomas, shares her top practical tips for writing educational text

Isabel Thomas, science writer and children’s author for Collins, shares her journey to becoming a published author, and her top three tips for writing educational text:

Tip 1 - Develop a distinctive voice

Tip 2 - Ask silly questions!

Tip 3 - Think about how you conduct research

Listen to find out how finding your unique voice and asking silly questions are key to creating text that will engage your audience, and why structuring your research is a discipline worth mastering.

What is the role of multilingualism in international education? How can teachers best support language and literacy acquisition in English and other languages? Five experts share views and strategies (sponsored by ISN partner, DK Learning)

Five ISN members from different schools and contexts tackle the topic of multilingualism and offer practical and actionable strategies around language and literacy acquisition and foreign language learning in an international school setting.

The discussion touches on topics such as:

• The importance of language learning at school;

• Strategies for effective language acquisition;

• How foreign language learning gives students transferrable skills that are applicable to other subjects;

• The importance of representation;

• How to bring the local culture into the language classroom;

Guests include:

Himani Sood (MYP teacher at the British International School Budapest),

Adam Beeson (DP and MYP teacher and DEIB coordinator at the Pan-American School, Costa Rica),

Jacob Huckle (head of English language acquisition at Dulwich College, Suzhou, China),

François Stalder(world language teacher at the American International School Budapest),

Sarah Forbes (product manager at DK Learning)

Four education experts join this conversation to discuss approaches to leadership and coaching culture (sponsored by ISN Founding Partner, Making Stuff Better)

In this roundtable discussion, we hear from four education experts discussing four very different journeys into leadership, how coaching has helped them succeed in their individual journeys and different leadership approaches that they have learnt along the way.

The discussion touched on:

• Their individual journeys into leadership;

• Adapting strategies and leadership approaches throughout their careers;

• The value and wider benefits of instilling a coaching culture, and how you can advocate for this in your school;

• How the context of leadership has changed over the COVID-19 pandemic;

• What leadership in international schools could and perhaps should look like going forwards;

Guests include:

Matt Hall (director of Making Stuff Better),

Marianne Yong-Macdonald (group head of teacher professional learning & student opportunities at International Schools Partnership),

Daniel McHugh (vice principal of Al Ain Academy),

Inderjit Dehal (director of quality & professional development at Nord Anglia Education)

How can you embed outdoor learning into your curriculum? What factors should you consider when setting up a successful and sustainable outdoor learning programme? (Sponsored by Polaris Outdoor)

Max (Head of Community at ISN) speaks to four outdoor education experts from different international schools and regions around the world to discuss how outdoor education can complement the curriculum and benefit students' personal development, sharing some of the practical and actionable strategies they have implemented in their own school settings.

Guests including:

Daniela Novaes - Class Teacher, EAD and Outdoor Learning Leader (Pre-prep) at St. Paul's School, Brazil

Kenny Peavy - Green Camp Head of Curriculum and Learning at Green School Bali

Christopher Boyle - Secondary School Principal at International School Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mat Barnsley - Director and Founder, Polaris Outdoor