The EARCOS Triannual JOURNAL A Link to Educational Excellence in East Asia
FALL 2017
Featured in this Issue Educational Leadership Philosophy - George Couros An Aging World - Award winning student essay
The EARCOS JOURNAL The ET Journal is a triannual publication of the East Asia Regional Council of Schools(EARCOS), a nonprofit 501(C)3, incorporated in the state of Delaware, USA, with a regional office in Manila, Philippines. Membership in EARCOS is open to elementary and secondary schools in East Asia which offer an educational program using English as the primary language of instruction, and to other organizations, institutions, and individuals. Objectives and Purposes * To promote intercultural understanding and international friendship through the activities of member schools. * To broaden the dimensions of education of all schools involved in the Council in the interest of a total program of education. * To advance the professional growth and welfare of individuals belonging to the educational staff of member schools. * To facilitate communication and cooperative action between and among all associated schools. * To cooperate with other organizations and individuals pursuing the same objectives as the Council. EARCOS BOARD OF TRUSTEES Margaret Alvarez, President (ISS International School) Stephen Cathers, Vice President (International School Suva) Tarek Razik, Treasurer (Jakarta Intercultural School) Norma Hudson (International School of Kuala Lumpur) David Toze, Past President (International School Manila) Stephen Dare (Hong Kong Academy) Andrew Davies (International School Bangkok) Barry Sutherland (International School of Phnom Penh) Saburo Kagei (St. Mary’s International School) Office of Overseas Schools REO:
Lawrence A. Hobdell (ex officio)
EARCOS STAFF Executive Director: Richard Krajczar Assistant Director: Bill Oldread Consultant: Joe Petrone Vitz Baltero Ver Castro Robert Sonny Viray April Asiño
Letter from the Executive Director Dear Colleagues: I wish everyone the very best for the 2017-18 school year! A special welcome to 31 new heads of school and new principals. See pages 4-6 for all the names and schools. In addition to new leaders, we have six new member schools for a total of 158. We now have over 130,000 students, and nearly 15,000 teachers and administrators! As we grow, we are still committed to providing the best quality professional development and support for the educators in our region. The 2017 EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC) is scheduled for October 26 - 28 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. We have an excellent group of presenters, and it should be an outstanding conference with keynoters Simon Breakspear and Peter Dalglish, and we will repeat Leadership Stories by our own leaders in EARCOS schools.The ELC has a host of special presenters and EARCOS leaders offering practical, hands-on workshops. It is going to be a great one! Please review the EARCOS-sponsored events on the last page of this magazine. It is a full year of activities, with our Professional Learning Weekends (PLW). Last year, our PLW,s were attended by nearly 1,500 teachers. These are truly some of the best and most cost-effective professional learning experiences available. Thanks to our small, medium, and large schools who will host these events this year. We welcome back Mr Bill Oldread and say thanks to Joe Petrone who will work virtually with us from his home in Pinedale,Wyoming. We hope you enjoy our EARCOS Journal. Please remember that it is our mission to help you in your task of school leadership. Keep in touch with Bill Oldread’s E-Connect blog and the EARCOS community on Google Plus. I look forward to seeing many of you in Bangkok and wish you all the best for a most successful and rewarding school year.
Dick Krajczar Executive Director Check out our updated website at www.earcos.org, our E-Connect blog, and our Google+ Community.
Elaine Repatacodo Edzel Drilo Rod Catubig Jr.
Editor: Bill Oldread Associate Editor: Edzel Drilo
East Asia Regional Council of Schools Brentville Subdivision, Barangay Mamplasan Biñan, Laguna, 4024, Philippines PHONE: 63-02-697-9170 FAX: 63-49-511-4694 WEBSITE: www.earcos.org
(L-R) Bill Oldread, Edzel Drilo, Rod Catubig, Dick Krajczar (Sitting) Ver Castro, Vitz Baltero, Elaine Repatacodo, Robert Viray
In this Issue
contents
4
Welcome New EARCOS Members - New Schools - New Heads - New High School Principals - New Middle School Principals - New Elementary School Principals - New Associate Institutions
8 9
Global Citizenship Awardees Global Citizenship Community Grant Recipients
10
Faces of EARCOS
11
EdThought - Educational Leadership - Building A Better Transcript: What Grades Measure, And What They Don’t
14
Student Writing - An Aging World - Ling and the Wishing Tree
18
Opinion - Navigating the Digital World Together - A Personal Reflection
19
Curriculum Initiative - Will There Ever be a Perfect Math Program? - The Importance of Trilingualism In The 21st Century - Success Start for All - STEAM is Strong at Taipei American School - Project Innovate a New Vision for Future
26
Service Learning - Capstone Service Projects at ICS-Bangkok - Cebu I.S. Cooperative of International Service Learning
28
Curriculum/Service Learning - Embedding Service Learning in the Curriculum
29
Community Service - Teda International School Brings Service to Qinghai
30
Green & Sustainable - Going Green in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
32
Press Release - Global Math Week
34
Action Research - Learning Vocabulary through Drama Games
36
Elementary School Gallery
38
Campus Development - Dominican International School New School Buildings - Int’l School Beijing - Elementary Engineering and Design
39
On the Road with Dr. K
Back cover: Approved EARCOS Professional Learning Weekend SY 2017-2018
EARCOS and CIS - Institute On Higher Education Admission and Guidance
EARCOS and CIS are pleased to announce the 3rd Annual INSTITUTE ON HIGHER EDUCATION ADMISSION AND GUIDANCE. Sept. 22-23, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand, Shangri-La Hotel visit www.earcos.org
The EARCOS Action Research Grant
In an ongoing effort to implement the EARCOS Strategic Plan, specifically Strategy E, to conduct, communicate, and archive relevant data and research to identify and enhance exceptional educational practices, grants will be made available to encourage our teachers, administrators, and professional staff to conduct action research to improve educational practices for the purpose of enhancing student learning. Action research is a reflective process, conducted in the school setting, to solve a real problem, or to improve and enhance the instructional process.This research may be undertaken by an individual, or by several people collaboratively. It is our belief that the results of such research will impact not only the researchers’ practices but also those of others with whom they share their findings.To that end, grantees will be expected to publish their findings, which will be made available to all EARCOS members on the website. Some researchers may elect to present their work at a subsequent ETC, ELC, or publish it in the EARCOS Journal. Please visit the EARCOS website for more information. www.earcos.org and see page 34 for a report from a recent researcher.
Contribute to the ET Journal
If you have something going on at your school in any of the following categories that you would like to see highlighted in the Winter issue please send it along to us: Faces of EARCOS - Promotions, retirements, honors, etc. Service Learning Programs Campus Development - New building plans, under construction, just completed projects. Curriculum - New and exciting curriculum adoptions. Green and Sustainable - Related to campus development or to curriculum efforts. Community Service Projects Student Art - We showcase outstanding student art in each edition. (E.S. Fall Issue, M.S. Winter Issue, and H.S. Spring Issue) Student Writing Press Releases Thank you for your help in allowing us to highlight the great things that are going on in EARCOS schools.
Fall 2017 Fall 2017 Issue 1
EARCOS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2017 OCTOBER 26-28, 2017 BANGKOK, THAILAND
“Leading and Learning: A Journey of Hope and Joy” The East Asia Regional Council of Schools is excited to invite you and your administrative staff as delegates at the 49th annual EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC2017) in Bangkok, Thailand scheduled for October 26-28, 2017. We have a host of excellent keynote speakers and workshop presenters. Our Keynoters are: SIMON BREAKSPEAR and PETER DALGLISH. We think the conference will prove to be professionally stimulating and will provide you with an opportunity for networking and building camaraderie. OUR SPONSORS:
SUPPORTED BY
EARCOS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2017
“Leading and Learning: A Journey of Hope and Joy”
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
EARCOS MEMBER PRESENTATIONS
PETER DALGLISH - Peter Dalglish as a 28-year old Stanford-educated lawyer chose another path: he traded in a promising legal career to work alongside some of the world’s poorest children. Sponsored by International School Services
Chris Akin Margaret Alvarez / Deidre Fischer Chip Barder / Sujoy Chaudri Chris Beingessner / Chris Raymaakers Andy Birch Warren Bowers Megan Brazil / Nitasha Chaudhuri / Stephen Lush William Brown / Alexandra Manning Madeleine Bystrom / Dr. Julie Schuilwerve Chris Capadona / Nel Capadona Jonathan Carter Mihoko Chida / Meredith Lawson John D’Arcy Stephen Dare / Jennifer Swinehart Andrew Davies Gerald Donovan Sarah Donovan Andy Dougharty Nicolene du Preez Leanne Dunlap / Caroline Brokvam Peter Eliot / Heidi Eliot Deidre Fischer Liz Gale Richard Gaskell / Ochan Powell / Sami Yosef Marilyn George Rob Grantham / DJ MacPherson / Lisa Kipfer Aimee Gruber Don Hale Carlene Hamley / Kasey Burns Paul Henderson Christopher Henry / Anthea Clifton Kiersten Hewitt / Jane McGee / Kari Yuen Michael Hirsch Sarah Howling / Maria Osowiecki Norman Hudson / Rami Madani / Yvonne Bui Virginia Hunt / Leanne Dunlap Paul Kang Steve Katz Helen Kelly Stuart Kent / Colm Flanahan Nicholas Kent Daniel Kilback Connie Kim / Shelly Wille Chip Kimball Jared Kuruzovich / Tosca Killoran
SIMON BREAKSPEAR - Dr. Simon Breakspear is known internationally for helping educational leaders navigate disruptive change, develop innovation capabilities and drive continuous improvement for better learning. Simon is a Research Fellow of the Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change at The Education University of Hong Kong and the Founder of Agile Schools. He has advised and spoken to school and system leaders in over 10 countries. Sponsored by Taylor’s Schools LEADERSHIP STORIES Sponsored by International Insurance Solutions GOVERNANCE WORKSHOP Open to all Board Members and Heads Marc Frankel and Bambi Betts
Preconferences Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Marc Frankel, Leadership Through Partnership(LTP) Rami Madani, Curriculum Coordinator Precon. IB PRECON, (2 day workshop)
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 Jefferson Cann Jane Hyun Chris Jansen/Dan Brown Deborah Janz-Kriger Rami Madani Bruce Mills
Ochan Powell Ann Straub Janice Toben Robert Steele and Lynda Rolph Kendall Zoller Marilyn George (WASC)
SPECIAL PRESENTERS Bambi Betts Simon Breakspear Jefferson Cann Peter Dalglish Peter and Heidi Eliot Marc Frankel Maria Guajardo Stephen Holmes Jim Hulbert Jane Hyun
Chris Jansen Deborah Janz-Kriger Rami Madani Bruce Mills Ochan Powell Ann Straub Janice Toben Sarah Whyte Kendall Zoller
Martin Leicht Jolene Lockwood / Kristine Jerabek / Michelle Gow Dan Long / Jill Fagen David Lovelin / Natalie Broderick Iain Macfarlane / Lauren Harvey Alasdair Maclean / Evelyn Lichtenauer Rami Madani Urko Masse Vjaceslavs Matvejevs Mark McCallum Mark McElroy / Daniel Kilback Brian McManus / Joann Binns Nancy Meislahn / Zina L. Evans Suzanne Murray Rob Newberry Hieu Nguyen / Robert Hughes Julie Olson / Azra Pathan / Steve Katz / Suji Dehart Karen ONeill & Sachiko Ryan Persaud Amie Pollack / Nguyen Hieu Christie Powell / Karrie Dietz Tom Reed Jo Rice Katie Rigney-Zimmermann / David Perkin Erin Robinson / Stuart MacAlpine Juan Saavedra / Sarah Thawley Chris Schuster / Patrick Love James Scott / Kathryn Nelson / Noelehua Archambault Peggy Smith Barry Sutherland Kevin Baker / Norma Hudson / Tarek Razik GSIS Admin Team / Darryl Harding / Mei-Lyn Freeman Noel Thomas / Christine Xu Melanie Vrba / Madeleine Brookes Kelly Walter Rachael Westgarth Julian Whiteley Cory Willey Lucinda Willis Chelsea Woods Nicola Zulu / Margaret Alvarez
visit www.earcos.org/elc2017/
Welcome New Schools >> Yew Chung International School Of Qingdao http://www.ycis-qd.com/en/ Dwight School Seoul http://www.dwight.or.kr Punahou School https://www.punahou.edu
Welcome New Heads >> American School in Japan, The Jim Hardin, Head of School American School in Taichung Anthony Keen, Director Bandung Independent School Chris Toomer, Head of School Beijing City International School Christopher Akin, Head of School Beijing International Bilingual Academy Ouyang Hua, Head of School British School Jakarta Shane Nathan, Principal Canadian International School, Tokyo Robert Pittman, Principal Chinese International School Bin Li, Interim Head Daegu International School Chris Murphy, Head of School Dostyk American International School (Kazakhstan) Seamus Marriott, Director Dwight School Seoul Kevin Skeoch, Head of School Ekamai International School Prachack Jitbunyad, Director Fukuoka International School Robin Schneider, Head of School International School of Beijing Patrick Hurworth, Head of School International School of Ulaanbaatar William Elman, Director International School Suva Stephen Cathers, Interim Head ISE International School Alexandar Benett, Superintendent Jakarta Intercultural School Tarek Razik, Head of School Kaohsiung American School Ben Ploeger, Superintendent Korea International School Michelle Quirin, School Director Kyoto International School Craig Dwyer, Principal Nanjing International School Laurie McLellan, Director Northbridge International School Cambodia Richard Vaughan, Principal North Jakarta Intercultural School Thomas Bendel, Head of School Punahou School James Scott, Head of School Shenzhen Shekou International School Robert Stearns, Head of School Suzhou Singapore International School Nicholas Little, Head of School Teda International School Tim Warren, Headmaster Thai-Chinese International School John McGrath, Head of School Tianjin International School Rachel Scroggins, Head Principal UWC Thailand International School Jay McBride, Head of School Wuhan Yangtze International School Erika Carlson, Head Principal Yew Chung International School of Qingdao Jeroen Gakes, Co-Principal
Welcome New High School Principals >> American Pacific International School American School of Bangkok, The Asia Pacific International School Ayeyarwaddy International School Bandung Independent School Beijing International Bilingual Academy Brent International School Baguio Brent International School Subic 4 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Luis Ramirez Neil Walton Andy Murphy Ms. Barbara Schultz Amy Bowley Sharyn Baddeley Benjamin R. Josephson Brett Petrillo
British School Jakarta Chinese International School Christian Academy in Japan Concordia International School Hanoi Dwight School Seoul Ekamai International School Faith Academy, Inc. Global Jaya School Gyeongnam International Foreign School Hong Kong International School International Christian School - Hong Kong International Christian School - Pyeongtaek International School of Brunei International School of Dongguan ISE International School Mont’Kiara International School Nagoya International School NIST International School Northbridge International School Cambodia Punahou School Seoul Foreign School Shanghai American School Singapore International School of Bangkok Suzhou Singapore International School Thai-Chinese International School The British School, New Delhi Tianjin International School United World College of South East Asia UWC Thailand International School Vientiane International School Wells International School - On Nut Campus Yew Chung International School of Qingdao Yokohama International School
Dineke Spackman Laszlo Varro Damon Ealey Ian Sutherland Mark Geraets Tommy Thomas Jon Barlow Steven Spannring Charles Campbell David Lovelin Emerson Keung Charlie Mooney Robert Commons James S.Anderson Kristen Applegate Alan Shanks Aubrey Curran John Snowball Ben Holman Emily McCarren Jeff Holcomb John Muldoon Ong Tech Chin Richard Bruford Thomas English Timothy Fryer James Delzer Rebecca Butterworth (Dover) Jonathan Field Christine Santilli William Jones Jason Caruana Elise Vitty
Welcome New Middle School Principals >> American School in Japan, The American School of Bangkok, The Asia Pacific International School Bandung Independent School Beijing City International School Beijing International Bilingual Academy Busan International Foreign School Concordia International School Hanoi Dalat International School Dwight School Seoul Hangzhou International School International Christian School - Hong Kong International Christian School - Pyeongtaek International Community School - Bangkok International School Bangkok ISE International School ISS International School Korea International School Korea International School-JeJu Campus Nagoya International School NIST International School Osaka YMCA International School Punahou School Seoul International School Singapore International School of Bangkok Stamford American International School
Pip Curtis Neil Walton Meg Hayne Amy Bowley Colleen Drisner Sharyn Baddeley Jamie Robb Ian Sutherland Steven Hutchcraft Mark Geraets Jessamine Koenig Stephen Taylor Charlie Mooney Karen Conwell Dennis Harter Kristen Applegate Michael Taylor Jim Slaid Julia Reynen Aubrey Curran John Snowball John Botting Paris Priore-Kim John Benavidez Cecilia Ng Sheila Klein Fall 2017 Issue 5
Taipei American School Thai-Chinese International School UWC Thailand International School Vientiane International School Yew Chung International School of Qingdao Yokohama International School Yongsan International School of Seoul
Shaun O’Rourke Conrad Pholar Jonathan Field Christine Santilli Julie Clegg Elise Vitty Susan Sevey
Welcome New Elementary School Principals >> Alice Smith School American International School of Guangzhou American Pacific International School American School of Bangkok, The Asia Pacific International School Bandung Independent School Bangkok Patana School Beijing International Bilingual Academy Busan International Foreign School Cebu International School Chatsworth International School Dalian American International School Dwight School Seoul Ekamai International School Hangzhou International School International Christian School - Pyeongtaek International School of Dongguan International School Suva ISE International School ISS International School Kunming International Academy Nagoya International School NIST International School Northbridge International School Cambodia Osaka YMCA International School Punahou School Raffles American School Saigon South International School Shanghai American School Shenzhen Shekou International School Singapore International School of Bangkok Stamford American International School Surabaya Intercultural School Thai-Chinese International School The British School, New Delhi Tianjin International School UWC Thailand International School Western Academy of Beijing Yew Chung International School of Qingdao Yongsan International School of Seoul
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Tom Verity Tatiana Lopukhin Christiana Cavaliere Neil Walton Judy Park Amy Bowley Jason Cooper Cynthia Wrenn Nate Swenson Theodore Mockrish Michael Berry Peter Row Susan Allenspach-Kuss Hazel Ilao Robert Hyndman Charlie Mooney Raedel Bagley Rebecca Clentworth Holly Reardon Sharyn Skrtic Rebecca Young Aubrey Curran Jane Cooper Kascha Reed John Botting Paris Priore-Kim Tim Shepherd Dan Keller Michael Hibbeln Harish Kanabar Narisa Letnamwongwan Clare Johnstone / Elena De La Rosa Tylene Desfosses Betsy Fitch Craig Lewis Rachel Scroggins Jaki Graham Angela Steinmann Gareth Probert Krista Roll
Welcome New Associate Institutions >> Agenda Consulting Services: Agenda is a specialised consultancy service which provides creative communications, marketing and fundraising initiatives for international schools and educational institutions. www.agconsulting.asia International Medical Group IMG Services: Insurance www.imglobal.com KOMPAN ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD Services: KOMPAN is the world’s largest playground manufacturer/supplier; develop, produce and market an extensive range of playground equipment that covers all age groups.. Offices in 17 countries. Globally distributed – in 65 countries. www.kompan.com Moonlight School Services: Provide the quality education for the needy children in Nepal. www.moonlight.org.np
New Member Service – Update The EARCOS Leadership Mentoring (ELM) initiative is enjoying the benefits of pilot cohort members’ reflections and improvement suggestions. These volunteer members have been engaged throughout the recent long holiday break. Cohort members completed either a mentor or mentee application in May 2017 and continue to work through eight common language modules (CLM), which were delivered via an online platform and opened for enrollment in mid-June 2017. EARCOS gratefully recognizes the commitment of these cohort members and warmly extends gratitude to each of them for participating during the long summer/winter holiday. Pilot cohort reflections and improvement suggestions for all aspects of our new member service have been well received and predicts enhanced quality for those EARCOS members, who wish to join the ranks of ELM mentors and mentees. And, the meaningful feedback continues, as cohort members are completing the final stages of the online CLM. More formal avenues for cohort members to offer reflections will include a survey and individual interviews. The results from this data gathering will be studied to assure relevant content in the CLM and usefulness of the application process for subsequent matching of mentors with mentees. EARCOS anticipates a formal launch of this new member service immediately following the 2017 EARCOS Leadership Conference, as applications for prospective mentors and mentees will be opened to EARCOS members at this time. Following the two-week application window (29 October – 11 November), those completing an application will be invited to join the inaugural CLM cohort, which is scheduled for 12 November through 06 January 2018. Those interested in learning more about ELM, or certain that they wish to eventually join fellow EARCOS school leaders (mentors) and aspiring leaders (mentees) are asked to access this link (http://www.earcos.org/elm_application.php), which leads you to the series of articles published in three consecutive EARCOS Triannuals published during the 2016/17 school year. Also, at this link you will find additional details about this new member service. Dr. Joe Petrone, EARCOS Consultant
Fall 2017 Issue 7
Global Citizenship Awardees >> List of Global Citizenship Award 2017 Winners
This award is presented to a student who embraces the qualities of a global citizen. This student is a proud representative of his/her nation while respectful of the diversity of other nations, has an open mind, is well informed, aware and empathetic, concerned and caring for others encouraging a sense of community, and strongly committed to engagement and action to make the world a better place. Finally, this student is able to interact and communicate effectively with people from all walks of life while having a sense of collective responsibility for all who inhabit the globe. SCHOOL
NAME OF STUDENT
Access International Academy Ningbo American International School Hong Kong American International School of Guangzhou American School in Japan, The American School in Taichung Bali Island School Bandung Alliance Intercultural School Bandung Independent School Bangalore International School Bangkok Patana School Beijing BISS International School Beijing City International School Berkeley International School Brent International School Baguio Brent International School Manila Brent International School Subic Busan Foreign School Busan International Foreign School Canadian Academy Canadian International School of Hong Kong Cebu International School Chadwick International School Chinese International School Christian Academy in Japan Concordia International School Shanghai Daegu International School Dalat International School Garden International School Hangzhou International School Harbour School, The Hong Kong Academy Hong Kong International School International Christian School - Hong Kong International School Bangkok International School Ho Chi Minh City International School Manila International School of Beijing International School of Kuala Lumpur International School of Phnom Penh International School of Qingdao International School of Tianjin International School of Ulaanbaatar ISS International School Jakarta Intercultural School Kaohsiung American School KIS International School Korea International School Korea International School - JeJu Campus Korea Kent Foreign School Kunming International Academy
Chai Hyun Park Yumeng (Alice) YANG Hyun Ji Jeong Kai Shimojo Jenna Wu Song Hee Chang Jessica Hirianto Annabel Ashworth Ryan Saleel Chada (Jessy) Mahadumrongkul Se Yeon Park Sylvia Qiu Missy Sorhirun Sachitha Bhat Sung Won Hwang Jillian Davies Jihong Lee Chaeri Yoo Karuna Khemaney Helena Hatrick Catrina Lee Sanchez Suarez Yura Kim Victoria Ngai Angela Loh Helen Zhang Anna Wonbeen Lee Areeya Kunawaradisai Anoushka Upadhyay Prachi Sukhnani Ignacio Hui Jack Robb Ella Hurworth Hanming Zeng Alaina Pinvises Hsin-Tien (Sandy) Lee Khenzom Alling Sean Wang Gayoung (Kris) Jeong Lefee Ouy Rachel Chee Amit Mishra Khaliun Enkhbayar Tarish Kadam Riwa Tamai Angela Chen Naleenvali Sirathanapornpat Megan Juyon Lee Yeon Jae “Skyler� Cho Zafar Khaleque Yoon Kim
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Lanna International School Thailand Hyeon Seok Marist Brothers International School Mariko Nomi Mont’Kiara International School Samuel Jian Xuan Ng Nagoya International School Haruka Takagi Nanjing International School Jen-wei (Willy) Wang NIST International School Rairat (Am) Chunnananda North Jakarta Intercultural School Putra Ngadimin Northbridge International School Cambodia Seimony Sun Oberoi International School Trisha Sharma Osaka International School Mia Lewis Prem Tinsulanonda International School Suchanan Rasnam Thakral QSI International School of Shenzhen Jin Gyu (Marcel) Lee Ruamrudee International School Nacha Rapeerattanakul Saigon South International School Kaithe Fadreguilan Saint Maur International School Seena Katayama Seisen International School Youkie Shiozawa Seoul Foreign School Erica Ji-hyun Kim Seoul International School Diane Dahyun Lee Shanghai American School - Pudong Campus Kevin Zhang Yang Shanghai American School - Puxi Campus Yujia (Shelly) Huang Shanghai Community Int’l School-Hongqiao Campus Charlotte Gray Shenzhen College of International Education Panzhen Wu Singapore American School Ruth Jaensubhakij Taejon Christian International School Rebecca Jiwon Park Taipei American School Claire Moy Teda International School In Ye Ram The British School, New Delhi Soo Min Park The International School Yangon Raj Venkatesh Tianjin International School KangHyoun Ryu Tohoku International School John Lee United Nations International School of Hanoi Yoav Shahar United World College of S.E. Asia-Dover Campus Chanreaksmey So United World College of S.E. Asia-East Campus Julia Hae Jin Kim UWC Thailand International School Diogo da Costa Vientiane International School Noni Flint Wells International School – On Nut Campus Chae Jin Shin Western Academy of Beijing (Bohong) Danny Du Wuhan Yangtze International School Cho Rock (Jessica) Park Yangon International School May Pyae Zaw Yew Chung International School of Beijing Vani Gupta Yew Chung International School of Shanghai Elizabeth Libby Robinson Yokohama International School Arunansu Patra
Global Citizenship Community Grant Recipients >> All of us here at EARCOS wish to extend our sincere congratulations to the following Global Citizens who have been chosen to receive an EARCOS Global Citizen Community Service Grant of $500 to further their excellent community work during this upcoming academic year. The recipients are: Chad (Jessy) Mahadum, Bangkok Patana School Project Name: Palliative Care (Youth Association of Thailand)
Elizabeth Fay Robinson, Yew Chung International School of Shanghai Project Name: Make A Difference Run
Suchanan (Rasnam), Prem Tinsulanonda International School Project Name: Advocates for Global Welfare
Helena Hatrick, Canadian International School of Hong Kong Project Name: RESPECT (Refugee Educational Support Program- Everyone Can Teach!)
Hsin Tien Lee (Sandy), International School Ho Chi Minh City Project Name: Youth for Elderly Service (YES) Helen Zhang, Concordia International School Shanghai Project Name: Huge Grace Orphanage
Fall 2017 Issue 9
Faces of EARCOS Sab Kagei - EARCOS Board of Trustees
Saburo “Sab” Kagei is an example of a “third-culture kid” and a continuation of international school education. The sixth of eight children, Sab attended Ruamrudee and St. Mary’s International School in the EARCOS region, and is the headmaster at his alma mater St. Mary’s, an all-boys’ Catholic school founded by the Brothers of Christian Instruction in Tokyo, Japan. Four of his five sisters attended the International School of the Sacred Heart, and one of his two brothers is also a graduate of St. Mary’s. He has worked as an elementary homeroom teacher at the sixth & fifth grade levels, computer science instructor grades 7-12, coached sports and fine arts, and worked as the middle and high school principal at his current school. His wife, Ann, is the middle school principal at Seisen International School, and his daughter, Kristen, is a graduate of the same school. This threesome also attended and graduated from Georgetown University, and Sab further earned two MA’s from Cal State University Northridge. He is honored and humbled to serve as an EARCOS Board member, and is eager to learn and work.
Elsa Donohue - National Distinguished Principal
Elsa has been named the 2017 National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary Principals. Elsa is currently the elementary principal at the Jakarta Intercultural School. Her work at JIS has included aspects of leadership that range from leading and supporting a shift in philosophical approaches to teaching and learning, to being involved in a master planning process for campus development, to strengthening the school’s image through government relations, specifically with the Ministry of Education. Elsa’s latest passion focuses on supporting the expansion of leadership capacity throughout the school, with special attention to growing teacher leaders, middle level leadership and highly effective teams. Elsa holds two Master’s degrees from the graduate school of education at Michigan State University in Curriculum and Teaching and Educational Leadership She has provided professional development sessions at the Principal Training Center (PTC), EARCOS conferences and African International Schools Association conferences.
Bill Oldread - EARCOS Assistant Director
After four years in the U.S., Bill Oldread has returned to his former position of EARCOS Assistant Director. Prior to his first four year tenure at EARCOS Bill held administrative positions at Brent International School and Shanghai American School. Previous to that he taught science in Maine and Massachusetts for 25 years.
In Memoriam - Dr. Ernie Mannino Dr. Ernie Mannino has died. Ernie was truly a giant of international education who lived an exceptionally accomplished life of service as an educator and leader. He was a true visionary and a fearless crusader for ensuring the availability of high quality international education around the world. Ernie made a huge impact on international education and will be remembered fondly by his many colleagues, friends, AAIE, the Office of Overseas Schools, and educators in East Asia. In 2010 Dr. Mannino was inducted into the Watertown, Massachusetts Hall of fame, his hometown. Youtube Link: http://tinyurl.com/yckpnl37 Read more about Dr. Ernest Mannino: http://tinyurl.com/y7srjg77 10 EARCOS Triannual Journal
EdThought >>
Educational Leadership Philosophy By George Couros I wanted to think about my own “Educational Leadership Philosophy” and put it into words as I come into the new school year. As I write this down, I love the picture below that reminds me it is not only what we say, but what we do that matters.
Photo by Soliya Education and school have traditionally been the hub of our communities. Not only for the wisdom and knowledge that they create for our present and future, but for the connections that they create amongst a community. Growing up in a small town, teachers were revered and respected for the work that they did with students, and they always made an effort to connect with parents to bring them in on the learning process of their child, not just with developing intelligence, but developing students as people. The notion of, “it takes a village”, is something that I believe in deeply, and believe that it is more important now than ever. As a leader, I believe in bringing a community together to share leadership in many different avenues. In a quote from Tom Peters, he states that “leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.”8 In a school community, this starts at the top in working with others to develop their leadership in every position and level of school. By focusing on an individual’s strengths, you show that you value their expertise first, before you look to help them develop in other areas. This strength-based focus helps to build a relationship with each individual, pushing them to be better every day. When the leader of an organization has this belief and proves it through actions, it trickles down to students in the classroom. The more experience I have in leadership, the more I see that effective teachers are effective leaders, and have this same strength-based approach with their students. If we have a community that focus on building leadership in all areas, we are more likely to be successful within our vision. Through this value on developing leadership,2 our schools are more open not only to navigate but to lead change as well. As society
continues to change, schools need to adapt to best serve our students for their future as well as their present. Those that are willing to adapt and learn from change now, will be the ones that are most likely to be successful in the future. As we see different jobs being created in our world, while other jobs are becoming irrelevant, we look to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs in schools. This is often created by instilling a sense of “intrapreneurial spirit” within educators that are always looking to develop and further the organization. While we look and build on what has worked in the past, we must also continuously look forward. One of those changes in our world is a shift to an open and transparent environment. As an administrator, I have the opportunity to become better by continuously being able to visit classrooms and see what the most effective teachers do. Peers do not have this same opportunity because of our physical environment. Through the use of different technologies such as blogging and Twitter, we open up our classrooms to other educators not only in our own schools, but to schools around the world to bring them in on this collaboration. As I always focus on “what is best for kids”, it is crucial that we look to not only help our own students, but how we can help other students from around the globe as well. As we tell our students when they walk into our schools, we must ensure that we create a culture of sharing within our own community to learn from others around the world, as well as within our own community. The most innovative environments outside of school tap into the “wisdom of the room” and bring in different voices to continuously learn and grow; schools must do the same. To be successful, people must have a purpose within our organization. This included parents who are a great untapped resource within our own communities. We can no longer have children going home and being asked the question, “what did you learn today?”, and responding with, “nothing.” By opening the doors to our classrooms through both physical and virtual environments, we have the opportunity to change the conversation at home. Parents are able to be actively involved in the process of learning, leading to a higher opportunity for success of each child. The more we can involve parents in this process at home, the more likely students will be successful in school, and beyond. This community support is imperative. In summary, building relationships, developing leadership, and focusing on school as the “hub” of our community,we are more likely to create an environment where our students are building a bright future both today and tomorrow. By looking at what worked in the past while also looking to develop our future, our community is more likely to be able to come together to create the schools our kids need. Reprinted with permission of the author George Couros. www.georgecouros.ca/blog/about-me/educational-leadership-philosophy Fall 2017 Issue 11
EdThought >>
Building A Better Transcript: What Grades Measure, And What They Don’t By Tony Wagner, Expert in Residence at Harvard University’s Innovation Lab
This month, approximately 3.5 million high school seniors will be granted diplomas. The rest of us will (and should) applaud their achievements, but we must also stop and consider: What did these students have to do to earn their diplomas, and what, exactly, has their schoolwork prepared them for? In 1892, The Committee of Ten, led by Harvard President Charles Eliot, created a standardized framework for the high school curriculum that, in turn, dictated essential prerequisites for college admissions. This system requires that students earn between 18 and 24 “Carnegie Units” in order to graduate. A Carnegie Unit is a standardized measure of “seat time served” in a given class — roughly 120 hours of a class over the course of a year. Students’ grades in a particular class are supposed to represent how well they served that time, and students’ grade point average and class rank are taken as measures of how well individuals have performed compared to peers. And these numbers still make up the typical high school transcript, which is required by virtually every college and university in America in order to be considered for admission. But these measures are more than a century old, and hopelessly obsolete. In this era of innovation, all students need essential skills and dispositions for work, learning, and citizenship — habits of mind 12 EARCOS Triannual Journal
and heart that cannot be measured by Carnegie Units. Students who can take initiative, learn through trial and error, collaborate, persist, understand and solve problems through interdisciplinary approaches, and who have strong moral foundations are set up to thrive in the future. The students who are merely good at the “game of school” — those with high grades but without those skills — are not. And if school is a game, then “losing” comes with stark emotional consequences. Too many students in our “best” suburban and independent schools increasingly experience high school as a cutthroat competition for admission to a selective college. Bright and resilient students who receive poor grades or don’t get into the “right” college often see themselves as losers for life. There is a better way. In March of this year, some of America’s leading independent schools announced the creation of the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC). It is an effort to create an entirely new way to assess and report the quality of student work — one that is based on real evidence of mastery, rather than a grade or time spent in a particular class. The MTC is still in development; it will be built, refined and tested over the next several years.
But the goal is to finally see students’ educational record in clearer focus, and in three dimensions.
tery Transcript Consortium is developing ways to record what students can do with what they know.
The new reporting will indicate the skills and knowledge that students have mastered. But it will also include qualities of character that make their humanity visible and help admissions officers make better decisions when it comes to an applicant’s “fit.” The design will help colleges better understand students’ skill sets and potential to succeed on campus, and allows students to present themselves more authentically to admissions officers.
“Each Mastery Credit applied to a transcript signifies complete mastery of a specific skill, knowledge block or habit of mind as defined by the crediting high school,” says the Consortium’s founder, Scott Looney. Reading the electronic transcript “will allow college admission officers to dive deep within a transcript to see the specific standards of the sending high school and actual evidence of student work and mastery, thus giving depth and transparency to the student’s work record.”
Since the March announcement, more than 100 schools have signed up to join in the discussion and development of the Mastery Transcript, including renowned schools such as Phillips Andover Academy and Punahou in Hawaii, President Obama’s alma mater. And the Edward E. Ford Foundation just gave the Consortium a $2 million grant to develop its technology platform. Once there is a proof of concept, the Mastery Transcript Consortium membership will be open to all public and private high schools at a cost commensurate with each institution’s resources. How many of us studied a foreign language for four years in high school, but graduated unable to carry on an extended conversation in that language? How many of us did well enough in high school geometry and algebra, yet struggle to use math to solve real-world problems? In the 21st century, academic content knowledge still matters, but essential skills and dispositions matter more. The Mas-
There are many ways to acquire and demonstrate mastery. Some students may choose internships to gain mastery of a particular competency, take college courses or work in another country. The genius of the Mastery Transcript Consortium is that it will register and reward individual students’ achievements and choices while still providing a common framework for assessment. After 124 years, it’s time to reimagine the high school curriculum for the 21st century and to encourage teaching and assessment of the skills and dispositions that matter most. Our students deserve a more accurate measure, and they shouldn’t have to wait another century for their transcripts to better reflect their accomplishments. Reprinted with permission of the author Tony Wagner http://www.tonywagner.com/2030
Global Issues Network 2018 Welcome to CISSMUN IX & GINAsia 2018! Concordia International School Shanghai is pleased to announce that this coming January, the CISSMUN conference will be held concurrently with Concordia’s first annual High School Global Issues Network conference, GINAsia 2018. The theme of this year’s conference is A Place to Stand. Website: www.cissmun.org | Contact Us: ginasia@concordiashanghai.org
Welcome to GINBALI 2018 This year’s GIN Middle School Conference will be held at Canggu Community
School in Bali, Indonesia from the 2nd - 4th of March, 2018 with students from all over the EARCOS region. GINBali will provide students from around the world an opportunity to Seek Solutions to the several environmental and humanitarian issues in our world today. Theme: “Seeking Solutions: Meeting Global Challenges in a Changing World” Website: https://sites.google.com/ccsbali.com/ginbali2018 Contact: msgin@ccsbali.com
Fall 2017 Issue 13
Student Writing >>
An Aging World
The global population is aging: the number of older persons—those aged 60 years or over—has increased substantially in recent years in most countries and regions, with one in eight people worldwide is aged 60 years or over. By 2050, the global population of older persons is projected to more than double its size in 2015, reaching nearly 2.1 billion—one in every five people will be aged 60 years or over. In order to find the right solutions to help reduce the unnecessary negative changes accompanying aging, It is crucial to distinguish the normal changes accompanying healthy aging from the stereotyped ones and this shall be the aim of the essay. Physiological: it is now believed that much so called ‘inevitable aging’ is brought on by inactivity and disuse rather than the aging process itself. Many chronic diseases associated with aging are actually preventable or modifiable by, for example, changing lifestyles. The psychology behind physical exercise has to do with improvement of self-image and sense of reward. Physical confidence tends to decrease with age, old people to perceive their bodies as heavier and broader than they actually were, and physical tasks harder to perform. Distortion of body image, fear of activity, feelings of clumsiness and thus the following reduction in physical activity could create a vicious cycle. Thus, taking actions to act first is important to end the vicious cycle.
14 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Gradually with continuous exercise, external reward will be gradually transformed to internal rewards, while fear of incapacitation and a desire for buoyant health are frequent motives for initiation of activity, continued development may depend on the enjoyment and the satisfaction of mastering new skills, the bettering of one’s own performance, a feeling of well-being and fitness. Psychological: Cognitive function declines as a result of changes in nervous system. However, not all cognitive abilities decline so dramatically as popular opinion expects them to: measures of vocabulary, information and comprehension often show minimal decline well into the 80s. Considerable amount of individual differences exist in changes of cognitive functioning. Some people maintain the integrity of brain structures very late into old age. The individual differences may indicate some flexibility in these changes. Being intellectually active thus becomes crucial. The key is to take initiation to start acting, which is also, in most cases, the most difficult to achieve. The reason for this lies in the relationship between psychology and social factors. It has been shown that young, middle-aged adults, as well as elderly persons, have stereotyped and essentially negative attitudes toward aging and old people, e.g. some judge the elderly to have the fewest friends, and to be the least happy. However, a lot of the stereotypes, such as incapacity to work are not part of normal aging, but are caused by social expectations, which are learned mostly
via mass media and reinforced by attributional errors. Older people then tend to respond passively to these expectations, and this could result in self-fulling prophecies. The underlying attributional errors should be realized and corrected. Firstly, people, both young and old, tend to attribute social changes associated with aging such as retirement with internal factors ( e.g. “I am no longer capable of doing my job.’ ) rather than external factors ( e.g. ‘Government policy that requires me to retire when I reach a certain age.’ ). Furthermore, the wide array of individual differences between old people are very likely to be ignored. In addition, any negative signs associated with aging shown are mostly explained as, as Martin Seligman (1978) had termed, stable and global — quality such as irritability is regarded to be a common feature for all elderly and true across a range of situations. Therefore, in prevention of entering the golden age with a pessimistic attitude, people, both the young and the seniors, should start seeing healthy, nice and intelligent aged people as the representative, not the exceptional, and develop a more critical attitude towards the negative images in the media about aged people. Social: “Old” social age is indicated by a range of social changes, such as more staving off of retirement, loss of loved ones, less likelihood of contacts with relatives, etc. Given their nature as social changes, they are much more dynamic with time and are influenced and perceived in slightly different ways under different cultural backgrounds. Although retirement can be a stressful life event, it also means opportunities to escape from dissatisfying work, with the pursuit of a personally independent life. 51 percent of Norwegian workers were actually looking forward to a cessation of employment, for the greater opportunities for leisure activities and a chance to rest. Although retired, many chose to keep working part time, leaving career jobs for transition jobs, e.g. in South Korea, the average worker leaves employment at the age 54 but then engages in part-time or
low-wage employment for another 14 years before retiring completely at the age of 68. During leisure activities, the mental stimulation itself may help preserve cognition. Participation in productive or social activities may help sustain a person’s self-concept of usefulness and competence More old people may hold a high value of autonomy and independence in industrialized and modernized societies and prefer to live on their own. Despite the independence, the importance social support from family and community cannot be ignored. Increased social support is associated with less functional decline, a good social network may be protective against physical decline. Family support also has culture-specific significance to aged people. However, this support may be threatened by upcoming shift in family structure. People will receive less family care as they have fewer siblings and fewer children. In addition, in many countries younger populations are with higher rates of divorce rates and separation age, meaning that futures generations may face more problems with living without spouses. Also, the number of available caregivers for old people is decreasing. As a result, more attention should be paid into community care to compensate for this. --------The author’s name is Ji Wendi or Renee Ji. She is a year 12 student at Shenzhen College of International Education studying AS and AL Psychology and intending to pursue a career as a Psychologist in the future. The content is an extract of the essay which won top prize in the American Psychological Association TOPSS essay competition entitled ‘The Multi-dimensional Aging: Subtracting the Unnecessary Expectations.’ Photo by Carlos Paes, freeimages.com
Submit an Article >> The EARCOS Journal We are currently planning the Winter issue with a submission deadline of December 1, 2017. As you can see from our previous issues, we have moved to more of a magazine format with regular features. We invite you to share the great things going on at your school with the other schools in the EARCOS region.
What can be Contributed?
Welcome New Member Schools, New School Heads, Principals and Associate members. Faces of EARCOS – Promotions, retirements, honors, etc. Campus Development – New building plans, under construction, just completed. Curriculum Initiatives – New and exciting adoption efforts, and creative teacher ideas. Green and Sustainable – Related to campus development and/or curriculum. Service Learning Projects Action Research Reports - Summaries of approved action research projects Student Art – We will highlight ES art in Fall issue, MS art in Winter issue, and HS art in Spring issue. Student Writing – Original short stories, poetry, scholarly writing. Reading Corner
Submit your article to
Bill Oldread at boldread@earcos.org or Edzel Drilo at edrilo@earcos.org Fall 2017 Issue 15
Student Writing >>
Ling and the Wishing Tree Through ancient China a terrible disease spread.Through mountains and oceans this disease caused many people to die. Year after year the people who died added up to ten thousand people. In all those years many healthy people were also killed to stop the spread of the disease. That plan of killing people was unsuccessful. All those years and still nobody found a way to destroy the disease. At the same time, a village far away from the city did not catch the disease.The people lived happily.Their ruler, a court musician named Ling, ruled fairly among them. She was respectful and honorable, and that made her a good ruler. Ling had a thin oval face. She had a pair of slant downward eyes that shone like the moon in a pool. She had a pointy nose that was perfectly formed. Her hair was long and black -- soft black and smooth. Her skin was white and smooth. Ling was rich because she was the best musician in China. She mostly wore a long silk dress with little jade ornament on it. She liked to carry a special flute, a fan, and a small special precious amulet passed down from her family ancestors. Her village was near a river and a forest. In front of her house there was a flower field with a beautiful smell of perfume. The garden was special; it had every kind of flower in the world. On the right there was a river and then a forest where her people went for walks. Behind her house there was a huge field where her workers lived and planted crops. It was a peaceful life. In her house you could hear her puppy Sunlight barking. Birds in the trees singing, such a beautiful sight. In the morning the sun was bright, the air damp and a cool wind blew on your cheek. In the afternoon the heat came out. The water in the river was cool; it was the best time to drink it. In the evening the moon shone brightly, and everybody was off to sleep. Ling had a big house. On the door step there were two big bronze lions that guarded Ling and her people from dark spirits and robbers. On her house there were three symbols; one was a dragon, pearl, and tortoise. The dragon meant: energy, law, masculinity, good magic, of art of painting. The pearl was a symbol of treasure, and the tortoise meant immortality. When Ling heard about the disease she ordered her workers to build a huge wall around the village, and made a good army to protect her village. The wall she built was magical, it would conceal her village from the disease. For many years that wall worked, but the wall was breaking up after all those years. Finally, one day the wall lost its magic power and turned into a normal wall. On a stormy Tuesday the story starts. Knock, knock Lings’ door creaked. Ling was having breakfast at her table. She wasn’t in a good mood. She went to open the door.There stood her most honorable man. He came in and said, “The wall broke down my lady. People in our village caught the disease. They are sick, and they need help my lady.” Ling could not believe her ears, she quickly got dressed and went down to her village with her maids and the honorable man. They first visited the fisherman’s hut. He was lying in bed, and his family was so worried. Ling, although a court musician, was also 16 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Written and Illustrated by Allison Jiang Grade 4, Teda International School
taught to be a doctor. She took her medicine bag and put her hand over his head. It was burning hot. So hot she used the art of pricking needles in the man’s body and gave him a lot of medicine. That day she visited a lot of people in the village. They were all sick from that disease. The next day she went to the city to visit the emperor. The emperor said to Ling he knew of only one way to cure the disease. Although many people had looked without success, he would give permission for Ling to find the secret wishing tree of Pensivlla. Ling was glad. When she got back to the village she asked three other friends to go with her to find the tree. Susan, Bing Qing, and La Chang all said yes.That day they packed their bags and decided to meet at Ling’s house at 8 o’clock. Ling packed her things in a bag. She brought her puppy Sunlight with her and they set off. The forest was warm in the day but dark at night. Ling had to make fire from wood. It was a terrible night. All night long they heard howls. It was the creepiest thing ever. After two days they found a big tree with golden leaves. It was the wishing tree. Resting by some nearby trees were some chests. Ling and her friends opened the chests and each found a bone and a sword. Ling found nothing. Just then, Bang Bang, the dragon that was guarding the wishing tree returned. Suddenly, there wasn’t only one dragon, there were four. Ling’s friends all had swords to fight with. Ling had no sword and she was so worried that she just pulled out her flute. When she looked carefully at the flute, there were words that said: “I work at the end, blow me.” So, she tried. When she started to blow, the dragon whipped her with its strong tail. She fell to the ground. She just knew that she was fighting the elder dragon, the strongest among all dragons.The pain was a flash, but she got up again.The dragon wiped her out again. Sunlight was furious. He jumped on the dragon, climbed up to his face and used his claws to fight him. Within minutes, the dragon was all covered with blood and could not see. Ling got up and started blowing into her flute.The sound made the elder dragon disappear in a second. She had won. Her friend Susan had defeated another dragon and was now helping La Chang so Ling went to help Bing Qing. Ling told Bing Qing to strike at the dragon’s back and she would handle the front. She blew a sleeping song on her flute for the young dragon. It fell into a deep sleep. Bing Qing killed the dragon with her sword. Victory! They went to kneel in front of the wishing tree. They made the wish that the terrible disease would disappear, and it came true. When they went back to her village, the village people threw a big party for them. Soon after, this adventure spread, and people wrote books. After some time, people made her the girl emperor. They lived happily ever after.
16th Annual EARCOS Teachers’ Conference 2018 October 27-29,2016 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
“50 Years of Voices United in Purpose”
PRECONFERENCES (March 28)
James Delisle — Gifted Education, Special Needs Students Ann Helmus — Neuropsychology (SENIA) Ochan Powell and Kristen Pelletier — What aspects of collaborative teaching models do teaching partners need to consider? Stephen Shore — Special Needs (SENIA) Bonnie Singer — Language and Literacy (SENIA) International Baccalaureate AP Chinese Language and Culture AP English Language and Literature (combined)
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Strands
Literacy / Reading Early Childhood Special Needs (SENIA) Modern Languages Media Technology Counselors ESL Technology General Education Childrens’ Authors Child Protection Place: Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand Preconference: March 28, 2018 Regular: March 29, 2018
Chip Donohue Technology in Early Childhood Norman Kunc with Emma Van der Klift Disability Rights Community Pernille Ripp Founder of Global Reading Program
SPECIAL PRESENTERS
Michael Boll Technology Sheena Cameron Reading Comprehension Strategies James Delisle Gifted Education, Special Needs Students Chip Donahue Technology in Early Childhood Ann Helmus Neuropsychology Sandie Janusch ESL Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift Disability Rights Community Lori Langer de Ramirez Modern Language, ESL Dianne McKenzie Librarian, International Baccalaureate Jose Medina Bilingual and ESL Education Kristen Pelletier The Next Frontier: Inclusion Ochan Powell Inclusion and EAL Pernille Ripp Founder of Global Reading Program Stephen Shore Special Needs Bonnie Singer Language and Literacy Logan Smalley TED-Ed Steve Swinburne Author Kathy Walker Early Childhood Fiona Zinn Early Childhood
EARCOS PRACTITIONER PRESENTERS For more information If you have any questions, please contact the EARCOS office or email Elaine Repatacodo, ETC Coordinator at lrepatacodo@earcos.org
Katie Day and Stacey Taylor Zander Lyvers Kelsey Long
Librarians Action Research
Phone: +63 (02) 779-5147 | Fax: +63 (49) 511-4694 | Mobile: +63 928-5074876
EARCOS S A www.earcos.org/etc2018/ VE visit TEACHERS' THE CONFERENCE
Opinion >>
Navigating the Digital World Together – A Personal Reflection
I remember the first time I flew by myself to London. I was 19 and somewhat nervous to be traveling from San Francisco without friends or family. I was confident that I could manage the airports and the flight because I had frequently traveled with my grandparents when I was younger. I was more nervous about taking the Tube, finding my way to the hotel and knowing what to do if something unexpected came up. My mother was worried about my being safe and naturally had instructed me to call as soon as I got settled. Car phones were the new fad at that time while mobile phones were rare, nearly unheard of; so international calls were conducted most frequently using an operator and a phone card from a land line. How scary for her to know that she had to wait on me to contact her first. How things have changed! Now we live in a world where anyone can connect with anybody else simply by using the personal device that they have in their pocket. Nearly every adult in the world carries a mobile phone according to the Pew Research Center and many teenagers and young children have personal devices as well. You’ve heard it said that children are digital natives and those of us who were born before 1980 are digital immigrants. Our children were born into a world that is very different from the one that we grew up in, even if you are a young parent. Technology is advancing very rapidly. Though our children are citizens of a world that may be a bit foreign and overwhelming to us, it is still our responsibility to guide them on how to navigate through that world. This is done best when we spend time together with them. It always amazes me to see a family spending time together out in public and each member is sitting quietly typing on their own phone 18 EARCOS Triannual Journal
or tablet. I’m afraid that while most parents would worry about their child’s safety and capableness when sending them alone on a trip, they often allow their child to spend hours daily navigating the digital world completely on their own. From an alternate perspective, did you know that many children are concerned about the amount of time their parents spend on a personal device? That children feel their parents have addiction issues with technology? That when parents engage with their personal device some children feel neglected? Educators are just as guilty as the next parent. Schools are not the only place where children should learn how to navigate the digital world. Most children, aged 11 and above, spend as much as 6-9 hours on a computer or mobile phone after school hours (commonsensemedia.org). That’s why it’s so important that parents reflect on what’s happening with their child at home. The digital world may seem foreign at times but it is important that families and the school work together to support children in being safe, confident and experienced digital travelers. Make a commitment to spend more time being together with your son or daughter using technology. Set boundaries about when and where technology can be used. Model for your child the way that you would like them to use their personal device. Let them know who they can turn to when they come across the unexpected. You do not have to know it all. Learn together. In doing this, you’ll prepare your child better for navigating the digital world on their own. By Allen Lambert Director of Technology at Beijing City International School allen.lambert@bcis.cn Photo by Nevit Dilmen
Curriculum Initiative >>
Will There Ever be a Perfect Math Program? By Lolita Mattos MS/HS Mathematics Teacher
Picture this…It’s the first day of school and the counselor’s office is flooded with students who are not satisfied with their class schedules. I give it no thought until I take attendance in my Intermediate Algebra class. There are only two students in my classroom, but my class list indicates that there should be twelve. I follow a hunch and go to Dr. G’s Pre-Calculus classroom, and what do I see? Exactly 75% Properly placed students aren’t of my students sitting comafraid to work in front of peers. fortably in his Pre-Calculus classroom chatting away. I ask what they are doing there and they say that they should be in Dr. G’s Pre-Calculus class because they are in the 11th grade and this is what they “want” to take? (Of course it has nothing to do with wanting to be with their friends). I explain to them that they can only take the class if they have taken, and passed, the prerequisite classes. They all insist that they have taken the proper classes, but I know they haven’t. In order to make it official, I inform them that they must take, and pass, a “Readiness for Precalculus” test. Not surprisingly, only two out of ten students pass the test and are allowed to stay in Dr. G’s class. The rest, with great reluctance, accept the fact that they will be in my Intermediate Algebra class. I sigh and tell them “I get it! No one wants to be in the ‘dumb’ class, but trust me, it will all be worth it in the end.” They know that now. What is it with the pressure of having to have Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, AP Stats, on your transcript? And why do students risk lowering their GPAs just to have the titles on their transcripts? Do they not know that excelling in other math classes is not a bad thing? Here at SIS, one of the mathematics department goals is to help dispel the myth that one must have AP Calculus on their transcript in order to increase their chances of being accepted into University. Does it look good? Absolutely! Is it imperative? No, it is not. When it comes to reconfiguring a math program, one can’t help but imagine having a program that suits the needs and desires of all students, parents, and teachers. However, we all know that there is no “one size fits all” program for schools in general, particularly international schools. For many international schools, there are several reasons why it is difficult to achieve the perfect math program. For example, if the school is small, the ratio of teachers to subject choice is limited. This, in turn, also limits the variety and availability of AP or IB mathematics subjects. Also, because students are coming from
schools all over the world that utilize programs other than AP or IB, having a “one size fits all” program can never work because it would be difficult to meet the needs of all students in any one particular class. Not being able to fulfill these needs has caused some schools to create specialized classes for students because he or she exceeds the level of expectations in mathematics. This has happened at SIS in the past, and while creating a specialized program sounded like a good idea at the time, it also set a dangerous precedent. After all, if you create a specialized class for one student, then how can you deny another? This was part of the reason that the mathematics department decided to re-evaluate the program at SIS for eventually, this will ultimately lead to teachers with too heavy workloads while trying to accommodate the needs of a handful. Currently, there are two specialized classes that exist at SIS and while we all know that there are some students who are extremely high achievers and can afford to skip a grade, this is not the case for the vast majority. While both classes have extremely conscientious, independent students capable of achieving excellence, not everyone has the developmental capacity to fill in the gaps with concepts that they missed by skipping Prealgebra, on their own. While skipping Prealgebra had little to no effect on the first class, the second class is currently experiencing the ripple effect of not having all concepts mastered from Prealgebra which led to incompletion of a full-year Algebra 1 course. Although students in the second class are high achievers and have proven they can handle higher math, it is evident that they are lacking the concepts that are crucial in order to excel in Algebra 2. By creating these two “special” classes, it has caused some difficulty as to what we have to offer as a school. In the past, it was not unusual to have a class that consisted of three or less students. With the ripple effect in place, there were also whole classes comprised of students that were grossly underprepared. While there is a lot of pressure for high school teachers to maintain high standards of excellence, the majority of educators are well aware that mathematics teachers receive the most pressure from parents more than any other subject. Therefore, by using their combined experiences, the SIS mathematics department began exploring ways to help all students achieve success and be prepared to take AP Calculus by their Senior year. A course for the 10th and 11th grades was created to fill in the gaps incurred in the middle and early high school years. The math department also developed a system that will cater to incoming students’ immediate needs, but at the same time, prepare them for higher level mathematics. In order to verify and confirm that SIS was on the right track, the team attended the 2017 Annual EARCOS conference in Kota Kinabalu. They attended a workshop titled “Tracking/Acceleration in MS Math: Pitfalls and Perils. This workshop also provided insights, and concrete strategies for improving our mathematics teaching and programs. The preconceived notion that taking AP Calculus will guarantee admission to any University, will never go away, despite the reassurances and studies that prove otherwise. Parents are still going to push for it anyway. We are grateful to collaborate with EARCOS colleagues, as it confirmed that our mathematics curriculum is on the right track. Not every student dreams of taking the almighty AP Calculus class, but we can at least try and provide it for everyone who has a sincere desire to take it. Not because they are forced to, but because they want to. So, in answer to the question “will there ever be a perfect math program?” Of course not, but it will never stop us from trying! Fall 2017 Issue 19
Curriculum Initiative >>
The Importance of Trilingualism In The 21st Century
By Dr. John McGrath, Head of School, TCIS, john.mcgrath@tcis.ac.th
In today’s world, we often hear about the importance of focusing our educational efforts on STEM practices. While science and math are important, I feel that stressing them above all other forms of study misses an important point – that language and communication matter, now more than ever. This is why I want to call for schools not to ignore STEM studies, but also to focus on a subject just as, if not more crucial – trilingualism. Trilingualism is the ability to speak three distinct languages. Science Daily writes about a research report that
“...brings forth six main areas where multilingualism and hence the mastery of complex processes of thought seem to put people in advantage. These include learning in general, complex thinking and creativity, mental flexibility, interpersonal and communication skills, and even a possible delay in the onset of age-related mental diminishment later in life.” Let me put that into plain English for you. Knowing at least three languages helps you: • Learn other subjects – including STEM – better • Develop complex thought • Boost creativity • Become more mentally flexible • See arguments from more than one side • Communicate better • Relate more directly to other people • Delay Alzheimer’s and other mental diseases associated with aging 20 EARCOS Triannual Journal
This alone should be enough to encourage trilingualism. But there is more to the story to be told. From an economic standpoint, trilingualism is crucial. As noted in The New York Times,
“language learning and linguistic diversity ought to be taken as endogenous to the process of economic development.” This means that as the world becomes more competitive, the more languages you speak, the better the chances you have of getting and holding a better job in the marketplace. This makes sense when you think of the world we are creating. Not only are people becoming more mobile – and thus, willing to move for the right job – but the world is becoming smaller. Smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices make it just as easy to hire someone in Hong Kong as someone local to where you live. But they need to speak your language. The people who speak more languages will receive more, and higher paying, job offers.Those who are limited to their own language will have less ability to move and fewer chances to compete on the global stage. This is not the future – this is now. Today English, Chinese and Spanish are the dominant languages in the world.That is a trend that is likely to grow in the future. The Chinese economy on its own is vast. But now that it is actively seeking out more international business opportunities, it will become perhaps the predominant economy in the world. Their business leaders will want to work with people who can speak their language. Therefore, learning Chinese is an essential skill for the future. The same
thing applies to Spanish. As South American countries continue to show economic growth, they will become more important in the global economy. People will need to be able to communicate with them. In fact, due to their size versus their growth potential, they may actually be more important than China for young people looking to seek a high return on the work they are willing and able to provide. Finally, English. While the United States may be seen as losing influence in the world, the truth is they are an economic powerhouse. Political influence should not be seen in the same light as economic influence. They are and will remain a huge market and a huge supplier of jobs for the rest of this century. Add in Canada, the UK and Australia – another growing market – and it becomes clear that the English language is here to stay in terms of economic development, growth and the future. It should be self-evident that people who can speak all of the three dominant languages in the world will have a unique and potentially unstoppable advantage in the marketplace in the coming years. Finally, let’s talk about computers and their influence. It seems obvious that communicating through computers will become increasingly more important as time goes on.This will force the industry – and all related companies – to default to common languages. Those will be English, Chinese and Spanish because of their numbers. What this means is that understanding all three languages will be of paramount importance – particularly for those involved in STEM learning. It makes no sense to have knowledge in math or science but not to
be able to communicate it because the devices you need to spread it don’t speak what you do. At my school, we have made trilingualism a priority. Students are taught three languages starting at a young age. This is important, because the younger you start learning a language, the more likely you are to become adept at it. I believe all schools should follow a similar path. Communication matters – and people are more comfortable talking to people who speak their language. This matters and it is important to our children’s future. In fact, I’d argue that given the cognitive benefits of trilingualism, it is even more important that STEM studies. Not everyone will be able to master science and math – but everyone can, if taught early, learn to become trilingual. Learning multiple languages will give students a huge advantage no matter what else they choose to study. It will lead them to becoming more creative and that matters in all fields of the arts. It will help them in seeing how other people view things which is important to diplomacy, politics and generally being a good person. It will help them in being more flexible and that allows them to adapt to new situations with greater ease and assurance in their skills. And, it encourages communication skills that allow everyone from a STEM master to a middle manager to become more competitive. All of this comes together to indicate just how important trilingualism is. It is the wave of the future, and we need to be able to be sure all of our students can ride it.
LEADING WHERE IT MATTERS MOST
THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FROM USF AND WSU Do you want to transform school culture and make a lasting impact on education in society? Do you wish to participate in a critical thinking, problem-solving approach to leadership indiverse environments? Join a unique two-year program designed specifically for EARCOS members!
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• Combines online coursework and on-site classes (held during EARCOS conferences) • Program internship prepares participants for a Washington State Principal Certificate that meets certification requirements in many other states
education.wsu.edu/certification/international FOR MORE INFORMATION Washington State University Dr. Shannon M. Calderone shannon.calderone@wsu.edu education.wsu.edu | wsu.edu
• Instructors are university faculty and international school leaders • Teamwork and collaborative learning
Fall 2017 Issue 21
Curriculum Initiative >>
Successful Start for All: A unique design to intentionally build strong partnerships between home and school in the early years By Evelyn Chaveriat, Director of Admissions and Drew Gerdes, Elementary School Assistant Principal Concordia International School Shanghai
These “mini-school day” events, complete with playtime, story and snack time, and a ride on the school bus, are meant to acclimate incoming families to the campus and help lessen the stress of attending school for the first time. Incoming students are also invited to join current students and parents at the elementary school spring carnival and track/field fun day. New Concordia parents are excited to see their children embracing the school experience, and, by attending these events alongside their children, they have an opportunity to connect with current members of the school community. Young parents, or parents of young children, often have unique questions and seek guidance or reassurance from the school. Successful Start provides an opportunity for teachers and administrators to address questions from new Concordia parents and mitigate their concerns. While students explore their new classrooms with their teachers and classmates, parents attend information sessions on ways they can partner with the Concordia to cultivate a positive school experience for their children. These sessions also share strategies that parents can use at home to help their children gain confidence and strong self-regulatory skills.
Successful start New Concordia families comfortably gather for story time in Concordia’s Welcome Center. Starting school for the first time can be an overwhelming experience for young children. However, the youngest learners at Concordia International School Shanghai began the 2017-18 school year with a safe, low-stress transition to the classroom thanks to our Successful Start program. The program, a collaboration between the elementary school and admissions office, is designed to ease young students into their new environment by allowing them to visit classrooms and meet teachers and classmates in a way that relieves anxiety and fosters social learning that benefits children, families, and teachers. Because social-emotional intelligence is so important for young children, they need time to establish trust with caregivers and develop social competence with their peers. During the first three days of school, small groups of six preschool-3 students take part in 90-minute classroom periods, where they can engage with the teacher and classmates at a pace that is developmentally appropriate.The following week, students attend three half-day sessions with their entire class before starting their regular full-day sessions which they will continue for the rest of the school year. For the majority of incoming preschool students, the transition begins the spring before their August start, when Concordia’s admissions office sponsors events for newly accepted preschool students. 22 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Helping young students feel comfortable and confident in their new surroundings benefits early childhood teachers as well. By lessening the anxiety of new students and slowly integrating them into the new school environment, teachers are able to focus on keeping their classrooms running smoothly. At the same time, teachers are fostering deeper relationships with parents, allowing for earlier and stronger parent-teacher partnerships. While there is no way to alleviate all the tears and worries associated with attending school for the first time, programs like Concordia’s Successful Start certainly make it easier for children, parents and teachers to start the school year off right. Successful Start_Parents join their students in the classroom for fun activities.
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2017
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Curriculum Initiative >>
STEAM is Strong at Taipei American School By Ramy Youssif, Lower School Art Taipei American School
Three years ago the K-5 art program at Taipei American School (TAS) started incorporating grade level classroom integrated projects, teaching the design process, and developing STEAM curriculum to enhance the already strong art content and material skills teachers were providing in art classes. The overlapping of ideas inspired new, exciting projects, and also helped develop a budding visiting artist program while continuing to focus on meaningful, creative, and material exposure filled experiences for students in the Lower School. Changes started to be noticed immediately after administration suggested to integrate where overlapping ideas fit well, and when communication was shared that the Lower School would be implementing STEAM curriculum the following year. Around the same time, a new mode for creativity in the form of a 3D printer was donated, along with a group of parents who volunteered their time to create an artwork in the halls of the school, which straightaway inspired art teachers to implement new ideas in preparation for the future. In October of 2014 digital displays of fifth grade Alien Architecture designs and display cases of their 3D printed designs emerged in the hallways, and were being mistaken for middle school artworks! Shortly after, Lower School administration, who have been beyond supportive of the art program, provided an opportunity to develop an art project with some eager, artistic parents. The art team took the opportunity as a chance to start talking about the design process with students and turned a third grade clay project into a huge group mosaic project. The remainder of the year continued to show variety of design process guided projects.
STEAM drawing installation and circle painting banners created by grades k-5 students with visiting artist Mr. Hiep Nguyen. Formosa Forever, the whole grade level, parent group, and art department collaboration was unveiled the following year, and will forever be a part of the Lower School building. Heather Hanson inspired full body, kinetic drawings that integrated math and science concepts into students’ colorful chalk artworks on a rooftop of the school.The application, Motion Portrait, brought Van Gogh styled self-portraits to life, while a wind energy unit constructed more durable pinwheels while also teaching color mixing and the six-step color wheel. Insect anatomy content has been incorporated into drawing projects to reinforce even more science content. Technology continued to fuel a lot of project ideas, and digitally designed and individually stylized 3D printed glasses were being worn by art students! All of this and more lead to last year’s annually theme based exhibition that was dedicated to STEAM. Another successful fall exhibition displayed at least two STEAM projects per grade level that was highlighted by robotic animal circuit drawings with working lights, and fourth graders’ exposure to the TAS Upper School’s visiting ceramic 3D printing artist, Yao Van Den Heerik. Afterwards, with special thanks to EARCOS funding, the Lower School hosted their first overseas visiting artist, Hiep Nguyen. Hiep brought his Circle Painting and STEAM drawing projects to all three divisions in TAS, and a weekend workshop exposed approximately twenty teachers from various international schools in the region. His processes and collaboration with the Lower School art team resulted in a large mural painting and an enormous K-5 hanging installation in the main lobby of TAS.
Bulletin display of k-5 student work for their STEAM themed art exhibition. 24 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Integration, the design process, and STEAM continues to be a strong, yet still growing force in the TAS Lower School art program, and with all of the recent experiences there is much excitement to see what amazing, inspirational art will come next.
Curriculum Initiative >>
Project Innovate a New Vision for Future-Ready Learning at Canadian Int’l School Hong Kong By Ms. Aly Trezis, alisontrezise@cdnis.edu.hk
Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) has enjoyed a reputation for innovation since it was founded in 1991. As an IB through-train school, with results ranking among the best in the world, CDNIS enjoys a privileged position on the world stage for progressive educational practices, attracting exceptional international educators. Recognised as one of the first Apple Distinguished Schools in Asia, CDNIS introduced the first personal 1:1 laptop programme in Hong Kong over 10 years ago and has since remained at the cutting edge of digital innovation. This combined with a thriving Maker Culture, dynamic visual and performing arts, including an inspirational Artist in Residence Programme, and a genuine commitment to student-led sustainability projects has demonstrated the school’s commitment to creativity and innovation.
A good example of this is the new Lower School one-to-one robotics programme, extending their making and coding skills and developing their creativity and critical thinking beyond what can be achieved in a brief programme of weekly lessons. A new addition on campus is the Science & Innovation Lab whereby students can experiment with making, creating and responding to real world based projects. In the Upper School, a student led initiative, The Blueprint Club, supports this next-level thinking by providing an incubator for developing innovative ideas, encouraging students to push boundaries and reach beyond themselves, while solving real world problems. One group is currently working with Arduino hardware and software to monitor the use of recycling bins at the school with a view to increasing recycling. Project Innovate is embedded into mainstream learning, quite different to the add-on programmes being offered elsewhere. Teachers are provided with professional development opportunities, such as design-thinking workshops, to build upon their skills and understandings, but are also challenged to find new ways to empower and engage students in their classrooms. Encouraging staff to bring their own passions into school, to share and develop networks, co-create projects with others and continue to push the boundaries is a key aspect of Project Innovate’s philosophy.
Students experience alternative realities in the classroom. CDNIS has now developed a new, holistic vision for innovative education, to provide students with the skills, dispositions and mindsets they need to be successful in the fast-changing world. Project Innovate, grew from a think tank approach, driven by the desire to build upon the innovative culture flourishing in the school. Its core purpose, to deliver future-ready learning, is built around the World Economic Forum’s framework of 21st Century Skills, which bring together foundational skills, with the 21st century competencies of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity and the character qualities of resilience, initiative, curiosity, adaptability, empathy and leadership. This involves an increased emphasis upon handson, experiential learning and authentic problem solving, in combination with the inquiry-based trans and inter-disciplinary approaches embedded in the IB philosophy. Students are encouraged to ask questions and follow their interests in contexts closely related to the real world, while teachers challenge them to take their learning to the next level, thinking always about what comes next.
Lower School one-to-one robotics program extends making and coding skills. Fall 2017 Issue 25
Service Learning >>
Capstone Service Projects at International Community School Bangkok By Stephen Ladas, Assistant Headmaster, stephen_l@ics.ac.th International Community School In 2012, International Community School (ICS) Bangkok’s administration envisioned creating a culminating project for graduating students that would demonstrate the accomplishment of our ICS educational goals – to become lifelong learners, competent communicators, discerning thinkers, quality producers, team players, responsible citizens, and followers of Christ. The Capstone Service Project was the outcome of this vision. The 2017 graduating class just completed the third annual Capstone Service Project Fair. The overall project took two years to complete. Over 60 students finished individual projects, and this activity stretched every one of them in many ways. It began with students discovering what area they were passionate in serving in. They completed a needs assessment within a given non-government organization (NGO) or mission agency. They then had to research the societal problem they were facing, serve many hours within their chosen organization - helping meet the needs of the people they were serving.
Jade (12) shares on empowering women through education in Sri Lanka.”
Finally, they brainstormed viable solutions. The culminating piece of the project consisted of them completing an 8-10 page research/ reflective paper and presenting their findings and final product to parents, teachers, board members, and NGO leaders in our annual Capstone Service Project Fair. Their creativity was pushed to the limit this year as they were not given any tables or chairs in their presentation areas, just a space to share and show their findings with the community in an engaging way. Many of the products put forth were wonderfully innovative. Projects ranged from helping develop clean water systems in up-country areas of Thailand, to doing a sustainable study to determine whether coffee can be planted to help fund an orphanage in Sri Lanka, to creating a small business for an elderly family in need, to forging a relationship with a school in Northern Thailand and maintaining a library of both English and Thai books for them, to working alongside women escaping prostitution and using art therapy to help offer hope and healing to them, to creating a safe place to learn for Pakistani asylum seekers in Bangkok, and many, many more.
Fay Fay’s booth gives us a glimpse into the library he created in a rural school of Northern Thailand.
The beauty of the Capstone Service Project is that every student has an opportunity to serve and seeing the growth that takes place within each of them through their 2-year long journey. The Capstone Service Fair is definitely one of the “can’t miss” events of the year at ICS Bangkok.
26 EARCOS Triannual Journal
Jean explains the impact that serving in a NGO, which offers work to students with mental disabilities, had on shaping her heart.
Service Learning >>
Cebu International School’s Cooperative of International Service Learning Cebu International School (CIS) is a small community school located in the heart of the Philippines. Beyond our values as an IB school, our mission seeks to create a collaborative, challenging, and nurturing school environment that involves community members, in order to provide all students with real opportunities to think and contribute to bettering the world. Our guiding statements serve as a the springboard to collaboratively work with different serviceoriented international schools in South East Asia. The CIS’s service learning program is guided by a collaboratively-developed program called the Cooperative of International Service Learning, or CISL. CISL grew over time from 2012 to 2014 to become what it is today. CISL aims to connect various international schools around the world through inter-school collaborative initiatives and sustainable service learning projects. The collaborative projects are carefully planned with, and for, less fortunate communities in the Philippines, particularly in Cebu. CISL continues to partner with various nonprofit organizations and non-governments organizations that have served as our extended arms in making our service learning experiences a success. Here is a short timeline describing how CISL is gradually developing into an international school movement. After a year of community soul-searching, in 2013, the entire community responded to a local earthquake and to Typhoon Yolanda. This community-wide effort connected international schools from around the region who wanted to help. Schools in Southeast Asia created fundraisers, concerts, and drives to send funds that we utilized locally, with 100% of the funds going to victims. At the 2014 EARCOS Leadership conference, the idea of CISL was presented, and several schools began to contribute ideas towards its development. In the spring of 2015, our first visitors came to CIS to participate in collaborative interschool service work. Students and teachers from the International School of Singapore (ISS) worked alongside CIS students and teachers. This group rebuilt a classroom in Daanbantayan Elementary School, painted a 50-meter mural, painted and repaired the stage of the school, and donated boats to the local fishermen for livelihood through the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation.
All of our service projects are sustained by providing multiple opportunities for students to remain engaged throughout the year. This includes an authentic CAS program, Week Without Walls, and service projects embedded in elementary, middle, and high school units of learning. Our students also provide ideas about projects they would like to contribute to, including Cancer Warriors-Cebu, Lihuk Panaghiusa, Gawad Kalinga, Children of Asia, CURE Foundation, and Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation. Students often attend service activities over weekends or after school to support each other’s initiatives. Cebu International School remains committed to collaborating and partnering with other international schools in the Philippines and around the globe. This partnership is sustained by our belief that each student must be globally engaged, positive contributors in a competitive, changing world. Our projects are sustainable, and seek to serve the local communities on issues that have global significance. We continue our work with schools and with the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, and are also looking at ecological issues related to plastics in our oceans, something very critical to us in an archipelago nation. We look forward to welcoming schools from around the region this school year, and beyond. If anyone is interested in participating in service work, with your students and teachers working alongside our students and teachers, please contact Mr. Arnulfo “Ace” Pierra, Jr at apierra@cis.edu.ph (CAS Coordinator at CIS). Together we can all make a positive impact on our changing world.
2016: Tohoku International School (Japan) In 2017, students and teachers from joined a CISL project in Cebu donating Chadwick International School (South soccer shoes to local soccer players. Korea) visited CIS, and donated one Yellow School Boat to High School students of Caubian Island through the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation
Students from Chadwick International School renovating a public school gymnasium and painting playground equipment for a local elementary school.
CIS Grade 10 Students and teachers raised funds by putting up a small store inside a classroom, and donated Yellow School boats. Fall 2017 Issue 27
Curriculum/Service Learning >>
Embedding Service Learning in the Curriculum - Authentic Learning Through Doing By Florence Ho, hof@ics.edu.hk International Christian School, Hong Kong
Service to the Community has always been part of the mission and core values here at International Christian School, Hong Kong. Last year during our pre-service professional development, teachers were challenged to take Service Learning one step further by incorporating it into our curriculum. As a grade 5 team, we were already planning to revamp one of our Social Science units on World Lakes and Sustainability anyway. It became an obvious unit to inject a service learning element. Through our ‘professional learning community’ discussions, we realized that we could leverage our Science unit on Earth’s Spheres and Interactions to equip students with the necessary science background before they started investigating the effects of human interaction with nature.The team was getting excited about this opportunity for integration. Furthermore, students were learning research skills and presentation skills in English Language Arts (ELA), and therefore ELA could easily be integrated into the unit as well. This new service learning unit became a perfect opportunity to integrate multiple disciplines. A brand new integrated unit “Sustainability and Service Learning” was created. We started by frontloading necessary scientific knowledge, and then drawing students’ awareness to relevant human activities in today’s society. Afterwards, students followed a combination of Kath Murdoch’s inquiry model and Cathryn Berger-Kaye’s service learning inquiry model for their service learning projects.
and impact to the community. Reflect - Students reflect on their learning, enduring understandings, and knowledge that can be transferred to different contexts, throughout the unit. From a teacher’s perspective, supporting my students through this cycle of research, planning and implementation was most rewarding. Students were highly motivated. They searched for solutions when they encountered problems.They stepped out of their comfort zone to communicate with diverse audience. A number of my students decided to interview high school teachers and other administrators to gather information. Those who designed surveys learned the concept of pilot testing their surveys and adjusting them based on the feedback they received. One group studied water pollution and decided to survey beach visitors. When they thought about their target audience, they realized the survey had to be in Chinese too. They quickly sought help from their Chinese teachers to translate some special environmental terms. One brave group wrote a letter to the Head of Schools about reducing food waste. They were pleasantly surprised when they received an invitation to present their project in the boardroom. As a result of that meeting, this group launched an extension project to pilot worm composting. They had to go back to the drawing board to research about worm composting, design their experiments, collect results, fine tune their setups, and draw conclusions about favorable conditions for worm composting. The whole process took students much further than what teachers had originally hoped for. Initially students wondered how they could impact the adult world. But through this, they realized that they too have a voice. Reading their reflections was something that brought me much joy and satisfaction.
Tune In - Students explore their areas of concern and decide on their topics. Find Out - Students research to expand their understanding on their chosen topics. Sort Out - Students organize their research to help them propose a purposeful service project. Take Action - Students create project plans and act on them. Make Conclusions - Students present evidence of their service 28 EARCOS Triannual Journal
“Best project ever! We even presented to the Head of Schools.”
Community Service >>
Three Days in Yushu: TIS Brings Service to QingHai By Aaron Falzerano and Yvonne Williamson Teda International School
Vairocana Temple
It started with a simple question to Vera Chen of the Teda Charity Association: “Next time you visit our schools in QingHai, can I come too?” In 2015-2016,TIS students provisioned their first library in QingHai at Galeng School in Xunhua County near Xining. Each class at Teda International School from K-5 created a service project to raise funds to buy books and bookshelves. It’s a touch too far to take the students on a field trip, so a group of three TIS staff, along with Ms. Chen took five days out at the start of summer holidays to go exploring. With the plan in place, we wanted to take with us a useful gift to present to the children. So the Crayon Project was born with a modest goal of 140 packs of crayons at a value of around 5000RMB. Before the week was out, we topped 10,000RMB and with the help of the students, raised a total of over 17,000RMB enabling us to provision yet another library as well as gifting crayons and chalk to 150 children.
Tibetan Grasslands
What for the future? We already have the name of the next school we will help. So much positive change has occurred in the last few years but there is more to accomplish. Our next school is a Kindergarten that was started by a Tibetan lama many years ago.The school is small and under-resourced but essential. The families in this region are uneducated and struggle to see how education can be helpful in their nomadic life. People like the lama see the value of education, especially for the young, and are willing to work hard to change the mindset and provide for the needs of the children. You will see, as we did, this common thread of compassion and passion at work in many communities. Leaders who are making a difference. Tibetan lamas with a heart to build confidence and capacity in the underprivileged young. Headmasters and teachers who themselves surmounted incredible obstacles to gain an education and who have then returned to their communities to make a difference. So, next time you plan a vacation, take a risk and head to the hills. Remember, you have to actually be ‘in life’ in order to be in the right place when the opportunities come. This is a must do!
Xiwang Elemtary
Green & Sustainable >>
Going Green in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia ers collect and use plastic bottle caps for mosaic projects. Those bottles that cannot be reused are given to The Waste Management Disposal Organization of Ulaanbaatar, where they are melted down and re-compressed to make outdoor furniture.
Students use recycled egg cartons to plant seeds. The International School of Ulaanbaatar (ISU) is located in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. With a population of 3 million, Mongolia is one of the least densely populated countries on the planet. However, almost half the total population reside within the capital, a city originally designed for 500,000 people. Ulaanbaatar still has a developing infrastructure and therefore lacks major facilities for recycling. The ISU community recognizes the challenges that arise from this unique situation and have taken action in a variety of ways. In 2013, the Ecovengers Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) was founded to address some environmental challenges faced by the community. Facilitated by passionate teachers, students are encouraged to learn about and act on issues such as paper use and recycling, plastic waste, air pollution, and the importance of green plants to the environment. Since its inception, a number of new initiatives have been set up in partnership with members of our local community. Ecovengers promotes reduction in the use of disposable products, including selling reusable mugs at an affordable price, encouraging the reduction of printing materials, the use and reuse of scrap paper in classrooms and our school copiers, and initiatives in our school cafeteria and cafe to reduce the sale of single-serve products such as containers of yogurt. Even so, waste is inevitably produced.Through the Ecovengers CCA, our school community has explored and set up ways to reuse and recycle. PLASTIC There is no national recycling center for plastic in Mongolia, so the Ecovengers work on a variety of initiatives to use and recycle plastic bottles and other plastic products. Ecovengers use bottles as pots for plants, and are currently pursuing a project to create furniture using plastic water bottles as an internal structure. Our art teach30 EARCOS Triannual Journal
PAPER Whilst we teach students about the importance of reducing and reusing paper, of course we still end up with a lot of paper and cardboard waste. Through contacts with the school community we found out about a local organization, named Betel. Betel collect paper waste from many organizations in Ulaanbaatar. In their own facility, they reduce paper waste to mulch, then press them into bricks that can be burned as fuel. Betel then donate the bricks to people living in the ‘Ger District’, an area of the city where people live in traditional Mongolian gers or yurts. This area does not have access to state heating and usually have to use poor quality coal to heat their gers. In a city that reaches temperatures of -40℃, these bricks provide a free, eco-friendly fuel supplement to help the city’s poorest stay warm in winter. AIR POLLUTION Ulaanbaatar is situated in a bowl-shaped valley. As a result, pollution and particulate matter have a tendency to remain in the air throughout the city as opposed to disseminating into the wider atmosphere. This combined with the use of coal to heat gers and power electrical plants results in astronomically unhealthy air pollution levels throughout the city. The ISU Ecovengers import and sell pollution masks, partnering with a company called Vogmask, to allow the masks to be affordable.The Ecovengers also donate masks to the school guards and the street cleaners in our area of the city. PLANTS As part of our ongoing investigation into the environment, the Ecovengers take responsibility for the growing, care and propagation of plants. This project not only teaches the students about the importance of the environment, but also how to take responsibility for and care for living things. The Ecovengers Indoor Garden is a paradise of plants that help to clean the air! The Ecovengers sell these plants to our school community, and the money raised helps to fund further Ecovengers projects. In a time when climate change and environmental concerns are increasingly relevant, it is more important than ever to educate young people about their role in the care of our planet and involve them in meaningful action. The students in Ecovengers develop passion for this subject, and their passion in turn positively influences their classmates, teachers, family members, and the ISU community to take action. Gradually, we are choosing to make positive changes to protect our environment. For more information about the Ecovengers at ISU, or for collaboration opportunities, please email j.northam@isumongolia.edu.mn or t.smith@ isumongolia.edu.mn
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Press Release >>
The World’s Biggest Community Mathematics Event: Global Math Week The Global Math Project aims to connect millions of students around the world through shared experiences of mathematics. For the past year, a leadership team of seven math professionals, together with a worldwide network of ambassadors and partners, has been laying the groundwork for the inaugural Global Math Week, which will launch on 10.10.2017. See www.theglobalmathproject.org/gmw for details. Our ultimate goal is bold and audacious. We want to generate a fundamental paradigm shift as to how the world perceives and enjoys mathematics. We want each and every person on this planet to see mathematics as human, relevant, meaningful, creative, uplifting, and joyful. We will show how the play and wonder of mathematics transcends borders and unite communities. We are asking teachers, math club and Math Circle leaders, and other educators and math outreach specialists to commit the equivalent of one short class period during Global Math Week to conducting the first experience on our chosen topic for 2017, Exploding Dots, and to share that experience with the world in some way, most typically through social media (#gmw2017).
We are providing all the teaching guides, lesson videos, PDF written materials, and an interactive web app. Teachers and leaders can use full, minimal, or no technology in the classroom. One can learn about Exploding Dots at http://gdaymath.com/courses/exploding-dots/ The community supporting our inaugural Global Math Week 2017 is already strong. We have more than 300 ambassadors from over 60 countries helping to spread the word. We have tens of thousands of teachers and students from over 50 countries already signed up to learn about Exploding Dots, and we are proud to have an impressive number of notable partner organizations supporting our efforts. Our goal for this first year is to reach one million students. We are truly honored to be working with such a fine, growing community of math leaders and partners equally dedicated to sharing joyful, uplifting mathematics with the world. Please join us in the global experience of Global Math Week 2017. In a Nutshell: Join ONE MILLION students, teachers, math leaders, and adults from around the world in an astounding shared mathematical experience! Global Math Week: October 10 - 17, 2017. Information and Registration: www.theglobalmathproject.org/gmw 32 EARCOS Triannual Journal
East Carolina University
College of Education Department of Educational Leadership
EdD in Educational Leadership An EdD for practicing educators
Cohort II Begins June 2018
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Action Research >>
Learning Vocabulary through Drama Games By Hamorn K. Y. Lau, Grade 1 Homeroom Teacher, hlau@ais.edu.hk American International School of Hong Kong
The first two weeks (stage I) consisted of pre-intervention testing in order to measure children’s initial vocabulary size, word knowledge of the target vocabulary, and reading proficiency. First, all participants took individual Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with me in order to assess their initial receptive vocabulary size.Then, they were given 10 vocabulary-definition questions, in the format of Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS), of the target words. The words came from a unit of Wordly Wise 3000® Book 1 (Grade 1) which would be taught in “textbook-only” condition at stage II. The children had 20 minutes to complete the pretest, and draw on a sheet of paper to show their word knowledge. The result was analyzed. In addition, Fountas & Pinnell reading assessments were implemented to diagnose participants’ reading levels. Introduction Children’s vocabulary has to grow substantially in order to become proficient readers. Schools which recognize the strong relationship between one’s vocabulary size and his/her reading competence often adopt a textbook-based vocabulary curriculum, such as Wordly Wise 3000 ®. Such a curriculum provides a well-structured vocabulary program and makes teachers accountable for the delivery of explicit vocabulary instruction, which is particularly important to young language learners. However, a textbook-driven vocabulary curriculum offers teachers little space for teaching the prescribed vocabulary creatively. To fill in this gap, I conducted an action research project to investigate how drama games, which might engage learners actively in the learning process, influenced my First-Graders’ vocabulary acquisition. Drama games offer students a lot of opportunities to get actively involved in the cyclical process of acquiring and deepening word knowledge. They also allow young children to recognize and utilize words in various yet meaningful settings in their imagination while transforming traditional vocabulary lessons to a more playful, creative, joyful experience. In this research, it was my intention to explore the impact of a textbook-based vocabulary curriculum which was modified by dramatization, in order to enhance young learners’ learning experience. Method For triangulation purpose, this research adopted a mixed methodological approach, which allowed me to validate and expand quantitative results with qualitative data. In my Grade One class, there were 12 boys and 12 girls, with an average age of 6. Most of them are bilingual (or trilingual) with English as one of their mother languages. A within-subjects design was adopted, i.e. each child experienced both learning conditions (textbook-only and with dramatization).
34 EARCOS Triannual Journal
In the third and fourth weeks (stage II), the unit of Wordly Wise 3000 ® was taught exactly the way prescribed in the teacher manual (i.e., textbook-only condition). At the end of stage II, twenty-four hours after the textbook-only intervention, there were post-intervention VKS and drawings, and a follow-up group discussion. In the fifth and sixth weeks (stage III), students first did another VKS and drawing to assess their pre-intervention word knowledge of the target words which would be taught in with-dramatization condition. The result was analyzed. Words that 80% or more of students were unfamiliar with would be taught through drama games, while familiar words were taught as described in the teacher manual. At the end of the Week Six, twenty-four hours after the intervention, there were post-intervention VKS and drawing, and another group discussion. Different statistical tests were carried out to analyze the collected quantitative data. First, Pearson correlations were used to analyze the relationship between vocabulary size and reading proficiency. Second, paired-samples T tests were executed to investigate students’ performance in textbook-only and with-dramatization conditions. Next, one-way ANOVA (ANalysis Of VAriance) was carried out to compare the means of score change among different categorical groups. I hypothesized that with-dramatization was a more effective intervention than textbook-only in teaching young children new vocabulary. Results and Reflection The data revealed that vocabulary size and reading proficiency have a statistically significant linear relationship (r = .828, p < .001). The direction of the relationship is positive (i.e., vocabulary size and reading proficiency are positively correlated), meaning that these variables tend to increase together (i.e., greater vocabulary size is associated with higher reading proficiency). Even after controlling the effect of exact age (ranged from 6.3 to 7.6), the correlation between vocabulary size and reading proficiency remains unchanged (r =.828,
p<.001). Thus, age does not make a significant impact on the relationship. Surprisingly, this statistical analysis contradicts to parent interview findings. First-graders’ parents believed that if their children were younger (even if they were just a few months younger) than other students in the class, their younger ones would have disadvantages in reading testing. In textbook-only setting, pretest and posttest scores were strongly and positively correlated (r = .513, p < .05). There was a significant average difference between pretest and posttest scores (t23 = -2.725, p < .05). In average, posttest scores were 1.7 points higher than pretest scores in textbook-only setting. On the other hand, in dramatization setting, pretest and posttest scores were strongly and positively correlated (r = .508, p < .05). There was a significant average difference between pretest and posttest scores (t23 = -13.765, p < .001). In average, posttest scores were 8.8 points higher than pretest scores in dramatization setting. In other words, students performed better in dramatization setting than textbook-only setting by a mean difference of 8.8 - 1.7 = 7.1. The above statistical result was evident from participant interview as well as teacher reflection. All participants reflected that they enjoyed vocabulary learning more in dramatization condition than textbook-only condition. Although 6-year-old children are not yet excellent in expressing themselves, they were able to explain briefly what they liked about drama games with phrases, such as “fun”, “do real action”, full of excitement” and “no making fun of others”. In addition, my teacher reflection notes documented my observation that students in dramatization condition were a lot more active and energetic than when they were in textbook-only condition. In dramatization setting, the means of score change are significantly different for at least one of the initial reading ability groups (F2, 21 = 5.576, p < .05), which are “below Grade One expectation”, “at Grade One expectation”, and “exceed Grade One expectation”. Nevertheless, according to my class observation notes, children whose initial English reading ability was “below Grade One expectation”, were as active as others in acting, using props and using new word knowledge in various drama games. These children tended to be more sociable than usual in dramatization setting. Impressively, at the end of this search project, all “below Grade One expectation” children’s reading proficiency met the grade-level expectation and were promoted to Grade Two! There is no significant difference of score change means between gender groups (F1,22 = .596, p > .001). Expectedly, dramatization is effective on young children regardless of gender. This quantitative data was consistent with my teacher field notes, which recorded that all children (both boys and girls) were actively engaged in acquiring and constructing word knowledge through drama games. Based on my self-reflection on this action research, I would like to offer the following guidelines to teachers who would like to integrate drama games in their vocabulary curriculum:
provisation) to teach tier 2 vocabulary, which is usually more experience-oriented. 3. Engage learners, regardless of their age, in the reflective process of stop, think and act. Their voice is essential. 4. Invite other teachers to your drama-driven vocabulary class and seek their feedback. Sometimes they can shed a light on matters that you seem to neglect. Conclusion Despite the practical constraints (e.g. time was not strictly controlled and small sample size) faced by this action research, this empirical study was expected to explore several implications for early childhood teachers whose schools adopt a textbook-based vocabulary curriculum. Drama games can make traditional textbook-driven vocabulary lessons more interactive and experiential. While dramatization had a statistical significance on vocabulary test scores, young language learners in this study found such an intervention joyful. Further studies should address how drama games can be integrated into a vocabulary curriculum in a coherent and systematic way. It would be beneficial to study whether dramatization has differential impact on particular groups of children, such as emergent bilinguals (in English-speaking schools). Hamorn K. Y. Lau is a recipients of $1,000 EARCOS Action Research Grant.
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1. Use props, costumes and other visual tools to teach tier 1 vocabulary words, which are usually labels and can be taught through direct association with objects. 2. Utilize drama games (e.g. hot-seating, dramatize a story and imFall 2017 Issue 35
Elementary School Gallery
The Visual Arts are alive and thriving at CMIS (Chiang Mai International School). We educate our young artists using a T.AB. (Teaching Artistic Behavior) model at the elementary level. Students learn key concepts and techniques. Then they are challenged to creatively problem solve and think critically to develop their own unique solution to the task at hand. The room operates as an open studio where students move freely, brainstorm collaboratively, and constantly self assess. Our focus is on process over product but we are often rewarded with with the visually interesting. Please enjoy our fun, hard work! Mrs. Kate Carr, CMIS Elementary Art Teacher
Chiang Mai International School Fire Dragon Prab, Grade 1st Medium: Paint Ayeyarwaddy International School This project was a 3rd grade project on contrast. Student explore ontrast through paper weaving.
Chiang Mai International School Red Hills, Elliot, Grade 4 Medium: Paint, oil pastels, and colored pencils
International School of Ulaanbaatar â&#x20AC;&#x153;Landscape Paintings in Impressionist Styleâ&#x20AC;?. Medium: acrylics Top: Mathew N. 5H Bottom: Enkhtushig Z. 5L Suzhou Singapore International School Grade 4, Land Art They used his natural art works as inspiration while searching outdoors for colors, shapes, line, and texture in order to create patterns.
Kaohsiung American School Flower drawing with pastel ink Jamie Wu, Grade 4
Ayeyarwaddy International School Concordia International School Shanghai In this 5th grade lesson students learned Celine Gr. 4 oil pastel about Greek vases ans symmetry. Student painted with acrylic paint to create symmetry. International Christian School Hong Kong Panda Scratch Art Clement Lee, Grade 5
Thai-Chinese International School Still Life Painting Nashnond Hsieh (Fa-Tian), Grade.3
Stamford American International School Grade 2 - Stamford’s Starry Night - Students in grade two, collaboratively created this artwork for a charity art auction, raising money for Stamford’s’ Cambodia Hope School. Students used collage to build up the image of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night.
Stamford American International School Grade 1 - Aboriginal Art - Students in grade one, collaboratively created this artwork for a charity art auction, raising money for Stamford’s’ Cambodia Hope School. Students used the traditional dot painting technique to create the symbolic aboriginal patterns. Fall 2017 Issue 37
Campus Development >>
Dominican International School
Inauguration day of Phase II of the new school buildings.
For the Dominican International School in Taipei, 2017 is indeed a very significant and exciting year. In early May, the school received confirmation from ACS WASC that it has been fully accredited for the next six years until 2023. The second phase of the project to completely rebuild the school is coming to its final conclusion in time for the school’s Diamond Jubilee – sixty years of serving the international community in Taipei. On August 8, on the Feast Day of St Dominic, the long-awaited day of the inauguration of Phase II of the school’s new buildings arrived. These buildings will house a new gym and cafeteria, additional office space, the new chapel and a new convent for the Dominican Sisters. The construction of the new buildings is just the latest chapter in the story of the school which has contributed considerably to the spiritual life and academic achievements of so many students. It is a story that goes back sixty years to a day when permission from the Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic’s Mother General was obtained to start a school that provided tuition for Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 in a small house that was rented for this purpose. The school has a rich history. It was formerly a US Government contract (D.O.D.) school for the military dependents of the United States Forces in Taipei. In 1979, with the withdrawal of the American Forces from Taipei, it became an international school. The modified American curriculum remains in place to this day, and the school takes pride in its innovative culture. In December 2008 the gymnasium, cafeteria, and the west wing of the main building were demolished to make way for the construction of new school buildings that were more suitable for 21st Century education, also making provision for advanced technology. 38 EARCOS Triannual Journal
In August 2010 Phase 1 of the construction of the new buildings started. In July 2013, the new buildings which included classrooms, an audio-visual room, an art room, science laboratories, and a brand new library, were complete and new technology was installed. That first day in the new buildings was quite unforgettable with confused students and teachers looking for classrooms and offices. Open and closed boxes were everywhere, people were rearranging brand new desks and chairs, and teachers were allocating new lockers. Fortunately everyone settled down quickly and were overjoyed about the very fast Internet in the new building. The remaining old buildings were still there as a reminder of the past.The students had a wonderful time when the Grade 12‘s set up a Halloween ghost house in the old building during a school event at the end of October in 2015. The spookiness factor was just high enough in the old building at night to make it a thrilling experience. When everyone returned after the winter vacation, the old school was gone. Some teachers expressed sadness that their old classrooms were gone forever. Fortunately, Sr. Zenaida Ancheta, the Principal, saved many of the old mementoes in the school’s museum that is open to students, teachers, parents and interested visitors. All the equipment in the school is state-of-the-art and the latest addition is smart boards in every classroom. The school has just acquired its own radio station that has done some experimental broadcasts already, and soon there will be a video recording studio and a photo studio for students to further hone their multimedia skills. It will be a double celebration when the school’s 60th anniversary gala event takes place in the new gym. By Mercia de Souza, mdesouza@dishs.tp.edu.tw photographs by Ian Crisostomo
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Campus Development >>
Elementary Engineering and Design By Julie Lemley
dents an ability to develop technical skills and use the design process throughout their schooling. At the International School of Beijing (ISB), we are continuing the evolution of our elementary design curriculum, including our own ISB design process, as well as a scope and sequence of skills which aligns with our secondary school. In the past two years, we have adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which help spark design thinking through the process of engineering. We are also implementing Engineering is Elementary, to help develop a scope and sequence for engineering design. Ideally, we want to go beyond simply designing from the mindset of an engineer, and only through the lens of science, to understanding how the design process applies across all subject areas. While we are still developing our design and engineering curriculum from Pre-K to Grade 12, we have already designed and equipped an incredible new Elementary Design Lab for teachers to use with their classes. This is a safe, well-resourced space, supplied with facilitators who help co-teach and embed more design thinking and technical skills into the curriculum. Our vision is to provide a space that allows students and teachers to explore the critical thinking and learning that is a natural outcome of the ISB design process.
Science Club Design thinking, makerspaces, tinkering, and STEAM have become part of education jargon in the recent past. However, they are not trendy buzz words that will fade away in a couple of years: these are important components of all school curricula and spaces. Design thinking and the process of making enhances student learning in numerous ways. Students consolidate their understanding of content with hands-on application, develop critical problem-solving skills, improve collaboration and management skills, and develop technical skills, including using hand tools, digital drawing, sewing, and coding. When design and engineering curricula are evident in a school, they are usually only articulated in the secondary school. In many elementary schools, this important content area is often left to â&#x20AC;&#x153;open makerspace timeâ&#x20AC;? or sees individual teachers adding projects that incorporate the design process and materials in their individual classrooms. Often, elementary teachers integrate many great STEAM concepts in their classes, but the skills and processes of a robust design or engineering curriculum arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t articulated across the grade levels like other curriculum strands. This is an area that can improve in many schools. Elementary-aged students love to learn through hands-on application and are keen to create; this can provide stu40 EARCOS Triannual Journal
In developing our design and engineering programs at ISB, we are learning, adjusting, and fine-tuning as we go. We developed our ES Design Lab before we had a set elementary school design and engineering curriculum. The ES Design Lab has been purposefully designed to be flexible and open; allowing students the freedom to define its potential. We feel that providing a well-resourced space to showcase the thinking and creativity of our youngest designers will be just the sandbox necessary to develop the great thinkers, problem solvers, and makers of the future. We would love to collaborate with other schools and programs. If you are doing great design thinking, STEAM, and/or engineering work with your students, connect with us and share with the whole EARCOS community so we can together provide the best experiences for all of our students and teachers. Julie Lemley is the Design Facilitator for International School of Beijing. Previous to working in Beijing, she taught MYP Design in Japan and Peru and has also worked as a EdTech Integrator. @JulieLemley | #learnisb | Jlemley@isb.bj.edu.cn Facilities
Punahou School, Hawaii - Affiliate Member School
L-R Ms. Kitty Wo Board Chair at Punahou, Dr. K, Debbie Berger Trustee and Dr. James Scott President of Punahou.
Paula Hodges (Academy Asst. Principal), Jadie Geil, Nick Kapule, Wendi Kamiya (I.T., CIO), Ke’alohi Reppun (Co-Director Kuaihelani Hawaiian Learning Center), Lorelei Saito (7th grade Social Studies), and Todd Chow-Hoy (Junior School Asst. Principal)
On the Road with Dr. K... Seisen International School Graduation
Dr. K and Collete Rogers with the sisters from Seisen International School
Dr. K participating in the “Senior March” at St. Mary’s International School celebrating their graduation. Dr. K, Mrs. Kikuko Nomo, Mr. Hideo Nomo, and Yoshitaka Nomo. Yoshitaka Nomo’s father Mr. Hideo became the first Japanese citizen to join an American major league team in 1995. The LA Dodgers and Red Sox!
L-R Head of School David Toze, ELM Assistant Principal Jen Juteau and ELM Principal Adam Campbell.
Simon Mann Headmaster of British School Manila with his office staff Erwin and Runah.
Partial List of Approved EARCOS Professional Learning Weekend for SY 2017-2018 One of the services EARCOS provides to its member schools throughout the year is the sponsorship of two-day workshops and institutes for faculty and administration. The topics for these workshops are determined according to the needs of members. Workshops are hosted by EARCOS schools. DATE NAME OF SCHOOL CONSULTANT TITLE AUGUST Aug 19-20 Korea International School Aug 26-27 Medan Independent School Aug 26-27 Surabaya Intercultural School
Joe Brooks Michael Boll John Stiles
Sustainable Service Learning Model Seeking, Finding and Using Technology to Improve Student Learning Science Inquiry, STEM
SEPTEMBER Sept 9-10 Bali Island School Lance King Teaching with ATL in Mind Sept 9-10 Northbridge International School, Cambodia Robert Steele Compass Level 1 Sept 16-17 Daegu International School Libby Jachles Seven Strategies for Teaching Writing Sept 16-17 Saint Maur International School Margaret Maclean Collaborative Skills and Practices to Enhance Student Learning Session 1 Sept 16-17 Shanghai American School Andrew Miller and Janet Claassen Project Based Learning (PBL) and Inquiry Approach to Learning Sept 23-24 Hong Kong International School Wendy Smith Reimagining Science and Engineering with NGSS & Three Dimensional Learning (Elementary and Middle School Teachers) Sept 23-24 International School Manila Lynn Kachmarik Leadership, Motivation, & Success in Sports (For Coaches and P.E. Teachers) Sept 23-24 Montâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Kiara International School Paul Anderson NGSS & STEM: Getting Started @ a Medium to Small International School Sept 23-24 Nagoya International School Margaret Maclean Collaborative Skills and Practices to Enhance Student Learning Session 2 Sept 23-24 The American School of Bangkok Peggy Rowe & Larry Ward Mindfulness in the Classroom Sept 23-24 The International School Yangon Dr. Shaun Hawthorne Visible Learning Foundations and How Students Learn Sept 23-24 United World College of South East Asia Sarah Whyte Supporting TCKs as a teacher Sept 30 Jakarta INtercultural School Natashya Hays Inquiry Based Word Study OCTOBER Oct 7-8 American School in Taichung Rami Madani Oct 7-8 Ruamrudee International School Sara Garrett Oct 14-15 Shanghai Americican School Amy Lauren Smith Oct 20-21 Hong Kong Academy Kendall Zoller Oct 21-22 PTIS - Prem Tinsulanonda International School, Cathryn Berger Kaye Chiang Mai
Learning Focused Instruction and Assessment Foundations in Math: Developing Mathematical Thinking and Conceptual Understanding in Grades K-5 Developing a Health Curriculum in your School Developing Effective Facilitation and Communication Skills Embedding Service Learning
NOVEMBER Nov 4-5 Cebu International School Ian Sutherland Active Assessment Through Action Research Nov 4-5 Canadian Academy Jim Noble Mathematical tasks to promote mathematical thinking and engagement Nov 11-12 UNIS Hanoi Fiona Zinn Early Childhood Nov 11-12 International School Bangkok Dr. Keith Collins and a team of specialists Understanding the Needs of Diverse Learners (and what we can do about it) Nov 11-12 Nansha College Preparatory Academy Patrick Love Using Data to Support Student Wellness and Academic Achievement Nov 11-12 NIST International School Compass Education Compass Education Nov 17-18 Bandung Independent School Jason Graham Learning Technologies Nov 18-19 Western Academy of Beijing Cathryn Berger Kaye Service Learning Institute Nov 25-26 Chatsworth International School Compass Education Compass Education Level 1: Compass Practitioner Thinking, Learning and Acting for a Flourishing and Sustainable World Nov 25-26 Shanghai Community International School Tania Lattanzio Informing Planning, Learning and Inquiry through Assessment DECEMBER Dec 2-3 Suzhou Singapore International School Richard Bruford Supporting Students with the demands of Summative Assessment: Transferrable skills for Student Wellbeing Dec 2-3 Western Academy of Beijing Matt Glover Nurturing Writers Dec 8-9 Morrison Academy Matt Glover Writing Workshop in the Elementary Classroom JANUARY 2018 Jan 20-21 Yangon International School Jan 27-28 International School Manila January Shanghai American School
Laurie Ransom Tom Nehmy TBD
The Writing Workshop: Creating a Community of Writers Healthy Minds Understanding by Design (UbD) approach to curriculum design
FEBRUARY Feb 3-4 Tokyo International School
Lance King
Approaches to Learning
MARCH Mar 2-3 Thai Chinese International School Dr. Steven E. Ballowe Mar 3-4 United World College of South East Asia John Zola Mar 10-11 Seisen International School Ms. Mignon Weckert
Strategic Planning: Survival Guide for School Leaders and Board members Instructional Strategies that Engage and Assess An Inquiry Approach to Teaching and Learning in Mathematics: Research Based Strategies to Improve Student Learning
APRIL April 6-7 Canggu Community School Aaron Downey and Claire Dusting Visible Thinking in the Primary School April 7-8 Surabaya Intercultural School Ron Lancaster K12 Mathematics April 21-22 Hong Kong International School Wendy Smith Designing an Assessment System to Measure Three-Dimensional Science Learning (Elementary and Middle School Teachers) TBA
Jakarta Intercultural School
Natashya Hays
Inquiry Based Word Study
