EARCOS Practitioner Presenters AMANDA ABEL Amanda is a licensed school/community counselor for the state of Indiana. She has worked in private practice in the United States and in Vietnam. She is currently a social/emotional counselor in the middle school at Concordia International School Shanghai. (Fun fact: In her spare time, Amanda enjoys collecting seashells on the beaches of South East Asia.) DAVID ALLEN Originally from Pensacola Beach, Florida, David earned his bachelor’s degree in music education (K-12) from the University of Southern Mississippi, minoring in psychology and sociology. Soon after, he began his teaching career in central Florida. Subsequently, Mr. Allen earned his master’s degree in education with an emphasis incurriculum & program development administration from the National-Louis University at the National College of Education. In his 26-year career, his concert bands and jazz bands have consistently earned superior ratings at Florida Bandmaster’s Association music festivals and contests. Most recently, his middle school band won the Disney Arts Festival Award in 2014 and 2015. In addition, his middle school band was designated a superior band program by the Florida Department of Education, Florida Schools Music Associationk, and the Florida Bandmaster’s Association. Currently, he is finishing a doctorate degree in higher education leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. KEITH ALLERTON Keith is a performing arts teacher at Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS). He is responsible for teaching music and drama to all students in grades K-5. He is also an avid director and has directed over 75 musicals and plays in his career. Keith is also a member of the EARCOS Teacher Advisory Committee, a position he has held for the past four years. ROBERT ANDERSON Rob Anderson has been teaching design and technology subjects for 20-plus years; he has a very keen interest in encompassing current industry practices and technology into classroom experiences for students. Rob’s commitment is to daily offer opportunities to students that allow them to not only feel comfortable in interacting with this changing world of school and work, but feel empowered to change it for the better. ALISON ARMSTRONG Alison has been teaching music in a range of international settings for nine years. She has taught predominantly in IB schools with students between the ages of three and 20. A singer by training, she enjoys teaching students who are new to reading, writing, and performing music. She is currently teaching at Vientiane International School in Laos. LUCY ATKINSON Lucy is a practicing artist and designer who has taught art and design for 30 years in a variety of settings and lead roles, from secondary school to university. She is currently teaching visual art in middle and senior school in China, Lucy has a keen interest in enabling students to see possibilities and experiment with their work. She delights in seeing students enjoy the process of discovering how good their creative ability really is. 52
EARCOS Teachers’ Conference 2016
MICHAEL BALDWIN Dr. Baldwin has presented at education conferences in the United States and internationally. He has published journal articles on topics from standardized testing, inquiry instruction, to science education. He has experience as a curriculum specialist, campus administrator, and science instructor. He has taught biology, chemistry, physics, AP science courses, education leadership, and pre-service science courses. Presently he is the curriculum coordinator and science teacher at the Dalian American International School in China. SHANI BEN-AROYA Shani believes fervently in the power of drama to inspire students to be creative, gain confidence, and enrich their understanding of themselves and the world around them. Having taken to the stage at a young age, Shani shares a passion for drama and wishes to share this with students. The love for travel and photography, led to a move to Singapore, where Shani has been teaching for the past four years. Whilst here, Shani has taught drama projects for NGOs, and school students, both in Cambodia and Japan. Shani has travelled extensively in the EARCOS region. MELISSA BERG Melissa is the middle school counselor at Seoul International School. She is from Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA) where she worked at Spanish Immersion Elementary School. Ms. Berg especially enjoys working with young students in the areas of talent development and team building, as she believes that these skills will best equip children and teenagers to be happy, passionate, and successful students. HAMISH BETTS Hamish currently teaches primary art at United World College of South East Asia – East Campus (UWCSEA-East). As well as being a teacher, he has experience as an itinerate mural artist, sculptor, clown, storyteller, public speaker, pastor, and is a daddy of two and husband of one. He has hand-painted over 6000 m2 of original artwork both privately and commercially in New Zealand, Bali, Australia, and Singapore. His range of experience allows him to approach presentations with energy, humor, and contagious creativity. LINDA BOSWELL Linda has been teaching for over 15 years. Her experience includes middle school math, science and physical education. She is in her third year at the International School of Kuala Lumpur, teaching sixth grade math and science. NICKY BOURGEOIS Nicky is an elementary teacher at NIST International School in Bangkok. She is an IB workshop leader and has led workshops across Asia Pacific since 2009. She has over 15 years of teaching experience across elementary grade levels in New Zealand, Vietnam, and Thailand. Nicky holds a bachelor’s degree in education and sociology. She tweets as @bourgeois1 and endeavors to only share what is truly evident in her classroom and teaching practice.
