FOBISIA CPD Digest, Volume 6 Issue 2, March 2024

PUBLISHER FOBISIA

EDITOR

Swati S. Bedi

COVER PAGE CREDIT

Bangkok Patana School

The British School Kathmandu

CPD Leaders Conference

Our CPD Leaders Conference commenses from March 7th to 9th at The British International School Phuket

The agenda promises dynamic insights. The AGM on March 7th launches the Conference, followed by engaging Regional Break-out Meetings discussing the various acheivements and challenges faced in the year so far.

March 8th features a keynote by Kathryn Hemming, coaching-focused sessions, a presentation by Tom Sherrington, and stimulating round table discussions. The conference concludes on March 9th with sessions on evidence-based education, instructional leadership, and evaluating CPD impact.

With about 80 delegates registered from more than 50 FOBISIA schools, we look forward to a successful Conference!

Editor’s Note

Welcome to the latest edition of the CPD Digest! As we delve into a wealth of insights and practices, we’re excited to witness the collaborative spirit that defines our community. This edition celebrates the importance of shared knowledge and collective growth.

A noteworthy highlight is the ongoing initiative of Speaker Tours, emphasizing the potential for collaboration among schools. We encourage schools to explore opportunities for shared logistics costs, making these enriching experiences more accessible for everyone and fostering a culture of knowledge exchange within the FOBISIA community.

In the spirit of collaboration, we request you to keep us in the loop about any upcoming speaker visits to your school in the coming academic year.

The CPD Committee is dedicated to facilitating connections and fostering professional growth. Let’s continue to build bridges, share resources, and create an environment where every member school can thrive. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to FOBISIA and the CPD Community.

Happy reading, and here’s to another Term of collaborative learning!

Upcoming CPD Events

Upcoming CPD Events

Webinars

12 March

19 March

26 March

23 April

30 April

7 May

14 May

20 May

28 May

4 June

11 June

Global Competency and International Mindedness in the Early Years - Little people and Big ideas!

International Curriculum Association

Instructional Coaching - What’s all the fuss about?

Repton International School, Malaysia

Building a rope of resilience for students’ success in education Inspiring Learning

Helping Learners with Maths Difficulties, Including Dyscalculia Real Group

The AI Assisted teacher

Nexus International School Malaysia

The leadership decisions to make to ensure your school receives a successful cyber attack

9ine

Evaluative Leadership - Assessment for Learning for grownups!

Karen Ardley Associates Ltd

Using the Great Teaching Toolkit create a Metacognitive Cycle of learning Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong

PAST FOBISIA Webinars

29 Aug 2023 3pm ICT

5 Sept 2023 3pm ICT

12 Sept 2023 3pm ICT

19 Sept 2023 3pm ICT

26 Sept 2023 3pm ICT

3 Oct 2023 3pm ICT

10 Oct 2023 3pm ICT

7 Nov 2023 3pm ICT

Complete PE: All About Dance Watch here

Educational Success Partners Ltd: Pathways to Qualified Teacher Status (and beyond) in British International Schools Watch here

Persyou Ltd: Finding and using your power and influence Watch here

Wellington College International Hangzhou: The Dream Teamusing counselling skills to strengthen teacher-parent relationships Watch here

International Curriculum Association: International Learning across the curriculum Watch here

Helen Battelley MA (Music+Movement): Boosting Learning through Movement in the Early Years Watch here

Tes Global: How do teachers cultivate an inclusive mindset and what impact can this have on pupil learning? Watch here

International School @Park City, Kuala Lumpur: How to Build Cancer Education into the Curriculum Watch here

PAST FOBISIA Webinars

14 Nov 2023 3pm ICT

21 November 2023 3pm ICT

28 November 2023 3pm ICT

12 December 2023 3pm ICT

16 January 2024 3pm ICT

23 January 2024 3pm ICT

30 January 2024 3pm ICT

6 February 2024 3pm ICT

Kellett School, Hong Kong: Leading Improvement in Metacognition and Study Skills in Secondary Schools

Watch here

SAM Learning: Using A.I. driven approaches to teaching and learning to protect staff workload and drive results - genuinely!

Watch here

The Alliance for Sustainable Schools (TASS): How Sustainable Is Your School Lunch?

Watch here

White Canvas: Security for FOBISIA schools

Watch here

The Taxman UK: Do I need to pay UK tax when I’m overseas?

Watch here

Making Stuff Better Ltd: No more challenging conversations: how to talk about what matters

Watch here

Haileybury Almaty: Proficiency to Fluency: a Purposeful Approach to Developing Vocabulary

Watch here

UK Study Options: Understanding UK University Fee Status for International Schools

Watch here

Middle Leadership: Leading Large Teams JAWS

Garden International School, Kuala Lumpur

24 November 2023

When Natalie Clark suggested running a JAWS on leading large teams she had no idea how popular it would be. The idea was to have some middle leaders come and discuss some of the challenges associated with large teams, such as: how to communicate with everybody, how to hear all views, how to ensure consistency in teaching across the team, and how to build relationships with everybody. Very quickly more than 50 external attendees were registered and we closed the sign up due to lack of space!

All of the leaders who joined us were keen to share and the day was full of discussions around middle leadership. Many book recommendations and articles were shared, with many scenario based conversations around middle leadership. As several people noted, being a middle leader can mean being everything to everyone and taking on board roles varying from being a counsellor to your staff members, to finding missing children, or analysing data and writing a strategic plan.

Workshops centred on trust and team culture by Luke McRae and Moustapha Bechir included tools to build an effective team with an open, positive culture. Helen Waterhouse shared lessons learnt from transition and a new role, with a lot of great resources to support others.

Joe O’Connor, Kristine Beacroft and Victoria Wright delved into the importance of knowing your team and shared ways to better understand individuals and how to best work with them. Natalie Clark outlined strategies to develop leaders within a team and contingency planning and Amy Marsh spoke about evaluating and improving the quality of teaching and learning across a team.

One of the highlights of the day was the amount of discussion across phase and subject, allowing leaders to look at issues from different perspectives. Delegates left with new contacts and links from schools across SE Asia, as well as numerous resources, ideas, and planned actions to take back to their teams and schools. It was a fantastic event.

Many thanks to all of the presenters and particularly Natalie Clark for organising the whole day.

Amy Marsh Director of Professional Learning | Deputy Head (Whole School) Garden International School

Secondary Geography JAWs

Jerudong International School

17 - 18 November 2023

We were thrilled to have a group of Geography teachers come together to attend the FOBISIA Secondary Geography Job Alike Workshop (JAWs) over the 17th-18th November.

Over twenty passionate educators from various corners of Asia attended the workshop held at Jerudong International School in Brunei. Teachers completed a series of varied workshops which served as a catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and the collective advancement of Geography education.

Teachers from South Korea, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei, were able to give a blend of perspectives and teaching experiences. The event served as a melting pot of ideas and practices, creating a unique space for collaboration among educators dedicated to enhancing Geography education in their respective schools.

Participants immersed themselves in a series of dynamic workshops that delved into cutting-edge topics, reflecting the ever-evolving nature of Geography education. Workshops included sessions on ‘Decolonising the Curriculum,’ a crucial exploration of diversifying perspectives in Geography education; ‘Using AI to Support Geography Teaching,’ an exploration of technology’s role in enhancing teacher workload and learning experiences; and ‘The Geopolitics of Outer Space,’ a fascinating dive into the intersection of geography and space exploration.

Beyond the enriching workshops, the event facilitated invaluable networking opportunities. Teachers shared best practices and established strong connections with their counterparts in FOBISIA partner schools. These connections have already begun to bear fruit, as participants are now actively collaborating on plans to create a robust Geography network. This network serves as a platform for ongoing dialogue, resource sharing, and collaborative initiatives to help propel Geography teaching and learning forward.

The FOBISIA Secondary Geography JAWs has set the stage for a new era of collaboration and innovation in Geography education. The shared commitment to advance teaching practice, collaborate on planning resources, and leverage technology ensures that the impact of this conference will extend far beyond its conclusion. We look forward to witnessing the continued growth of the FOBISIA Geography Network and the positive impact it will undoubtedly have on schools, students, and the field of Geography education in Asia.

If you are interested in joining our network please use the Geography Connect Forum: https://fobisiaconnect.mn.co/spaces/10420957/feed or contact dani.mason@jis.edu.bn .

Dani Mason Head of Geography Jerudong International School

Authentic Assessment JAWS Conference

Taipei European School 2- 3 February 2024

How can we make decisions about the learning of all students based on the responses of one or two?’

That was the key question posed by special guest Dylan Wiliam to teachers from across Fobisia re gions on the second day of our conference, held 2 - 3 February 2024.

Under the umbrella of ‘Authentic Assessment’ understanding the needs of all students was a significant thread over the course of two days.

Friday 2nd February was a day of JAWS sessions, led by volunteers from a range of schools on topics such as, ‘assessment data as part of wellbeing’, ‘1-1 conferencing’, ‘designing accessible assessments’ and ‘student agency in assessment’ to name just a few. The importance of understanding students as individuals was also supported by Taipei European School student voices on Friday. The conference opened with a speech by TES Head and Deputy Head students who outlined what assessment means to them and how, notably, they prefer very different styles of assessments. The need to offer variety in assessment was further evidenced in the student panel session, a real high-

light of the conference, where TES students responded eloquently and thoughtfully to questions from participants about their experience of the assessments teachers design.

On Saturday 3rd February conference attendees were treated to a full day workshop with Dylan Wiliam who took us through the principles of formative assessments, the practices and strategies we can use in the classroom to better know and address our students’ needs, as well as how to use Teacher Learning Communities to commit to and support continued professional growth. From over 30 strategies, Dylan challenged us all to identify the three which would have the greatest impact on our practice and to design a plan to make lasting and meaningful change in how we use assessment to understand the individual needs of our students.

Participants left the conference energised and excited to begin the journey of turning their learning into action in the classroom. We at Taipei European School left feeling privileged to host two days of

such rich discussion and deep learning on the topic of Authentic Assessment.

Ann Lautrette Deputy Head | Taipei European School

Inspiring Change: Hon. Dr. Stuart Lawrence’s Visit to Bangkok Patana School

Bangkok Patana School

In November 2023, Bangkok Patana School had the pleasure of hosting the Hon. Stuart Lawrence, ex-Teacher, author and speaker turned anti-racism advocate. As a young man, Stuart lost his older brother in a racially motivated attack at a bus stop. To this day, Stuart still has to cope with online speculation about the nature of his brother's attack and subsequent death. This tragic story took years to resolve in the courts but has spurred significant changes in the UK's approach to policing and racist hate crimes. Many members of our community who grew up in Britain around the time of the incident, will be aware of the story.

Stuart Lawrence now travels the world delivering a message of resilience, hope, and the need for societal change. Stuart is also an ex-Design and Technology Teacher who delighted in popping into our DT classrooms to check out the students at work and our impressive collection of equipment and tools.

Parent Workshop: Sharing a Personal Journey

Stuart Lawrence's workshop with parents was a deeply moving experience. He shared his family's story, detailing the challenges and injustices they faced following Stephen's tragic death. He also shared personal details about the long shadow Steven’s death cast over his childhood and how he battled with his mental health as a result. The change in dynamic from mischievous middle child to responsible eldest child weighed heavily for a time. Lawrence emphasised the power of community support and the importance of parental roles in nurturing an environment of understanding and equality. His message was clear: it takes a collective effort to combat racism and build a more inclusive society.

Engaging with Students: Lessons from Bestselling Books

Lawrence's sessions with the students were centred around his bestselling books, which address themes of resilience, determination, and the importance of staying connected to your community. He worked with Y10 – 12 and then Y6 – 9 in two differentiated sessions. Through interactive discussions and audience participation, he encouraged students to reflect on their own dreams and goals and the value of diversity. The presentations were not only informative but also empowering, prompting students to think about how they can contribute to creating a more equitable world. Hearing over 600 students chant, “I am a revolutionary!” was a fun moment, as students pledged to be upstanders in the face of discrimination. Stuart’s books are now available in our Secondary libraries.

Workshop with Staff: Building an Anti-Racist School Culture

The staff workshop focused on practical strategies to foster an anti-racist school culture. Lawrence shared insights on recognising and addressing unconscious bias, creating inclusive classrooms, and supporting students from diverse backgrounds. He stressed the critical role educators play in shaping young minds and the need for continuous learning and self-reflection in the journey towards anti-racism.

Stuart Lawrence's visit was an important milestone in our conversation as a community about anti-racism. The grace with which Stuart shares his story is admirable and he is an inspirational role model, who has turned adversity, into a life of service as a Teacher and now advocate. His visit was not just a moment of learning but a call to action, inspiring students, parents, and staff to be proactive in their pursuit of equality and justice. It is through story-telling that we gain empathy and understanding and we thank Stuart for bravely sharing his story with all of us.

We look forward to bringing other visitors to Patana to share their diverse perspectives around this important topic in the future.

Cindy Adair

Assistant Principal, Professional Learning Bangkok Patana School

Reflections ....

Anthony Casey - Primary Teacher

“I thought Stuart Lawrence’s workshop for our staff at Patana was nothing short of inspirational. Hearing from someone who has firsthand experience connected to such a high profile racially motivated attack, was both meaningful and thought-provoking. It made us, as staff, realise how much we need to do to educate our children further to ensure things like this don’t keep on happening.”

JJ - Year 6 Student

To have an assembly like one of these was a completely different experience for me and all of Year 6, and one I did not expect at all. Yet I cherished every moment of the inspirational one hour. To learn first hand from a person who experienced racial discrimination to a horrifying degree, was both interesting and heart wrenching at the same time.Whenever the topic of racism arises, I now know that the most little action, could make the biggest change. After the fascinating lecture by Stuart Lawrence, I now feel our school becoming more open and diverse by the day.

Ashvika - Y11 Student

It was a delight to glean numerous invaluable lessons from those thirty minutes. The esteemed Stuart Lawrence imparted his insights and sincere sentiments on a variety of subjects, including dedication and motivation, the adage “effort surpasses talent,” and his personal encounter with racism. While it is my belief that all attendees of the Theatre gained personal insight and knowledge, it was his teachings and ideals regarding racism that particularly resonated with me. As one of the most significant challenges universally encountered, he emphasised the distinction between anti-racism and being “not racist”, as well as the varying degrees of societal repercussions of racism illustrated through the pyramid of white supremacy. This session provided me with a profound understanding of how our actions speak louder than our thoughts and how they can contribute to be the catalysts to see the change in the world, in addition to a shift in perspective, which is also of significance.

Alishba - Year 6 Student

There is a lot to learn from Stuart Lawrence’s character. Despite going through a horrendous experience of losing a loved one, his own brother to a racist attack, he embodies positivity and empathy. He has used his personal experience to shape the lives of others around him in a positive way. We should all strive to be like Lawrence.

Diana Osagie Visit

The British School Kathmandu

Having heard Diana Osagie’s keynote speech at the FOBISIA Annual Leadership Conference in March 2023, the TBS leadership team were very excited to host her Courageous Leadership CPD workshops. After a restful Christmas break and great first week back to school, we were all very excited to welcome Diana to Nepal, Kathmandu and TBS.

We were joined by delegates from other schools in Kathmandu and our middle leaders and started the day with an inspirational session on leading change. Having just returned after the Christmas break, this was the boat we needed to really engage with our strategic planning for the second half of the academic year. Our team found it practical and engaging and very relatable, covering topics including; dealing with colleagues who oppose change, managing the emotion alongside the processes of change and moving from conflict to resolution in change management. One of our faculty heads explained that he felt she really struck a chord with some of the conversations he had been having with his team whilst implementing a new initiative and he found her session

Session 2 was ‘Managing Difficult Conversations’, discussing the questiona ‘what are you supposed to say?’ ‘How are you supposed to say it?’ And ‘What to do if it goes wrong?’ This is an area which all the delegates found extremely useful and interesting. As leaders, navigating difficult conversations can be one of the most daunting tasks as there are many hidden dangers or prob-

lems, and these types of conversations need to be handled with care because things could easily go wrong. The feedback we received was that Diana gave some excellent advice on how to manage difficult conversations and the realities of leadership. There can be a tendency to shy away from discussing how apprehensive new leaders are in handling situations like this. However Diana addressed the issue frankly and was not hesitant. This supported the cohort in relaxing and feeling they are not alone in anxieties around how they handle conversations such as these. She gave a wealth of information about how to implement different targets within a faculty and how the leadership role works. Our team fed back that this made them reflect on how they have approached conversations in the past and how they could have handled some situations better, and how they may do so in the future. They felt Diana had shown practical ideas and clear pathways to productive resolutions.

This linked extremely well to our third and final middle leaders session, ‘Managing your Team’. Again, the feedback from the delegates was very positive, with one of our Head of Key Stage feeding back that the training was to the point and made me reflect on my strategies used in my current role. It also gave me some really good sentence frames to help with effective communication in the future.

After a delicious lunch of traditional dal bhat, Diana moved on to the Senior Leadership training workshops. We started with Strategic Decision Making. The Senior leadership teams from all participating schools took an area from their SDP and applied Diana’s theory of effective decision making to really unpick the rationale behind this. They then conducted an audit on their current practice before creating a framework for decision making. This formed the basis for the agenda for their next leadership meeting. Again the feedback on this session was overwhelmingly positive. Being part of this workshop, it was very powerful to look at our strategic planning through this lens and have time as a team to really unpick our reasoning. It was also extremely helpful to spend a CPD session working on our existing targets as this had a direct impact on our practice.

Our final session of the day was ‘Dealing with Within School Variation’, as with the other sessions, Diana was to the point and approached this with a realistic outlook. She also gave us our new in-house school motto… never assume anything! She really made all the delegates attending consider how much they assume and how explicitly you need to communicate to avoid colossal mistakes!

Having asked our team to attend CPD on the first Saturday back after the Christmas holidays, we were taking a risk on having some slightly disgruntled colleagues, however the feedback from all who attended was overwhelmingly positive. Thanks Diana, sharing your extensive experience and anecdotes with us whilst linking these to specific examples has been invaluable

Sally Moulds

Head of Primary

The British School Kathmandu, Nepal

You can now subscribe to FOBISIA CPD event reminders

• Go to www.fobisia.org and visit Member Support

• Login using your school email address and visit Calendars

• Scroll down and click on the orange bell button on the top right corner of the calendar.

• Select the calendars you would like to subscribe to and reminder alerts will be sent to you email.

Find out about all the

NOW!

In case you have already registered you can visit FOBISIA Connect Feed here

The Power of the Storyteller

Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School

We benefit immensely from being an active part of a community. Our sense of belonging and our sense of self are formed through experience and reflection. When we have the chance to listen and make an effort to understand people we can find assurance in the similarities and growth in the differences. Being part of the FOBISIA community provides us all with opportunities. It was because of FOBISIA and an email circulated in June 2023 that Bangkok Prep began working with the Hon. Dr Stuart Lawrence or (as he prefers to be called) Stuart, from here on in. Stuart was coming to the area and FOBISIA were facilitating his work with schools.

As a child in the UK, my awareness of the murder of Stephen Lawrence caused sadness and fear. As an adult I had some understanding of the significance of this murder: The media and police involvement, inquiries, inquests, private prosecutions, an independent review, the establishment of “Stephen Lawrence Day” as an annual national commemoration on 22nd April. For a 30 year period this was headlines to most of us and it feels unfathomable to begin to see how much this means to a family who loved Stephen.

In the email from FOBISIA, I first read about Stuart, as a brother, professional and human being. I was inspired by his work as a teacher, orator, author and speaker. We asked him to come and spend the day with us immediately. In the coming weeks, Stuart and “Team Lawrence” worked with us on a bespoke plan. He was generous with his time, meeting with us and our students ahead of the visit. On the day Stuart worked with students from Y6-Y13 in a series of workshops called “Empathy and Being the Best Version of Yourself”. In the afternoon, he was a guest and consultant to our Sixth Formers as part of their leadership initiative: They hope to make sure

we all stand against the use of language of prejudice in our community through “Challenge, Speak, Pass”. Stuart ended the day delivering a keynote to staff and parents. An attendee said it best: “the right way to express my feelings isn’t to say I enjoyed it, but rather “wow”. I am grateful for the power of his message through his life changing experience.”

We have since met up with Stuart in London and are looking to connect our secondary students with Year 6 using some project-based learning next term. Stuart has a concept that will let the children share a problem or challenge and how to use this to make a positive impact. If anyone can help us to learn this, it is Stuart. The story he shares is so powerful. The way he chooses to do that, with hope, compassion and a talent to connect to others is inspirational. His bio explains why he works as hard as he does. It is all “... for a single purpose, to give young people and adults alike the mindset and skills to achieve their potential, irrespective of background. And in turn, become the voices that change society.” What a vision.

We are thrilled to have made a connection with Stuart and to have him in our extended community. He told our students a Tim Sanders quote that feels very relevant. “Your network is your net worth.”

We are richer for knowing Stuart. Perhaps even more importantly, he left many of us with this message attributed to his family. Rather than “treat people the way you want to be treated”. Instead “Treat people the way they want to be treated”. A simple difference we can each make, everyday to contribute to a brighter future. Thank you for connecting with us Stuart, we look forward to continuing the journey together.

Tia Court-Smith (she/her) Secondary Headteacher Bangkok Prep

JAWS CONFERENCE

Developing Character, Wellbeing & Belonging

3rd & 4th May 2024

This in-person JAWs Conference will focus on wellbeing, including looking at character development, belonging and the importance of wellbeing for the whole community. We welcome presenters around any of these themes. It is suitable for both Primary and Secondary staff, with either an academic and pastoral focus.

Daniel Merza

https://www.danielmerza.com/

Venue - St Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia Cost - 650RM Sign

Matthew Savage

https://monalisaeffect.me/

PRIMARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION

JAWS JAWS conference

conference

EXPLORING THE PRIMARY PE CURRICULUM

OPPORTUNITIES TO OBSERVE AND SHARE BEST PRACTICE

FRI 17 & SAT 18 MAY

INCLUDING WORKSHOPS FROM HELEN BATTELLEY AND PARKOUR SESSIONS WITH MUHAMMAD ASRAF

COST: $150 SGD

REGISTER HERE: SIGN UP

DEADLINE: 1 APRIL

CONTACT: JOE MORIARTY

2024

Date of event: 31st of May, 2024

Host: Kellett School, Hong Kong

Venue: Kellett Senior School, Kowloon Bay

Cost: TBC

Sign up deadline: 12th of April

JAWs for Curriculum JAWs for Curriculum Design & Development Design & Development

2nd-3rd June 2024

2nd-3rd June 2024

Hosted by The British School, Kathmandu

Hosted by The British School, Kathmandu

A two-day Job Alike Workshop for middle leaders to share strategies for creating, implementing and reviewing effective curriculum pathways

Suggested workshop topics

These are the types of sessions we hope to host Please add other ideas or requests to the registration form.

Implementing a truly inclusive curriculum. Creating an AI resistant curriculum How can the UN sustainable development goals feed into successful cross-curricular planning?

Designing a PSHE curriculum for your school context.

Audience: Middle and senior leaders with responsibility for curriculum development, or those aspiring to these roles

Cost: 55 GBP including daytime meals and local excursions.

Register interest here to receive more information.

Keynote by Adam Robbins Keynote by Adam Robbins

Email : info@fobisia.org

Landline : +66 2744 4070

Address:

39/4 Todsamon Clubhouse Building, Mezzannine Floor, Soi Lasalle 39/1, Sukhumvit 105, Bang Na Bangkok 10260