CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 9:00
Welcome - Mr Adam Oliver (Vice Principal St. George’s British International School) Keynote Speaker – Prof. Stephen Heppell Global Developments and Trends in Education
10:15 11:15
Workshops Group A Coffee break sponsored by Ambrit International School Refreshments will be served in the school cafeteria Distribution of Certificates to Presenters Musical Performance by St George’s students
12:00
Workshops Group B
13:00
Close of conference
RISA would like to thank St. George’s British International School of Rome and the Vice Principal, Mr. Adam Oliver, for hosting the 2016 RISA Conference
Workshop Group A 10:15-11:15
Venue Refectory
WORKSHOP 1 Prof. Stephen Heppell Any Questions? Professor Heppell will host a Q&A session on material raised in his Keynote speech.
WORKSHOP 2
ARG Session
Drama Theatre
Mr Adam Oliver Holding Difficult Conversations Holding difficult conversations is a challenging but essential part of leadership. If they do not occur, things can go badly wrong within an organization at a rapid rate. Difficult conversations are however just what the name suggests – difficult! This session, via a mixture of information and role-play activities, is designed to: Explain why they need to happen Give you practical strategies for how to prepare, deliver and follow-up for best effect Help you to be as human as possible whilst doing so! The session is open for all but likely to have more value for those in any form of leadership position, either within middle or senior management. St. George’s British International School of Rome
WORKSHOP 3 Mr Raniero Bei & Mr Fabio Boccuni ( 15-18 years) Language As a Way of Knowing With the increasing IB focus of TOK being at the centre of the IB DP learning experience, this workshop will focus on how Language as a way of knowing is treated in the Language A and Language B courses. The interpretation of a text, the correlation between language and culture, the extent to which language can deceive us, are all aspects that offer a natural bridge with TOK concepts and a springboard for interesting discussions. St. George’s British International School of Rome St. Stephen’s school
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WORKSHOP 4
F3
Mr James Weston ( all age groups) Video made the classroom go Aaaah! – Using video to enhance teaching, learning and assessment. Explore the role video has to play in the modern classroom and its ability to enrich, enhance and support teaching and learning. You will have the chance to get hands on by screen casting, designing basic eBooks and creating Auras which brings photos to life, in this action packed, fun workshop. This opportunity is open to anyone who would like to make video a more prominent feature in their lessons and requires no previous specialist knowledge. St. George’s British International School of Rome
WORKSHOP 5
Job-Alike Session, Discussion Panel
C4
Ms Helen Wilford Art History Ideas and Discussion Forum
The discipline of Art History provides fertile ground for developing the critical thinking and communication skills required at KS5, and can inspire a life-long interest in art and culture. In the presentation, I will outline the process of writing the IB Art History school-based syllabus and the new direction it is taking. I would also like to share some ‘hands on’ ideas for teaching Art History to different age groups and explore cross-curricular links afforded by the subject. The second half of the session will be an open discussion forum, where we can share ideas and questions. St. George’s British International School of Rome
WORKSHOP 6 Mr James Lyons CO2 Reduction Methods: Activities to Involve Students Reducing greenhouse gases is becoming a key focus in many schools. In this workshop, we will see how the WAVE organization aims to reduce CO2 emissions and present how Castelli International is taking part in this initiative. Other practical "green" teaching activities will be shared. For example, creating a student-led project on the features of an ecological home. A brainstorming will conclude the session
Castelli International School
D5
WORKSHOP 7
D7
Ms Maria Mascia English Language Learners in the Classroom This talk gives a background, insight and strategies to help ELL students survive and thrive in our schools. Maria will discuss research that has helped her implement strategies to differentiate between language learners needs. She additionally will address learning differences between ELL and learning support students.
Ambrit International School
WORKSHOP 8
D26
Ms Viktorija Podagelyte (12-18 years) Understanding Adolescents (Pastoral Care) The focus of the presentation is based on research done by psychologists and neuroscientists regarding adolescent brain development. We will examine why teens love risk, lack motivation and have difficulty understanding others’ perspectives and emotions. Working through a number of scenarios we will have better insight of what constitutes “normal” adolescent behavior. We will assess when specific attitudes need additional attention from adults in the community, such as an advisor, school counselor, or parents. St. Stephen’s School
WORKSHOP 9 Ms Sara Kirby (6-11 years) Reader’s Workshop: Fostering Comprehension and Life-long Readers Reader’s Workshop allows children to learn in their own way, in their own time, and creates an environment that fosters a love for learning. Reader’s Workshop is a structure for teaching and learning which includes a mini-lesson, guided and independent practice, conferring, and sharing. We will focus on the six metacognitive comprehension strategies and explore ways to release responsibility to students. Teachers will come away with practical lessons and resources to implement into their classrooms. American Overseas School of Rome
C6
WORKSHOP 10
D25
Ms Christine D’Aquanni (6-11 years) Best Practices for English Language Learners This workshop is intended for both EAL and elementary classroom teachers who are seeking new strategies to support ELLs in their classrooms. The presenter will share some of her favourite components from the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) as well as the Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD). Participants will leave with a toolbox of teaching strategies and have the opportunity to share their own ideas and network with other international teachers. American Overseas School of Rome
WORKSHOP 11
Library
Ms Viki Bridge & Ms Lauren Waite (8-11 years) Teaching the Research Process in Library and Technology Classes An elementary librarian and an elementary technology teacher will share how they teach the research process to students beginning in second grade and how they collaborate to empower the students to present information on their topics. In library class, students learn to be flexible about choosing a topic, how to evaluate resources of information, take notes without plagiarizing, write a complete paragraph, and the importance of citing sources. In technology class, students type their writing, edit their writing, animate their slide, search and import images, and cite their source. American Overseas School of Rome
WORKSHOP 12 Ms Chiara Concas & Ms Miriam O'Brien (12-14 years) “A Lighthouse in a Stormy Ocean” – How to incorporate and go beyond accommodations to guarantee success for students with special needs Reduced workload and additional time are standard accommodations for students with special needs. How does this transfer into the regular classroom? The purpose of this presentation is to share some effective and time proven strategies on how the development of Teacher-Student Subject Specific “Contracts”, while incorporating accommodations,
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empower students to become active participants in their learning. Presenters will share how these“ Contracts” have positively impacted not only academic performance of students but also their behavior , attitudes and relationships with peers, parents, and support professionals. Participants will be provided with examples and strategies on how to implement these contracts in their subject areas. American Overseas School of Rome
WORKSHOP 13 Ms Simona Keshav Secretarial Good Practice
Job-Alike Session , Discussion Panel
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A mutually beneficial opportunity to meet, share ideas and discuss points of common interest e.g. 1) Streamlining the re-enrolment/re-registration process and paperwork 2) Databases (linked to point 1) 3) Student Pass/ID cards 4) AOB Southlands English School of Rome
WORKSHOP 14 Mr Christopher Scorer (12-18 years) Adventure Education - Is it worth the risk? This workshop is aimed at generating a discussion and sharing good practice around adventure education. Objectives: To identify some of the risks teachers and schools face when offering adventure education. To identify the value of adventure education to both the students and the school. To share good practice – in relation to risk and crisis management, managing parental expectation and response and providing staff with sufficient support. Southlands English School of Rome
C2
WORKSHOP 15
D2 Ms Sandra Collins (6-18 years) Marking and feedback
This is a session to get teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their formative assessment. We will look at recent Ofsted statement on marking and what they expect to see in schools - and consider how frequently we need to mark books etc. Participants can look at examples of feedback and comment on which are useful and which are not. I will show the group findings from a research project conducted by a teaching school in the UK who have been judged outstanding by Ofsted, looking on what students find useful and what they do not. The group can then examine strategies suggested by Teacher Toolkit which looks at various methods of giving feedback. They can then consider which of these the y could try! I will show evidence from ‘response to marking’ using the ‘yellow box’ idea used in English. The New School Rome
WORKSHOP 16 Mr Michael Barber (3-18 years) An Interactive Session on Resilience Schools and classrooms, can be demanding places to work - successful teaching and learning requires cognitive, social and emotional investment by both teachers and students. This tests reserves of physical, psychological or emotional energy for both parties. Research shows that one of the most important attributes for a teacher to be both successful and happy is first to be resilient. This interactive session aims to look at some of the contemporary research and provide a forum for teachers to share their own experiences. St George’s British International School of Rome
C5
WORKSHOP 17
Job-Alike Session
Ms Judith Munro Faure School Nurses Forum
St. George’s British International School of Rome
C1
Workshop Group B 12:00-13:00 WORKSHOP 18
Venue C3
Prof. Stephen Heppell Learner-Led Make-overs We seem to be in a policy inversion. Teacher led, and learner led change has accelerated way beyond national and bureaucratic control, probably because new technology has empowered bottom up ahead of top down. But what does learner led change look like? This grounded pragmatic session shows how others have asked for the reflection and research of their learners - and found their schools transformed, favourably and effectively, as a result. What a decade!
WORKSHOP 19
ARG Session
Mr Greg Morgan & Mr Richard Lancaster (8-18 years) Teaching for Creativity: Developing Creative Thought and Action through CrossCurricular & Inter-School Collaboration I will present a range of our innovative in-school and off-site projects, which have enabled teachers and students from diverse specialisms, departments and schools, to collaborate equally. Participants identified opportunities, explored divergent ideation and developed surprising yet effective outcomes. The visible products ranged from murals and operatic performances to video documentaries and TEDx debates on drones. However, developing the creative processes and attributes of curiosity, imagination, critique and resilience were arguably the key consequences of these projects.
Extension and Challenge through Visual Media The talk will explain a range of short and long term extension and challenge projects, within the Art department. These include a collaborative photography assignment for IB students in which they produce a series of distorted, grotesque and experimental portraits. The project encourages students to quite literally stretch their artistic ideas. We also run an early entry GCSE programme which allows particularly able students to take an AS level qualification before starting their IB Diploma. St. George’s British International School of Rome
F1
WORKSHOP 20
Job-Alike Session
E1
Ms Denise De Paoli, Mr James Lyons & Mr David Clapp Science Job-Alike Denise (Marymount) will talk about her trips to Space Camp and to Cern; James (Castelli) will give a short version of his other presentation on involving students in reducing CO2 emissions; David (SGBIS) will lead a discussion on the new IA assessment in IB sciences . The RISA scientists recently met (Nov 2015). This would be 2 nd meeting of this group. Marymount International School Castelli International School St. George’s British International School of Rome
WORKSHOP 21 Ms Geraldine Farrell (12-16 years) How do we support EAL students in international schools in Rome? EAL Working Party – Who are our EAL students? How can we be best supporting them to achieve their potential? Step 1 is to look at strategies for supporting EAL students’ learning. In our Roman international schools perspective, what do we do and how do we feel that this works? What strategies can we share from our specific schools? Participants are asked to bring one successful strategy that they have used in their RISA school. St. George’s British International School of Rome
D26
WORKSHOP 22
Job-Alike Session
C6
Ms Helen Andrew IB DP Coordinators -
Entry to university in UK, USA and Italy regarding IB diploma, certificates and accreditation to CIS or other.
- Academic Honesty policies - what we do, what we give out, who is involved - AIBWSI updates on their lobbying strategy in Italy - Uploading of IB work to IBIS (including via Managebac). E-coursework experiences/latest situation
St. George’s British International School of Rome
WORKSHOP 23
ARG Session
Ms Veryan Blake, Mr Marco Gemelli, Mr Matthew Tait & Dr Darren Laffar Exam papers How do exam boards construct exam papers? What consideration do they give to bilingual students? How does readability assessment differ for mono and bilingual students? The findings from a literature review regarding these questions were used to manipulate the difficulty exam papers in order to reduce the assessment of English ability and increase the subject focus. A mixed mono/ bilingual student cohort were exposed to both manipulated and non-manipulated exams.
Carrying out Action-Research Projects in an international school: barriers and benefits St George’s Action Research Group (ARG) was established in September 2014 with the aim of creating a learning community amongst staff and carry out action research projects which would inform policy and practice. Mr Gemelli will start the session by summarising barriers to implementation and the strategies used at SGBIS to overcome them. Mr Gemelli and Dr Laffar will then discuss the benefits of adopting the
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Japanese ‘lesson study’ approach to secondary mathematics lesson planning. Ms Blake will analyse how exam boards construct their papers and how readability assessment differs for mono- and bi-lingual students. Mr Tait will investigate the role of chance based games on student learning and motivation. St. George’s British International School of Rome
WORKSHOP 24
C4
Ms Christine Williams, Ms Hannah Moore & Ms Vicky Walsh (3-14 years) Taking Initiatives in Primary Education Taking initiatives may be easier within the International school setting since school leaders are not bound by national legislation, politics or league tables. At SGLS, we have committed to three initiatives we feel shape the nature of our school: ‘Talk for Writing’: a multisensory approach to literacy; ‘Relationships & Sex Education’: from policy writing to classroom delivery, and ‘Play in Education’: the importance of play for learning and creativity. This workshop aims to share experiences and although the main focus is Primary, RSE will look at KS3 in particular.
St. George’s British International School of Rome
WORKSHOP 25
ARG Session
Ms Claire Angeletti, Ms Roberta Pazardjiklian & Ms Sarah Talbot Chaos, Creativity & Connection: A Pathway to Well-Being We need new maps to support students in developing their emotional intelligence alongside their own unique gifts and talents in order for them to flourish in today’s fast paced world. Through the chaos of creative exploration there is a way for young people to discover new learning pathways and the dynamic connection between student and teacher has the potential to transform the learning experience for both. In this presentation and practical workshop Claire Angeletti will be speaking about the significance of introducing Heart Strengths, Mindfulness and Well-Being into a creative curriculum and Roberta Pazardjiklian will be presenting her Creative Enrichment Project to support students in increasing their awareness of the world in which they live and their place within it as visual learners and change makers. This workshop is also supported by Sarah Talbot. St. George’s British International School of Rome
Drama Theatre
WORKSHOP 26
ARG Session
F3
Mr John Talbot Technology & Teaching Technology is changing the way we teach and creates tremendous opportunities to enrich the quality of our teaching and the enrich the learning experience of our students. This is a hands on workshop that aims to demonstrate how flipped learning can be effectively delivered in the classroom. Delegates will be shown how to use screen casting software to make their own flipped learning lessons together with some of the pitfalls to avoid and aspects to take on board when running these sessions. St. George’s British International School of Rome
WORKSHOP 27
D25
Ms Moira Egan (15-18 years) What a Character: Understanding Characterization through Creative Writing Exercises For writers, it is crucial to create interesting, well-rounded characters, in both fiction and poetry. For the younger reader, personal psychological insights into character can be a fascinating way to become an ever better critic and writer. Using specific examples of published work based on literary characters, this workshop/lecture will give teachers academically solid yet entertaining tools (including poetic forms) to encourage students to become more engaged with characters in texts read in literature classes St. Stephen’s School
WORKSHOP 28 Ms Elizabeth Reenstra (6-11years) Engaging All Learners With Multisensory Instruction Participants will learn to utilize a multi-sensory approach during the literacy block. A common concern for teachers is a lack of transfer between skills in isolation and further application. Presenting concepts through an explicit, sequential and kinaesthetic manner allows students of all levels to more deeply internalize them. Participants will be given a book of common phonetic rules, ideas for lesson planning and the tools necessary to easily integrate the content into their own classrooms.
American Overseas School of Rome
D6
WORKSHOP 29
D23 Ms Jane Rumsby (6-14 years) Taking the numbers out of math
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals,
adjust the action steps. “Confucius STEAM is the way forward with math. Creativity, fun, and practical application are so often missing from math lesson and students lose their desire to ‘do’ math. Let’s take a look at how we can bring some joy back into the lessons for all math students. A hands/feet on workshop, exploring, geometry, engineering, technology, science, creativity and of course math . American Overseas School of Rome
WORKSHOP 30
D11
Ms Julie Finan & Ms Elena Colucci Creating Reggio Inspired Spaces (How to use the third teacher in your early childhood classroom) The participants will learn how color, balance and texture can bring harmony and enhance their early childhood setting. By taking into consideration these three elements. On a tight budget, is it possible to transform your space into a stimulating and nature-connected learning environment.As there are several international preschools in Rome, this workshop will be open for those who work in in these settings. We will provide information on how to transform their classrooms to make them more welcoming interesting and inspiring. Marymount International School Rome
WORKSHOP 31
Job-Alike Session
Ms Giovanna Atturi (6-14 years) GHFGHF Bes e Bilinguismo / Organizzazione programmi italiani Questo incontro informale tra gli insegnanti italiani di elementari e medie che operano nelle scuole internazionali, ha come fine uno scambio costruttivo di idee ed esperienze, volto a rendere sempre più proficuo il nostro lavoro e soddisfare le aspettative di genitori e alunni. Una particolare attenzione vorremmo dedicarla ai ragazzi con DSA e BES, scambiandoci idee sull'approccio alle lezioni, alle verifiche ed esami . Southlands English School in Rome
D12
WORKSHOP 32
E3
Mr Chris Reid Everybody's going surfing. Enlivening lessons with IT The aim of the workshops is to give teachers some ideas and skills that will allow them to improve learning and teaching experiences in all classes. Participants will be able to apply learning from this workshop to enhance lessons. Integration of the ICT resources gathered in this workshop into lessons will be straightforward and beneficial to both students and teachers. The New School Rome
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WORKSHOP 33 Ms Joanne Gillespie What is Visible Learning? In this workshop, the presenter will share information contained in the book “Visible Learning for Teachers” by Professor John Hattie. Participants will learn about the main idea of Hattie’s work, and have hands-on experience with the tools contained in the book, for preparing, teaching, and evaluating lessons. Participants will be encouraged to establish a Professional Learning Community based on the tenets of the book, in order to share their understandings. St. Thomas's International School
WORKSHOP 34
Job-Alike Session
Mr Andrew Spraggon (3-18 years) Special Education Discussion Panel An opportunity to share experiences and perspectives about Special Educational Needs in International schools. Envisioned topics of discussion include: assessment of SEN, resources and teaching strategies, the use of outside agencies (e.g Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists) and training in SEN for specialist and mainstream teachers. This session will be useful for anyone working with SEN children, including teachers and teaching assistants who have an interest in improving outcomes for children with additional needs. Southlands English School in Rome
D7
WORKSHOP 35
D21 Mr Michael Agliata Rigor in the Math Classroom
Participants will better understand both the definition of rigor and what it looks like in the classroom. “We need more rigor in the classroom!� This comment is often made by teachers, parents, and administrators, but what does it really mean? True rigor is born when lessons are planned to promote three fundamental principles: conceptual, procedural, and applied understandings. This session will explore examples of how each of these understandings can be reached in the math classroom. Various technologies promoting both conceptual and procedural understandings that are also useful for formative assessment like NearPod, Explain Everything, Go Animate, and Desmos will be discussed. Discussion will also center on technologies promoting student reflection better suited for summative assessment like the creation of Puppet Edu movies and student created books using Book Creator. Practical applications promoting applied understanding like participation in the Stock Market Game will also be considered. Attendees should have access to the internet through the use of a laptop, iPad, or mobile device. Ambrit International School
WORKSHOP 36 Ms Amy Agliata & Mr Chad Griffiths Using IT to Make Thinking Visible Participants of this presentation will be able to: -encourage visible thinking within their classroom -utilize new IT tools to make student thinking visible What are your students thinking and how do you know? When students externalize their thoughts through speaking, drawing, writing, and other methods, they make their thinking visible. Using these methods they can expand on their thoughts through collaboration and reflection. In this presentation, we are going to share our favorite tools that allow students to make their thinking visible. We will share our experiences with screencasting, movie-making, book-making, digital portfolios and collaborative projects across a range of curriculum areas. Some of the tools we will include are Adobe Voice, Seesaw, and Explain Everything. Ambrit International School
D2
WORKSHOP 37 Dr. Marie Catherine Letendre (13-18 years) Strategies and tips for teaching critical thinking skills
C3
This workshop will focus on both theory and practice. Participants will be asked to join in the discussion of teaching strategies for critical thinking skills as the presentation unfolds with a description of good strategies and tips. Critical thinking, as it pertains to teaching and learning, is considered an open-minded process of discovery and understanding, analysis and application, synthesis and evaluation. Creating a critical thinking classroom makes learning enjoyable. Marymount International School
WORKSHOP 38 Mr Bob McCarthy (12-18 years) Walking the Walk: Making Your School Mission & Expectations a Living Document in Your School Community What does it mean to be a mission-driven school? How do students specifically demonstrate the core values and learning expectations articulated by the school? How does the educational community achieve consensus on what students should be able to know and do? This seminar will present how some schools have incorporated their mission, core values and learning expectations into the fabric of the school and ultimately, developed graduation requirements related to those expectations. American Overseas School of Rome
D8
Drama Studio is on B Floor
Public Transport Options for St George's La Storta Campus The La Storta site is conveniently situated next to La Storta train station on the FR3 line between Roma Ostiense and Viterbo. The journey to central Rome and the Metro line takes approximately 30 minutes, and similarly taking the train north to Viterbo takes you through Bracciano, situated on Lake Bracciano, within 30 minutes. The Via Cassia next to the school is also served by several local bus routes.
https://vimeo.com/153331251 http://www.stgeorge.school.it http://www.heppell.net