Feedback edition 1 nov 14 by Nexus International School Putrajaya

FRONT PAGE

November 2014

FEEDBACK

No. 1

Introduction To Feedback Magazine

Welcome to the first edition of Nexus’ Feedback PL magazine. This is a termly publication written by you, The Nexus staff, to share and discuss training you have attended, new strategies you are trialling with learners or general pedagogical research you want to share. To start off the Feedback series this edition is focussed on the training several members attended last year to skill up for some of our school wide initiatives: developing school wide planning documentation, using data and assessment, using ICT to enhance learning, becoming a learning coach and improving learning through PLCs and Looking for Learning. Thank you to all those who have contributed, if you want to explore any of the issues further please contact the relevant authors. If you have something you want to share please send an email to pugh.s@ nexus.edu.my. We’d love to hear from you in the next edition. Suzy

ASB Unplugged Jared Wilson

KEY TIPS 1. Use technology to let learners learn at their own pace 2. Team teaching takes planning time 3. Excessive Learner reflection makes them bored 4. Flexible spaces do work in Secondary

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An all-in-one learning opportunity for audiences ranging from classroom teachers to technology directors and coordinators, from principals, superintendents and business managers to tech support teams. Focussed on building a 21st century teaching and learning environment. ASB Un-Plugged 2014 featured a broad spectrum of content with several concurrent strands. •

Classroom Visits & Student Showcases: The American School of Bombay opened their classrooms to share the work they do every day with students on laptops and tablets in 1-to-1 classroom teaching and learning. Teachers and students share their best practices, strategies and techniques that have proven to be successful. Witness first-hand how 1-to-1 functions during a school day. Including the crucial role that tech support plays in the success of this learning culture.

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Hands-on Learning Institutes: Work with education leaders across several strands of tech integration and emerging technologies: Critical Thinking, Leadership, Gaming, Mobile Learning, Online Schooling, Social Technologies, Information Fluency, and Tech Support. Technology, 1:1, Learning spaces, Team teaching

The information we took from the course has given us a number of useful insights: •

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We have taken some useful ideas on 1:1 vs BYOD, ICT support, integration and strategies to make technology use more successful (some from tours of the school, some from workshops). A lot of the things we saw confirmed that what we are doing at Nexus means that we are on the right path and in some ways we are doing a better job then ASB (in terms of technology) ASB is ahead of Nexus in terms of their pedagogy and integration of technology, but they have a purpose designed facility, have had more time using the approach that we are aiming for and have more planning time in their teams (@ 80 minutes per day across the school from elementary to middle/ high school). I can see that Nexus is going in the right direction. We gained useful insights into technology use, particularly computing and also ideas for using or integrating the ‘maker movement’ into lessons. Some good ideas for training for staff and students. ASB offer a tailored program of training for staff and parents. Whether the parent take up would be as much at Nexus is hard to ascertain. However, ASB had a very big ICT support team to ensure that these courses could be prepared and run and also a lot of money (30%) was invested in R&D so that the school could properly test/ run ideas that they had.

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IPC Train the Trainer

IPC Networking Professional Development

Clare Sweeney

KEY TIPS 1. Know the structure of the units 2. Let the learning goals drive classroom learning - not activities 3. Teach content and skills together

This course was aimed at training IPC practitioners that are experienced in using and planning for this curriculum. The outcome of this training will be to enable me to train other schools / individuals in how to use and implement the IPC. After successful completion the individuals trained will be working in partnership with the Great Learning team to support IPC schools in the Asia Region - there will be only 6 trainers of this nature in the region. This will enable me to support colleagues in the best ways / different ways to implement, plan for and assess using the IPC. Working with Great Learning will enable me to make links beyond Nexus and be more involved in new initiatives with which they are involved. Since undertaking the training I have delivered training at another international school - enabling me to reflect on the current position of Nexus in terms of IPC and refine my presentation skills. through delivering the training I am becoming more focussed on my own teaching of the IPC and my understanding of how best to teach the learning goals - and own the ‘structure’ of how it should all be taught. Having to re-focus and consider the purposes for the way the IPC units are sturctured and having to continuously reflect on what is done and why has given me a deeper understanding and ownership of the curriculum - thus enabling me to better plan for learning that fits the needs of the learners with whom I work - not just ‘use’ what is there. This in my next role as MP leader will enable me to btter support colleagues in getting to grips with what may be a new curriculum for them.

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Identifying & unlocking potential using Elly Balfour

KEY TIPS 1. Use as an indicator for class learning styles 2. Use indicators (predictions) as means of determining progress 3. Look for class themes 4. Identify spatial learners 5. Make CAT4 graph first port of call for learner info Understanding CAT4 and what it measures • Use in target setting • How it is used to support L&T • Understanding significance of spatial tests • Using CAT4 to monitor progress NISP uses CAT4 tests at point of entry.... it provides a wealth of data and it is important that this is used to learners best advantage i.e. Teachers knowing how to interpret the data and what it can tell them to inform their L&T for specific learners but also for particular class groups. Impacts and strategies for learning: • • •

With better learner knowledge (strengths and weaknesses) at entry to the school, teachers are better able to personalise pupils learning. As it can provide a mean of measuring progress that is not subjective it could be used to determine ‘value added’ by any particular intervention. Teachers can look at whole groups to determine predominance of any particular learning style or strength (e.g. verbal or spatial) or indeed weakness and adapt their teaching style accordingly. CAT4, Indicators, progress Key Link” CAT4 - Google Drive

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• • • • •

Sharing LI and SC Questioning - for evidence, for discussion, for diagnosis Providing feedback (feedback should feed forward) Student ownership of learning Peer observation

Elly Robertson Knowing about, and using, Formative assessment methods in the classroom (i.e. improving teaching) is the surest way to ensure ALL learners are happy, motivated, engaged, and LEARNING. Impacts and strategies for learning:

Sustaining Formative Assessment with Teacher Learning Communities Dylan Williams Course Summary: Dylan Wiliam combines all his research and experience to highlight the need for effective AFL strategies embedded in teaching. He explains what does and does not work, all backed up with independent educational research, then gives tips to improves. These focus on questioning skills and assessment. Although common to most teachers, few can say that they are completely embedded into their practice. He then necessitates the school wide policy of introducing a Teacher Learning Community to embed this practice. The 2 day course covered : • • •

Looking at the bigger picture of why raising achievement matters.... the world of work in the future. Why the focus has to be on classrooms and in particular Teacher What formative assessment is and isn’t

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• • • •

Not to be satisfied with OK. Formative assessment helps the teacher meet the needs of ALL within the classroom. Randomising of questions ensures engagement of ALL No hands up also ensures equity

Saiful Alibaki A number of studies have shown that helping teachers develop their use of formative assessment can have a significant impact on the achievement of their learners. “Learners learn more when they know where they are going”. Sharing learning intentions with learners can be a powerful strategy in improving learner achievement, but is fraught with difficulties. Specifically, helping learners understand where they are going requires steering a careful path between providing vaguely ambitious aims on the one hand, and reducing learning to a series of routine tasks on the other. Learners need to “own” their own learning. To increase learner involvement in the direction, pace and structure of their own learning. In addition, peer tutoring and peer assessment are essential to good classroom teaching. Dylan Williams outlined different kinds of feedback, the eight possible kinds of responses that learners can make, and why only two of them will actually improve learning. As well as learning about a number of ready-to-use classroom techniques for providing effective feedback, we outlined how effective day-to-day feedback practices can be integrated into a classroom grading system that can be used both formatively and summatively.

Chris Grennan Why is AFL important? An effective school is a school full of effective classrooms. To raise achievement the quality of the teaching is the main key. Most cost effective way for any school to raise achievement is to embed AFL practice into teaching. What works?

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• • • • •

Useful Links Dylan Williams, YouTube video ]

Prompt assessment and feedback in lessons. Effective questioning skills. Information that can be used by learners to improve. Less time on marking and more time spent planning questions to use in class. Larger class sizes with reduced teacher contact time.

Questioning Skills • • •

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Should be testing their application to new situations No hands up, random, pose/pounce/bounce style. Effective, differentiated multiple choice questions with everyone answering on whiteboards These can be used as a diagnostic tool, discussion prompt or to assess understanding immediately in lesson. There should be a chance to correct errors there and then in class. ‘Hinge-Point’ questions to highlight misconceptions and decide whether learners are ready to move on. Good closed questions to new situations.

Students owning their learning • •

Exemplars used to assess their own work. Traffic light system or similar. Self assessing their own understanding.

School Action • • • •

Time for teacher learning - observations and feedback. Regular Learning Walks to gain broad overview. Indicator of success and change implementation. Volunteer TLC group: 10 to 12 volunteers., run for 2 years. TLC leader is not an expert/SMT, Monthly meetings (75-120 mins). Collaborative planning, peer observations. Observed teacher specifies what counts as evidence and owns any notes made during this observation. Every meeting should follow the same format. This format can be provided by Dylan Wiliam for a two year program. After that it should be embedded into school practice.

Wen Nie Yew • • • • • •

Forming effective groups in class. Allowing most effective waiting time for students’ feedback. Using traffic lights to indicate students’ queries. Better way than “hands up” in class if any Q&A time using indicator by objects (min. 2) that could be swapped by students to gain attention. Sharing success criteria & learning intention time preferable not in the beginning of the lesson. More effective questioning techniques - depending on topics/subjects; some questioning methods could grasp better / more constructive feedback from the students. AFL questioning feedback AIFL ”Rationale: Sustaining Formative Assessment Teacher Learning Communities.

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KEY TIPS

1. Anonymous work assessment 2. Use statements in discussions rather than questions 3. Multiple choice AFL questions in class with immediate appropriate action 4. All learners display answers to these questions AFL. 5. Less marking more planning of key questions 1. Teachers need to improve learners achievement 2. Improve teacher quality 3. Change teachers in a range of ways so teachers we have have better. 4. Changing practice requires new kinds of teacher learning 5. New models of professional development. 1. Knowing about, and using, Formative assessment methods in the classroom (i.e. improving teaching) is the surest way to ensure ALL learners are happy, motivated, engaged, and LEARNING. 2. Not to be satisfied with OK. 3. Formative assessment helps the teacher meet the needs of ALL within the classroom. 4. Randomising of questions ensures engagement of ALL 5. No hands up also ensures equity 1. Questioning for evidence is a quick and easy way of determining next steps in teaching... i.e. go back ?go forward? More consolidation required... 2. have high expectations but give learners the tools 3. Listen to your learners.... look at their body language.... what are they telling you? 4. Persevere, change is not going to happen overnight.

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Understanding by Design Jay McTighe Course Summary

Curriculum design, Planning documents, Assessment resources UbD

Curriculum priorities that determine content worthy of deep understanding. Essential Questions to focus on big ideas. Engaging and effective instruction that promotes deep understanding. A continuum of assessment methods to assess student understanding. Tools for creating authentic performances assessment tasks. 1. UbD is a way of thinking purposefully about curricular planning and school reform. It offers a 3-stage design process; set of helpful design tools & design standards, rather than a rigid program or prescriptive recipe. 2. The primary goal of UbD is student understanding: the ability to make meaning of “big ideas” and transfer their learning. 3. UbD “unpacks” and transforms Content Standards into the relevant elements and appropriate assessments. 4. Understanding is revealed when students autonomously transfer their learning through authentic performance. Six facets of understanding – the capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self assess – serve as indicators of understanding. 5. Teachers are coaches of understanding, not mere purveyors of content or activity. They design for and support “meaning making” and “transfer” by the learner; and adjust to achieve intended results. 6. 6. Planning is best done ”backward” from the desired results and the transfer tasks that embody the goals. The 3 Stages (Desired Results, Evidence, Learning Plan) must align for the unit to be most effective. 7. Regular reviews of curriculum against design standards enhance curricular quality and effectiveness.

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8. UbD reflects a “continuous improvement” approach. The results of curriculum designs - student performance informs needed adjustments.

Claire Heap Rationale: UbD clearly fits with our ‘learner centered’ Philosophy as a model that guides curriculum design by first understanding what learners need to know, understand and be able to do allowing clearly articulated learning outcomes and standards that explicitly align outcomes, assessment and learning experiences from the outset. Impact on learning: The backwards design process will enable us to create a number of learning experiences which logically flow and coherently build from the DP program through to Early Years. Avoiding a bag of isolated activities and lessons that merely cover discrete content goals. Strategies: 1. Design stage: When designing departmental units would be the McTighe acronym “W.H.E.R.E.T.O.”: 2. Building assessment tasks using the ‘6 Facets of Understanding’ • • • • • •

Explain: the student generalizes, makes connections, has a sound theory, can put in their own words Interpret: the student offers a plausible and supported account of text, data, experience Apply: the student can transfer, adapt, adjust, address novel issues & problems Perspective: the student can see from different points of view Empathy: the student can walk in the shoes of people/characters Self-understanding: the student can self-assess, see the limits of their understanding, reflect metacognitively

3. Constructing authentic scenarios for performance tasks using the GRASP acronym • • •

Goal: the goal or challenge statement in the scenario Role: the role the student plays in the scenario Audience: the audience/client that the student must be concerned with in doing the task

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Situation: the particular setting/context and its constraints and opportunities Performance: the specific performance or product expected

Vincent Heslewood The Understanding by Design model shares many core principles with the Concept Based Learning model which is used at Nexus and influenced the design of planning documents used by all departments. The course was essentially an overview and explanation of an approach to designing a curriculum framework. It detailed some of the processes involved in the ‘Understanding by Design’ curriculum design model and explained the idea and reasoning behind the concept of backward design. Days one and two focussed upon the ‘micro’ level of how UBD works for individual units. Day three involved looking at the macro level of how UBD could be expanded be applied in a school wide framework. The course reinforced my understanding of the model used at Nexus and the processes involved in backward design. It was encouraging to see how the model recommended shared many aspects with the way things are already being done at Nexus and in some aspects differed only in the specific nomenclature used. Having attended the course I fed back to my department during the PL day on our first day back. After being requested as a group to look at the planning documentation as it stood and comment upon it, I contributed my reflections in light of what I had learnt on a shared document and met with the other atendees who then shared our reflections with

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management. I think the ultimate aim would be for scope and sequence documents to be written collaboratively as a department, I would therefore be a bit reticent about outlining in detail every lesson on this one document, as it would imply every member of the department is doing the same lesson, with the same content at the same time. Whilst I appreciate the need to ensure that the lessons themselves match up to and achieve the ultimate aims I think that having rigid sequences of delivery doesn’t allow the teacher to adapt based upon formative assessments or the individual needs and intersts of his/her class. My suggestion would be that in practice the ‘scope’ would be better on one document and individual lesson plans completed by individual teachers.

Joel Connor 1. Unit planning - introduced to template for unit design by ‘backward design’. This offered a template that was easy to understand and linked the focus of the unit (ie understanding, knowledge, skills and essential questions) brilliantly. 2. Planning by backward design.- clarification of what was important and a process of planning a unit around long term ‘transfer goals’ and shorter term ‘essential questions’. 3. Assessment ideas to specifically assess all three key components (knowledge, skills and understanding/ concepts). 4. Alignment activities- to ensure assessments are associated/linked to the KSU criteria. 5. Curriculum mapping- strategies to implement whole school curriculum design based around long term ‘transfer goals’ and ‘overarching essential questions’

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6. Assessment mapping- strategies to ensure all aspects of skills (in particular) are assessed vertically over year groups.

The impact that this will have on both the staff and learners at Nexus International School will be palpable. Firstly, combined with Lynn Erickson’s Concept Based Learning we will design Scope and Sequence documents which will provide both relevance and clarity to our curriculum planning at Nexus. The plan is to take the best out of both and merge them to create a unique Nexus Scope and Sequence document. However, after having returned and had a look at both documents in greater detail, it became obvious that there are an awful lot of similarities between the two, hence making the job of creating a singular document easier. The document which will finally be produced will now hopefully be a clear and understandable working model for all Nexus staff to use when planning their units. It will also help middle leaders to track the progress of the curriculum and be able to offer outsiders an immediate indication of what is happening in the classroom and why this is occurring. Secondly, I really do feel that it will enhance the learners learning at Nexus as it will focus the development of unit plans so that the outcome at the end is known and therefore will enhance the clarity for the learners. Making sure that everything is aligned properly and that the steps needed to achieve the end goal can only enhance the level of teaching at nexus which in turn will enhance the learning for our learners.

Jared Young The UbD model is base on the relatively simple idea that if you know your ultimate objectives (transfer goals), then you should be able to plan backwards from that through a series of activities and lessons to facilitate learners achieving those objectives. For instance, you might have the objective that learners should be able to apply a range of problem solving skills in the real world. We can approach this through micro objectives relating to specific areas of mathematics such as ‘to formulate and solve equations’.

Martyn Nayman Understanding by Design is a philosophy for teaching and learning. Once you ‘get it,’ it is very difficult to go back to creating disconnected activities or covering facts without a broader context. It helps provide a narrative for the content or skills, which allows teachers and students to place this information in a context that is both meaningful and transferable. Planning backwards now makes sense as it is vital to have an end goal, a vision of where I want the learners to end up at the end of a given topic. Once this has been achieved, it is far easier to plan the stepping stones through which every learner can achieve this end goal.

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By planning backwards to achieve the long term transfer goal the idea is that it remains in focus as the important part of what you are trying to deliver rather than allowing the ‘nitty gritty’ of everyday content delivery to take over lessons and units that should be delivered with a ‘21st Century’ mindset. Although this model is largely aimed at curriculum modeling and unit planning it can still be used in the context of everyday teaching, indeed, some might say that it is a ‘common sense’ approach that we employ subconsciously already. By adopting a pyramidal approach to backwards planning we could implement those workable strategies at all levels of the planning process, something Jay McTighe advocates in the long term. Also, as part of the ATL group I will be conducting an ARP looking at how the ideas in UbD can assist our IB learners with their study skills and organization. Overall the course was effective in delivering the key concepts essential to working with UbD. Nexus has already picked up

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on many of the ideas inherent in the system being advocated but the key idea of ‘backward design’ is sometimes lacking in the educational, structural and administrative planning of the school. Please do contact me if you are interested and I will be happy to discuss Jay McTighe’s ideas and point you further down the practical path of applying UbD. Useful Links [ www.jaymctighe.com ]

KEY TIPS 1. Think about your outcome before you start planning 2. What are you planning for? 3. What transferable skills are you hoping to develop?

Librarian’s Knowledge Sharing Workshop

School Libraries, EBooks, iCenter, Technologies in libraries, Information Literacy

1. Don’t solely use UBD 2. Always look at the bigger picture 3. Make sure everything is aligned properly 1. Begin planning with an outcome in mind rather than beginning with the activities. 2. Think of generalisations and big ideas as key understandings. 3. Ensure that guiding questions link directly to achieving these understandings 4. Try to build in performance based assessments for units to measure understanding as well as smaller assessments for knowledge and skills. 1. Start with agreed long term transfer goals (linked to life-long learning) 2. Have clear overarching essential questions before beginning planning 3. Do not overcomplicate planning to avoid confusion, which leads to staff rejecting the process. 4. Ensure assessment assesses k, s and u and links to essential questions/concepts. 1. Teachers need to improve learners achievement 2. Improve teacher quality 3. Change teachers in a range of ways so teachers we have have better. 4. Changing practice requires new kinds of teacher learning 5. New models of professional development. 1. WHERETO acronym, 2. Having clearly articulated the learning outcomes and standards at the start of the design process. 3. GRASP acronym for performance tasks

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A weekend event (21st and 22nd February 2014) for Librarian’s at International Schools in the region to share their knowledge with others in a similar role. The two day Workshop was held at Jerudong International School – Brunei promoted by FOBISSEA. The areas of expertise and discussions brought up were • • • • • • • •

Library Management Systems; Renovating and Remodeling School Libraries (Physically and Virtually) – Anatomy of an iCenter: Concepts and practices in School Libraries; Marketing Ideas for library resources and services; Using Cutting Edge Technologies in the libraries (example using LibGuides, QR Codes; Virtual Library Spaces); EBooks – issues related to purchasing: best providers, developing a collection and circulation of EBooks; Integrating ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Standards in the Research Process across Curriculum; Integrating Guided Enquiry across Curriculum; Engaging Readers; Author visits; Book-weeks; Forthcoming Conferences; sharing lists of Book Distributors etc..

Like every other area of education, the libraries and librarians too are evolving, to stay relevant and keep up with the changing needs of its users. As a facilitator, librarians too need to be aware of new trends in education and libraries and

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continue learning if need be. It was a good opportunity to observe and assess the difference between other International School Libraries in the region and know how to develop the Nexus Library, in terms of Resources, Services, Facilities and Technologies used. Major takeaways for me were – Anatomy of an iCenter; Technologies in Libraries and Implementing EBooks. Currently Nexus library is used more as a resource center, where the books are entered into the system. The future plan is that Nexus Library will become a Knowledge Center/ iCenter. At the moment the library is taking baby steps towards establishing a robust management system, which stays relevant with minimum maintenance over the years. In the coming years, Nexus Library would be playing a significant role in achieving better learning outcomes for students, through library programs. Strategies on Learning and Teaching: Very few Librarians have taken up collaboration with teachers to integrate Information Literacy Skills into curriculum. At Nexus, a couple of Standards for learning have been under review since January 2014. Through collaboration with the MP3 teachers, library lessons have been integrated into the units of inquiry to develop reading, writing and research skills. So far there have been great improvements in the way they now conduct their research. • • •

Virtual Spaces – A library website is under construction, until then, various library resources are accessible through the Intranet Online library catalog “Oliver”; Online Databases (for Primary and Secondary); “Credo/Literati” (One Stop Research Platform for Secondary Students)

E Books: Subscription to E book service providers has been made and recently through ICT, the library has a few E Readers set aside to initialize the circulation of E books. Collection development for e books is in place. The library recommends that it would be best to have e books for all the Reading and Literature Circles. Our library staff is all set to receive training for uploading and circulate E books. Technologies in Library: that were discussed at the workshop, related to managing resources are – RFID Tags on books; Mobile Applications for Circulation processes; Next Generation OPAC for libraries; Better widgets and ways to share lists of books (spreadable media); building film collection via iTunes and Ipads; Screen and visual displays; Digital Signage; Viewing Stations, QR Codes etc.. Nexus Library would certainly catchup with the trend in near future.

KEY TIPS 1. Keep Aware of the Trends in Libraries 2. Continue learning new skills 3. Implement them before you forget them

Looking for Learning is a collaborative, structured process that places Moving from learning at the core of teaching to every classroom. At the learning heart of this process is Peer observations the collection of learning Critical friends data from students during class time. This learning data is fed back to the teacher through a meaningful and non-judgemental ‘learning conversation’ that improves both teacher practice and student learning. This workshop gave us an introduction to Looking for Learning theory and philosophy and the opportunity to put this into practice during classroom visits. It introduced the neuroscience of learning and how it relates to the Learning Map and Learning Conversation. ___________________________________________

Monica Lee I was reminded how important practical issues in visiting classrooms to look for learning are and that is to make sure that everyone is aware of the purposes and protocols of the visits that take place. Developing a shared awareness is essential. The practical aspects include having an understanding of the Looking for Learning visits, arranging a time to discuss findings through a learning conversation, establishing the learning intention, and to ensure that students understand the purpose of, and their contribution to, the process.

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The second thing that I learnt was the follow-up learning conversation which is at the heart of using the qualitative data successfully. The learning conversation allows you to reflect on the key Looking for Learning questions in light of evidence, to come to good judgements, and begin to reflect on classroom practicee ___________________________________________

Heather Dyte LfL is an important program still to be fully embedded in the Primary school. The course detailed the protocols surrounding classroom visits and subsequent learning conversations. The impact it will have on learning at NISP will be very positive once all teachers have embedded it into their routine practice. The teachers are in control of the process and they can use the qualitative data gained to reflect on their pedagogy and implement strategies that will help and support the learners they are teaching. The strategies that will need to continue to be implemented at Nexus are to choose a focus for your LfL, adapt the questions appropriately, ask questions to find KSU, know what different types of learning looks like, write down the script of the conversation between yourself and the learner, take time for the learning conversation to happen soon afterwards and do not infer any opinion on the data you have collected.

Skills & dispositions Habits of mind

Building Learning Power Guy Claxton This course is aimed at professionals in planning for and working towards: • • •

Helping young people become better learners Developing their portable learning power Preparing young people for a lifetime of learning

There are two ways to help students get good grades. One develops students who are careful, compliant conservative and competitive in their approach to learning. The other gets even better levels of achievement, and also develops young people who are independent, inquisitive, imaginative and collaborative. The first is a preparation for exams and university entrance. The second gets them ready for the real challenges of the 21st century. Building Learning Power (BLP) is one of a small family of approaches that are really trying to map out in detail what it takes to develop 21st Century learners. If a teacher seriously wants to develop powerful learners, how does they have to change their habits? If a school principal seriously wants to create a learning powered school, what does that culture change journey look like?

Clare Sweeney

KEY TIPS 1. Keep in mind when learning takes place 2. Recording data as ard evidence 3. confidential and timely feedback 4. Focus on types of learning 5. The role of a researcher KEY TIPS 6. Adapt the questions 7. Choose a focus 8. The teacher whose class it is uses the learning map to plot the qualitative data 9. Ensure that you know what to look for in terms of unpacking the different types of learning.

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As a primary teacher in NISP much of what was being discussed is already part of L& T in Nexus. I think it encouraged me to reflect on ‘how well’ we plan for and assess and of course track the ‘skills and personal goals’. I am interested now to learn more about teaching mindfulness and incorporating this as part of the learning in the classroom. I also am interested in the notion of it not being ‘skills’ but habits of mind - which I think we should be making more explicit to learners. I think, also, what came out of the training was the fact that there currently is a disconnect between primary and secondary as we have personal goals and skills, as does IB but the Year 7-8 programme isn’t fully in place. I am aware that this is currently being looked at and planned for. The biggest thing that interested me from this training is considering how we track, assess and report on skills and personal goals in a meaningful way. One of the key messages that I took from this, particularly pertinent to a 1:1 school is the skill of ‘flicking’ for information. Our learners capture and process so much

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information so quickly and many are very highly skilled at this - however - are they getting enough opportunities to learn how to slow process, how to deep think and read longer pieces of text - are they able to do this? Are we educating learners on being responsible in the amount of time spent on devices?

Rizwan Mayet Guy Claxton promotes the embedding of skills and dispositions training in the content that we teach. The four areas he mentions are Resilience, Resourcefulness, Reflection and Relating. Each category has a number of sub categories. He is against extrinsic teaching of these skills, as he believes that without content and an opportunity to apply these dispositions they become mere tags and not at all practical. He believes that delivering such skills within the lesson will ultimately lead to better academic performance, which his holy grail. He feels that such an approach will also lead to happier learners who will be better able to cope with the various demands made of them in life. It is worth emphasizing that his ‘outcome’ as such is academic performance and to that effect he quoted many schools such as Gordonstoun and Harrow, who have improved their academic results by applying Building Learning Power. Guy Claxton’s rationale is that skills such as independence, risk taking, collaboration and resilience are not naturally inherited but can be taught/nurtured and learnt. His analogy is that of someone working out and targeting specific muscles- they will get bigger. His approach also incorporates Carl Dweck’s non fixed mindset- ie that learners and teachers should see the learners as being able to accomplish anything – and that if you are not ready it is just a question of not yet! However, when asked how this would translate to a situation when a teacher has to tell a learner that he/she will not be able to take their course, he seemed to skirt around the question, insisting that it was the way you told them. I agree with this and have become more aware of how I speak to students to ensure that I do not impose my fixed mindset on to the learners. Professor Claxton suggested that schools new to skills and dispositions delivery, may find it useful to concentrate on one skill at a time throughout the school. This will ensure sufficient exposure to the skill in question and a real opportunity for learners to apply what they are learning in a multitude of subjects. This strategy will also be more helpful to teachers as they will be able to discuss and apply the skills being focused on immediately. Another strategy that may prove useful is to complete a Learning Power Profile for each learner. The profile is divided into- strategic responsibility, cognitive range, emotional engagement and interpersonal involvement. This profile is completed through- teacher observation, Learning advisor, parents’ comments and student response. The criteria for this self explanatory and easy to apply to ensure consistency. Much emphasis was given to student led learning. An

example he quoted was from an A level Econ teacher. Apparently the teacher meets the class as a class only at the beginning of the year. The teacher schedules the whole day with his class. The teacher starts by going through the curriculum- Learners then suggest ways they can cover the curriculum – the teacher guides. Once the whole curriculum is covered, the students then come and see the teacher as and when they think it is necessary. The result- a massive uplift in their grades. I have started applying aspects of this strategy and have increasingly been asking learners at the beginning of units how they think we should proceed. This included them setting activities as well as methods of learning. Without a doubt, it is harder work for the teacher but I definitely can see increased motivation and less whingeing as the learners are aware that they are the ones who have set the tasks. I will definitely be doing more of this. Additionally, I will also incorporate split screen methodology into my teaching. A good example of this is to introduce learners to something and ask them to formulate what they feel would be interesting questions. A good practical way to nurture independence is the ‘try 3 before me,’ which simply means that before coming and asking the teacher the learner should try three alternative methods of finding the answer- these could be brain, book, buddy or any other label. Finally, there was a lot of emphasis on building a common and shared language throughout the school to ensure that everyone’s understanding was the same.

Leilah Zahedi The first session covered the foundations of BLP. Why is it so timely and important? What is the fundamental vision of education? How does BP differ from other approaches such as Mind Maps, Thinking Skills, Habits of Mind or Visible Thinking Routines? And what is the evidence of the effects of BLP on students’ achievement and development? This introduction was pretty powerful insofar as it whetted our appetite for wanting to build in Learning Power into our lessons, if it was so allegedly effective. Guy explained the notion of the Powerful Learner. He then gave us some examples of BLP schools from around the world, and shared a few ideas, that teachers could use in the classroom. I found his ideas more suited to the primary curriculum and the examples of schools he used were the real high-flying academic ones (eg. Marlborough, Eton etc), where without being too cynical, I imagine those learners would excel quite easily without BLP. In Nexus, we have many learners who need ELL support, so I’m not sure it would work so well with that type of learner. I liked the theory of BLP, but wasn’t convinced/blown away when he attempted to explain the “How We Can Do it”. I’m still unsure about what that might look like. The second day was a much more positive experience for me. We explored some of the deeper background conditions that make a classroom a safe and exciting place to take risks and

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stretch your learning power. And the ways in which different kinds of language either invite or repel learners’ willingness to commit their intelligence to difficult challenges. We recapped on Carol Dweck’s work on creating growth mindsets in our learners; which I now want to revisit. And we looked at the role of teachers modelling powerful learning. I really liked the self-reflective part of the course, where we explored the point that teachers must be willing to think for themselves, be honest and perceptive about their own teaching habits, create and try out imaginative twists on their normal practice, and debate and argue with their colleagues. It left me thinking about my own skills set. What am I good at? what am I not? Surely I am more likely to implement skills which come easily to me as opposed to those which don’t? For example, I can self-reflect and organise pretty well, but I’m not so good with creativity and resilience (when I’m not so passionate/or don’t “buy into” something). The aim/purpose for me coming on this course was so I could better implement these skills in P.S.E. Rizwan and I had a good conversation on the way home about what would work in P.S.E. We gained a great questionnaire from the course which we thought learners could do on both themselves and their teachers. Teachers could then use this on themselves, to learn whether how they teach is the same as learners think they teach (if that makes sense!). But this obviously would have to be delivered sensitively! We thought that it would be a good idea to introduce one skill or disposition per half term. This way it ensure that both staff and learners would fully understand each term plus there would be time to explore the “what” as well as the “how we do it”. We were also handed something which I think would be great if we change our style of reporting; includes examples of how learners use skills and dispositions.

KEY TIPS 1. Let learners choose their summative and formative assessments 2. Use split screen methodology 3. Foster independence in learners by not answering their queries until they have ahd a go themselves

Breakfast Bites are short professional sessions run from 8.00-8.20am on a Wednesday and Thursday morning. They are an opportunity for Nexus staff to share good practice and develop the Nexus Way.

How do you get involved? You can attend the breakfast bites by reading the upcoming sessions, choosing the areas you would like to focus on by signing up on the google form (intranet > staff > forms). You can also run your own sessions to inform staff about projects you are working on, focus for your TPA or as a learning team to share good practice. Simply contact your Head of Department or Milepost Leader with a request and explain how your focus links to The Nexus Way or TPA.

1. Habits of mind - not skills 2. Teaching mindfulness - are learners aware of their own ‘state’ of mind 3. Consider the ways in which we plan for teaching of skills - are we split screening? Using the content to support skill development in a holistic way. 1. Understand the terms 2. Reflect on we teach skills/dispostions-wise 3. How can we help learners to become stronger in these skills and dispositions? 4. How do we keep evidence of this?

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Senia 2014 Conference

Restorative practice, Summary writing, paraphrasing, problem solving

Chris Bailey There were 3 strands to the SENIA 2014 conference: behaviour management, Mathematics and executive functioning. The behavioural management strand explored notions of Restorative Practice and how they might be applied so that children with Special Needs can access this approach to problem solving .The mathematics keynote focused on the idea of whether maths is difficult or just different and strategies that can help students with learning difficulties overcome the traditional problems they encounter. The last keynote and connected workshop focused on the role of language and how functioning in a language is affected by learning difficulties.

I attended workshops on behavourial management, cultural awareness and language and literacy. This was in addition to the keynotes and the pre conference workshop. The latter workshop was on Design thinking. This is interested me as it focused on problem solving using real world issues which I feel makes learning more relevant. This method of learning had collaborative learning at its heart which makes it very beneficial for EAL and LS learners. It also allowed learners to focus on their strengths, allowing everyone to participate and be given a role. I would like to see this approach trialed in subject areas, although I would feel ill-equipped to provide any training in this methodology. The behavourial management strand was particularly interesting as it focused on restorative practice, something that NISP is implementing in its counseling department. This has helped me think about how I deal with behavioral issues within the school. I will share the knowledge I gained and see if this is an area that NISP can implement school wide. I also attended a workshop about cultural differences. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say I learned anything particularly new as it is an area that is focused on in the TESMC. However, the workshop leader shared with us a very interesting website which displays differences between cultures and how this might impact on our teaching and learning. I will share this site with all teaching staff. The last keynote and workshop was of particular interest to me as an EAL teacher. Although it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aimed at second language learners, being aimed at first language speakers who have issues with language, there were clear correlations. In fact, I believe the strategies displayed can help all learners. There were also clear crossovers to the TESMC, and I will look at incorporating some of the ideas. The workshop focused on strategies for summarizing texts and how to paraphrase, thus avoiding the perennial problem of plagiarizing. This was shown though meta studies to have a very high impact on improving writing skills. I feel these will be of particular value to KS4 and 5 and will look at running workshops in classes such as GP and also introduce these strategies into the TESMC.

KEY TIPS 1. Use restorative practice throughout the school 2. Teach explicit writing skills such as summary writing 3. Integrate real world problem solving into our curriculum 4. Explore a variety of methods for approaching a maths problem

I would have liked to have taken away more practical strategies for working with learners with learning difficulties such as ADHD or ASD, however these were not explicitly focused on. I will look for more courses or inhouse training so I can develop in these areas. Key Links [ http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html ] [ http://www.thorsborne.com.au/ ]

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IBDP Business & Management

Business Management, Pre-release material, Exam technique

I have found this course especially useful given that this is my first year taking learners through the IB B&M exam. It has certainly made me think about how the Papers are structured and what are the common type of questions that will feature in each section especially with regards to the skill levels required of students. The Module notes and discussions have certainly given me food for thought and I now have a better understanding of how I am going to plan my introductory lessons ahead of Paper 1. The key points I will address with my students are;

Audra Najman

1. Command words - focus on Blooms taxonomy and what assessment level the questions are aiming for. 2. Give the students an idea of the structure of the paper and what kinds of questions they should expect in each question. 3. Remind students that there will be unseen material given (and through my learning in future modules) what information could be given and assessed. 4. Practice the timing of answers to ensure that students can access all the marks available. 5. Try to give them enough focus and practice on the topics that are linked to the case study itself. Through getting to know the case I had not thought about using word clouds before and I think they will make a very nice addition to my classroom display on this Paper. Introducing ‘Thinking Hats’ and ‘Affinity Diagrams’ is another way I can add depth to the information from the case. I will also be doing quizzes, matching, bingo etc to ensure that students have the key business terms and are aware of the key personnel.

The workshop is for Business & Management teachers preparing learners for the pre-seen case forming the basis for Paper 1. The workshop is based around the 2014 case study The Imperial. •

• •

•

Module 1: Introduction Module (Expectations for the course, Aims and objectives of the workshop, Paper 1 Assessment Requirements, Understanding how the case study fits into the assessment of the B&M Diploma course, An overview of the Paper 1 grading) Module 2: Getting to know the case (Key Business terms, Timelines, Relating the case study to each B&M curriculum topic, Application – The Key Success Factor) Module 3: Preparing students for Paper 1 (Preparation for, and timing of Paper 1, Integration of the case within teaching, Resources beyond the case study, Supporting students for whom English is a Second Language, Approaches to Section C – (HL students only)) Module 4: Setting Mocks (Construction of these, Related mark schemes, Supplementary Material)

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Most of the common student errors are classic examples e.g. not reading the questions or instructions carefully, not structuring answers or applying the information they write to the case in question (these always came up as issues when I taught A Level Business too), the more timed practice we can give learners the better. I am also a great believer in introducing writing frames very early on so that they can work on their answer construction. The extra resources given on the course add more in depth knowledge to Kenya and in particular the Kenyan Hotel Industry will be very useful, although I know I will need to be aware of making sure learners use this information carefully and not to excess. I have found the creative contributions made by others on the course extremely helpful and will be using these to help all learners in my future teaching.

KEY TIPS 1. Focus on answer structure as well as content 2. Ensure learners know how they will be assessed/ graded 3. Learn through games not just quizzes and tests

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Next Frontier Inclusion “High quality education is a basic human right of all children” • • • •

We need to redefine international education to be inclusive of students who learn differently or at different rates. Parents who travel overseas should not have to leave some of their children behind or divide their families between schools. We are committed to a planned and carefully managed approach to including students who have special needs or may be exceptionally capable. The inclusion of children requiring learning support enhances the education of all children.

The Total Conference

these barriers to learning. I also learned how to question whether our school is inclusive or not. I was given an excellent resource which will I will share with LSU which allow you to accurate investigate whether our school in meeting each learners needs.

Maureen Forsyth I’ve gained an understanding of what appeared to be best practise on admissions, inclusion and an overview of the CGC. These two courses have changed the way I shall approach how we include learners with special educational needs here at Nexus, to the extent that I believe we need to think carefully about what courses our senior learners choose, who is part of those conversations, and how we proceed to best support our learners. Shared conversations regarding the CGC is something that I am hoping to be involved in, along with others in the school, as it appears to be based on sound principals and practises.

Suzy Pugh The Total Frontier course on Inclusion, helped to cement my understanding of inclusive education and the benefits to learners, staff and the school community. It identified the need for all stakeholders to be aware, involved and active in developing our school views and understanding on inclusivity. CGC is an interesting curriculum based around a simple ‘learning ecosystem’ that intertwines knowledge, understanding, skills and dispositions. The sessions on developing a learning culture in a school; sharing learning and developing language and how to implement change gave a lot of useful strategies and opportunities to gain experiences from other schools. CGC is in development and will be interesting to follow. Key Link [ http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html ] [ http://www.thorsborne.com.au/ ]

Launching the new Common Ground Collaborative Curriculum (CGC). The Common Ground Collaborative is an evolving, opensource community of schools and individuals connected by a commitment to learning. It currently has two core products, The Common Ground Currriculum and the Total School concept. The Conference launched both. The CGC is a coherent international curriculum designed for simplicity and flexibility. Workshops included, Demonstrating Learning, Delivering Learning, Designing Learning, and Defining Learning, amongst others. CGC, Next Frontier Inclusion, Inclusion, International Curriculum

Paul Beattie I have taken a lot away from the course. I have realized that every member of the school should contribute towards the LSU department. For example each teacher should have an input into the admissions policy for LSU learners. I also found it very beneficial to learn about autism and dyslexia and strategies to implement in the classroom to cope with

KEY TIPS 1. Read about the CGC 2. Communicate information and to relevant stakeholders & be involved in the communications regarding learners. 3. Read about NFI 1. Inclusion is not the same as ‘including’. 2. Need a clear shared, school definition of inclusivity 3. CGC is an inclusive

1. All staff should be involved in shaping LSU policy 2. Inclusion can be acheived with good planning 3. Autism does not prevent learning.

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PE Geeks

The course aligns itself well with current practices here at Nexus. It looks to use tech (where applicable) to engage, motivate the learners to adopt a hands on, independent and creative way to assess their own learning by gaining a deep understanding of where they currently are in their learning journey. On a more basic level the course allowed me to investigate how we deliver some of the components of the PE curriculum and realise that there are many apps out there that do the job of collecting evidence, offering the ability to self and peer assess that have only recently come into existence. All of the apps where geared towards learners taking a hands-on approach and taking control of their own learning.

APP EXAMPLES • • •

Bam video delay - allows users to get instant feedback by creating a delayed visual of their performance. Coaches eye - Like Skitch on steroids. Allows users to add audio to media, annotate, etc to create personalised video of their performance. Video Tagger - Allows users to tag ‘occurrences’ in a performance which is useful in their analysis of performance work.

Led by world renowned educator Jarrod Robinson, the course is designed to look at new technologies and how they can be integrated into the classroom, aimed at PE teachers who are looking for innovative ways to provide feedback to learners, create portfolios, gather evidence and generally improve the way in which we deliver the curriculum through tech. Specifically on mobile devices such as the iPad and iPod and the capacity these have for transformation within the PE classroom.

Paul Beattie I gained a lot from this workshop. I have now started to use ICT more frequently in PE lessons. For example I am now using the app slow pro in lessons which has allowed learners to view there performance and identify areas they wish to improve. I have used the heart rate monitors that were demonstrated to me which allow learners to monitor there heart rate and there fitness progression. I also gained some excellent ideas of how to integrate ICT into lessons which encourage learners to dance.

Andy Smith

Magazine

KEY TIPS

1. Use Social Media to enahnce learning 2. Keep up to date with online resources 1. Use ICT to encourage learners to dance. 2. ICT integration improves the quality of PE lessons. 3. Polar heart rate monitors are a good way for learners to track their CV fitness.

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EARCOS, teachers’ conference 2014, History, predictions, neuroscience, counselling

75 to 90 minutes) and two job-a-likes. Of these, the majority were specific to humanities and social sciences, while two were about neuroscience, one about technology, and one about college counselling. To my mind, the best workshop presenter was Bob Bain, who taught high school humanities for 26 years and has been a professor at Michigan University for 8 years. I attended three of his presentations, which focused on the reading, writing and inquiry practices of historians and on how to help learners “do” History. These were very valuable for me in that it both confirmed some of my own views, while also extending my knowledge on what is most effective when it comes to teaching History. This was in fact one of the strategies that I took away from his sessions: to make sure that classroom activities either support, extend or challenge prior learning, and to make that philosophy explicit to learners. As History teachers we sometimes take certain aspects of the profession for granted, but these in fact need to be modelled and practiced to be learnt. As part of this process, Professor Bain stressed the importance of allowing informal writing (something I don’t do enough of with my IB Diploma learners) and the power of allowing learners to make predictions about what happened. No learner comes into the classroom without theories about what happened in the past, and this needs to be tapped into if we want to fully engage learners. Overall, this will have an impact on learning and teaching of History at NISP, particularly at the Diploma and IGCSE levels.

EARCOS Conference 2014 Andres Eguiguren

The aim of the EARCOS Conferences are to provide specific targeted and differentiated professional development opportunities for various member communities. •

•

Subject-specific conferences meet the professional development needs in selected disciplines or job categories both at the major conference site and in separate “stand-alone” conferences at different locations and times. Faculty in EARCOS schools share expertise to support targeted professional development needs at the school site.

I attended three keynotes (each approximately 45 minutes) as well as nine individual presentation sessions (each lasting

The importance of allowing learners to make predictions was also a key strategy presented by neuroscientist and former teacher Judy Wills. She stated that there is nothing quite so powerful in engaging learners than allowing them to predict what the lesson will be about, while allowing them to make changes to those predictions; it works like a “gambling bet” that they are invested in. An additional tip that I have already begun to use with positive results with my Year 9 lessons is to provide a short video clip or song that provides a memorable “hook” to help learners make those predictions. Finally, the college counselling job a-like gave me some valuable insights for the part-time role that I will be taking on next year as part of my timetable. The humanities job-alike, a session on the use of Google Forms, and two of the sessions were too focused on individual apps/websites/projects for my liking, but overall I thought it was a very informative and useful conference. KEY TIPS 1. Ask learners to make predictions 2. Use mini-whiteboards to allow them to change those predictions during the lesson 3. Allow time for informal writing- not formally assessed 4. Explicitly talk about the important inquiry practices for your discipline 5. Short video clips are an effective way to get learners thinking about predictions about the topic

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The Nexus Way

OUR PURPOSE To educate the youth of the world to take their productive place as leaders in the global community.

OUR CORE VALUES Respecting and Caring for Each Other Being Dedicated to a culture of Excellence Openness in Communication Acting with Integrity Being Passionate in What We Do Creating Enjoyable Environment

OUR VISION Nexus International School will be an internationally minded learning community that nurtures and supports every childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emotional, physical, creative and intellectual needs in order that they can achieve academic success and become globally responsible citizens. We will accomplish this by celebrating diversity and challenging minds.

OUR PROMISE To foster the gifts and talents that reside in everybody through careful mentorship and guidance based on respect. To provide a nurturing environment for these talents; one that is innovative, progressive and grounded in trust, compassion and respect.