Professional Development
In addition to staff sharing and leading our own professional development, TIS is committed to providing the very best educational consultants for our teachers. TIS teachers can expect to receive regular in-house training throughout the year, provided by visiting experts in the field of education. In the last three years our visiting consultants have include Virginia Rojas (ASCD) Bambi Betts (Principals’ Training Center for International School Leadership) and Kath Murdoch, (Australia’s leading inquiry-based learning consultant). Kath regularly works with TIS and we have already booked her to return to TIS for the 2012-13 school year. We are currently in the process of finalizing the dates for two consultants from Columbia Teachers College, Readers and Writers Project, New York to fly out to TIS to provide a full week of intensive literacy coaching for our faculty. Beyond the school itself, teachers regularly attend workshops throughout Japan and further afield around the world. TIS currently sponsors several teachers working towards the ‘Certificate in Education Technologies’. Here is a taste of just some of the professional development opportunities our teachers have taken part in during recent months: AUGUST 21st Century Technologies Literacy Literacy IBPYP Training SEPTEMBER Inquiry Teaching and Learning IBPYP Training IBMYP Training OCTOBER IBPYP Training Second Language Learning IB PYP Collaboration Assessing Student Writers NOVEMBER Readers and Writers Workshop Approach DECEMBER MYP JANUARY PYP Science Job Alike FEBRUARY Concept Based Curriculum and Instruction Our PYP Coordinator Christopher Frost visited the United World College in Singapore for a two day workshop led by Lynn Erickson. Lynn is the world leader in concept based curriculum and instruction and is currently consulting the IB about developments in the Middle Years Programme. On his return Chris led a two day workshop for all the primary and middle school staff. Chris is a worksop leader for the IB PYP for concept based curriculum and instruction. Lynn Erickson Literature 21st Century Education Eight teachers traveled to Hong Kong to attend the 21 Century Learners Conference: “The 21st Century Learning @ Hong Kong conference brings educators from within and beyond the region together to interact with ideas and experiences designed to make them better prepared, informed and enthused to be able to bring out the best in the digital native learners they influence” http://21clhk.org/ PYP Workshops Hong Kong Two teachers attended the regional workshop in Hong Kong ‘Making the PYP Happen’
L ife is a continuum of learning and developing. Our staff is regularly engaged in professional development activities. We currently have three ‘IB Workshop Leaders’ on staff, teachers trained and seconded by the IB to facilitate workshops for teachers at IB conferences and to act as advisors for other IB schools. Their expertise together with our commitment to collaboration and distributed leadership ensures we learn from one another and remain updated with the latest trends in the IB programs.
Our Teacher Librarian attended a librarian’s conference in Kingston, Jamaica.
Four teachers attended intensive workshops at Columbia Teachers College, New York, USA on the subject of Lucy Calkin’s Readers and Writers’ Workshop approach to literacy. Literacy is a curriculum focus of TIS for the academic years 2011–2012 and 2012–13 http://readingandwritingproject.com
Eight teachers attended a Readers and Writers Workshop at Nagoya International School facilitated by Maggie Moon. Maggie Moon was a senior staff developer for The Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, Columbia University, before moving to the Philippines in 2007. She has worked closely with hundreds of schools within New York City (NYC) and across the US, and presented at the R&W Summer Institutes for many years. She also worked to implement the position of Literacy Coach in NYC, as well as train hundreds of coaches across the NYC public school system.
One of our Art teachers attended the ‘Role of The Arts in the PYP’ workshop at the IB PYP Regional event in Singapore.
Five teachers attended a workshop on Inquiry teaching and learning led by Kathy G. Short at Nagoya International School. Kathy G. Short is a published author and an editor. Some of the published credits of Kathy G. Short include Stories Matter: The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children’s Literature, Research & Professional Resources in Children’s Literature: Piecing a Patchwork Quilt, and Creating Classrooms for Authors: The Reading Writing Connection.
Five teachers attended the PYP Regional Workshop in Shanghai, China with an emphasis on literacy, inquiry and mathematics. One of our teachers facilitated the ‘Making the PYP Happen’ workshop there in his capacity as a workshop leader for the IB.
Six teachers attended the MYP Regional Workshop in Shanghai, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These workshops will have an emphasis on MYP, Language B and Mathematics.
Three Teachers attended the PYP regional Workshop in Bali, Indonesia. One of our teachers facilitated the ‘Assessment in the PYP’ workshop at the Hong Kong regional conference in his capacity as a workshop leader for the IB.
One teacher travelled to Hong Kong for a second-language teaching workshop.
TIS hosted the PYP East Asia ‘job-alike’ welcoming teachers from across the region. The focus of the job-alike was Early Years teaching in the PYP.
Five teachers attended a two-day workshop at The American School in Japan facilitated by Carl Anderson. Carl Anderson is affiliated to the Columbia Teachers College Reading and Writing Project: a current curriculum focus of TIS.
A two-day in-house event focused on the learning of language across the curriculum and on the Readers and Writers Workshop approach to literacy.
TIS hosted the MYP East Asia Network regional meeting for MYP Coordinators from Korea and Japan. This was a collaborative experience and a chance to swap ideas to best implement the current practice of the programme.
Teachers from TIS attended the PYP job-alike at Yokohama International School to discuss best practice in inquiry-based primary science.
