As an IB school, one of the pillars we stand on is the development of lifelong learners. We encourage our students to continue to grow and challenge themselves at every opportunity. We also encourage this in our teachers. We want our teachers to continue to grow and challenge themselves at every opportunity. Well, Primary School teachers have hit a home run during the first term of this academic year. It is my privilege to highlight some of the amazing work our teachers have been doing in Singapore as well as Malaysia. We are leading the way.

PYP Connect

The PYP Connect Workshop Series is biannual event run by the Singapore Malaysia PYP Network. These workshops are an opportunity for teachers to teach teachers, make connections within the network, fine tune their presentation skills and push the boundaries of their comfort zone. The first event occurred on 5 November at the International School of Singapore. We had a total of five CIS teachers presenting their passions!

Mishelle Lyons ran an amazing workshop about Open Ended Math in the Early Years. She provided wonderful examples of students in action, how to question for maximum participation by students and the power of using manipulatives in the classroom. Her participants walked away with a better understanding of the power of a good question and how to facilitate discussions that develop from them.

Katherine Hansen ran a very hands on workshop on her personal journey of the use of digital portfolios in Grade 1. She introduced her participants to a number of highly effective apps they could use including Book Creator. She spoke about the power of Twitter to reach a wider audience and make professional connections. She shared how transformative she found digital portfolios in her classroom for the students and their families as well as a tool for assessment.

Sandra Ebsworth wowed her audience during her workshop on Arts Integration in the Early Years. Sandra set up a gorgeous learning space at ISS that showcased her students work. She had examples of various art forms, mediums, grade levels and units of inquiry. She shared her in-depth knowledge of art and how she manages an early years classroom with so many students coming through on any given day. She showed examples of her class in action and provided tips to the participants on her classroom management techniques as well as the overall organisation of her classroom.

Hetty Boon facilitated a workshop on STEAM in the early years. She was able to share her experiences of setting up a makerspace in her classroom, the challenges as well as the success ensued, and ultimately the process her students went through. Aided by technology, she was able to showcase her students’ learning in a meaningful and authentic way.

Sarah Aspillaga facilitated the Math Interest group. This is an open group where teachers who have a passion and interest in the teaching and learning of mathematics come together, exchange ideas, challenge each other’s thinking and continue to grow as practitioners.

Archana Prashar hosted a technology workshop 50 Ideas to Integrate Technology in the Classroom. She provided teachers with a variety of resources to show teachers how to seamlessly weave the use of technology across all area of the curriculum.

The iPad Conference 2016

On the same weekend, United World College (UWC) was hosting a Google Workshop where again, CIS was well represented by our Primary faculty!

Aynsley Smith presented a workshop on Confident ELL Speaking Through Animation. Aynsley is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Educational Technology. She was able to combine her knowledge and application in the classroom into one fantastic presentation. She shared with her participants how Tellagami and Voki help to give ELL students a voice amidst the challenges in the mainstream classroom.

Ben Grundy led a workshop on Supporting the Writing Process with Google Doc. Ben has been leading the implementation of technology at CIS for a number of years. He is looked to as a mentor who is always willing to share his practice. He explained that Google Docs can be a great tool for collaboration and writing, but can also seem daunting to implement in the classroom. He shared some ways that he has successfully used Google docs to support the writing process, including providing teacher feedback.

Michael Black successfully ran a workshop entitled Unpacking Nearpod. In it, he shared the many ways teachers can utilise Nearpod in the classroom. Michael is a certified Nearpod Educator and was selected as one of the two Proof of Concept classrooms in 2013 with the aim of moving forward as a 1:1 iPad school in the Primary Years. He continues to be a leader in this area and his participation in peer-to-peer learning is invaluable.

Ben Grundy and Michael Black combined their expertise and co-led a workshop with a one two punch on Beyond Basics: Next Steps in a 1:1 iPad Program. As both Michael and Ben share a passion for technology, they have a wealth of experience to convey to teachers new to the process. They shared ways to create an efficient workflow as well as tips to enhance authentic student learning.

Malaysia

The following weekend was the Deep Learning Conference in Kuala Lumpur. Again, CIS educators took a leadership role at the conference with four of our teachers presenting.

Joe Teft ran a workshop focusing on Making Real Connections. Joe is an extremely passionate environmental educator. In this workshop, he was able to combine his two passions of the environment and technology. He expanded on how environmental education and technology can interact to make a better world. He was specifically focused on developing a sense of place which is increasingly important in our transient population.

Andrew Deir’s workshop was called STEAM/Makerspace: making transdisciplinary connections. Andrew has been one of the driving forces in the success of our STEAM programme at CIS. We are one of the only schools in the Singapore/Malaysia area with a dedicated space and full time educator in place. Due to this, Andrew is quickly becoming a recognised expert in the implementation and facilitation of STEAM as part of a school curriculum.

Aynsley Smith and Katherine Hansen also presented at this conference using a modified version of the presentation the weekend before.

Webinar

Finally, Mishelle Lyons and myself presented a webinar on Creating Intentional Learning Space in the Early Years to an audience of more that 1600 listeners in Asia, Europe and North America. Mishelle has been instrumental in changing the mathematical practice in Senior Kindergarten.

I think it is clear that we have amazing educators at CIS. Not only do we recognise and celebrate that, but other schools around the region are also looking to us to share our expertise.