Opinions – Learning is for Life
Randa Azkoul Soubaih and Mahmud Shihab - Teachers, International College, Beirut, Lebanon
Teaching by learning
If we believe that students learn best when they learn collaboratively, it would seem safe to assume the same for adults. At International College, Beirut, professional development is pervasive. As well as teachers attending IB workshops, the school’s Educational Resources Center launched a series of initiatives to encourage teachers to climb out of their safety zone with a new look at how to approach teaching.
The first initiative was in-house peer training sessions that later developed into an outreach program, offering workshops to other schools around the country. Each year, four or five days are set aside for workshops given by the teachers to their colleagues from less privileged institutions. The strategies used simulate classroom situations and student group work, enabling participants to apply the workshop directly in their own classes at their respective schools.
If we believe that students learn best when they learn collaboratively, it would seem safe to assume the same for adults.
Second, voluntary study groups were formed to address issues of common concern. Topics included differentiated instruction, classroom management and integrating technology into the curriculum. The technology study group developed a pilot program to involve teachers directly. One teacher from each department would attend bi-weekly sessions, during which they learned, among other things, how to create blogs and wikis, how to use internet tools such as iGoogle and Gmail, and how to evaluate websites.
Third, as a member of the Near East South Asia Council of International Schools, the school sends several teachers each year to the annual educators’ conference, at which they attend courses given by professionals and sometimes present teacher workshops themselves.
Teachers also visit other schools. As a member of CIS (Council of International Schools) and NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges), experienced teachers are invited to serve on accreditation teams for other member schools. In addition, we run an exchange program where teachers visit another school for a week, and we host teachers from other international schools. This allows our faculty to share their expertise and to acquire a fresh look at our own accomplishments in international learning environments.
For real change to take place in a school, teachers have to buy into the new system. For that to happen, a variety of strategies and initiatives need to be taken. If differentiated instruction works for students, it should work for teachers as well. Our experience has shown that with a combination of approaches, few teachers are left out, and the school becomes a community of learners at all levels.
Andrew Churches - ICT curriculum manager, Kristin School, New Zealand
Enter the 21st century
We expect our students to be lifelong learners. How many schools have the phrase ‘life long learners’ in their mission statements and objectives? As educators, we too must continue to absorb experiences and knowledge. We must endeavour to stay current. I wonder how many people are still using their lesson and unit plans from five years ago?
Educators in the 21st century have to be adaptors. They are able to adapt software and hardware designed for a business model into tools suitable for education and for a variety of age groups and abilities. They must also be able to adapt to a dynamic teaching experience. When it all goes wrong in the middle of a class, when the technologies fail, the show must go on.
Have the students teach each other. Trust them. The 21st-century teacher is a communicator, fluent in tools and technologies that enable communication and collaboration.
Imagination is a key component of adaptability. The 21st-century teacher looks at other people’s ideas and approaches and envisages how they would use these in their class. They look across the disciplines and through the curricula and leverage other fields to reinforce their own teaching.
Ning, Blogger, Twitter, Wikispaces, Bebo, MSN, MySpace, Second Life – the 21st-century educator is able to leverage these collaborative tools to captivate students, to structure and develop conversation.
Teachers can collaborate and contribute by becoming involved in the many online communities. They can share their work under the Creative Commons License. This allows educators access to a huge array of materials at no cost. The OER (Open Educational Resources) project is a good example of resources produced under the Creative Commons banner.
How can you as an educator know all these technologies? How can you teach the students to use them? The 21st-century educator takes risks and is prepared to surrender to students’ greater knowledge. Have the students teach each other. Trust them. The 21st-century teacher is a communicator, fluent in tools and technologies that enable communication and collaboration. They go beyond learning just ‘how to do it’. They also know how to facilitate communication, stimulate and control it, moderate and manage it.
Whether a champion of ICT integration or a quiet technology coach, a teacher leads by example. They could be a maverick or early adopter, but above all the 21st-century educator is a leader. Leadership, like clear goals and objectives, is crucial to the success or failure of any project.
Mark McCallum - Head of high school, International School of Singapore, Singapore
Send the right signals
We teachers undertake professional development for one of two reasons – for professional and personal growth, or to get promoted. When it comes to promotion, however, our attitude to the job will often trump our qualifications. In this opinion piece, I want to change your view or attitude toward your job with two very simple concepts: “Don’t let your boss do your job” and “make yourself valuable by doing your boss’s job”.
If we’re not doing these things, and consistently not finding solutions to our own problems, we’re sending out signals that we can’t handle where we are now, and we’ll probably be passed over for promotion.
In every interaction with our principals, heads of department and other school leaders, we send subtle signals, and consciously or unconsciously our actions are being interpreted as either “this person gets it and works well” or “this person requires too much time and makes work for others”. When we get the job done, we send signals that “we get it”. Do we complete tasks on time or even slightly early? Do we present possible solutions, instead of just pointing out a problem? Do we submit forms properly completed so all that is needed is a signature? These are all “we get it” signals. If we’re not doing these things, and consistently not finding solutions to our own problems, we’re sending out signals that we can’t handle where we are now, and we’ll probably be passed over for promotion.
Once we have mastered where we are, we must show we are capable of more. The best way to show this is by doing tasks for our head of school that are part of their job. This frees up their time to do other things – and we get noticed in the process. Are they running late – can we start the meeting for them? Can we draft the letter to the parent? The more of these things we do, the more we will be trusted, and before we know it, we will have proven we are ready for promotion. To continue the discussion, please visit my blog at iss.edu.sg/isshsblog/.
Mary McCarney - Teacher, Atlanta International School, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Always keen to learn
I often joke with my students that when I started school as a five-year-old, I liked it so much that I never left! This may be my twentieth year as a teacher – first in my native country, England, and now at Atlanta International School – but I don’t think I’ve ever stopped being a learner too. For me, professional development is a crucial part of improving my role as an educator. For this reason, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to attend a PYP Level 1 workshop in New York recently, together with two of my AIS colleagues.
I felt inspired to share a whole range of new strategies and activities with my students.
As we are all new to the PYP, this was a valuable opportunity for us to broaden and deepen our understanding. It was also a wonderful chance for us to meet and share ideas with teachers from other IB World Schools. Our excellent workshop leaders, Ingeborg and Diane, had literally left their own primary classrooms the day before to join us. Being guided by presenters with such current professional practice and expertise was a real bonus.
The workshop was informative and stimulating. We explored the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate, sampled different classroom activities and looked at how to plan units of inquiry. We focused on the learner profile and discussed our role as teachers. The sessions were informal and collaborative, with interesting questions to ponder. And of course, being able to exchange ideas with teachers from around the world was absolutely fascinating. I left New York feeling affirmed that I was already on the right track and inspired to share a whole range of new strategies and activities with my students.
Back in my classroom, as I apply the principles of the PYP, I encourage my students to self-evaluate and reflect on their role as learners. In New York, I was able to take time out from my busy school schedule, sit back at a desk, become a student all over again, and reflect on my role as a PYP teacher. What a precious opportunity.
Nick Alchin - IB Diploma Programme coordinator, Sevenoaks School, UK
Joint ventures
More than the content of workshops and conferences, it’s the networking and sharing of ideas with colleagues from around the world that can be enriching and inspirational. I have learned so much from hearing different perspectives and seeing how schools approach the same issues, so in the past few years we’ve started three projects that create ways to achieve that collaboration outside the workshop and conference set-up.
Getting teachers to look at issues such as assessment and learning from an academic viewpoint has been fascinating.
One project links up Sevenoaks teachers with a partner in another IB World School. They then host each other, for two-week visits in turn, to explore predefined projects. These may start out fairly wide in scope but evolve to give an insight into a different culture. We’re always looking for more partner schools so email me (NSA@sevenoaksschool.org) if you’re interested.
We have always supported colleagues through Masters courses, but the launching of the IB teacher award was a great reason to become a study centre for Bath University Centre for Education and to run modules for teachers working towards the award or an MA in international education. Getting teachers to look at issues such as assessment and learning from an academic, as well as pedagogic, viewpoint has been fascinating and we have been particularly pleased to attract teachers from the wider IB Africa, Europe, Middle East (IBAEM) region.
We also provide a forum for teachers to discuss IB teaching. In the last two years we have run nine IB Diploma Programme discussion days, most of which have been subject-based. The value of this to all concerned cannot be overestimated and we are very proud to contribute to the development of the IB community.
Rebeca Anijovich - Professor of psychology and educational science, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and online tutor at Harvard University, USA
Tips for trainers
For those of us who train teachers, there are certain cornerstones which serve as a basis when planning workshops. We need consistency between what we do and what we say. If we propose that teachers increase the level of participation of their students, or if we consider teamwork to be an essential part of learning, we must ensure that such ideas are incorporated.
It’s important to foster the exchange of experiences and expertise during the workshop – but we also need to keep sight of the underlying principles. It is not about choosing between a theoretical and practical approach, but rather embracing both.
Reflective thought starts when we question ourselves. Then we create a fresh approach.
Teachers should be encouraged to participate in workshops using a ‘do and think’ approach, which requires them to draw up specific proposals for their own classroom while they learn. We also need to provide time and space to think. The range of ideas and materials we want to share is vast, but if we give teachers time and space to process what they are learning and to question both others and themselves, the level at which they take on information will be much more profound.
A workshop programme which takes into account the diverse learning styles, interests and cultures of groups of teachers and students allows individuals to make and review their own decisions and develop an effective learning and teaching technique. Education and training activities require us to undergo reflective processes so that teachers are not merely ‘executors’ of the ideas of others. Reflective thought starts when faced with doubt, when we question ourselves. After that, we must make a plan to overcome the uncertainty, drawing on past experience to create a fresh approach to the problem.
