august 2016 newsletter

Transcription

August 2016
Newsletter
http://hugsandbugsclub.com/
http://www.seterra.net/
https://lakeridgepta.org
The Triannual Newsletter of The Association of American Schools in South America
August 2016 Edition
Table of Contents
Upcoming Events in the AASSA Region�� 3
From Your Executive Director �� 5
Expanded AASSA Offerings for the Year Ahead�� 6
AASSA Learning2 Conference �� 7
AASSA 2016 Governance Conference �� 9
AASSA 2017 Educators’ Conference�� 11
Rio Educators’ Conference Workshop Proposal�� 12
AASSA’s Main Services�� 13
Get Involved with AASSA Virtually�� 14
Welcome to Our Newest Members �� 14
Welcome to Our New Heads of School�� 15
ASCD Online Courses�� 15
Child Protection�� 15
Margaret Sanders Foundation Scholarship�� 16
AASSA Newsletter Articles Welcomed�� 17
Colegio Menor to Pilot the College Board’s AP with WE Service Program �� 20
Aprendizaje Colaborativo: Una Experiencia de Grupo�� 22
Happiness and Learning through Cups of Coffee�� 27
Are Two Heads Really Better than One? �� 34
Middle Humans of EARJ�� 40
Purposeful Reflection �� 44
Self-Evaluation By Young Learners: This Is Possible and Real�� 51
August 2016 Edition
Upcoming Events in the AASSA Region
AASSA Calendar of Events 2016-2017
Event
Venue
Dates
How to Use MAP Results to Differentiate
and Improve Student Learning Institute
Pan American School of
Porto Alegre, Brazil
August 26 & 27
Restitution 1 Institute
Lincoln School, Buenos
Aires
CNG Learning Center Symposium
Colegio Nueva Granada,
Bogota
September 15 & 16
Lincoln Educators’ Conference
Lincoln School, Buenos
Aires
September 16 & 17
AASSA Board Meeting
Marriott Dadeland
Hotel, Miami
September 21
Marriott Dadeland
Hotel, Miami
Pre-Conference:
September 22
Main Conference:
September 23 & 24
Practical Strategies for Making Math Truly
Work for All Students
Escuela Campo
Alegre, Caracas
September 23 & 24
EVAC Educators’ Conference
International School of
Monagas, Venezuela
September 29 & 30
International Deeper Learning Institute
Escola Americana do Rio
de Janeiro
September 30–October 1
Principles for Academic Success in
English: Understanding Language
Acquisition and Valuing Bilingualism
Academia Cotopaxi,
Quito
October 8, 2016
Mathematics Education Conference:
Engagement and Globalization of Math
Education
Alliance Academy, Quito
October 10
Learning 2.016 Conference
Colegio Menor, Quito
October 13-15
GIN Conference
Academia Cotopaxi,
Quito
October 20-22
Colegio Int’l de Caracas
November 18
American School of
Brasilia
November 18-20
AASSA Governance Conference for
Heads and Board Members
VANAS Teachers’ Convention 2016:
Making Connections
AASSA Instructional Coaching Retreat
Deadline
September 14-16
September 6
October 1
August 2016 Edition
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AASSA Calendar of Events 2016-2017
Event
Venue
Dates
AASSA Business Meeting
Grand Hyatt, Atlanta
AASSA Recruiting Fair
December 1
December 1-4
Margaret Sanders Foundation
Scholarship Deadline
Latin American Administrators’
Conference (AdvancEd)
December 5
December 5-8
January 13
AASSA Newsletter Articles due
WIDA International Academy
Carol Morgan School,
Santo Domingo
February 16-19
Cognitive Coaching Institute
The Columbus School,
Medellin
Session I: Feb.17-20
March 3
AASSA Global Citizen Award Deadline
Project Based Learning Transforms the
Classroom
Academia Cotopaxi
March 3 & 4, 2017
Next Frontier Institute
Graded School,
Sao Paulo, Brazil
March 5-7, 2017
Social Emotional Learning Institute
Graded School, Sao
Paulo
March 9-11, 2017
WIDA Symposium
Graded School, Sao
Paulo
March 25 & 26
AASSA Educators’ Conference
Deadline
American School of
Rio de Janeiro
Pre-Conference: March 29
Main Conference: March
30-April 1, 2017
Workshop
Proposals Due:
October 17
Heads’ Rankings
Due: October 25
Hotel Deadline:
Feb 22
May 8
AASSA Newsletter Articles Due
AASSA Business Managers’ Institute
Marriott Residence Inn,
Aventura, FL
July 17-19
Hotel Deadline:
June 16
August 2016 Edition
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From Your
Executive Director
Teaching Teachers
Teaching Teachers
As a new academic year sprouts from the relative relaxation of the long break between years, it’s
worth taking stock of where we are as a profession so that we can go forward not blinded by our own
enthusiasm—or worse—inertia.
We have learned a lot over the past decade about how ineffective many of our long-standing practices
and goals in educating 5-16 year olds have been as analyzed by the Education Endowment
Foundation1, for example: having students repeat a year, block scheduling, school uniforms, the
perceived importance of a school’s physical environment, performance pay, encouraging children’s
different learning styles, and streaming students by ability. Our schools virtually all aim to reduce
class size to less than 20, to staff classes with teaching assistants, and to hire teachers with graduate
degrees, yet these are expensive approaches that are only marginally impactful.
We have also managed to downplay or not implement a number of practices in spite of researched
evidence that they very positively impact a child’s learning, such as: providing immediate and
detailed feedback about one’s learning, metacognition (learning to learn approaches and strategies),
early years’ interventions, collaborative group learning, one-on-one learning, oral language
interventions, peer tutoring, incorporating digital technology, and mastery learning. The common
trait of all of these approaches is that ALL require what John Hattie of the University of Melborne
calls “teacher expertise.”
Quotesgram.com
As Thomas Kane of Harvard University noted, “Surgeons start on cadavers, not on live patients.”
Yet in education we have tended to train our teachers through “abtruse theory” rather than “intense,
guided practice grounded in subject-matter knowledge and pedagogical methods.” 2 An article in the
June 11, 2016 edition of The Economist contends that “Great teaching has long been seen as an innate
skill. But reformers are showing that the best teachers are made, not born.” 3 Ours is “an incredibly
intricate, complex and beautiful craft” that requires practice, coaching and relentless assessment “like
that of a top-flight athlete.” 4 The article purports that the myth of the natural-born teacher coupled
with insufficient classroom practice in college prior to teaching--compounded by a lack of
accountability on the job--has resulted in our profession’s being less effective than we could
otherwise be.
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Teachers tend to become better at their craft in their first few years on the job, but then improvements
tend to fade because “schools neglect their most important pupils: teachers themselves. Across the
OECD club of mostly rich countries, two-fifths of teachers say they have never had a chance to learn
by sitting in on another teacher’s lessons; nor have they been asked to give feedback on their peers.” 5
Our approach to professional development has to be one of working to improve teachers and teaching
through exposure to new ideas followed up by ongoing coaching, feedback and clear expectations—
all of which must be professionally embedded.
1
2
3
4
5
Education Endowment Foundation. <https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/
evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit>
“How to make a good teacher.” The Economist 11-17 June 2016: 13.
“Teaching the teachers.” The Economist 11-17 June 2016. 24.
“Teaching the teachers.” The Economist 11-17 June 2016. 24.
“How to make a good teacher.” The Economist 11-17 June 2016: 13.
Expanded AASSA Offerings for the Year Ahead
Expanded AASSA Offerings for the Year Ahead
Our plans for this year include expanding services, primarily:
 Promoting our new Consultant Search Service which provides schools the opportunity to
inexpensively utilize master teachers within the region as professional development
Our plans
for this year include expanding services, primarily:
consultants
 Offering the first Learning2 conference in the Americas at Colegio Menor in Quito from
•Promoting
our
new Consultant
Search Service which provides schools the opportunity to inexpensively
October
13-15,
2016
utilize
master
teachers
within
the
region as professional
development consultants
 Assisting schools in sourcing best-practice
documents
 Offering
more
school-based
institutes
(17Americas
have beenatscheduled
to date!)
•Offering
the first
Learning2
conference
in the
Colegio Menor
in Quito from October 13-15,
2016
Promoting the latest child protection efforts

Promoting
online
videos best-practice
of all AASSAdocuments
schools
•Assisting
schools
in sourcing
 Expanding AASSA’s listserves to include Instructional Coaches, Human Resources staff and
•Offering
school-based institutes (17 have been scheduled to date!)
ELLmore
Coordinators
•Promoting
thea latest
childcollaborative
protection efforts
 Offering
uniquely
Educators’ Conference in Rio in March 2017 with two PreConference
sessions
(Aspiring
Leaders
facilitated by Barry Dequanne and a Retreat for
•Promoting online videos of all AASSA schools
Instructional Coaches).
•Expanding AASSA’s listserves to include Instructional Coaches, Human Resources staff and ELL
 Partnering with ISS for AASSA’s and ISS’s Recruiting Fairs in Atlanta
Coordinators
 Promoting the AASSA Recruiting Service to U.S. universities and through WIDA
•Offering a uniquely collaborative
Educators’ Conference in Rio in March 2017 with two Pre-Conference
…………………………………………………………………
sessions (Aspiring Leaders facilitated by Barry Dequanne and a Retreat for Instructional Coaches).
•Partnering with ISS for AASSA’s and ISS’s Recruiting Fairs in Atlanta
•Promoting the AASSA Recruiting Service to U.S. universities and through WIDA
August 2016 Edition
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Upcoming Events
AASSA Learning2
Conference
The AASSA region’s first Learning2 conference will be held from October 13-15 at Colegio Menor
in Quito. Learning2 was launched in 2007 in China and is dedicated to creating professional learning
opportunities run by international school teachers for international school teachers.
The October 13th Pre-Conference day will feature the following sessions:
Designing a Learning Rich Makerspace
Get Connected—Your Students and Colleagues Need You!
La Enseñanza de Stem Con Robots: Más Que Un Juego de Niños
Design Thinking: Let’s Explore, Let’s Redesign
For those interested in presenting a workshop or facilitating at cohort, there are buttons on the
registration form to express your interest. A member of Learning2 will contact you regarding
submitting a proposal to facilitate either a workshop or cohort group.
At Learning2, participants are expected to “be different, be social and be a connector.” This will be
like no other conference you have ever experienced!
For conference information, Quito hotel reservations and to register, please visit
http://learning2southamerica.org/
The registration deadline is October 1
…………………………………………………………
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Planned
,
Taught ,
& Learned
CURRICULUM
EFFECTIVENESS
August 2016 Edition
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AASSA
2016 Governance Conference
2016 AASSA Governance Conference
for
School Heads and Board Members
September 22 - 24, 2016
Marriott Dadeland Hotel
Miami, Florida
………………………………………………
Pre-Conference: Thursday, September 22, 2016
Everything you always wanted to know about Governance
but were afraid to ask!
A Personalized Pre-conference for Trustees and Heads of Schools
The shift towards more personalized learning is one of the most significant educational
directions of recent years. As so often though we fail to recognize that learning is scalable.
What works for student learners works for adult learners, too. We need personalized
learning as much as our students do. This pre-conference recognizes that principle, and so
builds its structure around your expressed personal learning. We'll be finding out what your
aspirations, concerns and questions are through well-planned surveys, then molding our day
around the emerging trends in your responses.
Facilitated by Teresa Arpin and Kevin Bartlett
………………………………………
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Back
Main Conference: September 23 & 24
The Systemic School:
From Siloed Schools to Connected Communities
Throughout the conference we will be exploring how the Power of Principles can be utilized
to address all manner of governance challenges, whilst fostering deeper levels of cohesion
amongst all school stakeholders.
The program will feature three deep dive topics that will enable participants to engage with
in-depth new learning, reflect together and then discuss its application to your school
challenges.
The three topics explored in this year’s conference include:
THE LEARNING PRINCIPLE: Trustees are collaborators with school leaders in the
development and support of connected ecosystems for the defining, designing, delivery
and demonstration of learning.
THE GENERATIVE PRINCIPLE: Trustees are collaborators with school leaders in the
process of generative thinking.
THE STORY PRINCIPLE: Trustees are collaborators with school leaders in the task of
telling the learning story of the school and helping others find their place in that story.
Over the course of Friday and Saturday you will have the opportunity to choose two of the
three topics to dive in deeply, growing your understanding and exploring principles related to
that topic.
The conference format will also include interactive whole group sessions that will both frame
this unique learning experience and provide opportunities for authentic application of what
you are learning to real-life situations in your school.
Facilitated by Kevin Bartlett, Teresa Arpin, and David Willows
……………………………………………………………
All information pertaining to the conference, daily schedules, additional
details, the registration form and the hotel reservation link are posted on the
AASSA website at: http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=410
The registration and hotel reservation deadline is September 6th
We look forward to seeing you in Miami!
……………………………………………..
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Announcing the opening of the website for the
AASSA
2017 Educators’ Conference
2017 AASSA Educators' Conference
2017 AASSA Educators' Conference
Hosted by:
Hosted by:
Escola
Americana
do Rio de Janeiro
Escola Americana do
Rio de Janeiro
Rio Brazil
de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro,
Pre-Conference
March 29, 2017
Main Conference
March 30 – April 1
Pre-Conference
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Conference Registration and Hotel Reservations will open in October!
We hope to see you in Rio!
………………………………………………..
AASSA’s Main Services
August 2016 Edition
In addition to conference and institute
offerings, AASSA continues to offer our
Page
long-standing
11 key services:
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The AASSA Educators’ Conference 2017
Rio Educators’ Conference Workshop Proposal
The AASSA Educators’ Conference 2017
Hosted by
Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
Hosted
by
We are now acceptingRio
Proposals
due
October 17 for:
de Janeiro,
Brazil
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accepting
Proposals due October 17 for:
Workshops
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Exhibitors' Workshops from Associate Members &
Pre-Conference Institutes: Wednesday, March 29
Exhibitors’
Workshops
Main
Conference:
Marchfrom
30
–Associate
April 1 Members
Pre-Conference
Institutes:
Wednesday,
March 29
Main Conference: March 30 – April 1
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The Pre-Conference
on March 29th will be limited to two sessions:
The Pre-Conference on March 29th will be limited to two sessions:
Leadership
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Leadership
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and we hope to see you in Rio!
August 2016 Edition
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12
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AASSA’s Main Services
In addition to conference and institute offerings, AASSA continues
to offer our long-standing key services:
Purchasing and Shipping Service
Payroll Processing Service
&
AASSA Recruiting Fair
Announcing AASSA’s Partnership with ISS The next teacher recruiting season is just around the corner. In an effort to enhance the recruiting experience and expand the candidate pool at the Recruiting Fair we are happy to make the following announcement… “In partnership with International Schools Services (ISS), ISS teacher candidates are welcome to attend the AASSA December 2016 Recruiting Fair in Atlanta.” At this point we have no idea how many, if any, ISS candidates will take advantage of this opportunity and for those that do we will make their candidate files available virtually to all recruiters. Additionally, the fees for hiring an ISS candidate at the AASSA Recruiting Fair will be those already set for our organization. In other words, school’s will pay the AASSA recruiting fee if they hire an ISS candidate (please note that ISS premium member schools attending the AASSA fair will not pay a fee for hiring an ISS candidate due to the arrangement already in place between them and ISS). AASSA candidates will, likewise, be able to attend the ISS Recruiting Fair in Atlanta if they are also attending the AASSA’s Recruiting Fair. We will keep recruiters and candidates informed of any developments with regards to this situation as needed and as the timeline of preparing for the recruiting fair demands. Currently, we just want you to know that we are working on everyone’s behalf to enhance the recruiting experience and expand the candidate pool our recruiting fair. August 2016 Edition
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Involvedwith
with AASSA
Virtually
Get Get
Involved
AASSA
Virtually
Please subscribe to the AASSA Blog by going to www.aassa.net/blog, enter your
email in the right sidebar and then verify your email address. It’s that simple!
You will be able to search for past newsletter articles as well as receive announcements of postings
between newsletter publishing dates. Contributions are tagged and categorized to make it easier for
you to find areas of interest. This blog platform’s aim is to encourage continued conversation and
connections between AASSA member schools and staff around articles, guest posts and international
teaching and learning in general. Subscribe via RSS or get notified via email of any updates. For up to the minute announcements and curated information relevant to the international educator,
administrator and schools, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook:
http://www.twitter.com/AASSA_SA
http://www.twitter.com/AASSA_SA
https://www.facebook.com/AssociationAmericanSchoolsSouthAmerica
https://www.facebook.com/AssociationAmericanSchoolsSouthAmerica
…………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… Welcome
to Our Newest Members
Welcome to Our Newest Invitational Member School
Escola
Internacional Member
de Joinville, Brazil
(IM)
Invitational
School
Escola Internacional de Joinville, Brazil (IM)
Welcome to Our Newest Associate Members
Educational Technology Recruiting (edtechrecruiting.com)
Vocabulary
SpellingMembers
City
Newest
Associate
An updated list of Associate Members
and event
sponsors
appears on the AASSA website. Please
Educational
Technology
Recruiting
support our region’s Associate Members by availing yourself of their services and products.
Vocabulary Spelling City
An updated list of Associate Members and event sponsors appears on the AASSA website. Please
support our region’s Associate Members by availing yourself of their services and products.
August 2016 Edition
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Welcome to Our New Heads of School Welcome
to Our New Heads of School
Andrew Melnyk, Knightsbridge Schools Internationals, Panama
Barney Latham, International School of Port of Spain, Trinidad
Dan Yamasaki, Colegio Panamericao, Colombia
Elza Cristina Giostri, Escuela Internacional de Joinville, Brazil
Eron Strong, Colegio Albania, Colombia
Esther Dayan, Escola Beit Yaacov, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Gustavo Sever, The American International School of Bolivia, Cochabamba
John Gillespie, Colegio Alberto Einstein, Quito, Ecuador
Kathy Fine, Colegio ATID, Mexico City, Mexico
Kristina Nefstead, Centro Educativo Internacional Anzoátegui, Venezuela
Larry Molacek, Pan American School of Bahia, Brazil
Michael Boots, International School of Curitiba, Brazil
Mike Johnston, Colegio Maya, Guatemala
Pablo Chiappe, Colegio Bureche, Colombia
Rafael Serna, Escuela Las Morochas, Venezuela
Robert Trent, Country Day School, Costa Rica
Ruth Allen, The Columbus School, Medellin, Colombia
Terry Christian, Escuela Campo Alegre, Caracas, Venezuela
Tom Pado, Escola Americana de Campinas, Brazil
Child
ChildProtection
Protection
Thanks to the fine work of the International Task Force on Child Protection, committees have been
Thanks
to for
the the
finepast
work
thetoInternational
Task and
Force
on Child
Protection,
committees
havein been
working
two of
years
develop materials
processes
aimed
at protecting
the children
working
for
the
past
two
years
to
develop
materials
and
processes
aimed
at
protecting
the
children
in
our care.
our care.
The resulting documents and resources are housed on the Education Portal of the website of the
The resulting
documents
and and
resources
are Children.
housed onYou
thewill
Education
Portal of on
theAwareness
website of
International
Centre
for Missing
Exploited
find information
& the
PrevenInternational
Centre
for
Missing
and
Exploited
Children.
You
will
find
information
on
Awareness
&
tion, Policies and Procedures, Accreditation, Recruiting, Reporting, and other resources.
Prevention, Policies and Procedures, Accreditation, Recruiting, Reporting, and other resources.
ASCD Online Courses
ASCD Online Courses
ASCD and AASSA have a partnership whereby AASSA member schools receive substantially discounted rates
(50%) on ASCD online course offerings. Please go to www.ascd.org/AASSA-pdonline (case sensitive) and
ASCD and AASSA have a partnership whereby AASSA member schools receive substantially
enter the discount code Z111 at checkout.
discounted rates (50%) on ASCD online course offerings. Please go to www.ascd.org/AASSApdonline (case sensitive) and enter the discount code Z111 at checkout.
August 2016 Edition
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Margaret Sanders Foundation Scholarship
Margaret Sanders Foundation Scholarship
Application Deadline: Monday, December 5th
Margaret Sanders established a scholarship fund, the Margaret Sanders Foundation, to help graduates
of our schools attend college. Over each of the past five years, AASSA students were selected as
recipients.
Four scholarships ranging in value and to be decided by the overseeing foundation are awarded each
spring to graduating seniors at international schools who demonstrate persistence, motivation,
resourcefulness, and acceptance of other cultures and points of view. Attendance at a 501C (nonprofit) university is mandatory, academics, educational and vocational aspirations, financial need and
involvement in journalism are also considered in the selection process.
Each regional association ultimately chooses one candidate for consideration by the Margaret Sanders
Foundation. Each AASSA member school may nominate one candidate, whose application must
reach AASSA by Monday, December 5, 2016. Any applications received after this date or that are
incomplete after December 5th will be disqualified.
Instructions and the application forms are available on the AASSA website at:
http://www.aassa.com/page.cfm?p=618
AASSA will then select a maximum of one student from our region and forward that student's papers
to the United Way Foundation. Recipients will be announced at the AAIE Conference in February.
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Newsletter Articles Welcomed
AASSAAASSA
Newsletter
Articles Welcomed
We welcome articles from our schools and Associate Members for the AASSA Blog and the AASSA
Newsletter. We are currently accepting articles for immediate publication on the Blog. Articles
submitted for the Blog will also appear in the January Newsletter.
The Newsletter deadlines for the 2016-2017 academic year are as follows:
January 13, 2017
May 8, 2017
Publication notes:
 There is no limit on article length since we have an electronic publication
 Please submit in MS Word (Times New Roman font, 12 pts)
 Either insert photos or send them as attachments, preferably in jpeg
Since articles are now being published online, please be sure to provide copyright source information for photos or quoted material Thank you for your contributions.
And now, onward to articles submitted by our member schools…
Turn Education Inside Out
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AASSA MEMBERS GET 10% OFF!
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Skills for Social and Academic Success • Early Learning Through Grade 8
August 2016 Edition
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Don’t get LESS for LESS . . .
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SUNY Buffalo State
International Programs for International Educators
Master’s Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies-An affordable and flexible degree designed for internationally-minded educators
• American/International Schools host the degree program on site
• Host school staff collaborate with Buffalo State staff to design a
degree program that aligns with the professional development
initiatives of the school and the goals of individuals in the program
• Courses apply across grade levels and curricula creating an
opportunity to study with a diverse group of colleagues
• World-class instructors with extensive experience teaching
international school educators
• Courses can be delivered on site, electronically, or through a
combined approach of on-site/on-line depending on the course as
well as the needs of the school
Over 1000 enrollees in more than 35 schools and a proud history of
several hundred graduates over the last decade
SUNY Buffalo State also provides the option of graduate credit for
professional development offered at American/International Schools.
Argentina • Bolivia • Brazil • China • Colombia • Dominican Republic • Ecuador • Ethiopia
• India • Indonesia • Japan • Jordan • Kuwait • Mexico • Mozambique • Nigeria • Oman •
Philippines • Qatar • Singapore • Thailand • Turkey • Ukraine • United Arab Emirates • Venezuela
For more information please contact:
II I
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Colegio Menor to Pilot the College Board’s AP with
WE Service Program
By; Ashley Hiller, AP Human Geography
Colegio Menor, Quito
Quito, Ecuador—During the upcoming 2016-2017 school year, two Advanced Placement Human Geography classes at Colegio Menor will be participating in the pilot of The College Board’s
new AP with WE Service Learning Program. This program is a collaboration between The College Board and WE, “the educational arm of the international charity Free the Children” (The
College Board, 2016). The core purpose of the program is to directly connect AP curriculum to
service learning opportunities locally and globally, allowing students to strengthen knowledge
and skills and enact positive change in the lives of others. According to The College Board,
“The AP with WE Service pilot program will connect a rigorous academic experience with
service learning in an effort to help students become mindful leaders and active citizens.
Through this model—which encourages broader discussion of demanding academic material due to the experiential and problem-based nature of service-learning projects—young
people will be urged to take action on the service opportunities that matter most to them,”
(The College Board, 2016).
In implementing the program, schools and the respective course teachers are required to choose
one of two provided modules for student participation. Students at Colegio Menor will be focusing on the “Access to Health Care” module, examining issues of access to health care at the
local and global levels by investigating issues and needs, creating an action plan, completing
direct service in the community, and assembling a portfolio. Students will also receive recognition and endorsement from The College Board on their diploma upon successful completion of
the program.
AP Human Geography Teacher Ashley Hillier and students at Colegio Menor are eager to participate in the program, especially in the wake of the devastating earthquake that occurred on
the coast of Ecuador on April 16th, 2016. Colegio Menor is part of a very small group of schools
piloting this program, and one of only a handful participating outside of the United States.
The College Board, AP with WE Service. (2016). AP with WE Service Press Release [Press
release]. Teacher Resources--AP with WE Service. Retrieved August 10, 2016, from
https:/lp.collegeboard.org/ap-we-service/teacher-resources
August 2016 Edition
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August 2016 Edition
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Aprendizaje Colaborativo: Una Experiencia de
Grupo
Por Leticia Daza Noya, Cristina Erazo, Florencia Labombarda y Claudia Romeo.
Asociación Escuelas Lincoln. Buenos Aires, Argentina
La verdadera comprensión se logra a través de la interacción. En Mayo, cuatro profesoras de Lincoln de tres
secciones del colegio diferentes y que enseñamos distintas materias, trabajamos de manera colaborativa en
un curso sobre la Enseñanza para la Comprensión, dictado por la Escuela de Educación de Harvard. En esta
experiencia, aprendimos que la EpC promueve el aprendizaje autónomo del alumno a través de desempeños
que desafían su comprensión. De esta manera, se apropia de principios teóricos o científicos que lo habilitan a
descifrar y transformar su entorno. Estos desempeños se manifiestan en la aplicación de tópicos a un contexto
significativo para el alumno y la interacción con sus pares. Descubrimos que las dimensiones de comprensión
posibles son múltiples y variadas. El desafío residió en aplicar este nuevo enfoque en una Unidad Didáctica
puntual que condensara no sólo todos los ingredientes del modelo, sino también las perspectivas de cuatro
profesoras de disciplinas, niveles y recorridos diferentes. Nuestro reto devino en una aventura de aprendizaje y
colaboración.
El modelo de EpC constituye un enfoque de aprendizaje basado en competencias y desempeños, asociado
con las teorías constructivistas, y desarrollado desde la década de los noventa en el Proyecto Zero, de la Universidad de Harvard. Según la premisa de Epc, los alumnos producen una gran cantidad de actividades sobre
un tema determinado; no obstante, encuentran dificultades dentro del corto plazo, para evocar y utilizar la
información o aplicarla en otros contextos. Esto da muestra de una comprensión superficial o ingenua de lo
aprendido; justamente lo que debemos evitar. Según David Perkins la comprensión se define como “poder realizar una gama de actividades que requieren pensamiento respecto a un tema”, denominadas “desempeños de
aprendizaje”. Estos desempeños visibilizan el proceso de reflexión para entender en profundidad un tópico.
La variedad de puntos de vista y la experiencia en diferentes materias y niveles nos facilitó encontrar con más
comodidad ejes transversales que cruzaban las distintas disciplinas, y sí definimos hilos conductores o ejes
amplios que funcionaban como guías. A diferencia de las metas de comprensión o preguntas que desencadenan la reflexión más allá del contexto del aula o lo escolar. Las ideas que cada una presentaba posibilitaron
alternativas que, tal vez, no hubiesen surgido en el trabajo individual sobre un plan de desempeños de comprensión coherentes con los hilos conductores. Una clave que descubrimos en el proceso fue la acertada elección de herramientas y canales de comunicación dentro del equipo, que agilizaron el intercambio de ideas y la
participación colaborativa.
El modelo de la EpC nos propone el diseño de un Metacurriculum que atraviesa transversalmente a todas las
materias enseñadas en la escuela. Al establecer hilos conductores que trascendían nuestra disciplina, notamos
que cada docente habilitaba oportunidades de aprendizaje sobre otros dominios distintos a los de su materia y,
además, estimulaba en los alumnos pensamiento e instancias de reflexión sobre un tema. De esta manera, orientamos nuestra práctica docente en beneficio de colegas de otras disciplinas y, en especial, de los alumnos. Al
final, prevaleció el ejercicio de comprender, pensar y valorar, así como producir a partir de un tema en lugar
de aprender un contenido. El aprendizaje con autonomía entonces es posible, pues precisamente ‘el desarrollo
de la autonomía...significa llegar a ser capaz de pensar por sí mismo con sentido crítico, teniendo en cuenta
muchos puntos de vista, tanto en el ámbito moral como el intelectual.’
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Resignificamos el concepto de aprender: encontrar el equilibrio entre el aprendizaje individual y la incorporación de las ideas ajenas, pero transformadora. Es el nuevo sentido que EpC propone se promueva entre los
alumnos, a través de la interacción centrada en desempeños estimulantes tales como explicar, generalizar y
aplicar lo comprendido. Y fue enriquecedor experimentar cómo nuestras prácticas docentes se potenciaron
en el encuentro y la interacción entre colegas y habilitaron nuevas instancias de reflexión. Nuestras unidades
didácticas y comprensión del currículo son ahora más amplios y transdisciplinarios. Sin duda, abrimos una
nueva puerta para la colaboración.
Fuentes Citadas:
1.
“David Perkins y el proyecto de Enseñanza para la Comprensión.” 2010. 5 Aug. 2016 <http://enlaescuela.aprenderapensar.net/2010/09/28/david-perkins-y-el-proyecto-de-ensenanza-para-la-comprension/>
2.
Kamii, Constance. La autonomía como finalidad de la educación: Implicaciones de la teoría de Piaget.
(Adaptación de Patricia León Agusti). Universidad de Illinois, Círculo de Chicago. 1988
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WIDA: Discover what your learners Can Do
“Teaching and learning
should revolve around
who our language
learners are, what they
can do and how we
can benefit from the
tremendous assets they
bring to school.”
- Margo Gottlieb,
WIDA Lead Developer
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
WIDA Academy - Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic
February 16-19, 2017 - Carol Morgan School
An introduction to the WIDA English Language Development
standards framework and assessments, this WIDA Academy will help schools
build capacity for a systemic approach to serving ELLs using the WIDA resources
WIDA Symposium - São Paulo, Brazil
March 25-26, 2017 - Graded American School
This 2-day reciprocal professional learning event is intended for experienced WIDA educators as a forum
for discussing innovation, implementation and systems to support English language learners
[email protected] | 1-877-272-5593
wisc.wceps.org
August 2016 Edition
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Are you a teacher or administrator looking for a job in
Latin America or the Caribbean?
The AASSA Recruiting Service &
29th Annual Recruiting Fair
The AASSA Recruiting Service is specific to
Latin American and Caribbean International Schools.
• Typically, there are over 350 positions available annually
• Our schools vary in mission and size and offer a range of curriculum including “American
international,” Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, as well as country-specific
programs.
• Contracts may include housing, medical benefits, shipping allowance, transportation, home
leave and competitive salaries.
TO REGISTER AS A CANDIDATE AND FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE
Please contact us if you have any questions:
Esther Nicolau, Paul Sicard or Paul Poore
Phone: 954-436-4034 Email: [email protected]
August 2016 Edition
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There is a new platform for online courses: amplifiEDucation.com. Their mission is to help educators
“amplify” their own learning and, by extension, the learning of their students. We know that reflecting,
There is a new platform for online courses: amplifiEDucation.com. Their mission is to help
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that reflecting, connecting and sharing (amplifying) invites new, and previously untapped,
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We hope to enhance the dialogue around education innovation, not only with our courses but also with our
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More courses are currently underway, in the area of digital badges, mindfulness, and STEAM to
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August 2016 Edition
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Happiness and Learning through Cups of Coffee
By: Esther Clark, Director of External Relations and Communications
Academia Cotopaxi American International School, Quito, Ecuador
The smell of ground espresso and sounds of violin and cello mix with the rush of students making their way
to class on a crisp Friday morning in Quito, Ecuador. Sweet Morning Charities Coffee Shop has opened for
business and there is a buzz of activity in AC’s High School Cafeteria.
Four months ago a small but powerful group of students and educators at Academia Cotopaxi American
International School (AC) joined efforts to start the first ever inclusion school coffee shop in Quito. The goal?
To bring together the AC community over cups of coffee every Friday morning in a shop led by students in
AC’s Learning Support program. The result? Happiness.
Of course there are many other results from the program such as learning to “work under pressure” says High
School student Paola or “making economics real” says Ms. Jackie, Learning Support Program Coordinator;
nevertheless, anyone observing the Friday morning coffee shop will sense the happiness radiating from the
early morning group that does everything from filling pre-orders, selling baked goods, designing special promotions and delivering five-star customer service.
Making clients happy is the essence of great customer service and delighting customers is the heart of any
business; these are just two of the learnings from the coffee shop project that grew out of a desire to bring the
application of tangible life skills as part of the learning support program at AC. Mr. Jerome, Learning Support
Educator, explains that “every skill we cover in class becomes significant.” He adds that “if you don’t tally up the
decimals correctly, you lose money” or “if you don’t accurately describe the skills on your resume, you might
not get the job.”
The idea of a student led coffee shop was suggested by Ms. Vanessa, Learning Support Educator, during
a team meeting at the beginning of the 2015-16 school year. After the team investigated the concept,
they discovered that the coffee shop idea had been implemented successfully in other schools and with
other learning support programs. Ms. Vanessa explains that it may sound counter-intuitive – children with
special needs selling hot coffee – but learning happens for all children when you make skills real. Paola
agrees; the coffee shop, she says, shows her how “math is important in real life.” Parents of a student in the
inclusion program describe how every Friday, their son is out of bed and happy to start “his work” – showing an
eagerness for learning that they have never seen before.
After investigating the feasibility of the coffee shop and getting support from the AC Administrators,
students in the inclusion program hit the ground running. This included mock interviews with the AC Human
Resources Director Ms. Gina Del Hierro in order to understand the interview process and the importance of
a strong resume or CV. After the interview, High School student Camilo reflected on the process: “I wonder
what my Dad’s first interview was like…I wonder if he was nervous like me.”
(Continued on the next page)
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Students in the Learning Support program also recruited and interviewed AC student volunteers who were
interested in supporting the initiative. Ms. Jackie explains that the success of the coffee shop was due to the
incredible support of the community and integration of students in the learning support program with students in the mainstream program. “It has had a ripple effect” she explains, “it has touched different parts of the
school: the music department, the administration, the school counselors, the cafeteria, the student body…our
entire learning community.”
Parents and board members also visit the coffee shop regularly to see what the buzz is about and to enjoy a
great cup of coffee. “Who doesn’t want a cappuccino on a Friday morning?” says one smiling parent.
With the experience of successfully starting a coffee shop and business venture, students and educators in the
learning support program are now thinking even more creatively about what is possible in the future. Paola
looks for ways to improve the shop and ideas that can bring in more business. Camilo manages the inventory
list and finds ways to make it run more smoothly. The entire group visited a coffee shop in the city to learn
about customer service and merchandising. Students are also voted on what charity will receive the proceeds
from the coffee shop – the idea being that “Sweet Charities” supports the work of a foundation whose mission
resonates with the students.
Mr. Jerome ponders the future: “we are building it as we go along and the key to building something great is to
start small and troubleshoot as you go along.” “The possibilities are endless” he says, “We are discovering new
ways to tie in graphic design, CAS (Community Service) hours, Economics, and extracurricular classes into
the project.” His advice for others who want to start a coffee shop? “Go for it!” he says smiling. He adds that
it’s important to cover the basics before you launch (how to serve coffee, how to compute, how to deliver great
customer service) and get community buy-in for the project.
“The coffee shop makes learning in community and life skills a reality” states Mr. Jerome… “And we make
people happy!” chimes in Paola.
Note: The Sweet Morning Charities Coffee Shop is part of the Learning Support Program at Academia Cotopaxi
American International School. At AC, we have been an inclusive school for over 20 years. In 2015, under the
leadership of School Director Madeleine Maceda Heide and with the guidance of the AC Board of Directors, AC
has renewed its commitment to inclusion through investment in additional resources in the Learning Support
program and as an active member of Next Frontier Inclusion. More info: www.cotopaxi.k12.ec/learning-ac/
learning-support-services.
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Google Apps for Education
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August 2016 Edition
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ASSESS RECRUIT TRANSITION
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We focus on the people.
Go beyond the tech audit.
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August 2016 Edition
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Accredited. College-Prep. Online.
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August 2016 Edition
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Argentina, Bolivia,
Paraguay, Suriname,
Uruguay,
Delia Ochoa
[email protected]
+407.462.8013
Brazil
Felipe Vilar
[email protected]
+55.11.99476.0133
Ecuador
Julie Pisano
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+593.99.783.5029
Colombia
Gloria Bohórquez
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+320.492.9859
Chile, Peru,
Axel Montero
[email protected]
+51.95.161.3840
August 2016 Edition
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Are Two Heads Really Better than One?
Launching Co-Teaching
By: Bianca Nunes
(ELL Teacher, American School of Brasilia)
How many times have we heard that “two heads are better than one?” True or not, there is a reason
why this proverb is still alive. Co-teaching is now best practice in education and is starting to gain
momentum across international schools.
At the American School of Brasilia, teachers are working together to solidify and implement co-teaching models and strategies at various school levels and thus addressing student needs simultaneously.
In the Lower School, developing co-teaching partnerships and implementing co-teaching models
to help all learners attain successful academic language and success is an expectation. The general
classroom teacher focuses on content and the language teacher enhances the academic language of
not only the English Language Learners (ELL) but of all students. In other words, co-teaching “draws
on the strengths of both the general educator, who understands the structure, content, and pacing
of the general education curriculum, and the [specialist], who can identify unique learning needs of
individual students and enhance curriculum and instruction to match these needs” (Hanover Research,
2012).
Changing the “i-Culture”. Establishing co-teaching models and practices begins to blur the
individualism in education, the “I” and call for a culture of “we;” where the classroom teacher is not
the sole adult responsible for students, instruction and assessment. It now becomes a collaborative
culture of our classroom, our students, our planning and instruction, our efforts to maximize student
learning. Essentially, “each teacher brings important knowledge and skills to the classroom, and they
learn from each other without trying to be interchangeable” (Friend, 2016).
If schools now follow the inclusive model of education, doesn’t it make sense that our teachers and
specialists are also included in everyday instruction in mainstream classrooms to target students’
various needs at once?
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Realistic? In theory, it sounds easy and sensible. However, realistically, co-teaching does take time
and effort in order to co-plan before co-teaching. It is simply a matter of collaborating and setting
expectations for all teachers. Some teachers may argue that co-teaching is another “to-do” in our
already long list of duties. However, using two heads to plan will speed up the planning process and
generate innovative and engaging lessons for students targeting different learners. So, two heads are
better than one, and why not use it then to our advantage?
Reflections. In my second year co-teaching, I have seen how challenging it is to make it work, but
recognize how effective and powerful it actually is when implemented. Ultimately, the secret is to
persist. Through trial and error, I have come to the realization that co-teaching can address the needs
of all students at the same time, given the specific roles and areas of expertise of the teachers in either
content or language, which are pre-established before the lessons.
There were many times throughout the early stages of co-teaching, that our lessons did not turn out
as expected. And, that is when our team reflection really played an important role. In the beginning,
reflecting became part of our weekly meetings since we were still trying to get to know our teaching styles and how we could best work together to meet the day’s objective and reach all students.
As weeks went by, we slowly began to understand and respect the different views and styles, and
combined the strengths each teacher brought to the classroom.
According to research, teachers who have adopted co-teaching have reported a significant
improvement in “classroom management skills, collaboration with other adults, more teaching time,
deeper understanding of the curriculum, [and] more opportunities for self-reflection” (St. Cloud State
University).
(Continued on the next page)
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Start Small, Achieve Big. Co-teaching does not happen overnight, but baby steps can be made to start
planting the co-teaching seed in the school.
1.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Set a time (at least once a week) to meet with your team (general educator and
specialist).
2.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-Plan: figure content and language targets for the lesson/week. Choose a
co-teaching model and explicitly divide the roles for instruction delivery. Co-teaching can occur during
one block or multiple blocks a day. Start in content areas other than literacy, since literacy tends to
already provide personalized and differentiated individualized instruction.
3.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-Teach: deliver the lesson.
4.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Reflect: What worked well? What did not work well? How can we improve next
time?
5.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Try again.
6.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Try again.
7.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Try again.
In the co-teaching marriage, there is no recipe for success, but the willingness to try, make mistakes,
learn, and presence the end-result of maximizing student learning with specific needs in the classroom.
No wonder it is now considered best practice in education! From these basic steps, other ideas can
emerge and this routine of co-planning and co-teaching will begin to fall into place and maximize your
time as teachers as well.
Launching co-teaching in schools is a challenging, yet rewarding and effective learning process that
enhances instructional delivery and student learning in the classroom.
Therefore, this best practice in education and from experience does confirm that two heads are in fact
better than one.
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Middle Humans of EARJ
By: Andrea Buffara
A few months ago and came across a blog called the Humans of NY. It touched me deeply. I was
amazed at how articulate our fellow humans are and how we all have stories to tell. The problem is
that no one listens. Brandon Stanton took the time to listen and record the stories. It was unintentional
and not planned, as much of what happens to us in life is. His blog became an instant success. As
I read the stories I was transfixed by the emotions that they evoked. Some stories made you laugh,
others made you cry they were so tragic. Everyone was trying to make meaning of their lives. So, I
thought to myself. I am sure our students have a lot to say. I asked myself , “Do we really listen to
them?” We don’t listen enough to each other and I wanted to create an an opportunity for students to
say what they wanted to say. Uncensored. A blog was born called the Middle Humans of EARJ and
I asked students to contribute to this blog.
The prompt was open. “What do you want people to know?” I was moved at the answers. Listen to
some of these voices….
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are, but if you don’t do wild things when
you’re young, you’ll have nothing to smile about when you’re old. Sixth Grade helped me grow a
lot. It changed me in a good and permanent way. Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better
by change. I found that growing up means being honest. It’s about what I want. What I feel. What I
need. Who I am. -Noah L.
Dear World,
I think you should know that we humans are being ignorant, we are not taking care of you. We
humans are wasting our energies in things that harm you when we could be helping you and taking
care of you. We are polluting and killing animals for sport, we need to realize that you are our home
and friend. We need to open our eyes and wake up from this horrible dream we are living and make a
change. We will soon open our eyes to realize that without you we are nothing. Well, that’s all I have
to say, I just think that you should at least know,
With all Respect - Ines C.
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“I want to accomplish something ‘out of the ordinary’ in life.”
“What would you do?”
“I am still not sure. Life is not like a book- people do not predict things or write their own story. We
humans always worry about the future and not the present. I want to live right now, not worry about
who I am. We all change through the years. But for now, I want to be me. When the perfect time comes,
then I will figure it out.” -Ines L.
I feel we need to stop and look at the other and respect what others have to say without judgment. That
is what empathy is all about. We need to trust each other. Kids were their authentic and true selves and
you will learn, like I did, that our students are very perceptive and reflective and already engage in
deep thinking at an early age.
Why the blog? At EARJ, we want students to develop competencies that will help them navigate the
demands of the 21st century. We want to move students towards developing skills and knowledge to
succeed in life. This blog was an attempt to have students think critically, collaborate, and communicate effectively. Read the full blog. Middle Humans of EARJ Blog Listen to these voices. Open your
hearts to them!
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Purposeful Reflection
By: Mike Kaufman
Carol Morgan School, Dominican Republic
According to Cathryn Berger Kaye, in her article Meaningful Reflection, a Practical Approach, reflection can be informative, generative, or at its most powerful, transformative. Her work here focuses on
how to integrate meaningful reflection into your classroom for your students. Reflection does play an
important role in student learning and should be a integral part of all classrooms, I also believe that
these ideas apply equally to the reflection that teachers need do to improve their own practices.
Like many teachers, reflection is a natural and regular part of my life. I spend a lot of time and energy
reflecting (often it feels like too much time and energy!); I think about Student A on my walk home
from work, Lesson B while laying down going to sleep, Colleague C as I take my dogs around the
block at night, Meeting D over a bowl of cereal at breakfast. While there are many meaningful benefits
of this natural and routine reflection, I often do it without planned purpose.
Reflection should occur naturally but should also be planned and purposeful. Here are 3 ways I
incorporate reflection purposefully to improve my teacher and my students’ learning.
Make It A Part of Your Lesson Plans
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This year I began adding a blank Reflection section at the bottom of each of my lesson plans. I still
print my lesson plan to have them nearby during a lesson in order to stay organized and use planned
questions or prompts. At the end of each lesson I then have a space to write down my reflections of
the lesson. This is a generative process. I look back on my lesson to see what I will do differently in
the future. Sometimes the reflections are specific to a particular lesson, like adding extra time to a
think-pair-share activity or to reword directions of an assignment. Other times I draw larger
conclusions that apply to the unit or my teaching in general, like to incorporate more cold call
discussions or design a tracking system for which students I worked with during that particular day.
This helps my lessons and my teaching to evolve and become more focused towards student learning.
Peer Observations and Reflections
Like the Beatles said, “I am going to try with a little help from my friends.” Reflection is great alone
but can be even more powerful when done with others. Over the last two years my middle school
social studies colleagues, including HighFiveHistory’s own Jason Deehan, and I have set up peer
observations. Our group, led by department head Marlene Perez, created a schedule and a protocol
to follow. We decided on a technique of having the observing peer write down a series of clarifying
and probing questions based on their observations of the lesson. Then after the class, we sit down and
discuss the questions - with no unsolicited advice or judgment.
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The reflection that came about was informative. It is amazing to “see” your class from another person’s
viewpoint and to reflect about details from the class you don’t always notice with your own eyes. I
have come away with many aha moments from these reflective discussions - how I lead discussions,
who I call on, how I move about the classroom, how the class flows. What makes this peer-led reflection so powerful for me is the safe space that my peers and I have created between us. By focusing on
questions, and not feedback or judgment, we have allowed ourselves the room to reflect, with a little
help from our friends.
Seek Out Student Input
I have always been open and honest with my students, and I try my best to create a trusting relationship
with them. This means at times pulling back the curtain on my teaching and showing them what I do
and why I do it. It also means seeking out their opinions of lessons and activities, to get a feel of the
class from their perspective. I do this informally by talking with small groups of students who happen
to stay a little late or I discuss it with the entire class at the end of a unit or project. I also do it formally
by creating student surveys. I use surveys at the end of certain units, especially when I am trying something new, and in the middle and end of the year as a general look back. What started out as paper and
pencil feedback forms has turned digital with the use of Google Forms (here is an example of a survey
I used last year). What hasn’t changed is the valuable feedback, and opportunity to reflect, that comes
of seeking out student input.
Some of the most transformative moments of my teaching have come out of these student feedback
surveys. What I have come to learn, especially with middle school adolescent students, is what you
think you do as a teacher and how you intend to be, is not always as important as how the students
interpret what you do and construct who you are. Similar to the shift in teaching and learning, it’s not
what a teacher teaches as much as what did the students learn. To reflect, or to look back, as a teacher
is not just looking back at yourself in the mirror but looking back at yourself from the eyes of your
students.
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Do you purposely reflect? If so, how? Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comments
below.
Mike Kaufman is a middle school social studies teacher at the Carol Morgan School in the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is also the co-creator of HighFiveHistory, an educational blog that
focuses on best practices and edtech tips for teachers.
Follow Mike on Twitter @MrMikeKauf
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Self-Evaluation By Young Learners:
This Is Possible and Real
By: Alecsandra Maciel
This article aims on showing my own experience as a teacher who uses self-evaluation by young
learners on a daily basis in the lessons, the challenges I had to face, and the benefits I truly believe it
has for the students and teachers.
I have been teaching for more than fifteen years and throughout all of this time I have been always
trying out some strategies to make my students play a significant role in the learning process. I
believe that students must feel part of this mechanism once it grows their sense of responsibility.
Also, when we make students think over their own works, we are building their critical thinking
skills. Responsibility and critical thinking are two very important skills that should be taught at
school once they help people “read” the world.
But how could I apply that to young learners? Was it possible? Those were the questions which came
to my mind when I started to teach children at the age of 4-5 years old. Then I figured out I had to
adapt my self-evaluation forms and techniques to reach that new audience. Once I could do that it
was time to put my thoughts in practice and check if they were able to do it. At the beginning, it
was hard be cause I was used to working with students who were able to read and write and think
by themselves. Then, I realized I had to start from the very beginning. In my country, it is not very
common to make children think about the activities and exercises they do at school, so I had to build
that tradition in my classes.
The great tip begins from the very first week of school and is incorporated into your daily routine.
Students may think it is different and strange. In the beginning some used to make fun of that and
were not very honest when answering the forms… However, to my surprise, as time went by they
got used to it. I realized I underestimated my pupils because once children begin to understand it is a
natural part of the learning process they are able to do it as their sense of responsibility grows.
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There are many different ways of having students evaluate themselves. However, as the young
learners’ implementation was a new experience for me, I decided to begin by making use of these two
strategies: First, I found out that it was nice to do at the end of the school day by having the whole
group orally answer some questions on my chart (on the board): What was the thing they liked
learning that day? What was hard for them? What was fun? What was not good? etc. As time went by
and students got used to it we could add more questions to this group-evaluation such as: what was
difficult? What was easy? What would you like to share with your family at home? etc.
Secondly, I developed a form for them to check for self-evaluation after some activities done in class
such as show & tell sessions, individual project presentations, family projects, science experiments,
etc. For that we can make use of smiley/average/sad faces to circle while you read some criteria for
the students. In both cases, we should be clear in advance what the teacher’s expectations are about
the students’ work: This is known as rubrics. The term may be not part of the children`s vocabulary,
but I am sure they can understand you saying what you want from them. Besides, as my students are
very young I always send parents a message explaining my assignments. It avoids misunderstandings.
We can also make use of a self-evaluation for behavior. I myself have found bunches of that on the
internet. All the students may answer that every day or we can use it with the troublemakers only. It
will help the child see how he/she acts throughout the day and understand the good or bad
consequences of his/her actions.
August 2016 Edition
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Another very positive aspect about having self-evaluations is that it also has benefits for us as teachers.
We can analyze the collected data to consider improvement to our daily teaching practice. It involves
students and teachers in the consideration of the effectiveness of their learning/teaching process.
As you can see, there are several possible ways to use self-evaluation with students even when they are
little 4 or 5 year-old pupils. The first challenge we should face is to exterminate our own prejudice of
thinking they are not capable of thinking about their learning experiences. Never underestimate your
students no matter how old they are! Then, open your mind for adaptations and suggestions. Most of
times your own students are the ones who give you the most important input. And remember; use this
precious collected data to enhance your teaching practice.
The CIS Membership Community of Schools and Universities is
strategically focused on the development of global citizenship.
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Shaping the future of international education
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Let’s Build a Strong Foundation
for Children Together
For nearly 30 years, Teaching Strategies has been supporting the critical work of
early childhood educators like you. We offer award-winning, research-based, and
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August 2016 Edition
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august 2016 newsletter

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