| 20 February 2013 |
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| Learning and Teaching
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- Toronto, Ontario, focuses on social, emotional learning
Officials in Toronto, Ontario, in Canada, say they were alarmed by recent tests showing a high percentage of students are at risk for depression and struggle with social and emotional well-being. To help reverse that trend, schools will launch a new mental-health strategy in which such lessons will be centralised -- ending the current approach, which has been characterised as "piecemeal". National Post (Canada)
(13 Feb.)
    
- Is International Baccalaureate worth the work?
Students and teachers at St. Clare's School in Oxford, UK, describe the International Baccalaureate Programme as challenging, as they grow as students and develop relationships. Throughout the courses, students learn to take risks, work collaboratively in groups and communicate their ideas. "Being willing to voice your opinions and participate may be intimidating at first. The benefit is that you're forced to challenge what you think," teacher Sarah Jinks said. The Independent (London)
(14 Feb.)
 | Star Power at Harvard's GoodWork Project Conference
Youth today are growing up with both new opportunities and new pressures. Pressing questions arise for us as educators and parents: How do we raise balanced, responsible, and caring youth in today's opportunity-rich yet challenging context? Presented in collaboration with CASIE.
Register Now. |
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- Indian state works to improve teacher training
In a part of India, teachers will undergo a new type of training, which is focused more on improving communication and maths skills among students -- primarily through maths, science and English. Following concerns over the quality of education, officials decided to overhaul teacher training, establishing a new schedule and focusing more on assessing teachers, aligning training with requirements and evaluating teachers based on their training, one official said. The Times of India
(17 Feb.)
| Leadership and Governance
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- Should schools in Canada adopt a 4-day week?
A school board in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is considering whether to reduce the school week to four days in order to add a day each week for teachers' professional development and help cut transportation costs and other expenses. Under the proposal, students still would receive the same number of instructional hours. If approved, the board would join neighbouring schools that also have adopted innovative schedules, such as year-round schooling. National Post (Canada)
(18 Feb.)
- Web-based program helps students make international connections
Students at a British school in Pamplona, Spain, are communicating with elementary-school students in Texas through a Web-based educational program called ePals Global Community. The students in Texas also are using iPads and MacBooks to talk to students in a French-speaking part of Africa. Students use the technology to send biography videos and information about where they live, such as the weather. Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
(17 Feb.)
- Is there a secret to teaching foreign languages?
Students in Sweden, Malta and the Netherlands are the best at learning foreign languages, according to the European Survey on Language Competences and the British Academy, while students in Britain come out on the bottom. Andy Martin, who teaches French at Cambridge University, writes in this commentary that, while there are challenges for British students, he has found success with an instructional method in which foreign languages are learned through film, books and songs. The Independent (London)
(17 Feb.)
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Nice art project to be presented to children in March
Last November at the Annual Conference in Nice, over 1,000 people participated in gluing tiles together for the "What Goes Around Comes Around" mosaic mural project. The project was founded by ECIS art committee member Stacey Wilson-McMahon, and pediatric oncologist Dr. Christine Soler. The children of Dr. Soler's cancer ward came up with the name and created the designs for the mural, which travelled to art students in Budapest and Paris before returning to Nice. The finished project will be presented to the children of the L'Archet 2 hospital in Nice on 18 March.
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Register now for the April Leadership Conference in Berlin
Registration is now open for the ECIS April Leadership Conference in Berlin 4-7 April. The theme for this year's conference is Strike the Balance. The conference will feature dedicated strands for: Business/Finance Managers, Trustees, Advancement Officers and Admissions Personnel. Heads of School, Secondary Principals and Elementary Principals will have exclusive sessions, as well as be able to partake in additional strands. There will be numerous networking and social opportunities.
 | Everything that lives, lives not alone, nor for itself."
--William Blake,
British poet and painter
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| | About ECIS
Founded in 1965, ECIS is a global membership organisation that provides professional development opportunities and consultancy services to its members who are comprised of international schools, individuals and educational organisations. | |
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