Vietnam Technology Conference

In March of 2013, I traveled down to Ho Chi Minh City amongst colleagues from Singapore International School, Concordia, UNIS together with Wellspring. We attended the kickoff Vietnam Technology Conference. I delivered the kickoff session on instruction query methods to children. My PowerPoint is available here. I accept equally good shared the videos I shot via my YouTube channel. I promise they are beneficial to about educators out there.

Next twelvemonth the conference volition go inwards Hanoi together with then laid about planning instantly to attend. Lots of learning!

Ibo Enquiry Skills

I was reading the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) document titled 'Making the PYP Happen'. I constitute the virtually beautiful niggling department which outlines the kinds of enquiry skills the Primary Years Program (PYP) seeks to prepare in  learners. It calls these transdisciplinary skills.

I had been worried that I was pushing my Year five degree likewise difficult inwards the expanse of enquiry past times bespeak them to practise surveys in addition to analyse the data. However, afterward reading this document, I encounter that I am correct on rails in addition to volition at nowadays delve deeper into the interpretation of data.

Research Skills

Formulating Questions - Identifying something i wants or needs to know in addition to bespeak compelling in addition to relevant questions that tin last researched.

Observing - Using all the senses to notice relevant details.



Planning - Develop a class of action; writing an outline; devising ways of finding out necessary information.

Collecting data - Gathering information from a multifariousness of first- in addition to second-hand sources such every bit maps, surveys, straightaway observation, books, films, people, museums in addition to ICT.

Recording data - Describing in addition to recording observations past times drawing, authorities annotation taking, making charts, tallying, writing statements.

Organizing data - Sorting in addition to categorizing information; arranging into understandable forms such every bit narrative descriptions, tables, timelines, graphs in addition to diagrams.

Interpreting data - Drawing conclusions from relationships in addition to patterns that emerge from organized data.

Presenting enquiry findings - Effectively communicating what has been learned; choosing appropriate media.

(International Baccalaureate Organization 2007)

English Every Bit A Mo Linguistic Communication 1

I convey been educational activity English linguistic communication to mo linguistic communication learners for ix years forthwith in addition to would similar to percentage what convey been unopen to successful strategies for me.

The get-go i is a 'Singing Cloze' activity.

Each calendar week (or every mo week), I position a vocal that interests my class. I in addition to thus impress out the lyrics, but purpose white out (tipp-ex) to delete nigh x words. With a dark pen and ruler, I draw a business where the give-and-take should survive in addition to and thus photocopy the sheets for the class.

I volition in addition to thus play the vocal via Youtube in addition to convey the students brain for the missing words. We in addition to thus utter over novel words inwards the song, the theme, genre in addition to composer. We volition sing the vocal together twice a day. This tin post away survive a squeamish transition betwixt lessons in addition to gives the students a fresh outburst of energy.

By the cease of the week, most of the students volition know all the lyrics of the song. H5N1 lot of novel vocabulary! Two favourites alongside my classes convey been Big City Life in addition to I'll survive Missing You.

Keep on learning!

English Equally A Instant Linguistic Communication 2

Backs to the Board

(Image courtesy of Creative Commons)

I would similar to part roughly other English linguistic communication language resource. It oftentimes takes instant linguistic communication learners fourth dimension to educate the confidence to speak. This is totally normal together with I would never advise you lot pose pressure level on a nipper to utter during this period, which I lead maintain seen end a duet of years.

One fun agency to educate speaking skills, however, is yesteryear introducing a game called Backs to the Board. The game is played yesteryear splitting the course of pedagogy into 2 or to a greater extent than teams. One fellow member of each squad stands amongst his/her dorsum to the board. The instructor writes a give-and-take or draws a motion-picture exhibit on the board which the pupil cannot see. His/Her squad tin run across it together with the objective of the game is to become the pupil amongst the dorsum to the board to enjoin the word. One indicate is given to the commencement mortal to enjoin the word. The rules are equally follows for the squad describing the word.

1. You cannot enjoin the give-and-take or field whatever of its letters
2. You may non role your woman raise tongue 
3. You cannot role your hands or whatever trunk gestures

You volition shortly run across your course of pedagogy shouting equally they induce to explicate the words on the board. "It is a province inwards Asia, adjacent to Vietnam, in that place are famous temples there". There are lots of variations to the game besides together with the instructor tin role it to assess agreement of mutual nouns, verbs, pronouns etc. 

Have Fun!

Pathway To Phd

I would similar to percentage some information that has been a big tending to me inwards my learning journey. I convey fifty-fifty shared this amongst my fifth Grade marking to motivate them to plan.

Two years ago, the opportunity arose through my schoolhouse to report for a Master's degree. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 colleague of mine pulled me aside in addition to told me that if I were to develop my Master's inwards a certain way, I would convey i 3rd of the operate for my time to come PhD done past times the fourth dimension I finished my Master's. I was non fifty-fifty thinking close a PhD dorsum then, but am rattling much interested inwards 'killing 2 birds amongst i stone' whenever possible. This is an of import science I believe nosotros necessitate to learn our students too. For example, amongst dissimilar subjects, how past times merging them nosotros tin orbit the axe create i assessment slice to comprehend a unwrap of subjects. I promise that made sense  but I hateful much similar the integrated units of study taught in the Queensland State curriculum comprehend Technology, English, The Arts, etc. in addition to are all assessed inwards i project.

I started my Master's of Education inwards the Leading in addition to Managing stream amongst the intent to exceed a principal. My colleague suggested I position an expanse of involvement in addition to assay to steer all my assignments towards this area. I chose the expanse of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Half agency through my course, I decided to switch into what is called a Research Pathway, which is similar a mini PhD. At the halt of a Research Pathway, yous write a brusk thesis of close 15,000 words. During this time, yous are exposed to the ethics procedure earlier commencing research, yous are introduced to dissimilar question methods in addition to direct your ain in addition to yous write a literature review in addition to create down to position lots of sources of information  All this information tin orbit the axe endure used for your PhD. Bang! There goes or hence other bird! The halt goal would endure to plow your PhD into a mass e'er looking for that expanse that has non been written close yet.

I promise this saves fourth dimension in addition to coin for someone out there!

Building Community Inwards Hanoi

My woman raise was a instructor for forty-two years. Most of that fourth dimension she taught at a local master copy schoolhouse nigh my home. Teaching for that length of fourth dimension at the same schoolhouse is extremely beneficial for edifice relationships inside the community. As a child, many older boys inward my neighborhood looked out for me because I was "Mrs. Lalor's son". The want to hold out a business office of the community I alive inward together with to aid prepare it is something I got from my mother, together with then give thank y'all you, Mam!

The Fri nighttime youth grouping I learn at Hanoi International Fellowship has acquire out involved inward edifice community inward Hanoi. They convey teamed upwards alongside unopen to other scheme I volunteer for called the Australian Charity for the Children of Vietnam. 

ACCV plant to aid immature blind people inward Hanoi convey a improve life through English linguistic communication language programs together with edifice social networks. There is a lot to a greater extent than data most ACCV here where Alison has created a beautiful spider web log ship service of the same event. We met at the novel HIF Center together with began alongside a fourth dimension of eating together with getting to know each other better.

After lunch, nosotros played Connect Four, Dominoes together with cards. It was a existent learning sense for us to run across how good the blind students could play these games. I idea y'all needed to hold out able to run across to play such games. After this, unopen to of the HIF youth brought a duo of the ACCV students into the auditorium to play musical instruments.

The highlight of the twenty-four hr menses for me was all the dissimilar organisations present. There were non alone members of HIF together with ACCV, but likewise of unopen to other scheme that plant alongside the blind called Lift You Up. Members of the Young Adults grouping at HIF likewise attended, every bit did other blind friends from Hanoi. Various international schools were represented including Singapore International School, UNIS together with Concordia. I believe this was a rattling successful twenty-four hr menses of learning together with edifice community. 

Our side yesteryear side projection together volition hold out to expand our game playing into the physical realm. One of the HIF members has sourced a football game for blind people together with nosotros are working on creating the game pictured above, which is called Swish. It is a version of tabular array lawn tennis that blind people tin play. Thanks to everyone who came on to this awesome event!

Twitter For Teachers

(Image courtesy of Creative Commons)

I dear learning! My principal origin of professional person evolution over the past times x years has come upward from university courses. With the going charge per unit of measurement for an international pupil beingness only about 2000 dollars per unit, character learning tin hand the sack survive quite expensive.

Recently at the Vietnam Technology Conference, I was introduced to Twitter. Now, upward to this point, I was extremely skeptical nearly social media. I had noticed how people were wasting hours on Facebook too was determined non to practise the same.

At the applied scientific discipline conference, I saw for the commencement fourth dimension how Twitter tin hand the sack survive used for educational purposes. The telephone substitution to it all is to practise an draw organisation human relationship strictly for professional person use. Identify character educators to follow too acquire from them. It is also of import to percentage your successful lessons too, hence creating a professional person learning network.

The same applies to other professions. If you lot are a manufacturing engineer, follow people inwards the same field. If you lot are a doctor, await for other doctors to acquire from. For to a greater extent than information on how to ready a Twitter account, banking concern gibe out this guide from Edudemic which includes a video past times Erin Klien. They bring done a much meliorate project of explaining Twitter than I always could.

Follow me @brianlalor.