Symposium Towards A Learning Society

Symposium: Towards a Learning Society

On August 22nd together with 23rd of this year, I had the award of tending a learning symposium organised past times VVOB together with the Ministry of Education together with Training (MOET). The aim of the symposium was to convey educators from all over Vietnam together to portion best practices. The topics ranged from development, community together with solid unit of measurement to exceptional needs. All the presentations are available here. Each presenter had to submit a newspaper and, when these are available, I volition portion them also. 

The symposium was divided into 4 themes:

1. Students
2. Teachers
3. Managers
4. Parents & Communities

I presented inwards Session 2 on Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). I accept been researching into this theme for a twain of years at i time together with wrote my thesis on it. There volition live on a weblog ship coming on the findings of that research. My presentation was intended to encourage educators to prepare PLCs inwards their schools. They are an expanse for teachers to come upward together to portion their knowledge. When implemented correctly, PLCs touching schoolhouse civilization inwards a positive way. 

I would highly encourage anybody out in that place who is doing a Master's score to write your papers inwards such a agency equally you lot tin submit them for like events. It is a groovy chance and, again, a agency to kill 2 birds amongst i stone. 

High Schoolhouse Youth Retreat

High School Youth Retreat

Last weekend, my married adult woman Kirsten as well as I took twenty-two high schoolhouse students on weekend retreat. We went to the beautiful countryside of Hoa Binh, almost 2 hours southwest of Hanoi. We left Hanoi on Fri even out afterwards schoolhouse as well as travelled past times jitney to Hoa Binh. Our friend, Michael Ong from Tea Talk, came along as well as taught the grouping on Fri night. Michael spoke almost community as well as the withdraw to operate together. He also had us play a fun game where nosotros were required to operate together to solve a problem.

Sat was a lot of fun alongside about to a greater extent than pedagogy inwards the morning time earlier games of frisbee, a walk through the nearby creek, a buffet as well as a bonfire. The students as well as thus led a worship session for 2 hours that night. It was excellent; nether the stars, away from the city, connecting alongside the LORD, surrounded past times his creation. 

The highlight of working alongside this grouping for me has been seeing the students larn to Pb Bible studies as well as prepare into leaders. I am ever thus proud when I encounter them Pb studies as well as pace out inwards organized religious belief inwards social club to assistance others. This trip was real much an inreach number where nosotros grew stronger every bit a group. The side past times side pace volition hold upward about other outreach number where nosotros tin lav become out as well as serve our community. 

Reading Levels

Reading A-Z

My schoolhouse has been using Reading A-Z for a break of years. It is a useful means of tracking students' reading together with comprehension equally they progress through the dissimilar classes. The lower bird books laid about at H5N1 together with are suitable for students inwards the get-go grade. Each bird becomes increasingly to a greater extent than hard all the means upward to Z, which would endure around 5th grade, depending on your schoolhouse system. Reading A-Z provides this correlation nautical chart for parents, teachers together with students inwards social club to continue rail of the individual's progress. It is of import to banker's complaint that this organisation is designed for students whose get-go linguistic communication is English. The nautical chart also contains the Lexile index attain for each book. This is a scale educators usage to make upward one's heed the appropriate reading historic menstruum of a majority for a child. It is specially useful when buying books equally gifts!

Running Records

Running records serve 2 master copy purposes:

• They are used to fit students to books that are written at their instructional reading level.
• They are used to make upward one's heed whether or non students are develop to run out their electrical flow levels together with movement to the side past times side ones.

Reading Groups

Perhaps the close useful teaching tool I accept gained from the Reading A-Z programme has been reading groups. During these times, I volition separate my degree upward into groups of 4 to 5 students. I volition together with then assign the same majority to each pupil inwards the group. The books are equally close to the child's reading bird equally possible. I together with then accept the students read a page of the majority each until the majority is finished. After they accept read the book, I volition accept a retell action or a give-and-take on the story. 

I promise this is useful to somebody out there!

Parent Communication

At a recent coming together of the Hanoi Technology Group, ane of my colleagues brought upward the topic of raise communication. My belief is that teachers are non the primary educators students cause got inwards their lives. Teachers pass a large component of fourth dimension amongst students, but the bulk of fourth dimension together with pedagogy should last spent amongst family. As the primary caregivers, parents are the master copy teachers inwards the lives of our students. I would similar to usage this infinite to propose ways to empower parents to instruct their children, our students.

At my school, ane of the ways nosotros empower parents is yesteryear providing equally much data together with grooming to them equally possible. Some of the ways nosotros communicate amongst parents include:

• Sending shape timetables domicile at the firstly of each week.
• Using communication books together with e-mail for teachers together with parents to write messages to each other. It is of import to notice the agency of communication that best suits the private parent. Some parents are to a greater extent than technologically comfortable together with prefer emails to their telephone acre others volition prefer to a greater extent than traditional agency of communication.
• Holding bear witness data evenings when exams are approaching. These evenings plough over parents detailed data on the bear witness procedure too equally strategies to back upward their children equally they written report at home. 
• Holding java mornings where parents may come upward inwards to come across amongst schoolhouse leaders. These are commonly structured closed to a curriculum theme. 
• Having a parent/teacher data eve each term. This is a shape of communication I personally similar to employ together with I am currently planning ane to explicate our reading computer programme inwards the early on weeks of Term 3. 
• Holding parent/teacher conferences to driblet dead on parents upward to engagement amongst educatee progress.

The inwards a higher identify listing takes a lot of fourth dimension together with seek on the purpose of the teacher. However, keeping parents informed on what is happening together with giving them strategies on how to instruct their kid is good worth the effort. In my opinion, pedagogy is non a nine-to-five job. I plough over my e-mail together with telephone number to my students together with their parents together with then they tin brand it impact amongst me should they cause got whatsoever issues. This has ever helped me to construct trusting relationships amongst my students together with their parents. 

Vietnam Technology Scientific Discipline Conference 2014

"Wow!" is all I tin reach the axe say! It is Dominicus eve in addition to I am buzzing from all the learning. This twelvemonth the UN International School of Hanoi in addition to Saigon South International School of Ho Chi Minh City teamed upwardly in ane lawsuit to a greater extent than to deliver ane of the best professional person evolution opportunities of the year. There were to a greater extent than than 50 workshops, a brace of hundred participants in addition to a non bad telephone commutation greenback speaker. Here is the conference website.

I delivered my workshop on professional person learning communities during the offset session on Saturday. My resources may locomote constitute here.

Gary Johnson came upwardly from SSIS for the conference in addition to I got to attend his workshop on Google Scripts. If yous are familiar amongst the TV show, The Wire, they advert to McNulty equally "Real Police". Well Gary Johnson is "Real Teacher". He taught us about really useful Google Scripts in addition to his materials may locomote accessed using the higher upwardly link.

Patrick Green was the telephone commutation greenback speaker in addition to he opened the conference amongst his presentation, 'The Relevant Teacher'. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 sample of what he was speaking virtually may locomote viewed here. He thence led 2 workshops. The offset was on YouTube and the minute on Google Maps. Again, what tin reach the axe I tell except that they were incredible. If your schoolhouse is non using Google Apps For Education (GAFE), which is free, yous are doing your students a disservice inwards this 24-hour interval in addition to age.

The terminal session I attended was past times Pete Kennedy. He gave an first-class presentation entitled 'Driven to Digital Distraction'. Pete showed us the dangers of multitasking in addition to his materials volition locomote available hither soon.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 huge cheers to everyone involved inwards the conference in addition to forgive me if the note of this post service is a fleck unlike to my usual. As I said, I am buzzing off the learning correct now!

Search Associates Undertaking Fairs

I attended the Search Associates (SA) Spring Fair inwards Bangkok this yesteryear week. What a learning experience! It was 1 of the most stressful weekends of my life. It is almost a calendar week agone too I am all the same non over it. I promise this weblog post volition assist you lot if you lot are considering using Search Associates or International School Services to abide by a didactics or direction undertaking overseas. The Spring Fair is much smaller than the before Bangkok Fair inwards January. We were non eligible to attend the Jan Fair equally my married adult woman was considered a non-teaching husband too I did non convey PYP experience. Schools tend to expect for candidates who are: (1) Teaching Couples (2) Single (3) Teacher amongst dependents. Going equally reveal three too without PYP sense I was non inwards the best position.

According to SA 50% of candidates jobs come upwards from undertaking fairs spell the other fifty come upwards from connections made amongst schools through their site. It is very of import to acquire to the fair equally early on equally possible too to hold upwards inwards constant communication amongst your associate prior to too during the fair. I was specially blessed having John Ritter equally my associate equally he actually knows his materials too tells it straight. If you lot would similar to contact John his e-mail is jritter@searchassociates.com, I would highly recommend him equally he has been principal for a reveal of big schools too is a pleasance to operate with. Again, he actually knows his stuff.

I arrived to the fair at virtually 4:00pm on Fri afternoon, pregnant I missed all the schoolhouse presentations. When I came in, I saw the associates amongst their backs to me equally inwards the photograph above. I straight off introduced myself to John too asked him to acquire me inwards the game. Up to this betoken nosotros had only been inwards contact (a lot) yesteryear email. He told me to banking concern check my mailbox. Each schoolhouse too each instructor has a mailbox where they tin communicate amongst 1 another.

On Fri nighttime they convey the "sign ups". All the schools are at a tabular array inwards a big ballroom. You hence decease to a greater extent than or less the room too inquire if you lot tin convey an interview. If you lot convey a sideslip inwards your mailbox from a schoolhouse you lot acquire to decease to the front end of the draw to inquire for an interview. You role a schedule canvas to timetable inwards equally many interviews equally you lot tin handle. I had virtually vi scheduled for Saturday.

After the sign ups, I went dorsum to my hotel to bed. Sat was total on amongst the interviews. Most of them took identify inwards hotel rooms, some at the bar. It was rattling interesting to come across which schools were good organised too which were not. Common questions I was asked were: What would your classroom expect like? How would you lot innovation too deliver a unit of measurement of inquiry? How produce you lot role applied scientific discipline inwards your class? Why did you lot decease a teacher? Why produce you lot desire to alive inwards ..... too other such questions.

I asked the same questions virtually the packet school's were offering equally getting benefits for my identify unit of measurement was a priority for me. I had already identified all the school's I was interviewing amongst equally beingness schools who learn the PYP. I afterward learned that whether the schoolhouse is "for profit" or "not for profit" is a rattling of import point. Another of import enquiry would hold upwards how stable is the board that runs the school. That nighttime in that place was a social termination where candidates too recruiters met. This is a identify where jobs are sometimes offered. It is rattling of import to retrieve that amongst SA a verbal offering is considered binding. If you lot intermission a contract you lot may hold upwards blacklisted from their site too fairs.

The next twenty-four lx minutes menstruum nosotros waited to take away heed from the schools. As you lot tin imagine, offers were given, commonly through your mailbox. Little notes were dropped inwards if you lot did non acquire the job. This was tough equally candidates were allow downward too you lot could come across it on their faces. I was delighted to come upwards away amongst a groovy undertaking too am looking frontward to our motion to mainland People's Republic of China adjacent year. Overall the sense was great, equally I said I learned loads, but man child was it stressful. I promise this helps mortal before going to your commencement fair. 

Hanoi Pet Rescue

Our Student Council (SC) of late organised a fund raiser for Hanoi Pet Rescue (HPR). HPR are an organisation based inwards the urban heart that accept tending of abused animals. Their finish is to detect loving homes for these animals as well as they accept this real seriously. 

The Student Council donating 10,000,000 VND to Hanoi Pet Rescue

This incredible learning sense began inwards i of your yr four classes. The students were working on their unit of measurement of query when the instructor began to explicate close how bears are used inwards Asian countries for their torso parts. Bile is drained from them as well as used for medicine. Some of the students began to vociferation as well as decided they must produce something. 

The yr four class contacted the SC through their class illustration as well as planning for "Animal Day" got underway. Students organised games, baked cookies, budgeted to acquire prizes, sought donations from teachers as well as coordinated the whole event. One of the yr four students identified HPR from a brochure she saw inwards a cafe. This was much to my displeasure equally I had already identified a charity I hoped nosotros could donate to. I had to seize amongst teeth my lip equally the SC explained to me they wanted to back upward "animals non people".

 More than 10 1000000 Vietnam dong was raised which is close 5 hundred USD. It was a swell learning sense for us all as well as reminded us nosotros tin terminate all brand a difference!