Can you remember back to when you were in middle school? I seemed to have blocked much of it out of my own memory banks! But during my years as director of the International School of Prague (ISP), I have the opportunity to see life in school through the eyes of our students, especially when I take the day to shadow a student. Recently, members of the Leadership Team spent an entire school day shadowing and learning alongside an ISP student. ThisRead more
Posts filed in: Learning
Stretch Day @ the International School of Prague
One way we encourage deeper, experiential and authentic learning at ISP is through Stretch Days, where students have the opportunity focus on a particular area of learning unencumbered by the traditional bell schedule. By eliminating the usual rotation of classes, where students move from one subject to the next, stretch days allow for longer periods of flexible time for teachers to organize learning experiences which support students to go deeper and learn by doing, without the usual interruptions. As IRead more
“EMPOWERED LEARNERS” THE 28TH ANNUAL CEESA CONFERENCE IN PRAGUE MARCH 15-17, 2018
From the Director of the International School of Prague, Dr. Arnie Bieber Dear Friends and Colleagues, On behalf of the International School of Prague community, it is a pleasure to invite you to attend and participate in the 28th annual CEESA Conference this March in the beautiful city of Prague. Described in ancient texts as “The City of 100 spires” and “The Golden City”, Prague is a true jewel in the heart of Europe. Here, in this wondrous city, youRead more
A Surprising Tranquility – My Day at PreKindergarten
One of the best ways for adults to really understand how a student experiences life and learning in school is by spending a full day shadowing a student. A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about my experience of shadowing grade 4 student, Maria: A day in the life – Shadow a Student Challenge. This year many of our leaders at ISP are shadowing students, including Tony McLaughlin, ISP Communications Manager. He tells his story called “A Surprising Tranquility” below: This week I took on the InternationalRead more
A day in the life – Shadow a Student Challenge
As part of the international Shadow a Student Challenge, last year I blogged about my experience of shadowing a grade 9 student, Grace, throughout her day at the International School of Prague. In a very positive sense, I got much more than I bargained for. This time it was Maria in grade 4 whom I had the pleasure of shadowing throughout her day of learning at ISP. I can truly say that while I was exhausted at the end of our day, IRead more
How do you learn to cook?
I recently attended the ECIS (Educational Collaborative for International Schools) Educators Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the theme, Cultivating Curiosity. The theme of cultivating curiosity reminded me of one of ISP‘s (International School of Prague) strategic goals, “Curiosity drives what and how we learn.” It is through curiosity and personal relevance (another ISP strategy!), that all students, young and old, will be deeply engaged in the learning process. For students to take their own personal paths to learning in school, teachers must create rich environments and multiple learningRead more
You can’t teach people everything they need to know.
As the school year begins, it is fitting and timely to call attention to an educational visionary and provocative thinker who recently passed away. For over a half century Seymour Papert led the call for schools to empower students to have greater control over their learning. Seymour Aubrey Papert (February 29, 1928 – July 31, 2016) was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at MIT.[1] He was one of the pioneers of artificialRead more
Where is my home?
As is the tradition in countless schools and universities around the world, ISP recently convened its graduation ceremony for the class of 2016. We are fortunate indeed to have the opportunity to honor and celebrate with our graduates and their families in one of the most beautiful cities in the world Prague, in one its splendid landmark buildings, Zofin Palace. Each year students, teachers and administrators have an opportunity to share our thoughts about the graduates and their futures. While there were manyRead more
“The Shadow Knows”… a day in the life of a student
As Director of the International School of Prague (ISP), I like to believe that I work hard every day, but yesterday I gained a new perspective on hard work, having “shadowed” Grace, a grade 9 student at ISP, for a day. While I often visit classrooms and observe kids learning and teachers teaching, spending a full day shadowing one student, from class to class, as well as lunch, is a very different experience and one I highly recommend, especially to other school decision makers. IRead more
Knowledge isn’t Power
“Knowledge isn’t power. Knowledge is something you Google” – Danny Gregory In order to include parents in crucial conversations about how schools are changing to meet the needs of today’s student, the International School of Prague engages parents in a regular series of thought-provoking workshops called, The Edge in Education. The Edge is an opportunity to discuss current and future trends in education and to engage parents in dialogue about how to best support their children. Previous topics addressed in Edge workshops include: October 8, 2015: “The Power ofRead more
