I am convinced that the single most important factor to ensure student learning for life is learner empowerment.Read more
Posts tagged: #School transformation
Future ready?
Welcome to the twenty first century, where we are inundated with phrases like, “the world is rapidly changing” or “the world is flat.” We’ve heard the clarion call about the world today and tomorrow and we know it’s true. In the blink of an eye, thousands of new strands of information and knowledge, compelling or useless, ground-breaking or trivial, endlessly stream across the globe and our devices. Great leaps in medicine, technology, robotics, new discoveries, new ways of communicating, as well as impending crisis from global warming to unbridled barbaricRead more
Empowering Learners
One of the central tenets of the ISP mission is to Empower Learners, to give students the opportunity to construct their own understanding about a concept or idea, and to provide opportunities for them to engage in authentic or real world problem solving. ISP Empowers Learners to – Think Critically and Creatively – Work Cooperatively and Independently – Listen and Communicate Effectively The above learning habits were on display in our middle school today, as middle school students participated inRead more
The “Edge” in Education
At the International School of Prague, we believe that a great school is one that is committed to bringing to life, an ambitious and forward thinking mission and vision. In order to continue to remain relevant to twenty-first century learners, it is crucial that all members of the school community have the opportunity to provide perspective and ideas in furthering the mission. With the goal of thinking out of the box and generating innovative ideas, ISP teachers have formed themselvesRead more
A Labor of Love
What a great feeling, getting school ready for the start of the new year at the International School of Prague! The campus is a busy beehive of activity; polishing floors, moving furniture, trimming hedges and unpacking boxes. The new faculty are learning the ropes of their newly adopted school and country, and returning teachers, most of whom have been on vacation either visiting their home countries or enjoying exotic locations, or both are getting back into the swing of things.Read more
Gearing education for 21st-century students
A RECENT ARTICLE AND INTERVIEW IN THE PRAGUE POST FOCUSES ON TWENTY FIRST CENTURY LEARNING AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PRAGUE. Gearing education for 21st-century students: ISP emphasizes technology and critical thinking in interconnected world Education has come quite a way from the days of chalkboards and field trips. What was once an educational outing to a local museum not far from a school can now be substituted with a virtual tour via the Internet. Technology has entered not only theRead more
The Intuitive Mind is a Sacred Gift
There has been much talk in the past few years about creativity and innovation and its place in business and other organizations including schools. A wide array of books, articles, blogs and videos on creativity have appeared: Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers Will Rule the Future by Dan Pink Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World by Tony Wagner Do Schools Kill Creativity? by Sir Ken Robinson Out of our Minds: Learning to be CreativeRead more
“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” Albert Einstein
I recently attended the European Council of International Schools‘ annual teachers’ conference in my role as Chair of the ECIS Board of Trustees. This is a conference attended by over 1500 international educators from around the world. On the first day, I had the honor of making the opening address to conference participants and share some thoughts about school change, which I excerpt and elaborate on below. The ECIS mission is to be the leading collaborative global network promoting andRead more
Developing future focused schools
Once per month at ISP we set aside time in the teacher’s busy schedule to think out of the box and focus on our school’s future development. Instead of simply holding the traditional informational all-faculty meetings where teachers sit passively and listen to presentations, we have created a dynamic structure in which teachers have formed themselves into Professional Focus Groups. The purpose of these groups is to create an ongoing process where faculty involvement will impact on individual professional growth,Read more
