Pre-conference

Speakers: Analourdes Herrera & Warren George

Session overview:

This pre-conference session will be designed as an immersive and experiential learning space for participants to explore the future of personalized learning. This will be done through an exploration of a variety of examples and the possibility for participants to engage in producing their own learning experiences using different tools and methods.

Intended outcomes: Participants will have a deeper understanding of (1) what personalized learning means in their context, (2) innovative methods and tools and (3) how to apply these.

Target audience: New and experienced teachers, coordinators, heads of schools, administrators.

Speakers: Jon Halligan, Vedrana Pavletić, Nicholas Lyddon, Mary Tadros, Peter Fidczuk, Dina Khalaf, Dolly Wanjiku, Adzo Ashie & Maripé Menéndez

Session overview:

The purpose of this pre-conference is to look at the benefits of introducing IB to a new school or adding a new IB programme to your current offer. Participants will have the opportunity to explore how our programmes are future-focused, context relevant and transformational through school based examples, with time to discuss their own needs. We will provide guidance on the value of the feasibility study and action plan, and how that can lead to a positive and sustainable implementation journey. Finally, we will explore the individual aspects of each programme and how the application process is managed, with reference to our standards and practices.

Speakers: Fiona Clark & Roseline Muchiri

Session overview:

Authorization process is an essential component in assuring a school’s successful implementation of the programmes. This process can be supported through the development of a variety of professional learning communities and the establishment of a strong action plan to ensure future success of the implementation of the programme. This pre-conference is aimed at school leaders and coordinators of interested and candidate schools. It will provide a collaborative space to develop change management strategies and share tools to support schools as they go through the authorization process. Questions for reflection and discussions, examples of documentation and evidence to prepare, strategies for supporting the school community to participate successfully in this process, will be shared.

Speakers: Margareth Harris, Fidelis Nthenge, Chris Durbin, Diane Ullman, Jeff Bradley & David Ottaviano

Session overview:

In 2013 IB, CIS, NEASC and WASC began working more closely together to combine IB programme evaluation with the accreditation of schools. This move was in response to requests from the wider school community to synchronize IB programme evaluation at the time of re-accreditation. School leaders wanted the process to be logistically simpler and avoid self-study fatigue in their communities. Also, to support their strategic planning, they wanted to receive each agency's report at the same point in time instead of staggered over several years. Since the initial efforts to synchronize IB programme evaluation visits, IB, CIS, NEASC and WASC have continued to refine the alignment of IB-programme evaluation with each accreditation agency's process. This pre-conference event represents the next step in our collaboration. Building on previous year's sessions to gain perspective from members of the school community, senior staff from each agency will discuss the latest initiatives as we consider future enhancements to this key area of educational collaboration.

This pre-conference is applicable to:
1. Those trained as a chair or co-chair by one or more of the following agencies: IB, CIS, NEASC, WASC
2. Interested heads of IB schools accredited by one or more of the above agencies.

Speaker: Chris Wright

Session overview:

As educators we have a responsibility to prepare students to flourish in their futures—futures that are increasingly globalized and interconnected. This workshop explores three related questions:

• Which competencies do students require to thrive in a globally competitive world?
• What does it mean for students to be knowledgeable in the future?
• What are the key competencies school leaders will need in order to successfully guide their learning communities within this future-scape?

Speaker: Peter Kotrc

Session overview:

The daily challenge of leaders in international schools is finding the right balance between strategic and operational tasks. Too often we are overwhelmed by what needs to be done today and move the “big picture thinking” off to next week. This workshop aims to give a glimpse into the relief a robust, well built and accepted strategic plan can be for all stakeholders.

Speaker: Dr Heidi Hayes Jacobs

Session overview:

How can we design curriculum to meet the needs of our right-now learners? How can we adhere to the curricular mission and requirements of IB concurrently with the need to integrate new literacies and modern content? Join Dr Heidi Hayes Jacobs in her interactive pre-conference focused on updating our IB school curriculum at all levels (PYP, MYP, DP). Our schools are challenged to integrate local and national requirements, respond to breakthroughs in modern learning, while maintaining fidelity to the tenets of the IB. Heidi will provide steps for a whole school faculty to improve the quality of collaboration and communication vertically and across grade levels through strategic mapping reviews and upgrading of formative assessments. Join us in this interactive workshop where you will dive into the nuts and bolts of curriculum mapping for the IB school. Dr Jacobs will provide feedback and guidance on both the big picture of curriculum mapping and the instructional level of quality unit design with a wealth of dynamic resources.

Speaker: Kendall Zoller

Session overview:

As educators, we are required to engage in conversations and presentations to convey key messages to parents, colleagues, students and other stakeholders, which require determination, trust and credibility. A day with Kendall Zoller and The Choreography of Presenting! This highly interactive workshop takes participants into the seven essential abilities. Beginning with credibility and moving into rapport, reading a group, listening, acknowledging, responding and recovery with grace. About two dozen verbal and non-verbal patterns will be introduced for you to practice and apply. Included in this session are how to:

• Make impact statements
• How to establish credibility
• How to establish and maintain rapport
• Open with a proactive resistance frame
• Address reactive resistance
• How to recover with grace
• Develop clarity of values
• Recognize and respond to triggers

Imagine being able to consistently present with purpose and intention in any setting, including on one-on-one, committee, and entire staff meetings.

Speaker: Dr Stefani Hite

Session overview:

John Hattie has demonstrated in repeated meta-analyses that collective efficacy is the number one impact on student achievement (2017). As schools build an understanding about the research around collective efficacy and why it is essential, the next question is, how do we build it? Supervisory systems of teacher evaluation don’t build collective efficacy—in fact, they may actually create divisiveness (Popham, 2013). As we rethink appraisal to focus on professional growth, one of the best approaches to building collective efficacy is to create opportunities for teachers to see each other teach. This has long been a challenging issue in schools as teachers resist what they perceive as peer observation and evaluation. Done well, however, collegial work in each others’ classrooms fosters exactly the collaborative efforts that build collective efficacy.

This session introduces school administrators, instructional leaders and teachers to options for Opening Classroom Doors that have been successfully implemented in schools around the world. We will explore the foundational structures that foster the open door culture that builds collective efficacy. Participants will leave the session with a set of strategies to begin the process in their local context. Large or small, public or independent, no matter where in the world you are located, Opening Classroom Doors is a powerful approach to build collective efficacy in your school.