1. Volume 17 / Number FALL 2014Volume 18 / Number 2 >>> WINTER 2016
In this issue:
FLC and FTI photos
School news from around the NESA region
Emotional intelligence for a compassionate world
Conversation in the 21st Century
WTI and SEC previews
and much more. . .
2. NESABoardmember
HaroldFleetham(Lincoln-
Kathmandu)withkeynoter
ElleAllison.
NESA’slastFallLeadershipConferenceinAbuDhabiwasin
1996,DavidChojnacki’sfirstconferenceasNESAExecutive
Director!Thiswastheorganization’slargestFLCever,with
morethan575delegates,including100exhibitors.Allgath-
eredonceagainattheelegantInterContinentalHotelfor
fourdaysofhigh-qualityprofessionallearningandpersonal
renewal.
AtThursday’sopeningplenary,USAmbassadortotheUAE
BarbaraLeafwelcomeddelegates,andBeaCameronfrom
theOfficeofOverseasSchools(A/OS),ACSAbuDhabiSu-
perintendentRobinHeslip,NESABoardPresidentKevin
Schafer(TAISM-Muscat),andNESA’sDavidChojnackiset
thetoneofprofessionallearning.
DouglasReevesgavetheopeningkeynoteon“Inspiring
CreativityandInnovation:ALeader’sGuide”,outliningwhat
schoolleaderscandoatthesystemandschoolleveltoin-
spirecreativity;afterwards,apanelofspecialistspeakers
respondedtoDrReeves’keynote.OnFriday,JayMcTighe
andGiselleMartinKniep,in“SchoolingbyDesignandthe
ARCSFrameworkforSchoolImprovement”,exploredstrat-
egiesforsustainableschoolimprovementbasedonthein-
tersectionofthesetwoconcepts.SharnellJackson,inher
Saturdaykeynote,“UsingStudentAchievementDatatoSup-
portInstructionalDecision-Making”,outlinedhowtocreate
theorganizationalandtechnologicalconditionsthatfoster
effectivedatause.Sundaymorning’skeynoter,ElleAllison-
Napolitano,examinedhowresilienceinleadersistrans-
formativein“SuperStrong:TheExtraordinaryNatureof
LeadershipResilience”.FortheclosingkeynoteSundayaf-
ternoon,NYUprofessorEricHilgendorfheldaconversation
withacolleague(anengineer)onwhatinnovationlookslike
in“KeyElementsofInnovationwithTeacherasMentor”.
Duringthefourdays,delegatestookadvantageofin-depth
trainingatthree-hourworkshopspresentedby23special-
istspeakers,includingtwosessionsbyadministratorsfrom
NESAmemberstheAmericanSchoolofBombay(onLearn-
ingAnalytics)andAIS-Chennai(onEALinclusion).Extend-
edstrandswereofferedforbusinessmanagers,trustees,and
humanresourcedirectors.Additionally,NESAmembersand
affiliatespresented25one-hourGeneralInterestWorkshops
overthreedays.
NESAconferencescombineprofessionallearningwithper-
sonalrenewal.Inthatspirit,delegateshadopportunities
tore-connectduringThursday’sWelcomeReceptionatthe
InterContinental’s“Bayshore”waterfrontgardenandpool
area,andduringSaturdayevening’sGalaintheIntercon-
tinental’sDarElIstiqbalBallroom,wheretheyenjoyeda
buffetdinner,anamazing“Arabicjazzfusion”liveband,and
atraditionalwhirlingdervishperformance.Thatevening,Da-
vidChojnacki,onbehalfoftheNESABoard,honoredJau-
niceAnselloftheInternationalSchoolofIslamabad,forher
servicetoandsupportofNESA.
Nextyear’sFallLeadershipConferenceisOctober20-23
attheRitzCarltonHotelinDoha,Qatar.
Markyourcalendars!
CheckouttheFLC2015photogalleriesat:www.nesacenter.org.
NESALeadersinAbuDhabi
FallLeadershipConference
—October22-25,2015
BeaCameron(A/OS),
DavidChojnacki,USAmbassadorBar-
baraLeaf,KevinSchafer(TAISM-Mus-
cat),RobinHeslip(ACSAbuDhabi).
Below:KeynoterDouglas
Reeves&ElizabethDuffy,
Pres.ofISS.
Left:Curriculum
Associates’Lynn
Notarainni&keynoter
SharnellJackson.
Left:MarisePhilip-Jay-
endran(ACS-AbuDhabi),
AmiraHashem.(CAC-Cairo),
&N.C.Mohan(AES-Delhi)
ledsessionsforHRdirectors,
withNESA’sDavidCho-
jnacki.
Below:NESAstaff
LauraCanellopoulou,
AristeaEvangelou,JillKalamaris
&DirectorofProf’lLearning
BridgetDoogan.
Specialistspeakersand
NESAstaffattheSheikh
ZayedMosque.
Right:A/OS’sBeaCameron
&NESAExec.Dir.David
Chojnacki.
Pastandpresentfaculty&staffof
CairoAmericanCollege.
Below:AIS-Chennai’sPaulaPeters-Framp-
ton,KimBane&KarenSumaryonopre-
senteda3-hourworkshoponEAL/WIDA.
JauniceAnsell
(ISOI-Islam-
abad)was
recognized
atSaturday’s
Gala.
FormerNESABoard
membersDavidCramer,
MichaelPopinchalk,
DavidChojnacki,Daryle
Russell,RickDetwiler&
JohnGates.
KeynotersJayMcTighe&Giselle
Martin-KniepflankedbytheCollege
Board’sJudithHegedus&ClayHensley.
TheSaudiAramco
ExpatriateSchools
delegation.
NESA’sProf’lDevp’tAdvisoryCommittee(PDAC)andguestsJeffersonBen-
nett(farleft),TomGuskey(2ndfromleft),DougReeves(4thfromleft),Kevin
Schafer(seatedfarleft),withDavidChojnacki(center),andNESADir.of
Prof’lLearningBridgetDoogan(farrt.).
GalasponsorsTieCare(l-r):Lance&
LindaRoberts,DianeCramer&Mark
Tomaszewski.
TheWBAIS
delegation.
2
NEWS
WINTER2016
3. FallTraining
Institute2015
—Dubai
We’llseeyouatnextyear’sFTIat
theAmericanCommunitySchool
ofAbuDhabi,November4-5,2016.
FTIphotogalleriesat:
www.nesacenter.org
NESA’sfourteenthannualFallTrainingInstitutetookplace
November6-7attheAmericanSchoolofDubai,UAE,a
NESAmemberschool.Almost500educatorsattendedone
ofninetwo-dayinstitutes,gainingin-depthprofessionalde-
velopment.
Topicsincluded:ElementaryLiteracy&EffectiveFeedback
|Assessment-RedefiningFair|IntroductiontoC3-Inquiry
andConcept-basedSocialStudies|CommonCore-Math-
ematics(5-12)|TeacherasDataCoach|WIDASymposium
forEAL/ELLTeachers|DigitalStorytelling|Mathematics
ThroughPlayinEarlyChildhood|NextGenerationScience
Standards.
NESAthanksSuperintendentBrentMutsch,CurriculumDi-
rectorMichelleKuhns,andthefacultyandstaffoftheAmer-
icanSchoolofDubaiforalloftheiron-the-groundsupport
andorganizationthatmadethisyear’sFTIsucharesounding
success.
EarlyChildhood
Educatorsmeetin
Dubai
ThefoundingmeetingoftheNESAEarlyChildhoodAdvisory
GrouptookplaceinDubaifollowingtheFallTrainingInsti-
tute.AnneSoderman,FTIEarlyChildhoodInstitutepresent-
er,servedas‘criticalfriend’toagroupofinstructionalleaders
fromNESAschools.Thegroupisnowworkingondeveloping
amulti-yearplantosupporttheprofessionalgrowthandcol-
laborationofECteachersintheNESAregion.
SpeakerBernajeanPorter(2ndfromright)during
herdigitalstorytellinginstitute.
SpeakerDamianCooper(Assessment)anddelegates.
NESAExec.Dir.DavidChojnackiwithFTIdelegates.
Delegateshardatwork.
SpeakerJenniferMorrison(farleft)with
teachersinherdatausesession.
SpeakerChezaAl-Khudmani
(feedbackinelem.literacy)
withanFTIdelegate.
ASDteacher(andformerNESA
speaker!)MeganHolmstromwithFTI
presenterRyanGrady(CCMath).
FTIspeakerswithNESA’sDavidChojnacki&MariaBoutzarelou
(kneeling).
ASDDir.ofCurric.MichelleKuhns,DataMngr.Teaching&Learning
Cntr.SharonMcCarten,ASDVolunteer,&JinsyAbraham-Admin.Asst.
Teaching&LearningCntr;kneeling:NESA’sDavidChojnacki,ASD
Supt.BrentMutsch.
(l-r):GhadaMaalouf,DianeYounes,KatieKoenig,AnneSoderman,
BridgetDoogan–NESADir.ofProf’lLearning,AbbuChatila
(Notpictured:DavidChojnacki,CharlotteLillywhite).
AS-Dubaivolunteer-delegates.
FayGore’ssessionon
inquiry/concept-based
SocialStudies.
AnneSoderman’sinstituteonEarlyChildhoodMath.
4
NEWS
WINTER2016
4. Fourteenfaculty,theDirectorofEducationalTechnologyand
eLearning,andthePresidentofACSAthenspresentedwith
greatsuccessatthe8thInternationalConferenceinOpen
andDistanceLearning(ICODL)heldinAthens,Greece,No-
vember7-8,2015.ItfocusedonInnovationandResearchin
OpenandDistanceLearningandonInformationCommuni-
cationsTechnology.
ThisprimeacademiceventinEuropewassupportedbythe
HellenicOpenUniversity,theHellenicNetworkofOpenand
DistanceLearning,EducationalContentMethodologyand
TechnologyLaboratory,theJournalforOpenandDistance
EducationandEducationalTechnology,theGLOKALdee-
JournalofUDEEEWANA-UnitedDistanceEducationfor
EasternEuropeWesternAsiaNorthernAfrica,theTurkish
OnlineJournalofDistanceEducation(TOJDE),theInter-
nationalJournalonNewTrendsinEducationandTheirIm-
plications(IJONTE),andtheInternationalWomenOnline
JournalofDistanceEducation(int.WODJE).
GradeSixstudentsatAl-HekmaInternationalSchool
(AHIS)inBahraindesignedtheirowntech-friendlyurban
design.Thenew“SolarUrbanDesign”isaplacewherestu-
dentscanrestwhilesimultaneouslychargingtheirtablets.It
blursthedistinctionbetweenpleasureandworkandrecasts
powergenerationasanintegratedanddistributedpublicac-
tivity.Itcanalsobeusedforoutdoorclasses.
WhileworkingonthisSTEMproject,studentswereintro-
ducedtothetypesofrenewableenergyresourcesbyengag-
inginactivitiesthathelpedthemunderstandthetransfor-
mationofenergyintoelectricity.Studentsalsoexploredthe
differentrolesofengineerswhoworkinrenewableenergy
fields,astheyhadtheopportunitytocreateasustainable
environment--anenvironmentthatcontributestogreater
health,happinessandsafety.
Studentswereinvolvedinthedesignandcreationofthis
STEMproject.Afterextensiveresearch,theyoriginallysug-
gestedbuildingaSolarLoungeChair,butthenthisideade-
velopedtotheSolarUrbanDesign.
Whilethestudentssearchedforsponsorstohelpthemfi-
nancetheidea,theyalsoworkedonseveralsketchesfor
theirproject.Theygavethesketchesto101Design,acom-
panythatofferedtosponsor.Theymergedallthedesigns
intothefinalconceptwehavenow.
Thenextstepwasfindingasponsortoprovidethewoodpal-
lets.Again,thestudentssuccessfullyfoundamanufacturing
companytosponsor.Thehardestpartwasfindingareasona-
blypricedsolarcell.Studentsresearchedonline,butdecided
intheendtopurchaseitfromBahrain.IG-Electronsfellin
lovewiththeideaandgavestudentsanexcellentpricefor
thecell(12v,50W),whichmeasures60cmx55cm.
Thelaststepwasputtingtheprojecttogether,andforthis
part,studentsweresupportedbytheschool’sMaintenance
Department.Thelasttouchwasplantinggreeneryinthe
middle.
AlHekmastudentsnowhaveagoodunderstandingofen-
ergy,andcanharnessrenewableresourcestocreateelec-
tricityforuseintheireverydaylives.Theobjectiveofthe
project[ledbytheauthor]wastohelpprovidestudentswith
acomprehensivelybalancededucationbasedontechnol-
ogyandacademics,andalsotoaidincreatingconfidentand
motivatedlifelonglearnerswhoareglobalcitizensthatcan
makeadifferencelocallyandinternationally.
Theprojecthasbeenasuccess,andwhatwemostlyenjoyed
wastheeducationalprocess.Scienceconsistsmostlyofex-
perimentation,andthisprojectwaspleasurableandbenefi-
cialinequalportions.
rnajaar@alhekma.com
TheACSAthensteampresentedinpanelsandindividually
undertheBestPracticesandResearchthemes,butallof
themhighlightedthei2flexblendedlearningmethodologyof
thenewGlobalMorfosisParadigm(seegMpgraphic)and
itsclassroommanifestationsinPE,Mathematics,Science,
SecondLanguageLearning,Humanities,etc.TheseACS
educators,inadditiontotheirteachingresponsibilities,take
thetimetoengageintheirownActionResearchprojects,
reviewtheextantliterature,attemptnewinterventions,sys-
tematicallycollectdata,evaluatethelearningoutcomesin
theirclasses,andsharetheirfindingswithotherpractition-
ersandresearchersinsuchvenuesastheICODLconference.
TheseACSfacultymembershavedocumentedtheirresearch
bycontributingchapterstoaforthcomingbook,Revolution-
izingK-12BlendedLearningthroughthei2FlexClassroom
Model[editedbyDrs.AvgerinouandGialamas].Scheduled
tobereleasedinearly2016byIGI,thebookreflectscol-
lectiveanddiverseworkconductedinorderfortheGlobal
MorfosisParadigmtobecome
reality.Itpresentsthetheo-
reticalframeworkofthei2Flex
classroommodelasanewpath-
wayforK12blendedlearning,
andwhatittakestosuccessfully
implementitfromtheperspec-
tivesofleadership,instructional
designandimplementation,and
evaluation.Thefinalsection
ofthebookisdedicatedtothe
abovepractitioners’voiceswho
sharetheiri2Flexexperiences
andtrail-blazeaneweducation
trajectoryrightfromthetrench-
es!
avgerinoum@acs.gr,
g-morfosis.gr
LeadingInnovationfromthe
i2
FlexClassroom:
ACSAthensEducatorsShowthe
NewPathwayforK12Blended
Learning
ByDr.MariaD.Avgerinou,DirectorofEducationalTechnology&eLearning,andDr.Stefanos
Gialamas,President,AmericanCommunitySchoolsofAthens,Greece
ASolarUrbanDesignatAl-Hekma
InternationalSchool-Bahrain
ByRashaAl-Najjar,ScienceCoordinatorandSTEMTeamLeader
AlHekmastudentschargingupontheirnew“SolarUrbanDesign”.
NEWS
WINTER20166
5. ACSBeirut’sannual“Mini-NESA”conferencetookplaceon
November13,2015,ontheschoolcampus,offeringeduca-
torsandstaffalikeprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities,
throughwhichtheycouldlearnaboutandshareresearch-
basedpracticesineducation,byattendingand/orpresenting
workshops.
Teachersandeducationstudentsfrom58differentschools
andthetopuniversitiesinLebanonattendedthemini-NESA
conference,inadditiontodozensfromtheACScommunity.
Despitetheinstabilityinthecountry,theopeningceremony
gatheredabout300participants,whichorganizersconsid-
eredanimpressivesuccess.Aminuteofsilencewasobserved
outofrespectforthevictimsoftheterroristattacksona
southernsuburbofBeirut,whichhadtakenplaceadayear-
lier.
KeynotespeakerDavidChojnacki,NESA’sExecutiveDirec-
tor,sharedaseriesofinspirationalquotesandideaswith
participants.“Learningisuncomfortable.Ittakesyoutothe
edgeofyourcomfortzone,soyoucanbechallenged,”he
said.“Educationisatransactionalbusiness.Youcannotsay
youtaughtsomething,ifthepersondidnotlearnit.”
Topicscoveredbytheall-dayeventrangedfromstrategies
forenhancinglearninganddevisingfairevaluationstand-
ards,toinspiringcuriosityamongstudents,andmuchmore.
Othersessionstrainedattendeestoenhancetheircommu-
nicationskillsandbuildrapport,detoxifytheirbodies,or
evenconductself-breastexamsforearlycancerdetection.
TeachingArabicreceivedmuchattentioninthisyear’sMini-
NESA,withatleastthreesessionsofferingtipsonhowto
makeArabicattractivetostudents.
MiddleSchoolArabicteacherRuwaidaKhalidKaedBeyh
sharedsomeexcitingtechnologicaltoolsthatshehadadapt-
edfromEnglishintoArabic.Theseincludedwebsitessuchas
spiderscribe.net,tagxedo.com,todaysmeet.com,eduplace.
com,andmyhrw.com,allofwhichcouldbeusedforavariety
ofsubjects.
Onthesubjectofdiversity–oneofNESA’sgoals–MrCho-
jnackiinhiskeynotespeechacknowledgedthatpeoplein
Lebanonknowmoreaboutdiversitythanmost.Toencour-
agemorediversity,hequotedhissonwhogrewupstudy-
ingatAmericaninternationalschoolsallovertheglobe:“I
alwaysknewthereweredifferences,buttheydidnotmake
adifference,”hissonhadoncetoldhim.“Thisishowwe
buildacultureofdiversity,trust,andtolerance,”addedMr
Chojnacki.
malazar@acs.edu.lb
Fortheentirearticle,pleasegoto:www.acs.edu.lb/cf_news/view.
cfm?newsid=150.
Mini-NESADelights,
Educates,and
Challenges
ByMahaAl-Azar,DirectorofCommunication,American
CommunitySchoolatBeirut,Lebanon
ExcerptedfromanACSBeirutwebsitepost,November17,2015.
EmotionalIntelligence
foraCompassionateWorld:
AnOnline,AnytimeCourseOfferedbythe
CharterforCompassionInternational
FacilitatedbyBarbaraA.Kerr,Ph.D.
NESAExec.DirectorDavidChojnacki
givesthekeynoteat“Mini-NESA”.
Below:“MiniNESA”openingplenary.
Above:Delegatesinahealthworkshop.
Q:WhatdoesEmotionalIntelligencehavetodowith
Compassion?
EmotionalIntelligenceskillsandcompetenciescanbecome
thefertilegroundforamorecompassionateworld.The
skillsthatcontributetothevariouscomponentsofEmo-
tionalIntelligencemaybeviewedaspre-requisitestothe
developmentofcompassion--inindividuals,infamilies,in
theworkplace,incommunities,andintheinterconnected
societiesofpeoplethroughouttheworld.
Duringthis“anywhere,anytimeaccess”course,youwill
discoveryourownEIstrengthsandhaveanopportunityto
learnwaystoaddtoyourEmotionalIntelligencecompe-
tencies.Theseskillsareessentialtobuildingempathyand
compassion,qualitiesthataremuchneededinourcurrent
worldclimate.Together,wecanmakeadifferenceandbring
aboutamorecompassionateworld.
Q:Whatisthetimecommitmentforthiscourse?
“EmotionalIntelligenceforaCompassionateWorld”
openedforlearningonOctober19,butyoucansign-upat
anytimeandbeginthecourseatanypoint—whatwecall
“openaccess.”Weunderstandthatyouhavemanytasksand
responsibilities,sothecoursehasbeendesignedforyour
convenience.Youmaystartandstopasyourownschedule
dictates.Youcangothroughallsevenlessonsinamarathon
oflearningsession(wedon’tadvisethis),oryoucansign-in
tothecoursefortenminutesatatimeforaslongasittakes
tocompletethecourse!
Q:HowcanIlearnmoreaboutthecourse?
Readmoreaboutthiscourseandaboutothercoursestobe
addedsoonontheCharterwebsite(charterforcompassion.
org).Shareyourideasandperspectivewithothersaround
theworldwhocareaboutcultivatingcompassionforall
people,allcreatures,andourEarth.Wehopeto“see”you
online!
Q:WheredoIsignup?Andwhatisthefee?
Enrollnow:http://charterforcompassioninstitute.org/cours-
es/12/enroll.Thefeefortheseven-lessoncourseis$149.A
limitednumberofscholarshipsareavailableforthosewho
cannotpaythisamountbutwanttolearnabouthowEmo-
tionalIntelligenceskillscanhelpbringaboutamorecom-
passionateworld.
Wehopeyouwilljoinusinthisengaging,onlineexperience!
contact@charterforcompassion.org
NOTE:MarilynTurkovich,ExecutiveDirectoroftheCharterfor
CompassionInternational,willpresentatwo-dayworkshopat
NESA’sWinterTrainingInstituteinMuscat,Oman,February5-6.
Fordetails,visit:www.nesacenter.org/page.cfm?p=1568.Seealso
page18ofNESANEWS.
NEWS
WINTER20168
6. JaredHarris,HighSchoolPrincipal—CairoAmerican
College,Egypt
Littlemorethanayearago,Harriswasprincipalatanin-
ternationalschoolinSantiago,Chile,whereheworked
closelywithExeterMathInstructorandBates-RussellDis-
tinguishedFacultyProfessorTomSeidenbergandotherEx-
eterfacultytohelphisteacherssuccessfullyadaptHarkness
methodsintotheirclassrooms.Below,Harristalksabouthis
“missiontobringstudent-centeredlearningtotheentirein-
ternationalschoolcommunity.”
Q:HowdidyoufirstlearnabouttheHarknessmethod?
Harris:Inmyfirstyearsasaneducator,Iwasbaffledbythe
overallpassivenatureofthelearningprocess...Onething
wasclear:Studentsneededtobemoreengaged,totalk
more...Ifounda2009articlewrittenbyExeterinstruc-
torMegFoleyand[theninstructor]LawrenceSmithabout
usingHarknessinahistoryclass.AfterIreadthearticle,I
wouldneverthinkthesamewayaboutteachingagain.
FollowingarandomsearchofExeterfacultyemails,Isent
offthreenotes.Tomydisbelief,withinaboutfivehoursIre-
ceivedawarmandwelcomingresponse!Afewmonthslater,
TomSeidenbergwasleadinginterdisciplinaryHarknessdis-
cussionswithourfacultyattheInternationalSchoolNido
deAguilas.ThenextyearwehadourfirstthreeHarkness
tables.Withinfouryears—withstudent,facultyandparent
support—wehadrolledoutmorethan20Harknesstables.
IleftNidoinJune2014,enroutetoCairoAmericanCollege
(CAC)inCairo,Egypt.Oneofthemostdesirablefactorsin
relocatingwastheopennessanddedicationthatthestudents,
facultyandadministrationshowedtowardstudent-centered
methodsduringmyinterviewvisitsthepreviousyear...Ileft
severalcopiesoftheExeterfaculty-writtenbook,Respect-
ingthePupil,fortheCACfacultytoread.
Q:Whatdoyouseeasthegreateststrengthofstudent-
centeredlearningpedagogiesliketheHarknessmethod?
Harris:Creativityisimportant,collaborationisimportant,
criticalinquiryisimportant,buttheyallrelyoncommunica-
tion.ThisiswhatHarknessdoes.Itrequiresthinking,reflec-
tion,flexibility,empathyandbeingcomfortablewithuncer-
tainty;butitallcomesbacktocommunication...
IheardinChile,andamnowhearingagaininEgypt,“Dr.
Harris,Ilovethenewtables.Theymakemefeelimportant
andsmarter.”ThisisthegreateststrengthoftheHarkness
method.[It]isempowering,anditgivesvoicetoouryouth,
irrelevantofnationalityorlanguagesspoken.
Q:Whathasbeenyourapproachtoeducatingfaculty
aboutstudent-centeredlearning?
Harris:It’sdialogicalleadership—leadershipthroughcon-
versation...Itriedtoshelterthefacultyfromthe“initia-
tive-of-the-monthclub,”carefullykeepingourfocusdirected
attransformingourclassroomsintotrulystudent-centered
environments.Desksweremovedintohorseshoearrange-
ments,thenintocircles,thenintoovals.ThefirstHarkness
tablearrived,andtheenergyitcreatedamongthefaculty
wasremarkable.
Q:WhyishavingHarkness-liketablesintheclassrooms
soimportanttoyou?
Harris:Whatthetabledoesistransformational.Unlike
desks,thetablecannotbetakenaparttogobacktotradi-
tionalteacher-centeredhabits.Itprovidesaconnectiveen-
ergy,whilethewhitespacethatremainsbetweenstudents
whendesksareplacedinacirclecreatesasubtlebarrier.
Q:Howhaveyouadaptedthestudent-centeredmodelfor
yourschoolcommunities?
Harris:Ihaveverystrategicallyinvolvedstudentsandfac-
ultyintheprocessofimplementingstudent-centeredteach-
inginSantiagoandinCairo,andInever“mandated”the
approach...
Duetoourinternationalschools’transientpopulations,and
thelargeandsomewhatprescriptivenatureoftheInter-
nationalBaccalaureate(IB)program,thereisatimeand
placeforotherinstructionalmethods,includinglimiteddi-
rectinstructionandothermoretraditionalteacher-centered
methods.Ihaveempoweredthoseamazinglecturerstokeep
lecturing,buttoalsoinjectahealthydosageofHarkness.
InChile,eachyearthatwecommittedmoretoHarkness,
eachindicatoronourschoolqualityindicatorimproved:
Testscoreswentup,studentinterestincreasedandcollege
acceptancestoeliteinstitutionsincreased...Ourschools
aroundtheworldneedstudent-centeredmethods,andour
childrendeserveit.
Fortheentirepiece,pleasevisit:www.exeter.edu/exeter_bulle-
tin/12984_17986.aspx
TheBenefitsofGlobal
Teacher-to-Teacher
Engagement
ByGennyBeckmanMoriartyandKarenIngraham
ExcerptedfromTheExeterBulletin,Fall,2015,PhillipsExeter
Academy,Exeter,NewHampshire.www.exeter.edu
2015-2016NESA
VirtualScience
FairUpdate
ByDrStuartFleischer,WBAIS,NESAVirtualScienceFairPro-
jectDirectorandTheGAIAProjectDirector(GlobalAwareness,
InvolvementandAction)
The13thAnnualNESAVirtualScienceFairtrainingmeet-
ingwasheldinRome,September25-26.Dr.BethPhenlof
theAmericanOverseasSchoolofRomegraciouslyhosted
ourinternationalteamofscienceeducators.Welookfor-
wardtoAOSRjoiningourelitecadreofscienceeducators
fromNESA.
AttheRomemeeting,DrRandySpaid(MiddleGeorgia
StateUniversity)andDrEricBrunsell(UniversityofWis-
consin)sharedhowtheNVSF“Ask-A-Scientist”forum(A-
S-S)alignswiththeNextGenerationScienceStandards:
askingquestions,developinghypotheses,testingmodels,
makingevidence-basedargumentsandlearningotherskills
realscientists“useallthetime”;andhowstudentsalsomeet
avarietyoflanguageartsandliteracystandardsastheyper-
formbackgroundresearch,writearesearchpaper,maintain
alaboratorynotebook,createadisplayboard,anddemon-
strateargumentationskillsastheycommunicatewithschool
sciencefairjudges.ThiscomponentoftheNVSFwaseduca-
tionallycraftedandledbyDr.Spaid.
The“Ask-A-Scientist”forum(A-S-S)-afeatureofNVSF
4.0–isacleverwaytopromotethehistoryofscienceto
NVSFteams.Itallowsmiddleschoolstudentsplanningtheir
sciencefairprojectstoaskSirIsaacNewton,forexample,
forhelpunderstandingforceandmotion.Thetopic“experts”
includeLouisPasteur,MarieCurie,RachelCarson,Isaac
Newton,LeonardodaVinci,andCarolineHerschel.Behind-
the-scenes,acadreofuniversityresearchscientistsprovides
expertfeedbackinthe“voice”ofthewell-knownscientist.
Studentslearnaboutthesescientistsbytakingtheirbiog-
raphyquizzesandearnelectronicbadgesforahighscore,
plusmorebadgesbycompletingtopicquizzesateachA-A-S
forum.
TheNVSFFifthgradeprojectalsoadoptedtheA-A-Sforum
andrenamedit“AskDr.Eric”.Dr.EricBrunsellwillhost
thisnewforum.TheNVSF5teachersunderJimmyLeep-
er’s(ASD-Doha)guidancealsocreatedaquizbankthatwill
challengethestudents.
FormoreinformationabouttheNVSF,pleasecontactDrStuart
Fleischer:sfleischer@wbais.net
NVSFTraininginRome:frontrow(l-r):DavidRatner(WBAIS),
FatimaShaw(ISOI-Pakistan),ValyaLeaton(AISRiyadh);second
row(l-r):JodiRamos(AOSR-Italy),JillBriand(AISKuwait),Lisa
Hellman(ISGJubail-SaudiArabia),Dr.GabrielaJonas-Ahrend
(HochschuleHamm-Lippstadt,Germany),SusanTrifman(WBAIS-
Israel),Dr.EricBrunsell(UniversityofWisconsin);backrow(l-r):Dr.
RandySpaid(MiddleGeorgiaStateUniversity),JimmyLeeper(AS
Doha-Qatar),Dr.StuartFleischer(WBAIS-Israel),BrianWright(AS
Doha-Qatar).
ITEMSOFINTEREST
•HowPlayinganInstrumentBenefitsYourBrain
ATED-EdOriginallessoninanimatedvideoformthatlooks
attheneurologicalwondersbehindplayingamusicalin-
strument:http://ow.ly/SDkts
•HowHandwritingTrainstheBrain
Forminglettersiskeytolearning,memory,ideas.InThe
WallStreetJournal,Oct5,2010,byGwendolynBounds:
http://tinyurl.com/mz943o6
•Viewpoint:HowCreativityisHelpedbyFailure
Whenitcomestocreatingagreatworkofart,practice
makesperfect,writesMatthewSyed.BBCNews,Novem-
ber14,2015(Magazinesection):www.bbc.com/news/
magazine-34775411
10
NEWS
WINTER2016
CairoAmerican
CollegeHSPrincipal
JaredHarriswitha
Harknesstable.
7. NESAMiddle
SchoolNetwork
Plans2ndAnnual
Conference
March4-5,2016—
Chennai,India
TheNMSN(NESAMiddleSchoolNetwork)SteeringCom-
mitteemetinAbuDhabiOctober21priortothisyear’s
FallLeadershipConferencetofurtherdevelopasustain-
ableframeworkforcollaborativeeffortsandmakeplansfor
theSecondAnnualNMSNConferencehostedthisyearby
theAmericanInternationalSchoolofChennai,March4-5
(pleaseseeflyeronnextpage).
Thenetworkwasformedtoadvancedynamicmiddlelevel
educationthroughcollaborativeeffortswithintheNESA
region.Resources,initiativesandthecollaborativenetwork
areavailabletoallmiddleleveleducatorswithintheNESA
region.
Anine-membersteeringcommitteeleadstheNMSNinitia-
tive.The2015-2017steeringcommitteeiscomprisedofthe
followingNESAmemberschools:ACSAbuDhabi,ACSAm-
man,AISChennai,AISDhaka,AISRiyadh,AmericanSchool
ofDoha,AmericanSchoolofDubai,CairoAmericanCollege,
andTAISMMuscat.
ForthoseinterestedinbeinginvolvedinNMSN,pleasecon-
tactthefollowingNMSNSteeringCommitteemembers:
NMSNConferenceinChennai,March4-5,2016,contact:
•AlanPhan,MSPrincipal,AmericanInternationalSchool
Chennai:palan@aisch.org,or
•JasonHicks,SecondaryAssociatePrincipal,AISC:
hjason@aisch.org,or
•Ms.Aziz,MSAdminAssistant,AISC:
sazizunnisa@aisch.org
TobeaddedtotheNMSNemaillistorforquestionsabout
NMSNGoogleFolderResourcescontact:
•JasonHicks,SecondaryAssociatePrincipal,AISC:,
hjason@aisch.org,or
•NickMitchell,MSAssociatePrincipal,AmericanSchool
Doha:nmitchell@asd.edu.qa
ForNMSNgeneralinformationcontact:
•SusanLacy,MSPrincipal,AmericanInternational
SchoolDhaka:slacy@aisdhaka.org
NESAMiddleSchoolNetworkConference2016
Agenda
OptionalSchoolVisitonThursday
KeynoteWelcome
KeynoteSpeaker:SugataMitra
ConferenceSessions
RISEEvent:Friday,4:00p.m.
(ticketpriceincludedintheregistrationfee).
Location
AmericanInternationalSchoolChennai
Date
FridayandSaturday,March4th&5th
RegistrationDeadline
Friday,January22,2016
Theme
BestPracticesintheMiddle
Accommodation
ParkHyatt(http://bit.ly/1j7bLC4)
(PleasesaythatyouarewithAISCtoreceivetheconferencerate.)
Transporation
Transportationwillbeprovidedto
andfromhotel.
SignUpHereVisaProcess
RegistrationFee:$100
PleasebringUS$cashwithyou
topayinperson.
AISCCONTACT:
Aziz,sazizunnisa@aisch.org
STEERINGCOMMITTEECONTACT:
AlanPhan,palan@aisch.org
KeynoteSpeaker
SugataMitra
http://bit.ly/1LkP4Rs
Signupforlocaltripsin
theRegistrationForm
Anew,easyonlineprocess
http://bit.ly/1ydIicX
Mitraiswidely
knownforhis
innovative
educational
ideas.HisMay
2013TEDTalk
“Buildaschool
intheCloud”
hasbeen
viewed2.4
milliontimes.
InthisNewYorkTimesreviewofSherryTurkle’sjust-pub-
lishedbook,ReclaimingConversation:ThePowerofTalk
inaDigitalAge,(PenguinPress,2015),authorJonathan
Franzensaysthebook,“isstraightforwardlyacalltoarms:
Ourrapturoussubmissiontodigitaltechnologyhasledtoan
atrophyingofhumancapacitieslikeempathyandself-reflec-
tion,andthetimehascometoreassertourselves,behavelike
adults,andputtechnologyinitsplace.”
Thedigitally-addledpeopleTurkleinterviewedforherbook,
saysFranzen,“haveadoptednewtechnologiesinpursuitof
greatercontrol,onlytofeelcontrolledbythem.Thelikably
idealizedselvesthatthey’vecreatedwithsocialmedialeave
theirrealselvesallthemoreisolated.Theycommunicate
incessantlybutareafraidofface-to-faceconversations;
theyworry,oftennostalgically,thatthey’remissingouton
somethingfundamental.”
In-personcommunicationiswhat’sbeingsupplanted,says
Franzen,andwemustfindwaystoregainit:“Conversation
presupposessolitude…becauseit’sinsolitudethatwelearn
tothinkforourselvesanddevelopastablesenseofself,which
isessentialfortakingotherpeopleastheyare...Through
theconversationalattentionofparents,childrenacquirea
senseofenduringconnectednessandahabitoftalkingabout
theirfeelings,ratherthansimplyactingonthem…When
youspeaktopeopleinperson,you’reforcedtorecognize
theirfullhumanity,whichiswhereempathybegins…And
conversationcarriestheriskofboredom,theconditionthat
smartphoneshavetaughtusmosttofear,whichisalsothe
conditioninwhichpatienceandimaginationaredeveloped.”
Turkle’sbookmakesthecasethatface-to-faceinteractions
shapechildren’sdevelopmentathome,improvelearning
inschool,andenhanceemployees’workplaceperformance.
Andachievingameasureofliberationfromdigitaltechnolo-
gyalsohaspoliticalandeconomicimplications,saysFranzen:
“Theyoungpersonwhocannotorwillnotbealone,converse
withfamily,gooutwithfriends,attendalecture,orperform
ajobwithoutmonitoringhersmartphoneisanemblemof
oureconomy’sleechlikeattachmenttoourverybodies,”he
says.“Digitaltechnologyiscapitalismonhyperdrive,inject-
ingitslogicofconsumptionandpromotion,ofmonetization
andefficiency,intoeverywakingminute.”
“LefttoOurOwnDevices”byJonathanFranzeninTheNewYork
TimesBookReview,October4,2015,http://nyti.ms/1Gu5iMY.
FromMarshallMemo609:AWeeklyRound-upofImportantIdeas
andResearchinK-12Education,October26,2015,www.mar-
shallmemo.com.
SeealsoSherryTurkle’sarticle,“StopGoogling.Let’sTalk”,New
YorkTimes,September26,2015,adaptedfromherbookreviewed
above.tinyurlcom/o562rqf
AreWeLosingthe
AbilitytoConverse
InPerson?
12
8. DylanWiliamonCraftingEffective
“Hinge”Questions
(Originallytitled“DesigningGreatHingeQuestions”)
DrWiliamwasaKeynotespeakeratthe2015NESASpringEducatorsConferenceinIstanbul.
“EveryteacherI’veevermetknowsthatnolessonplansur-
vivesthefirstcontactwithrealstudents,”saysassessment
guruDylanWiliam(UniversityCollege,London)inthisEdu-
cationalLeadershiparticle.“Andyetmostteachersplan
theirlessonsasthoughthey’regoingtogoperfectly.They
planthemonthebasisofassumptionstheyknowtobefalse.”
Theresultisthatlearningproblemsariseduringthelesson
andtheteacherfindsoutonlywhengradingthepapersthat
night.“Andthen,”saysWiliam,“longafterthestudentshave
lefttheclassroom,you’llhavetotrytogettheirlearning
backontrack,inwriting,onestudentatatime.”
Thesolution,hesays,isto“buildplanBintoplanA”byde-
signinglessonswitha“hingequestion”somewhereinthe
middle.Thebenefitsofdoingthisare“huge,”saysWiliam.
“Itmeansthatyoucanfindoutwhat’sgoingwrongwithstu-
dents’learningwhenthey’rerightinfrontofyouandthatyou
canputthewholeclass’learningbackontrackrightaway.”
Ofcoursecheckingforunderstandingisnothingnew,but
writinghingequestionsisharderthanitappears;he’sfound
thatteacherstypicallytakemorethananhourtodesigna
goodone.Herearethekeysteps:
•Designquestionsthatelicittherightresponseforthe
rightreason.Studentsshouldn’tbeabletogetthecorrect
answerforthewrongreasons,orvice-versa.Thekeyisplau-
sibledistractorsthatattractstudentswithincompleteunder-
standing.Anothertechniqueformakingitmoredifficultfor
studentstoguesstherightansweristohavemultipleright
answersandaskstudentstoidentifyallofthem.
•Getresponsesfromeverystudent.Somekindofall-class
responsesystemisessential–fingersonchest,coloredcards,
dry-eraseboards,Plickers,clickers,etc.Thetechnologyused
isfarlessimportantthanthequalityofthequestion,says
Wiliam.
•Makethecheckforunderstandingquick.Allstudents
shouldbeabletorespondwithintwominutes,andtheteach-
ershouldbeabletocollectandinterprettheresponseswith-
in30seconds.
•Basedonstudents’responses,decidewhethertogo
forwardorre-teach.Iffewstudentshavetherightanswer,
goingbackistheobviouschoice.Ifmosthaveitcorrect,mov-
ingonmakessense,perhapswithasideconversationwith
thosewhoareconfused.Ifsimilarnumbersofstudentsget
theanswerrightandwrong,theteachercangetstudents
debatinginpairs(“Convinceyourneighbor”)orhaveanall-
classdebate.
Assessmentpuristsmightarguethatonequestioncan’tpos-
siblyassessmasteryofaconcept–forthatyouneedupto30
questions.ButWiliamsaysthismattersonlyiftheteacher
isusingthequestionforhigh-stakesdecisions.Withhinge
questions,theteacheristryingtomakeaquick,low-stakes
decisionforthewholegroup.“Iftheresponseofastudent
toa30-itemtestprovidesareasonablebasisfordrawing
conclusionsaboutthatstudent,”hesays,“thentheresponses
of30studentstoasinglequestionprobablyprovideareason-
ablebasisfordrawingconclusionsaboutthatclass.”
“DesigningGreatHingeQuestions”byDylanWiliaminEducational
Leadership,September2015(Vol.73,#1,p.40-44),availablefor
purchaseathttp://bit.ly/1NXSvEq.FromMarshallMemo602:A
WeeklyRound-upofImportantIdeasandResearchinK-12Educa-
tion,September7,2015,www.marshallmemo.com.
A‘hingequestion’
meansthatyoucanfindoutwhat’sgo-
ingwrongwithstudents’learningwhen
they’rerightinfrontofyouandthat
youcanputthewholeclass’learning
backontrackrightaway.”
NESAVirtual
SchoolProject-
2015AbuDhabi:
FocusonReadiness
ByKennyPaynter,NESAVirtualSchoolProjectManager&World
VirtualSchoolProjectFacilitator
TheNVSProject,nowinitsfourteenthyearwith23par-
ticipatingschools,hasalwaysheldacademiccontinuityof
operationsduringanysortofprotractedschoolemergency
asacorevalue.Whathasbeencontinuouslychangingover
thelifeofthisproject,however,isthemeansbywhichthis
objectivecanbeachieved.
Originally,onlyawell-establishedlearningsystem,suchas
Blackboard,whichweoriginallyadoptedin2002,hadboth
thehorsepowerandthebellsandwhistlesneededtoade-
quatelysupportanacademicprogramonline.Wemigrated
towardsMoodle,whichalsohadthesecapacities,in2010
whenithadmaturedenoughtobereadilymanagedbyatypi-
calK-12schooltechnologydepartment.Whathashappened
evenmorerecentlyisthatthesteadyincreaseinavailable
bandwidthcombinedwiththemigrationofmanyschoolser-
vicestoonlinehostinghasledschoolstoconductmuch,ifnot
most,oftheirdailyprocesses,includingblendedinstruction,
viatheinternet,throughavarietyoftools.
However,familiarityandcapacitydoesnotnecessarilymean
competencyinanemergency.TheNVSProjectrecognizes
theseriousnessofsupportingschoolswellduringanemer-
gency,andsowehavenowputparticularfocusonindicators
ofemergencyreadiness.Thisapproachcameoutofouran-
nualWorldVirtualSchool(WVS)meetingsatJOSTI(Jef-
fersonOverseasTechnologyInstitute)inFairfax,Virginia,
thislastsummer(http://global.wvsgeo.org/).Weusedour
NVSmeetingsinAbuDhabi,October20-21priortoNE-
SA’s2015FallLeadershipConference,torefineandadopt
thisapproachasacentralpremiseofprojectmembership.
Thesereadinessindicatorswillbepresentedtoschooldi-
rectorsacrossalleightoftheinternationalschoolregions
tobeconsideredbytherespectiveschools’emergencyplan-
ningteams.Ourintentisthatbyfocusingonprinciplesand
practicesofreadiness,theNESAVirtualSchoolProject
andthecorollarygroupsintheotherregionscanbeflexible
andinclusiveintheirmembershipandmethods,butalso
responsibleandeffectiveinprovidingmeansforemergency
academiccontinuityofoperations.
Finally,asidefromourcoreagenda,therealsoisawonder-
fulandsynergisticinformalvaluetotheNVSmeetings.We
trulyenjoyeachother’scompany,andweengageinactive
andinformativediscussionsaboutemergingtechnologies,
bestpractices,trendsinthefield,andperplexingquestions.
Icontinuetofeelprivilegedandgratefultobeconvening
thisgroupthroughthesemanyyears.
nvsproject@gmail.com,http://nesa.wvsgeo.org/
14
NEWS
WINTER2016
TheNVSConsortiuminAbu
Dhabi,October2015.
9. ReciprocalProfes-
sionalLearningat
theWIDASymposium
ByJonNordmeyer,InternationalProgramsDirector,WIDAatWis-
consinCenterforEducationalResearch,UniversityofWisconsin-
Madison
Inthepastdecade,newapproachestoorganic,place-based
andreciprocalprofessionallearninghaveemergedbasedon
whatweknowabouteffectiveadultlearning.Onesuchap-
proach,theWIDASymposium,isbringingtogetherinterna-
tionaleducatorsaroundtheworldtoexchangeideasabout
howtobuildontheassetsofEnglishlanguagelearners.
TheCenterforResearchonEducation,Diversity&Excel-
lencesuggeststhateffectiveprofessionaldevelopmentfor
teachersofELLsshould:
•Facilitatelearninganddevelopmentthroughjoint
productiveactivityamongleadersandparticipants;
•Promotelearners’expertiseinprofessionallyrelevant
discourse;
•Contextualizeteaching,learning,andjointproductive
activityintheexperiencesandskillsofparticipants.
Participant-drivenlearningeventsincorporatetheneeds
andcontributionsofeducatorsbybuildingasharedagenda
tocapitalizeontheenergy,needsandexpertiseofpartici-
pants.Thisengagementcanincreasethechancethateduca-
torsactuallychangetheirpractice.
TheWIDASymposium:WIDAdesignedtheSymposium
asareciprocallearningopportunitytosupportitsgrowing
networkofcloseto200internationalschools.Established
in2002aspartoftheWisconsinCenterforEducationRe-
searchattheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison,WIDAde-
signsassessmentsandcurriculumtoolsdescribingtheaca-
demiclanguageELLsneedtobesuccessfulin21stcentury
schools.ManyinternationalschoolshavejoinedtheWIDA
InternationalSchoolConsortiumandusetheWIDAstand-
ardsandassessmentsaspartofacomprehensivesystemfor
servingEnglishlanguagelearners.(wisc.wceps.org/Home/
Members)
EachWIDASymposiumfeaturesauniqueagendabased
onthecontributionsandneedsofparticipants.Duringthe
weekend,educatorsdeepentheirunderstanding,examine
newtools,sharepracticalsolutionsandshowcaseschool-
basedinnovationusingWIDAresources.
InNovember,theNESAFallTrainingInstituteinDubaifea-
turedthisyear’sfirstWIDASymposium.Upcomingoppor-
tunitiesinclude:
•Budapest,Hungary(January16-17)attheAmerican
InternationalSchool
•Bangkok,Thailand(February6-7)atNIST
•Santiago,Chile(March19-20)atNidodeAguilas
WIDASymposiumparticipantshavesharedtheirlearning
experiences:
•Ilovedtheworldcafewherewewereabletomeet
withotherteachersandtalkaboutthingsthatwere
importanttous.Igotalotofideasandtookalotaway
fromthesesessions!
•Wearereallyimpressedwiththeideathatweneedto
moveWIDAintothecurriculum.Whilethetoolsshared
todothisarehelpful,itwasjustasvaluabletohearthe
experiencesofotherschools.
•Theopportunitytolearnmoreaboutotherschools
andtheirEALprogramswasapowerfulpartofthe
Symposiumweekend.
TheWIDASymposiumrecognizesthatlearningfromone
anotherisnotonlypowerfulbutnecessary.LearningFor-
wardobservedthateffectiveprofessionallearning,“cannot
happenunlesseducatorslistentooneanother,respectone
another’sexperiencesandperspectives.”Finally,Michael
FullanandAndyHargreaveshavewrittenaboutprofessional
capitalbuiltonreciprocalprofessionallearning:“Usethe
grouptochangethegroup.Andthisisn’tjustaboutintra-
schoolcollaboration,it’saboutinter-schoolandinter-district
collaboration.It’saboutthewholeprofession.”
jon.nordmeyer@wisc.edu,www.wida.us,wisc.wceps.org.
WIDAadvancesacademiclanguagedevelopmentand
academicachievementforlinguisticallydiversestudents
throughhighqualitystandards,assessments,research,and
professionaldevelopmentforeducators.
References:
-Bransford,J.D.etal.(2000).Howpeoplelearn:Brain,mind,ex-
perience,andschool.USNationalAcademyofSciences.
-Fullan,M.andHargreaves,A.(2013)Thepowerofprofessional
capital:Withaninvestmentincollaboration,teachersbecomena-
tionbuilders.Journalofstaffdevelopment,June2013.
-Rueda,J.R.(1998).Standardsforprofessionaldevelopment:A
socioculturalperspective.CenterforResearchonEducation,Diver-
sity&Excellence.UniversityofCalifornia.
TheWIDAConsortiumgroupledbyJonNordmeyerat
FTI2015inDubai.
InthisarticleinEducationWeek,EvieBladreportsonhow
students’mindsetscanhaveadirectimpactonachievement
inmathematics.“Ablendoffamilyattitudes,culturalideas,
andfrustrationoftenleadsstudentstobelievethatmath
abilityisafixedtraitlikeeyecolor,”shesays.“Theybelieve
theyareeitherbornwiththeskillsnecessarytosucceedin
mathclassorthey’renot.”Researcherssayteacherscanat-
tackthisdeep-seatedprobleminthreeways:
•Explicitlyteachingthegrowthmindset.Studentsneed
tobetoldrepeatedlythatmathisnomoredifficultthan
othersubjects,thatmistakesareanormalpartoflearn-
ing,andthattheyhaven’tfailediftheycan’tquicklysolvea
problemusingaprescribedalgorithm.StanfordUniversity’s
ProjectforEducationResearchThatScales(PERTS)has
releasedaseriesofonlinecoursesaboutmindsetforteach-
ersandparentswithvideos,exercises,andsamplelesson
plans(www.mindsetkit.org).Akeymindset-shiftingconcept
isthatifsomethingfeelshard,that’sasweetspotforlearn-
ing,andperseveringthroughthedifficultpartwillyieldbig
gains.“Whenyoujustfocusongettingtotheanswer,”says
PaloAltoteacherMariMontoy-Wilson,“youreallyrobkids
ofgrapplingandworkingonthatsweetspot.Youdon’twant
toscaffoldorcarrytheloadtooheavilyforyourkids.”
•Teachingmathdifferently.Anessentialcompanionto
weaningstudentsfromthefixedmindsetispresentingprob-
lemsinawaythatdevelopsconceptualunderstandingver-
susspeedysolvingofproblemsusingmemorizedalgorithms.
ThisdovetailsnicelywiththeCommonCoreemphasison
sense-making,abstractreasoning,developingstrategiesto
usemathconcepts,andcritiquingothers’reasoning.This
kindofmathhelpsstudentsescapetheI-got-it-wrong-and-
therefore-I’mdumb-at-mathsyndromeandpreparesthem
forsuccessintheuppergrades–aswellasforusingmath
intheireverydaylives.Anexample:atraditionalperimeter
problemasksstudentstofindtheperimeterofarectangle
10incheslongand6incheswide.Aconceptualproblem
asksstudentstodrawtworectanglesthathaveaperimeter
of32inchesandexplainhowtheyarrivedattheiranswer.
Another“open”problemforhigh-schoolstudents:figureout
howmanybaseballsitwouldtaketofillaclassroom.
•Teachersexploringtheirownmindsets.“Teacherslove
theideaofmindsetsasalmostapanacea,”saysUniversity
ofTexasprofessorPhilipUriTreisman,“buttheythemselves
haveveryfixedideasoftheirownlearning.”Manylearned
maththetraditionalwayandneedsupporttoshifttoa
moreconceptualapproach.Teachersshouldpracticetheir
ownsense-makingandmodelitfortheirstudents.Ifmath
weremusic,saysTreisman,thetraditionalapproachwould
belearningscalesandthenewapproachwouldbeplaying
songs.
“TeachersNurtureGrowthMindsetinMath”byEvieBlad
inEducationWeek,September9,2015(Vol.35,#3,p.1,
10-11),www.edweek.org.
FromMarshallMemo603:,AWeeklyRound-upofImportant
IdeasandResearchinK-12Education,September14,2015.
www.marshallmemo.com.
Akeymindset-shiftingcon-
ceptisthatifsomething
feelshard,that’sasweet
spotfor
learning,andpersevering
throughthedifficultpart
willyieldbiggains.
ShiftingStudentsfromaFixed
toaGrowthMindsetinMath
16
NEWS
WINTER2016
10. Volume18/Number2WINTER2016
WinterTraining
Institute
Venue:TheAmericanInternational
SchoolofMuscat,Oman
Spring
Educators
Conference
NESA’sWinterTrainingInstituteisaspecialtyconfer-
enceforeducators.Theprogramisbasedonan“extend-
edinstitutedesign”sothatdelegatesaretogetherwith
thesamepresenterfortheentiretwo-dayconference.
Thisformatallowstimeforskilldevelopment,in-depth
explorationandtheestablishmentofpartnerships/net-
works.
SPEAKERS&TOPICS:
•CarolCommodore:Standards-BasedAs-
sessmentLiteracyforSpecialistSubjects
—Art,Drama/Dance,PhysicalEducation,
WorldLanguages,Music,MediaArts.
•KrystenFort-Catanese:Mindfulnessin
Education:TeachingwithBody,Mind,and
Heart.
•LaurieHenry:DisciplinaryLiteracyinthe
SecondarySchool(MS/HS-AllContentAr-
eas).
•ShannonMcClintock-Miller:Librarians
Institute:BeTheChangeWithintheLibrary,
EducationandtheWorld!
•MarilynTurkovich:CharterforCompas-
sion-PerspectiveConsciousnessandCom-
passion.
•VickiVinton:TeachingGrammarinthe
WritingWorkshop,Grades3-8.
PRE-CONFERENCE
-February4:
•FollettDestinyLibraryManagerWork-
shop,withthe“DestinyDoctor”,akaLarry
Gilbert,attheParkInnRadissonMuscat,
Oman
When:April1-4,2016
Where:RoyalOrchidSheraton,Bangkok,Thailand
Who:Educatorsofallgradelevels,subjectsanddisciplines
What:-Keynotes
-4-hourspecialistworkshopsandmulti-dayofferings
-Teacher-presentedworkshops
-Generalinterestsessions
-SocialEvents:WelcomeReceptionandGalaEvening
-ProfessionalLearning&PersonalRenewal
>REGISTERONLINE:
www.nesacenter.org
Earlybirddeadline:March1
>REGISTERAT:
www.nesacenter.org
>Hotelroomreservations:Bookdirectlywiththe
RoyalOrchidSheratonviatheNESAwebsite.Goto
www.nesacenter.orgforalinktoaroomreserva-
tionsform.
KEYNOTESPEAKERS:
•STEVEBARKLEY–“CreatingaSchoolCultureof
Coaching”:ExecutiveVicePresident,PLS3rdLearning;
internationalconsultantoncoaching,mentoringandprofes-
sionaldevelopment.www.BarkleyPD.com
•KATHERINEBOMER–“HarnessingtheCommonCore:
HigherStandardsofReading&Writing”:AuthorofHidden
GemsandStartingwithWhatStudentsDoBest;co-author
(withLucyCalkins)ofAWriter’sShelf;formerprofessional
developerwiththeTeachersCollegeReadingandWriting
Project.
•RICKWORMELI–“AssessmentChallengesintheDif-
ferentiatedClassroom”:AuthorofMeetMeintheMiddle:
BecominganAccomplishedMiddleLevelTeacher,andFair
Isn’tAlwaysEqual:AssessmentandGradingintheDifferen-
tiatedClassroom
18
EVENTS
WINTER2016
11. AEROCommonCore
PlusPre-Conference
WorkshopinEnglish/
LanguageArts:
PracticalStrategies
forAuthenticAssessmentforELA
CINDYCUMMINGS,AssistantProfessor,LamarUniversity,
&KATRINATHEILMANN,ElementaryLiteracyCoordinator,
AmericanSchoolofDoha,Qatar.
Analignedstandards-basedcurriculumincludesastrong
matchbetweenstandards,assessmenttools,andinstruc-
tionalstrategies.Withoutclearalignmentbetweenin-
structionalstrategiesandassessment,bothstudentmo-
tivationandlearningcanbecompromised.Usingthe
backwarddesignprocess,duringthistwo-daysessionyou
willcreateauthenticassessmentsthatallowstudentsto
demonstrateachievementofclearlycommunicatedlearn-
ingoutcomes.Learnthestepstocreateauthenticassess-
mentsthatinforminstructionandeffectstudentlearning.
Youwillhavetheopportunityto:
•ReviewAEROCommonCoreEnglish/LanguageArts
Standards.
•Reviewperformanceassessment,includingpurposeand
useofformativeandsummativeassessment.
•IdentifyandapplyappropriateDepthofKnowledgelevels
totheassessments.
•Usingidentifiedstandards,developrigorousassessments
thatfocusonstudentlearningandprovideinformation
aboutthelearningtotheteacherandthestudent.
AEROIntroductionto
theNextGeneration
ScienceStandards
Preconference
CAREYJOHNSON,MiddleSchoolSci-
enceTeacher&CHRISCHARNITSKI,
HighSchoolScienceTeacher,TheAmericanInternationalSchool
ofMuscat,Oman
TheNextGenerationScienceStandards(NGSS)were
developedfromtheFrameworkforK-12ScienceEduca-
tionpublishedin2012bytheNationalResearchCouncil.
Withafocusonthepracticeofscienceandengineering,
theNGSSwillfundamentallychangethewayscienceis
taught,learnedandassessed.Gainadeeperunderstanding
5-Day“Adaptive
SchoolsCertificate
Program”:
March31-April4
ROBERTGARMSTON,Co-developer
ofCognitiveCoachingandtheCenterforAdaptiveSchools(now
ThinkingCollaborative),andCAROLYNMcKANDERS,Consult-
antinindividual,groupandorganizationaldevelopment&aDi-
rectorofThinkingCollaborative.www.thinkingcollaborative.com
Forinternationalschoolstoeffectivelyrespondtothe
pressforaccountabilityandprovidequalitylearningfor
allstudents,theymustsimultaneouslyaddresstwoperen-
nialgoals:theprofessionaldevelopmentofindividualedu-
cators,andthedevelopmentoftheorganization’scapac-
itytolearnandbeadaptive.Bothbuildthecapacityfor
schoolimprovement,withoutwhichreformeffortswillfail.
InthisCenterforAdaptiveSchoolsFoundationTrain-
ing,learnhowtobuildstrongcollaborativeandcaring
workcultures,inwhichresults-orientedfacultiesworkto-
getherforcontinuousschoolimprovement.Explorethe
latestpracticalfindingsinorganizationaldevelopment,
teamlearningandnavigatingthecurrentsofchange.
3-DayLiteracyWork-
shop:AnIntroductionto
ReadingWorkshop,K-2
CHRISTYCURRAN,LiteracyConsultant;
formerstaffdeveloperattheTeachersCol-
legeReadingandWritingProject.
www.coachactually.wordpress.com,@christy_curran
Thisworkshopisfortheteacherwhowantstounderstand
howtoteachreadingworkshop.Notonlywillitdiscussthe
philosophybehindthework,butitwillalsogivepractical
waysinwhichtogetstarted,howtoplanayear-longcur-
riculum,andthestructuresandmethodswhichareessen-
tial,includingsomeassessmenttools.Youwillwalkaway
feelingempoweredandexcitedtoteachreadinginthisway.
AEROCommonCore
PlusPre-Conference
Workshopin
Mathematics(HS):
LearningTasksto
EngageStudentsinMathematics
ERMAANDERSON,Science/MathematicsConsultantattheUS
StateDepartment’sOfficeofOverseasSchools.
ThisAEROCommonCorePlusWorkshopwillbea
follow-uptotherecenttwo-dayinstituteonpractical
strategiesinthehighschoolforstrengtheningforma-
tiveandsummativeassessmentofmathematicslearn-
ingatthe2015NESAFallTrainingInstituteinDubai.
Youwillexploreexamplesofrichmathematicstasksthat
engagestudentsinmathematicsandemployestablished
criteriatoadaptandbuildrichtasks,anddeveloprubrics
toassessstudentunderstanding.Usingrichtasksandthe
ThinkingThroughALessonProtocol,youwillcollabora-
tivelyplan,critique,andrevisea“conceptbased”lesson.
3-DayLiteracyWork-
shop:BuildingStrong,
ResourcefulandSkillful
Readers,Gr.6-8
VICKIVINTON,LiteracyConsultantandco-
authorofWhatReadersReallyDo:TeachingtheProcessofMean-
ingMaking(withDorothyBarnhouse)andThePowerofGrammar
(withMaryEhrenworth).http://tomakeaprairie.wordpress.com
Thishands-onworkshopwilltakeadeeplookatthestruc-
turesandcomponentsofaReadingWorkshop.We’llexplore
howtoimplementandusethosecomponentstohelpstudents
becomethoughtfulandskillfulmeaningmakersandreaders.
Andalongtheway,we’lltouchontopicssuchasfeedback,
assessmentanddevelopinggrowthmindsets.Pleasebring
withyouachildren’sorYAbookyou’vebeenwantingtoread.
PLUS...
•EMILYDeLIDDO:3-DayLiteracyWork-
shop-FoundationCourseinReading,
Grades3-5
•MARKCHURCH:3-DayWorkshopon
VisibleThinking
•RICHARDDETWILER:2-DayAdminis-
trativeAssistantsInstitute
REGISTERONLINEBYMARCH1:
www.nesacenter.org
oftheNGSSandtheresourcesavailabletoassistinimple-
mentationofanNGSSbasedprogram.Thisisanintroduc-
tiontotheNGSSandnotacurriculumwritingworkshop.
Youwillhavetheopportunityto:
•Familiarizeyourselfwithkeyideasandfeaturesofthe
FrameworkforK-12ScienceEducationandtheNext
GenerationScienceStandards.
•ExplorethethreedimensionsoftheNGSS:Disciplinary
CoreIdeas,ScienceandEngineeringPracticesand
CrossCuttingConcepts.
•DeconstructPerformanceExpectationstounderstand
theirthreedimensionalfoundation.
•EngageinmodelNGSSactivitiesanddiscusswhat
instructionmightlooklikeinanNGSSclassroom.
•Considerissuesrelatedtoaschool’stransitiontoNGSS.
2-DAYAEROPRECONFERENCES:
March30-31
SPECIALOFFERINGS
(multi-dayworkshops):
20
EVENTS
WINTER2016
12. SPECIALISTSPEAKERS(4-hourworkshops):
UnlockingthePowerof
theNGSS
(Workshop#1:ES;
Workshop#2:MS/HS)
PAULANDERSEN,EducationalConsult-
antonNextGenerationScienceStandards
(NGSS),educationaltechnology,blended
learning,andeffectiveclassroomdesign.
bozemanscience.com
TheNGSSrepresentsthelargestconceptualshiftin
teachingscienceindecades.Theadditionofengineer-
ingdesignandanincreasedemphasisonthepractices
ofsciencecouldrevolutionizescienceeducation.How-
ever,thisrevolutionwillonlyoccurifteachersunderstand
thestandardsandmakechangesintheirclassrooms.
Thesetwoseparateworkshops(ESandMS/HS)willguide
youthroughthestandardswhilegivingyouconcreteex-
amplesthatcanchangescienceclassroomsimmediately.
AssessmentChallenges
intheDifferentiated
Classroom
RICKWORMELI,AuthorofFairIsn’t
AlwaysEqual:AssessmentandGradingin
theDifferentiatedClassroom
Nationallyrecognizedasaleadingau-
thorityonmiddle-leveleducation,innovation,differentiation,
andteacherprofessionalism,RickWormelihasspentover30
yearsinteaching.Heiswidelypublished,andsought-afteras
aspeaker.Hislatestwork,FairIsn’tAlwaysEqualaddresses
theinherentchallengesaroundassessmentinadifferentiated
classroom.Itasks,‘What’sbothfairandleadstorealstudent
learning?’ThisquestionwillbethefocusforMrWormeli’s
sessionsattheSEC,offeringthelatestresearchandcommon
sensethinkingthatteachersandadministratorsseekwhenit
comestoassessmentandgradingindifferentiatedclasses.
DesigningRubricsfor
ClassroomUse,K-12
SUSANBROOKHART,EducationalCon-
sultant,authorandadjunctfacultymember
intheSchoolofEducationatDuquesne
University.
Rubricsarecoherentsetsofcriteria
forstudents’workthatincludedescrip-
tionsoflevelsofperformancequalityonthecriteria.They
arethusanexcellentmeansforconnectingformativeas-
sessmentandsummativeassessment(grading).Learnhow
tocreateorselecteffectivecriteriaforrubrics;howto
writeperformanceleveldescriptionsforrubrics;andhow
todistinguishrubricsfromchecklistsandratingscales.
UsingRubricswithStudents,K-12
SUSANBROOKHART
Rubricsareanexcellentvehicleforinvolvingstudentsin
theirownassessment.Thisfostersstudentself-regulationof
learningandhelpsdevelopstudents’lifelonglearningcapa-
bilities.Learnhowtoco-createrubricswithstudents;howto
userubricstosharelearningtargetswithstudents;andhow
touserubricsforstudentself-assessmentandgoalsetting.
ThePowerofTeacher
Language,PreK-8
KERRYO’GRADY,SeniorResponsive
ClassroomconsultantforCenterforRe-
sponsiveSchools(CRS),www.responsive-
classroom.org
Languageisoneofthemostpower-
fultoolsavailabletoeducators.Learn
howthewordsandtoneK-8educatorsuseeverydaycan
haveasignificantlypositiveimpactonstudents’learn-
ing.Inthisinteractiveworkshop,you’lllearnaboutthe
3R’softeacherlanguage—reinforcing,reminding,and
redirectinglanguage—andhowthislanguagecansup-
portstudents’academic,social,andemotionallearning.
CreateaPositiveandInclusive
ClimateforLearning,PreK-8
KERRYO’GRADY
Discoverhowtocreatealearningenvironmentthroughout
yourschoolthatisjoyful,inclusive,respectful,andengag-
ingbyusingtheResponsiveClassroomapproachtoK-8
education.Gainabroadoverviewofthisresearch-basedap-
proachandlearnhowthefourdomainsofeffectiveteach-
ing—positivecommunity,engagingacademics,effective
management,anddevelopmentallyappropriatepractices—
canenhanceteachingandlearningthroughoutyourschool.
ReadingforSocial
Justice
KATHERINEBOMER,AuthorofHidden
GemsandStartingwithWhatStudentsDo
Best
KatherineBomerbeganherconsultingcareeroverfifteen
yearsagoasaprofessionaldeveloperwiththeTeachersCol-
legeReadingandWritingProject,andco-authoredAWriter’s
ShelfwithLucyCalkins.Asafrequentspeaker,shecombines
ateacher’spracticaladvice,awriter’sloveoflanguage,and
apowerfulpleaforsocialjustice.Shewillpresentoncritical
literacy-invitingstudentstoreadwithimportantsocialideas
inmindandwritewiththepurposeofmakingtheworldabet-
terplace.Developedthroughyearsofclassroomexperience
withdiverselearners,hersessionswillexplorehowthelarg-
estpurposesineducationconnecttothedetailsofteaching.
KEYNOTE:Creatinga
SchoolCultureof
Coaching
STEVEBARKLEY,ExecutiveVicePresi-
dent,PLS3rdLearning.www.BarkleyPD.
com
Theoutcomesweseekforourstu-
dentsrequireeducatorstobeteammembers,collabo-
ratingandinnovatingtocreateempoweredlearners.
Coachingamongschoolstaffsopensthedoortocontinu-
ousimprovementinteachingandlearning.Inmanyways
acoachingcultureamongstaffmodelsthepracticesthat
wewantamongstudentsinourclassrooms.Howresponsi-
bleareyouincreatingthecoachingcultureinyourschool?
WORKSHOP:Coaching-Knowingwhy
teacherswouldwantacoachand
shouldbeacoach
STEVEBARKLEY
Coachingmustbeeveryone’sresponsibility.Examinecoach-
ingfeedbackstructures,identifytherewardsofcoaching,
theresistancetocoaching,andhowtocreatetheneces-
sarytrust.Exploretypesofcoachingandcreateaplan
forimplementationaswellasdefinethecoach/principal
partnershipandthelinkbetweencoachingandstudent
achievement.Aninteractivesessionyouwon’twanttomiss.
WORKSHOP:CoachingConferencing
Skills
STEVEBARKLEY
Effectivecoachingisbuiltuponcommunication/confer-
encingskillsthatengagetheteacherindialogandself-
reflectivepractice.Inthisworkshop,youwillobserve,
study,practiceandreflectuponthecriticalcoaching/
conferencingverbalskills.Questioningandparaphras-
ingskillsaswellasfeedbackstrategiesareincluded.Op-
portunitiestopracticeandbecoachedwillbeembedded
throughout.Bringscenariosfromyourcoachingexperience.
SocialEntrepreneurship:
Student-RunBusinesses
ThatCanChangetheWorld
WARRENAPEL,Co-founder,Scholastico;
formerDirectorofEducationalTechnology,
AmericanEmbassySchoolinNewDelhi,
India.www.warrenapel.com
Startabusinesswithyourstudents!Gobeyondbakesalesby
launchingarealonlinecompanythatcanturnyourstudent’s
creationsintomoney.Thenusetheprofitstosupportmean-
ingfuldevelopmentprojectsthatmaketheworldabetter
place.Learnhowtofacilitateastudent-runbusinessinyour
classroom,givingstudentsameaningful,real-lifechallenge.
ProgrammableRobotsandCodingin
thePrimaryClassroom
WARRENAPEL
Takeadeepdiveintotheworldofcodingandrobotics!You
willlearntouseasimpledrag-and-dropprogramminglan-
guagetocontrolrobots.We’llgobeyondfunandgames,and
solveactualmathandscienceproblems,makingroboticsa
trulyintegratedpartofyourexistingclassroomcurriculum.
22
EVENTS
WINTER2016
13. NESA STAFF
• David Chojnacki
Executive Director
david@nesacenter.org
• Bridget Doogan
Director of Professional Learning
bridget@nesacenter.org
• Jill Kalamaris
Director of Operations
jill@nesacenter.org
• Laura Canellopoulou
laura@nesacenter.org
• Aristea Evangelou
conferences@nesacenter.org
• Maria Boutzarelou
maria@nesacenter.org
CONTACT US
Near East South Asia Council
of Overseas Schools (NESA)
Gravias 6,Aghia Paraskevi 153 42
Athens, Greece
Tel : +30 210 600-9821
Fax: +30 210 600-9928
nesa@nesacenter.org
conferences@nesacenter.org
www.nesacenter.org
The American United School
of Kuwait
Sabah Al Salem, Kuwait
aus.edu.kw
Compass Learning
Texas, USA
compasslearning.com
Diglossia
Oregon, USA
diglossia.net
Global Educational Systems
Maine, USA
GlobalEdSystems.net
Horouf Publishing
Sharjah, UAE
horouf.ae
International Medical Group
IMG
Indiana, USA
imglobal.com
Omnitrance Solutions, Inc
New Jersey, USA
omnitrance.com
Pacific Prime Middle East
Dubai, UAE
pacificprime.com
Riyadh Najed Schools
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
riyadhnajed.com
Welcome New Affiliates!BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PRESIDENT: Kevin Schafer
The American International School
of Muscat, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
VICE PRESIDENT: Rose Puffer
International School of Islamabad
Islamabad, Pakistan
TREASURER: Brent Mutsch
American School of Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
SECRETARY: Harold Fleetham
Lincoln School
Kathmandu, Nepal
TRUSTEES AT LARGE
John Carey
Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Robin Heslip
American Community School of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Andrew Hoover
American International School-Chennai
Chennai, India
Craig Johnson
American School of Bombay
Mumbai, India
Brian Matthews
American International School - Riyadh
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Ex-Officio: Beatrice Cameron
Regional Education Officer
Office of Overseas Schools
US Department of State
• Fall Leadership Conference: October 20-23, 2016
(venue:The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Doha)
• Fall Training Institute: November 4-5, 2016
(venue: American Community School of Abu Dhabi, UAE)
• Winter Training Institute: January 20-21, 2017
(venue: Riffa Views International School, Bahrain)
• Spring Educators Conference: March 31-April 3, 2017
(venue: Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Bangkok)
www.nesacenter.org
2016-2017
NESAEVENTS
Contribute to NESA NEWS!
NESA members and affiliates are invited to submit articles, news items,
announcements and events.
Specifications: 500 words maximum, photos as high resolution (300dpi)
jpg or pdf files with captions.
Deadlines: March 1 (spring - online only), June 1 (fall), November 1
(winter). Email to Laura Canellopoulou: laura@nesacenter.org.
See past issues at: www.nesacenter.org.
