International Schools Blog

In international schools, students often come from a variety of backgrounds, with extended families in other countries. As a result, at times they lack the type of deep community connection that comes from growing up locally, with roots that go back generations.

In the first blog post, Paula Rowlands outlined how a smooth transition between the MYP and DP is supported by a seamless continuity between the components of the written curriculum and a concept-based inquiry approach within the taught curriculum.

“Pay attention.”
“OK class, listen up.”
“When I’m talking, I need everyone to listen.” How many times have you asked your students to listen to you in class? It probably runs into the thousands. As teachers, you continuously encourage your students to listen and pay attention – but when was the last time you considered your own listening skills?

As Paula explored in her previous blog post in this series, research clearly identifies a concept-based, challenging, inquiry approach as necessary for deep understanding, an enjoyment of mathematics and improved student progress. But how can it be put into practice in the classroom?

In the second in her series of blogs, Paula Rowlands outlined how a smooth transition between MYP and DP mathematics is supported by having a seamless continuity between the components of the written curriculum and the merits of a whole school continuum plan.

Mastery of learning is something that humans do instinctively, right from birth. Think about how babies learn to walk over the course of months and months. They begin with sitting, finding their balance, pushing themselves up again and again in pursuit of their goal. Next comes standing – and a fair amount of toppling over or sitting down with a bump! Then, they progress to cruising, moving around using walls or furniture to keep their balance, before finally mastering the skill of walking.

The education sector can be a difficult field for achieving a healthy work-life balance. After all, teaching is a deeply vocational job. And when you’re passionate about your job and emotionally invested in your students, it can be hard to say no and feel like you’re letting people down.

Our international schools blog is somewhere to share ideas, exchange opinions and take part in a bigger conversation about ideas and trends in the world of education. But with lots of articles, it can be hard to keep up to date, especially for busy teachers.

Society is always in a state of flux and development. But the rate of social change has accelerated over the last hundred years, thanks to technological advances and increasing connectivity. These social changes are reflected in every field, and perhaps nowhere more so than in education, where teachers are surrounded by the next generation.

Mastery is not a new approach. In fact, the concept was first introduced in 1968 by American psychologist Benjamin Bloom with his idea that if learners don’t get something the first time, then teach them again and in different ways until they do. Teaching for mastery in maths is fundamental to the UK government’s education reforms and was reflected in the 2014 English national curriculum for mathematics. The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching Mathematics (NCETM) and the Department for England (DfE) have all endorsed this evidence-based approach which is inspired by some of the leading performers in mathematics education, including Shanghai and Singapore.