teacher leadership: who aisa p 21...3.6 emotions as the key for creating engaged foreign language...

the bi-annual newsletter of the Association of International Schools in Africa

AISAAssociation of International

Schools in Africa


Schools in Africa

Wider stripes logo

Wider stripes logo on black

March 2019 Edition

P 8Teacher Leadership: Who cares? Why it Matters and How We Can Support It

P 21When Kids are Engaged, They Learn

P 32Best Practices in Teaching World Languages: Early Childhood Focus

Get ahead of t he PackDeveloping globally competent students

2 | March 2019 Edition

1. Connect with the AISA Executive Director 32. AISA News and Events 43. Learning ConneXions 6

3.1 Content, Capacity and Change: Redesigning Learning for the 21st Century 63.2 Teacher Leadership: Who cares? Why it Matters and How We Can Support It 83.3 Effective Assessment Change to Improve Student Learning & Teaching 103.4 Learning About Inquiry 113.5 What Are They Thinking - Understanding the Adolescent Brain 123.6 Emotions as the Key For Creating Engaged Foreign Language Learning 143.7 Child Protection in Our Schools 163.8 “Outside of the Box” - Infusing Creativity and Critical Thinking into Literacy Lessons 183.9 Essential Ingredients to Creating a Great Advisory Programme 203.10 When Kids are Engaged, They Learn 213.11 Moving Beyond the Textbook

Using Inquiry, Technology and Hands-On Materials to Develop Mathematical Concepts 243.12 Cultivating A Culture of Student Leadership & Service 263.13 Making the Most of Free, Open Source Software & Educational Resources 283.14 Teaching 21st Century Skills Using Hip Hop Music 293.15 Teaching Through Open Source Technologies, The New 21st Century Power Tools 303.16 Best Practices in Teaching World Languages: Early Childhood Focus 323.17 The Differentiated Classroom: Reaching Every Student 343.18 Leading Professional Development Options to Better Fit Your School’s Needs 35

4. Learning Partners 363.19 Using Learner-centric Classroom Observation Data for Continuous Improvement 364.1 NEASC facilitates fresh approaches to talking about learning 39

Table of Contents

Connexions is the biannual newsletter of the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA), a non-profit education association supporting the professional learning and school improvement strategies of international schools on the continent of Africa.

Through our programmes and services AISA provides for the varying needs of nearly 27,000 students and over 3,000 teachers and school leaders in 77 member schools across 34 countries in Africa.

Membership of AISA is open to elementary and secondary schools in Africa which offer an educational programme using English as the primary language of instruction and offer an international curriculum to suit the needs of its culturally diverse student body. Businesses and organizations who support the mission of AISA are also invited to join as Associate Members.

Connexions is produced by:Editor: Chanel Worsteling AISA Director of Partnerships and Communications

Creative: kboodl


Schools in Africa

March 2019 Edition | 3

1. Connect with the AISA Executive DirectorJambo!

Hello again from the AISA offices in Nairobi.

Many of our current members will recall that back in 2010 AISA changed our membership criteria. From that time onwards, AISA School Membership became available to elementary and/or secondary schools within

Africa that demonstrate international-mindedness and intercultural competence as reflected by an appropriate aggregation of the following attributes:

• An explicit reference to the promotion of international-mindedness and intercultural competence in its mission

• A school offering an international education and/or curriculum

• Achievement of accreditation by an AISA recognized agency outside the host country, or Authorization for an IB programme for schools that offer elementary and secondary education.

When we changed these criteria we offered those schools that did not meet them support to become internationally accredited. We are happy to say that quite a number of schools took us up on this offer and have rejoined the Association as accredited members with all the membership benefits that attracts.

While AISA does not accredit schools directly, we do have a list of approved international accreditation agencies on our website that we partner with in a process that celebrates and gives recognition to international schools once they meet established quality standards. A key purpose of accreditation is to assure prospective families, educational leaders, teachers, universities, embassies, other government departments, and global companies and organisations of the quality of all AISA member schools and their commitment to quality educational practices through a robust system of continuous school improvement. In an

educational ecosystem that is highly competitive – being internationally accredited puts you ahead of the pack.

Of particular importance today is the safeguarding of children and young people. AISA’s accreditation partner agencies all insist that Child Protection polices and procedures are integrated into their accreditation process.

For many of the schools that were suspended from AISA membership in 2010, it is likely that your school is already accredited within your own country. However, international accreditation takes this one step further and confirms to all stakeholders your commitment to international-mindedness and intercultural competence. It enables you to benchmark your school’s services against the best international schools in the world because you provide your students with professional teaching, internationally recognized graduate qualifications and a progressive learning experience.

AISA is now offering a further opportunity to unaccredited schools to learn more about what accreditation is all about. I invite you to read on….

Dr Peter BatemanAISA Executive Director

If you’d like to find out more about the accreditation protocols of some of our key accreditation partners and see

first-hand what quality teaching and learning looks in an international school setting, please do join us

for the inaugural.

AISA INVITATIONAL CONFERENCE (AIC)

taking place at the

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL IN LAGOS

on 30th - 31st March 2019

Full details are on our website.

Peter Bateman

In an educational ecosystem that is highly competitive – being internationally accredited

puts your school ahead of the pack.


2. AISA News and EventsJoin our member community to benefit from

World Class Professional LearningAISA’s annual learning programme provides your educators with access to subsidised member only professional learning that will not only impact student learning but will improve staff morale and retention. As a member school, AISA will keep you up to date with current trends and innovative practice in international education.

Deals & DiscountsAs an AISA member school, you benefit from partnerships AISA has established with organisations such as BoardSource, EduCare, ISM and over 50 Associate Members who provide discounted resources and programmes to AISA member schools.

Resources, Programmes & ResearchAISA has developed a number of world class Handbooks in the areas of Child Protection, Governance and School Effectiveness to meet the specitic challenges and needs of international schools in Africa. These are freely available for you to utilise and adapt to meet the context of your school.

AISA also offers a number of school support programmes that can be tailored to offer schools individulised assistance where and when you need it.

Scholarship OpportunitiesAISA Educator and Leadership Scholarships are available for all member schools to help your staff access AISA’s professional learning programme.

AISA student awards recognise outstanding students within the AISA community and are a chance to celebrate together their achievements.

NetworkingMember feedback consistently confirms that one of the biggest advantages of being a member of AISA is the opportunities provided to network and connect with like minded professional international educators and leaders. Attending an AISA conference or institute is a great way to meet colleagues that may even become life-long friends.

RecognitionAs a member of AISA, your school is recognised as being affiliated with Africa’s premier international schools and is showcased on the AISA online member directory.

Also, your educators can receive recognition for their learning via AISA’s partnership with Buffalo State, State University of New York (SUNY) and AISA’s micro-credential programme.


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THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE Taking students beyond

academic success

ibo.org/50years

FOUR PROGRAMMES FOR AGES 3-19

ONE MISSION

4,871 SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE

50 YEARSOF INSPIRING A

LIFELONG QUEST FOR LEARNING


3. Learning ConneXions3.1 Content, Capacity and Change: Redesigning Learning

for the 21st Centuryby Kim Rayl, AIS Lagos

Try doing a Google search with the keywords: collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. The result? A list of over 29.5 million scholarly articles, frameworks, blogs, thought leaders and more, all highlighting the criticality of ‘21st century’ skills. No mere educational trend du jour, this focus on global competence signals a fundamental shift in how we do school, from ‘content is king’, to a broader understanding that key skills and dispositions are critical markers of success in the 21st century. At the American International School of Lagos, we leverage Project-Based Learning to plan, teach and assess the Global Competencies that we believe matter most. Our goal? To create a curricular and instructional design that achieves the Simultaneous Outcomes of deep content knowledge, coupled with non-cognitive skills and dispositions.

Step 1: Moving beyond Content At AISL, our process is school-wide, collaborative and iterative. We started by asking, “What are the dispositions and skills of an ideal graduate?” Our thinking included all learners from Preschool through Grade 12, and we strove to keep our competencies transdisciplinary with the goal of transferability across subject areas.

Our list was gradually refined to five broad categories:1. Intrinsically motivated and collaborative team

member2. Creative problem solver and critical thinker3. Effective communicator4. Critical consumer and producer of information

and technology5. Globally, culturally and socially empathetic

Step 2: Building Capacity Our ultimate measure of global competence is a students’ capacity to be a self-directed learner. But how do we move students and teachers along a new curricular and pedagogical path at the same time? By reframing ‘how we do school’ as simultaneous outcomes.

We began by implementing Project-Based Learning and the T3 Framework of technology integration as schoolwide frameworks. This creates coherence and a common approach when developing curriculum and instruction. A commitment to four years of professional development in partnership with external consultants helps teachers rest assured these initiatives are here to stay. And, we give time and space to what is important. Hence, a report card redesign scheduled for 2019 K-8, and 2020 for grades 9-12 will include our global competencies and student self-assessment of their Habits of Mind or IB Learner Profile respectively: both are currently part of student-led conferences.


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Kim Rayl is the Director of Teaching and Learning at the American International School of Lagos, Nigeria. A former middle school English and social studies teacher, Kim also has experience teaching PYP and has worked as a behavioural therapist using ABA therapy for children on the autism spectrum. Kim has a Masters of Teaching, a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, and a K-12 Administrator’s License. She has taught in public schools in the United States and at international schools around the world including Egypt, Mongolia, Bolivia, Indonesia and most recently, Nigeria. Kim is passionate about transforming teaching and learning through the co-creation of systems and supports that inspire collegiality, coherence and collective efficacy.

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF LAGOS

Simultaneous Outcomes

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES• Project-Based Learning• Differentiation• Technology Integration

AERO & IB DP STANDARDS• Academic content and

skill standards for all subjects

THINKING SKILLS• Create• Evaluate• Analyze• Apply• Understand• Remember

HABITS OF MIND & IB LEARNER PROFILE• HOM: Persisting,

questioning, listening with empathy, etc.

• IB Learner Profile: Inquirers, communicators, reflective, etc.

21ST CENTURY GLOBAL COMPETENCIES• Collaboration &

Motivation• Critical & Creative Thinking

& Problem Solving• Tech & Information

Use & Design• Empathy & Action

About the Author

Kim Rayl

Swanson & Cosgrave Consulting LLC

Step 3: Getting Parents On Board the Change TrainDespite a clear call to action, schools can still face pressure from parents with a perspective of ‘what is good education’ grounded in the past. Communication is key to getting parents on board. Newsletter articles, assemblies and invites to classroom learning events are weekly occurrences at AISL. Additionally, two spring events bring the whole community together: an evening Global Competencies Symposium featuring a moderated panel of thought leaders and

students, followed the next day by a schoolwide PBL and Technology Showcase. These celebrations of learning put the global competencies, and students, at center stage.

When schools couple skills and dispositions with content, are committed to building capacity in teachers and supporting parents through change, they create the conditions for student success now, and in preparation for their future work and personal lives.


3.2 Teacher Leadership: Who cares? Why it Matters and How We Can Support Itby Sean Areias, AIS Lagos

What is Teacher Leadership?Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009) defined teacher leadership as,

Why Spend Time Developing Teacher Leadership in Our Schools?During the last two decades, school principals’ duties and pressures have increased substantially (Fullan, 2014). Expectations are at an all-time burdensome level for principals, requiring them to contain an impossibly wide range of skills and knowledge to fix the enormous range of problems identified in our schools (Elmore, 2000). Teachers and principals have a significant effect on student performance (Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, K., 2004; Seashore, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010). As such, they should lead together when it comes to teaching and learning (Moller & Pankake, 2013). Today’s effective principals develop teachers’ professional capital (Fullan, 2014) and leadership capacity (Lambert, 2003) to address the wide range of problems schools may face in the 21st Century. Murphy (2005) categorizes the benefits of teacher leadership into three areas: professionalization; school health; and classroom improvement and school improvement.

Professionalization. Several educational researchers have supported the concept of teacher leadership as a way to professionalize the work of teaching (Barth, 2001; Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession, 1986; Danielson, 2006; Smylie, 1995). When teachers feel as though they are treated as professionals, that is, when they have more influence and autonomy (Barth, 2001; Stone, Horejs, & Lomas, 1997), they have higher job satisfaction (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009; Ovando, 1996; Ruscoe & Whitford, 1991), demonstrate more commitment to the organization’s success (Pounder, Ogawa, & Adams, 1995), and translate that commitment into a greater collective efficacy (Angelle & Teague, 2014; Marks & Louis, 1997). Additionally, teacher leadership has the added benefit of recognizing individual teachers as professionals, incentivizing and rewarding them for their leadership, and fostering a sense of teaching as a professional, long-term career (Berry, Byrd, & Wieder, 2013; Hart, 1994; Lieberman & Miller, 2004; Porter, 1986).

School Health. The development of teacher leadership contributes to greater school health through the formation of professional learning communities (Danielson, 2006). Healthy schools become learning organizations, dedicated to everyone becoming better through increased collegiality, professional learning, and internal accountability (Hart, 1994; Ruscoe & Whitford, 1991). These communities of practice foster higher staff morale, shared responsibility for the students’ successes, and a greater dedication to the school’s mission (DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2008; Hord & Sommers, 2008).

“…teacher leaders lead within and beyond the classroom; identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and leaders; influence others towards improved educational practice; and accept responsibility for achieving the outcomes of their leadership” (p. 6).


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Sean Areias is the Elementary Principal at the American International School of Lagos. In recent years, Sean has dedicated effort to improving child protection practices and to enhancing teacher leadership opportunities in international schools.

About the Author

Classroom and School Improvement. Classrooms and schools improve when teachers respect other teachers and they believe that working collaboratively with their colleagues contributes to their own success as teachers, ultimately improving their students’ achievement (Markow & Pieters, 2010). Teacher leadership enhances overall teacher quality by sharing best teaching practices. This focus on continuous development combined with shared decision- making increases the likelihood that teachers will try new innovative teaching methods, ultimately leading to

the wider implementation of more effective teaching practices and sustaining school improvement initiatives (Harris & Muijs, 2005; Smylie, Conley, & Marks, 2002; Smylie, Lazarus, & Brownlee-Conyers, 1996). Recent studies have indicated significant relationships between teacher leadership and student achievement, particularly when administrators involve teachers in shared school improvement planning (Ingersoll, Dougherty & Sirinides, 2017; Sebastian, Huang & Allensworth, 2016).

Teacher leaders feel encouraged, and they excel in schools which provide the following qualities:1. design collaborative leadership structures

(Beachum and Dentith, 2004; Danielson, 2006, Muijs and Harris, 2006)

2. offer significant and relevant professional development experiences (Muijs and Harris, 2006; Snell and Swanson, 2000)

3. provide teachers with sufficient time to lead and collaborate (Danielson, 2006; Poekert, 2012; Silva et al., 2000)

4. positively recognize teachers for their leadership contributions (Berry and Eckert, 2012; Birky, 2002; Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2009)

5. define clear roles for teacher leaders (Galland, 2008; Hart, 1990, 1994; Murphy, 2005; Pruitt, 2008; Smylie, 1992a; Smylie and Denny, 1990)

6. foster a culture in which teachers trust their colleagues (Angelle and Teague, 2014; Beachum and Dentith, 2004; Danielson, 2006; Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2009; Talbert and McLaughlin, 1994).

Sean Areias

How to Support Teacher Leadership

Foster a culture of trust

Design collaborative

leadership structures

Define roles for teacher leaders

Offer relevant PD

Provide opportunities

to lead & collaborate

Recognise contributions

How Schools Support Teacher Leadership?


Is What We Are Doing Regarding Assessment Effective?As educators, we need to ask ourselves, what is the purpose of assessment? When we understand the reasons for assessment, we can begin to understand how we will assess students effectively. Ken O’Connor’ (2011), ‘A Repair Kit for Grading:15 Fixes for Broken Grades’, asks us to reflect on how confident we are that the grades we are reporting are accurately reflecting the standards being taught, and if they are meaningful and if they are consistent and support learning. Research has indicated that effective assessment practices separate achievement from behaviours, that we need to report this separately and not as part of the reported achievement grade. The achievement grades need to reflect the curriculum standards that are taught. Through effective assessment, we are able to gather relevant information about student performance or progress, and with this information, this helps teachers to reflect on each student’s level of achievement to customize their teaching plans.

Formative Feedback What we know from education research is that when a student receives a letter grade and feedback, the student’s attention automatically focuses on the letter grade. The written feedback becomes static, and the student no longer has a focus on understanding their own learning which is important to the learning process. Ongoing formative feedback exempt of a letter grade or percentage can provide students with valuable information about their learning. Formative assessment needs to be continuous and ongoing feedback in order to help the teacher adjust their teaching and to inform the learner about their learning. The goal of formative assessment is to improve learning.

Our goal as educators is to continue to improve student learning and achievement as well as our teaching practices. By reflecting on current assessment practices, teachers can open up dialogue to begin to implement effective ways to ‘fix broken’ grading. Additionally, by applying formative assessment strategies, we are able to gather helpful information that informs both the learner and the teacher of progress and adjustments that need to occur in both teaching and learning. Effective assessment change has the ability to improve student learning & our teaching.

Teresa is currently the Middle School Vice Principal of AISL. Her experience in education spans 26 years as classroom teacher, professional development and subject coordinator and school administrator. As a teacher and school leader/administrator, she has worked collaboratively with school and district groups and presented internationally on topics such as assessment, standards-based grading, mindfulness in education, professional cultures and communities (PLC’s) and curriculum alignment. She earned her Masters in Educational Leadership in 2007 and is currently working on a PhD in Educational Leadership.

About the Author

Teresa Fry

3.3 Effective Assessment Change to Improve Student Learning & Teachingby Teresa Fry, AIS Lagos

“Changing grading practices doesn’t mean that the practices of the past were wrong, necessarily; rather, they are wrong in today’s context. What we used to do was right for how we used to teach, but we don’t teach like that anymore. Things change, and hopefully, we can begin to embrace the change to grading the way we’ve embraced it in so many other aspects of education and life in general.”

Tom Schimmer, Grading from the Inside out, 2016

‘The most powerful educational tool for raising achievement and preparing children to be lifelong learners, in any context is formative assessment.’

Hattie (2009)


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Having a background in research science John has continually looked for ways to engage students in the process of doing science. This led him to participate in a program offered by the Institute for Inquiry. With more than 30 years of experience as a science educator, John has taught a range of Chemistry and Physics courses as well as served as a workshop leader.

About the Author

John Heil

3.4 Learning About Inquiryby John Heil, AIS Lagos

Science is humankind’s attempt to seek answers to the big questions about our physical universe. As science teachers we need to accomplish two separate but equally important goals: • One is to help students become scientifically

literate citizens who are able to understand the current best model of our universe and how it was developed. This provides student with a foundation upon which to build future investigations and an understanding of the technologies we currently use and are developing.

• The other goal and the purpose of learning how to teach inquiry is help students learn the skills to do science; the process of asking researchable questions and developing strategies to seek answers to those questions.

As with many complex tasks the important components need to be identified and then an effective method of addressing them needs to be developed. This was the work that was undertaken by the Institute for Inquiry in developing their curriculum on the fundamentals of inquiry.The Approach to InquiryThe Institute for Inquiry, funded by the National Science Foundation, established a program that addressed the theory and practice of inquiry science education. They identified the key experiences students needed to engage in, and the skills they needed to develop, in order to undertake their own inquiry investigations.They found that it was critical that the students engage in the content through hands-on activities, and that the students level of engagement depended

on the design of the specific activities. As a result, it was important that the activities shifted from teacher-directed to student-centred in nature. While these activities were important, they also must address the process skills necessary for inquiry. Teachers need to be able to assess the students’ current development level with these skills and design activities to build upon them. They identified that a key component to conducting inquiry is the development of quality questions that can lead to productive investigations. Teachers must help students learn to brainstorm interesting questions and then identify those which are researchable. They must then design the curriculum so that it includes the opportunity for students to ask their own questions; and specifically, ones which they can investigate. Being aware that curricular change can feel overwhelming, the Institute developed a way to slightly modify current hands-on- activities so that they became more inquiry based. Their overall goal for this approach to teaching methods of inquiry was to improve a teacher’s understanding and appreciation for inquiry skills and to make the transition enjoyable and manageable.


3.5 What Are They Thinking - Understanding the Adolescent Brainby Dan Luce, AIS Lagos

If you have had any consistent experience working with teens, you have no doubt witnessed actions on their part that have caused you to ask, “What was he or she thinking?”

The more we learn and understand about young adolescents, the more it makes perfect sense that we should ask such a question. Teens aRaynare going through immense changes. This sometimes triggers bizarre and irrational behavior.

The Human BodyFirst, consider the fact that the human body is absolutely astounding. So often we take for granted that its trillions of cells and its plethora of parts are connected together in a system that functions in such an amazing and coherent fashion. Understanding just how the body works has been a human endeavor since the beginning of recorded history.

The Human BrainThe brain is the most complex part in the human body. This three-pound organ is considered the body’s control center and is believed to be responsible for our intelligence, interpreting sensation, initiating body movement, and controlling all of our behaviors.

For hundreds of years, scientists have studied and learned a great deal about the brain. With a fairly recent increase in funding for brain research, the power of technological advances and the cry for answers to burning questions, scientists are collecting data about the human brain at a staggering pace. In some cases, the findings confirm the assumptions and theories we have accepted, but in other

cases, researchers are uncovering information that challenges and confounds commonly held ideas.

Mind, Brain and EducationAdvances in biology and neuroscience are revealing to us how a child’s brain and cognitive development are shaped by learning experiences and environment. Instead of debating nature versus nurture, we now know that “nature” is much more fluid and complex than we ever imagined. Learning, in turn, affects the brain and its capacities.

The Unique Needs of Middle Level LearnersThe Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, comprised of representatives from medicine academia, public education, state and federal government, and the private sector issued a report entitled Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century. Driven by the premise that middle level education had been left out of education reform discussions in the 1980’s, the task force found “a volatile mismatch between the organization and curriculum of middle level schools and the intellectual, emotional, and interpersonal needs of young adolescents”. (p.8)

Later, the Carnegie Corporation publication, Turning Points 2000 and the AMLE (Association for Middle Level Education) This We Believe: Keys to educating Young Adolescents - currently in its 4th edition, put the focus squarely on the essential characteristics of middle grade schools and the characteristics of young adolescents (students ages 10-15) and how best to meet their needs.


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Adolescent Brain Development For many years, scientists believed that the adolescent brain was essentially an adult one. Improved technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have contributed to an explosion of research on adolescent brain development. These technological advances have led to our ability to “see inside” the adolescent brain. Neurology and neuroscience has revealed that during the teen years, vitally important stages of brain development take place. In fact, between the ages of 10 and 15, young people undergo more profound changes than any other time in their lives. Although infants between birth and 18 months develop at a very rapid pace, they are not a conscious witness of their own development as are early adolescents. While 95 percent of brain development takes place before age 5 or 6, a second wave of development takes place during adolescence, typically from age 11 or 12 through approximately age 24. These studies have also indicated that the brain, not hormones as previously thought, is responsible for teens’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

The Challenge for EducatorsAs teachers of young adolescents, understanding and helping them to also understand and to cope with the changes they are experiencing is vitally important. Their key to success in school is the ability to more smoothly navigating the complex path to successful global citizenship and to engage in positive interpersonal relationships with peers, siblings, parents and others. Our mission must be to rise to the challenge.

Dan loves middle school students, the middle school philosophy and those who serve them. He is currently the middle school principal of the American International School of Lagos, with over half of his career as a middle level administrator.

About the Author

Dan Luce


3.6 Emotions as the Key For Creating Engaged Foreign Language Learningby Luisa Cappuccio & Mudi Danmole-Logun, AIS Lagos

Historically, the pursuit of knowledge has been associated with rational and detached processes not susceptible to the trivialities of emotions. Intellectuals have belittled the affective side of learning. However, research in neuroscience has begun to uncover the importance of emotions and their interplay with cognitive processing in all learning activities. Thus, thinking, emotions and learning are bonded.

How does learning begin? Learning begins when new information enters the brain through any of the five senses. All sensory input is filtered by the brainstem and limbic system. The thalamus and hypothalamus quickly determine whether the information needs immediate attention or even fight-or-flight action or whether more “normal” brain processing is appropriate in the cerebral cortex. All input information may be affected or altered by the body’s needs and emotions; new information may trigger pleasant or unpleasant feelings. The information that survives will arrive at the frontal cerebral cortex, where it is processed, and learning begins. If the information is deemed as distressing, it is immediately discarded.

Emotions and the BrainEvoking emotions and moulding memories to strengthen students’ engagement is a heavy daily responsibility for teachers. The structures of the brain involved with emotions, memory, and control of physical responses to stress are in the limbic system. Although the limbic system was thought to be a separate functional entity of the brain, it is now understood that all components of the limbic system - the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, and hypothalamus - interact with many other parts of the brain. In fact, most of these structures of the limbic system are duplicated in each hemisphere of the brain and its strategic position between stem and cerebrum allow the interplay of emotions and thinking.


Schools in Africa


Luisa teaches K-4 grade Spanish at AISL in Nigeria. As a teacher, Luisa is passionate in her

commitment to maximize individual student performance, instil the love of learning, and inspire students to view the world critically.

Mudi teaches K-4 grade French at AIS Lagos, Nigeria. She loves to educate and learn especially with a passion for integrating technology into World Language instruction at all levels.

About the Authors

Luisa Cappuccio

Mudi Danmole-Logun

Emotions As Learning Enhancers of Foreign Language LearningLearning a foreign language, like all other learning, is also shaped by emotions. Scholars sustain that emotion is the motivational drive to energize a learner’s foreign language potential and facilitate language learning. Teachers’ attitudes and classroom climates originate diverse emotional experiences in students which powerfully influence positively or in a negative way their interest, engagement, and motivation. All emotions and feelings aroused in the learning context are said to result from how students evaluate the learning experience. The evaluations made of a learning situation stem from previous positive or negatively perceived experiences. As such, the perceptions resulting from such evaluations will impact the new learning context in the same manner as in the past. This impact may alter next learning scenarios.

The Emotional PushBeing familiar with emotions that might arise in language learning contexts could help overcome problems of demotivation created by fear or frustration, which might jeopardise foreign language learner’s internal motivators. This could also make students put in adequate efforts in particular academic situations or it may result in the giving up. In addition, trying to evoke emotions that enhance learners’ self-esteem and promote empathy can contribute to reenergizing students’ motivational energy and facilitate language learning.

Designing for Emotions Different authors on emotion research agree that emotions originate in classrooms settings. Creating non-threatening classroom environments will make students feel secure and willing to take the risks inherent in learning. When designing for emotions In FL learning, it is essential to bear in mind that the teacher is one of the main sources of students’ emotional fluctuation, so it is the teacher who sets the principles of amicable or unfriendly classroom environment.

Teachers must provide provocative sensory triggers and authentic learning experiences to engage students’ emotions. Teachers are to become the role-model joy of learning. Collaboration should rule; students should work in groups while the teacher establishes rapport amongst them. As students’ success is the primary aim, differentiation and formative assessments are requisites built in the learning process. The learning environment should integrate technological tools and appropriate devices for lesson instruction and learning. Lastly, it should be remembered that an affectively positive environment puts the brain in the optimal state for learning: minimal stress and maximum engagement with the material to be learned.


3.7 Child Protection in Our Schoolsby Olatokunbo Fashoyin, AIS Lagos

What is Child Protection?Child protection refers to measures and structures to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence affecting children. Child protection means safeguarding children from harm. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home.

Guiding Principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the ChildNon-Discrimination: All children should enjoy their rights and should never be subjected to any discrimination.

Best interests of the child: Children, especially when they are very young, are vulnerable and need special support to be able to enjoy their rights fully.

The right to survival and development:- All children have the right to life, survival and development.

The views of the child: Children and youth need to participate and have their views considered when decisions are being made that affect them.

Types of Abuse Affecting our ChildrenPhysical Abuse: Any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person by way of bodily contact.

Emotional Abuse: A pattern of behaviour that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth.

Sexual Abuse: Forced or unwanted sexual interaction including touching and non-touching acts of any kind.

Neglect: The failure of a parent, guardian, or other caregiver to provide for a child’s basic needs. It is the most common form of child abuse.

Child Protection MythsAbuse is a matter of culture; physical or sexual abuse falls within the norms of some cultures and is acceptable. The reality is that there is no excuse for child abuse! No culture supports harming children.

Child abuse is a result of poverty and happens in low socioeconomic circumstances. Research indicates that child abuse occurs in all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural sectors of society.

International Schools do not have to report abuse to local authorities. International schools are bound by the laws of the host country and as such international schools must be knowledgeable and compliant with the child protection laws in their locale.


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Olatokunbo is the Elementary School Counselor at AISL. She holds Master’s Degrees in Counseling Psychology and International Education Development. Olatokunbo has worked in three international schools, and is in her fourth year at AISL. She has interests in character education, developing life-skills units, and empowering students with strategies to solve problems responsibly.

https://aoisia49.wildapricot.org/Child-Protection

About the Author

Olatokunbo Fashoyin

Key Considerations for Your SchoolTraining: All members of the school community should undergo training on child protection. Administrators, teaching personnel, parents, custodial and security, etc., all need to be informed about their responsibilities in safeguarding students.

Student curriculum: Children play an important role in their protection and should be educated about ways to keep themselves safe from harm and abuse. At the American International School of Lagos, we use the Second Step Child Protection Curriculum in the Elementary School. We also use the Safer, Smarter Teens Curriculum in the Middle and High School. These developmentally appropriate programs are comprehensive and empower children with how to recognize unsafe situations and respond accordingly.

Policy: Your school’s creation and implementation of a comprehensive child protection policy demonstrates its commitment to protect children from harm and abuse. The policy should outline all possible and necessary steps and procedures are taken to realize the rights of children and to actively, and consistently, safeguard all children in the school. For more information and guidance on developing your school’s Child Protection Policy, please review AISA’s comprehensive guide via this link: https://www.icmec.org/aisa-child-protection-handbook/


3.8 “Outside of the Box” - Infusing Creativity and Critical Thinking into Literacy Lessonsby Annemarie Hodge and Ania Judson, AIS Lagos

How Do Global Competencies & 21 Century Skills Connect to Literacy in Primary Education?In today’s rapidly changing world it is our responsibility as educators to ensure that our students acquire the soft skills of communication, collaboration, global empathy, critical thinking and creativity that are increasingly vital to the success and well-being of our students beyond our walls. By incorporating these skills into literacy lessons in the early years, students gain a broader understanding of themselves, others and the world. It becomes second nature to work as an effective team and value the opinions of others. Through children’s literacy students can learn to connect to other works and to what they see and hear in their daily lives. They begin to make connections and analyse situations through comparison and similarities. Utilizing quality literature encourages students to question and infer; both skills that develop critical thinkers.


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How Can We Teach Our Students to Understand What They Read at A Deeper Level?One way to enhance our student’s engagement and enjoyment of literacy it is to teach students the concept of metacognition - to think about what they are reading, while they are reading. Students become aware of their own thoughts during the reading process. Teaching the comprehension strategies of connecting, questioning, visualizing, inferring, and transforming give young students a framework to lead them to deep understanding of texts. By teaching these strategies explicitly with anchor texts our students begin to incorporate the new way of thinking while reading independent selections. Students become excited and engaged with their daily reading and responding activities.

Strategies and Daily Routines that Support Further Development of Creativity and Critical ThinkingIs our goal as educators to teach our students how to read, write, multiply, divide, and know the history of our country? Yes. But more importantly we want our students to think and learn deeply and reflectively

so that they understand it is not about what to know but how to know. Our role in the classroom should no longer be one of fact provider but rather a facilitator of thinking and understanding. By implementing daily routines and workouts in Early Years we can help our students to transform the way they think about themselves and the world around them. Visualising, questioning, role playing, and thinking outside the box push the students to dig deeper into their learning and foster development of critical thinking skills. Introduction to Visible Thinking RoutinesVisible Thinking makes extensive use of learning routines that are thinking-rich. These routines are simple structures, for example a set of questions or a short sequence of steps, that can be used across various grade levels and content. As they become integrated into daily routine they become a tool that support students’ investigation and they do not take away from the teaching time but rather enhance the teaching and the learning.

Annemarie has enjoyed a wide variety of teaching opportunities in Canada, the US and Nigeria over the

past 20 years. Her passion to empower students to make meaningful connections from the classroom to the world beyond has remained the same whether in a kindergarten class or adult basic education setting.

Ania is an international teacher with 8 years of experience and IB, Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Montessori background. A member of TEN (Teacher Educator Network) - Ania ran a series of workshops for teachers in Ghana.

About the Authors

Annemarie Hodge

Ania Judson


Rayna is a Middle School English Language Arts and History Teacher, Team Leader for grade 6 and Advisory Team Leader. She has taught in Asia and Africa and this is her 12th year teaching.

About the Author

Rayna Rokicki

3.9 Essential Ingredients to Creating a Great Advisory Programmeby Rayna Rokicki, AIS Lagos

The Value of an Advisory ProgramThe demands on middle school teachers and schools changes a bit from year to year. While these changes can be minor at times and major over many years, wchat doesn’t change are the key components to creating a successful middle school. While this is not an exhaustive list, some of the most successful middle schools possess the following traits:• rigorous academics• high standards• clearly communicated goals• ongoing assessments• up to date teaching methods• engaged learners• a strong sense of a community• a positive school culture• a safe learning environment.

Although not explicitly stated in the above list, a strong advisory program at your school is crucial to achieving many of these components. For example, a strong advisory program is essential toward building a positive school culture, a sense of community, setting high standards and monitoring clearly communicated student goals. Once your school begins an advisory program, you might think, “How did we ever function without one?”

The Impact of an Advisory ProgramResearch has shown that an advisory program can positively impact your school. For example, well run advisory programmes have the potential to increase academic achievement through regular teacher/student meetings where goals are set and monitored. Advisory programs can also improve the school climate which reduces the social drama and in turn helps to focus students in the classroom.

I have been involved in two schools that have built advisory programmes from the ground up. Both times, there was a positive significant impact made in several facets of the school after the advisory programme was up and running. The school became more efficient and well organized and the school culture was more cohesive, becoming a positive cornerstone helping students to engage in their learning.

Through lessons in advisory, students took more responsibility in their learning. They created their own learning goals. They tracked their progress. They evaluated their academic skills. They evaluated their social skills. They made plans on how to improve them. Teachers, counsellors and administration now had a common language to use with students on academic and social/emotional skill-based topics that helped everyone to be on the same page.


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3.10 When Kids are Engaged, They Learnby Geraldine Ziadeh & Donna Valentino, AIS Lagos

Engaging our learners in the classroom is the most valuable pillar in creating a successful learning environment. When the students are engaged in the learning process, we know that they are learning. It is that simple.

In today’s fast-paced world the skill-based curriculum of yesteryear will not provide the adaptive ability and critical thinking skills needed by young learners to flourish. In such rapidly changing environments, schools are increasingly focused on growing students’ capacity to become problem solvers, independent learners, and solution creators. Students need to expand their range of reasoning and rationalizing skill set to keep pace.

Thinking routines offer an array of simple structures that can provide students with tangible steps to deeper thinking skills and analytical abilities. As a student stated: “I think about my thinking”. While seemingly simple on the surface, thinking routines such as “See-Think-Wonder”, “Looking 10x2”, and “Step-in” are ways to teach children to think metacognitively and sensitively.

These thinking routines increase student participation and motivation, as well as developing positive attitudes towards the subject material. This fosters students’ intellectual development, and It supplies a pathway for learners to develop higher-level

thinking skills. Thinking routines are techniques that can be applied across the curriculum and will also enable students to transfer understanding amongst different subject areas, as well as allowing them to access deeper understandings of the concepts they are presented with. It will allow them to make connections and to extend their understanding.

The array of visible thinking routines is applicable to various age groups, diversity in disciplines, teaching philosophies and practices, as well as multiple languages and cultures. After being introduced to various thinking routines, and with some practice, students will experience that the routines are powerful engines for creating patterns of behaviour and allowing students to experience a change in attitude while being aware and sensitive to opportunities for thinking. Each routine offers driving questions that students get to recognize and own. Through repetition, the driving questions will become the triggers for noticing all that the teacher needs thoughtful attention and thinking.

The following are example of some thinking routines documented in a HS foreign language class.

Simply put, engaged learners challenge themselves to go further.


Looking 10X2Purpose: In order to assist the language learner in a writing assignment, the teacher used the Looking 10X2 thinking routine and shared with the students a painting of Paul Gauguin, Le Pont d’Aven. Students were encouraged to make careful observations about the art piece and brainstorm words and phrases that can be used in their pre-writing.

Students response: This activity involved the whole class participation and students shared their recorded answers on a graphic organizer. In the small circle they wrote some French words like, “la Forêt, la maison, la campagne, les arbres, les couleurs….” and in the big circle they wrote sentences like: “la rivière est très calme, le ciel est bleu, il y a un arbre rouge, il y a beaucoup d’arbres….”

Documentation: Students in a group of two recorded their answers on a graphic organizer. Once the activity was complete the teacher created a big graphic organizer where as a group they started filling it with the different answers given by the students in their small groups. Their responses demonstrated that all the students were observing carefully and were actively engaged in an innovative way of reviewing vocabulary words.

Purpose: In order to deepen students’ understanding of a topic related to school, the teacher used the “Step in” thinking routine. Students had to analyse the “Dans la Classe” painting by Théophile Duverger and dig into different ideas and perspective to deepen their understanding about a particular situation in the classroom. The students had to put themselves into another person in the scene, and focus on the perspective of that person to explore ideas and see things from their point of view.

Students Responses: Students wrote a paragraph in the target language using new vocabulary words they just learned and then they acted out the perception of their selected character. Students were also encouraged to ask each other further questions, “What do you imagine has just happened in the schoolroom?” “Who was involved in the incident?” “Why do those students go to a Catholic church?” “Why is the teacher wearing completely black?” The learning process was very enjoyable and engaging.

Documentation: The teacher collected students writing as data not only to help him/her to evaluate students’ understanding about the topic but also to evaluate students strength and weaknesses in their writing. In addition, students peer edited and gave feedback on spelling, grammar mistakes, and sentence structures.


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Teacher reflection: Reflection: “An interesting activity that engaged the students in a higher level of thinking. I was so excited to explore students’ point view.”

Here are two more examples of thinking routines used in the classroom.

Geraldine Ziadeh and Donna Valentino are high schools foreign language teachers. They have worked internationally for many years and traveled all over the world. Being exposed to many different cultures and ways of thinking has helped them to become more open-minded and consequently shaped their teaching.

Géraldine has a Master’s Degree in Education with a specialization in reading and writing in the content area, as well as a Master’s Degree in Archaeology. Geraldine piloted the Arabic program at AISl in 2015, and in addition to teaching French and Arabic, she also teaches archaeology.

Donna received her Master’s Degree in Spanish Language Teaching at Southern Oregon University while studying at La Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico. In her free time, she enjoys travel, reading, yoga, and spending time with her friends and family.

About the Authors

Geraldine & Donna

See Think Wonder

Connect Extend Challenge


3.11 Moving Beyond the Textbook Using Inquiry, Technology and Hands-On Materials to Develop Mathematical Concepts

by Cindy Clifford, AIS Lagos

Why do we teach mathematics?There are many answers to this question, but most mathematics teachers say the essence of mathematics is problem-solving and that the aim of teaching math is to develop flexible but rigorous thinking, problem-solving skills and inquiry skills. The IB has several aims for Diploma Program mathematics courses. Amongst them are the need to develop logical and creative thinking, and patience and persistence in problem solving; to employ and refine powers of abstraction and generalization and to develop a student’s ability to take action to apply and transfer skills to alternative situations, to other areas of knowledge and to future developments in their communities.

Why is change needed?We need to change the way math is taught because the ways we have taught math in the past haven’t worked. The world is full of adults who cringe when they hear the word “math” and say they aren’t “math people.” We have students who never get the opportunity to study medicine or business because

they cannot meet the math requirements or do not believe they can manage them. Current brain research tells us that everyone can learn math to high levels.

What should we do?

We need to close the gap between classroom practice and research knowledge. We can’t teach the science of patterns and achieve the other aims of a mathematics education by following textbooks and teaching algorithms. The actual content knowledge of mathematics courses has not changed radically in my lifetime. But technology has, and the needs of employers have. As educators, we need to help develop critical thinkers and creative and persistent problem solvers. We need to purposefully plan the learning engagements in our classroom to give students the opportunity to practice and develop their communication and collaboration skills, their generalization skills and their skills in selecting and applying mathematics to model. As educators, we need to move beyond the textbook.


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What should a math class look like?All students should be engaged in authentic inquiry and should be at the centre of learning engagements. Students don’t need to watch us do math; they need to be the ones doing the math in the room. Students should be actively involved in solving challenging problems and discussing their thinking. According to Jo Boaler, students need to believe that “mathematics will help them in their lives, not because they will see the same types of problems in the real world but because they are learning to think quantitatively and abstractly and are developing an inquiry relationship with math.”

So how do we change? Change is hard. Each of us needs to make a commitment to continual improvement and we need to plan our path to becoming a more concept-driven inquiry-based teacher. Change is also more easily done in community. This is one of the reasons the Japanese engage in lesson study. And it is a reason for taking a workshop or a course.

Change is also easier to create in our own practice when we have explored ways to develop deep interconnected mathematical concepts through the use of inquiry and hands-on learning and begun to understand the effectiveness of this style of teaching. And change is easier when we develop a professional learning community to share our thoughts, misgivings and successes with.

Cindy Clifford is a high school mathematics teacher at the American International School of Lagos. She has taught for more than thirty years at schools in nine countries.

About the Author

Cindy Clifford

As Gandhi said,

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” (of mathematics education).


3.12 Cultivating A Culture of Student Leadership & Serviceby Carolina Freund, AIS Lagos

Most Significant MemoriesWhen I think back at my school years, the most significant memories include when either I was part of a group that meant something to me, when I volunteered or helped others in need for a cause that mattered to me and/or when I was given the opportunity to use my skills, interests and passions within the classroom. I remember the excitement I felt when working on something that was personal to me, the commitment and perseverance endured as being part of a group, and the weight of the responsibility felt when in charge of a project for a class or event that would help others in our community.

On all of these occasions, I learned something new about myself, was challenged to go beyond my comfort

zone or was able to make use of the skills I was good at to help whatever group or project I was involved in. It was through these opportunities that I felt truly accomplished at school.

Reflecting on this now, I realize that not only were these activities that I engaged in meaningful to me because they were inspired fully by my personal skills, interests and passions but also, and what I feel is most important here, is that the school I attended collectively shared the culture of giving students opportunities to identify what was meaningful to them and then figure out ways to capitalize on those to engage and motivate student leadership and service to others.


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Carolina has taught Spanish, French, or ELL for over 10 years internationally and is currently at the American International School of Lagos as and IB Spanish Teacher and IB CAS Coordinator. Her passion for student leadership and service learning has led her to be the advisor for the high school Associated Student Body and will become the Service Learning Coordinator next year at AISL.

About the Author

Carolina Freund

Real life learning occurs naturally when students, doing something they find meaningful, are challenged to deal with and communicate with many other kinds of people, fail and try again when things go wrong, plan extensively and solve problems with others, lead others in taking meaningful action, do what they said they were going to do, and think about others when making decisions, and the list goes on and on.

Capitalizing on Personal Passions and Interests There is something truly powerful in being able to identify our passions and interests and then be given the responsibility to use these at school - whether it be in or out of the classroom.

I became a teacher so that I could work with young people and help them grow as individuals and citizens of the world. I believe that in order to get the best results from our students, teachers need to truly know their students and capitalize on their passions and skills to make an impact on their classroom community or community at large.

So how do we capitalize on students’ personal passions, strengths and interests in order to fully engage and motivate them in any given task? In my experience, it is through classroom leadership and service to others where I have seen the most student engagement and the most growth taking place. Real life learning occurs naturally when students, doing something they find meaningful, are challenged to deal with and communicate with many other kinds of people, fail and try again when things go wrong, plan extensively and solve problems with others, lead others in taking meaningful action, do what they said they were going to do, and think about others when making decisions, and the list goes on and on.

Cultivating a culture of student leadership & service within our schools to me means that as individual teachers we share the vision of capitalizing on our own students’ passions, interests and skills in all of our individual classrooms so that we can cultivate leadership and service opportunities in our classrooms and beyond. And it is at this intersection where student interests meet classroom opportunity where the real learning takes shape not to mention significant and meaningful endeavours undertaken.


3.13 Making the Most of Free, Open Source Software & Educational Resourcesby David Schult, AIS Lagos

Would you buy a car that had a sealed hood? Welded shut in such a way that prevented you from opening it and inspecting the engine? Not only has the manufacturer welded shut the engine under the hood, the company has also made it illegal for you to even try to open the hood -- even after you have bought the car. There are secrets there, they claim, and you can’t see them! And there’s more. Every few years, you have to install a new engine in the car and that’s going to cost you money again. Some engine upgrades make your car run even worse. Why would anyone buy into such a business model? They actually do not in the car industry. But the entire computer operating system is built on this model.

Windows and Mac are the two predominant operating systems most users encounter. They are closed source in that the source code that they are built on his hidden leaving the user unable to examine the underlying code upon which his computer operates. But not all operating systems are like that. Linux is the most notable of the free operating systems out there. In fact, 498 out of 500 of the fastest supercomputers

in the world run on Linux (the other two run on a version of UNIX by the way).

Are you familiar with Google’s Android? It’s an operating system that is built on the Linux kernel (that’s kind of like the engine in your car). Hundreds of other versions or flavours or Linux operating systems are built using the Linux kernel as well including Debian, Red Hat, Ubuntu and Mint to name a few. Edubuntu is a free and open source operating system designed for students, teachers and schools. It bundles hundreds of open source software programs that you can install on any computer, even ones that are too old to run Windows 10 or the latest version of Mac.

In the world of software, there are two kinds of free. There’s free as in “Free Beer” and free as in “Free Speech”. When we speak of FLOSS or Free / Libre Open Source Software, we are speaking of the Free Speech kind of free. With free beer you have to consume what is in the bottle and can’t change that. You can’t go around and fill it up with your own brew and re-sell it either. But free speech, truly free speech is something that you can pass on, change, improve. FLOSS is like that. You can inspect the source code. You can change or add to it. You can pass it on and make it better.

It is worth investigating free software as you may discover that we need not spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on the latest fancy software when wonderful truly free versions of it are available right now.

David is a devoted father, educator and school leader. Constantly striving to find new ways to reach students and teachers, David implements constructivist theory with technological savvy, servant-leadership philosophy.

About the Author

David Schult


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Eric is the high school music teacher at the American International School of Lagos, Nigeria. He directs the high school instrumental/vocal program and teaches general music courses in hip hop and rock n’ roll. He has spent his entire international career teaching music in West Africa, previously serving as a MYP Band instructor and Head of Department in Ghana. Eric has a Master’s of Music Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Belmont University. Eric strongly believes that all students, regardless of their musical preference, should be participating in music at school and therefore promotes teaching both traditional, ensemble-based courses and popular music course.

About the Author - Eric Taylor

3.14 Teaching 21st Century Skills Using Hip Hop Musicby Eric Taylor, AISL

The way that educators teach music has gone unchanged for many years. This is evident in many school music programmes, as they still only offer the traditional music courses such as bands, orchestras, and choirs. In fact, much of the music that music educators choose to perform with these ensembles was written by composers who are deceased or whose music was written for a time period in which that particular style of music was popular. Why is it that music education has gone unchanged even though our student population rapidly changes?

This school year I had the privilege of teaching a hip hop music course to our high school students. While the course was specifically focused on hip hop music

and culture, it was amazing to see the connections between 21st century skills as well as interdisciplinary potential with other subjects. Hip hop music and their lyrics truly take talent to create. In class, the students quickly realized that reading the lyrics of a song can often be like reading text from another class. They had to investigate references in the songs, make statements about the music with evidence to support their claims, and reflect on their reaction to the music and how the music caused a reaction in the world. We compared hip hop lyrics to other styles of text to note their similarities and explored how the addition of music can help stress important phrases or points in the text. Students often shared their feelings about social justice issues and were able to practice social empathy towards the other students in the classroom. Many of these themes were also being taught in the English class. As we looked at the “Black Lives Matter” movement that is currently happening in the United States, the students were able to see similarities to the civil rights movement that they were studying in English class.

Hip hop has the potential to be a powerful medium that can be used in all subjects. As it is relatable to our students it has the power to and something that would bring interest and memorability to all subject matter. Teachers should not feel afraid of using hip hop music, as many of the skills that we use as teachers can be applied in the same manner. It’s also great to allow the students to be the experts.


3.15 Teaching Through Open Source Technologies, The New 21st Century Power Toolsby Andrew Bauman, AIS Lagos

As educational pedagogy focuses more on 21st century skills, S.T.E.M. and integrated project-based learning, teachers must look for effective and accessible resources. In the past few years, the advancement of Open Source resources is an educational treasure chest waiting to be unlocked. Open Source software, which is often free of charge, can be modified by both individuals and companies. This free exchange of ideas gives Open Source programs a broad range of applications, allowing educators a variety of tools and resources that can easily and successfully be incorporated across many content areas. Open Source programs can range from simple fun educational tools to advanced drawing and 3-D modelling programs, coding, and computer aided manufacturing software.

During the past two years, I have developed and taught a middle school, grades five through eight, Technology and Engineering Education program at the American International School of Lagos. Free Open Source software has been a cornerstone of the AISL Engineering Program. In a past life, I taught

high school level engineering classes in the United States for twelve years. The Computer Aided Design software or C.A.D programs we used for technical drawing and design cost hundreds of dollars for each computer every school year. Though a powerful tool for teaching engineering skills, the cost associated with it often put C.A.D. software out the reach of many students and districts. This is not the case with today’s Open Source platforms. Currently there are several powerful C.A.D programs available including Auto Desk, TinkerCad, Blender, and Google Sketchup.

The AISL Engineering program relies on four main free open source programs, but I will focus on three. The first is Google SketchUp Make. It is used as the main 3-D modelling and technical drawing program throughout the engineering program. The program is downloaded onto a computer, thus avoiding issues with Internet connections. Its ease of use makes it appropriate for all middle school grade levels. The real strength of Sketch Up comes when students customize their drawings and modelling tools using the tools others have created within the Open


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Andrew has taught Science and Engineering Education for 17 years. Currently he is developing a middle school Technology and Engineering program at the American International School of Lagos Nigeria.

About the Author

Andrew Bauman

Source community. Sketchup is not used as a stand-alone drawing program, but is used to support our engineering projects, 3-D printing and even other content areas within the school. Students have used their 3-D modelling skills for work both in math and art classes.

The second Open source program we use is the Arduino IDE software that students use in our coding and controls curriculum. Arduino is a programable logic controller in which students use a combination of electrical circuits, components and code to perform different tasks. It is best if students have the physical hardware when building their projects, but it is not required. This is because of an Open Source product: Autodesk TinkerCad Circuits. It accurately simulates circuit components and coding used with Arduino. Students draw their circuits using a user-friendly format, pick and place components, then write code to operate the project. This allows them to virtually work on the coding and controls content without the hardware, thus making it an important resource for both inside and outside the classroom.

Open Source software is a powerful tool that offers schools and educators exciting and new learning options. They allow concepts and difficult content to be taught in an accessible way and with little more no cost. As educators, we are just witnessing the beginning of the Open Source movement that will help shape the future of education.


3.16 Best Practices in Teaching World Languages: Early Childhood Focusby Yetunde Ayoh and Azahara Canizares

Studies show that socialization is essential for developing a new language, including immersion in the context where the L2 (target language) is used (Rodriguez, B., Varela, R., 2004). Thus, the development of language comes with the interaction between people who speak the same language. In the case of L2, the biggest and sometimes the only contact with the language happens inside the classroom. A positive use of target language in a classroom is when lessons are designed in a way where students are taught in that language: when they see, hear, read, write and express themselves in L2.

Using the target language to teach is key in acquiring a second language. Second Language Acquisition research has shown that learners need as much exposure as possible to the target language, and opportunities for practicing need to be created, particularly if the language is not spoken outside of the classroom. For the acquisition to occur, learners need to be actively engaged with the target language. Krashen’s research (1982) shows that learners are able to internalize the language when the teacher provides a considerable amount of new and interesting information connected to previous learning. Vygotsky (1986) also supports this idea, making the comparison of learning to solving a puzzle, saying that students acquire language through meaning-making with others. As with solving a puzzle, at the beginning, the pieces are all jumbled together; they make no meaning, but the moment they are put together, the picture becomes clear and perfect. For example, in a beginners language class, students start listening to different words associated with gestures. At first, they do not understand what is happening but, after several attempts by the teacher, they understand what those words mean. This of course, is a process, at the end of which the connection is made.

As mentioned before, for most learners, their only contact with the L2 is during the instruction time in the classroom. For that reason, we need to provide an authentic and language-rich atmosphere in our classrooms, maximizing every opportunity we have.

This is a question that most language teachers ask at the beginning of their career.

According to Long (1981) and Swain (1995), when learners hear large amounts of comprehensible input and they are engaged in meaning-making, they understand and retain what they hear, and they use it to form their own messages (ACTFL, n.d.).

ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) recommends that learning takes place through the target language for 90% or more of classroom time except in immersion program models where the target language is used exclusively.

Why should we use the target language to teach WL (World Language)?

‘How do I teach a Foreign Language to a group of students that do not speak a common language?’


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It can be stressful, for teachers and students, at the beginning but it is important to continue with the use of L2 inside the classroom for the positive development of the target (Olenka Bilash, 2011). The teacher using the language serves as an example and an opportunity to model what is expected of the student. For example, the teacher can model the different expressions that can be used with a basic classroom routine. For example, greetings, basic classroom actions and instructions: switch on/off the light, open/close the door, be quiet, raise your hand, among others.

Putting in practice the immersion, socialization, repetition and teaching modeling will create a positive and rich L2 learning environment but, it is essential for students and teachers to remember the importance of practice.

References

Rodriguez, B., Varela, R. (2014) ‘Models of Teaching Foreign Languages to Young Children’, Didactica (Lengua y Literatura), V16 p163-175, Available at: https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/DIDA/article/viewFile/DIDA0404110163A/19357, (accessed: 3/12/18).

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), Use of target language in language learning, Available at: https://www.actfl.org/guiding-principles/use-target-language-language-learning, (accessed: 3/12/18).

Yetunde Ayoh has worked as an Elementary and Middle School French teacher at the American International School of Lagos for 26 years. Prior to that she worked as a French teacher at the Alliance Française of Lagos, Nigeria. She has a degree in French and a Masters degree in ESL. She has taught several workshops at the annual NSC (Nigerian Schools Conference) at the American International School of Lagos. She loves visiting new places, working with children and listening to music.

Azahara, was born in Sevilla, Spain. She studied Special Needs Education in Spain and obtained a master’s degree in speech therapy. She has taught Spanish as a second language (ELE) in Hong Kong and Korea before Nigeria. Along the way, she has done several specialization courses in teaching Spanish to kids. In her free time, she loves to play different sports and cook.

About the Authors

Yetunde Ayoh

Azahara Canizares


3.17 The Differentiated Classroom: Reaching Every Studentby Lynn Abercrombie

What is differentiation? The roots of differentiated instruction go all the way back to the days of the one-room schoolhouse, where one teacher had students of all ages in a single classroom. In many parts of the world this is still the case. No two students are alike. Every class will have students of all ranges of abilities, experiences, knowledge, and preferences. Differentiated instruction is how a teacher anticipates and responds to this vast variety of student needs in the classroom. To reach all students in the classroom, teachers differentiate by modifying the content (what is being taught), the process (how it is taught) and the product (how students demonstrate their learning). The wonderful thing about differentiated instruction is that it gives students opportunities for varied ways to learn and demonstrate proficiency. The differentiated classroom allows every student to succeed. As William Powell, co-author of Making the Difference, explains “Differentiation is a journey towards mastery…”Teachers differentiate to ensure that all students have successful learning. An essential component of effective differentiation is tiered instruction. One might argue that there cannot be differentiation without some form of tiering. Tiering is the most sophisticated level of differentiation. For students, it involves different work, not simply more or less work.

TIering can be a very flexible strategy. That said, it is possible to tier instruction by flexible instructional grouping, as well as designing tiered assignments.

TieringTiering can be simple and easy. Materials may vary although the task may be the same (differentiated resources). Or materials may be the same but tasks vary (differentiated processes). Also, tasks may be the same but products are different (differentiated products). FInally, more or less scaffolding can be provided as a means to differentiate.Differentiation StrategiesPossible differentiation strategies include (but are not limited to) tiering by: Readiness, Knowledge, Skills, Understanding; Challenge/Complexity; Degree of Structure, Scaffolding; Concrete to Abstract Applications; and Learning Style Preference.We need to keep in mind when designing tiered assignments that learning goals do not usually change. However, the degree of support, the level of complexity, the way in which students access information, or the manner in which students represent their learning are adjusted to meet the needs and abilities of each student.As educators, we need to look deeper into the notion of tiered student work. Our practice should be to tier assignments to match students to work that is “just right”, neither too easy, nor too challenging for their ability levels. In the wise words of author Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada, “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”

Lynn Abercrombie is Student Support Coordinator at American International School of Lagos. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education. She has taught grades K-12 in private & public schools, residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools, and a medical model school.

About the Author

Lynn Abercrombie

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada


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3.18 Leading Professional Development Options to Better Fit Your School’s Needsby Mark Page-Botelh, AIS Lagos

There are many reasons to offer professional development. As international educators we have classrooms which although different than public sector positions in our home countries, they still are varied and present challenges. Pre-service training cannot be expected to fully prepare teachers for every possible aspect of teaching. It’s this ever-changing population of students and complexity of managing curriculum that requires us to continue our education into our in-service.

Some of the challenges for teachers include multicultural classrooms, special needs students, effective use of technology, use of frameworks, and inclusive learning community strategies. Regardless of whether we work in a private or public school all these issues persist. To be more specific teachers can improve their practice by participating in professional development in order to update subject area knowledge, attitudes and approaches based on new educational research, to enable and apply curricula changes, to enable new strategies, to exchange expertise among teachers, and to help weaker teachers become more effective.

There is a need for professional development offerings across the globe in all types of schools. The Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD), whose studies over the last couple of decades has researched all types of schools across the globe from private to public, found that 11% of teachers are not participating in professional development at all. More importantly they found that certain types of professional development offerings were more effective than others (OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), 2009). Some other interesting findings from the OECD was that the average amount of professional development is 15 days per year. Additionally, they found that offering professional development does not correlate with satisfaction of the needs of faculty. If the professional development offerings are not effective, then there is room for improvement in order to make professional development offerings meaningful to the faculty’s needs.

ReferenceOrganization for Economic Cooperation & Development. (2009). OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Washington,https://www.oecd.org/berlin/43541636.pdf

Director of Technology | American International School of Lagos

I’m a second career teacher who started off as a cartographer in addition to many other jobs in the technology sector. I’ve also worked in some capacity over the last few decades with children either in schools or city recreation programs. For the last few years I’ve been working as a teacher in American international schools across the globe. Currently, I’m stationed at the American International School in Lagos, Nigeria as the Technology Director of a K-12 school.

About the Author

Mark Page-Botelh


3.19 Using Learner-centric Classroom Observation Data for Continuous Improvementby Dr. Ludwig “Ludy” van Broekhuizen

In 2012, the eProveTM Effective Learning Environments Observation Tool® (eleot®) became an integral part of AdvancED’s continuous improvement and accreditation processes. The eleot is a unique, learner-centric classroom observation tool that provides K-12 school and system leaders, teachers and teams actionable data on what is happening for students inside classrooms. For schools seeking information about their students’ experiences in the classroom, the tool paints an aggregate picture for an entire school and/or system. The eleot has other effective uses for training and professional development. Teacher supervisors use it formatively to mentor new teachers and grade level and/or content-area teams for improvement. Professional learning teams also use it to examine their practice. This aspect of eleot, as well as its focus on observing students’ experiences instead of teachers’ performance, differentiates it from other widely used classroom observation measures. To date, over 400,000 classroom observations have been conducted across the world using eleot. AdvancED has spent 81,777 hours (=3,411 days) observing students in 245,631 classrooms in 14,069 schools. These numbers increase daily.1

1 Total as of March 14, 2018.

The ToolThe eleot comprises 28 items organized in seven “environments” based on a review of widely used observation instruments, such as those developed by Marzano and Danielson and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). AdvancED researchers conducted a literature review on learner-centric tasks, attitudes and dispositions conducive to optimal learning, including digital learning as set forth by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards. In essence, eleot measures and quantifies the extent to which there is observable evidence (or no evidence) that students are engaged in certain activities or demonstrate certain knowledge, attitudes and/or dispositions that support their success.

The seven eleot environments are:

• Equitable Learning• High Expectations• Supportive Learning• Active Learning• Progress Monitoring and Feedback• Well-Managed Learning• Digital Learning

4. Learning Partners


Schools in Africa


Observers use a four-point scale (4 = very evident; 3 = evident; 2 = somewhat evident; and 1 = not observed) to rate the 28 items. Both practice and our research have shown that observers should spend a minimum of 20 minutes per observation to capture the most important aspects of learners’ engagement.

However, the power of eleot lies in its ability to reveal strengths, areas in need of improvement and trends across time, classrooms, content areas and grade levels. Thousands of schools across the world are using eleot to monitor their students’ experiences inside the classroom and to improve and expand opportunities for student success.

Findings After conducting over 140,000 direct classroom observations in K-12 schools in the U.S. and across the globe, AdvancED uncovered that there are still relatively few classrooms in which students’ use of digital tools and technology is a regular part of a student’s school experience. In more than half (52.7 percent) of classrooms, direct observations show no evidence that students are using technology to gather, evaluate, or use information for learning; two-thirds of classrooms show no evidence of students using technology to solve problems, conduct research, or to work collaboratively. Furthermore, observers very infrequently saw students using digital tools and technology for the purpose of communicating and working collaboratively. In 92,190 classrooms (64.6 percent), observers did not see students engaging in this use of technology at all. Most

reports on the use of technology for learning have been based on teacher surveys and teachers’ use of technology. Teachers say they are doing more and more to integrate technology into their students’ classroom experiences, but this is not evident in the comprehensive classroom observations AdvancED conducted across all parts of the school day. Though numerous surveys suggest that the pervasive use of tablets, smartphones, laptops, and digital education content in the classroom is expanding and changing the role of teachers, our empirical research found little evidence of technology being used by students to strengthen learning in classrooms today.

Validity and Reliability of eleotBased on a pilot of more than 45,000 classrooms, the eleot has demonstrated strong psychometric qualities. The overall reliability of the measure is .94 using Cronbach’s Alpha which is considered a very strong level of reliability. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis of the measure revealed the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) as .068, which also is very good in social science research. The RMSEA is a measure of how well the theoretical model structure matches the actual structure from the data. In summary, analyses of eleot pilot data confirm the reliability and validity of the measure’s ability to accurately reflect classroom practices across a school on a given day. The result of extended psychometric review reveals that the performance of eleot is robust across multiple subjects and grades, and is extremely stable across multiple environments.

Example of the Observation Descriptions: Digital Learning Environment


Certification and Use of eleot for ImprovementA comprehensive online training and certification component ensures that observation results are valid and reliable across observers and observations. Participants must complete a set of training modules and, based on review of a 20-minute video lesson, obtain a .90 rate of agreement with the expert ratings to become certified eleot observers. To maintain quality, it is highly recommended that observations be conducted by certified observers.

The tool is available in a multi-platform application (desktop, tablet, and smartphone) with rostering, data reporting/export and both online and offline capability to conduct observations.

For more information about how you can use eleot for continuous improvement, contact:

Dr. Ludwig “Ludy” van [email protected]

Experienced executive level leader with a demonstrated history of working in the K-12 continuous improvement education sector. Skilled in Negotiation, Leadership, Language Development, Early Literacy, Language Development, Research, Educational Consulting, Program Evaluation, Grant Writing, Contract Management and Educational Technology. Strong K-12 education professional graduated from Universiteit van Amsterdam and the University of Oregon.

About the Author

Dr. Ludwig “Ludy” van Broekhuizen


Schools in Africa


4.1 NEASC facilitates fresh approaches to talking about learningby Jeff Bradley, Director, NEASC Commission on International Education

NEASC’s groundbreaking accreditation protocol, ACE Learning, was launched in 2016 by the Commission on International Education (CIE) and is being successfully rolled out to a growing list of member schools, including many schools new to NEASC Accreditation who are attracted by ACE Learning’s structure. By focusing primarily on learning inside and outside classrooms, the ACE Learning process challenges schools to see themselves as reflective learning communities. To assure that fundamental policies, practices, and resources are in place, a school must first meet ACE’s five Foundation Standards before accreditation can proceed. Compliance with these standards demonstrates that a school has established the necessary infrastructure on which safe, sustainable and effective learning environments are built. Then, the ACE process supports schools along their journey to become successful learning communities focused squarely on learner impacts.

Conversations build community and a shared understanding of learning. We ask schools to consider — as a community — a series of conversation-starting questions under each of the ten ACE Learning Principles, intended to provoke important dialogue about student learning and to encourage honest reflection by all. Through conversation, parents, students, administrators, and teachers form a shared understanding of learning and build a sense of unity about their aspirations for their students and others. This is critical to the process because with shared understanding, a school community has common ground to stand

on when making plans for the future. A shared understanding of learning helps guide everything from how the school creates schedules to how it organizes classroom spaces to how it envisions the roles of students and teachers.

Conversations are based on real-world experience and shared perspective.ACE also fosters quality, ongoing conversations among caring educators where they can share best practices and offer guidance. The exchange and common dialogue can be very refreshing for teachers, who are energized by the collaborative tone and common focus on classroom practices. Learning remains at the center of these conversations.

Conversations energize teachers.The ACE model has energized NEASC’s member schools. When NEASC accreditation teams visit schools, often in synchronization with partner agencies such as CIS and IB, the excitement of engaging with peers to establish common goals is palpable. Our NEASC peer visitors also find the work refreshingly learning-focused. By changing the conversations about accreditation, the ACE Learning process can be used by schools as a lever to create lasting and impactful changes, not just as a quality assurance tool or a measuring stick. With newly infused vitality and enthusiasm, schools experience accreditation as an encouragement to be bold in their planning and execution of their aspirational goals, and we at NEASC are excited by the opportunity to support schools along their paths to success.

Jeff Bradley, NEASC/CIE Director, served as a NEASC Commissioner from 2009-2015. Earlier in his career, Jeff was a partner at Educators’ Collaborative, and in 2012 co-founded OESIS Group – a periodic gathering of global-minded K-12 education leaders aimed at sparking conversations and innovations to support best practices.

For more information: email: [email protected] | website: cie.neasc.org

About the Author

Jeff Bradley


Schools in Africa

AISA TeamPeter Bateman | Executive Director

[email protected]

Graham Watts | Director Professional [email protected]

Chanel Ryall |Director of Partnerships and [email protected]

William Thuku | Finance & Administration [email protected]

Barnabas Suva | Administrative [email protected]

Steve Muthiitene | Executive Assistant & Events [email protected]

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