Education Newsletter - April 2019
The Education Department is buzzing with updates and exciting training opportunities!
The approach of spring invariably brings with it a sense of excitement, renewed energy and a desire to develop new projects and plans. That is certainly how we feel in the Education Department about important initiatives like the launching of a network of international research schools at the RIPE Summer Institute, the opening of a new cohort for the Microprogramme de philosophie pour les enfants and the Foundation’s promotion of Evidence Based Principles of Learning.
In this edition:
- Develop your own Action Research project: The RIPE Summer Institute
- Microprogramme en philosophie pour les enfants
- Five bursaries offered for the MA in International Education
- Restructuration des cours de langues et ICT
- How do we break down thinking processes? Share your best practice!
- A new Director for the PGCE International
- Annexe VI: Changes concerning criteria for 2019-20
Develop your own Action Research project!
Ce programme est offert simultanément en anglais et français.
NEW: We have divided the seminar into three separate modules so that participants with limited availability can choose those modules most suited to their needs:
Register now!
- Module 1 "Research Methods": Thursday 4 July (afternoon) → Saturday 6 July
- Module 2 "Assessment": Sunday 7 July
- Module 3 "Moving forward with your project": Monday 8 July (morning)
- Full programme: Thursday 4 July (afternoon) → Monday 8 July (morning
More and more educators have recognized the power of action research as a means of professional growth, collaboration and exchange as well as a tool to improve the conditions for student learning within a specific context: your school.
The programme for this year’s Research Informed Practice in Education (RIPE) Summer Institute is designed to support schools in the development of action research projects tailored to meet their specific needs, whatever your question may be:
- How to implement a new pedagogical tool and measure its impact?
- How to analyse data?
- How to create a new model for developing professional learning communities?
We will provide you with a template, training in research methods, and offer support throughout the academic year to ensure the success of your project. Over the course of four days we will provide coaching with professors from the University of Geneva, Durham University and Tübingen University so that you are ready to start academic year 2019-2020 with a detailed, individualised plan. The Summer Institute will conclude with the launching of a network of international research schools.
Devenez animateur-trice d’une communauté de recherche
Inscrivez-vous au Microprogramme en philosophe pour les enfants
Juillet marque également le début de notre prochaine volée du Microprogramme en philosophe pour les enfants. En collaboration avec l'Université Laval, nous avons la chance de pouvoir offrir la seule certification à l'extérieur du Canada dans cette méthode pédagogique dont la richesse est inestimable.
La méthode de philosophie pour les enfants reconnaît la capacité de chaque enfant à réfléchir sur des questions existentielles fondamentales et à le faire au sein d'une communauté de recherche qui, par sa nature même, favorise la pensée critique, l'écoute, une sagesse collective ainsi que les valeurs et principes démocratiques.
Five bursaries offered for the MA in International Education
How to apply? Please write a letter of motivation by 10 May 2019 to karen.taylor@ecolint.ch (see further down)
We are delighted to announce that the Institute of Learning and Teaching will be offering five fully funded bursaries to study for the MA in International Education which we offer in collaboration with Durham University.
Durham University School of Education is one of the leading departments for education in the UK and ranking joint 1st in the UK for world-leading research impact.
This collaboration enables students to study in Geneva or Durham, across three years (two long weekends of classroom study per year for the first two years and a dissertation in year three). The course is open both to Ecolint colleagues and the wider public.
To apply for a fully funded bursary in September 2019, please write a letter of motivation by 10 May 2019 to karen.taylor@ecolint.ch, outlining why you believe you would be a worthy recipient of this award, and how the MA would enhance your professional performance.
Colleagues who do not qualify for the bursary, but are still keen to do the MA, continue to benefit from a 1000 CHF per year stipend which is currently offered.
Restructuration des cours de langue et ICT pour 2019-2020
L'année prochaine, les cours informatiques se concentreront sur les éléments de la suite Google. Notre formatrice Catherine Moreno offrira des cours de préparation pour une certification de Google Educator. Des heures de permanence supplémentaires pour un coaching individuel ou des formations spécifiques par équipe seront également disponibles.
Les cours d'anglais et de français pour le staff et les parents seront proposés par un prestataire externe avec des cours adaptés aux besoins (vocabulaire professionnel, conversation de base, etc.). Le nouveau programme comprendra une évaluation en ligne avant le commencement du cours, du suivi et des rapports finaux de cours avec certification et niveau officiel d'acquisition linguistique.
Le site internet de l'Institut sera mis à jour en conséquence pour les inscriptions à la rentrée.
How do we break down thinking processes?
If you wish to join our conversation and share your best practice with colleagues, please contact karen.taylor@ecolint.ch.
This year, Ecolint adopted its ten Evidence-Based Learning Principles. Inspired by collective work on Project Zero’s Creating Cultures of Thinking, we have begun to share across the Foundation the ways in which we contribute to altering for the better the culture of our school and the learning environment.
Learning Principle Five, “Building understanding is enhanced through a culture of thinking”, encompasses in many ways our overarching understanding of how learning takes place and the importance of making thinking visible, to ourselves and to others. Visible thinking promotes metacognitive understanding and provides an opportunity to explore and reveal the complexity of understanding.
A new Director for the PGCE International
The Durham University/Ecolint collaboration initiated by Alison Ball has resulted in a strong and innovative programme in initial teacher training for international educators that will welcome its tenth cohort in 2019-2020. Although Alison has chosen to step away from full-time directorship of the programme in order to spend more time in the classroom, we are fortunate that she will continue her involvement in the programme as we further develop our links with partner schools.
We are excited to welcome Tanya Day-Clark as Alison’s successor. Tanya joins Ecolint from Germany, where she has been working as the Middle Years Coordinator and as an IBDP English B teacher at Berlin International School.
Originally from a British-French/American family, Tanya has been living in Berlin for the past twelve years and teaching internationally, at schools and vocational colleges, in Berlin, California, France, and the UK, for over 20 years. Tanya’s training is in secondary education and modern foreign languages. She holds an MA in French and French Literature from the University of Edinburgh, a PGCE from Canterbury Christ Church University, and is currently studying for her Doctorate in Education. Her areas of interest include teacher identity, professional development, multilingual pedagogies, bilingual education, plurilingualism and intercultural competences.
Tanya will be moving to Geneva with her husband and three children. Having spent many happy summers in Geneva and the Vaud visiting extended family members, they are looking forward to making it their new home.
Annexe VI: Changes concerning criteria for 2019-20 / Changements concernant les critères pour 2019-2020
Submit your proposals here by 15.05.2019 / Soummettez vos propositions ici avant le 15.05.2019
Preference will be given to proposals that have the greatest potential impact on student learning, the overall student experience at Ecolint and the implementation of our five strategic ambitions.
Additional preference will be given to those proposals that involve staff working in collaboration on a project that does not require teachers to miss (or not be assigned) classes that would normally comprise a full or part-time teaching contract. In other words, proposals that require décharge from teaching responsibilities for the duration of a school year will not be considered.
Creativity and innovation in these proposals is welcome as this funding is not intended for normal professional development, e.g. an IB workshop, a conference or taking a course. The Commission Paritaire will be consulted during its May meeting prior to the approval of the proposals.
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La préférence sera accordée aux propositions qui ont le plus grand impact potentiel sur l’apprentissage des élèves, l’expérience globale des élèves à l'Ecolint et la mise en œuvre de nos cinq ambitions stratégiques.
Une préférence supplémentaire sera accordée aux propositions qui n'impliquent pas, de la part des collaborateurs travaillant sur le projet, de devoir manquer (ou de se voir attribuer) des enseignements qui relèveraient normalement d'un contrat à temps plein ou partiel. En d'autres termes, cela signifie que les propositions qui exigent une décharge des responsabilités d’enseignement pour une durée d’une année scolaire ne seront pas prises en considération.
La créativité et l’innovation dans ces propositions sont les bienvenues, car ce financement n’est pas destiné au perfectionnement professionnel normal, p. ex. un atelier de l’IB, une conférence ou un cours. La Commission paritaire sera consultée lors de sa réunion de mai, avant l’approbation des propositions.