Tuesday 17 Sep 2019

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Education Newsletter - September 2019

Welcome Back to School! 

Nous voici à presque un mois d'école et il s'est déjà passé tant de choses ! J'écris avec bonheur, au son des enfants joyeux dans la cour de récréation, par un après-midi ensoleillé au Manoir. 

In this edition:

  1. Our Work on Inclusion
  2. CIS preparatory evaluation visit
  3. 10 years of Ecolint/Durham University collaboration on initial teacher training
  4. Institute courses in 2019-2020
  5. MA Durham: modules for staff auditors
  6. Annexe VI reports
  7. Miscellaneous

En plus de maintenir les opportunités de formation continue offertes par l'Institut d'apprentissage et d'enseignement (voir ci-dessous), le Département de l'éducation se concentrera cette année sur deux projets particulièrement importants: 
 

1) Notre travail continu sur l'Inclusion

David Hawley recently shared with you the new Foundation Statement on Inclusion. After much hard work and a wonderful training session on August 27th led by Next Frontier Inclusion, our Learning Support and ESP specialists are now ready to use a new Individual Learning Plan (ILP) to replace the former Individual Education Plans (IEPs). The change in terminology is important as we seek to reflect in this, as in all domains, our understanding of how learning takes place. 

I am excited to further align our practice with current research and to provide more opportunities for students to exercise agency in communicating their learning needs. Over the course of this academic year the particular aim of the Inclusion Working Group will be to ensure a common language and essential agreements about the way we respond to neurodiversity in our classrooms. 

Dans ce domaine comme dans d'autres, il est important de s'assurer que nous suivons les meilleures pratiques pédagogiques et les recherches les plus récentes dont nous disposons afin de mieux servir les enfants qui nous sont confiés. Nous savons aussi que la collaboration, les équipes interdisciplinaires et l'enseignement différencié profiteront à tous nos élèves et permettront à ceux qui ont des besoins particuliers de vivre une école vraiment inclusive.

 

2) Préparation de l'évaluation synchronisée CIS/MSA/IB 

2021 will mark the first time that the Foundation will undertake an accreditation cycle involving all curricular programmes in all schools simultaneously (CIS/MSA/IB). 

School leadership teams have been working closely with me since last Spring to write the preparatory evaluation report that will be submitted to CIS in early October. 

The CIS preparatory evaluation visit will take place November 19-22, 2019. Following the visit, we will begin a year-long self-study process. 

→ If you are interested in participating in a self-study committee, please let me or your school principal know. 

It is important that this process truly be collective and that we draw from the wisdom and perspective of the whole community as we continue our journey as a community of learners and reflective practitioners. 

La visite préparatoire de l'évaluation de CIS  aura lieu du 19 au 22 novembre 2019. Après la visite, nous commencerons un processus de réflexion institutionnelle pendant un an. 

 

3) Celebrating the 10th year of the initial teacher training

 

As we begin the academic year 2019/20, our initial teacher training programme, a collaboration between Durham University UK and Ecolint, joined also by partner schools for teaching placements, is celebrating its 10th year.

Dirigée par la nouvelle directrice des études professionnelles du PGCE, Tanya Day Clark, notre volet de formation initiale a commencé son programme. Nous souhaitons la bienvenue dans nos écoles à nos nouveaux étudiants alors qu'ils entament leur cursus d'études pour embrasser la profession d’enseignant et nous sommes reconnaissants à nos collègues et à nos écoles partenaires, tant en Suisse que dans le monde entier, pour leur collaboration constante.

In July 2019, the Durham University Exam Board confirmed the most recent successful graduates from the 2018-19 PGCE (International) Programme. Members of the 2018/19 cohort have joined more than 120 PGCE (International) past graduates who are now working both locally and in many schools in countries around the world. 

Our 10th year cohort 2019/20 comprising of 15 trainees, led by the new PGCE Director of Professional Studies Tanya Day Clark, has now begun their programme. As in other years they are from varied previous professional backgrounds including this year: finance, scientific research, broadcasting and counselling. We welcome them to our schools as they begin their course of study to join the teaching profession and are grateful to our colleagues and partner schools, both in Switzerland and in countries around the globe, for their continuing collaboration.

→ I invite you to consider becoming a mentor during one of the school placement periods. (Please contact tanya.dayclark@ecolint.ch)

The learning process goes both ways as the questions posed by the PGCE students inevitably inspire us to think critically, deliberately and deeply on what we do in our classrooms and why. 

 

4) Institute Courses 2019-2020

The Institute team has been working feverishly to put the final details in place for an exciting year of professional development opportunities. Nous avons la chance de voir s’offrir à nous autant d’occasions de développement professionnel et d’engagement intellectuel. Nous espérons que vous serez nombreux à vous incrire!  Cliquez ici pour voir toutes les offres.

  • Améliorations sur le site internet de l’Institut:  options supplémentaires de filtrage (voir le catalogue); nouvelle vue calendrier de tous les cours
  • Restructuration des cours ICT:  éléments de la suite Google et certification Google Educator (voir tous les cours ICT)
  • Restructuration des cours d'anglais et de français: le programme sera proposé par ASC Languages et 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 (voir tous les cours de langue - date limite d'inscription: 15 octobre)
     

5) Not to be missed!

Modules for staff auditors - MA International (Durham University)

As you know, Ecolint hosts a Durham University MA in International Education. Ecolint staff are invited to audit modules (places are limited to 10 per module). The modules for 2019-2020 are: 

  • Educational Enquiry, October 31st - November 3rd, 2019
    Tutors: Dr. Louise Gascoine, Dr. Laura Mazzoli Smith

    This module aims to develop students to become reflective practitioners and enquirers in their professional context. The module aims to instil in students an 'enquiry as stance' (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009) position, whereby a discerning, critical, investigative and informed approach is fostered. Students will also be provided with the tools to carry out pilot practitioner research in their own practice.

  • Leadership, Management and Change, Dates TBC
    Tutor: Dr. Christina Chinas

    This module aims to develop critical understanding of management, leadership and change in the organisation of educational institutions.

→ If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity as non-credit bearing professional development, please contact lisa.parker@ecolint.ch.

6) Annexe VI Reports

→ Please click here

 

7) Miscellaneous

AIE Conference "Rethinking International Education October 18-19" → Register here!

Links to interesting resources

Look for the Research Journal to be published soon!