TIS Director's Blog

I really like it when teachers and administrators take extra care in designing their classrooms and offices. The “wow”
factor for students and colleagues helps the learning in the space. I want to share the three-part video series with faculty next week as they set up their classrooms and other learning spaces. The videos were featured on one of my favorite educational resource web sites, Edutopia, published by the George Lucas Foundation. The videos follow the consulting firm, The Third Teacher Plus, as they work with an American middle school teacher and help him re-design his classroom. I had to laugh remembering how many students they cram in a classroom in public schools. The featured teacher has classes of 36 students. The videos were inspiring to me and hopefully our faculty as well.

 

The second part shows the actually work and physical transformation of the room. I particularly loved the “Toss and Keep” game. I also see the Stanford d.school also is involved in this particular project.  This is an ideal situation with a team of professionals working in the room.

 

 

Part three shows the final product and the reactions of the students. They also go through all the facets of the room. It really makes me want to do this with my office. The original post on Edutopia can be found here.

 

 

 

Our EDL Leadership 424 class participated in a workshop held at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan earlier this week. Creativity and Imagination in Leadership Seminar was hosted by the Maxine Greene Center for Aesthetic Education and Social Imagination and Jazz @ Lincoln Center. The Jazz @ Lincoln Center was started in 1987 with the mission of spreading jazz music and acts kind of like a Jazz Hall of Fame, but with more of a promotional and teaching aspect. They have their own orchestra led by Jazz great Wynton Marsalis. Our workshop was held in one of the studio classrooms and led by Dr. Jon Drescher from Lehigh’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders. 

The purpose of the experience was to “expand our awareness of the importance of multiple perspectives, collaboration, risk-taking, and reflective practices. We arrived and in small groups, arranged a traditional American song to fit our experience of America. Since we had several Latin Americans in our group, we put a Spanish language and Latin American culture spin on the Elvis Presley classic, Blue Suede Shoes. Other groups included hip-hop (urban principals), spoken word, etc.

Next we listened to the band, The Amigos (video above). They teach US History through music and music through US History and do a lot of performances in schools. It was amazing their talent, enthusiasm, and repertoire. They performed many kinds of American music, for example Zydeco, Blue Grass, Negro Spiritual, Slide Piano, etc. I learned  much and enjoyed the music. A brilliant idea! They will be going on an overseas tour next month courtesy of the US State Department as an ambassador and teacher of American culture. They will be fine representatives. As a non musician, I appreciated and was inspired by the musicians, especially their tie in with US history and teaching history through music and vice versa. I was totally engaged throughout the concert, and I am not a big music fan. The background behind each song hooked me into what they were doing and I gained a deeper level of understanding of America.

I wish we would have talked a bit more to the band although they did hit upon some of their work together. This excerpt from an article from Warwick Business School Researcher Deniz Ucbasaran featured in The Guardian gets to the main point.

build creative tension and give individuals their heads” while working within the framework of a collective. They have to harness the “disparate egos of highly talented people” and somehow keep them working towards the same goal. “To the uninitiated, jazz seems like chaos, whereas the reality is that it’s very ordered,” she says. “Underpinning the structure is a long tradition of education and practice.

What did I take away from the workshop? I did understand the concepts of improvisation, creative conflict, etc. and the music group reinforced this, but my big learning was the power of the fine arts to inspire and teach organizations. What a great way to focus and build team work than through music, theatre, or visual arts. Not only does it put The Arts (IB proper noun) in the center of everyone’s focus, but it can bring together diverse groups. This is also a neat way of doing Professional Development and truly differentiating for those people who are musically oriented. What a great way to engage people. This would also work great with students and parents.

I would love to do this with our faculty, students, and parents, and teach Serbian culture and history through music and vice versa. My vision would be to have a traditional Serbian folk band and troupe of dancers come in and play songs and give mini-lectures about the instruments and meanings/origins of the songs. They could also talk about the costumes and participants in the workshop would learn the basic steps of a Kolo dance and maybe how to play some simple melodies on the gusle, or accordion.

As a step further, I do want to read Max Depree’s book, Leadership Jazz and see how more applications to leadership can be found reflecting on this experience.

We participated in a Design Thinking workshop by the d.school Institute of Design at Stanford University. They produced an 90-minute crash course workshop that the public can take on line. Our EDL 424 Leadership: Self & Groups class did the workshop aided by our professor.The goal of the d.school’s workshop is to give participants the experience of using “design thinking” to solve problems. We were paired up and asked to consider the last time we gave a gift. The idea then was to apply design thinking to improving the experience.

Design thinking has been around since the 1970s. The d.school lab at Stanford brings together people from many different disciplines and areas of expertise to work out the messy problems of the world. They foster radical collaboration and innovation. I love that word innovation! Their ideas are neatly summarized here.

The big learning I took from the process of design thinking was to focus on EMPATHY while solving problems. During the workshop, after initially interviewing my partner about her latest gift-giving experience, we were asked to dig deeper and figure out what was “really going on” with the giving of the gift. What did the gift really mean? The Stanford workshop people asked us to latch on to something the other person said that hinted at something deeper. For my friend, it was her concern about her friend’s pregnancy (it was for a baby shower) and the lack of support from the father of her baby. An example I could use at my school would be at our recently created Curriculum Overview Maps. Teachers from PK through 12 got together periodically this year to vertically align the curriculum. I worked closely with the science department and we mapped out the content and skills sequentially to ensure a smooth transition from PYP to MYP to DP. What we need to go back to is to empathize with the students and what do we want the students to feel as they go through the curriculum. In my opinion, the science teachers would want to have the students either be inspired to become scientists or have an appreciate for science and see how it enriches their lives. What is in the curriculum to stimulate this????

The model of d.school’s design thinking is below.

Another one of the key ideas I took away from the experience was the d.school’s call for action. They emphasized instead of thinking about something for too long, get started and do something. The result will be more thinking along the way and a better finished product.

Finally I really felt that I got to know my partner and it can create a bond between employees or students.

It reminds me of the “Design and Technology” course in the IB’s Middle Years Programme that teaches the “Design Cycle”

The basic idea of the MYP design cycle is to Investigate-Plan-Create- Evaluate and to move between and among these actions while solving a problem.

I will recommend our teachers of Design and Technology to do this crash course with their students. There is a web site with a crash course and materials adapted for a K-12 school http://www.designthinkingforeducators.com/.

I really enjoyed our class on Sunday here at Lehigh University. I am taking EDL 424 “Leadership: Self & Groups again with Dr. Anne Marie Fitzgerald. We took time out of our regular studies to learn some physical leadership skills up on the mountain top campus. As you can see above, all of the activities were physical tests that required team work to complete. My favorite was the large balance below, which required everybody to play a part in the in the success of the activity. We needed to get everyone on board without the platform touching the ground.

It gave me many ideas about getting leadership and teamwork with students and staff. I appreciated the physical challenge and a break from the academic or mental challenges we normally face in school. These kinds of things would work very well at our school. Besides me, can you spot the other former ISB employee???

 

I just completed the first course in my Doctoral program of Educational Leadership at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  I plan to take three courses this summer and need to complete 16 total to earn the Ed.D.

This first course was taught by Dr. Anne Fitzgerald and it focused on Bolman and Deal’s book, “Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership”. The big idea for leaders is to look at organizations through four different “frames” or models. I made a power point to summarize the four frame and it is below. The idea is to force oneself to think in different ways and frame issues from different perspectives. It also is important for leaders to think in ways that are not naturally inclined to do.

There are lots of valuable ideas and resources the course provided me. The photo above is a board game we did in class called The Change Game, and it was a simulation of how to implement change in a school. My notes from the course are below. There were several big ideas that were also featured in the class besides the four frames. These included Roger Martin’s Integrative Thinking and the Opposable Mind, the Curse of Cluelessness, Mintzberg’s Five, Myerson’s Tempered Radicals, Keegan and Lahey’s Immunity to Change.

 

 

 

Every June the Lower School Principal and I make a presentation to the ISB Board of Trustees. The presentation is above and it highlights student achievement. As part of our school’s strategic plan, we are developing a set of indicators which we will monitor to determine success. With that in mind, I went a bit beyond just test scores and documents our cocurricular, fine arts, and community service program.

I am very interested in student learning data and what it can tell us and how it can improve teaching and learning at ISB. In a public forum such as this, I can’t go into the details that are under the data above. We are fortunate at ISB to have students that come from families that value education and our students are strong readers, mathematicians, and students in general that take their education seriously. They are normal teenagers however, and it is a challenge for us to engage and motivate them to do even more.

 

 

If you go to the 9:22 mark of the video, you can hear my interview as I discuss ISB’s relationship with the Central Trades School. Our Diploma Programme students are volunteering at the school to work with the students. Below are some of my thoughts from the visit.

It was an uplifting experience to visit the Central Trades School (Srednja Zanatska Škola) in the Belgrade suburb of Rakovica. The school is a government initiative that focuses on social rehabilitation and job training for vulnerable students in the Belgrade metropolitan area. Single mothers, refugees, victims of domestic violence, people with disabilities, Roma children, etc. are the target population. Most of the students are from ages 17-20 and include about 30% Roma.

The school was hosting a school year culminating fair, called, “We Can Overcome the Boundaries Together.”  There were food stands, music and dance performances, judo exhibitions, craft bazaar, etc. I toured the school and met with the teachers and students. I was invited as the representative of the International School of Belgrade. This year our students through the Community Action and Service Program at our school have been regularly working with the severe special needs students in the garden and green house program of the school. The idea stemmed from one of our students, whose parents through their work in the diplomatic community, became aware of the school.

The school’s goal is to train and find job for their students. To that end, they have working auto mechanic garages, welding workshops, beauty salons, and even a small restaurant. Students also do internships with local businesses to help them make the transition into employment. An article in the Studio B web site stated that 40% of their students find jobs.

It is nice that the Serbian government supports these kinds of schools. A society can be judged on how it treats its most vulnerable members. I was also impressed with the positive spirit of the students and teachers and especially, the dedication of the faculty. Everyone I met was very dedicated to students and felt good about making a difference

One of the characteristics of the “Generation M” students is they are less active than previous generations of students. Much of this is caused by the advent of the internet and personal electronic devices. With the world of entertainment and communication at their fingertips, it is tempting to be in front of a screen a big portion of the day. The purpose of the ISB Upper School Fitness Week was to get our community moving and finding a balance between a healthy mind (academics) and a healthy body.

Everyday this week our Physical Education Department, led by ISB PE Teacher, Mr. Igor Šaljić, gave some opportunity for the students and teachers to be active or learn a new sport. The photo above shows a school-wide Zumba session. Both teachers and students felt energized at the end of a long day of study, with the Latin rhythms and dance moves featured in a Zumba workout. Earlier in the week, the students were introduced to the sports of judo, fencing, and archery, three activities that they normally would never be exposed to. The culmination of the week is our walk/run in Košutnjak Park today. The event will not only get our students walking in nature, but it will also raise money for the local Drinka Pavlović Orphanage. CAS Coordinator Vladimir Stanojlović is leading an effort to collect funds to buy sports equipment for the kids at the orphanage. Donations are being accepted anytime at the school reception desks or directly with Vladimir in the library.

We hope the mantra of get away from your screens and get moving will resonate with our students.

 

 

Yesterday it was the most exciting tree planting I’ve ever experienced. The Class of 2013 planted a tree in front of the middle school during the hail storm. The Senior Class Awards Assembly was timed perfectly with the rain, and by the time we got out to the spot in front of the new building, rain had filled the hole dug for the tree. The boys persevered and it was a good lesson – things in life do not always go as planned, and one has to make the best of any situation. Tree planting ceremonies in schools symbolize planning for the future and long-term thinking, stewardship of environment, and the value of education, sowing the seeds for future success, etc.

It is an emotional week for the senior class and their parents as their high school education career is coming to an end. The community is invited to come to Saturday’s Commencement Exercises. It has been a memorable week so far, and a tree planting the young men will not forget.

The tree is a Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) so named because the seed pods resemble “gum balls” and the leaves have a pleasant odor when crushed. The tree was selected for its beautiful autumn colors of orange and red, and it will look nice against the backdrop of the building. It is also a different species of tree and will add to our campus nature “laboratory” that the science classes use to do field studies.

 

As part of the IB curriculum, students in the final year of the Middle Years Programme, which is our Grade 10, complete a personal project during the school year. Today we held the public exhibition of their projects. I really enjoy sitting down with the students and talking about their projects. I feel the biggest benefits for my work as a principal, is to learn what interests and talents our students demonstrate. This could lead to new courses, workshops, or after school activities.

The big theme for this year’s cohort of 12 students (our smallest class in the Upper School) was technology. Most of the projects in some way integrated the use of technology. It confirmed my thinking that eventually we should offer programming classes here at ISB. Below is a list of Personal Projects of some of the students I had a chance to learn about:

• Connor spent 3 days and nights alone in the Fruska Gora National Park camping with a minimum of supplies. He read Thoreau’s On Walden Pond and made a documentary of his experience.
• Two students made Apps, the first by Ilija was a “super-duper” calculator for the iPhone and the other was an App for an Android phone that lets the user know when the battery is fully charged. The student, Sima, went on to calculate the energy savings his app would accumulate if people stopped charging their phones after the battery was full. Both boys had to learn programming languages (Java, Csharp). Ilija also went to a science center here in Serbia (Petnica).
• Two students made websites, one for his father’s business and the other for the German Soccer League.
• Alex made a 6-day crash course training video on Mixed Martial Arts.
• Rea wrote, played, recorded, and uploaded an original song to and uploaded it to Bandcamp.com. The link to the song is here.
• Christian, shown above, wrote 5 short stories set in New York City that follows the cases of two private detectives during World War II.
• Anze wrote a screen play based on Arthur C. Clarke’s 1972 science fiction novel, “Rendezvous With Rama.” The movie script covers the first half of the book. Actor Morgan Freeman is actually trying to make a movie based on the book.
• Svetlana researched the state of women’s soccer here in Serbia and spent a couple of days with the Serbian Women’s National Team. It resulted in a web site on women’s soccer and a video of her experiences.