Professional Development
Personalised Learning Experiences Improve Professional Performance
By Katina Seymour, PYP Coordinator
Ongoing
teacher
professional
development is one of the most
important factors needed to
support a relevant, rigorous and
quality educational programme.
At LCIS, our participation in both
local and international professional
development is made possible by
the consistent generosity of our
parents and community through
the Annual Fund. Our school is
fortunate to have community
support for the school’s academic
plans and our goal of continued
academic growth and student
progress.
This fund allows our teachers to
engage in face–to–face and online,
certified professional development
offerings. Attending workshops or
seminars and inviting experts into
our school benefits us in so many
ways. Providing opportunities to
share innovations and experiences
with colleagues around the world
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enables us to become part of a
regional and global professional
learning community. For example,
receiving training in best practices
for literacy and math helps us
ensure our educational provision is
on track with worldwide standards
and expectations.
This
past
October,
I
had
the opportunity to visit the
International School of Paris to
shadow their PYP Coordinator. As
the newly appointed curriculum
coordinator at LCIS, it was very
important and beneficial for me
to see firsthand how a veteran
executed his responsibilities for
supporting teaching and learning
at an IB school. I gained much
insight into what world-class
teaching and learning look like,
the need for balancing direct
instruction with inquiry, ways to
facilitate teacher collaboration
and how to establish a culture
of
reflective
practices.
The
generosity of our community
through the Annual Fund made
this learning experience possible
and it will directly affect our work
with students on a daily basis.
With your support, we remain
committed to ensuring that our
staff receives updated training. We
will continue to offer professional
development opportunities to
support
school-wide
growth
and maintain the quality of
programmes. We believe that the
robust professional development
funding at our school has a direct
correlation to the impact on
student learning and achievement.
Thank you for helping us continue
to strengthen the performance and
competency levels of our faculty
and increase the opportunities for
students to grow holistically and
achieve greater levels of success.
Innovative Tools for Learning
By Giles Pinto, MYP & DP Coordinator
Helping the school go from good to great has always been a focus of the Annual Fund and donations have
helped again with the support of specific secondary programmes. Areas of focus were providing learning tools
to increase student engagement, improve the efficacy of faculty, enrich learning for gifted and talented students
and ensure success for all students in the IB Diploma Programme/Career-related Programme and beyond
Specific programmes purchased include:
1. No Red Ink: which allows teachers to give focused and detailed feedback to students on writing skills as well
as building general capacity with grammar and analytical thinking.
2. Second Step: a modern, web-based Advisory programme with 176 activities and weekly lessons as well as
online professional learning.
3. Voicethread: a digital, multimedia reflection tool where students can reflect on work completed in project-
based activities as well as courses with multi-stage components.
4. Pearson Key Stage Three Science Resources: groundbreaking resource material for Grades 6 to 8 to support
standards-based instruction.
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