Making the right career choice for you and your new school is very important. Recruitment in international schools is not simply about finding the right location: it is about great schools and great teachers finding a mutual passion, a common approach and shared values.
We are committed to recruiting and developing excellent educators, leaders, and administrators from around the world to form a dynamic and highly motivated team to become part of a community of learners that has as its core the BASIS International Schools, China values of integrity, responsibility, inclusiveness, respect, caring and courage. These values shape our behavior, inform our decision-making and provide a shared focus for all our actions.
Despite its relatively young age, BASIS International School Shenzhen is already renowned for its academic achievements. Looking ahead we seek to further enrich the quality of our educational experience and broaden the opportunities on offer, providing our graduates with the intellectual rigour and creative problem-solving skills that are required to become a leader in whichever field they desire.
Mr. Botting with a group of students at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.
In what ways do our teachers facilitate such excellence? Perhaps this paragraph will both offer some insight and simultaneously inspire you to make an application:
In a BASIS classroom, learning takes place in an environment that welcomes risk taking and is appropriately challenging and frequently fascinating. Thoughtfully designed activities lead to deepening lines of inquiry and the sharing of ideas. Teacher/student relationships are warm and caring and planning and practice are driven by knowledge of each student’s next steps for learning. Readiness for learning, both emotional and intellectual, is assured before students explore their learning through reasoned arguments and active listening. The physical design of the learning space facilitates whole class instruction, whole class collective discussion, paired talk and small group dialogue, ensuring that knowledge building acknowledges and considers diverse perspectives. Students are asked to reflect on their own thinking, to explain what led them to a particular conclusion, to put another student’s idea in their own words, or to agree or disagree with an idea that has been presented, feedback being used constructively to encourage self-reflection and self-assessment.
After 30 years in international education I continue to be fascinated by the challenges that lie in the classroom. One area in particular that needs deeper consideration is that of assessment. In a test-driven environment, the purpose of assessment is often overlooked. Indeed, before choosing the vehicle we should know the destination. Separating the purpose of an assessment from the assessment task itself might have a significant impact on the stress-laden experience that is common in high-stakes testing. It would be really interesting to further explore this aspect.
Why not join me?
Nick Botting
Executive Head of School
BASIS International School Shenzhen
Visit our careers website for more information about teaching with BASIS International Schools.
