Professional development is a purposeful, collaborative process led by our experienced school leaders at BASIS International & Bilingual Schools, who understand both effective teaching and mentoring. Through our Institute for Management Training (IMAT), they receive training in workshop design and delivery, helping them shape and guide the learning culture within their schools.
This leadership training was evident in the recent Professional Development Day across the network, where school leaders like Dr. Bryn James, Vice Head of School, and Elana Molier, Chair of Primary School Humanities, facilitated workshops at BASIS International School Hangzhou.
Fostering Teacher Growth Through Reading Groups
At BASIS International School Hangzhou, we believe meaningful professional development should align with teachers’ self-selected SMART Goals, have a strong element of choice, be founded on research-based materials, and trust teachers as professionals to guide their own learning through discussion and collaboration with passionate colleagues.
Staff at our school select an individual SMART Goal each semester, aligned to one of our four Teaching and Learning Domains. As much as possible, we prioritize professional development that addresses teachers’ individual goals and challenges, hence Reading Groups with a range of long and short articles across ten areas, from Formative Feedback to Assessment for Learning to Time Management, ensuring there was enough choice for staff to find something genuinely interesting.
To engage teachers in the Professional Development Day Reading Groups, we scaffolded up to the skills needed for Reading Group discussions via prior workshops involving approaches to reading, annotating, and discussing articles in a purposeful, inclusive manner. Teachers were free to discuss as they wished, with some opting for Harkness Discussion models widely used across high school classrooms, whilst others engaged with texts via the Harvard Thinking Routines 4C’s Method: Connections, Challenges, Concepts, Changes. At the end, all groups shared short plenary findings via a shared document, with outcomes tidied up and outcomes as a whole, along with links to the ten readings reshared in our weekly staff email.
The most rewarding feedback from colleagues was the number who went on to access the fuller books and resources the readings had been extracted from, including Dylan William’s excellent Embedded Formative Assessment and Dan Willingham’s thought-provoking Why Don’t Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom.
A lot of how professional development is shaped at BASIS International School Hangzhou is informed by training our leadership receives at the network-wide Institute for Management Training (IMAT) workshops, which are offered regularly each year, as well as in my own case, from the UK Department for Education (2020) Designing Effective Professional Development Frameworks.
Finally, in terms of applying ideas, we are already seeing new strategies for positive behavior management going into place, staff experimenting with removing number grades from assessments to put student focus on feedback, and colleagues with time management difficulties reshuffling their prep times to avoid taking too much home. And, of course, we are also seeing far more student reading groups in middle and high school classes, which is great!
Dr. Bryn James
Vice Head of School
BASIS International School Hangzhou
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Empowering Teachers with Effective Writing Strategies
As the Primary Chair of Humanities for Grades 1 to 5 at BASIS International School Hangzhou, I recently had the opportunity to lead a workshop titled “Teaching Writing.” This session brought together different colleagues to explore effective writing strategies specifically designed for our Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Primary students.
I am a firm believer in the importance of meaningful professional development. I believe that participants should leave with practical takeaways that they can integrate into their own teaching. Given the increased focus on guided reading this past year, it was also essential to explore other aspects of Literacy, and the workshop gave us the opportunity to share best practices in writing instruction.
Using the Institute for Management Training (IMAT) workshop format of Introduction, Model, Apply, and Transfer, I engaged teachers through collaborative best practice sharing and discussions on relevant research findings related to effective writing instruction. Participants had the chance to share their successful writing strategies, creating an environment rich in collective learning and support.
The feedback I received from my colleagues was incredibly rewarding. Many expressed that the workshop was educational, informative, and beneficial to their teaching practice. Hearing that my session had a positive impact was truly gratifying.
My approach to delivering professional learning sessions has been shaped by extensive training I received from the BASIS International Schools network in planning, resourcing, and developing workshops. This training has been invaluable in refining my methods for leading professional development.
Looking ahead, I hope my colleagues will apply the ideas we discussed in the workshop to enhance their writing instruction. I strongly encourage the use of discussion as a pre-writing tool, as it effectively helps students shape their ideas before exploring the world of writing. Additionally, incorporating shared writing and writing journals will allow students to reflect on their experiences, develop their own writing styles, and most importantly, develop a genuine love for writing.
As BASIS International & Bilingual Schools China continues to prioritize professional development, I am excited to contribute to the ongoing growth and enrichment of our educators and, ultimately, our students.
Elana Molier
Grade 3 Humanities Teacher
Primary Chair of Humanities (G1-5)
BASIS International School Hangzhou
Conclusion
Professional development across the BASIS International & Bilingual Schools network is a collaborative, ongoing process that empowers educators to refine their practice and enhance student learning. The recent Professional Development Day at BASIS International School Hangzhou showcased this commitment, with teachers applying new strategies and insights in their classrooms. By prioritizing continuous growth, we create an environment where both educators and students succeed.
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