AGIS Conference 2024 Potsdam

In this workshop, educators will explore coaching strategies to cultivate a positive school environment crucial for fostering teacher growth, academic success, and overall well-being. Tailored coaching techniques will empower teachers by creating supportive relationships, effective communication, and collaborative problem-solving. Drawing upon my coaching and teaching experience, practical examples and activities will be shared. The goal is to equip participants with actionable strategies seamlessly integrated into teaching practices, fostering a positive, inclusive, enriching and supportive school environment. Join us in unlocking coaching's potential to inspire positivity and drive collective success within our educational community.

Learning can be disrupted by students who are overwhelmed by emotions. In this session, we will learn about emotional regulation and then explore how to use calming tools in classrooms to support children to self regulate independently. We will also explore how to implement this in your school, including lesson plans to introduce this tool in classrooms.

It could be argued that revision is writing. This session presents teaching strategies to strengthen students' abilities to “re-see” their writing. I will share strategies such as peer review, reverse outlining, and creative writing activities that help build a culture of revision in the MYP and DP classroom.

This one-hour session will focus on the recently increased psycho-social phenomenon, in many schools, of students' behavioural manifestations that can represent in extremis ( Psychology Term meaning in extreme cases)

Causes: UNESCO and other international entities have spoken of a severe loss of social skills brought upon our higher Elementary and Secondary students (especially in Grades 6-8 and 9 -10) after the pandemic.
This loss has been measured to be appr. 6 months to 1 year below the normal developmental threshold.
Additionally social media, dark web and unregulated use of AI and media has added to the mental health pandemic.

Solutions: To address this issue in order to holistically support students, educators of AGIS schools can upskill themselves in the following:

-Learn what are EBD -Emotional and Behavioural Disorders and their Categories
-Recognise the Manifestations in Schools: Case scenarios
-Be aware of the Negative prognosis Forensic Adolescent Psychology lessons -Research) if these cases are left unattended
-Child Protection aspect of Support
-Physical Restraints (through a Humanitarian and Proportionate Child Protection lens) Guidelines
-Build a Support system which involves all Stakeholders (Students, Family, Therapists, Teachers, SLT teams and two (2) local youth authorities)

There is a common narrative among adults that young children do not see color, that childhood is a utopian, magical time where differences do not matter. Educators often wonder: when is the right time to talk to children about race? Research tells us that even babies as young as three months recognise racial differences. Our world is filled with implicit messages. Children are astute, forming perceptions and attitudes about how the world works. They are already talking! Our silence perpetuates and validates biases. It is time to join the conversation. Open, honest conversations with our youngest learners is one way that we can help develop positive attitudes towards differences and work towards an equitable and just world. During this session, we will explore the research behind children's perceptions of race, have a chance to examine our personal reactions to children's comments and questions about differences, and look at a framework that can help us approach difficult conversations.

Theory of Knowledge is present in every IB school as part of the Diploma Programme. However, it remains something of a mystery subject to many teachers.
It involves concepts, ideas and activities that can be used in all classrooms. It promotes curiosity and inquisitiveness - and don’t we use these in all classes?
It’s about language, creativity, values, power and many other things.
It’s about understanding how knowledge is developed and used, how it is acquired and
communicated.
Still curious? Come and see what TOK is all about.