AGIS Conference 2024 Potsdam

Stock up on interdisciplinary learning ideas with a group of teachers from a variety of grade levels and disciplines. We will focus on active and authentic interdisciplinary engagements with two practical sessions and one session dedicated to collaboratively creating activities that each participant can bring back to their campus. Throughout the day there will be open time for sharing experiences from each participating school.

We will start the day by taking our learning outdoors into urban and natural environments. Building on the concept of “Learning Trails” from Stuttgart and the “Math Trails” from Dresden last year, we will co-construct one based in Potsdam that can be used in any of our cities or regions.

After the morning break, we will move indoors to try out a variety of making methods, including options to use electronics, recyclables, wood, textiles, and machines. These hands-on practical approaches will be paired with examples from IDUs, STEAM, and the humanities.

In the afternoon we can work in small groups to identify entry points to interdisciplinary learning specific to each person’s content and context, finding ways to bridge the isolation of subject matter by building on resources or experiences that are already local to your campus

This working group is for all educators responsible for /interested in the home language learning programmes at AGIS schools. The presenters will share examples (good and bad) from their schools, and invite all participants to bring examples from their school.

This year’s meeting will focus on the following aspects:

1. Comparison of different programmes at the AGIS Schools:
What can we learn from each other? How can we / our students collaborate? Compare IB policies with our own school's language paths. Use of home languages (= translanguaging) not as a scaffold but a part of a linguistic repertoire and of the student’s identity

2. Parent Communication:
How to encourage parents to invest in home language learning/lessons? How to communicate different whole school language paths to parents

3. Transitioning into the DP:
- The DP school-supported self-taught (SSST) Literature SL course vs Home Language Learning in MYP or Grades 6-10: which students continue with home language learning; which students take the SSST course without prior lessons?
- How can students in the MYP (Grades 6-10) be prepared for academic literacy skills needed in the DP
- Possible collaboration of AGIS schools: connecting students of the same language to create learning groups

4. Multilingual Literacy in Junior/Elementary School