AGIS Conference 2024 Potsdam

This pre-conference is aimed at fostering collaboration, sharing insights, and navigating the evolving landscape of English language education.
EAL teachers will have the opportunity to share best practices, strategies and resources, as well as address challenges.

Students identify their strengths and passions. This allows them to connect to others and their community at different levels. In doing so, they are able to find their place to belong at the local level as well as on a global stage. Participants in this workshop will familiarize themselves with a set of tools and frameworks that can be used in their classrooms for student learning and projects. These may include the Sustainability Compass and Iceberg from Compass Education, Empathy to Impact from Inspire Citizens, and our own planning frameworks that we have created to fit our needs at our school.

Google Drive folder​​​

Besides being extremely fun, Improv Comedy games reveal (and revel in) the playfulness of the English language and is a rich application of the Communicative Approach to language learning. Improvisational comedy games and role-plays are rooted in cooperative interplay, inventive story-telling, group-mind collaboration, extreme listening, character-work, dialogue development and the willingness to take risks, to accept failure and to connect to our sense of humor. Games commonly played in improv comedy workshops and shows (such as 'Whose Line is it, Anyways?') have been re-tooled to the language learning experience and will focus on grammar points, vocabulary building, politeness and different language skills such as meetings and presentations. Naturally, Comedy Improv techniques will also be introduced, so participants can enjoy the thrill of Applied Improv Theory: in other words, you will laugh and learn at the same time. These exercises are cross-disciplinary, and can be applied to many other subjects as well. This approach will give teachers some fresh options to offer students. This workshop gives credence to the concept that creative play CAN be combined with learning: a true School of Fun. The final hour will be spent 'performing' these games for each other for fun and laughter.

Extra: Brian Kapell has been performing, directing, producing and teaching improv comedy and theater for 39 years and is one of the founders of short-form improv comedy. He is a founding member of the performing groups ComedyShorts, and has built and operated comedy clubs in the USA and Germany. Brian has always applied improvisational exercises into his teaching, including during his 12 years working with deaf communities all over the USA. He currently teaches Secondary Drama, directs school musicals and teaches Sign Language after school at Berlin International School.

Participants will learn a selection of improvisational comedy games that are embedded with a feature of English language learning. Everyone learns the basics of comedy improvisation techniques which will provide the groundwork for collaborative, group-mind storytelling. Teachers will be able to take these games into the classroom to create more interactive, playful English language learning sessions that thrive on creative communication. The laughter will prove that we can bring the fun into the learning process. Participants will experience the funnest language learning lesson ever.

Besides being extremely fun, Improv Comedy games reveal (and revel in) the playfulness of the English language and is a rich application of the Communicative Approach to language learning. Improvisational comedy games and role-plays are rooted in cooperative interplay, inventive story-telling, group-mind collaboration, extreme listening, character-work, dialogue development and the willingness to take risks, to accept failure and to connect to our sense of humor. Games commonly played in improv comedy workshops and shows (such as 'Whose Line is it, Anyways?') have been re-tooled to the language learning experience and will focus on grammar points, vocabulary building, politeness and different language skills such as meetings and presentations. Naturally, Comedy Improv techniques will also be introduced, so participants can enjoy the thrill of Applied Improv Theory: in other words, you will laugh and learn at the same time. These exercises are cross-disciplinary, and can be applied to many other subjects as well. This approach will give teachers some fresh options to offer students. This workshop gives credence to the concept that creative play CAN be combined with learning: a true School of Fun. The final hour will be spent 'performing' these games for each other for fun and laughter.

Extra: Brian Kapell has been performing, directing, producing and teaching improv comedy and theater for 39 years and is one of the founders of short-form improv comedy. He is a founding member of the performing groups ComedyShorts, and has built and operated comedy clubs in the USA and Germany. Brian has always applied improvisational exercises into his teaching, including during his 12 years working with deaf communities all over the USA. He currently teaches Secondary Drama, directs school musicals and teaches Sign Language after school at Berlin International School.

Participants will learn a selection of improvisational comedy games that are embedded with a feature of English language learning. Everyone learns the basics of comedy improvisation techniques which will provide the groundwork for collaborative, group-mind storytelling. Teachers will be able to take these games into the classroom to create more interactive, playful English language learning sessions that thrive on creative communication. The laughter will prove that we can bring the fun into the learning process. Participants will experience the funnest language learning lesson ever.

The session is an interactive workshop, using role play, that focusses on areas for which teachers and Middle Level Leaders (MLL) usually have had no training. We will look at real-life scenarios in a humorous but solution- orientated way.

The focus of the session will be to support teachers and MLL's in dealing with the demands of communicating in difficult situations:

How to communicate effectively and professionally with demanding or difficult parents (challenging your teaching methods, reporting, grading, dealings with their student, unfair treatment etc)?
How to deal with the potentially difficult parent teacher meeting?
When to write and when to speak?
As an Assistant Principal, who was formerly a teacher of Drama, I hope to join experiences in these roles and facilitate an enjoyable and informative workshop.

Every school is enthusiastic about STEAM - but what does STEAM actually look like in each school?
Not many people could answer this question. During this session, STEAM Coordinators from the
International School Stuttgart wil present on successful best practice from their own school, and
invite best practice sharing from attendees. The aim of the session is a strong visual image to answer the headline question!

Having a good memory brings enormous advantages: Learnt information and factual contexts can be stored and easily recalled so that academic transfer tasks can be solved more easily. A good memory therefore leads to better performance and greater productivity in the school context.
In language teaching in particular, it is important to effectively learn and memorise terminology, such as rhetorical devices, so that they can be called up at any time in different contexts.
In this workshop various mnemonic activities (Loci, chunking, association, rhymes, acrostics, acronyms, stacking...) to improve memory performance in language lessons will be presented and practised. The examples are designed for language teaching, but the exercises can easily be transferred to other subjects.

Guidance is not just about sending students to college, but preparing them for success in life; it encompasses a comprehensive approach to calling (purpose), character, career, and college. It involves navigating personal strengths and aspirations, refining one's character, making informed decisions about career paths, and strategically planning for higher education.

The world of options for our students is changing all the time, but if they are well prepared in the 4 C’s they will be ready to navigate that landscape independently. Whether assisting individuals in discovering their true purpose, building a strong moral compass, exploring diverse career options, or preparing for college, guidance aims to empower individuals to make well-informed choices that align with their values and aspirations for a fulfilling and successful future.

I will share examples of how we are addressing this at BFA, how we are seeking to build a program of events, tools and services that equip students in all 4 C’s. I will also look forward to hearing how your school is addressing the challenge of preparing students for life after graduation.