At the beginning of the new school year, it is common for teachers to establish rules and norms for the class that set the tone
Category: International-mindedness
Introducing ‘Media By Example’
The Google Certified Innovator Academy included a deep dive into my chosen issue through the design thinking process. From there, I developed an idea for a
A fresh look at social media (article for ‘VSA Insights’)
‘VSA Insights’ is a regular column on our school’s internal blog, ‘Victoria Wednesday’. This article was written back in March but I revisited it this
Back to Tembak
Two years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Tembak (remote Borneo) on a staff volunteering trip. I wrote about it in a previous post
My site visit with Room to Read India
I’m currently spending the Chinese New Year holiday in India. I love this country more every time I visit! This time, my main reason for
EdTechTeam #ShekouSummit18
This weekend, I hopped over the border from Hong Kong into China for a weekend of learning at the EdTechTeam Shekou Summit (Shenzhen). Three years
Getting started with Flipgrid (now completely free!)
I briefly mentioned Flipgrid in my previous blog post and, since then, many teachers have been asking me about it. It deserves some elaboration and
Six ways for students to connect and collaborate globally
As we design our lessons, we should consider our learning intentions and choose the best tool(s) for the job. Sometimes that involves technology and sometimes
Social media in the primary classroom
Social media is controversial. It generally has a bad reputation and can stir up many passionate opinions, mostly negative. The idea of introducing sites such
#CaptureKindness on Seesaw blogs
Last year, we promoted and celebrated Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week across the school. This year, I’d like to take it further. Starting on
Idioms and EAL: crossed wires or a piece of cake?
“An idiom (also called idiomatic expression) is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning conventionally understood by native speakers.” My English Pages
My Mandarin mindset
I don’t always get things right as an educator. I make daily mistakes and I have many weaknesses that I’m working on. However, I do pride
Character education: why hide the ‘hidden curriculum’?
I have been inspired by my colleague’s blog post this week. Dickie Wada-Thomas thoughtfully reflected on the Manchester terror attack and the vital importance of
The power of a professional learning network (collaboration with Kriti Nigam)
Kriti Nigam has taught different curricula over a journey of fourteen years. She has been facilitating PYP Grade Five for four years, currently working at
Teachers’ trip to Tembak
For many years, my school (Victoria Shanghai Academy, Hong Kong) has supported the work of the Masarang Foundation, founded and led by Dr. Willie Smits.
Are you a connected educator?
I haven’t blogged for a while because I’ve been exploring Delhi, Jaipur and Agra (‘The Golden Triangle’, India). I got to see once in a
Action and Service Volunteers
It is with great pride that I share details of one of our school’s leadership programmes. Loosely based on the Duke of Edinburgh Award, our
What have children learnt from the US election?
At the beginning of this week, I was thrilled to find out that many of my students (in Hong Kong) had been following the US
Guest post: An introduction to ‘Out of Eden Learn’ (by Tima Nisbet)
Tima Nisbet is a valued member of my PLN and an active member of our #pypbookstudy group. Originally from Canada, she is an experienced primary
Religious Education: overlooked importance
This week, I have been fortunate enough to visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi as part of our annual PTA overseas trip. What an amazing part