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To tell you the truth, there was a moment during last week’s facility ope ...
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<title>Approaching the “Finish Line”: Lessons from Reflectors, Savings, and Hawaii</title>
<link>https://blog.tieonline.com/approaching-the-finish-line-lessons-from-reflectors-savings-and-hawaii/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=approaching-the-finish-line-lessons-from-reflectors-savings-and-hawaii</link>
<comments>https://blog.tieonline.com/approaching-the-finish-line-lessons-from-reflectors-savings-and-hawaii/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matthew Piercy]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 22:14:02 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Matthew Piercy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Building Trust]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Consistency]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[critical thinking]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Patience]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[reflection]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Vision]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.tieonline.com/?p=7529</guid>
<description><![CDATA[What might I share that will be worth your time to read? For many teachers (and students!) energies and attention right now are being funneled into the finish of yet another academic year. Though there is so much still to be wrapped up, the end will likely come quickly. In an effort to finish the year strong, let us look more … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/approaching-the-finish-line-lessons-from-reflectors-savings-and-hawaii/" class="more-link">Continue reading Approaching the “Finish Line”: Lessons from Reflectors, Savings, and Hawaii →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/approaching-the-finish-line-lessons-from-reflectors-savings-and-hawaii/">Approaching the “Finish Line”: Lessons from Reflectors, Savings, and Hawaii</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[What might I share that will be worth your time to read? For many teachers (and students!) energies and attention right now are being funneled into the finish of yet another academic year. Though there is so much still to be wrapped up, the end will likely come quickly. In an effort to finish the year strong, let us look more closely with wisdom at what appear to be three completely unrelated items: reflectors, savings, and Hawaii.  Hopefully not only a connection becomes clear but also an understanding of the necessity to prioritize a vision of the future tempered with an intention to live in the here and now.
What If I told You a Reflector Could Save Your Life?
While I was in university, one outdoor outing particularly stood out. As I traipsed across a snowy mountainside, not a care in the world, in an instant I found myself facing nature’s wrath in a battle for survival. Underfoot, an unstable mass of snow broke free, followed by a deafening roar. The cloud of snow and ice hurtled to catch me, faster than 320 kilometers (200 miles) per hour. Scientists calculate a fully developed avalanche can potentially weigh as much as a million tons. This feeling of despair or race against time might be parallel to a teacher’s experience. We would hope not, but what did Orwell say about reality? That it exists in the human mind, and nowhere else! In the mountains of the western United States alone, there are approximately 100,000 avalanches each year. I would argue, that across our myriad of classrooms, we witness many more “avalanches.” Where time is lost to all meaning, consumed by the suffocating weight of “snow” or “to-dos”.
But, what if…
“What if” is a powerful phrase. Emboldened by infinite possibility, it invites us to explore alternative realities. Those Orwellian possibilities maybe existing in our minds and nowhere else. But, what if, by design, our schools, classrooms, and all that we experience in education were backed in trust? This ultimately comes down to the essentials of establishing strong and meaningful relationships. For outdoors people this may be a “relationship” with their gear, a testament to the saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear. More than 150 brands of outdoor gear utilize a patented reflector <a href="https://northfinder.com/en/blog/post/74_recco-you-may-never-use-this-gadget-but-it-might-save-your-life?page_type=post" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(RECCO®)</a> as a rescue technology to help find people lost in the outdoors or buried by avalanches. If something so tiny as a reflector has the potential to save someone’s life, or moreover build trust, what might this say about the potential inherent in our schools and amongst us as educators? The “avalanches” we perceive are far from being unstoppable juggernauts. We have this!
16x is a Lot
Bestselling author <a href="https://jamesclear.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Clear </a>asserts, “Most people need consistency more than they need intensity.” He reflects on how consistency is what ultimately leads to progress. A difference in intensity and consistency is compared to going out to run a marathon versus not missing a workout for two years. Or, jumping cold turkey into a silent meditation retreat as opposed to finding silence daily. Such consistency has a level of patience and also requires discipline. Virtues in a sense and both are also steeped in vision. Recently I was dismayed to read how according to Northwestern Mutual, Americans think they will need $1.46 million to retire. Yet, they have on average only saved $88,000. That is 16x under what they think they need. Sixteen times!  Imagine having sixteen times more students. A few years back I felt overwhelmed teaching 104 students. That number would now be 1,664 students! Or, what if we lived 16x longer? 73.4 years would mean 1174.4.
So, ultimately besides consistency, patience, and discipline, a bit of vision is necessary. As educators hopefully, we can see the “finish line.” Some maybe are even preflecting on how they may begin the next academic year. Yet, what we do with today is critical. We cannot afford to miss the here and now.  The fact is, the future depends on it! 
Determine Your Truth
Though I feel fortunate to call Hawai’i my home, I am not proud to share how the beauty and fragility of resources are largely unprotected.  According to the <a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2024/Testimony/HB2081_HD1_TESTIMONY_FIN_02-23-24_.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Department of Land and Natural Resources</a>, “As of 2023, Hawai‘i only invests $9 per tourist back in the environment, and less than 1% of the state budget goes towards conservation. We currently face an estimated conservation funding gap of $360 million per year.” Though this example has elements of both reflectors and savings, we consider it  for another reason. Ultimately, it is about protection. A friend recently waxed poetically on what he  terms the “underbelly” of conservation. Though the word “conservation” has its roots in the Latin “conservationem,” meaning “a keeping, preserving, conserving,” might the word have taken on a different meaning in reality? One with emphasis on “con.”  Where charisma, deception, or opportunism are what ultimately courses through the veins. A truth painted by lies.
And how might this relate to us as educators?
As we continue to drown in information, artificial or not, we are being summoned to think. To read and watch widely and to listen to learn. One mandatory course within The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) to support this is the Theory of Knowledge (TOK). Students take TOK to develop critical thinking skills by analyzing knowledge claims and to gain interdisciplinary understanding by exploring connections between different subjects. Within the context of the College Board, the Advanced Placement (AP) Seminar is similar to TOK, seeking for students to develop critical thinking, research, and communication through interdisciplinary exploration of complex topics. Regardless of the curriculum, a school subscribes to, the intention is for students to be able to determine truth. Their truth. This is only possible if we take time to reflect critically on not only what we might know or think we know. It also requires us to pay close attention to the diverse ways of knowing and a multitude of perceptions.
So, slow down. Listen a little harder and look. Though the “finish line” is in full sight, go slow to go fast. And enjoy the “ride.”
Our Mindset and Actions are Omnipotent
As we navigate the tumultuous currents and possibly perceived “avalanches” of education, let us not overlook the significance of reflection but also a deep understanding of the necessity to prioritize a vision of the future tempered with an intention to live in the here and now. Building trust, fostering consistency, and embracing patience are all necessary ingredients to this recipe we call “education.” Just as a tiny reflector embedded in our jacket (RECCO®) has the potential to save our lives, our mindsets and actions are omnipotent. Instead of counting down the days, might we delve into the depths of critical thinking with students, and embrace the moments we have left with absolute intentionality and purpose?  “Your mission (insert your name), should you choose to accept it, is to serve as a beacon of guidance, inspiring those you teach to navigate the complexities of the world with purpose, integrity, and joy.”
I accept.The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/approaching-the-finish-line-lessons-from-reflectors-savings-and-hawaii/">Approaching the “Finish Line”: Lessons from Reflectors, Savings, and Hawaii</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7529</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>Moving away from the industrial paradigm of performance review</title>
<link>https://blog.tieonline.com/moving-away-from-the-industrial-paradigm-of-performance-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=moving-away-from-the-industrial-paradigm-of-performance-review</link>
<comments>https://blog.tieonline.com/moving-away-from-the-industrial-paradigm-of-performance-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Conrad Hughes]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2024 16:30:53 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Conrad Hughes]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.tieonline.com/?p=7508</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Performance reviews are thoroughly embedded in the psychology of industrialisation. Some of the earliest traced instances of the idea of annual performance evaluation go back to the 19th Century textile industry (which was driven by the slave trade): managers were judged against the productivity of their annual output, the rewards would be compensatory and consequences … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/moving-away-from-the-industrial-paradigm-of-performance-review/" class="more-link">Continue reading Moving away from the industrial paradigm of performance review →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/moving-away-from-the-industrial-paradigm-of-performance-review/">Moving away from the industrial paradigm of performance review</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Performance reviews are thoroughly embedded in the psychology of industrialisation. Some of the earliest traced instances of the idea of annual performance evaluation go back to the 19th Century textile industry (which was driven by the slave trade): managers were judged against the productivity of their annual output, the rewards would be compensatory and consequences for poor productivity would ultimately be termination. This system of reward, based on a crude production model ultimately meant harder exploitation.
This scientific management approach was further developed in the army. During WW1, there was a need to establish some sort of ranking or evaluation system to decide who should be discharged from service due to inadequate performance according to a merit system. As many elements of capitalism, industrial psychology and social planning developed quickly after WW2, so did performance management, entering the domains of business, social services and industry, particularly for people with extra responsibilities, managers and leaders.
And as is so often the case in education, there was a mirroring effect of these broader sociological developments in schools and universities. Foucault has shown in books like <a href="https://architecturalnetworks.research.mcgill.ca/assets/disciplineandpunish-min.pdf" title="Discipline and Punish ">Discipline and Punish </a>(1975) and <a href="https://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Tel/Histoire-de-la-folie-a-l-age-classique" title="Madness and Civilisation">Madness and Civilisation</a> (1961) that schools, hospitals and prisons were built according to normative principles of power, behavioural codification and control. Although he did not elaborate the point fully concerning assessment per se, there is clearly an echo of the industrial approach to performance in the end of high school high stakes summative assessment model: students are expected to perform, the results of a year’s (or sometimes more) work is evaluated and the results decide on future pathways (failure, passing, accelerated future opportunity). So a Foucauldian analysis of the structure of the end of high school assessment allows us to draw parallels with traditional performance management in the workplace.
There are three fundamental problems with this approach to performance and learning:
<ol>
<li>The first is the notion of performance itself, a term steeped in the assumptions of industrial production, output, yield and capital. Human beings are not conveyor belts in factories, banks or storing systems, so to calibrate their development against such quantitative metrics, which is essentially treating them like machines, reduces and in fact mechanises who they are. An employee is much more than the KPIs designed to measure performance and a student is much more than performance on examinations.</li>
<li>The second is that there is a type of learning bulimia when industrial yield models, based on annual (or quarterly) balance sheets are transferred to learning: high stakes summative assessment lends itself to rote-learning and a concentrated burst of output, leading to much of what was learnt for the examinations to be forgotten. One of the criticisms of annual performance reviews in the workplace is that they are essentially backward-looking, requiring employees to think ahead but based on earlier rather than current performance, much the way that examinations test knowledge learnt in the past whereas the deeper goal should be to predict if not prepare for future learning.</li>
<li>Finally, summative evaluation systems drive performance metric-related behaviour (as opposed to more authentic learning behaviours). Teachers teach to the test, students learn for grades, employees work towards reports and yardsticks. As the old adage goes, “we measure what we value and we value what we measure”. But what exactly is it we are measuring at the end of a year and how valid could such a measurement really be? In fact, the worry is greatest in the workplace where such a system could very well push employees to focus on the metric (financial results for example) to the point where the end justifies the means and behaviours to arrive at that goal become problematic if not abusive and unethical. Excessively high stakes systems promote cheating and gaming the system.</li>
</ol>
Just as many organisations <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/10/the-performance-management-revolution" title="have been turning away from the traditional annual performance reviews">have been turning away from traditional annual performance reviews</a> for some time now, to move to ongoing feedback with a formative purpose, so too should assessments in high school mirror gradual progress alongside if not instead of summative assessments, this way the assessment system promotes learning and is less of a judgement of learning and more narrative of a learning journey. In order to improve, we need feedback on the fly, what Dylan Wiliam calls <a href="https://www.solutiontree.com/embedded-formative-assessment-second-ed.html" title="embedded formative assessment">embedded formative assessment</a>. This is just one of the reasons why institutions such as those in the <a href="https://honouralllearning.ecolint.ch/" title="coalition to honour all learning">coalition to honour all learning</a> are looking to reform assessment deeply and in such a way that a students’ <a href="https://vimeo.com/647198435" title="competences">competences</a>, which have been developed over time in authentic settings, can shine naturally rather than be drawn out of a highly pressured and contrived one-off test environment.
Quality research has shown that in schools <a href="https://stemeducationjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40594-022-00343-1" title="sustained achievement is a better predictor of future achievement than high stakes assessment performance">sustained achievement is a better predictor of future achievement than high stakes assessment performance</a>. By continually contributing to the painting of a picture of the graduate or the employee, step by step, the learning will be richer, the organisational culture will be more pedagogic and the final goal more authentic. For those of us in positions where we are able to influence this, let’s move away from the industrial model (end of year performance reviews) to a more human-centric one (ongoing, feedback-rich, coaching-styled conversations).
(image: <a href="https://pikbest.com/free-backgrounds/factory.html">Free factory backgrounds from pikbest.com</a>)The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/moving-away-from-the-industrial-paradigm-of-performance-review/">Moving away from the industrial paradigm of performance review</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7508</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>A MATH TEACHER EXPERIMENTS WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE</title>
<link>https://blog.tieonline.com/a-math-teacher-experiments-with-artificial-intelligence/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-math-teacher-experiments-with-artificial-intelligence</link>
<comments>https://blog.tieonline.com/a-math-teacher-experiments-with-artificial-intelligence/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shwetangna Chakrabarty]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 19:19:36 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Shwetangna Chakrabarty]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.tieonline.com/?p=7500</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning has the potential to simplify complex concepts in mathematics. AI also has the potential to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. In my experience as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP), Higher Level (HL) Mathematics teacher I have spent hours breaking down abstract … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/a-math-teacher-experiments-with-artificial-intelligence/" class="more-link">Continue reading A MATH TEACHER EXPERIMENTS WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/a-math-teacher-experiments-with-artificial-intelligence/">A MATH TEACHER EXPERIMENTS WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SC_Math-HL-Class-scaled.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SC_Math-HL-Class-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-7504" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SC_Math-HL-Class-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SC_Math-HL-Class-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SC_Math-HL-Class-768x576.jpg 768w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SC_Math-HL-Class-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SC_Math-HL-Class-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo of my IBDP math HL classroom where I painted one whole wall black and used chalk and portable stairs to explain complex problems and help students visualize the concept prior to AI.</figcaption></figure>
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning has the potential to simplify complex concepts in mathematics. AI also has the potential to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. In my experience as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP), Higher Level (HL) Mathematics teacher I have spent hours breaking down abstract concepts into real-life applications. In the past year and half I have experienced a new joy by using AI to explain difficult concepts to students. The IB math curriculum does provide practical applications of concepts but the skill of explaining these concepts lies entirely in the teacher’s competence. With AI I feel I have gained a teaching assistant who has my back!
Let’s Take an example of Calculus in DP Mathematics HL. Calculus forms a large chunk of the DP Mathematics HL course, and it can greatly benefit from AI applications. AI-driven tools and platforms can assist in various ways:
Automated Problem Solving: AI has helped me to create problem-solving frameworks AI has helped me with calculus problems by suggesting steps towards the solution and providing comments that will help students understand the process. Additionally, platforms like Wolfram Alpha or Symbolab use AI to solve integral and differential calculus problems, showing step-by-step solutions that enhance student understanding. For example, I now create mark schemes for the questions I put up for my students, here is a screenshot of an explanation generated by AI. Understanding these steps not only helps solve this particular problem but also builds foundational skills in calculus for dealing with more complex functions and differentiating them. Here is a markscheme crreated on ChatGPT for a calculus stater problem.
<ol></ol>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-17.37.27-1.png"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="976" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-17.37.27-1-1024x976.png" alt="" class="wp-image-7502" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-17.37.27-1-1024x976.png 1024w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-17.37.27-1-300x286.png 300w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-17.37.27-1-768x732.png 768w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-17.37.27-1.png 1314w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
Personalized Learning: AI algorithms can adapt to individual learning speeds and styles, offering personalized resources and challenges. For example, as a teacher I can inform AI about the competency level of the student on derivatives and integrals, adjusting the difficulty and topics covered accordingly.
Visualization Tools: Complex calculus concepts like limits, continuity, derivatives, and integral applications can be visualized using AI-enhanced software, making abstract concepts more concrete and understandable.
Data Analysis: Another large area of exploration in DP higher mathematics is data analysis and visualization. Due to the ability of AI to manage large datasets, it can be used in teaching statistics by creating a framework for the analysis of large datasets. The visualization allows students to make predictions, thus fostering a deeper understanding of statistical concepts through practical exposure.
<ol></ol>
I have experience benefits of using AI to teach mathematics. Firstly, it enhances engagement as AI tools make learning interactive through simulations and visualizations, which are particularly effective for abstract concepts in higher mathematics. Next, AI can act as a personal tutor hence provide support for differentiated task creations, allowing educators more time to focus on in-depth instruction and support where needed. Finally, the ability to adjust as per student performance is a big hack as I can evidence my students processing/problem solving ability and use by AI in identifying learning gaps and adjusting teaching strategies accordingly.
The use of AI in teaching DP mathematics is a pandora’s box, waiting to be explored. By integrating AI tools, we can provide a more tailored, interactive, and efficient learning experience, especially in complex areas like calculus. As AI technology evolves, its integration into educational frameworks like the IB will likely become more refined, offering even greater support for students and teachers. Teachers must remain adaptable and informed about these technological advancements to fully utilize AI’s potential in teaching mathematics.The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/a-math-teacher-experiments-with-artificial-intelligence/">A MATH TEACHER EXPERIMENTS WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Visiting schools in Rwanda</title>
<link>https://blog.tieonline.com/visiting-schools-in-rwanda/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=visiting-schools-in-rwanda</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Magnuson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:53:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Paul Magnuson]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.tieonline.com/?p=7498</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A painting on the wall of a school in Nyamata. Three different schools in three days, in three different provinces of Rwanda. I observed nine or ten classes, with a small group of visitors.  Lots of school uniforms, the boys in shorts, the girls in skirts. I suppose that’s because we were only in elementary … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/visiting-schools-in-rwanda/" class="more-link">Continue reading Visiting schools in Rwanda →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/visiting-schools-in-rwanda/">Visiting schools in Rwanda</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-12.32.12.png"><img decoding="async" width="786" height="866" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-12.32.12.png" alt="" class="wp-image-7497" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-12.32.12.png 786w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-12.32.12-272x300.png 272w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-12.32.12-768x846.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px" /></a></figure>
A painting on the wall of a school in Nyamata. 
Three different schools in three days, in three different provinces of Rwanda. I observed nine or ten classes, with a small group of visitors. 
Lots of school uniforms, the boys in shorts, the girls in skirts. I suppose that’s because we were only in elementary classes, maybe older students dress differently. Sometimes the teachers were wearing white lab coats. More jeans than I expected, some nice looking shoes. 
There isn’t much to distinguish one classroom space from the next. They are rectangular, with open windows on the long sides, covered with bars. The doors are metal, equipped with a ring for a padlock when they need to be locked. Each room has a closet in one corner, open, without a door, often without anything in it. The desks are wooden benches with fixed tables on metal supports, and there must be tens of thousands of them across the country. Three or four students sit on a single bench, close together. The floors get swept often, I suspect, otherwise the red earth would be everywhere.
I quit counting the number of students in a classroom sometime during the second visit. They numbered in the forties and sometimes more. Lots of beaming faces, curious about the visitors. We are a topic at home each night, I’m sure, me with my red skin and white beard. I make a lot of eye contact and I make a lot of silly faces, trying to connect with the students. I think I’m projecting that I’m friendly, there for fun. I might be projecting that I’m goofy and strange, I really do not know. Often on the blackboard is a grid showing attendance, written in white chalk. 24 of 26 boys, 26 of 27 girls. Besides the blackboard there is little on the walls. Sometimes hand drawn posters and now and then official posters from the national education agency. Body parts, some math problems, school stuff.
The visitors with me did some training in an engineering design process and are here to check in with the teachers they worked with in the past. There are lots of happy reunions, hugging, shaking hands. They are good trainers, and they are very good at establishing uplifting and genuine relationships. I envy them their experience here, their familiarity. It’s only because of them that I’m sitting here, making my faces, talking to kids, trying to pronounce their names, some of which are quite a challenge.
So that’s it, that’s the classes. If there are books it’s a few copies for the teacher. There are some materials – one of the teachers tells us he asked students to bring what they could so they could do the science lesson today. He has them completing simple circuits to light a bulb, which they do enthusiastically. Other classes have a ball of yarn, groups of 5 crochet one project, sitting together on the ubiquitous benches. One class worked with clay – my colleague Eric was soon up to his elbows in it himself, standing between two boys, smiling just as broadly as the students. In an English class the students all had notebooks and something to write with. They were drawing furniture in their notebooks. Chair, bed, table.
In the evenings, after a meal out or in the posh hotel, I thought about the classroom blogs I’d been writing in international schools in Europe. A couple were about the need for individualized interior decorating determined by the teacher and subject. A boardroom table and couches in the business class, multiple white boards for the math class, teachers with iPads and iBooks and I don’t know what all else. I thought about our entrepreneur class that gave students real seed money for their nascent (and fleeting) businesses, and I thought about how far that money would go here.
And on the last day in one of our final meetings I hear of the incredible progress of the past ten years, the restructuring of teacher education, the work to address low salaries, the production of textbooks in-country to support a more regular curriculum. The work on inclusion and the push for laptops for teachers and the additional training in how to teach and, more daunting, how to teach in English to second language learners. This is hard work when resources are scant and there is a long way to go.
Amazing people. Happy kids running their propellers, made out of empty bottles or a piece of paper, across the cement basketball court, testing their propeller designs. Touching the second wire to the battery terminal, completing a circuit, lighting a bulb, an idea, a future. Or so the teachers hope, so we all should hope.The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/visiting-schools-in-rwanda/">Visiting schools in Rwanda</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7498</post-id> </item>
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<title>Fit for Purpose</title>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Magnuson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 10:32:46 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Paul Magnuson]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[It’s a big room, the opening session of the ECIS conference near Windsor, England. Hilary Cremin, from the University of Cambridge, takes the stage after the other welcomes, awards, and thank yous have been taken care of. She is going to talk about education and peace. She recently became a grandmother. She starts with the … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/fit-for-purpose/" class="more-link">Continue reading Fit for Purpose →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/fit-for-purpose/">Fit for Purpose</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-25-at-11.29.04.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="702" height="834" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-25-at-11.29.04.png" alt="" class="wp-image-7494" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-25-at-11.29.04.png 702w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-25-at-11.29.04-253x300.png 253w" sizes="(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px" /></a></figure>
It’s a big room, the opening session of the ECIS conference near Windsor, England. Hilary Cremin, from the University of Cambridge, takes the stage after the other welcomes, awards, and thank yous have been taken care of.
She is going to talk about education and peace. She recently became a grandmother. She starts with the uplifting experience of her daughter’s experience bringing this new child into the world and how that experience is so different from other women. Women in places like Gaza, Ukraine, and so many other places in the world confronting horrors most of us can never imagine.
“Education has to be our hope,” she says. She’s a peace educator, encouraging us to start with ourselves, with our family and colleagues, everyone radiating peace outwords, through communities, countries, and toward our planet. For this particular group of school administrators, it is key to start with our faculty and students. Providing them with the space and permission to model a peaceful coexistence. Yes.
Like so many of the blogs, articles, books, podcasts, videos, and presentations I watch, she tells us “schools are not fit for purpose.” I agree, at least, I agree that the fit is uncomfortable. I’m always struck in a group like this, a room filled with school administrators from around the world, that we are politely listening to someone telling us that our schools are not fit for purpose. That we could do better.
There is a reason so many people watched that Ken Robinson TED talk. Yet … after the conference we’ll all go back to our schools where we are creative, yes, but mostly around the edges, in ways that won’t upset our parents, our students, our teachers. We’ll mention the constraints, university acceptances, all of that. Yet, how much are we really locked in, and how much are we justifying because the way forward is difficult. Getting the fit right would be a lot of work.
Cremin is working on a book project. “Rewilding education.” From unsustainable ways of thinking and doing to sustainable ways. From factory farming to permaculture. (Schools as a wild garden!) From abstraction to embodiment. From obsession with growth to, to what? We are bumping up against the big issues here. Bigger than big. She mentions moving from current university models and career preparation to micro-credentials and portfolios.
This is an opening session for a conference, the format can only be a presentation, must really just focus on motivating us. But I’m starting to squirm a little. You know, like when a school shows that Ken Robinson TED talk at a faulty PD session on how our school model is outdated, how the head might say some polite and quite sincere words – don’t get me wrong – yet the faculty knows that it’s a feel-good session. Nothing specific is going to change, nothing that will significantly change the school approach and what and how they are going to teach that afternoon, next month, or next year.
My colleague has been jotting his notes and reaction on his phone. He sends them to me:
My notes: Is peace at any price really worth it – surrender (by Ukrainians or Palestinians) would lead to peace but also domination of the strong over the weak. In a period of conflict and crises should we really focus so much on teaching ”peace?” Or should we focus on teaching our students about what is worth fighting for and what isn’t so that in the future they can make informed decisions about how to respond to conflict, whether to engage in it or oppose it? And if we take the metaphor of nature seriously, we need to recognize that the natural world is full of violence and competition, it certainly isn’t peaceful. And regarding outdated models of education (school as a factory or a prison): if we want to move away from traditionally hierarchical, control-focused institutions, if we want to make real progress, perhaps schools need to be a bit like a factory or prison, first so that we get our message across, and second to learn how to subvert such structures or how to become ungovernable.*
Jan and I have made the session a conversation despite the large group lecture format. We are carrying on this conversation here. I’m all for peace education, I’m also all for being open to how we continue to wrestle with our purpose, and then what the right fit is, even when it’s difficult, murky, gray, and full of contradictions. 
* Quan, H. L.T. (2024). Become Ungovernable. An Abolition Feminist Ethic for Democratic Living. Pluto Press. ISBN: 9780745349114The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/fit-for-purpose/">Fit for Purpose</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<title>GLOBAL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS</title>
<link>https://blog.tieonline.com/global-book-recommendations-51/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=global-book-recommendations-51</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Margriet Ruurs]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sun, 21 Apr 2024 19:49:37 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Margriet Ruurs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[classroom discussion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[picturebooks]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[self help]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[therapy]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Sometimes a story can be more powerful than therapy. Picturebooks can help readers of all ages to realize they are not the only ones struggling with a problem or dealing with a difficult issue. Meeting a book character can shed new light on how to solve a problem. These books all are good examples of … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/global-book-recommendations-51/" class="more-link">Continue reading GLOBAL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/global-book-recommendations-51/">GLOBAL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Sometimes a story can be more powerful than therapy. Picturebooks can help readers of all ages to realize they are not the only ones struggling with a problem or dealing with a difficult issue. Meeting a book character can shed new light on how to solve a problem. These books all are good examples of that.
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<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71gRPr5rdZL._SL1500_.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="828" height="1024" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71gRPr5rdZL._SL1500_-828x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-7486" style="width:187px;height:auto" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71gRPr5rdZL._SL1500_-828x1024.jpg 828w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71gRPr5rdZL._SL1500_-243x300.jpg 243w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71gRPr5rdZL._SL1500_-768x950.jpg 768w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71gRPr5rdZL._SL1500_.jpg 1213w" sizes="(max-width: 828px) 100vw, 828px" /></a></figure></div>
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The Only Lonely Fairy by Lana Button, with illustrations by Peggy Collins is the story of one little girl who is too busy feeling sorry for herself to notice new friends. Leah has beautiful fairy wings but, seemingly, no one wants to play with her. All the other children are busy playing with others but poor Leah is all alone and doesn’t like it. Until she finally notices another child who would like to try on her fairy wings. This one is soon followed by another and soon Leah is no longer alone. This is a picture book that can lead to discussing how to make new friends, how to pay attention to others and how to reach out. ISBN 978-1-77278-302-5, Pajama Press
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<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/91VN6wn34DL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="436" height="436" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/91VN6wn34DL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-7487" style="width:219px;height:auto" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/91VN6wn34DL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp 436w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/91VN6wn34DL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_-300x300.webp 300w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/91VN6wn34DL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_-150x150.webp 150w" sizes="(max-width: 436px) 100vw, 436px" /></a></figure></div>
The Reflection in Me, written by Marc Colagiovanni and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, is an affirmation – a discussion between a child and its mirror image. “You are just perfect in every way,” they tell each other. But sounding confident and looking lovely are just outward signs of being confident. The true magic of any person comes from within. This simple but caring picture book can lead to wonderful classroom discussions on being brave and having the courage to be yourself. And you’ll be just perfect. ISBN 978-1-338-81048-6, Scholastic
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<figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/913yVmyrxL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="486" height="436" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/913yVmyrxL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-7488" style="width:234px;height:auto" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/913yVmyrxL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp 486w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/913yVmyrxL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_-300x269.webp 300w" sizes="(max-width: 486px) 100vw, 486px" /></a></figure></div>
Sky Pig by Jan L. Coates, illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo is about pursuing your dreams, about being persistent when you try something new. Kids, and pigs, can be resourceful. Jack and his little pig friend Ollie try hard to achieve Ollie’s dream of flying. Jack helps his friends but mostly their inventions don’t work. Until Ollie has an idea that just might help pigs to fly. ISBN 978-1-927485-98-9, Pajama Press
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<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/810FFxxiBYL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="323" height="436" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/810FFxxiBYL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-7489" style="width:267px;height:auto" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/810FFxxiBYL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_.webp 323w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/810FFxxiBYL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_-222x300.webp 222w" sizes="(max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px" /></a></figure></div>
More Than Words by Natalie Hyde and Valerie Sherrard, with illustrations by David Jardine, is a brand new release. This unique nonfiction book is all about communication. Written for young teens, the book examines how people communicate. Not only through language but through eye contact, gestures, facial expressions and body language. How and when do you use sarcasm? How important are expressions? Are you a good listener as well as a speaker? The book includes tips on connecting with others online and by phone. Are your words in a text message sending the right meaning? How important is proper grammar to make a first impression? This book will help those seeking to improve or practise good communication skills but will also come in handy for those who like to write. ISBN 978-1-77086-719-2, Cormorant Books, DCB Young Readers
Margriet Ruurs writes books for children and conducts author presentations to International Schools around the world. Book now for the 2024/25 school year: w<a href="http://www.margrietruurs.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">ww.margrietruurs.com</a>The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/global-book-recommendations-51/">GLOBAL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Taking The Time To Celebrate</title>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Daniel Kerr]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sun, 21 Apr 2024 08:55:14 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Daniel Kerr]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[So this week I want to talk about the importance of giving thanks, sharing gratitude, and taking the time to slow down once in a while in our pursuit of progress to simply embrace and celebrate where we are as a school, and to recognize what we have accomplished as a collective community. We work … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/taking-the-time-to-celebrate/" class="more-link">Continue reading Taking The Time To Celebrate →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/taking-the-time-to-celebrate/">Taking The Time To Celebrate</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_6121-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_6121-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-7482" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_6121-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_6121-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_6121-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_6121-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_6121-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
So this week I want to talk about the importance of giving thanks, sharing gratitude, and taking the time to slow down once in a while in our pursuit of progress to simply embrace and celebrate where we are as a school, and to recognize what we have accomplished as a collective community. We work so hard as educators, and we are so committed to doing our best for our students that sometimes it becomes very, very easy to get lost in the work, without taking these important pauses. Slowing down once in a while, taking a deep collective breath, and celebrating the work that’s been done along the way is the key to allowing the great work to continue, and much to my delight, we do that really well here at SSIS.
Recently for example, we have stopped to celebrate the opening of our new, purpose built facilities with our faculty and staff, and we have planned an even bigger, more public celebration in the upcoming weeks. We also just came off of our school-wide kindness week, organized by our incredible counseling team, where we spent several days celebrating each other, doing random acts of kindness, sharing our gratitude and simply taking the time to recognize and celebrate the beauty of our school, and on top of all that we took this past week’s full faculty meeting to celebrate our fantastic community survey results and our impressive progress related to our strategic plan…so good.
To tell you the truth, there was a moment during last week’s facility opening ceremony when I looked around and found myself getting very emotional. The sun was warm and shining, the entire audience was smiling and happy and cheering loudly at every opportunity, the students were excited beyond belief, and the gratitude that I felt inside at that particular moment just came spilling over. By creating moments of celebration like these we allow space for our gratitude to sink in and flow out, which ends up connecting us deeply to the meaning and purpose of our work, and keeps us coming back for more <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />
Actually, If we all stop to think about it, there is so much to be thankful for here in our lives as a faculty that it’s almost impossible to hold all the gratitude in, and stop it from flowing out. We work in a beautiful school, in a beautiful country, with amazing students, and incredible teachers, and engaged parents, and a loyal and proud support staff, and a strong vision for the future of the school…I could go on and on and on. I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes as schools, if we aren’t careful and purposeful with our priorities, it can become easy to get caught up in our busy day to day lives. We can get consumed with all the work that we want and need to do, and get to a place where we can forget to take the time, on a regular basis, to recognize, and internalize all that we have to be thankful and grateful for.
So, with that in mind, I want to publicly celebrate you all today for your unwavering commitment to our students, and to their learning. I want to say thank you for being so good to each other, and to me as a newbie to the school, and for approaching every educational conversation with an open mind and with positive intent. I want to thank you for finding your educational voices and your educational courage so quickly this year, and I want to celebrate you for being the kind, caring, and hardworking people and professionals that you all are. We are a very high achieving school, with exciting aspirations and dreams that are progressive and forward thinking, and we move at a fast pace around here to meet these goals. Let’s just make sure that we continue to hold each other accountable for taking a step back once in a while in order to celebrate…not just the big things like new buildings, but the small, day to day accomplishments as well. It’s the little things that can go by invisibly if we don’t make a concerted effort to call them out and give them the recognition that they deserve.
Supporting this notion, our amazing Head of School, Dr. Catriona Moran, recently spoke at our leadership team meeting about the importance of prioritizing regular celebrations as a school, as well as the undeniable connection between celebration and positive culture building, and you know what, I couldn’t agree more. Culture does indeed eat strategy for breakfast as they say, and it feels great to be a part of a school that prioritizes this important mindset. 
Okay, with all of that in mind, let’s keep celebrating all of what makes our community so special as we speed toward the month of May, and commit to finding the time throughout the week, or even daily, to recognize and vocalize our gratitude. Let’s celebrate each other, our students, our SSIS staff and everyone else that contributes to this special place. Let the gratitude truly overwhelm as we look to finish the year strong. Have a fantastic week and remember to be great for our students and grateful for each other!
Quote of the Week…
Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts – Henri Frederic Amiel
Related Articles – 
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lucianapaulise/2023/10/31/5-reasons-why-celebration-and-gratitude-can-reduce-your-stress/?sh=78fc6f246a27">Celebrations Reduce Stress</a>
<a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/successes-at-work">Celebrating at Work</a>
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joyceearussell/2019/08/11/celebrating-each-other-to-create-an-enjoyable-work-culture/?sh=160d40483944">An Enjoyable Work Culture</a>
<a href="https://knowledgeworks.org/resources/growing-culture-celebrations/">Being Intentional </a>
<a href="https://hbr.org/2022/02/4-ways-every-employee-can-contribute-to-company-culture">Employee Contributions </a>
Inspiring Videos – 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REPPgPcw4hk">Somebody I Used To Know Dance</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAGchFBz1PU">Lemonade Stand</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brf_xYfD6no&list=PLotzEBRQdc0eX6sErNJED9JuHzJ1vcIu_">Solar Eclipse </a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M">Kool & The Gang Celebration</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuzxBFT_2r0&list=PLotzEBRQdc0eX6sErNJED9JuHzJ1vcIu_">An Old Mustang</a>The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/taking-the-time-to-celebrate/">Taking The Time To Celebrate</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Critical Race Theory: Learning from Kimberlé Crenshaw</title>
<link>https://blog.tieonline.com/critical-race-theory-learning-from-kimberle-crenshaw/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=critical-race-theory-learning-from-kimberle-crenshaw</link>
<comments>https://blog.tieonline.com/critical-race-theory-learning-from-kimberle-crenshaw/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Conrad Hughes]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Apr 2024 17:25:15 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Conrad Hughes]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.tieonline.com/?p=7473</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Kimerlé Crenshaw has an extraordinary CV: with degrees from Cornell University (BA), Harvard University (JD) and the University of Wisconsin, Madison (LLM), she is a specialist in race and gender issues and professor at both the UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School. She has published widely and is best known for founding critical … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/critical-race-theory-learning-from-kimberle-crenshaw/" class="more-link">Continue reading Critical Race Theory: Learning from Kimberlé Crenshaw →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/critical-race-theory-learning-from-kimberle-crenshaw/">Critical Race Theory: Learning from Kimberlé Crenshaw</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Kimerlé Crenshaw has an extraordinary CV: with degrees from Cornell University (BA), Harvard University (JD) and the University of Wisconsin, Madison (LLM), she is a specialist in race and gender issues and professor at both the UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School. She has published widely and is best known for founding critical race theory (CRT) and the construct of intersectionality. It was an immense privilege for me to hear her give the 2024 AERA keynote at Philadelphia just two days ago.
There was a special feeling in the air when she took to the stage, with rapturous cheering and a spontaneous standing ovation. She launched into her talk with a power and eloquence that sustained itself beautifully throughout the hour, during which time she held the attention of a crowd of at least 3000 people. It was one of those moments in life where you feel that you’re part of something special, lucky to be there, part of history. It hasn’t happened a lot to me, but when it has, I’ve felt it, and this was one such moment of grace and historical transcendence.
In the wake of Claudine Gay being removed from Harvard for what appear to be ideological reasons (this the shortest ever tenure of a Harvard president, and the only black female one at that); over 20 states vetoing or overturning the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT); the revision of Florida’s African American history standards to argue for the so-called benefits of slavery; the banning of a Disney film about Ruby Bridges (the first child to be placed in an all-white school in the South after desegregation) – again in Florida; the banning of works of literature such as The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou) and The Color Purple (Alice Walker) and a presidential campaign underway called America 2025 with the goal to “rescue the country from the grip of the radical Left”, Crenshaw argues that there is coordinated attack against Woke.
CRT is widely and, in some cases, intentionally, misunderstood and subsequently weaponised. It is portrayed by its dissenters as Marxist propaganda, a doctrine which forces students to endorse a certain race-centred ideological position. However, this is not what it is. CRT is an analysis of the racialisation of policy, power yielding and politics historically and in present day social dynamics. If one looks through the history of slavery and subsequent indentured labour and colonisation, and if one does so honestly, accepting the facts, it is quite simply impossible to disentangle racism from the wider scope of mainstream historical exegesis, to conveniently dissociate it from philosophical movements of the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution and much building of nation states across the world. These were built on a bedrock of exploitation, any serious scholar knows that.
Theories of postcoloniality date back to at least the 1960s, CRT goes back to 1989: these are well-founded and substantiated positions. To read a 2009 article I wrote on the intersection between education and postcoloniality, see <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ848634">here</a>.
“The past walks with the present” Crenshaw told us: the legacy of historical racism is still with us today, it manifests itself in statistics on access to education, wealth and power. The term “white privilege”, which causes unease – perhaps understandably, is nonetheless a necessary term which designates a reality: the systemic favouritism towards white people rather than people of colour in many economic, social and political realms. To contest this de facto is to seek alternative facts, opinions over data, disbelief over research, refusal over the acceptance of something that is clearly and patently a <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/racial-inequality-in-the-united-states">fact</a>, at the very least in the United States.
If one of the goals of an education is critical thinking, then how can we have critical discussions if we are not ready to accept the truth of history and the factual reports of the present? It is surely not by banning books and forbidding teaching of theory that any progress will be made. How can we evolve educationally by not allowing for the analysis of race in an overarching epistemological appreciation of reality? 
Theory is everywhere in education, from science to mathematics to the learning of languages to the humanities. A good education should expose students to several theories: feminism, Marxism, liberalism, nationalism, even polemical and controversial theories such as fascism. CRT has its place in education, it is a theory and in fact, a central theory that explains reams of present day social stratification very saliently.
Crenshaw ended her brilliant lecture by asking us to not be afraid to defend this educational approach, not to cave in to lobbying and political pressure, including pressure from parents who might have a media-informed misunderstanding of CRT. If we want a more just, equitable, diverse, fair and free world, which are prerequisites for genuine democracy and genuine intellectual freedom, as educators, we have to be bold and continue to fight for the right to teach intricacy, nuance, subtlety, difficult ideas, uncomfortable ideas. This is in the pursuit of those elusive but necessary nuggets that scholarship and education seek: truths.
Wikimedia Commons Photograph by Mohamed Badarne, CC-BY-SA-4.0The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/critical-race-theory-learning-from-kimberle-crenshaw/">Critical Race Theory: Learning from Kimberlé Crenshaw</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Recalibration of Truth</title>
<link>https://blog.tieonline.com/recalibration-of-truth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=recalibration-of-truth</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Mikton]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:31:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[John Mikton]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[In our rapidly changing digital age, the idea of truth is undergoing a significant change. In the past, truth was often taken from shared experiences and clear agreements. Today, truth often is manipulated by social media, algorithmic biases, polarization, organizations, companies, and in more instances governments,  fueling the algorithms that influence what we see, hear, … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/recalibration-of-truth/" class="more-link">Continue reading Recalibration of Truth →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/recalibration-of-truth/">Recalibration of Truth</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sky-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sky-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-7524" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sky-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sky-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sky-768x576.jpg 768w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sky-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sky-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo John Mikton</figcaption></figure>
In our rapidly changing digital age, the idea of truth is undergoing a significant change. In the past, truth was often taken from shared experiences and clear agreements. Today, truth often is manipulated by social media, algorithmic biases, polarization, organizations, companies, and in more instances governments,  fueling the algorithms that influence what we see, hear, and believe.
I refer to this as a recalibration of truth. This new landscape requires us to navigate the complexities of deep fakes: video and voice, misinformation, and the algorithmically curated digital environments that condition our understanding of what is real and true.
Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” reminds us, ” Each one of us, of course, is now being trained, deliberately, not to act independently.”  Written in 1932, this quote resonates for me, in a world where we are tethered to our devices, influencing and amplifying our wishes and perceptions, often unconsciously. The world we live in has become a digital ecosystem that curates 24/7 our understanding of the world around us, guiding not just our hopes and dreams but also our understanding of truth.
Throughout history, the concept of truth has always been complex, with each era having its own unique ways of curating information. There was a time, not too long ago when agreements and truths were often established through a handshake or verbal agreement. Nowadays, our point of reference is formal contracts and notarized documents. This in many ways is a natural shift of our time in how we understand and evaluate truth. The digital age has only accelerated this shift, flooding us with a constant stream of feeds and push notifications. The overabundance of information and our ability to process it has led to what Maryanne Wolf, author of <a href="https://www.maryannewolf.com/reader-come-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in the Digital Age</a>, calls ‘skim reading.’ The act of ‘skim reading” dilutes our attention span and reduces our capacity to fully engage with information, affecting our ability to pause, analyze, and read critically and deeply.
The recalibration of truth today involves more than just the weakening of the traditional concept of truth; it involves understanding truth’s new tools and architecture. The accelerated presence of artificial intelligence and the widespread influence of algorithmic curation challenge us to engage with information in entirely new ways. The emergence of synthetic media, such as deep fakes, further complicates our ability to trust what we see, hear, and feel, causing us to question the reliability of our senses.
Schools and educators play a critical role in addressing this recalibration of truth. The abundance of information available to us and our students is seamless and frictionless, yet its accuracy is often questionable, highlighting the vital importance of teaching digital and information literacy. These skills are and will continue to be, essential for evaluating information, cross-referencing sources, and understanding the mechanics and algorithms of the digital content we interact with.
As we navigate this new landscape, we need to be open to reevaluating our priorities, focusing on the development of critical thinking, ethics, and empathy. It’s about being willing to break away from the past and being comfortable to explore new resources, professional learning, and dispositions to navigate the challenges brought about by a recalibrated notion of truth. This underlines the importance of developing learning pathways focused on digital and information literacy, ensuring that our students have the skills and critical thinking agility to live in a world where truths are continually recalibrated.
I believe that as educators and schools, we have a responsibility to ensure our students are not merely passive consumers of edutainment but rather critical thinkers skilled at navigating the complexities of this recalibrated truth in the digital age
“But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”  Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”
Sources and Resources to further explore: 
“Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.” Goodreads, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5129.Brave_New_World" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5129.Brave_New_World</a>
Wolf, Maryanne. “Reader, Come Home – HarperCollins.” HarperCollins Publishers, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/reader-come-home-maryanne-wolf?variant=32128334594082" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://www.harpercollins.com/products/reader-come-home-maryanne-wolf?variant=32128334594082</a>
Reading behavior in the digital environment: Changes in reading behavior over the past ten years: <a href="https://litmedmod.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/liu_2005_lecture_numerique_competences_comportements.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://litmedmod.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/liu_2005_lecture_numerique_competences_comportements.pdf</a> Updates ‹ AI + Ethics Curriculum for Middle School — MIT Media Lab <a href="https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/ai-ethics-for-middle-school/updates" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/ai-ethics-for-middle-school/updates</a>
Carlsson, Ulla. “Understanding Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the Digital Age.” UNESCO, <a href="https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/gmw2019_understanding_mil_ulla_carlsson.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/gmw2019_understanding_mil_ulla_carlsson.pdf</a>
How deep fakes may shape the future <a href="https://theglassroom.org/en/misinformation-edition/exhibits/how-deepfake-may-shape-the-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://theglassroom.org/en/misinformation-edition/exhibits/how-deepfake-may-shape-the-future </a>FAKE or REAL? Misinformation Edition <a href="https://fake-or-real.theglassroom.org/#/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://fake-or-real.theglassroom.org/#/</a> 
John Spencer: Rethinking Information Literacy in an Age of AI. <a href="https://spencerauthor.com/ai-infoliteracy/." target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://spencerauthor.com/ai-infoliteracy/.</a>
AI Digital Literacy: Strategies for Educators in the Age of Artificial Intelligence <a href="https://blog.profjim.com/ai-digital-literacy-citizenship-best-practices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">https://blog.profjim.com/ai-digital-literacy-citizenship-best-practices/</a> The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/recalibration-of-truth/">Recalibration of Truth</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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<title>GLOBAL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS</title>
<link>https://blog.tieonline.com/global-book-recommendations-50/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=global-book-recommendations-50</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Margriet Ruurs]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2024 01:27:47 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Margriet Ruurs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[global reading]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[international literacy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[picturebooks]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Books are much like moccasins – they allow you to walk a mile in someone else’s footsteps; to experience life from someone else’s viewpoint. Books share stories from other cultures and countries. Here are some beautiful new titles to enrich any (classroom) library. Waci! Dance! is an indigenous celebration of dance and life. Written by … <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/global-book-recommendations-50/" class="more-link">Continue reading GLOBAL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS →</a>
The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/global-book-recommendations-50/">GLOBAL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Books are much like moccasins – they allow you to walk a mile in someone else’s footsteps; to experience life from someone else’s viewpoint. Books share stories from other cultures and countries. Here are some beautiful new titles to enrich any (classroom) library.
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71VC9otR9TL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="499" height="640" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71VC9otR9TL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-7461" style="width:255px;height:auto" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71VC9otR9TL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp 499w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71VC9otR9TL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_-234x300.webp 234w" sizes="(max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px" /></a></figure></div>
Waci! Dance! is an indigenous celebration of dance and life. Written by Sage Speidel and illustrated by Leah Dorion, the art dances off the pages in this picturebook as a small child is dressed and gets ready to join her elders in a festive dance to drums. The indigenous words are explained in a glossary in the back. This beautiful, happy story invites any reader to join in dancing and drumming to celebrate Mother Earth. 
ISBN 978-0889957275, Red Deer Press
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<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/819E3VaH-L._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="469" height="640" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/819E3VaH-L._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-7462" style="width:297px;height:auto" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/819E3VaH-L._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp 469w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/819E3VaH-L._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_-220x300.webp 220w" sizes="(max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px" /></a></figure></div>
Look! Look! has been written by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy. 
Water is one of earth’s most precious resources. In India people used to have wells and catchment systems. But often these ancient sources have became covered by soil while weeds grow and the land dries up. In this colourful picturebook, a child looks closely and notices a grey stone under the dirt. Working together with others, the people uncover steps leading to an ancient well. And when the rains come, the uncovered well once again fills up to provide precious water for the earth and the people. A nice reminder of the value of historic resources and the power of a child. ISBN 978-1773069326, Groundwood Books
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<figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71YJE9HNBL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="638" height="640" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71YJE9HNBL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-7463" style="width:275px;height:auto" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71YJE9HNBL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp 638w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71YJE9HNBL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_-300x300.webp 300w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/71YJE9HNBL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_-150x150.webp 150w" sizes="(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px" /></a></figure></div>
We Belong Here, written by Frieda Wishinsky and illustrated by Ruth Ohi is set in the 1950’s. Even though many countries are a melting pot of different cultures, it can still be difficult to make a new country your home. Eve and Mark are each part of a family of newcomers to a new land. They often get teased or called names. Mark’s father even loses his job due to discrimination. But the children help their families to be stronger and better by working together. When Mark’s father uses his carpentry skills, the whole neighbourhood agrees that everything is better in the renovated delicatessen store.  ISBN 978-1-4431-9403-7, Scholastic
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7104D1AnYTL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="434" height="640" src="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7104D1AnYTL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-7464" style="width:247px;height:auto" srcset="https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7104D1AnYTL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_.webp 434w, https://blog.tieonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7104D1AnYTL._AC_UL640_FMwebp_QL65_-203x300.webp 203w" sizes="(max-width: 434px) 100vw, 434px" /></a></figure></div>
Taming Papa by Mylène Goupil is a tender, thought provoking novel for young readers. Mélie didn’t even know she had a father when her mother receives word that he is coming to join them in their country. Mélie wasn’t told about him because he was in prison in his home country, where everyone has to agree and say the same things or they get put in prison. Something her father couldn’t do. When he actually joins them, he doesn’t speak the same language. There are many barriers to overcome for shy, introvert Mélie. But with the help of a kind, former teacher and his new baby, and the help of a new, lost kitten, Mélie learns to understand her father in more ways than just with words. All the while she searches for, and finds the answer to her question ‘what is a real family?’
Children of immigrant families who struggle with similar problems, will love this gentle, beautifully written novel. ISBN 978-1-77306-723-0, Groundwood Books
Margriet Ruurs writes books for children in Canada and visits international schools around the world. Book now for the 2024/25 school year: <a href="http://www.margrietruurs.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">www.margrietruurs.com</a>The post <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com/global-book-recommendations-50/">GLOBAL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS</a> first appeared on <a href="https://blog.tieonline.com">TIE BLOG : Teaching Your Way Around the World</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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