AASSA - Association of American Schools in South America

Snapshot of the Bogota, Colombia Conference

The conference will be designed around the theme “Building a Community of Excellent Teachers, Students and Parents” and will be held on the following dates:

            Pre-conference sessions: March 18 & 19
            Main conference: March 19 pm – 21

Two Day Pre-Conference for Administrators/Principals/Curriculum Coordinators:

March 18: Ventur es for Excellence: “Developing Teachers in Pursuit of Excellence”

Do you want your teachers to exhibit attitudes, skills and behaviors consistent with excellence in teaching? Do you want teachers who maximize the growth of students? If you answer YES to these questions, this one-day session is right for you.

March 19: Janie Pollock: Improving Student Learning, One Principal at a Time

Supervision models provide structure for the collaboration between the supervisor and teacher to discuss classroom observations in order to improve teaching. So, why do classroom observations seem nerve-wracking and sometimes perfunctory to the principal and the teacher? Jane Pollock recommends retooling the Teaching Master Learners Schema from Improving Student Learning One Teacher at a Time (ASCD 2007) into the process so principals or coaches give feedback to the teacher to directly improve student learning. When supervisors use the same schema to guide conferences about classroom observations that teachers use to plan lessons, the interaction between them results in improved performances for both teachers and students. Principals will find practical strategies that provide a necessary complement to their current evaluation and supervision frameworks.

Strand I (March 18 and 19): Standards-Based Instruction in k-12 Mathematics, Janis Heigl and Jim Short

Join us for the first of 2 days of an in-depth look at the NCTM standards and their implications for classroom instruction K-12. We begin with a discussion of what the standards actually call for, and then you will have an opportunity to visit classrooms at the grade level that interests you, to see teachers implementing standards based curricula. In the afternoon we will discuss what you saw in the classroom. We will then discuss what the outcomes of a K-12 math program should be, and what are some of the challenges in achieving them, and strategies for success. We will have more time visiting classrooms to see the standards in action, and further discussion of issues in implementing such a program.

Strand II (March 18 and 19): Pre-AP and AP Training (College Board)
Day 1: Pre AP: Topics for Vertical Teams in Science
One of the best steps towards expanding student access to AP courses is to vertically align curriculum and introduce and build on AP content, strategies and processes in grades 5-12. In this hands-on workshop participants will:

learn how to create a viable vertical team
obtain experience in aligning curriculum with standards and high school AP courses
vertically align some AP strategies, processes or content from grades 5-12

               Pre AP: Topics for Vertical Teams in Social Studies
Educators learn about AP Vertical Teams and discover the benefits of a streamlined and connected curriculum. The workshop focuses on middle and high school AP social studies curricula, covering critical questions, creating effective essay questions, approaching the essay, and CORE structure.
Day 2:   Pre AP: Strategies in Science – Creating a Learner Centered      Classroom
Teachers will learn how to create an interactive, cooperative learning classroom that focuses on inquiry-based learning, encourages higher levels of thinking, questioning and organizing, and orchestrates discourse through speaking, writing and graphic representation. Some strategies for the following will be introduced:

inductive thinking
discrepant events
brainstorming and other thinking strategies
cooperative group work
graphic organizers
others

The workshop focuses on ways to design and use scientific investigations and enhance current classroom activities. Participants learn how to develop learning skills for all students, build formative assessments to monitor progress, and foster scientific thinking without interrupting instruction.

AP US History
This workshop will focus on content and instructional techniques for AP U.S. History. We will explore topics covered in the course in a way that supports student understanding and also maximizes the level of student preparation for the AP Exam. In our session, we will pay particular attention to teaching strategies, textbooks, and supplementary material selection, methods of assessing student understanding, and managing the course content in a constrained time frame. We will also discuss ways of promoting greater student participation in AP Calculus while advancing equity. A review of the past AP Exams in will be featured, and time will be provided for participants to share their own strategies and best practices.

The session is open and can be beneficial for educators who are teaching AP as well as teachers working with levels leading up to AP who are interested in learning more about the expectations in AP courses.

Strand III: (March 19) Culture is Not Optional: Facilitating Effective (Inter)Cultural Learning at International Schools Dr. Cate Brubaker

In this interactive workshop, participants will connect (inter)cultural theory to daily international school practice through experiential activities, personal reflection, and group discussion. Using participants’ experiences, we will first explore the dimensions of culture as a framework for understanding how universal, cultural, and personal values influence attitudes, behavior, and perceptions. Then, we will investigate the concept of culture learning and how it applies to the international school experience. Finally, participants will develop an intercultural action plan focusing on how to facilitate effective intercultural learning in their school community. All workshop materials will be available to participants for their own use.

Cost: $75

Strand IV: AERO Standards-Based Curriculum, Strategies for Improving Student Learning Tom Oden and Naomi Woolsey (March 18th)

During this day long session, Naomi Woolsey, AERO Project Coordinator and Tom Oden, Director of Uruguayan American School, will present timely and practical information for all schools in the process of becoming more standards-based. Tom will facilitate the morning session and will address the specifics of standards adoption, curriculum mapping and unit development using the backward design process. During the afternoon session, Naomi will present key information on useful assessment tools and recent AERO developments which will benefit schools.

March 18: MAP Administration
MAP Administration is for schools planning to implement MAP assessments spring 09 or fall 09. [*must complete required MAP implementation process with NWEA prior to participating]. Shows new members how to implement and administer MAP tests. Participants will learn how adaptive testing can be used to measure student progress and identify instructional needs.
Stepping Stones to Using Data
Stepping Stones to Using Data: For current MAP users – (recommended that at least one test season has been completed prior to attending). Participants will work with the reports available after their first test season. Participants will analyze their data, learn to interpret data, and engage with other faculty to create an environment responsive to the needs of all students.

March 19: Climbing the Data Ladder
Climbing the Data Ladder: For current MAP users (recommended that at least one test season has been completed prior to attending). Attendees learn to apply the information available on reports to their instructional practices. Participants learn how to use test results to differentiate instruction, form flexible groups, and develop strategies for ensuring instruction meets the needs of every student.
Cost: $75 per course

This full day event offers an excellent opportunity to engage in professional dialogue with admission and guidance colleagues and build successfully collaborative relationships. With an emphasis on building professional partnerships and the importance of such partnerships in advising globally-minded students on their future educational plans, our program will focus on professional development, networking and group discussion. Topics in the area of recruitment and admission to higher education will be included.
Institute features include:

• Professional development sessions
• Small group discussions
• College fair for guidance counselors
• Coffee breaks and lunch

Invited participants include admission officers from CIS member colleges and universities from across the United States, Canada and Europe and counselors from throughout South America.
Institute Hosts: Paula Mitchell, Director of Higher Education
Council of International Schools – Ithaca, New York
Terri Finnin, College Counselor
Colegio Nueva Granada – Bogota, Colombia
Institute Contact: Paula Mitchell, Director of Higher Education
Council of International Schools – Ithaca, New York

Please refer to the accompanying registration form for further details and direct questions regarding registration to the CIS Office of Higher Education at cisus@cois.org.

Pre-Conference for Librarians: March 19th
Follett will hold a full-day institute on Follett Destiny and Circ/Cat Plus software.

This is a two session training workshop to provide professional development to librarians in the use of their Follett library automation systems and to share best practices with your peers from other schools.
Morning Session: 90 minutes -Overview of latest version of Destiny, report generation, effective cataloguing, Z39.5 sources. Customize Visual OPAC to promote areas of the curriculum. Question and answer session
Afternoon Session: 80 minutes -Review of Circ/Cat Plus. Data enhancement and migration to Destiny. Question and answer session.
Cost: Free

The conference will feature eight main strands led by our hired consultants:

Strand I: Janie Pollock

            Session Titles:
            One Teacher at a Time: Planned Instruction
            One Teacher at a Time: Grading and Record Keeping

            Session Titles:
            Power of Partnering: Teachers and Students
            Power of Partnering: Teachers and Parents
            Power of Partnering: Community Members

Strand III: Dr. Cate Brubaker: Cultural Adaptation and Assimilation
Fostering Deeper Cultural Awareness and Understanding at Your School
From Tourist to Explorer: Promote Cultural Awareness at Your School

Strand IV:   Dr. Linda Sharp
            Education in a MySpace World
            Cyber Security in the Classroom
            Using Web 2.0 in the Classroom

Strand V: Dr. Janis Heigl and Jim Short
NCTM Standards-Based Curricula
Discussion of Implementing NCTM Standards

Strand VI: Counseling Strand    Denise Cochran and Robin Fate
March 20:       Putting Counseling Theory into Practice, Part I and II
March 21:       Pillars of a Strong International Counseling Program, Part I and II

There will be 135 teacher presentations on a wide variety of topics scheduled throughout the main days of the conference .

Note: Participants will book their hotel accommodations directly with the conference hotels.

Cost for Main Conference:
Participants from Full Member Schools: $150
Participants from Invitational Member Schools: $350
Participants from Non-member Schools: $450