In this session, participants will be given tools for better cultural understanding and communication in schools. The session will present some of the key findings of Erin Meyer’s book The Culture Map, combined with more recent research. The aim is to give educators ideas about how to improve intercultural communication in international schools. Even though most people seem to be speaking fluent English, communication is often difficult because cultural barriers and expectations. The session will focus on how to improve communication and understanding in schools using some of the ideas that are outlined in Erin Meyer’s book. The presenter will also draw from her own experience in everyday school practice.
Are you looking to bring more structure and routine to your classroom but unsure how to get started with Google Slides? This hands-on workshop is designed for teachers who want to build confidence in using Google Slides to streamline their daily lessons and routines.
In the first half of the session, I will share how I have successfully structured my lessons using Google Slides in both Early Years and Grade 4 classrooms. You’ll see practical examples of how Slides can be used to organize your day, engage students, and create consistency in your teaching.
The second half of the workshop will be interactive—participants will receive editable templates and have time to personalize their own Google Slides presentation. You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow educators and leave the session with a ready-to-use, adaptable slide deck tailored to your classroom needs.
Whether you’re new to Google Slides or looking for fresh ideas, this workshop will give you the tools and confidence to make your teaching more structured and efficient.
We all know the importance of the growth mindset, but how much time do we spend paying attention to cultivating this within the classroom? How confident do we feel to actively build the necessary skills and dispositions within students to empower them as lifelong learners? Drawing on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the work of Dr Shyam Barr (Educate to Self-Regulate, Amba Press, 2024), this workshop offers a range of strategies to build self-management approaches to learning for secondary students. We will explore how we can sustaining effort and persistence, as well as supporting student emotional capacity through the approach of self-regulated learning. This approach is designed to build capacity within students to understand their own thinking, motivations, emotions and behaviours in the context of learning, and to monitor and change these in response to a problem or towards a desired goal.
This session is designed for all DP subjects, with a specific focus on integrating inquiry-based activities that allow students to take control of their learning while mastering key content, particularly in science. While many parts of the curriculum require teacher-led instruction, there are certain topics in subjects like physics, chemistry, and biology where we can step back and let students drive the lesson through exploration and discovery. The challenge lies in balancing this inquiry approach with the need to cover all necessary content, particularly within the time constraints of the IB curriculum. In this workshop, teachers will learn how to create inquiry-driven lessons that promote self-learning, while still ensuring that practice test questions and required content are effectively integrated. We’ll explore ways to manage time efficiently, allowing students to engage deeply with the material without sacrificing essential learning objectives. By shifting to a facilitator role in certain units, teachers can encourage active student participation, critical thinking, and problem-solving. The focus will be on creating a dynamic classroom environment where students take ownership of their learning, preparing them for success in assessments while fostering a deeper understanding of the subject.
This workshop will show several exercises and games which can be used to increase the energy level and the feeling of community in a class. These games are also a fun way of learning new vocabulary or to learn how to concentrate better. The participants will experience the games and exercises in an active way. There will be energizing games, as well as teambuilding-, concentration-, learning-, and fun games. The exercises come from different angles, such as: theatre improvisation, language learning, and warming ups.
As learners begin to near the end of their time in the primary school, fostering independence and autonomy becomes a vital skill to prepare them for the next step in their school life. In this session, teachers will explore practical strategies to ensure every learner feels welcomed, supported, and prepared for the challenges ahead. We will discuss approaches that encourage learners to be courageous in facing new academic and social environments, equipping them with skills to navigate change successfully. Through collaboration and reflection, participants will learn how to develop structured transition plans that instil confidence and instigate a proud sense of accomplishment in learners as they take their next educational steps. We will share some of the approaches used in our Grade 4 and Grade 5 classrooms, and there will also be an opportunity for you to share what you do in your own schools.
Creating positive, playful connections within a group motivates and energizes a class to collaborate with trust. Improv Comedy is based on principles of "group-mind" where everyone works and plays together under an agreed-upon set of rules. This workshop involves actively playing a selection of "easy-to-learn, easy-to-teach" exercises inspired by the comedy improv mindset that can be used in the classroom to create rapport, challenge focusing skills and enliven the playful connections between students. These Ice-breakers and Group Exercises can be used (with adaptations) with students of all ages. Based on Viola Spolin´s seminal exercises in the classroom, theories of Applied Improv and "Short-form Improvisational Comedy"performance techniques, these games thrive on soft-skill communication techniques that encourage risk-taking and creative play where there is no "right" or "wrong"; it´s a recognition of the creative child within us who still wants to play and of the teacher´s task of empowering students to connect to each other in non-judgemental ways. Brian will introduce a different set of exercises than those from the 2024 Conference, and expand on games that strongly resonated with participants.
Secondary Drama Teacher, Berlin International School
Before teaching Secondary School Drama at Berlin International School, Brian had a long history in professional theater and comedy improvisation performance and production. As a founding member of ComedySportz in 1985, he co-created 'short-form' improvisational comedy format that... Read More →
Sunday September 28, 2025 09:00 - 10:00 CEST TBAAm Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam
Join us for a workshop designed for primary and middle school teachers, teaching any subject, who want to foster creativity and collaboration in their classrooms. This workshop will help you: -Be Inspired by Impactful Design Projects: Discover how design projects can engage students and enhance learning. We will showcase projects that have made a significant impact, providing you with ideas to bring back to your schools. -Think Through an Interdisciplinary Lens: Learn how to break down traditional subject boundaries and approach teaching from an interdisciplinary perspective. We will explore strategies and frameworks that encourage teachers to make connections across different subjects as they plan. -Collaborate with Colleagues Across Subjects to Innovate Your Ideas: Work alongside colleagues from various disciplines. Through activities and discussions, you will share your ideas and co-create project ideas that can meaningfully integrate multiple subjects.
Aims to introduce participants to the powerful methodology of Philosophy for Children (P4C). The workshop will demonstrate how P4C can significantly improve teaching and learning outcomes with minimal preparation required from educators.
Participants will explore the key features of P4C and learn facilitation tools and techniques that lead to fruitful philosophical inquiries. The workshop will highlight how P4C builds higher-order thinking, questioning, and speaking and listening skills across primary (and beyond?)
The session will showcase P4C's impact on developing critical thinking, oracy, and self-efficacy in students. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to experience how P4C creates a more collaborative learning environment and empowers children to take control of their own learning. The workshop will also address how P4C can be integrated into various subjects and used to explore challenging topics.
This workshop will share the process of planning and delivering a personal safety curriculum for early years and junior school students.
The session will focus on one school counsellor’s experience of planning curriculums for two international schools in Shanghai and Germany, based on recommendations from CIS Consultant Susie March. The session will begin by discussing the context of the lessons and why it is important for international schools to teach them. We will then look at an example scope and sequence with samples of lesson content and activities that can be delivered by classroom teachers and/ or school counsellors.
We will also look at useful resources and discuss how the curriculum can be adapted depending on the time constraints and number of staff available to deliver the lessons.
Finally, the workshop will explore how to navigate parent communication, with some suggestions and examples of how to introduce this topic to the parent community, as well as advice on how to answer questions and concerns from parents.
This session will explore the importance of thinking and social skills in the learning process. Participants will be introduced to various strategies that can help develop these skills in students during lessons.
For thinking skills, the session will present strategies from Harvard University’s Project Zero, such as Claim, Support, Question, Circle of Viewpoints, and Compass Points.
Participants will actively engage in two selected strategies to experience their practical implications firsthand.
As educators, one of our deepest desires is to see transformation take place in the minds and hearts of our students. In this workshop we will explore how Transformational Leadership theory can help teachers to reflect on their role as leaders of young men and women in the classroom, and to be the kind of leaders that inspire transformation in their students.
During the workshop we will outline Transformational Leadership theory as well as some relevant research related to its application in the classroom. We will also take time to reflect on and discuss ways in which the key traits of Transformational Leadership are already taking place in our schools, and to identify potential opportunities to enhance this kind of leadership in the classroom.
A tessellation is a tiling that has a repeated pattern of one or more shapes. Tessellations are used around us everyday. M.C. Escher Is famous for bridging mathematics and artistic concepts together and creating well-known tessellations. This workshop will explain what a tessellation is, teach participants how to make a tessellation of one's own and gain the skills to teach students how to make one of their own.
What does art education look like in today’s schools? Do you have a dedicated art space, or are you teaching from a cart? How do you balance structured curriculum with creative exploration? In this interactive session, we will explore the triumphs and challenges of modern art teaching, from classroom management and student engagement to curriculum development and fostering creativity in the digital age. Join fellow art educators in a collaborative discussion on the evolving role of art in schools, the impact of technology, and how we can build an international community to support and inspire each other. Whether you’re looking for new ideas, solutions to common struggles, or simply a space to share experiences, this session is your opportunity to connect and create a vision for the year ahead.
This full-day workshop equips educators to develop thriving debate programs. Learn to craft powerful assessments, integrate debate across the IB curriculum, and join a growing network of international school debate coaches. Whether you're starting your first classroom debate or ready to host competitions, leave with concrete tools and connections to energise student learning.
09:30-10:00 Welcome Coffee 10:00-12:30 First Session: Debate Fundamentals - Understanding competitive debate formats - Essential skills: argument construction, rebuttal, reasoning - Hands-on practice of basic debate techniques - Creating effective debate-based learning experiences: case study from business - Creating effective debate-based assessments: case study from integrated humanities - Using debating to forge inter-curricular links
12:30-13:30 Lunch 13:30-15:30 Second Session: Beyond Basics - Debating Warm-Ups - Advanced strategies for classroom debates - Hands-on practice of advanced strategies - Running a successful debate club - Organising inter-school competitions - Supporting diverse learners
15:30-16:00 Coffee Break 16:00-17:00 End of day plenary and wrap-up - How to integrate debate in your school: a roadmap - Network building: resource sharing and competition planning - Next steps: regional and international events
09:30-10:00 Welcome Coffee 10:00-12:30 First Session: Introduction to Function, Behavioral descriptions, and typical Functional Categories, Practice Writing, Using the FAST Assessment tool, 12:30-13:30 Lunch 13:30-15:30 Second Session: Case Studies, Generate Functional statements based upon context, Matching Skills as Replacement Behaviors, Behavior Plan Writing, Barriers to Implementation 15:30-16:00 Coffee Break 16:00-17:00 End of day plenary and wrap-up
German cities are a STEAM-subject class trip paradise - yes, all of them! At this workshop, after we outline existing successful community connections to Youth Innovation Centres, Tech Startup Hubs, Universities' MINT/STEM Teacher Training Labs, Museums of Textile History and much much more, we will move on to real workshop mode, and, in small groups, aim to equip *you* with a solid list of community resources in *your* locality, ready to deepen and expand your school's STEAM-themed educational experiences.
PYP Design Teacher / STEAM Coordinator, Intl School of Stuttgart e.V.
I am a PYP Design Teacher and STEAM Coordinator at the International School of Stuttgart where I facilitate creative learning through STEAM (MINT), Technology and Design to foster the PYP concept of student agency. I also work as the technical support for the AGIS Conference Planning... Read More →
Sunday September 28, 2025 10:30 - 11:30 CEST TBAAm Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam
Publishers often produce comprehensive math programs, assuming more content means better value. Yet international schools frequently allocate less time for math than standards like the Common Core recommend. As a result, many practitioners feel overwhelmed, wondering: “What’s truly important? What can we cut? Can we still explore ideas deeply if we reduce content?” Meanwhile, the PYP is sometimes criticized for offering good ideas but lacking grade-level support. This workshop presents a clear Number progression from Kindergarten to Grade 6, drawing on WA First Steps, Numicon Essentials, the NZ Numeracy Project, and the current (2018) PYP Mathematics Scope and Sequence. It will also align with forthcoming updates. Participants will see practical examples of each conceptual stage through interactive materials, warm-up games, and videos illustrating how learning unfolds at each level. In addition, the session provides “ready to use tomorrow” activities for both assessment and teaching. Ultimately, this framework helps educators streamline content, focus on deeper understanding, and address the real question: what truly matters in math instruction?
This session explores practical strategies to differentiate instruction, accommodate diverse learners and apply modifications effectively within IB programs. Grounded in the principles of inclusive education, attendees will learn how to identify barriers to learning and implement equitable practices that support all students, including those with individual education plans. The session highlights the collaborative roles of classroom and learning support teachers in fostering an inclusive learning environment. Participants will leave with ready to use techniques for differentiation, tools to align accommodations with IB criteria and insights into modifications' role in supporting students with significant learning needs.
In many language acquisition classes, students often revert to using a common language, such as English, when interacting with peers. This workshop addresses the challenge of increasing the use of the target language in student-student interactions. In this workshop, attendees will gain insights from research and strategies implemented mainly in German language acquisition classes (with some Spanish/English examples). The goal is to share effective materials and techniques to encourage consistent use of the target language, such as such as chat mats, self-assessment rubrics, surveys, contracts, sentence builders, and rejoinders to foster a more immersive language environment.
Whether you expect to be looking for a new job in Germany, or further afield, this session will be part workshop, part discussion, to help your application speak with clarity and purpose to those reading it. Based on the joy, challenge and frustration of reading hundreds of applications a year from people who do not always make it easy to see what they might bring, where and how they have gained their experience and whether they would be happy in Leipzig, Dehradun or Weimar, we will look at the good, the bad and the ugly.
We cannot always find the mentors we need to turn to when making job applications, particularly if we want to keep an application quiet until it becomes real. This session will take place within a circle of trust in which anyone can ask anything, about what school hiring committees and Heads might be thinking when it comes to hiring.
Bring along your CVs, your aspirations and your questions and we can spend an hour now, saving hours later in the year.
This session will explore the core principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and examine how educational technology (EdTech) can enhance inclusivity across diverse learning environments. Participants will discover practical strategies for leveraging digital tools to remove barriers, support diverse learning styles, and create more engaging, accessible, and student-centered experiences. Through interactive discussions and real-world examples, this session will highlight how technology can empower all learners by fostering flexibility, accessibility, and equity in education.
This session will explore the ways in which drama classroom techniques can be integrated into subjects across the curriculum for all educators regardless of subject specialism. It will also touch on some of the benefits of integrating theatre and movement into the classroom to support all kinds of learners. There will be the opportunity to share examples, and to brainstorm new ones for integrating drama, role play and imaginative thinking into our subjects to open up opportunities for new ways of assessing our students understanding and abilities beyond the traditional written assessments, PowerPoints and posters.
We will take you through the comprehensive journey of developing our intervention program aimed at improving literacy and numeracy. We will detail the pathways we followed to determine the tools used in the program, as well as the assessment timelines we established to monitor progress. Each tool has been carefully selected to align with the specific needs of our students, and we will explain the rationale behind these choices.
We will model the data analysis protocols that we employ when reviewing assessment results with our teams. In addition, we will provide a detailed overview of what small group intervention looks like for different areas of literacy and numeracy, and discuss how we approach this work both inside and outside of the classroom setting.
We will touch on the crucial process of progress monitoring—explaining how we track students' growth over time and the methods we use to adjust instruction accordingly. Finally, we will outline the next steps that follow the implementation of our intervention strategies, ensuring a continuous cycle of improvement and support for each student. This session will offer practical insights and strategies that can be applied to any classroom seeking to enhance student outcomes in literacy and numeracy.
Morning Tubs provide an innovative and student-centered approach to starting the school day. This workshop will introduce educators to the benefits of Morning Tubs and how they can be used to strengthen collaboration, critical thinking, and social-emotional skills. Participants will experience engaging in Morning Tub activities firsthand, gain practical implementation strategies, and leave with a toolkit of ideas ready for immediate classroom use.
Join us for an engaging one-hour workshop designed for educators exploring the shift to personalised learning in a multi-age setting. This session provides a collaborative space to share experiences, challenges, and insights on tailoring education to diverse student needs. We will begin with an open discussion, inviting participants to share their questions and wonderings about multi-age classrooms and personalised learning. This will be followed by a real-world case study from an international school in Germany, highlighting the successes and challenges of implementing this approach. Participants will then engage in hands-on, differentiated activities that simulate the dynamics of a multi-age classroom. Through these practical exercises, we will critically examine the benefits—such as peer mentorship, flexible pacing, and student agency—while also addressing common concerns, including curriculum planning and assessment, and developmental differences. By the end of the session, educators will gain a deeper understanding of the potential of multi-age personalised learning and leave with practical strategies to implement in their own contexts. Whether you are considering this model or already on the journey, this workshop offers a valuable opportunity to learn, reflect, and collaborate with fellow educators.
Are you ready to unleash your true potential as an educator? In today’s fast-paced educational environment, it's all too easy to lose touch with the essence that drives our profession—our purpose. During this interactive session, educators will delve into how reconnecting with their core motivations can rekindle their purpose that initially led them to education. Drs. Coppes and Quaglia will discuss the elements that comprise an educator’s purpose. They will also introduce practical strategies for integrating purpose into their role as an educator, empowering attendees to foster a dynamic and enriching educational atmosphere. Purpose serves as the cornerstone of a meaningful and engaged life, providing clarity, guiding decisions, shaping goals, and creating significance. Participants will leave with a greater understanding who they are, what they stand for, and the profound impact they can have on their educational communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped how new generations approach learning, significantly affecting study skills and metacognitive abilities. While students have gained digital literacy and adaptability, many struggle with self-regulation, organization, and deep learning. The transition to online learning promoted independence but also led to decreased motivation, reduced attention spans, and difficulties in time management. The lack of structured environments impacted students' ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning effectively. Additionally, the increased use of digital platforms fostered multitasking behaviors, often at the expense of sustained focus and critical thinking.
We will look at the ‘lived experience’ of trauma for neurodivergent children and young people, discussing risks, contexts, while exploring the complexities and the solutions for working with neurodivergence in schools and with trauma. An informed approach will be presented to demonstrate how neurodivergent people with or without a learning challenge are at heightened risk of experiencing any type of trauma.
Head of Student Support - Secondary School, Berlin Metropolitan School gGmbH
I have lived all my life outside of my passport country and have graduated myself from an international school as well. I have started my career as an IB psychology teacher and slowly after more studies and my licensure, I have started working as a counsellor and in student support.I... Read More →
In schools, we often encourage our students to dream big. However, simply dreaming is not enough. Aspirations are defined as the ability to dream and set goals for the future while being inspired in the present to reach those dreams. This session is designed for educators working with students of all ages, from elementary through high school. We will explore effective strategies for supporting students in various stages of goal achievement. Our goal is to equip educators to guide students in achieving their aspirations by teaching them to balance dreaming and doing, actively using their voices to turn dreams into reality both now and in the future.
