We were so happy to interview fellow podcaster Nick DeForest!

One of our wishes has been to have a guest who could explain what co-curricular programming looks like at international schools after school and on weekends. Nick, with his GLOBETROTTIN’ ADs podcast and website, is at the center of a global network of athletic directors and activity coordinators. As such, he can speak to what this programming looks like in international elementary, middle, and high schools.

Nick DeForest is the Assistant Director of the Events Office at AIS Vienna, Austria. He is the founder of the Globetrottin’ ADs and the author of A Global Playbook, which can be found on Amazon. Originally from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Nick has been in Austria since 2000 and is passionate about connecting international school Athletic Directors, Coaches, Teachers, and Students from around the world.

Our Guiding Question was, “What does co-curricular programming look like in international schools?”

Nick addressed several topics:

• The difference between co-curricular and extra-curricular programming.
• A breakdown of all the different people and roles in managing co-curricular programs.
• A description of how co-curricular facilitation in an international school might differ from what teachers may have experienced in their home country, especially in a public school.
• An unpacking of athletic and activity offerings for each division.
• The benefits of athletic and activity coaching and facilitation.
• An explanation of the term “educational athletics.”
• A description of how international schools can be the hub of social life at some international schools.
• Trends in international schools’ coaching, athletics, and activity coordination.
• An explanation of how school leaders ensure that co-curricular programming is valued equally with academic programming.

Nick’s Contact Information: Globetrottin’ ADs Website and Podcast | Facebook Group | X - Nick_GTADS

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Nick’s Book - A Global Playbook: How Every International School Can Raise Its Game

International Coach: State of the Industry Survey 2023

International Athletic Director: State of the Industry 2023

The show was recorded on April 12, 2024.
Categories: School Life | Wellness

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender identity, and belief system could have a champion? Well, they do! It’s the Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color, founded by Kevin Simpson. Kevin joined us to speak to his efforts through AIELOC to expand DEIJ learning in international schools.

Kevin is a native of Flint, Michigan. He owns and operates KDSL Global, an international education consulting company launched in 2016 in the USA and the United Arab Emirates. He and his team have served thousands of schools, educators, and leaders worldwide in over 60 countries. The majority of his work in education has centered on American curriculum schools overseas. Kevin is the founder of the Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color (AIELOC) and Co-Founder of Resourceya.

Our Guiding Question was, “How are you and your team working to fulfill the mission of AIELOC?”

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• The origin story and mission of the Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color (AIELOC)
• The power of networking
• Challenges and opportunities for AIELOC with so much growth
• Continually offering on-the-ground support around the world
• Cultural Wealth
• Recruiting Support
• Mentoring
• Research
• Supporting DEIJ using many tools
• Growing self-understanding

The show was recorded on March 21, 2024.

Kevin’s Contact Information: LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

KDSL Global

Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color (AIELOC)

Resourceya

Categories: School Life | PD | Change Management | DEIJ

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

This was a special episode as we caught up with some of our previous guests who are finishing either their first or second year of international teaching. As expected, they had many lessons and tips to share! Tonya Busse joined us from Kingston, Jamaica. Jessica Simmons connected from Abuja, Nigeria. And Mel Idema and Cole Savage dialed in from Abu Dhabi.

You can listen to their individual interviews if you missed them. Mel & Cole, a married couple in their second year were on for Episode 13, Tonya Busse, a single teacher in her first year was our guest for Episode 29, and Jessica Simpson, a married teacher with a trailing spouse husband, joined us for Episode 31

Our Guiding Question was, “Based on the past school year, how is your experience of international teaching going?”

To help answer this question, our no-longer “newbies” answered the following subquestions:

• What were one or two high points from the past school year?
• Do you have a low point to share?
• What are the next steps for you?
• Do you have any sage advice for aspiring international teachers on:
  
  
  • Recruiting
  • Interviewing
  • Transition Prep
  • Doing your own version of orientation

The show was recorded on May 11, 2024.

Contact Information:

Tonya - Instagram @tonya_busse

Jessica - Jessica writes about her adventures on Medium. Here is a direct link to her account.

Mel and Cole - Their blogs: ​The Global Traveler’s Wife and ​The Wandering Learner.

Categories: School Life | Recruiting | Transitions | Travel | Wellness

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Listen on your favorite podcast app: connect from our share page.

Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

"Mr. Data, make it so"

For the non-Trekkies out there, meet Chris Smith, academic data analyst.

Chris joined us to speak about the importance of using data to improve multiple aspects of our schools.

Through his 25 years in international education, Chris noticed schools and educators collecting data but seeming overwhelmed by it or needing help knowing what to do with it. So, he began coaching, teaching, and consulting with schools and educators to help them discover what data they needed and how they could turn it into information that led to useful insights and informed decision-making. Chris has engaged with school districts in the United States and international schools worldwide through this work. Chris is passionate about helping educators and school leaders save time and make sense of their data.

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• Defining the term “data” in education
• Instead of data-driven decision-making using the term data informed decision-making
• The big areas and some lesser-known ones that data can be drawn from in our schools
• Gathering data in the classroom to inform instruction and further assessments
• Data Visualization
• Drawing data from qualitative and experiential learning experiences, including concept-based learning experiences
• Where international schools stand now regarding their use of technology and information processing in teaching and learning including roles and job titles in this field
• Digital citizenship and digital wellness
• GenAI in schools
• Recruiting and important skill sets regarding technology, information use and data gathering and interpretation – which connects to data literacy for educators

Our Guiding Question was, “Why is data gathering and analysis so important in our schools? Second, how are technology and information processing integral to teaching and learning in our schools?”

The show was recorded on March 27, 2024.

Chris’ Contact Information: LinkedIn

Categories: School Life | Data | Instruction
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

ISTE Standards
Information and Communication Literacies (ICL)
Smith Visualizations

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

We all -- students and teachers alike -- long to belong.

Douglas Beam from Global Online Academy joined us to share his insights on the importance of working to build a sense of belonging for students in our schools. He also discussed his doctoral work on gender and sexual minorities in international schools.

Douglas has been a teacher and leader in schools in Europe, Asia, and North America and currently works at GOA as the Associate Director of Member School Engagement. He has taught or coordinated programs in elementary, middle, and high school and at the graduate level. As a school leader, he has had several roles, including head of the department, grade level coordinator, IB Middle Years Programme coordinator, and GOA site director. His leadership has focused on collaborative program building, curriculum development, school policy, and pastoral care. Douglas is passionate about making schools where all students feel a sense of belonging. He earned a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from the University of New England, where his dissertation focused on a sense of belonging in international schools for gender and sexual minority students. Douglas lives in Ohio with his husband and their twin boys.

Our Guiding Question was, “What does it mean to experience a sense of belonging in an international school environment, and how can we, as teachers, best support our students in developing theirs?”

Here are some of the topics covered:

• A definition of belonging
• Factors that nurture belonging
• Ways students in elementary, middle, and high school would describe their sense of belonging.
• How an identity as an international student differs from an identity as a student in a person’s home country.
• The positive and negative “forces” affecting international students as they develop their identities.
• School leaders and teachers can implement programs and strategies to improve the environments inside as well as outside the classroom to support student well-being in terms of feeling supported and connected to others.
• And we heard a few highlights from Douglas’ dissertation on gender and sexual minorities in our schools.

The show was recorded on February 16, 2024.

Douglas’ Contact Information: LinkedIn Douglas Beam

Categories: School Life | Transitions

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Douglas’ Doctoral Thesis on Belonging in International Schools

The Global Online Academy (GOA)

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

It is such a treat to reconnect with a former student and to discover where their life has led them. In this episode, we reconnected with Claire Gaul, a student from our Saudi days. Claire and her husband, Jamel, teach at their third international post, a school in China. They shared so many great insights that you might have to listen to the episode twice to take them all in!

Claire is originally from California, and Jamel was raised in Alsace in a Tunisian/Algerian family. They enjoy traveling, grilling, and being outdoors. They have 9-year-old twins (Luke and Leia) who are in 4th grade. Luke loves animals, electronics, mixed tapes, and researching how to be prepared for worst-case scenarios. Leia loves reading, cats, macaroons, and drawing comics.

The guiding question for this episode was, “What are some common experiences for international teaching families?”

Jamel and Claire covered many topics, including:

• Teachers should be ready for their preconceptions and generalizations regarding host countries to be mistaken.
• Consider healthcare and how well the school can support your children, especially if there are special needs.
• Infrastructure, including transportation, government services, and ease of travel should also be considered.
• Benefits for kids include smaller classes, the potential for more individualized support, co-curricular programming, diversity of friends, exposure to new languages, and growing social and geopolitical awareness.
• Benefits for parents include working with teachers from other cultures and connecting with other expats, who may also be parents.
• Struggles can come from language barriers, differences in cultural understanding, feelings of loss with respect to the previous location.
• Part of what makes the new school and community work comes from parental modeling of positive attitudes and commitment to personal growth.
• Claire and Jamel offered recruiting strategies for couples with children.
• One recommendation is to balance career opportunities with schools that meet your children’s needs while keeping your options wide open. Also, be prepared for some schools on your wish list not to be the best fit for your family.

This episode was recorded on December 9, 2023.

Contact Information: Claire on LinkedIn and Jamel on LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned in the Episode: IB Diploma Programme Design Technology Teachers Facebook Group

Categories: School Life | Recruiting | Transitions | Finances | Travel | Family

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

Can you feel the energy in the air? This was a zinger of an episode!

Kam Chohan, the Executive Director of the Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS), joined us for this episode.

With a background in education and leadership, Kam Chohan is a learning leader who brings insight, wisdom, and compassion to the role. She demonstrates the ability to build meaningful, lasting relationships that contribute to personal and organizational development and improvement.

Kam is a passionate educator and has enjoyed lecturing in mathematics and business in previous roles. As an example of her commitment to student learning, Kam worked with the UK Government’s Behaviour Insights Team to apply the Nudge Theory to improve student outcomes on a national level. This highlights her innovative approach to education and her commitment to making a positive impact.

Kam received the 1885 NEASC Award for Exemplary Service to Education in December 2022. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of education, further confirming Kam’s dedication and excellence in her work.

Kam is committed to social justice and equity through diversity, inclusion, and intercultural understanding in international education.

Our Guiding Question was, “What does the ECIS organization do, and how can educators access its services?”

Kam covered many topics, including:

• ECIS started off by supporting schools in Europe but has now expanded to schools around the world
• ECIS’s professional learning opportunities and outreach have grown tenfold in the past four years
• Inclusion is at the core of Kam’s work, working with “thought partners” to support learning
• Special interest groups (e.g., PE, math, library) connect to share best practices
• The mission is to make the world a better place while preparing tomorrow’s leaders to do the same
• Child Protection and DEIJ are key PD programs
• ECIS has Middle Leader training offerings
• ECIS aims to approach recruiting with new eyes, questioning previous practices by bringing in more diversity of hires, including local educators
• ECIS seeks to bring in student voices
• Some trends Kam sees include: helping school communities with well-being and balance; the growth of AI and how to bring in ethics in approaching it; ongoing work with curriculum.

The show was recorded on January 9, 2024.

Kam’s Contact Information: LinkedIn

Categories: School Life | Recruiting | Professional Learning | DEIJ | Child Protection

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

Warning: Show contains critical amounts of meaty information!

Ken Shelton joined us to discuss how schools can effectively design and implement new programs. He used DEIJ as a case study for managing the change process.

Ken Shelton is an award-winning educator and international keynote speaker addressing critical issues from multimedia literacy to cultural intelligences to Artificial Intelligence. Ken has over two decades of experience and an MEd specializing in Ed Tech and New Media Design and Production.

An Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Innovator, and Microsoft Innovative Educator, Ken has also served on California's Education Technology Task Force. His accolades, including the Digital Equity Professional Learning Network Excellence Award, Computer Using Educators Platinum Disc Award, ISTE's Making IT Happen Award, and EdTech Magazine's top influencer, underscore his commitment to enhancing digital learning while addressing the challenges of digital equity.

Our Guiding Question was, “What tools do school leaders need in their change management toolkits as they work to design and implement policies and programs to grow awareness and understanding of the principles of DEIJ within their communities?”

Here are some topics Ken unpacked:

• The value of using Habits of Mind, understanding of cognitive biases, and cultural norms to assist schools in program development.
• Formative and summative measurements aimed at accountability are important to ensure goals are met and programs are sustainable.
• We looked at various avenues for professional learning.
• Ken provided a snapshot of DEIJ learning services for individuals, groups, or whole staff.
• We talked about how Generative AI fits into looking at DEIJ.
• Ken shared some high points and struggles working with international schools to grow their DEIJ awareness.

The show was recorded on March 1, 2024.

Ken’s Website

Resources Mentioned:

CASEL
Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish
Habits of Mind

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.