Teachers Teaching Teachers: Collaborative Learning Hub

By Nick Yates, ISB Communications

Published on Thursday, March 10, 2022

The International School of Beijing (ISB) is committed to providing training for its staff so they can serve students even better. Who better to teach the art of teaching than teachers themselves? Faculty and support staff have just spent an afternoon learning from each other and sharing tips and best practice in one of ISB’s regular Teachers Teaching Teachers (TTT) sessions.

As usual, Wednesday’s TTTs saw teachers and ISB’s many specialists in areas like technology, languages, and inclusivity offer workshops in their areas of expertise. Colleagues could choose from a huge range of learning opportunities.

They could get an introduction to the Elementary School Library’s new collection of narrative non-fiction and how it engages young readers. Or they could learn to use the school’s state-of-the-art recording studio.

Another group spent time considering how to ensure students of all backgrounds, abilities, and gender identities feel safe and included in their classrooms. And others built up their Excel skills to analyze trends in how students are performing academically.

Workshops also included:

• Tips on identifying students who need extra help from ISB’s support services
• Moving lesson planning and journaling from paper to the digital realm, in line with ISB’s commitment to sustainability
• Research on the best teaching of Chinese in international schools
• Mastering video conferencing to ensure students are engaged during remote learning
• A framework for making sure all students get to contribute in class alongside those who are keenest to raise their hands.

ISB’s programs are carefully designed to be based on best practice in pedagogy, and the school empowers its staff to consider new approaches and adapt their teaching so that it is most effective for students.

Around three-quarters of ISB’s school-fee revenue is reinvested on personnel, including funding professional development for them. While ISB recruits highly qualified, experienced, and passionate teachers, it is also almost unmatched in Asia in terms of the resources it puts into training and development for its world-class faculty. 

ISB has a program of on-campus and off-campus learning for faculty, full-time coaches on staff, and regular visiting experts working with teachers. Many of the same opportunities are offered to parents through ISB’s Parent Education Series of talks and workshops.

ISB students are certain to get even better teaching after the latest TTT and every one of the occasions when the school provides training for its staff!