Learning Design and Teaching for International Educators

Learning Design and Teaching for International Educators

(Online PD Program)

November 13 - 27, 2021

Planning and teaching programmes in international contexts is a complex art and science. It is learning design par excellence. We seek to find alignment between our schools’ beliefs and culture, our wider community’s values, the pragmatics of our departments and curriculum and our host community. The demands are significant, but so are the rewards and excitement. Too often we can ‘import’ what we already know in the hope that it works or no one notices (they always do). We have all seen the teacher or leader who continues just like ‘back home’ or ‘in my last school’ rather than fully embracing the challenge of co-creating learning which is powerfully aligned to school culture and community, effective and flexible enough to reach learners and helps our learners to flourish.

This course steps you through building awareness and exploring tools to help you build your competency to create lessons, units and programmes which are powerful and congruent with your context.

Duration: 3 weeks

Weekly Study: 2 hours Asynchronous study & reflection and one 3-hour live webinar

Certificate Course: 15 hours of professional learning hours

Target Audience: Educators working in an international context who are responsible for planning learning either as a curriculum lead, head of department or teacher

Weekly asynchronous coursework and synchronous live webinars

Live Webinars on Saturday afternoons 13:00 - 16:00 Hong Kong Time - November 13, November 20, November 27 2021

What is the cost of the online learning experience?

ACAMIS Members
EARLY BIRD - US$350 per person (US$400 after September 17, 2021)

EARLY BIRD - SPECIAL BULK DISCOUNT
US$900 for 3 people with extra participants charged with US$300 each. (After September 17, 2021: US$1050 for 3 people, with extra participants charged US$350 each).

Non-Members
EARLY BIRD - US$450 per person (US$500 after September 17, 2021)

EARLY BIRD - SPECIAL BULK DISCOUNT
US$1200 for 3 people with extra participants charged US$400 each. (After September 17, 2021: US$1350 for 3 people, with extra participants charged US$450 each).

What will I learn?

The overall goal of the session is to develop your identity and capacity as an innovative and confident designer of learning experiences. As part of this you will:

Build awareness of and efficacy within cultures of learning.
Learn how to analyse and align to school learning culture whilst honouring your own strengths and passions.
Build skills as an innovator of learning experiences.
Build your repertoire of learning models for lessons.
Learn how to develop powerful and coherent learning sequences.
Learn how to design programmes across a range of different pedagogies.
Understand the principles of learning design and develop transferable skills.
Plan for powerful engagements with learners and the wider community.

How will I learn?

This program is divided into three (3) online workshops. Each online workshop is 3 hours. Every participant will have a workbook containing materials to accompany the content explored in the course.

Between sessions there will be tasks, readings and short videos to watch which address specific ideas and tools. The goal of these will be to further explore and embed the ideas in your own practice.

Course Modules

Week 1
Your identity as a teacher: tuning in to culture and learning

The goal of the first session is to build awareness and craft in the design of great lessons.

In the first module we will build awareness of culture and cultures of learning, and then explore what a lesson looks like in that context. We will then explore different lesson designs, and become more aware of our implicit and explicit models.

Exploring

Introduction to learning design.
Culture and learning.
- What is my school culture?
- What does my school believe about children and learning?
What is my identity as a teacher?
Diversity, equity and inclusion - who do we serve?
What are the habits of learning at my school?
- What does a successful lesson look, feel and sound like here?
- How does this overlap with my identity as a teacher and my subject?
How do I design and teach a lesson?
- What are the models used in my community?
- What is my personal repertoire of models?

Week 2
Your identity as a unit designer: how to create sequences of meaningful learning

In the second week we will explore how to create effective sequences. In a world were we are often using a range of models, from experiential, to project based, to more traditional methods, intentionality and innovation are crucial to create transformative learning for our learners.

How do we create meaningful sequences of learning?
What is the right ‘subject’ container for this unit?
Methods for co-creation of learning - and kinds of learner choice.
What kinds of assessment will support the learning?
How will we align communication and reporting of learning?
Exploring process cycles and student agency
Managing project based learning
How do I engage and communicate with learners and parents during the unit?
The power of moments.

Week 3
Your identity as a learning designer: framing up curriculum and programmes

In this unit we will learn how to design and implement programmes. This builds understanding for teachers, and is an essential capacity for leaders.

Describing your perfect school.
What kinds of curriculum are there for me to explore?
How do I prioritise or strategise in a crowded curriculum?
What kinds of learning are we doing?
What does it mean to innovate in programme design?
How do I map curriculum?
How do I make this an authentic part of my schools’ community and culture?

Facilitator

Stuart MacAlpine works for the LEGO Foundation in Billund Denmark as Director of the Playful Schools Initiative, and is director of Hesscairn Learning Design. At LEGO Stuart partners with organisations around the world to develop and promote programmes that promote learning through play and constructivist approaches for children. Before working for LEGO Stuart worked in school leadership and programme design. He has served as the Founding Principal of Green School New Zealand, Founding Director of Education for Amala Education (formerly Sky School), Director of Teaching and Learning at UWCSEA in Singapore, and as a workshop leader and coach. Stuart’s interests are in learning and programme design, with a strong emphasis on the tradition that might be called humanist in the West: holistic, experiential, values led and agency based learning, with a concern for peace and sustainability. Stuart is at his happiest professionally when collaboratively making and implementing learning programmes that support young people to thrive. You can find him on twitter @stuartmacalpine.

What's Next?

IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARTICIPANTS
Email communication before the course start date

Emails related to this Online PD Program will be sent from events@pdacademia.com. Please immediately add this email sender to your safe sender list.

Approximately 2-weeks before the start of the course, participants will be emailed a course introduction, instructions for how to participate and a pre-course survey and readings, if applicable. If you do not receive this email please let us know.