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EducationMaster of Arts in Educational Leadership
University of Roehampton 2016 - 2019 BEd Primary Honours Degree Exeter University 1995 - 1999 Principal Training Center2015 - 2017
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I have been part of a Senior Leadership Team supporting learning journeys in both Elementary and Secondary School as an assistant principal working alongside not only students but parents, teachers and other members of the community too. I am a passionate PYP and MYP trained teacher of 23 years with extensive, hands-on experience with 3 year olds right through to graduates.
I am an approachable and enthusiastic community builder who loves to find ways to streamline workflows and give time back to why we do what we do - ensuring that the children in our care are happy, confident and principled independent learners ready to take on the world. |
As a leader, teacher and community memberI have spent just over twenty years working as a Primary Assistant Principal, Director of Digital Learning, Program Leader, Tech Integration Specialist, Program Leader and teacher. My leadership experiences in these varied roles have sometimes been challenging but always rewarding and, for this reason, I would love the opportunity to further apply my skills and experience in a new position. As part of the Primary Leadership Team for the last four years, I have had substantial insight into the role of the Principal. The current Principal has been an invaluable mentor allowing me to understand and be involved in the vision as we have grown, developed and consolidated our practices. Through this time, I have realised that it is essential to have structure, systems and clear expectations in order to ensure a smooth, functioning school. Additionally, it is also of paramount importance to have a clear vision for the direction of the school - a common vision that all stakeholders understand and believe in. Students, parents, teachers, faculty and staff are all necessary in fulfilling that vision and the principals are instrumental in bridging the vision across the different sections of the school to provide a cohesive whole-school dynamic. I pride myself in having a positive working relationship with all staff at the school including the administrative team, technicians, support staff and, of course, teachers. Being a problem solver and having strong communication skills are essential when working with teachers but are of even more importance when it comes to connecting with students and parents. Getting to know the names of all students is important in providing the foundation on which deeper relationships can be built. Being present to support families through their educational experience, and the responsibilities that come with it, is hugely important. My colleagues and educational leadership team have expressed that I am a thoughtful listener who is approachable and helpful and I understand how important ownership and voice is to students, teachers and parents. I have always been interested in developing the ‘whole school’ approach. As a primary teacher in my previous schools, I chose to also coach Varsity sports so as to understand and interact with all sections of the school. As the Primary Assistant Principal and as part of the Senior Leadership Team, I like to be involved in events across the entire school and I have a genuine interest in how any school that I work in is growing and developing as a whole. With technology and systems playing an increasing role both in the infrastructure of the school and best practices, I believe my background will be an asset in any school. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team in the role of Preschool to Grade 12 Director of Digital Learning at GEMS World Academy, I was continuously supporting, advising and training 180 teachers, staff and leaders, almost 2000 students and their parents. The role involved coordinating teacher Professional Development, overseeing a substantial budget, creating schedules for both Primary and Secondary, managing student information systems and developing a whole school Digital Citizenship program. I was also the GEMS ICT Network Leader, coordinating and developing the use of technology in education in over 20 GEMS schools, regularly providing workshops and advice to multiple schools as well as leading meetings on best practices, developmentally appropriate activities, curriculum development, pedagogy and assessment. Through the global pandemic, all of us have had to deal with unprecedented challenges but it has also provided the impetus for discussions around necessary change in education. There has been no option but to embrace the use of technology in the physical and virtual classroom and I look forward to being part of these discussions and actions moving forward. I am eager to learn new things; an inevitable part of being an international teacher in the 21st century. Trying to keep pace with quick-learning students, motivated teachers and whole school projects are all exciting prospects. I believe I have sufficient hands-on experience to help support and guide a cohesive program. As anyone who has worked with me already knows, working in education is not a job for me but a passion, which I love sharing with others. |
Strengths and skills
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Programs & Systems
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Interests
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American International School of Lusaka2014 - present
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Professional Development Attended2019 M. Church: Visible Thinking
2019 C. Brooks Simoneau: Adaptive Schools Foundation 2019 G. Bengtsson: Evidencing Learning (Cat. 2) 2019 D. Miori-Merola: Cognitive Coaching (part 2) 2018 J. Andrews: Pedagogical Leadership (Cat. 2) 2017 D. Miori-Merola: Cognitive Coaching (part 1) 2017 C. Bowman: PTC: Leadership & Team Dynamics 2016 J Williams: NWEA Professional Development (MAP) 2016 D. Spooner: IBO: DP Theory of Knowledge (Cat. 2) 2016 R. Tangye/J. Sperandio: PTC: Finance in the International School 2016 A. Nierras: Managebac Conference at the Hague 2015 P. Curtis/T. Casey: PTC: Curriculum Leadership 2015 S. Putnam: PTC: Instructional Supervision & Evaluation 2015 E. O’Boyle: IBO MYP: Global Contexts (Cat. 3) 2014 D. Lira: IBO: MYP Design (Cat. 2 - online) 2014 J. Iglar: Learning 2.014 Africa Conference 2014 K. Piersiella: Managebac for Admin Training 2013 Various Educators: MEIBA (Middle East IB Association) Conference 2013 B. Lo: Leading Edge Online & Blended Certification 2013 Google Educators: Google Apps for Education Middle East Summit 2012 L. Stagg: CIS Accreditation – Training for team members 2012 D. Todd: IBO: ICT in the PYP (Level 2) 2011 K. Murdoch: Inquiry & Questioning for Deep Understanding 2011 S. Graham: Reading & Writing with PM Readers Part 1 & 2 2011 C. Joslin-Callahan: IBO: Collaborative Planning in the PYP (Cat. 2) 2010 S. Cox/M. Bowe: GEMS Team Leader Programme (Part A&B) 2010 IBO: The PYP Exhibition (Cat. 2) 2010 N. & S. Baum: Teaching Tomorrow’s Leaders: Engaging students 2010 E. Alquist: Teaching Mathematics Through Inquiry 2009 B. & T. Fenton: IBO: Assessment in the PYP (Cat. 2) 2009 S. Barkley: Instructional Coaching 2009 N. Hamdy/M Bartlett: IBO: Teaching and Learning in the PYP (Cat. 2) 2008 IBO: Making the PYP happen (Cat. 1) 2006 K. Murdoch: Inquiry & Assessment using backwards by design 2006 K. Murdoch: Essential Learnings Workshop |
Professional Development DeliveredThere have been many opportunities to deliver PD to all stakeholders at AISL including Tuesday parent sessions, staff meetings, ISAZ presentations, teacher workshops, tech coaching and advisory sessions.
Professional Development SiteTech tools for Integration: Back in 2012, I saw the need for a place to store all notes, ideas and resources that I gathered from conferences both as an attendee and a presenter; a place where information and links can be easily accessed; a place that I can return to when needed. The website has continued to be developed and is still a place for me to collate those tweets, links and resources that are passed through my Personal Learning Network.
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