MIS Professional Day
On Friday, May 2 MIS teachers spent the day learning from each other. Ms. Irma began the day by presenting the latest news about Indonesian accreditation. Members of our accreditation committee recently attended a meeting for SPK Schools in Medan to get the latest news. The good news from this report is that MIS is well prepared for accreditation. Because of our good standing, we were able to apply for automatic extensions for two years. However, we will still be working on areas to improve our school using the latest protocol.
Mr. Bosman presented an activity for teachers to explore the International Baccalaureate Approaches to Learning (IB ATLs). We looked at traditional models of education focused on learning a set curriculum versus a modern-day approach to education focused on building skills students will need in order to be successful in their future careers. MIS builds the ATLs into our unit plans so students understand that along with the content of a lesson, they are also learning how to learn. In fact, you may have noticed that we asked students to put a focus on the ATLs in their recent Student Led Conferences.
Mr. Sloane spent some time explaining developments in the English as an Additional Language (EAL) program. The EAL Committee was formed in 2023 and have been putting together resources and attending training in order to help our EAL students. MIS recognizes that the majority of our students do not speak English as their mother tongue. We also know that all of our teachers are involved in the process of helping students improve their English. The committee has developed new ways to document the development of English in all of our students. This will help teachers and students understand their level of English and what is necessary to continue to improve. When people compare our school to other private English medium schools in Medan, the level of English proficiency achieved by our students is one area where MIS stands above the competition. We want to keep working to ensure that it remains that way.
Mr. Pringle presented a seminar on Teaching Gifted Children. He attended a workshop in Bangkok earlier this year centered around this topic. We talked about different strategies to use to help extend the learning of our brightest students. MIS is working on developing our Multi-Tiered System of Support for students who fall outside of the mid-range in academics. This includes students below and above grade level.
Ms. Bintang presented information about her work with the EARCOS Literacy Coaching Cohort. We discussed ways that adult learning is different from child learning. Many of our teachers were familiar with the term pedagogy – the methods and practices of teaching children. Ms. Bintang introduced the word andragogy – the art and science of teaching adults. We also used a protocol to practice peer coaching using real dilemmas from our classrooms.
We ended the day by looking at the report format for our upcoming WASC mid-term visit in November 2025. We discussed the areas where we have made progress over the last two years and our process for creating a new action plan for school improvement. Our current action plan expires in 2025. We will be focusing on issues for 2026-2028 soon.
The day was a reminder about the expertise of our staff and how much we can learn from each other. It helps that we all share the same school context and are grappling with similar issues. It also reminds me that I work with a wonderful teaching community who are committed to the growth of our students and their own growth as professionals. I look forward to our next professional day at MIS.
Matthew Gaetano | MIS Principal
