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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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

Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information or to subscribe to our newsletter!

Email us with comments or suggestions at educatorsgoingglobal@gmail.com

Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

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.

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)

Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information or to subscribe to our newsletter!

Email us with comments or suggestions at educatorsgoingglobal@gmail.com

Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

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.