Teaching Assistants as Catalysts for Success: Peer Learning Session

March 22 (Saturday), 2025
12:30 - 4:30 PM

Xi'an: Xi’an Hanova International School
Shanghai: Britannica International School, Shanghai
Zhuhai: Zhuhai International School

We are also hosting a session in Singapore at GESS International School - more details available soon!

This participant-driven gathering is an opportunity to connect in-person, share practices, and explore common professional inquiries.

Participants will share what they have learned from the virtual workshops and discuss how to apply these lessons to their work. Additionally, these sessions provide an opportunity to meet and network with friends and counterparts from other international schools.

Technology for Choice
Agency and Motivation
Standards vs. Agency

Hosts

Scott Corbett

Scott Corbett is the Deputy Secondary Principal with a passion for wellbeing and a commitment to empowering both staff and students to thrive. With a background as a theatre director turned teacher, Scott brings a creative and dynamic approach to education, while embracing opportunities to meet new people, learn about different cultures, and explore the world.

Andrew Friedle

Andrew serves the NIS community with a focus on IBDP Economics/Business Management and MYP Humanities. Andrew is an aspiring education leader who is keen to take on any task that helps him contribute to the community and learn more about leadership in international schools.

Agenda

12:00 – 12:30 – Registration and Connecting

12:30 – 12:45 – Welcome and Keynote: Student Spark Presentation

13:00 – 14:15 – Break-out sessions (Participants will choose one of the topics below)

Room #1: Technology for Choice
- How can technology promote and enhance student agency?
Room #2: Agency and Motivation
- How do we support and foster authentic intrinsic agency?

Room #3: Standards vs. Agency
- How might we overcome the challenge of ensuring students achieve pre-identified outcomes such as grade level standards, while providing high levels of authentic learning?

14:15 – 14:45 – Break

14:45 – 15:30 – Demo Slam/Market Place: Brief presentations of tools, tips, and tricks gleaned from the breakout sessions, shared with the larger group.

15:30 – 16:15 – Panel Discussion – Student Voices Around Agency

16:15 – 16:30 – Closing Address

Breakout Rooms

Technology For Choice

This session is designed as an exchange of ideas, experiences, and practical applications that highlight how digital tools and platforms can transform the learning landscape to foster independence, creativity, and engagement among students. Participants will have the opportunity to showcase their successes, discuss their challenges, and explore new technologies through demonstrations and group discussions. By pooling our collective knowledge, we aim to uncover effective strategies for integrating technology in ways that personalize learning, enable student-driven pathways, and prepare students for a future where they are the architects of their own learning journeys.

Agency and Motivation

This session will focus on empowering one another with strategies to uplift students facing challenges in taking ownership of their learning journey. Recognizing that fostering agency is crucial for intrinsic motivation and sustained engagement, this session offers a platform for educators to share insights, strategies, and real-life experiences in nurturing student independence and self-directed learning. We’ll discuss the barriers to agency some students encounter, and how to effectively address these challenges to inspire confidence and resilience in learners.

Panel Discussion

Standards vs. Agency

This session will aim to tackle the complex intersection of adhering to curricular standards and fostering student agency. During this collaborative forum we will confront the perceived dichotomy between meeting grade-level standards and nurturing an environment where students exercise choice and take charge of their learning. Through our discussion, we will hope to uncover practical strategies for designing assessments and learning experiences that both align with required outcomes and empower students to pursue their interests and passions.