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Understanding the Needs of Diverse Learners (and what to do about them)

Speech, Sensory, and Stress, oh my. In any given day, educators are perfecting the art of meeting student need. Long gone are the days of simply teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. As educators we now have many more tools we can add to our toolboxes. The focus of the EARCOS weekend workshop hosted at the International School Bangkok was: Practical solutions for supporting students with diverse needs such as: speech language, sensory integration, executive functioning and stress/anxiety.

This EARCOS session was co-hosted by Dr. Keith Collins, Kate Kersey, Ryan Ruhl, and Elizabeth Sauers, all educators at the International School Bangkok during the weekend of November 11th and 12th.

Some of the key ideas shared during this weekend workshop were:

Sensory Integration ● Awareness around causes of sensory integration disorder and how to support sensory integration for all students. Supporting Stressed and Anxious Students at School ● Understand what Stress & Anxiety are, the causes of stress and anxiety for our students, and how the brain is affected by stress and anxiety Executive Functioning ● Working definition of executive functions and executive skills and practical solutions Speech Language ● Background and ideas for supporting students with language needs in the classroom

Participants were able to look at these four complex puzzle pieces: Speech/Language, sensory integration, social emotional and executive functioning. While each of these pieces were explored individually, by the end we were able to dig deeper into the research around what helps students feel successful. During this exploration some topics such as sleep, movement, and the use of visuals were common traits that supported students across all areas. Participants explored those topics by having deep conversations, brainstorming ideas through new lenses, and generating ideas that could be implemented the next week.

Leadership, Motivation, & Success in Sports with Lynn Kachmarik

Active Assessment Through Action Research

This year's EARCOS Weekend Workshop at Cebu International School entitled Active Assessment Through Action Research was conducted by the secondary principal, of Concordia International School Hanoi Dr. Ian Sutherland. The workshop mainly focused on proposal writing for research involving studying approaches and methods of research and developing proposals for action research projects within schools/classrooms. It was a working conference that was attended by the entire faculty of Cebu International School. The workshop was highly collaborative and results-oriented where the target outcome was for participants to go away with an action research project proposal that should allow them to engage in action research in their school/classroom. Participants of the workshop worked within their department groups and were encouraged to write proposal outlines of possible action research projects. At the culmination of the workshop, each group presented their written proposal to the rest of the group. The results of this workshop are positive with many of the participants expressing how they may apply the outcome to their own practice.

The world language group with their presentation on the second day. Standing from left wearing black is Elaine Jin (Mandarin), Daniel Goldstein (Spanish MSH), Ria Mockrish (Mandarin MHS), and Gloria Rodriguez (Spanish Elem).

Visible Learning Foundations and How Students Learn

What has the most significant impacts on learning? There is a sea of educational research and trends promising to accelerate student growth and to motivate and engage students, but often these efforts do not lead to significant impacts on student learning. To find out what has been proven to make a difference in student learning, educators from across the EARCOS region gathered at The International School Yangon in September to attend the September 27-28 EARCOS sponsored professional learning weekend facilitated by Dr. Sean Hawthorne. Dr. Hawthorne, from New Zealand, consults on behalf of John Hattie’s Visible Learning Plus educational research organization.

Dr. Hawthorne provided an overview of John Hattie’s work. According to Hattie and his meta-analysis of meta-analyses, there are influences that have greater impact than others, and therefore, teachers and schools can avail of that knowledge to act upon those influences to make a bigger difference in students’ learning. The greatest influences all relate to learning that is made visible and explicit to students.

Teachers seeing learning through the eyes of students and students seeing themselves as their own teachers is what captures the heart of the message of visible learning. A ‘visible learner’ is one who: • Explains and understands progress • Understands how to learn • Seeks, receives, and acts on and gives feedback, and • Applies effective habits of thinking and doing Further focus of the workshop was on the science of how we learn with the following key ideas: • Students benefit from knowing how to learn, and there are specific learning strategies teachers can provide depending on which phase of learning is occurring (surface, deep, or transfer). • The SOLO taxonomy is a model to help teachers understand and integrate the surface, deep, and conceptual levels of understanding into learning.

Attendees of this filled-to-capacity EARCOS learning weekend, gained extensively from the weekend as evidenced by the overwhelming positive feedback.

Compass Level 1

Sustainability has become a new buzzword often quoted without the depth and understanding of its complexity. If initial thoughts are not of the 'doom and gloom end of the world'; the next ideas go straight to 'action' - reduce, recycle, reuse, stop plastic, and build a compost. But, it is more than that, and that is what the twenty participants of the Compass Education Level one practitioner course were able to delve into for a better understanding. Hosted at Northbridge International school on September 9th/10th, a highly motivated group of educators from NISC, ISPP and International School of Bombay. The cohort represented a range of grade levels from Early Years to Secondary, including counsellors and coordinators.

Amazing how time flies when you are having fun! The high feedback rating of the EARCOS Compass workshop participants was evidence that a highly intrinsically motivated group had found themselves where they needed and wanted to be. The 20 members actively worked together toward deepening their understanding of sustainability. Eric Berlow stipulates in his TED talk "...on the other side of complexity is simplicity." Together these twenty educators explored how we could unravel this 'complexity' and seek a breakthrough to simplicity. The enthusiasm was contagious.

The key learning intention was to explore ways to facilitate the teaching and learning of ecological literacy and sustainability in any classroom using the Compass Education visible thinking, along with other well-researched tools and strategies such as the Iceberg Model, Behaviour Over Time (BoT) graphing, and Systems Thinking feedback loops.

We look forward to seeing some familiar faces at Compass Education Level 2 Practitioner Course in November at The NIST HUB in Bangkok!

What people said about the workshop.

“My objectives to deepen my understanding of sustainability and to learn how to teach systems thinking to my students were exceedingly met. Not only that I learned and gained numerous tools, I am now inspired to use systems thinking in everyday life.”

“The hands on activities really helped show potential for use of all the tools and their purposes.”

“I feel like I have a much more developed and comprehensive understanding of sustainability and how to think sustainably”

“I have a NEW insight into strategies of sustainability”

Compass Level 1 Participants are creating a systems map after learning about systems thinking and systems mapping.

Compass Level 1 Participants are in deep discussions about systems thinking, using Toast as an example.

Supporting TCKs as a Teacher Workshop

Many international teachers have heard of experts in Third Culture Kids (TKCs) such as Ruth Van Reken and Tina Quick. United World College of South East Asia was fortunate to have the leading expert in this field in Asia, the increasingly well-known Dr Sarah Whyte, run an EARCOS Weekend Workshop on Supporting TCKs as a Teacher on Saturday, 23 and Sunday, 24 September. Dr Whyte is one of only a handful of people to hold a doctorate in this field of study worldwide. Her doctoral thesis focused on the application of emotional intelligence to support expatriate children with the challenges of transition.

The workshop focussed on the huge impact on children of the TCK experience of a highly mobile world and living between cultures. While international school teachers are perfectly placed to support their TCK students, many international schools do not offer targeted teacher professional development to support this unique student population. This workshop was designed to give teachers solid knowledge and understanding of the TCK experience, along with positive practical strategies they can use with their students in the classroom.

As a result of attending the workshop, participants now have a better understanding of the TCK definition and how this relates to their students and can engage emotional intelligence strategies to support grief and loss.

The wide range of learning activities and practical strategies were stated among participants’ favourite aspects of this workshop. Participants felt that the take aways from the workshop were numerous and that they left with a much better understanding of support techniques for TCKs in the classroom.

Thank you to the participants who gave up their weekend to attend this valuable learning experience and to EARCOS for supporting the workshop.

Getting Started with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and STEM

This September, Paul Andersen led a workshop on Getting Started with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and STEM at the Mont’Kiara International School in Malaysia.

Paul began with an explanation of the Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) which are what the students learn. Paul explained how NGSS aligned resources are often regrouped to reflect the DCIs but may not include the new practices. Therefore, for example, he suggested to use newly aligned Foss kits as resources but use the NGSS Practices as instructions - instead of the instructions provided in the kits.

Paul most enjoyed sharing NGSS’ eight Practices. With enthusiasm, he explained that this process is how real scientists do science. Paul said this is the future of teaching as it does not steal the wonder from the learners. He emphasized to explore first, not explain first - that inquiry comes before content. He encouraged us to make sure that students should always be able to answer the question of what are we trying to figure out today? We all agreed that we could do this right away in our own classrooms.

Paul also explained how NGSS’ Crosscutting Concepts are similar to concepts in IB programs. He said kids understand how the world works; they just don’t have the terms for it. Therefore, it is okay to not define or front load vocabulary before a learning experience.

And regarding STEM, Paul said that engineering is not applied science. Engineers do not inquire; rather, engineers design. He said that engineering is about using models and conducting investigations to design divergent solutions to human problems - kind of like trying to design a curriculum implementation plan at a school.

Looking at the statements above, a take away could be - renewing how we teach science will positively impact student learning - and that is totally free.

Mindfulness in the Classroom

Dr. Peggy Rowe and Dr. Larry Ward and led a workshop entitled Mindfulness in the Classroom on the weekend of September 23-24 at the American School of Bangkok. The workshop addressed how research indicates the practice of mindfulness in the classroom positively impacts student behavior, academic achievement, physical health, and emotional well-being. Participants reviewed the basic neuroscience of mindfulness and discussed the benefits of implementing mindfulness in the classroom. Participants were also introduced to mindfulness tools that can be readily used in classroom and they also explored some of the basic practices that are integrated into classroom activities.

Dr. Rowe and Dr. Ward explained the three functions of the brain (regulation, learning, and selection). They guided participants on an exploration of the brain states that underlie the mental states of happiness, love, and wisdom.

Participants were introduced to the different methods that educators can use to create a culture of mindfulness and they reviewed how to establish guideposts in cultivating the mindful classroom. Dr. Rowe and Dr. Ward provided the participants with practical information on how to use mindfulness to establish and strengthen resiliency in individuals and a school’s community.

Participants also engaged in an array of mindful movements and exercises through the guidance and instruction of Dr. Rowe and Dr. Ward.

Reimagining Science & Engineering with NGSS & 3 Dimensional Learning

Hong Kong International School hosted a workshop, Reimagining Science and Engineering with NGSS & 3 Dimensional Learning, on September 23-24 with presenter, Wendy Smith, STEM Specialist at HKIS.

Participants spent Saturday familiarizing themselves with the structure of NGSS and the conceptual shifts. They conducted hands-on investigations, including the use of sensors to collect data, to discover indicators of chemical change. The investigations were modeled following 3-dimensional learning called upon by NGSS. These experiences helped teachers recognize how NGSS represent a major shift in how science is taught and learned and focuses on making sense of the natural world.

Applying and deepening their understanding of electrical energy, attendees built their own Scribble Bots to experience the connection between engineering and science. They learned how we move from the science classroom as an environment where students learn about science concepts to a place where students work as scientists and engineers to construct explanations of how and why phenomena occur and to design solutions to problems.

Time was spent learning more about the eight Science & Engineering Practices, focusing specifically on Modeling, Constructing Explanations, and Engaging in Argument. Through examination of student work samples, instructional video clips, and the grade-band progressions, participants gained a deeper understanding of how the practices, along with crosscutting concepts, are used by students to develop understanding of the disciplinary core ideas.

During Sunday’s workshop time, participants learned how to bundle Performance Expectations to create engaging assessment tasks and use evidence statements from NGSS to guide the creation of scoring criteria. They learned about the role of phenomena and driving questions to create a cohesive storyline and how to develop an instructional sequence of learning activities to help students build conceptual understanding. The use of the EQUiP rubric was shared as a tool helpful not only for evaluating NGSS aligned units, but also during the creation stage of units.

Feedback from the workshop was extremely positive with 100% of attendees stating that they would recommend the workshop to a colleague. Comments included:

- I feel that a conference like this should be mandatory for science teachers beginning to teach NGSS standards, as it really helped with the foundation and modeling to use for it.

- I feel like NGSS really makes sense now. This is the best PD I've ever attended and can see the benefit to me already.

- I just want to say thank you so much for running this seminar. I felt pretty lost with NGSS before attending your workshop. It's still a lot of info to digest, but I'm really excited about making the changes to my curriculum this year! I would definitely recommend this workshop to colleagues, and I'm very interested in attending the assessment workshop in the spring.

- I really enjoyed this workshop - it was a great balance of individual work time and presentation of material. Thank you for this opportunity!

- Overall, an excellent learning environment. Really enjoyed learning and seeing how to apply the NGSS in our schools.

- I particularly appreciated the format of the workshop: working in small groups, hands-on activities that enabled us experience the learning and creation process students go through, and having time to incorporate the theory learnt into our lessons plan. Please inform us the dates of the workshop in April as soon as they are confirmed.

Seven Strategies for Teaching Writing with Libby Jachles

An informative discussion at the Seven Strategies for Teaching Writing with the 6 Traits workshop at Daegu International School.

Participants at the Seven Strategies for Teaching Writing with the 6 Traits workshop at Daegu International School.

A unique hands-on activity during the Seven Strategies for Teaching Writing with the 6 Traits workshop at Daegu International School.

“An Interactive Look at Successful Strategies Linking Science Inquiry to STEM Education”

Dr. John Stiles with the participants from different schools coming from Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali, Indonesia and the Head of School of Surabaya Intercultural School, Mr. Matthew Gaetano.

Surabaya Intercultural School in Surabaya hosted a weekend workshop August 26-27, 2017. The workshop, “An Interactive Look at Successful Strategies Linking Science Inquiry to STEM Education” was facilitated by Dr. John Stiles.

Dr. John Stiles is the editor-in-chief and consultant of the K-12 STEM “International Journal at the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology” in Bangkok, Thailand. He is an advocate of education reform and science methods for all school levels in several countries, including the USA.

Day One of the workshop clarified common student misconceptions and how to correct them. The participants took on the role of the learner and conducted several experiments using an inquiry lesson. By doing the experiments, they were able to make use of the inquiry approach and derive conclusions based on the results of their experiments. They were also able to reflect on the Science Inquiry Model and compare it with traditional teaching.

The workshop shed light on many things about inquiry, but more importantly it clarified that science inquiry is not:

- when a teacher asks “recall” questions

- when students learn only facts of already acquired knowledge

- saying that telling is teaching

- saying that listening is learning

- learning process skills

- following a scientific method

Workshop participants were able to use different strategies by performing modeled lesson plans in order to help student’s conceptual understanding in light of the science inquiry strategy.

Different activities such as the use of density blocks, mealworms, and test-tubes dipped in water-filled beakers provided participants a venue in developing a system-wide method on science inquiry. Participants also watched videos of exemplary teachers of inquiry and reflected on what new knowledge they had gained in the workshop.

Day Two of the workshop focused on STEM/STEAM education. The participants worked on an engineering challenge involving limited use of newspapers, cardboard and tape. The facilitator used this opportunity for participants to make connections between engineering and mathematics. They solved problems by being creative, innovative and by using engineering methods and design. Participants also had an opportunity to discuss and share what a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (STEAM) lesson plan should look like.

This weekend workshop received a lot of positive feedback from participants. Surabaya Intercultural School would like to say thank you to EARCOS and the participants for making this workshop possible!

Participants explored the concept of buoyancy.

Participants attempted to make test tubes float in a beaker filled with water.

Dr. Stiles presented during the Science Inquiry and STEM workshop at Surabaya Intercultural School.

Participants faced the Dr. Stiles’ engineering challenge.

Rochelle D. Santiago EARCOS Representative Surabaya Intercultural School Surabaya, Indonesia

Service Learning as Teaching Strategy

On August 19 and 20th, Korea International School hosted a weekend workshop for place based service learning. The workshop was led by Joe Brooks who is the founder of Community Works Institute (CWI). This organization, based in California, has a mission to support and promote exemplary teaching strategies and practices for K-16 and community programs that support students becoming caring, responsible and active members of their communities. Their focus is on supporting curriculum that has place as the context, service-learning as the strategy, and sustainability as the goal. The organization also has experience with building service learning opportunities into project based learning units of study.

Over the weekend there were 25 participants in the workshop who were able to learn from Joe’s 22 years of experience or conducting professional development sessions. Teachers were able to gain insights into what service learning truly is. Joe provided many examples for teachers to think about, that went beyond simply visiting an orphanage and helping children. Furthermore, teachers were shown examples of curriculum connections that can, and should, be made, and how to develop service learning relationships that are sustainable.

Teachers were also provided time to share their units of study and make connections with other teachers. This enabled teachers to see connections across grade levels, and even potential connections across divisions. As one teacher so eloquently described: “The weekend has reaffirmed my belief that Service Learning has many potential benefits in any school environment and I will continue to pursue ways of building into our curriculum. In addition, the new piece of carrying out ethnography as a learning piece in addition to engaging the community and students in a more open dialogue was eye-opening.”

Hannah Hopkin and Jay Keshaw, from KIS, speak to possible cross-curricular connections for a service learning partnership

KIS and SFS teachers brainstorming the ways that service learning can impact students, parents, and the greater school community.

Michael Boll’s Seeking, Finding and Using Technology to Improve Student Learning at Medan Independent School

It’s difficult to pull oneself away from technology these days, between our various Whatsapp groups, Instagram accounts, Snapchat alerts, emails, Google Docs, and Hangouts, it can sometimes feel like the technologies that are supposed to be making our lives easier and more efficient have started to erode our ability to actually get things done.

As educators, the market for digital classroom tools has exploded over the last few years with a healthy but often baffling mix of free and paid online apps and offline programs. As teachers, it would take all of our precious planning time to wade through the thousands of new tools and pick out the good from the mediocre, not to mention the time and effort needed to learn how to use them!

On the weekend of the 26th and 27th of August, 2017, educators gathered at Medan Independent School for a session from Michael Boll, Middle School Learning and Technology Coach at International School Bangkok, for two exciting days of learning and exploration of new technology that can be used in the classroom.

In two days of sessions that included introductions to the philosophy of technology in education, the SAMR model of tech integration, Flipboard, Breakout Edu, Chrome Extensions, the design concept of minimal viable product, coding tools and the all-encompassing Google Classroom, educators were free to explore and play with these tools at their own pace, under the gentle and knowledgeable guidance of Mr Boll.

Of particular interest were the discussions on Fake News and the importance of Media Literacy; in these days where the explosion of new communication channels has overtaken many people’s ability to accurately judge the veracity and validity of sources, teaching our students how to differentiate between accurate information and “truthy” but misleading nonsense is more important than ever.

Mr Boll’s pace and topics were carefully tailored to the needs of the participants and their feedback suggested that they found this to be a workshop that provided them not just with a renewed enthusiasm for new technologies, but a new selection of shiny tools in their digital toolboxes with which to build new understandings in their classrooms.

Gerald Donovan, MBA, M.Ed Head of School/Principal Medan Independent School

Collaboration Skills With Margaret MacLean

Middle Row: Willie Feng, Elaine Brooker, Katrina Marris, Karen Potts, Tennille Brownrigg, Peter Burnside, Elyse Christian The weekend of September 24 and 25 (2016) saw participants gather at Xiamen International School (Xiamen, PRC) for a workshop on Collaboration Skills and Practices led by Margaret MacLean.

Over the two days, participants worked on the fundamentals of collaborative group skills. Through a self-analysis of personal preferences, participants grouped themselves as to how they approach collaboration and group conversations. Through these activities, they were able to appreciate the different approaches to group work that can be seen in even a small group setting.

There was also much focus on the use of conversation scaffolding protocols. By using real situations and student work brought by participants, everyone was able to work through a variety of conversation protocols that highlighted the importance of scaffolding professional, collegial, and time-sensitive conversations.

In the responses to a post-workshop survey, it is clear that everyone found a lot of value in this workshop and that there are many plans to expand and implement what was learned during these two days of sessions.

Back Row: Mathew Brown, Peter Verley, Rajesh Nathu, Nicoline Dewitt, Rebecca Clark, Sara Bullock, Daniel Tooley, Pam Daly

Middle Row: Willie Feng, Elaine Brooker, Katrina Marris, Karen Potts, Tennille Brownrigg, Peter Burnside, Elyse Christian

Front Row: Tara Lee, Melanie Dillon, Anne Steubner, Margaret MacLean (Presenter), Liga Husko, Tamara Studniski, Abigail Joseph, Luz Cadavid, [David Brooker – not shown]

Discussion of the workshop ‘Working Agreements’ as well as review of the importance of group norms and understandings.

The personality ‘Compass’. Individuals chose their temperament preferences when working with groups. The ‘North’ group is discussing their strengths, weaknesses, and other characteristics.

The personality ‘Compass’. Individuals chose their temperament preferences when working with groups. The ‘South’ group is discussing their strengths, weaknesses, and other characteristics.

Adaptive Schools Seminar

Over 50 teachers convened at the Western Academy of Beijing to participate in the Four day Adaptive school's Seminar. The Adaptive Schools Seminar present a productive, practical set of ideas and tools for developing collaborative groups in becoming effective and better equipped to resolve complex issues around student learning. The work of the Adaptive Schools Seminars is to develop the resources and capacities of the organization and of individuals to cohesively respond to the changing needs of students and society.

The training not only explored what makes teams effective, but how to develop skills as facilitators and inform group members in informal and formal settings, in small and large groups. It took participants beyond the idea of professional learning communities to the actual implementation, describing specific ways to weave the collaborative fabric of a faculty, develop group member skills, and acquire the principles and understandings to engage in a continuous cycle of team and individual improvement. Adaptive Schools is the “how” of professional learning communities: how to behave in groups, how to lead them, and how to facilitate them for improved leading, teaching, and learning.

"Lots of skills and strategies built around discussion"

"Has given me the tools and strategies to work with others"

" A better understanding of the norms needed to work effectively together – awesome!"

"It's great to have the protocols to work together so we can work in the cognitive conflict – looking forward to putting it into practice"

The idea of empowering students to be leaders of their own learning

“Building students’ agency, self-advocacy and their ability to take responsibility for their own learning” - presented by Dr Fran Prolman

Teachers, educational coaches and administrators from across the EARCOS region congregated at UNIS Hanoi in October 2016 to participate in an EARCOS sponsored weekend workshop facilitated by Dr Fran Prolman around the idea of empowering students to be leaders of their own learning.

Dr. Fran Prolman an internationally respected educator and author of "Building Your Instructional Leadership", consults extensively within the United States as well as with international schools and international conferences. Dr Prolman brings more than 30 years’ experience as an educational leader, author, consultant to support schools in a range of areas including educational leadership, school improvement, instruction and organisational development.

Dr. Prolman spent two days with over 50 educators and administrators who engaged in a wide variety of pedagogical practices designed to amplify student voice and choice in their learning and how teachers can create the climate, safety and mindset for students to be data driven in understanding and controlling their own learning. Time was spent understanding the importance of effective feedback, having students at the centre of assessment conversations, as well as examining and utilising a wide range of checking for understanding strategies.

Participants found Dr. Prolman’s presentation style energetic, engaging and motivating. Post-workshop reflections showed great appreciation for the highly practical nature of the workshop for teachers of all age groups (3-18) and left the event armed with a multitude of new strategies to put into immediate practice in their classrooms.

UNIS Hanoi has made a firm commitment to developing student agency and self-directedness as part of its 5 year strategic action plan ‘Strategy 2020’. Dr Prolman’s visit provided many UNIS teachers as well as EARCOS regional visitors with some valuable research and experiential learning on how to make this a reality in our schools.

Dr. Prolman shares the workshop outcomes with participants.

Participants experiencing metacognitive strategies for engaging students’ fully with a learning provocation. “Withholding judgement with learners is critical,” explains Dr Prolman.

Teaching the i-Student at International Schools: Integrating Media and Technology into Chinese Classroom

Thai-Chinese International School hosted an EARCOS weekend workshop titled “Teaching the i-Student at International Schools: Integrating Media and Technology into Chinese Classroom” on February 25th and 26th, 2017. The 12 presenters came from 4 international schools (Concordian International School, The American School of Bangkok, Shrewsbury International School, and Thai-Chinese International School) and 35 participants came from 6 countries (Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Thailand.) In Two-days workshop, we focused on how ICT could be integrated efficiently into the Chinese instruction and classroom management. We also discussed why and what ICT were such important and needed to be implemented in our teaching and learning environment.

Recently, cloud computing and mobile learning are becoming popular around the world, many schools and teachers have only scratched the surface of understanding the power and importance of digital learning. For Chinese teaching and learning at many international schools, the mandarin teachers need know what and how to integrate new media and technology into Chinese classroom, especially in language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Presenters introduced the useful Apps applied in Chinese classroom. Those apps not only increased students’ learning motivation but also improved teachers’ teaching strategies. In the 21st century of technology era, the flipping teaching and learning are going happened in our education and classroom. The Mandarin teachers really need those tech-skills to face these digital-native learners. Moreover, the workshop focused on how applied “Google Apps” and how empowered “game-based” teaching methodology and cooperation-based learning practiced efficiently into our classroom.

In addition to, the issues of e-Book and e-portfolio also were very important for becoming Chinese teachers’ teaching tools. Finally, we had the Q&A section and including feedback from all participants. Most of participants were agree that the workshop was what they expected and got good benefits to help teaching in the Chinese classroom. We hope this workshop will be continued and then could learn more about integrating ICT into teaching and learning.

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