CASIE to host Global Language Convention

In April 2008, CASIE, in cooperation with the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is hosting the Second Global Language Convention. The Convention will give language educators an opportunity to converge and discuss best practices, research and much more. The event will be held at Atlanta International School on April 17 through 20, 2008.

The Convention will focus on language immersion programs within the framework of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum as well as in schools that do not use the IB programs. Convention attendees will benefit from various keynote speakers, workshops and model lesson sessions held in cooperation with faculty and students from Atlanta International School.

Call for Papers & Workshops is available now. Early-bird registration for the event will begin in Spring 2007. Visit www.casieonline.org/glc for more details.

Water Educational Exchange

In the last issue of CASIE Connections, we mentioned plans to hold the first CrossWorlds Educational Exchange on Water. The event, planned for October 8, 2007, is a day-long interactive learning session designed for grades 4-7 students and their teacher-sponsors on a relevant, socio-economic, and life-sustaining issue of water. This is an exciting opportunity that combines a cross-disciplinary approach to learning, project-based learning, and collaboration on a local and international level for a real life application to an issue that is and will be of great importance to the world community.

Correlations to the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) in Social Studies, Science, and Language Arts have been made so that schools can incorporate the learning into the actual instructional lessons in their own schools. Teams of experts will share information, experiences, and activities relating to understanding where water comes from, how we use and misuse water, water issues, and water conditions in Georgia, the United States and the world. CASIE will host the event at Atlanta International School, with AIS faculty present to share insights from its highly successful “Aqua Vitae” instructional unit. (See related article)

A highlight of this one-day event is an invitation to extend the learning to a larger audience at the home school by developing a water project and sharing information with a sister school abroad. This gives students the opportunity not only to see what the water situation is locally, but they have a chance to interact and collaborate with students their own age around the world on this important issue. CASIE has extensive international links and has agreed to pair participating U.S. schools with sister schools abroad. While the sister school does not necessarily have to participate in the same project as the U.S school, information will be shared on what each school is learning about water in their own locale as well as what each school is doing to promote awareness. The U.S. schools participating in the project phase are invited to submit their projects in the spring of 2008 for evaluation and awarding of prizes during an arranged media event.

Look for updates and registration information in the March Newsletter.

New Fellows and Intern Programs

As part of its mission, CASIE recently announced two new exciting programs for university students. Undergraduate education majors can benefit from CASIE’s new internship program that offers on the job experience at a non-profit organization, exposure to the staff at Atlanta International School and IB teacher training. The internship length is two to three months and includes a monthly stipend. For additional information, visit www.casieonline.org/Programs/Interns.html.

Another new program is the Fellowship Program. Fellowships are designed for graduate students who are interested in conducting research on international education. Two types of fellowships are available: Resource Bank Fellows and Research Fellows. The programs give fellowship participants an opportunity to work one on one with CASIE staff, board members and members of CASIE’s extended academic community while fostering research on international education and policy. Full details on the Fellowship Program will be available within the next few weeks. Check CASIE's website for details.

Want to Know More About the IB?

If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about the International Baccalaureate Programme, sign up for the Orientation Workshop on April 6, 2007. The one-day workshop is an informational forum for school officials and teachers considering the implementation of IB Programmes in their schools. It includes panel discussions, breakout groups and details on What is IB?, Teaching Internationalism, and IB Application & Authorization Procedures. For more information, visit CASIE’s website: http://www.casieonline.org/index.cfm

Search the Internet and Benefit CASIE

There is new and easy way to raise money for CASIE just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch.com. It's easy to use and the site is powered by Yahoo! Simply go to GoodSearch.com and type in CASIE in the “Who do you GoodSearch For?” box. Verify your selection and the site will remember your charity. GoodSearch even has toolbars for Internet Explorer, FireFox and Mac.

Last year, search engines generated close to $6 billion in revenue from advertisers. With GoodSearch part of this advertising revenue will now be directed to CASIE. We hope that not only will you use GoodSearch as your main search engine from here on out, but will also pass this message on to your friends and family. The more people who use this, the more money will benefit non-profit organizations.

In the Classroom: Aqua Vitae: Water Is Life
By Tobin Bechtel, Atlanta International School

Earlier this fall, 135 Grade 6 and 7 students at Atlanta International School (AIS) found themselves carrying water by the gallon almost a kilometer. This water walk was the first part of a two-day unit to introduce students to the IB Middle Years Programme. The aim of the walk was to have students gain empathy for the over 1.2 billion people in the world that do not have access to safe drinking water and need to walk over a kilometer on average to get it. Students experienced first hand the frustrations and hardships of what is a daily part of almost one-sixth of the world populations’ lives.

Using water as a problem of global significance, students investigated the difficulties faced by different regions around the world. They were challenged to consider the problems through a case study approach using the MYP Areas of Interaction as differentiated ways to investigate the issues in their region. These were presented as guiding questions and as a way for groups to take on roles to view the problems through a specific lens such as being a Minister for Health or an Environmental Advocate. Students were also asked to complete a design project that challenged each advisory group to investigate, plan, create and evaluate a water transport system that worked for the geographical conditions of their region. The stages students followed served as an introduction to the MYP design cycle, prompting them to think about and reflect on the process of problem solving throughout the process. Groups struggled with a myriad of challenges including moving water over mountains and through narrow channels, not being able to afford the supplies they wanted and bartering with each other, creating consensus on solving problems, and losing significant amounts of water while transporting it.

The final challenge was to transport as much water as possible during a twenty minute period. Groups worked together to keep things running and many learned ways to be more efficient even during the final few minutes of the race. At the close of the unit, students were able to point out many of the challenges that face local populations, governments and NGOs as they try to solve the problem of getting people access to safe, clean water.

While not every unit will involve getting hot and wet, grade 6 and 7 are now initiates of the MYP at AIS. The water unit acted as a springboard from which students will be asked to engage with real world problems, to think and reflect on issues through use of the Areas of Interaction and to develop understanding through actively using knowledge.

College Fair Welcomes Over 350 IB Students

Over 350 IB students from throughout the Southeastern U.S. gathered at Atlanta International School for the first regional International College Fair on September 29 and 30, 2006. The Fair brought these students together with colleges and universities from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands. The fair featured a reception, speakers and time for students to visit university booths.

CASIE’s Executive Director, Alex Horsley opened the Plenary Session, welcoming students, parents and teachers. Horsley encouraged the students to visit all of the colleges and universities at the fair and see the many opportunities they have before them. John Valeri, UPS's Senior Vice President of International Human Resources, presented the keynote address on the value of an international education in a global workplace. Representatives from University of Kent, Carleton University and Australian National University educated the crowd on the benefits and application process to attend universities in their respective countries. Paul Campbell, from IBNA, closed the session by highlighting college admission rates of IB students compared to their peers. "Events like these reinforce an essential truth for IB students, their parents, and their communities," said Campbell. "They prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that leading universities throughout the world want IB students on their campuses, and are willing to go to great lengths to recruit them."

Following the Plenary Session, students flocked to the AIS auditorium to visit all the booths. University representatives were pleased with the turnout and plan to attend next fall. Angela Connelly from University of Victoria said: “The IB student group is a very important target group for us as we offer one year of transfer credit and potential scholarship money for diploma holders who score according to our criteria. It was fantastic to see so many parents, as well.”

Click here to see the presentations and photographs.

PAST ISSUES          Sept-Nov '06          Summer '06

Notes from Alex

As we approach the 2006 Holiday Season I would like to wish all readers of CASIE Connections a very happy holiday season. May 2007 continue to see the growth and development of international education programs throughout the world!

During 2006 I have been fortunate enough to visit Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia, as well as many different parts of North America, with virtually all my travels being international education-related. It is always heartening to meet with people who have an interest in global understanding through international and language education.

As we move into 2007, CASIE will continue its role as a workshop provider for IBNA, but we are also moving ahead with many other activities which are designed to enhance the development of international and language programs. Elsewhere in this newsletter you can read of plans for the Global Language Convention, which we are hosting in April 2008. While this is specifically designed to promote dual-language education, we will also use the occasion to further the causes of more traditional language teaching.

I am particularly concerned that language teachers and curriculum developers begin to understand more fully the specific advantages of using a second language as a medium of instruction for general curricular material. This content-based approach to language instruction has always been successful, and is gaining a great deal of well-deserved attention by researchers.

In two-way immersion primary education programs, this approach (in a variety of models) has been used for many years, with great success. However, there are very few models for secondary-age immersion programs. During a recent visit to a public high school in Australia I was very heartened to see an immersion French program for students in Grades 8 through 10. The students (approximately one-third of the school’s overall intake, which covers the full range of ability) come to the program with virtually no previous exposure to the French language. After a short introductory period they are immersed in French for Science, Mathematics and Social Studies. I visited a Grade 8 Science class and a Grade 9 Geometry class, and was absolutely amazed at the students’ ability to learn and perform in these classes using a second language. Later I visited a Grade 12 mathematics class conducted in English (with subject material equivalent to IB Higher Level Mathematics). There were 17 students in the class, and 9 of them told me that they had studied mathematics through the medium of French in Grades 8 – 10. Their teacher assured me that when they joined the class at the start of Grade 11 all were equally, or better, prepared than the students who had taken all their mathematics in English!

In addition to further working with schools on language programs, CASIE is committed to building on the success of this year’s International College Fair for IB Diploma students in the United States. The vast majority of the 350 students attending came from public schools, and it was a real eye-opener for them that, as IB Diploma students, there is a world of higher education programs open to them. I listened in on conversations between some of these students in their discussions with representatives from colleges in the UK, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands and it was very clear that many of them had no idea that such opportunities were available to them. We are holding a series of discussions with IBNA, CIS and others to see if this event can be replicated in other regions of North America.

Best wishes to everyone for 2007!

Alex Horsley

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