Welcome to the Internationals Network Professional Development page! Here you will find all of our 2021-2022 offerings – workshops, conferences, and events.
This page is updated on a rolling basis, so always be sure to come back to see what we have coming up.
For any questions about these offerings contact clarissa.cummings@internationalsnetwork.org
NATIONAL NETWORK EVENTS
Home Language Curriculum Working Group
4:00p-5:30p ET/1:00p-2:30p PT
- Nov. 9
- Dec. 7
- Jan. 11
- Feb. 8
- Mar. 8
- Apr. 5
- May. 3
- Jun. 7
This remote, ever-growing working group is focused on supporting teachers to develop meaningful ways to use and develop students’ home language(s) alongside their English. Internationals schools embrace heterogeneity in all forms, including in language, as an asset to be utilized and developed. Home language must be intentionally built into curriculum in order to ensure students are able to use their full linguistic repertoire; however, the task of developing said curriculum for a heterogeneous group of MLLs can be daunting. The working group format will serve as a space for teachers to explore recent research, as well as examples, of incorporating deeper meaning into home language opportunities in any content area. Teachers who participate in this group will first norm around the importance and qualities of authentic and relevant home language projects, lessons, and activities. They will then support each other in developing quality curriculum through collaboration, feedback protocols, and student work inquiry rounds. The collective effort of this group will produce ideas, resources, and examples that are relevant to all International schools, and a selection of our work together will be shared across the network to strengthen home language structures nationally.
Who should come?: Anyone who is interested in incorporating meaningful home language opportunities into their curriculum! Open to teachers from all regions. No background or experience in this work is required.
What will they get out of it?: Ideas, resources, support, inspiration, fun, and new colleagues from across the Internationals Network.
Facilitator(s): Genna Robbins and Marguerite Lukes
To join this working group, email genna.robbins@
New Teacher Working Group: Unit Planning for the Internationals Approach
4:00p-5:30p ET / 3:00p-4:30p CT / 1:00p-2:30p PT
- Oct. 25
- Nov. 22
- Jan. 2
- Feb. 7
- Mar. 7
- Apr. 4
- May. 9
- Jun. 6
The New Teacher Working Group: Unit Planning for the Internationals Approach is designed to support teachers who are in their first or second year of teaching at an Internationals Network school. The series creates a safe space for teachers who are going through similar experiences to learn and grow together. During the sessions participants will learn about best practices that are occurring throughout our network of schools, reflect on their experiences teaching in an Internationals classroom, and spend time considering how to implement the new strategies they have learned into their upcoming lessons. This monthly series will explore these topics through the lens of the unit planning process and will culminate in a teacher portfolio reflection on their learning journey. We hope you will join us for this enriching experience! Stay tuned for our announcement on the opening of registration and the workshop schedule.
Facilitator(s): Andrew Sigal
To join this working group, register here.
Foundation Series
An Intro to Collaboration: The Elements of Collaboration
Nov. 18, 5:30p-7:00 ET / 2:30-4:00 PT
How can we design activities that incorporate meaningful collaboration? This session begins with an activity that surfaces participants’ notions and ongoing beliefs about collaboration, a fundamental practice of the Internationals Approach. In the second part of this session, participants complete a card sort in which they must differentiate between “group work” and “collaboration.” This activity serves to help participants define collaboration in the classroom. Participants then engage in a stations activity on the five elements of collaboration. They then commit to one or two elements of collaboration that they want to implement in their classrooms consistently.
Facilitator(s): Dolan Morgan
Register here.
Meaningful Collaboration and Student Roles
Dec. 16, 5:30p-7:00 ET / 2:30-4:00 PT
How do we design activities so that every student has something meaningful to do? In this session, participants will examine the different purposes of collaboration and practice matching activities that would best serve each purpose. Next, participants experience a simulation in which they must work together to complete a task with specific assigned roles, but not all roles are meaningful. They are then introduced to different categories of meaningful group roles and analyze them for how they can be applied to different group activities.
Facilitator(s): Dolan Morgan
Register here.
NEW SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT
New Leader Meetings
3:45 – 4:45 pm ET/2:45-3:45 pm CT/ 12:45-1:45 PT
- Oct. 28
- Nov. 11
- Dec. 9
- Jan. 20
- Feb. 17
- Mar. 31
- Apr. 28
- May. 26
Facilitator(s): Dariana Castro, Maggie Ward
If you have questions about this working group, email dariana.castro@internationalsnetwork.org.
East Coast Curriculum Development Series
3:00p – 4:30p CT / 4:00p – 5:30p ET
- Nov. 15
- Dec. 6
- Jan. 4
- Feb. 28
- Mar. 21
- Apr. 26
- May 23
This series will lead teachers through the process of building out strong backwards-designed unit maps for multilingual learners. Each session will be focused on a specific component of strong curriculum (e.g. building summative assessments, creating a formative assessment plan, integrating specific and targeted language development etc.). Sessions will include an introduction to the skill as well as time for participants to apply the skill with the support of content-area colleagues.
To join this workshop series, email elizabeth.derham@internationalsnetwork.org.
BAY AREA
Committees and Working Groups
SLIFE PD for Intervention Teachers
3:00p – 4:30p PT
- Dec. 2
- Feb. 17
- Mar. 17
- Apr. 21
This series of five 90-minute sessions will function as a PLC in which we work collaboratively through an inquiry model to examine promising practices in the intervention classroom. Participants in this PLC will be asked to identify the learning needs of the range of SLIFE in their classes and to share promising practices from their classrooms that target these needs. We will also share promising approaches in the PLC for participants to try out in their classrooms. This will be a collaborative learning space where we examine how tasks and approaches impact student learning and growth.
Facilitator(s): Dariana Castro
To join this workshop series, email dariana.castro@internationalsnetwork.org.
SLIFE PD for Content Teachers
3:00p – 4:30p PT
- Nov. 18
- Jan. 20
- Feb. 24
- Mar. 31
This workshop series of five 90-minute sessions focuses on the driving question, “How can we scaffold new content, language, and skills for SLIFE so that they can engage in our project-based curriculum?” The series prioritizes exploring, adapting, and applying concrete, immediately replicable strategies. In each session, participants will explore one new strategy, discuss its relevance to a sample project, and have ample time to apply ideas to their own curriculum.
Facilitator(s): Elizabeth de Rham
To join this workshop series, email elizabeth.derham@internationalsnetwork.org.
Workshops and Other Network Events
Formative Assessment
3:00p – 4:30p CT / 4:00p – 5:30p ET / 1:00p – 2:30p PT
- Nov. 3
- Dec. 1
- Jan. 28
- Feb. 18
- Mar. 11
To join this workshop series, email elizabeth.derham@internationalsnetwork.org.
Curriculum Development Series
3:00p – 4:30p PT
- Nov. 10
- Dec. 8
- Jan. 5
- Feb. 2
- Mar. 23
- Apr. 27
- May 4
To join this workshop series, email elizabeth.derham@internationalsnetwork.org.
DMV AREA
Committees and Working Groups
New Teacher Working Group: Unit Planning for the Internationals Approach
4:00p – 5:30p ET
- Oct. 25
- Nov. 22
- Jan. 10
- Feb. 7
- Mar. 7
- Apr. 4
- May 9
- June 6
The New Teacher Working Group: Unit Planning for the Internationals Approach is designed to support teachers who are in their first or second year of teaching at an Internationals Network school. The series creates a safe space for teachers who are going through similar experiences to learn and grow together. During the sessions participants will learn about best practices that are occurring throughout our network of schools, reflect on their experiences teaching in an Internationals classroom, and spend time considering how to implement the new strategies they have learned into their upcoming lessons. This monthly series will explore these topics through the lens of the unit planning process and will culminate in a teacher portfolio reflection on their learning journey. We hope you will join us for this enriching experience! Stay tuned for our announcement on the opening of registration and the workshop schedule.
Facilitator(s): Andrew Sigal
If you have questions about this working group, email nancy.rosas@internationalsnetwork.org.
Workshops and Other Network Events
Check back soon!
NYC AREA
Committees and Working Groups
PD Committee Meeting
5:30p-7:00p ET
- Oct. 19
- Nov. 16
- Dec. 14
- Jan. 18
- Feb. 15
- Mar. 15
- Apr. 12
- May. 17
- Jun. 14
The Professional Development Committee will bring together representatives from across our schools in order to support the Fall Professional Development Conference, create additional learning and networking opportunities, and collect and share resources.
Facilitator(s): Dolan Morgan
Instructional Coach / Team Leader CFG
4:00p-5:30p ET
- Oct. 14
- Nov. 18
- Dec. 16
- Jan. 13
- Feb. 17
- Mar. 17
- Apr. 14
- May. 19
- Jun. 2
This working group will continue from our successful pilot from last year. This group is focused on supporting exchange, discussion, and learning among instructional coaches and team leaders. Instructional coaches and team leaders have a unique influence and position in our school communities, with opportunities to impact a wide array of ambitions, and supporting their work can have wide reach in pursuing a school community’s goals; at the same time, these roles can sometimes be isolated, with few or limited opportunities for peer-to-peer exchange about engaging in this type of important work.
Facilitator(s): Genna Robbins
College Access Project
9:30a-11:00a ET
- Oct. 19
- Nov. 16
- Dec. 7
- Jan. 18
- Feb. 15
- Mar. 15
- Apr. 19
- May. 17
- Jun. 21
Selected schools work on college application and enrollment rates.
Facilitator(s): Khalia Joseph
Interested in joining? Email khalia.joseph@internationalsnetwork.org.
Workshops and Other Network Events
iCAN Meeting
10:00a-11:00a ET
- Oct. 20
- Nov. 17
- Dec. 15
- Jan. 19
- Feb. 15
- Mar. 16
- May. 18
- Jun. 15
Network meeting for the college access community. .
Facilitator(s): Khalia Joseph
Interested in joining? Email khalia.joseph@internationalsnetwork.org.
Science Curriculum Development Intensive
3:30p – 5:30p ET
- Day 1 – Nov. 30
- Day 2 – Dec. 1
- Day 3 – Dec. 2
This series of discipline-specific curriculum intensives will provide an opportunity for participants to collaborate across schools to both give and receive feedback on their projects, make a plan for feedback implementation, and continue to strengthen community across our schools. Each content area’s intensive will take place over three consecutive afternoons in a single week, with each session lasting 2 hours. Participants should plan to commit to all three days. An optional stipend will be provided to those participants who choose to submit the curriculum they developed during the intensive.
Facilitator(s): TBD
Register HERE.
Social Studies Curriculum Development Intensive
3:30p – 5:30p ET
- Day 1 – Dec. 7
- Day 2 – Dec. 8
- Day 3 – Dec. 9
This series of discipline-specific curriculum intensives will provide an opportunity for participants to collaborate across schools to both give and receive feedback on their projects, make a plan for feedback implementation, and continue to strengthen community across our schools. Each content area’s intensive will take place over three consecutive afternoons in a single week, with each session lasting 2 hours. Participants should plan to commit to all three days. An optional stipend will be provided to those participants who choose to submit the curriculum they developed during the intensive.
Facilitator(s): TBD
Register HERE.