Run Your Life Show With Andy Vasily

Send us a textIn this episode, Terri Walker, a PYP Curriculum manager at the global IB office in the Hague, discusses key changes in the program that will take effect in 2018. Terri shares the behind the scenes work that went into creating these changes and the next steps needed to ensure that these enhancements are clearly communicated to PYP schools around the world. In order to empower PYP teachers and schools to do their best work, the head office in the Hague will provide specific support materials to help guide each school regardless of where they are at in their PYP journey. In order to faciliate deeper discussion in this episode about the 2018 changes, an elementary head of school (Jeff Woodcock from the KAUST School), a PYP Coordinator (Jon Davidson from the KAUST School), and a director of a school (James Brightman) sat in on this discussion with Terri to share their own unique viewpoints, challenges, and ideas in regards to ensuring that they prepare their schools and teachers for the 2018 changes.If you are a PYP teacher or administrator, you are sure to have some valuable takeaway from this episode that can help you to better think your way through how you might approach the 2018 changes to ensure success for you and your school. Thanks for listening. Terri’ BioTerri Walker, a native of Alberta Canada, joined the IB in The Hague in 2014 to manage curriculum development for the PYP. Terri brings extensive career experience in teaching and administration to the Hague team, including 12 years as PYP coordinator in North Carolina, USA. Terri has been active as a PYP workshop leader, site visitor and consultant across the US and Canada and has enjoyed participating in IB sponsored meetings for assessment and pedagogical leadership. She loves connecting with PYP educators globally and chatting about all things PYP related!Connect with Terri and the IBPYP:Twitter: https://twitter.com/ibpypWebsite: http://www.ibo.org/en/programmes/primary-years-programme/Themes Discussed:PYP Enhancements, Student Agency, Assessment, Vertical Articulation, PYP Planners

Send us a textThis podcast series is devoted to sharing good teaching practice at Gardens Elementary School which is located on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus in Saudi Arabia. At GES, our student population is multi-cultural, diverse, enthusiastic, engaging and confident. They are also fun loving and happy.Through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) we provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of essential concepts, skills, knowledge and attitudes that will enable them to be lifelong learners. Our students are actively involved in authentic inquiry-based learning across all the curriculum areas. They develop confidence in their abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. As students learn to reflect on their learning, they become critical thinkers. We encourage students to voice their ideas and to take action to improve the school and the community. Student achievement and progress is shared through regular assemblies, parent conferences, open houses and activities aimed at making the school a stimulating center for the community.Episode 6 is with Tim ScarrottUnpacking Success Criteria Related to Positive Peer InteractionsIn this episode, Tim Scarrott discusses how he involves students in the co-construction of success criteria related to developing a deeper understanding of positive peer interactions in his class. Tim believes in the power of making learning very explicit and visual in order to provide his students with the tools necessary to build a positive class culture by ensuring a supportive environment is in place from the start of the school year. Tim shares how he and his students developed a common language around what positive peer interactions look and feel like in his classroom in order to scaffold important learning related to social and emotional wellness. By creating a culture of mutual trust and respect, Tim and his students have specific guiding principles in place that allows everyone’s voice to be heard and respected. This conversation is sure to spark your thinking in regards to how you construct a positive environment for your students that allows them to feel safe and to show respect for one another. Tim’s BioTim graduated the University of Melbourne with a PE major and started his teaching career at a public school in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. He then hit the international teaching circuit, teaching PYP and MYP in Singapore and Jeju Island Island, Korea. Tim began teaching at the KAUST school earlier this year. He is passionate about student's voice, keeping active physically and mentally and positivity. Tim and his wife, Naomi spend most of their summers in Ireland with their 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter.Connect With TimTwitter: @TimJScarrott Connect With Gardens Elementary SchoolTwitter: @GESatKAUSTWebsite: http://tks.kaust.edu.sa/Message-from-the-Principal-GESThemes Discussed:Postive Peer Interactions, Class Norms, Social & Emotional Wellness, Responsibility

Send us a textIn today’s episode, my guest, Margaret Heffernan, discusses her work and vision related to helping organizations around the world create the changes needed to inspire all stakeholders to thrive. She brings with her a model of thinking that challenges all people to respectfully speak their truth in an effort to help everyone around them improve upon their performance and find deeper meaning in the work that they do. In our conversation, Margaret delves into the principles embedded within her best-selling book, Willful Blindness, and the need for people to no longer stay silent, but instead to embrace the magic of asking exploratory questions to better stimulate important discussions related to improvement and change. Margaret’s work has great value and application in the world of education. She believes in each person’s ability to be an ordinary hero who can change the world through honest and open dialogue and utilizing critical feedback for self-growth. Themes Discussed:Critical Feedback, Growth & Development, Inspiring Change, Human Behavior, Embracing Conflict, The Power of QuestioningMargaret’s BioMargaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, Chief Executive and author. She was born in Texas, raised in Holland and educated at Cambridge University. She worked in BBC Radio for five years where she wrote, directed, produced and commissioned dozens of documentaries and dramas.As a television producer, she made documentary films for Timewatch, Arena, and Newsnight. She was one of the producers of Out of the Doll's House, the prize-winning documentary series about the history of women in the twentieth century.She designed and executive produced a thirteen-part series on The French Revolution for the BBC and A&E. The series featured, among others, Alan Rickman, Alfred Molina, Janet Suzman, Simon Callow and Jim Broadbent and introduced both historian Simon Schama and playwright Peter Barnes to British television. She also produced music videos with Virgin Records and the London Chamber Orchestra to raise attention and funds for Unicef's Lebanese fund.Leaving the BBC, she ran the trade association IPPA, which represented the interests of independent film and television producers and was once described by the Financial Times as "the most formidable lobbying organization in England."She was named one of the Internet's Top 100 by Silicon Alley Reporter in 1999, one of the Top 25 by Streaming Media magazine and one of the Top 100 Media Executives by The Hollywood Reporter. Her "Tear Down the Wall" campaign against AOL won the 2001 Silver SABRE award for public relations.Her third book, Wilful Blindness (Simon&Schuster in the UK, Bloomsbury in the US, Doubleday in Canada) was a finalist for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Best Business Book award and, in 2014, the Financial Times named it one of its "best business books of the decade.” Her next book A Bigger Prize (Simon&Schuster in the UK, Public Affairs in the US and Doubleday in Canada) won the Transmission Prize. Her most recent book Beyond Measure : The Big Impact of Small Changes was published in 2015. Her TED talks have been seen by over 6 million people. She has been invited to speak at all of the world’s leading financial services businesses, the leading FTSE and S&P corporations as well as the world’s most successful sports teams. She continues to advise private and public businesses, to mentor senior and chief executives and to write for the Financial Times and Huffington Post. Connect With MargaretTwitter: @m_heffernanWebsite: http://www.mheffernan.com/Margaret’s Ted Talks:https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_why_it_s_time_to_forget_the_pecking_order_at_workhttps://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagreehttps://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_the_dangers_of_willful_blindnessMargaret’s Books:http://www.mheffernan.com/index.php

Send us a textThis podcast series is devoted to sharing good teaching practice at Gardens Elementary School which is located on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus in Saudi Arabia. At GES, our student population is multi-cultural, diverse, enthusiastic, engaging and confident. They are also fun loving and happy.Through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) we provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of essential concepts, skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will enable them to be lifelong learners. Our students are actively involved in authentic inquiry-based learning across all the curriculum areas. They develop confidence in their abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. As studentslearn to reflect on their learning, they become critical thinkers. We encourage students to voice their ideas and to take action to improve the school and the community. Student achievement and progress is shared through regular assemblies, parent conferences, open houses and activities aimed at making the school a stimulating center for the community.Deanna’s BioDeanna has been in the field of education in varying capacities for 25 years. Starting out as a Nutrition Educator for a program that supports families with limited income & food stamp recipients.She was involved in home visits, working closely with various social service related programs. Deanna started college while she was working with this program, and also working at a day care/learning center part time. She became a peer tutor in earth science classes & a note taker for students with disabilities at my university.Deanna learned so much from each of those experiences. She was a teacher in Billings, Montana for a very long time and had the honor of teaching young people who have grown into well-rounded citizens of the world. Timing is really everything, and she had a deep burning in her heart that could not be squelched- she wanted to be a part of the bigger world, cultures, geography, and experiences. She has been an international teacher for the past five years in Saudi Arabia. The students all over the world and over all of these years have given her the most valuable education, in the way they wonder, see the world, humanity, and living in the moment.Deanna is the mother of two outstanding young men who are her life’s compass points forcompassion and living life to its fullest.Utilizing Learner Voice For Professional GrowthIn this episode, Deanna Mydland speaks about her own professional growth journey and how she has leveraged student voice as a tool to learn more about how she can better structure learning in her class that honors each of her students. Deanna takes us through the specifics related to what student's voice taught and how she created her professional inquiry to reflect this learning. As a 25-year veteran of education, Deanna brings a wealth of knowledge to the work she does and her ability to critically reflect on her own practice is what our professional inquiry journeys are all about at Gardens Elementary School. You are sure to gain some insight and take away from this episode with Deanna Mydland.Connect With DeannaTwitter: @DeannaMydlandConnect With Gardens Elementary SchoolTwitter: @GESatKAUSTWebsite: http://tks.kaust.edu.sa/Message-from-the-Principal-GESThemes Discussed:Student Voice, Professional Inquiries, Spheres of Influence, Deepening Relationships, Classroom Culture, Co-Construction of Learning

Send us a textThis podcast series is devoted to sharing good teaching practice at Gardens Elementary School which is located on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus in Saudi Arabia. At GES, our student population is multi-cultural, diverse, enthusiastic, engaging and confident. They are also fun loving and happy.Through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) we provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of essential concepts, skills, knowledge and attitudes that will enable them to be lifelong learners. Our students are actively involved in authentic inquiry-based learning across all the curriculum areas. They develop confidence in their abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. As students learn to reflect on their learning, they become critical thinkers. We encourage students to voice their ideas and to take action to improve the school and the community. Student achievement and progress is shared through regular assemblies, parent conferences, open houses and activities aimed at making the school a stimulating center for the community.Bill’s BioI am from Kars Ontario, a small town of less than a thousand people, located 25 minutes south of Ottawa. I have a Kinesiology degree from the University of Wilfrid Laurier, A Baccalaureate of Education from the University of Ottawa and Masters of International Education Administration from Endicott College. In 2005, straight out of university I moved overseas to teach in the small Island Kingdom of Bahrain. This two-year adventure turned out to be eight years of learning and growing as an educator.  Professionally, I am qualified and have taught grades one through twelve in Physical Education, History and Special Education. Most of my years of teaching have been in Health and Physical Education, however, I have also spent time in grade three and grade five classrooms. I currently teach elementary Health and Physical Education at The KAUST School just north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  I have a young family with a son who is four and a daughter who is six, which helps keep me quite busy when I’m not teaching or coaching. We are an active family who enjoy outdoor activities such as biking and swimming. I enjoy playing hockey and writing in my free time. If you are an educator and thinking of making the leap to move overseas, check out the book “Become an International Teacher A Step-by-Step Guide to Landing Your First Job”, available on amazon. You can find me on twitter @pypmovementman, I am looking forward to connecting with educators from around the world. For the Love of MovementIn this episode, Bill unpacks how he and his colleagues in the PE department at Gardens Elementary School create specific conditions for student voice and choice to shine. There are a number of critical elements that go into structuring a quality physical education program to ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for students to take action on their learning outside of their normally scheduled PE time at our school. Despite this episode being more PE focused, there is plenty of takeaway for classroom teachers as many of the strategies and approaches that Bill and his team ultilize are non-subject specific and connect with great teacher practice in general. Hope you enjoy this episode with Bill Kelly. Connect With BillTwitter: @pypmovementmanConnect With Gardens Elementary SchoolTwitter: @GESatKAUSTWebsite: http://tks.kaust.edu.sa/Message-from-the-Principal-GESThemes Discussed:Empowerment, Student Agency, Voice and Choice, Physical Activity, Timely Feedback, Assessment, Quality Physical Education

Send us a textBackground:This podcast series is devoted to sharing good teaching practice at Gardens Elementary School which is located on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus in Saudi Arabia. At GES, our student population is multi-cultural, diverse, enthusiastic, engaging and confident. They are also fun loving and happy.Through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) we provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of essential concepts, skills, knowledge and attitudes that will enable them to be lifelong learners. Our students are actively involved in authentic inquiry-based learning across all the curriculum areas. They develop confidence in their abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. As students learn to reflect on their learning, they become critical thinkers. We encourage students to voice their ideas and to take action to improve the school and the community. Student achievement and progress is shared through regular assemblies, parent conferences, open houses and activities aimed at making the school a stimulating center for the community.Episode Three with Kristin AnsonKristin’s Bio:Kristin started her teaching career at a small independent school in woods of Washington, USA and since then has held PYP Visual Arts positions in Vietnam, Ecuador and Cambodia.  She has been teaching at the KAUST School since 2011. Kristin is an advocate of choice based art education and fostering authentic engagement and passion for the arts in her students. She and her husband recently completed designing and building a home in a remote corner of Sri Lanka and they enjoy spending holidays there with their 3 and 8 year old daughters.Student Agency and AutonomyIn today’s episode, Kristin shares the work she has done over the last three years to help deepen student agency in her elementary art program at Garden’s Elementary School. Kristin shares the behind the scenes work required to organize her program in a way that allows for self-directed learning. She shares major lessons learned and AHA moments in her teaching that have allowed her to refine her approach and maximize time in her classes. Kristin delves into how she has modified the flipped classroom approach in order to promote more student agency and increased opportunities for her to give timely feedback to her students that is quality in nature. Regardless of the subject area you teach, you are sure to gain some valuable insight from today’s episode with Kristin Anson. Connect With KristinTwitter: @artykris Website: https://princessartypants.blogspot.co.ukConnect With Gardens Elementary SchoolTwitter: @GESatKAUSTWebsite: http://tks.kaust.edu.sa/Message-from-the-Principal-GESThemes Discussed:Teaching For Artistic Behavior, Flipped Classroom Learning, Student Agency, Play and Exploration, Self-Directed Learning, Timely Feedback, Classroom Organization

Send us a textIn this episode, renowned consultant, Ewan Mcintosh digs deep into his own journey and the major life lessons he has learned that have had a tremendous impact on the work that he does. His company, NoTosh, is a global consultancy with a passion for learning and a conviction that innovation and creativity can change the way people think, the way they learn and the way they work – as individuals, teams, organisations, and communities.Notosh was established in 2009 to improve student engagement by challenging the status quo of teaching and learning in schools. But they quickly realized that their NoTosh Design Thinking process, like their students, had a valuable role to play in the wider world too.Ewan has worked hard to build the best team possible at Notosh and surrounds himself with people that will make him better each and every day. In this episode, he shares specific strategies that have led to his company’s success and also dives into obstacles that he has had to overcome to produce his best work possible. This was a great conversation that is sure to provide listeners with some gems of insight that can be applied in their own work and life. Thanks for listening to my episode with Ewan Mcintosh. About EwanLeading projects around the world for clients in education and industry, Ewan is the passionate and energising tour de force behind NoTosh. A highly-regarded keynote speaker at events around the world, he’s also the author of How To Come Up With Great Ideas and Actually Make Them Happen and regularly writes about learning on his blog edu.blogs.com.Ewan will be Keynoting at the 10th Annual 21st Century Learning ConferenceConnect with EwanTwitter: @ewanmcintosh Website: notosh.comThemes Discussed:Purpose, Overcoming Obstacles, Designing Your Thinking, Notosh, Self-Directed Learning, Empowerment, Team Cohesiveness

Send us a textThis podcast series is devoted to sharing good teaching practice at Gardens Elementary School which is located on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus in Saudi Arabia. At GES, our student population is multi-cultural, diverse, enthusiastic, engaging and confident. They are also fun loving and happy.Through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) we provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of essential concepts, skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will enable them to be lifelong learners. Our students are actively involved in authentic inquiry-based learning across all the curriculum areas. They develop confidence in their abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. As students learn to reflect on their learning, they become critical thinkers. We encourage students to voice their ideas and to take action to improve the school and the community. Student achievement and progress is shared through regular assemblies, parent conferences, open houses and activities aimed at making the school a stimulating center for the community.Episode Two is with Brad TraynorBrad’s Bio:Brad Traynor is an international educator in his 15th year of education. Brad has held positions ranging from JK through to high school and has worked in several classroom settings including alternative learning spaces for behavioural concerns. Brad is currently working as a grade 4 teacher and team leader at Gardens Elementary School in Saudi Arabia. Teaching has taken Brad from his roots of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada to Thailand, China, Switzerland and now Saudi Arabia. Brad continues to demonstrate an ongoing passion for teaching and learning by taking every opportunity possible to learn through collaboration with his colleagues at TKS and other educators around the world. He has also begun his leadership training at the Principal’s Training Center and takes IB online courses whenever he can. Brad and his wife, Leigh Ann, are in the 4th year at Gardens Elementary School and are soon expecting their first child.Fostering Student AgencyIn this episode, Brad dives into the role that critical self-reflection has played in helping him to not only refine his own teaching practice but to also examine how he can better design his own learning space in an effort to honor the unique ways that his students learn. Brad shares his own journey and how he came to the realization that he needed to give up control and traditional ways of that he had been teaching. Handing over trust to his students has helped to deepen agency and ownership over his students’ learning journeys in Brad’s class. Brad offers advice and insight into how anyone can change the learning space in which they teach. Every educator can benefit from hearing Brad’s story. Connect With BradTwitter: @traynorbrad1980 Connect With Gardens Elementary SchoolTwitter: @GESatKAUSTWebsite: http://tks.kaust.edu.sa/Message-from-the-Principal-GESThemes Discussed:Student Agency, Autonomy, The Role of Self-Reflection, Redesigning Learning Space, Trust, Extending The Perimeters of Learning, Group Decision Making

Send us a textRegardless of our profession, we must remain open and receptive to new learning as it’s this new learning that not only helps us excel within our chosen field, but also makes a genuine difference in the work that we do. In this episode, I interview, Gary Nicol, a golf coach who worked on the European tour coaching some of Europe’s finest professional golfers for 16 years. Great coaching has many parallels to great teaching. We dig deep into Gary’s fundamental teaching philosophy identifying specific principles that he has put into action in his personal and professional life that help him to constantly refine his craft and raise the performance of those around him. Gary shares a number of different strategies and approaches that he uses in order to better understand each golfer that he coaches. In better understanding them, he is able to differentiate his instruction in order to maximize the impact he has on helping them improve their games. There are many gems of insight that he shares that easily transfer over into the world of education. Whether you are a golfer or not, you are sure to learn some valuable takeaways in this episode that are applicable to the work that you do. About GaryCo-Founder and Coaching Director of Tour Pro Experience Golf Schools, Gary has been coaching golf since the late 1980's. Since then he has helped thousands of golfers around the world including over 30 European Tour Professionals and numerous Ryder Cup players, amassing 10 wins as a coach. He has coached at all the Majors and loves to share the knowledge and expertise gained from these experiences with visitors to TPEGS in his own inimitable style. Gary combines his personal experience with the latest, V1 video analysis, SAM Putt Lab and Trackman precision swing and ball flight analysis to help golfers unleash their true potential. Gary works closely with TrackMan co-hosting training seminars and workshops and is a certified TrackMan University Master as well as a Certified Mind Factor coach. Look out for Gary's instruction in Today's Golfer magazine.Connect with GaryTwitter: @garynicol67, @archerfieldgolf, @tpegsgolfLinks to Gary’s Work: http://www.tpegs.com/Themes Discussed: Self-Directed Learning, The Power of Questioning, The Importance of Listening, Intention and Purpose, Singular Point of Attention, Visualization, Data Informed Learning, Mindset

Send us a textThis podcast series is devoted to sharing good teaching practice at Gardens Elementary School which is located on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus in Saudi Arabia. At GES, our student population is multi-cultural, diverse, enthusiastic, engaging and confident. They are also fun loving and happy.Through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) we provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of essential concepts, skills, knowledge and attitudes that will enable them to be lifelong learners. Our students are actively involved in authentic inquiry-based learning across all the curriculum areas. They develop confidence in their abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. As students learn to reflect on their learning, they become critical thinkers. We encourage students to voice their ideas and to take action to improve the school and the community. Student achievement and progress is shared through regular assemblies, parent conferences, open houses and activities aimed at making the school a stimulating center for the community.Episode One is with Adam ReidAdam’s Bio:Adam Reid is an international educator and learner, originally from Canada and currently working at TKS in Saudi Arabia. He has worked with the PYP curriculum for the last 8 years and has taught in many countries, including Angola, Egypt, Canada and the Czech Republic. While Adam continually works to improve as an educator, two areas he is particularly passionate about are mathematical learning and the construction of positive learning environments.Establishing The Importance of a Growth MindsetIn today’s episode, Adam shares how he has started the year off by focusing on creating a classroom culture that embraces a growth mindset. Adam walks us through the first few lessons of the year and how he had his students co-construct what a growth mindset means and how they can support each other by understanding that failure and mistakes are a critical part of each student’s learning journey. Adam also shares specific ways that he and his students have established norms related to better supporting one another with their learning throughout the year. Connect With AdamTwitter: @adamreid905Connect With Gardens Elementary SchoolTwitter: @GESatKAUSTWebsite: http://tks.kaust.edu.sa/Message-from-the-Principal-GESThemes Discussed:Growth Mindset, Learning From Failure, The Learning Pit, Identifying Obstacles, Inner Voice, Classroom Culture, Students As Co-Constructors of Learning