Trish Roffey is a teacher and emerging technology consultant from Alberta, Canada. She works with 96 schools in her district, bringing Maker Education to all students. Her keynote made us question in the world we live now, are we preparing our students? How do we give an authentic educational experience to the generation of tomorrow?

She began by grabbing the audience’s attention by showing pictures of Canadian weather and talking about the innovation that happens right here in Guangzhou! Among its many projects, the Chinese government will step up efforts to promote innovation with a focus on the city’s five strategic industries of IT, biomedicine, new materials and high-end equipment, new energy vehicles, and energy conservation and environmental protection, all by 2020! We start to question, with this kind of unprecedented innovation in the real world where an entire city is ready to “Lead Tomorrow” where does that leave us as we “learn today”?

Learning today in our schools can be filled with many twenty-first-century buzzwords like makerspace, design thinking, hack shop, genius hour, STEM Lab and many more. School and parent communities are clamoring to buy robots and 3D printers to ensure that innovation is part of the classroom. Before we get too excited about the shopping lists and makerspaces. We have to remember that “learning today” isn’t about what you have…is it is about what you believe.  What do you really believe about teaching and learning with technology? Does technology really disrupt education? What do you envision as the role of the teacher and the student? Today we want to challenge you to think about those roles and how technology truly impacts it. Do you teach like technology exists? How will today’s technology change how you teach and how students learn?

There is one absolute that we can all agree upon in education, that we as educators are in the business of preparing students for their future. There is also one absolute that we all disagree on, what exactly that future is and what students will need to know. The scary part of this entire debate is that our reality is preparing students for a future that is in motion using curriculum and pedagogy frozen in time. We have to realize that we are living in a “postFordism” world where we have to examine our responsibility as educators to consider the implications of what we do in our classrooms to ensure our students are adequately prepared for a productive life. We want students to feel successful and excited to learn in our classrooms. A moment when all the hardship and struggle is worth it. You will fail. It is going to happen. You will have moments when your students are frustrated with the design process. You will have class periods that tank. However, failure is part of the process for innovative teachers. Each mistake is simply another iteration on the journey toward success.

We have the opportunity to make sure that our learning culture allows for projects that are based on the student’s passions, ideas, and needs. We can rid our classrooms of dumpster projects that were recipes handed to them to repeat and not create. We can allow for authentic demonstrations of understanding. The paper “get it done” then throw it out does not value the learning experience. We can use the creativity as a tool for students to demonstrate what they know.One thing is for sure though. We need to stop being the last industry to question “if” we should have technology. These innovations were possible because we did not rely upon paper alone.Welcome to design thinking…

 

CIS IDEA Lab…

The wait is over!! Very soon students of CIS will work on their own design thinking within our IDEA Lab Makerspace. What does this mean? Students will begin to have computational thinking embedded within their daily curriculum. We will be coding, building, tinkering, using robotics and recycled materials to problem solve real life problems. Ms. Guzzo will be working with all teachers, exploring the curriculum and as a team decide how the IDEA Lab can bring that real-life component within the classrooms.

CIS has invested in the latest technology for our students to work and explore with. Our goal is to look at the process as the children design, not just the finished product at the end. All students from Pre-K 2A to grade 12 will work within the IDEA Lab, building on constructivism and design thinking. Understanding that through our mistakes and failed attempts to make something work, that is where the real learning takes place.

At CIS we create the platform so that our students experience opportunities so that we stay on the fore front of Education! #WEARECIS

November 9, 2018 — Integrating Chinese and Western cultures and aggregating global wisdom; we aim to highlight the Maple Leaf Spirit of Canada in an atmosphere of elegance.  Learn Today,  Lead Tomorrow – the theme of our international education conference – co-sponsored by CIEO and its Canadian International School (CIS), was held on the sparkling, new CIS campus as grand announcement of CIS arrival as an international school. Participants from diverse areas of Chinese and foreign educational circles attended the meeting.

CIEO’s slogan is “Education is Love” and in keeping with this message, we endeavor to educate future leaders with world influence through conceptual development of multiple intelligence and global wisdom. Our conference hosted a dialogue among global education experts and set up a high-quality platform for top international school educators from all regions to engage in meaningful communication, bringing new and cutting-edge ideas to Chinese parents.

Ms. Rachel Bedlington and Mr. Qingwen Wu both expressed their respective greetings sincerely to all attendees and shared views on education in addition to blessings on CIEO’s 18th anniversary.

 

The Consul General of Canada in Guangzhou, Ms. Rachael Bedlington

Mr. Wu Qingwen, Deputy Secretary of Bureau Branch Committee of CPC;  Deputy Party Secretary of Offices Directly under the Bureau;  Deputy Director, Education Bureau of Panyu District

 

Keynote Speaker:Designing Future Learning with Design Thinking

Trish Roffey – Emerging Technology Consultant for the Edmonton Public Education Bureau in Albert, Canada

In modern education circles “Design Thinking” is a global trend as we, as educators, cannot afford to stay put in our understanding of theory. Keynote speaker, Trish Roffey – Emerging Technology Consultant for the Edmonton Public Education Bureau in Albert, Canada, elaborated on the theme of “Designing Future Learning with Design Thinking.”

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CIS 学生

Building Prosthetic Hands

She emphasized that only constant innovation can adapt to the ever-changing world and, through the theory of Design Thinking, she proactively explores the forms and directions of future learning so as to cultivate well-developed students becoming positive citizens of the future. Through 18 years of practice, CIEO has been a leader in innovation and works to put ideal education concepts into practice, allowing children to grow naturally and independently.  We combining this with positive elements of Chinese culture to explore the world with an open mind and vision.

 

 

Teacher’s Workshops: Creative Education Experiences

Shelly  Smith-Dale, Art teacher of TIS 

Teachers’ workshops, in bringing together scholars, experts and teachers dedicated to innovative science and technology education domestically and abroad, talked about a broad range of topics including the practice of STEAM, Project-Based Learning (PBL), interdisciplinary integration, youth innovation ability and critical thinking training among many others.  They also discussed the essence of education, in terms of helping children embrace the future, especially one where they are potentially to be competing with artificial intelligences which could surpass the capabilities of most humans.

 Justin Rankin, Elementary Teacher of CIS

Teacher’s Workshop

The steady delivery and discussion helped display the rapid development of STEAM and PBL over the past few years, as well as the possibilities for, and appropriateness of, a non-testing evaluation standard for future education.  These ideas greatly opened many eyes for teachers and participants.  It also helped frame for educators that learning need not be under a certain banner or following traditional trends, but that its purpose is to make children adapt to the society they’ll live in.

 Philippe Bureau, ESL Consult of CIS

Workshop

Parents’ Workshops：Understanding Educational Thoughts

Standing in a new era and facing changes in international patterns we all, as educators and parents, we must have a profound understanding of the educational thoughts of the times.  Not only based in certainties of grasping the characteristics of our age, but through absorbing historical nutrition for growth.

 Dale Cox VP of International Schools Services Asia-Pacific Region 

Sonia Iong  Elementary Teacher of TIS,  Language Pathologist

Our parents’ workshops brought together the wisdom of Chinese and Global representatives to talk about world-class education, what it means to be a world citizen, and second language acquisition and bilingualism. Participants engaged in free exchange, discussing multicultural understandings and sharing an exploration of in-depth thinking on each topic.

 

Howard Stribbell, Director for International Wducation for CIEO 

In one short day, the 2018 CIEO/CIS International Education Conference managed to successfully enable collaboration in education, innovation and practice. Teachers, students, parents and guests of different skin colors, countries and disciplines left us with great memories as well as many smiles. We believe that the cultural exchange platform built by CIEO will continue to support endless interaction.

 

International Innovative Education with Global Frontier Wisdom

Education is the lamp of life. Only when everyone carries it can the city be properly lit. At the same time, education is also a long-term cause. Patience and tenacity are required for the cultivation of culture and the preservation of spirit. CIEO looks to warm every corner with love through educators from diverse backgrounds being active in its classroom, sharing their understanding of education, interpretation of disciplines and exploration of problems. CIEO’s students also demonstrate their positive mental outlook and international style in class.

 

Through 18 years of elaborate cultivation in the field of international education, CIEO Currently runs over 30 branches including 25 kindergartens, 9 English training centers, 2 foreign language schools (CLS), 3 international school (CIS, CGA & Lanna), 1 international preparatory college, and 1 cultural exchange center. CIEO employs a professional education team of more than 1000 people including over 200 international educators and over 800 Chinese staff members who provide education services to nearly 20000 students between the ages of 2 and 22 from more than 30 countries and regions around the world.