by David Brookshire, MPH/ School Counselor & Special Education Case Manager | Nov 1, 2017
Our IB learner profile value for the month of November is “Reflective.” This value is described by the International Baccalaureate organization in the following way:
“They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able
to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning
and personal development (IB 2017).”
As the 2017 school and calendar are coming to an end, we inevitably reflect on the year behind us. The yearly cycle offers an opportunity for us to take inventory on what went well and what could be even better as we set goals for the coming year. In learning and education, we have several of these cycles to take advantage of. The daily cycle, the weekly cycle, the monthly cycle, and the trimester cycle all offer opportunities for reflection.
Whether learning in an academic setting or in terms of personal development, having a growth mindset can allow us to consider our strengths and limitations within a balanced, open-minded context. With an emphasis on practice, effort, and skill acquisition, we can recognize that today’s limitations could be tomorrow’s strengths with the right attitude. By embracing challenges, we realize effort is the path to mastery and through feedback and reflection, we can always “upgrade” our strengths. This attitude and approach, in itself, requires practice and can contribute tremendously to our learning and personal development when embraced with an open mind.
From the field of Positive Psychology, we also know that understanding our strengths can assist us in harnessing our attributes to better serve us. The research shows us that if we understand and use our character strengths to tackle challenges, we tend to be happier and experience less stress. Furthermore, awareness and development of our strengths usually contribute to more confidence, faster growth, and more satisfaction (Psychology Today 2014. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/functioning-flourishing/201411/ten-reasons-focus-your-strengths). For example, if someone has the strength of Curiosity, they can utilize it to affect their mindset as they explore ways to approach a new task or project. Some of the character strengths we can identify include: kindness, honesty, bravery, humor, gratitude, etc. Knowing, understanding, and utilizing our strengths requires regular reflection as we attempt new challenges. To see a complete list of character strengths and to take a free survey to identify your own strengths you can visit the VIA Institute on Character’s website at http://www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths-Survey.
By utilizing reflection as a tool, we can constantly become better versions of ourselves in whatever we aim to achieve and we can model this for our children and students. With a growth mindset, armed with understanding of our personal strengths, we can reflect on any challenge or situation and evaluate what happened. Next, we can analyze and decide what went well and what could have been done differently. From here, we can devise an action plan and begin the cycle again (Gibbs 1998. Leeds Beckett University. Skills for Learning. Available at http://skillsforlearning.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/preview/content/models/03.shtml).
by Javier Sánchez Cáceres | Nov 1, 2017
This day and age, we hear a lot of talk about environmental problems, climate change, exploitation and unsustainable use of natural resources. Honestly, the panorama can be so overwhelming that we feel frustrated and fail to understand that many of these problems go hand in hand with their solutions. Many of these solutions are presented to us as impossible tasks because we view them from an individualistic perspective. However, when we take a moment and breathe deeply, we soon realize that by working as a team, sharing ideas and resources, these solutions begin to flow and appear very possible.
The initiative of the Sustainable Solutions Fair emerged based on the need to provide a space where different environmental, social and economic problems that affect us both, directly and indirectly, can be openly discussed. The FSS is Science Fair meets Christmas Bazaar, with the idea of enjoying projects on sustainability carried out by our students, artistic and musical presentations, taking advantage of the opportunity to purchase locally handcrafted products and expanding your horizons with forums and workshops in a sustainable development setting.
We cordially invite you to join us on December 2nd, a special day dedicated to nature and creating awareness of the need for a human development system that allows us to use Mother Earth’s natural resources in a responsible way with respect for both nature and the next generations.
We’re expecting you!
by Lural Ramirez | Nov 1, 2017
Often in the world of education you will hear, “Good teaching is good teaching”, with the meaning that there are universal qualities of a good teacher that are equally valid and important in any educational context. This argument is often made regarding teachers working with language learners, with the idea that good instruction for a native speaker is equally high quality for a student in class still acquiring the language of instruction. While it is true that there are universal defining qualities of excellent educators: patience and attentiveness, creativity, critical thinking, a great personality, among other qualities; in my experience, there are additional and essential qualities specific to educators working in an international context and with language learners.
These necessary qualities include:
- Professional qualifications in both the pertinent content area(s) and in the area of teaching and education: whereas we have all met someone we consider to be a “natural” teacher, it is important to not discredit the value of formal education and training in teaching and education just as it is equally important to hire educators who are experts in their field of study. Both of these qualifications should be highly valued and sought out during the recruitment and hiring process at any international school. Lack of one qualification or the other can undermine a student’s education and lead to learning gaps.
- Superior emotional and cultural intelligence skills: respect and understanding for the culture of the host country and language in combination with an open-minded perspective and openness to divergent ideas and ways of being are especially essential for educators who work in international schools and with diverse student populations. It is essential that students’ feel accepted and valued within their school context.
- Knowledge and application of strategies and techniques that support language acquisition through content: in an international context a good teacher has to become a great teacher by not only providing appropriate content instruction and learning experiences, but by providing instruction with the use of techniques and language supports that have been proven by research to be the most effective in students optimizing their language acquisition whilst they acquire new content learning. These strategies and techniques are not necessarily taught in most teacher education universities and it is, therefore, a goal to hire staff with additional training and qualifications related to language learning. High-quality additional qualifications might include: ESOL endorsements and certifications, TEFL certifications from respected and validated training programs, International Baccalaureate (IB) trainings, among others.
- Ability to impart content knowledge with a local and global lens simultaneously: an international school has the unique goal and responsibility to prepare students for success on both a national and an international stage. Content cannot be taught within only a narrow lens of national realities and context. International school graduates are much more likely than their traditional school peers to have future careers with an international connection and therefore their education from a young age must reflect that unique reality. Furthermore, a commitment to contextualizing learning in relation to the diverse schema of all students in an international school assures they optimize their solidification of concepts and maintains students connected to their learning in as meaningful a way as possible.
In Futuro Verde, we are grateful and fortunate to have a highly qualified staff with strong professional qualifications and ways of being consistent with high-quality international educators!
by Óscar Leal Méndez, (M.A.) | Oct 26, 2017
Teaching music at Futuro Verde pursues the twofold objective of addressing content pertinent to music education (using a holistic, constructivist and meaningful educational and philosophical approach), as well as developing personal expression through music that allows each student, and their families, to enjoy the many benefits that art, in general, and music, in particular, offer to those who practice it and those who are exposed to its positive influence.
As a consequence, the Futuro Verde Music Program proposes to perform various musical presentations during the last part of the school year, with the aim of completing the school year with enthusiasm and performing academic activities in a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere while working towards achieving the objectives we set for ourselves (the direct benefits of practicing music).
Within the framework of promoting a school and community culture based on respect, harmony and peace, the musical activities of the last period of the current year will be aligned with this institutional objective. To achieve the foregoing we will perform school presentations such as those listed below:
-Recorder and piano ensembles
-Presentations of vocal and instrumental soloists accompanied by the piano
-Group vocal presentations
-Presentation of the new Futuro Verde violin ensemble (New CLUB in Futuro Verde)
-Voluntary presentations of members of the school community (open enrollment to relatives, teachers, administrative staff, etc.)
We wish to offer a space for all students to share their musicality, both individual and unique, with the school community, which is why we will participate actively in many musical presentations in the “R.A.P.” event. As of today, I cordially invite you all to enjoy the artistic expressiveness of our students and participate with presentations if you wish to do so.
If you have any doubts or requests for information please contact me (Professor Oscar, oscar@futuro-verde.org).
Let’s finish the year with a lot of music in order to think, dream, build and strengthen a culture of respect, harmony, and peace.
by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Oct 26, 2017
After many years of dreaming and three years of application, we received the news we all had been waiting for. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Futuro Verde – An IB World School. In just over three months our International Baccalaureate diploma program will start. “If we get IB” – something I’ve said for the last few years – is now no longer part of my vocabulary!
The future is certainly bright and in so many ways. In the next few weeks, current 10th-grade students will make their selection of courses for the two-year diploma program, teachers will continue to finalize their unit plans of instruction, and the finishing touches will be made on some of our new learning spaces. This is a game changer for our students, our staff, our families and our local community. In the first day back after the vacation, a sense of relief, pride, and a greater level of motivation were palpable among the staff. Students will now have greater opportunities open to them. These opportunities include new course selections and greater possibilities for further education and employment in the future. Authorization as an International Baccalaureate World School gives official third-party approval from a prestigious international institution and affirms something we have always known to be true. Futuro Verde provides a high-quality, holistic, bilingual education in a unique setting. Futuro Verde’s achievement further solidifies the sustainability of our community and local economy. Local children in this rural community have access to education that is normally just available in richer or more urban areas, families will continue to be attracted from all over the country and the world, and it gives those who live here the ability to stay while providing their children with a high-quality education. To survive and grow a local community requires highly educated citizens to be the professionals, employers, and leaders in the future. Futuro Verde, with the IB diploma program, is now in an even stronger position to educate and nurture those leaders.
by Khalida Lockheed | Oct 14, 2017
At the end of November Futuro Verde celebrates the tradition of Thanksgiving with a shared meal and activities having a theme of gratitude. This year, with the opening of the Futuro Verde ceramics program, the Art department is happy to initiate a new tradition in concert with Thanksgiving – “Empty Bowls”. Students in all grades will be learning the craft of ceramics and about ceramic artists. The unit will culminate with the creation of a decorative (but usable!) bowl to be used during our Thanksgiving meal and offered for sale to raise funds.
“Empty Bowls”, an international initiative to combat hunger, has a 27 year history which began with teachers John Hartam and Lisa Blackburn in Michigan, USA. These fundraising events usually take place in conjunction with World Food Day on October 16th. The objectives of “Empty Bowls” is to:
- Raise as much money as possible to feed the world’s hungry people.
- Increase awareness of hunger and related issues.
- Advocate for arts education.
For our Thanksgiving “Empty Bowls” fundraiser, we will be raising funds to assist the community of Rivas in Perez Zeledon which was devastated by Tropical Storm Nate and is the community where our Social Studies teacher, Karol, grew up and has family. This humble population depends mainly on agricultural and tourism. These activities have been heavily damaged with the effects of Tropical Storm Nate and the economic recovery for families is very slow. To make matters worse, damage to roads and bridges has made the arrival of help more difficult. For this reason, any help we can give will be received with enormous gratitude.
We invite all members of our community to join us for this event! We will have plenty of bowls for everyone to use for their meal and for purchase to can help this community in dire need.
