2026-2027 month by month

The strength of this institute is due to the vibrant partnership among the region’s counselors and university representatives as they collaborate on topical issues and together offer solutions to challenges faced in the region. We welcome, always, the help of counselors and university admissions professionals as we assemble a rich array of practitioner workshops for this annual event.

The EARCOS-CIS Institute will present a perfect opportunity for admissions officers from CIS member colleges and universities around the world to connect with guidance counselors from international schools throughout East Asia. Conference details and registration materials will be posted on the EARCOS and CIS websites and sent to all EARCOS and CIS members in mid-March. Some features of the conference include:

• Two days of professional development workshops with 40+ topics.
• Networking opportunities for university admission and guidance colleagues.
• University, School and Student fairs.
• Opportunities to develop successful, long-lasting collaborative relationships.

Click here for more information

Certificate Requirement = 4 Courses: 1 blue, 1 green, 1 orange + any other course.

Advanced Certificate Requirement = 8 Courses: 1 blue, 1 green, 1 orange + any 5 other courses.

The ability to hire high quality teachers is the most essential skill for school leaders anywhere. The international school context can make the recruiting processes even more complex. Yet there is hope!

New technologies, new learning science, and a new generation of potential and practicing educators open the doors to fresh ways of thinking and practicing. This half-credit course challenges some of the more traditional international school recruitment processes and offers a refreshed and innovative approach to this most essential leadership skill.

Skills Addressed

1. Identify the indicators of quality teaching from a variety of evidence sources: teacher lesson videos, teacher-made assessments, learning results

2. Develop a comprehensive hiring plan based on international standards of practice

3. Sharpen the ability to ensure hiring decisions are unbiased

4. Create and lead a recruitment team

5. Discern when in-person engagement matters and when it doesn't

OTHER COURSES FROM

Principals' Training Center

• Assessment Leadership

• Creating an Effective School

• Curriculum Leadership

• Finance Leadership

• Instructional Supervision and Evaluation

• Leadership and Team Dynamics

• Leading for DEIJB in the International School

• Leading Recruitment in International Schools

• Technology Leadership

Certificate of International School Leadership

Certificate Requirement = 4 Courses

DETAILS I SHOULD KNOW

What will we learn?

How do school leaders: 

• Align the whole recruitment process to the International Standards of Practice?

• Use candidate-provided evidence to determine their quality of teaching?

• Establish equitable processes and manage bias in the hiring process?

• Use standards to support their hiring decisions?

• Establish strong collaborative hiring practices?

• Use standards-based reference letters?

• Craft interview questions that reveal the information needed to support the concrete evidence collected?

• Develop simple, clear documentation for the interview process?

• Avoid the pitfalls of typical recruitment approaches?

This course will be helpful to any leadership team members who are involved in any part of the hiring process.

The curriculum for all PTC courses is rooted in the ‘Standards of Practice for International School Principals’ and created using our design principles.

Collaboration is one of the most frequently used words in education and, in some ways, the least taught. Our ability to collaborate and our willingness to engage respectfully with one another matter for the health of the school and the collective well-being of all within it.

How do we stretch ourselves at our learning edges to become the best value-add team members? How do we communicate well with one another in service of our students? This two-day workshop will focus on the inner capacities (emotional regulation, self-awareness, suspension of certainty) as well as external capabilities (responsibility of one’s communications, engaging in value-added team behaviours) that help us all collaborate on whichever teams one sits. 

Participant Outcomes:
Ability to understand research around relational trust and psychological safety, and how communication affects team culture
Ability to take our ‘knowing’ of value-add team behaviours (listening, pausing, paraphrasing) and create self-created scaffolds so that ‘doing’ those behaviours is consistent
Ability to better name real issues on teams and handle tensions and challenging conversations more humanely and effectively
Ability to suspend certainty in real time — recognise my way is ‘a way not always the’ way
Ability to repair when there is a misstep
Ability to self-regulate more often and access tools to better support the goal to not interrupt, escalate or shut down when triggered.

EARCOS Sponsored Workshop

Please complete this form to register for the Building Thinking Classrooms workshops on Oct 9 & Oct 10. You can register for one day ($375) or both days ($700).

Friday Oct 9th - Day 1: Introduction to BTC

• An introduction to the core practices and research foundations of Building Thinking Classrooms.

• Participants will explore task design, classroom norms, and structures that support student thinking and engagement.

Saturday Oct 10th - Day 2: BTC Closing the lesson

• This workshop focuses on effective lesson consolidation in a Thinking Classroom.

• Strategies covered include selecting student work, facilitating discussion, and supporting meaningful notes development.

• Ideal for those who have already participated in Peter Liljedahl's Intro to BTC workshop.

Keynote: Dr Derrick Gay

Details TBA

Overview

The HKIS Early Childhood Conference, Flourishing Through Play, brings together early childhood educators and thought leaders to consider how play builds meaning, agency, and human capability in a complex world, enabling them to live meaningful, fulfilling lives and contribute to a flourishing society and planet. 

Through thought-provoking research, hands-on workshops, and immersive classroom experiences, participants will explore how play sparks wellbeing, nurtures belonging, strengthens agency, and deepens learning. Set within our unique Hong Kong context, the conference invites educators to design meaningful environments that reconnect children to the natural world—and to what matters most. 

Conference Design 

Friday, October 30 | Pre-Conference: Choice Pathways 

• Engage in focused learning tracks tailored to areas of interest 

• Experience lab-sites that showcase authentic early childhood classrooms in action 

• Participate in interactive breakout sessions designed for deep exploration and dialogue 

• Build connections with facilitators and peers while examining practice in context 

Saturday, October 31 | Main Conference Day: Play in Action 

• Experience play-based learning through immersive excursions on campus and throughout Hong Kong 

• Engage with thought-provoking provocations that spark inquiry and reflection 

• Join breakout sessions that extend and deepen key ideas from the day 

• Learn alongside HKIS teachers who will facilitate excursions, offering a powerful blend of research and authentic classroom practice 

Sunday, November 1 | Closing Half-Day: Reflection & Synthesis 

• Participate in closing breakout sessions that help consolidate learning 

• Engage in final provocations that challenge thinking and inspire next steps 

• Leave with clarity, inspiration, and actionable ideas to bring back to your own context 

For more information, please visit the Early Childhood Play Conference page

Workshop Details

WHEN: Thursday, 12 to Sunday, 15 November 2026 (8:00am - 3:30pm)  

WHERE: ISKL Ampang Hilir Campus (MPR1)

FEES: USD450 (For non ISKL, please sign up below)

          For ISKL Faculty (please sign up on the PD Google Calendar)

FOCUS: School-wide                                      

TRAINERS:  Doug Woodward                     REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 5th NOVEMBER 2026

REFUNDS:

1. Full Refund: A full refund of all registration fees paid will be granted, if requested in writing before 29 October 2026.

2. Partial Refund: A 75% refund of all registration fees paid will be granted, less a RM50 refund processing fee, if requested in writing after 29 October 2026 but before 12 November 2026.

3. No Refund: No refund will be granted for any cancellation request made after 12 November 2026.

To begin the cancellation process, please email us at professionallearning@iskl.edu.my  

Workshop Overview

In this Adaptive Schools Foundation Seminar workshop, learn how to build strong collaborative and caring work cultures, in which results-oriented faculties work together for continuous school improvement. Explore the latest practical findings in organizational development, team learning and navigating the currents of change.

Participants will learn practical frameworks and tools for developing collaborative groups that bring collective responsibility in student learning. Leaders and group members will learn ways to influence and attain more productive and satisfying meetings in which members develop new norms and skills for collegial interaction, goal clarification, problem-solving and decision-making. Working in a variety of settings, skilled and confident facilitators will increase their ability to accelerate group development.

This workshop is specially designed to support site administrators, teachers, district and agency personnel and staff developers who convene and manage work teams, site councils, shared decision making groups and faculty committees.

Learning Outcomes

• An increased capacity to initiate, develop and sustain high functioning groups

• New lenses for diagnosing the stages and phases of group development

• An expanded repertoire of practical facilitation tools

• Understandings of when and how to engage groups in dialogue and discussion, the limitations, forms and values of each

• Skills to move groups beyond consensus to common focus

• Ways to value and use dissension, argument and conflict

• Strategies for keeping group members on track, on topic, energized and resourceful

Doug Woodward

Doug Woodward is the Middle School Assistant Principal at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL). He is passionate about teaching kids and helping schools get even better. He completed his Masters in Educational Leadership and School Administration from Indiana University. Doug is an Agency Trainer for Adaptive Schools. He is also an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE), Google Certified, and a former technology facilitator. Though he has mostly worked in middle school, he has taught preK-12 in a wide variety of subjects (social studies, science, math, language arts, and various technology courses). Doug has lived and taught in Kenya, Peru, Jordan, USA and now Malaysia. Doug has facilitated and presented workshops at EARCOS, NESA, AASSA, Google Summits and ADE events.  In his work in Adaptive Schools, Doug is immensely grateful for getting to work with Rami Madani and having Ochan Kusama-Powell as his mentor. Most significantly, he is grateful for his wonderful wife, Tracy, and his three marvelous kids. 

Join us for a highly engaging and interactive two-day conference on Friday, Saturday, 13th-14th November 2026, focused on empowering learners through developing deep conceptual understanding in an inquiry-based environment. This conference will bring together educators, administrators, and thought leaders to explore effective approaches to teaching and learning. Through a series of interactive workshops, participants will gain practical insights and strategies to enhance their educational practices. 

​Broad Conference Themes

• The Empowered Learner: Questioning, Creating, and Transferring

• From Curiosity to Conceptual Transfer: The Inquiry-Concept Connection

• Architecting Agency: Designing Systems for Deep Learning

Click here to sign up

Overview

Participants will explore how to create an engaging language curriculum for today’s learners and how intentional design and emerging AI tools will support meaningful, proficiency-driven world language instruction. They will examine backward-designed thematic units, authentic texts, and cognitively engaging learning experiences that build communicative skills across the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes. 

Through hands-on sessions, educators will experience strategies to sustain learner attention, spark curiosity, increase participation, and support student reflection—ensuring learners are well prepared for assessments and able to retain and recycle new learning over time. 

Both sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Jiahang Li and Laura Terrill. 

Breakout Sessions

Our breakout sessions are designed by practitioners, for practitioners. This is a premier opportunity to showcase effective classroom strategies and explore the future of language acquisition.  

Participants will leave with strategies to: 

• Design aligned, proficiency-driven units, assessments, and lessons 

• Use AI to enhance planning, differentiation, and feedback 

• Select and adapt authentic texts for diverse learners 

• Increase student interaction and language production 

• Scaffold learning to build confidence and engagement 

• Apply brain-based strategies to maximize learning and retention 

Apply to be a Presenter

Cost

• Day #1: Pre-Conference Thursday, January 21st 
  $1300 HKD 

• Day #2: Pre-Conference Friday, January 22nd 
  $1300 HKD 

• Day #3:  Main Conference Saturday, January 23rd 
  $1300 HKD 

100% Waiver for external individual presenter on Day #3 (only day 3) 

50% Waiver for external joint presenter on Day #3 (only day 3) 

Location

HKIS Tai Tam Campus: 1 Red Hill Rd, Tai Tam, Hong Kong

HKIS Repulse Bay Campus: 23 South Bay Close, Repulse Bay, Hong Kong

The Unspoken Challenges of Middle Leadership​

Most middle leaders carry their real challenges quietly. Not because the challenges are small, but because the ones that matter most are often the hardest to name. The self-doubt. The need for approval. The difficult conversation you keep postponing. The feeling that no matter how hard you work, it is never quite enough.

Emerge creates the space to examine those challenges honestly.

Over two days, you will develop a deeper understanding of yourself as a leader, the patterns that shape your responses under pressure, and the beliefs, assumptions and habits that may be helping or hindering your effectiveness. You will identify which of the five Emerge archetypes most influences your leadership and learn practical ways to shift the patterns that no longer serve you or the people you lead.

You will leave with greater clarity, stronger self-awareness and a focused leadership sprint, a concrete plan for what you will do differently and why it matters.

Participants regularly tell us that Emerge helped them make sense of challenges they had been carrying for years and gave them the confidence to lead differently.

And you will do this alongside other middle leaders who came for the same reason you did: because something in them knew it was time.

Click here to register

Workshop Details

WHEN: Thursday, 25 to Sunday, 28 February 2026 (8:00am - 3:30pm)

WHERE: ISKL Ampang Hilir Campus (MPR 4)

FEES: USD800

           For ISKL Faculty (please sign up on the PD Google Calendar)

FOCUS: Schoolwide                                                                  

TRAINERS: Ochan Powell & Doug Woodward                    REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 18th FEBRUARY 2027   

REFUNDS:

1. Full Refund: A full refund of all registration fees paid will be granted, if requested in writing before 11 February 2027.

2. Partial Refund: A 75% refund of all registration fees paid will be granted, less a RM50 refund processing fee, if requested in writing after 11 February 2027 but before 25 February 2027.

3. No Refund: No refund will be granted for any cancellation request made after 25 February 2027.

To begin the cancellation process, please email us at professionallearning@iskl.edu.my                                    

Workshop Overview

This workshop will present the foundations of Cognitive Coaching, an approach to professional relationships which focuses on supporting the thinking of colleagues in the areas of planning, reflecting and problem resolving. The specific skills and strategies included in this workshop lend themselves to developing a school culture of collaboration, reflection and a professional learning community.

Student Learning Outcomes

As a result of workshop activities, learners will:

• Understand the essence of Cognitive Coaching, how it differs from consulting and evaluation.

• Increase consciousness and craftsmanship in applying interpersonal communication skills to develop trust and rapport.

• Understand the power of a structured professional conversation.

• Learn and practice specific active listening strategies.

• Practice coaching skills in planning.

• Practice coaching skills in reflecting.

• Understand the characteristics of mediative questions.

• Identify five kinds of feedback and understand the impact and purpose.

• Develop coaching skills using a meta-coach.

The workshop is highly interactive and will include:

• Modeling and role play

• Small group activities

• Learning partners

• Readings from text and course guide

• Numerous opportunities to practice skills

Ochan Kusuma-Powell

Ochan Kusuma-Powell received her doctorate from Columbia University and has developed and implemented inclusive special education programs in the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia and Tanzania. At the present time she is the Executive Director of Education Across Frontiers. She is regular speaker at international educational conferences and teaches in the summers at the Teacher Training Center.

Ochan is an associate trainer for the Center for Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools.

Ochan and her husband Bill, are is co-authors of Count Me In! Developing Inclusive International Schools (2000), Making the Difference: Differentiation in International Schools (2007) Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Teacher (2010) and How to Teach Now: Five Keys to Personalized Learning in the Global Classroom (2011) and The OIQ Factor: How to Raise the Organizational Intelligence of your School (2013).

Ochan is currently working on a project, The Next Frontier: Inclusion to support the inclusion of special needs children in international schools.

When she is not facilitating teacher workshops or speaking at conferences, Ochan can be found in the French Pyrenees where she fights (together with a handful of sheep) an annual battle with the European bramble.

Doug Woodward

Doug Woodward is the Middle School Assistant Principal at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) and is passionate about teaching kids and helping schools get even better. His Masters in Educational Leadership and School Administration is from Indiana University. Doug is an Agency Trainer for Adaptive Schools, an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE), Google Certified, and a former technology facilitator. Doug has taught a wide variety of subjects Pre-K to 12 and has lived and taught in Kenya, Peru, Jordan, USA and now Malaysia. Doug has facilitated and presented workshops at EARCOS, NESA, AASSA, Google Summits and ADE events. Most significantly, Doug is grateful for his wonderful wife, Tracy, and his three marvelous kids.

Inclusion & Impact 2027

Join us at the International School of Kuala Lumpur as NFI and the International School of Leaders of Education Support (ISLES) come together to host a dynamic two-day international conference on inclusion leadership.

Who should attend?

• Aspiring & experienced educators

• Leaders & administrators

• Changemakers & advocates

Explore bold ideas, practical strategies, and collaborative approaches to designing schools where every learner thrives.

• Launch of the new NFI & ISLES joint leadership publication

• Interactive workshops & inclusive leadership conversations

• Opportunities for meaningful global networking & collaboration

5th-6th March 2027 at the International School of Kuala Lumpur

This annual conference focuses on strategies, tools and best practices that engage students across the region. Attendees always return to their home schools with a basket of new ideas and opportunities to introduce to their classrooms. The opportunities build upon professional networks and to enjoy camaraderie have made this conference a ‘must’ with educators from the EARCOS region.

A unique, classroom-based professional learning experience, exploring the pedagogy of inquiry across learning areas, in grades K-6.

“Yes, but what does it look like?” As consultants with a focus on inquiry, this is a questions we hear often. Talking about and even experiencing inquiry in workshops is powerful but there is something special about the opportunity to be ‘in the room where it happens’ – to observe educators bring an inquiry stance to their teaching

‘Inquiry in Action’ is a unique opportunity to grow your understanding of inquiry through observation and reflection. This boutique workshop invites educators to spend time in K-6 classrooms, watching skilled inquiry teachers at work in different areas of the curriculum and with different age groups. Our focus is on inquiry as a stance. While there are techniques and emphases particular to learning areas, there are many shared strategies that can be transferred across the day.

Participants in this workshop will spend time observing ‘learning labs’ in K-6 classrooms followed by opportunities for guided analysis, reflection and transfer of the ideas to their own setting. They will emerge from the experience with a deeper understanding of the way in which they can nurture agency, cultivate curiosity, question for deeper thinking and release more responsibility to young learners. 

Although their work focuses on different learning areas, Kath Murdoch and Matt Glover have a common passion for inquiry as a vehicle for powerful teaching and learning. As global consultants, both Kath and Matt regularly work in classrooms, helping teachers to get a better picture of the design of an inquiry-based lesson. They are thrilled to be partnering in this event with other consultants. They had Megan Holmstrom, a consultant in math education, join them in the inaugural ‘Inquiry in Action’ workshop in Berlin and then had Megan and and Paul Andersen, a consultant in science education, join them in Jakarta. Please visit our future workshop page to see what consultants will be present in different cities.

Sample Schedule:

Day 1

Participants will divide into three groups and spend the day observing and analyzing classroom sessions led by Kath, Matt, and Megan. Three sessions to rotate through all presenters.

Day 2

Participants will have the opportunity to analyze and reflect on the lessons they observed and hear from Matt, Kath, and Megan about bringing an inquiry stance to their areas of expertise. Educators will then have the opportunity to work on ways to modify and adapt this learning to their own classrooms.

Target Audience

Elementary/primary educators who work with children in grades K-6. Learning labs will be held in the generalist classrooms but elements of the pedagogy are transferable to other learning areas and ages.

Workshop Details

WHEN: Thursday, 1 to Sunday, 4 April 2027 (8:00am - 3:30pm)

WHERE: ISKL Ampang Hilir Campus (MPR 1)

FEES: USD800

           For ISKL Faculty (please sign up on the PD Google Calendar)

FOCUS: Schoolwide                                                                  

TRAINERS: Ochan Powell & Doug Woodward                     REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 25th MARCH 2027   

REFUNDS:

1. Full Refund: A full refund of all registration fees paid will be granted, if requested in writing before 18 March 2027.

2. Partial Refund: A 75% refund of all registration fees paid will be granted, less a RM50 refund processing fee, if requested in writing after 18 March 2027 but before 1 April 2027.

3. No Refund: No refund will be granted for any cancellation request made after 1 April 2027.

To begin the cancellation process, please email us at professionallearning@iskl.edu.my

Workshop Overview

Part 2 of the Cognitive Coaching course includes Days 5-8 of the Cognitive Coaching Foundation Course. In order to register for Part 2, participants must have completed part 1. Part 2 will provide participants with a deeper understanding of how to support the thinking of others. Time for review, integration and practice is provided so that participants develop confidence and understanding of how and when they can apply their skills. This course will also support participants in developing the skills of facilitation.

Student Learning Outcomes

As a result of this course, learners will:

• Understand the processes and structures underlying 'reflection into planning' and Problem-Resolving and apply them in coaching conversations.

• Understand the influence of cognitive style, filters of perception and belief systems that influence their own and the coachee's thinking.

• Develop skills to invite cognitive shift in the coachee.

• Become sensitive to the coachee's States of Mind.

• Craft mediative questions to access and elevant different States of Mind.

• Become increasingly aware of and sensitive to the nonverbal communication of others.

• Develop skills in supporting coachees in recognising 3rd party problems and reframing them in the 1st party.

• Become metacognitive about their own learning.

The workshop is highly interactive and will include:

• Review and integration

• Small group / whole class activities

• A variety of learning strategies and protocols that are easily transferable to classroom settings

• Readings from the CC Learning Guide, 12th Edition

• Numerous opportunities for practice 

Ochan Kusuma-Powell

Ochan Kusuma-Powell received her doctorate from Columbia University and has developed and implemented inclusive special education programs in the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia and Tanzania. At the present time she is the Executive Director of Education Across Frontiers. She is regular speaker at international educational conferences and teaches in the summers at the Teacher Training Center.

Ochan is an associate trainer for the Center for Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools.

Ochan and her husband Bill, are is co-authors of Count Me In! Developing Inclusive International Schools (2000), Making the Difference: Differentiation in International Schools (2007) Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Teacher (2010) and How to Teach Now: Five Keys to Personalized Learning in the Global Classroom (2011) and The OIQ Factor: How to Raise the Organizational Intelligence of your School (2013).

Ochan is currently working on a project, The Next Frontier: Inclusion to support the inclusion of special needs children in international schools.

When she is not facilitating teacher workshops or speaking at conferences, Ochan can be found in the French Pyrenees where she fights (together with a handful of sheep) an annual battle with the European bramble.

Doug Woodward

Doug Woodward is the Middle School Assistant Principal at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) and is passionate about teaching kids and helping schools get even better. His Masters in Educational Leadership and School Administration is from Indiana University. Doug is an Agency Trainer for Adaptive Schools, an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE), Google Certified, and a former technology facilitator. Doug has taught a wide variety of subjects Pre-K to 12 and has lived and taught in Kenya, Peru, Jordan, USA and now Malaysia. Doug has facilitated and presented workshops at EARCOS, NESA, AASSA, Google Summits and ADE events. Most significantly, Doug is grateful for his wonderful wife, Tracy, and his three marvelous kids.

Overview

This two-day workshop equips school-based mental health professionals with essential skills for immediate crisis intervention following acute traumatic events affecting students, staff, and the wider school community. Participants will learn strategies to stabilize individuals and create a bridge to longer-term, trauma-informed care when needed. The course emphasizes the unique roles and responsibilities of mental health professionals in schools, focusing on effective crisis response and recovery practices. Ideal for those providing mental health crisis services; this training strengthens preparedness and ensures a coordinated approach to supporting individuals impacted by trauma. 

Attendees

PREPaRE Workshop 2 is appropriate for any individual filling the role of crisis intervention specialist. This includes school mental health staff (school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and nurses), administrators, and other individuals to whom the team has identified as appropriate providers of psychological first aid. Additionally, this workshop can be very helpful for community-based mental health practitioners who may work with the school crisis team and/or may be brought into the school to assist in response to a crisis.