ETC 2027 BANGKOK
These pre-conference experiences are designed to make learning more intentional,
connections more meaningful, and professional growth more impactful.
PRE-CONFERENCE FEE: USD $150 PER PERSON | TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2027
Our Pre-Conference offerings provide teachers with an opportunity to deepen their professional learning through focused, engaging, and meaningful experiences before the main conference begins. Led by experienced educators and thought leaders, these sessions offer practical strategies, fresh perspectives, and opportunities for collaboration and reflection. Whether exploring innovative teaching approaches, strengthening leadership skills, or discovering new ways to support student learning and well-being, participants will gain valuable insights and practical tools that they can bring back to their schools and classrooms. These pre-conference experiences are designed to make learning more intentional, connections more meaningful, and professional growth more impactful.
Formerly a high school English teacher and a new teacher coach, Jennifer Abrams is currently a communications consultant and author. Among many, her publications include Having Hard Conversations and Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work. Jennifer has been featured columnist on growth and change for The Learning Professional as well as The International Educator and she keynotes, facilitates and coaches at schools worldwide. She was honored to be named one of the “18 Women All K-12 Educators Should Know,” by Education Week’s ‘Finding Common Ground’’ blog. www.jenniferabrams.com @jenniferabrams
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Say the Hard Thing. Hear the Hard Thing
Hard conversations and candid feedback are essential to healthy, productive school cultures—yet many educators feel unprepared to navigate them, whether giving feedback or receiving it. We need to build the skills and confidence to engage directly and productively: offering feedback that is clear, professional, and constructive, while also learning to receive feedback with greater emotional regulation, openness, and less defensiveness.
In this pre-conference, attendees will learn how to:
Prepare for and engage in hard conversations with greater clarity, confidence, and professionalism
Offer candid, constructive feedback that addresses concerns directly while maintaining relationships
Recognize and regulate their emotional responses when conversations become challenging
Receive feedback with greater openness and curiosity—and less defensiveness
Biography:
TBA
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
TBA
TBA
Paul Andersen is an educational consultant based in Bozeman, MT, with over 20 years of experience teaching science in Montana. He was named 2011 Montana Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for the 2011 National Teacher of the Year. His work centers on 3-dimensional learning and inquiry-based education. Paul is the creator of Bozeman Science, a YouTube channel featuring hundreds of tutorials that have amassed millions of views and become a go-to resource for students and educators alike. Over the past decade, he has delivered professional development training to thousands of teachers and administrators around the world, emphasizing strategies that are practical and immediately applicable in the classroom. He also curates The Wonder of Science, a platform that aggregates NGSS-aligned videos, assessments, and mini-lessons. Outside of his professional work, Paul enjoys traveling and exploring nature with his wife, Laura.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Mastering Phenomenon-Based Science Storylines
Great science teaching isn't just about the right activities, it's about telling a coherent story. In this pre-conference workshop, Paul Andersen will guide you through a K-12 science storyline anchored in a relevant and topical phenomenon. You'll experience firsthand how a carefully chosen anchoring phenomenon can drive student curiosity across an entire unit, supported by a web of supporting phenomena that deepen understanding at every turn. Driving question boards, summary tables, and mini-lessons work together to keep the story coherent and compelling. You'll leave with ready-to-use strategies and a deeper understanding of how to take any topic and turn it into a phenomenon-based learning experience your students won't forget.
Dr. Anderson is a Director of Restorative Community Counselling based in Singapore. Suzanne first worked with schools after Hurricane Andrew hit Dade County, Florida, in 1992. Since then, she has provided support to the Jakarta Intercultural School since 2014 and to other schools in the aftermath of crises, such as student suicide. Throughout this time, Dr. Anderson has worked with international schools in Southeast Asia, developing, delivering, and refining training tailored to the needs of schools serving expatriate and local populations, recognizing the special concerns of Third Culture Kids and Families. Dr. Anderson is a certified trainer and responder with the National Organization for Victim Advocacy (US) and is the project manager, writer, and editor for their Community Crisis Response: Theory & Practice Manual. Over a 35-year career, Dr. Anderson has responded to natural, industrial, and man-made crises in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
When Crisis Comes to Your Classroom: Training for Classroom Teachers
Classroom teachers are rarely included in formal crisis response training — yet they are among the first adults a student turns to when something goes wrong. This full-day training bridges that gap, building both the awareness and the practical skills teachers need to respond with confidence when crisis touches their classroom community.
Grounded in psychological first aid principles and trauma-informed practice, the training follows the arc of a real crisis — from the moment an incident occurs through the months of adjustment that follow. Participants will explore how crisis affects a school community from classroom to the campus, how trauma shows up differently across developmental stages, and what their specific role is within the broader school response system.
Through structured skill practice, small group scenarios, and reflection, teachers will learn and apply a three-phase response framework — Safety & Security, Ventilation & Validation, Prediction & Preparation — using situations drawn from the classroom context. Equal attention is given to what teachers say, what they avoid saying, and how they recognize when a student needs more support than they can provide.
The day closes with attention to the teacher's own experience — the cost of being the steady adult in the room — and a concrete commitment to one shift in practice.
Participants leave with a framework they can use, language they can trust, and a clearer understanding of where their role begins and ends.
Kelly Armitage is passionate about building capacity in others so they can deepen their impact on student learning and wellbeing. With more than 35 years of experience working in schools, she specializes in supporting aspiring and current leaders as they clarify their goals, grow their expertise, and expand their influence.
She currently works as a Leadership Consultant and Coach drawing on a career that spans a wide range of roles. She served as Elementary School Principal at International School Bangkok and Curriculum Coordinator at Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, Venezuela. Her background also includes experience as an Instructional Coach, Staff Developer, Homeroom Teacher, EAL Teacher, Literacy Specialist and Learning Support Teacher across diverse school communities.
Kelly is an Adaptive Schools Training Associate and an Instructor for The Principals’ Training Center (PTC). When not collaborating with schools, she loves to be outside hiking and skiing with her family. Kelly can be reached at: leadforimpactLLC@gmail.com
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Strong Teams Don’t Happen by Accident
What makes some teaching teams collaborative, purposeful, and impactful while others simply focus on getting the work done? Strong teams don’t happen by chance. They are intentionally built.
This pre-conference is designed for teacher leaders, aspiring leaders, and members of collaborative teams who want to better understand what makes teams more effective and how to intentionally develop teams that work together to accomplish meaningful goals.
Grounded in research and focused on practical application, participants will examine the key drivers of collaborative, high-impact teams. They will identify strategies that build psychological safety and investigate practical tools that improve communication and collaboration. Participants will also explore ways meetings can be more efficient and effective to generate momentum and move important work forward.
Throughout the day, participants will have opportunities to reflect and apply new learning through the lens of their own teams and contexts. Participants will leave with practical strategies, tools, and ideas they can immediately implement to foster more purposeful collaboration and increase their collective impact on student learning.
Because strong teams don’t happen by accident. They happen by design.
Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., is well known throughout the EARCOS region as a dynamic speaker, motivating workshop leader, and inspiring consultant. Her school visits engage administrators, educators, students, parents, and community members in meaningful and memorable learning experiences. An author of books on writing and environmental stewardship, Cathryn is best known for her award-winning The Complete Guide to Service Learning just released in its third edition bringing a wealth of fresh ideas, applications, and practical strategies to strengthen and amplify a culture of service throughout a school community. As someone recently remarked following a school visit, “Cathy brings the joy!” Cathryn is thrilled to return once again to her EARCOS family to celebrate, acknowledge, and enrich all we do to “teach from the heart.”
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Amplifying Possibilities: Growing a Culture of Service, Community, and Connection
In this dynamic and collaborative preconference, join educators committed to deep learning, meaningful community connections, and sustainable action. Together, we will create a narrative that honors where you are, illuminates what's possible, and opens pathways for moving forward. Now is the time to think boldly, challenge assumptions, and turn aspirations into action!
Set priorities that provide direction and momentum.
Experience a distinctive process grounded in change theory to advance your priorities, with the added benefit of a strategy that can be integrated into the curriculum and used to cultivate student leadership.
Examine promising practices from schools that bring their mission and vision to life through authentic youth engagement and civic response-ability.
Clarify roles and relationships within your school community. Who does what to ensure young people experience genuine opportunities for participation, contribution, and purposeful action?
Discover practical approaches for seamlessly integrating learning and service into the curriculum.
Explore the power of reflection to deepen learning and spark creative expression.
Shape your story and next steps, envisioning a school culture where teaching from the heart elevates student voice, agency, and meaningful engagement.
This is an opportunity to challenge, imagine, inspire, and build together in real time. Leave with renewed energy, practical strategies, and a clear direction for advancing a culture of service, community, and connection.
Biography:
TBA
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
TBA
TBA
Michael Busbee has been leading and teaching internationally for the past 21 years. Michael has served in a variety of teaching and leadership roles including Instructional Coach, Co-IB and EE Coordinator, DP Global Politics and History teacher, MYP INS Teacher in years MYP 2, MYP 3 and MYP 5, and TOK Teacher. Michael is passionate about helping schools strengthen teaching and learning through data-informed decision-making, curriculum alignment, differentiation, and the thoughtful integration of AI into education. He has presented workshops at IB Global Conferences on MYP assessment optimization and supporting student growth through data-driven differentiation and skills tracking.
Ian Ketcham has spent 12 years teaching internationally, working across both the MYP and DP. His teaching experience spans MYP Individuals & Societies and DP Economics, History, Business Management, Psychology, Global Politics, and Theory of Knowledge, giving him a firsthand view of where the two programmes align. Ian is committed to helping students grow into active, critical global citizens, and much of his work has focused on strengthening curriculum coherence to make learning more engaging, rigorous, and issue driven across the MYP-DP continuum. He brings both varied classroom experience and a practitioner's perspective to today's session.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Building a Coherent Student Journey: Bridging the MYP and DP Programmes Through Intentional Design
Learning Outcome #1 - Participants will identify the expectations, assessment practices, and stakeholder pressures that can create challenges for students moving from the MYP to the DP.
Learning Outcome #2 - Participants will connect MYP assessment strands and command terms to DP assessment expectations through mapping command terms and their interpretations through the MYP program while preserving the distinct purpose and practices of each programme
Learning Outcome #3 - Participants will explore how MYP approaches to skill development, formative assessment, and unit planning can strengthen DP teaching by identifying skills within DP markband descriptors and designing scaffolded learning experiences in their DP units.
Jennifer D. Klein is a product of experiential project-based education herself, and she lives and breathes the student-centered pedagogies used to educate her. She became a teacher during graduate school in 1990, quickly finding the intersection between her passion for writing and her fascination with educational transformation and its potential impact on social change. A former head of school with extensive international experience and over 35 years in education—including 19 in the classroom—Jennifer strives to amplify student voice, to provide the tools for high-quality project-based learning in all cultural and socio-economic contexts, and to shift school culture to support such practices. Motivated by her belief that all children deserve a meaningful, relevant education like the one she experienced herself, and that giving them such an education will catalyze positive change in their communities and beyond, Jennifer strives to inspire educators to shift their practices in schools worldwide.
Jennifer’s books include Taming the Turbulence in Educational Leadership: Doing Right by Learners Without Losing Your Job (2026), The Landscape Model of Learning: Designing Student-Centered Experiences for Cognitive and Cultural Inclusion (2022, coauthored with Kapono Ciotti), and The Global Education Guidebook: Humanizing K-12 Classrooms Worldwide through Equitable Partnerships (2017).
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Teaching Controversial Topics and Perspectives in an Era of Conflict and Division: Strategies for Fostering Appreciative Inquiry and Expression in the Classroom
While most schools mention global citizenship in their mission or vision statements and strive to foster inquiry and intercultural competencies in their communities, educators often find ourselves avoiding topics that feel too contentious, particularly in times of war and polarization. When this happens, learning can become superficial, glossing over conflict and controversy to explore cultural elements like food and fashion while ignoring critical dialogue about more difficult topics like land disputes and human rights. This is particularly true when learners or their families have a personal connection to and vested interest in the outcome of a given conflict, which tends to be inevitable in international schools—to the point that many leaders have asked teachers not to address current wars and political divisions. Our times require an education that builds bridges, allowing learners to understand other’s experiences, investigate the very real complexities of war, and grapple with the grey areas and pain points they encounter. When educators address the complexity instead of shying away, we can help students build skills for an increasingly complex, ambiguous and conflict-ridden world.
Whatever the disciplines or age groups we teach, controversial topics generally include identity politics in history, current events, literature and arts, such as efforts to weave the experiences of LGBTQ+ or cultural groups into curriculum; and a myriad of global wars, occupations and other political conflicts that polarize learners and families to the point that critical investigations and dialogue become almost impossible—and book banning is just the tip of that iceberg. These divisions disrupt our best efforts to prepare learners to understand perspectives, empathize with others’ experiences, and thrive in a volatile world. Yet the fact that these topics create so much tension indicates how urgent it is that we build students’ perspective gathering and political skills so they’re prepared to engage in critical dialogue in an increasingly polarized world.
This day-long pre-conference workshop is appropriate for teachers of all ages and disciplines who want to teach a controversial topic more authentically. We will explore how to humanize conflict, foster appreciative inquiry, improve dialogue through artistic expression and media literacy, and engage in courageous conversations when polarization and conflict make it difficult to do so. The workshop will be grounded in Jennifer's decades-long experience bringing Palestinian voices into US classrooms and her first book, The Global Education Guidebook. Because what we consider taboo depends largely on context and culture, participants will work on topics that are relevant to your role, school context, and curriculum. Participants will leave the session with tools and plans you can use in your classrooms, whatever the demographics of your students and school community, to promote connection over division, and to foster learners’ peace building skills.
Fabenson Frisch is the Associate Director of International Programs at Facing History and Ourselves, a position he took on with great enthusiasm 10 months ago. In this role, he has been instrumental in conducting seminars with valued partners in France, Mexico, and El Salvador, fostering meaningful relationships and strengthening partnerships with various organizations. Notably, he spearheaded the initiation of the Global Partners network initiative, collaborating with partners from Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, El Salvador, and Colombia.
Prior to joining Facing History and Ourselves, Fabenson dedicated his efforts to making a positive impact with No Means No Worldwide (NMNW), an organization committed to promoting personal safety and self-defense skills to combat sexual assault, harassment, and violence against women and children. During his time with NMNW, Fabenson played a vital role in launching their programs in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Namibia and Uganda, furthering their mission to empower individuals and create safer communities.
In addition to his impactful work, Fabenson is a Returned Ukraine Peace Corps Volunteer, having spent 27 months living in Ukraine, where he actively engaged in youth and community development projects, fostering a sense of unity and growth.
Fabenson brings a diverse and impressive academic background to his work, holding a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science and Spanish from the University of Toledo, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Lourdes University. Fabenson is originally from Haiti, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 17, carrying with him a rich cultural heritage that has become a driving force behind his commitment to making a positive impact in the world. Fabenson enjoys traveling, cooking, learning languages, dancing and playing futbol. He resides in Mexico City.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
TBA
TBA
Leslie W. Grant, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Education at the William & Mary School of Education where she teaches courses in curriculum development and evaluation, K12 assessment systems, and strategic planning. She regularly publishes and works with schools in the U.S. and internationally in aligning and gaining greater coherence among curriculum, instruction, and assessment at all levels of the system. In addition, Leslie is involved in several evaluation and research projects to include programs aimed at developing teacher leadership capacity and international comparisons of teaching.
James H. Stronge is the Heritage Professor of Education, a distinguished professorship, in the School of Education at William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Additionally, he is the President and CEO of Stronge & Associates Educational Consulting, LLC, an educational consulting company that focuses on teacher and leader effectiveness with projects internationally and in many U.S. states. He teaches doctoral courses at William & Mary within the Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership Department, with a particular focus on teacher and leader effectiveness, legal issues in education, and research design. Externally funded projects at William & Mary for which he has served as primary investigator or co-primary investigation have generated $54 million in funding support.
Dr. Stronge’s research interests include policy and practice related to teacher quality and effectiveness, teacher and leader evaluation, and teacher selection. He has worked with numerous U.S. state departments of education, school districts, and national and international educational organizations to design and implement evaluation and hiring systems for educators. He has developed teacher and principal evaluation systems for American international schools supported by the U.S. Department of State.
Stronge has made more than 400 presentations at regional, national, and international conferences, and has conducted workshops for educational organizations extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally. Among his current research projects are: 1) international comparative studies of effective teachers in the United States, China, and independent international schools; and 2) factors that relate to world class schools.
Stronge has authored, co-authored, or edited 35 books and more than 200 articles, chapters, and technical reports. His most recent books include What Makes a World-Class School and How We Can Get There (ASCD, 2017), Qualities of Effective Teachers, 3rd Ed. (ASCD, 2018), Qualities of Effective Principals, 2nd Ed. (ASCD, 2021), International Beliefs and Practices that Characterize Teacher Effectiveness (co-editor) (IGI Global, 2021), and Smart from the Start: 150 Tools for Teaching with Confidence (ASCD, 2023).
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
TBA
TBA
Meghan Hargrave has over a decade of experience working as an education coach and consultant. Her work has taken her into K-12 classrooms across the globe to support teachers, coaches, administrators, schools and districts in practical methods and practices that move teaching and learning forward. Her expertise is in orchestrating educational initiatives, teaching goals, student data and beyond, to deliver customized professional development that meets the needs of all stakeholders.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
AI in Action: Practical and Purposeful Integration Across the Curriculum
Educators are being asked to build their own understanding of AI while also preparing students to use it responsibly and effectively. Across subject areas, students are reading, writing, researching, generating ideas, solving problems, and collaborating, and AI is increasingly becoming part of that work. We need to be deliberate about the skills students need, when those skills should be taught, and the role AI should play in learning. This full-day workshop will move beyond basic tools and isolated AI activities to explore current resources, innovative classroom use cases, and new ways to think about teaching and learning across content areas. Rather than adding an AI project at the end of a unit or leaving this work to a technology or digital literacy class, participants will consider how AI can become one of the lenses used when planning instruction. Together, we will examine where AI might enhance learning, where it might replace too much thinking, what role it should play in a task, and what students need to be taught before using it. Designed for classroom teachers, instructional coaches, technology specialists, multilingual learner teachers, special educators, and school leaders, the day will offer meaningful entry points for those who are brand new to AI integration as well as those already deeply involved in this work.
Shelley Hawkes is an international education and behavior consultant passionate about fostering inclusion for students with differences in school settings. Shelley has over 30 years of experience in education including working as learning support teacher and EAL teacher in the United States, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Malaysia, and Chile. Shelley has served as a leader of student support services departments in Venezuela and Chile. While working at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), she co-created the Life Centered Education (LCE) program, which earned the International School Award for Initiative to Support Inclusion. A frequent presenter and keynote speaker, Shelley has shared her expertise at conferences across the Middle East, Asia, Central America, and South America. Additionally, Shelley co-authored the Next Frontier Inclusion (NFI) publication, Challenge Accepted: Reframing Our Approaches to Behavior Management in International Schools, and volunteered as Director of Growth and Development for the SENIA Organization. Learn more at: shelleyhawkes.com
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
The Behavior Blueprint: Proven Approaches for Supporting Student Behavior
Have you noticed an increase in student behavior challenges at your school? Are you looking to expand your behavior support toolkit with practical, evidence-based strategies? Join international education consultant Shelley Hawkes for an engaging and dynamic pre-conference session that explores best practices for supporting student behavior.
Through both causal and functional approaches, attendees will examine the underlying causes of behavioral challenges, including how to conduct effective behavior observations and use a streamlined process for developing behavior support plans focused on teaching lagging skills. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, Shelley will share practical, evidence-based strategies across all three tiers of behavior support, providing actionable tools and activities that can be implemented immediately.
The session will also explore the history of the autism diagnosis, examining how societal shifts and events have shaped our understanding of neurodiversity and behavior. Shelley will address the frequently asked question of why autism diagnoses continue to increase and discuss the implications and next steps for schools and educators. Attendees will also learn strategies for supporting the behavioral needs of twice exceptional (2e) students.
Educators will leave with fresh perspectives on student behavior and a practical toolbox of strategies to help all students thrive, empowering them to create more inclusive and supportive learning environments.
Joy Marchese is an internationally recognized educator, speaker, author, and founder of Positive Discipline UK, known for transforming school cultures through practical, relationship-centered strategies that inspire lasting change. As a Lead Trainer with the Positive Discipline Association, she certifies educators worldwide in Positive Discipline in the Classroom® and is also a certified facilitator in Teaching from the BACK of the Room!® and Bridge® Relational Styles.
Joy has partnered with hundreds of international schools across six continents, helping educators strengthen student engagement, build resilient learning communities, and create classrooms where every child feels they belong. Her sessions are highly interactive, research-informed, and packed with immediately applicable strategies that participants can implement the very next day. Whether working with teachers, school leaders, or parents, Joy's energetic and authentic style empowers educators to move beyond managing behavior to creating environments where both students and adults can truly thrive.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Teach Less. Learn More. Teaching from the BACK of the Room!®: Brain-Based Teaching for Today's Learners
In an era of AI, increasing student distraction, and rapidly changing educational demands, delivering content is no longer enough. Today's learners need experiences that capture attention, spark curiosity, and create lasting understanding.
Grounded in neuroscience, cognitive science, and decades of research on how people learn, Teaching from the BACK of the Room!® (TBR) equips educators with practical, high-impact strategies that transform passive classrooms into active learning communities. Instead of asking, "How can I teach this?" you'll learn to ask, "How can students experience this?"
This highly interactive preconference is built around the six evidence-based principles that make learning stick. You'll discover how to design lessons that increase engagement, strengthen memory, promote critical thinking, and empower students to take ownership of their learning, without adding hours to your planning time.
Whether you're teaching five-year-olds or high school seniors, these strategies can be adapted across grade levels and subject areas to foster deeper learning, greater collaboration, and more meaningful participation. Throughout the day, you'll experience the same brain-friendly techniques your students will love, leaving with practical tools you can implement immediately.
If you're ready to move beyond "sit and get" instruction and create classrooms where students are thinking, talking, moving, reflecting, and truly learning, this workshop will change the way you design every lesson.
Come prepared to participate, not just listen.
A Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver, Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on P-12 school leadership, deeper learning, technology, and innovation. He is on a mission to make students’ day-to-day learning less boring and more meaningful and relevant. Scott is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the only university center in the U.S. dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and is the co-creator of both the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens), and the 4 Shifts Protocol for lesson and unit redesign.
Scott has worked with hundreds of schools, districts, universities, and other organizations and has received numerous awards for his technology leadership work, including the 2016 Award for Outstanding Leadership from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Scott blogs about leadership and innovation at Dangerously Irrelevant and is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at regional, state, national, and international conferences. Scott also hosts two podcasts, LeaderTalk and Redesigning for Deeper Learning.
Scott currently serves as a Senior Fellow for Getting Smart, a Fellow for the NAESP Center for Innovative Leadership, an ISTE Community Leader, InnEdCO Ambassador, and on NAESP’s Professional Learning Advisory Council. He has written or edited 4 books and 170 articles and other publications, and is one of the most visible education professors in the United States. His most recent work focuses on what deeper learning looks like in elementary and middle schools.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
TBA
TBA
Aaron Moniz is the CEO, Co-Founder, and Director of Inspire Citizens, a global organization that partners with schools to empower young people through service learning and community engagement, sustainability, student leadership, and active global citizenship. A Third Culture individual who grew up internationally, Aaron’s experiences across cultures shaped his deep belief in empathy, belonging, and the power of education to create meaningful change.
Before founding Inspire Citizens, Aaron was an international school educator whose work was also deeply influenced by his background as a punk rock musician, where ideas of community, authenticity, activism, and collective responsibility became central to his personal and professional values. Today, Aaron works internationally as an author, keynote speaker, workshop leader, professional learning partner, whole school strategic planning advisor, and facilitator of youth empowerment conferences, helping schools connect learning to authentic real-world impact through the Empathy to Impact framework and whole school systems for global citizenship education.
Aaron cares deeply about the world and believes strongly in the power of educators and schools to shape both the present and the future for the better. His work focuses on helping school communities align purpose, learning, and action in ways that empower young people to become thoughtful, engaged, and compassionate changemakers.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Don’t Just Tell Them to Lead—Teach Them How: Practical Tools for Student Leadership and Community Action
Expecting students to lead without intentionally developing their leadership skills is like expecting them to read without literacy instruction. Schools invite students to organize events, lead clubs, represent their peers, and make a difference in their communities. These opportunities become more meaningful when students have the mindset, tools, practice, and support to lead with purpose—uncovering their “why” and driving projects that create meaningful, lasting impact.
This practical workshop explores common challenges faced by student leadership groups and builds educators’ capacity to teach four essential skill areas:
Event planning and project management: Moving from ideas to achievable plans, timelines, responsibilities, and delivery.
Delegation and collaboration: Sharing responsibility, communicating clearly, and empowering others to contribute through assets-based delegation approaches and engagement techniques.
Community assets mapping and impactful action: Identifying community strengths, listening to diverse perspectives, building reciprocal partnerships and designing action with meaningful community benefit.
Wellness and balance: Managing commitments, setting boundaries, and sustaining engagement.
Participants will experience student leadership mini-workshops as learners, then unpack the facilitation strategies so they can bring these experiences back to their own student leaders. They will explore how micro-credentialling or skill instruction can be used in authentic practice, application to clubs and leadership contexts, in reflection, and portfolio evidence of student leadership growth. .
The workshop will also examine school systems that sustain student leadership over time, including adult coaching, opportunities to practice, leadership handovers, and continuity between successive student groups. Participants will leave with practical toolkits, adaptable resources, and a draft implementation plan for their school.
Biography:
TBA
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
TBA
TBA
Heather Rich is the Lower School PYP Coordinator/Instructional Coach at TISA in Azerbaijan. Her current focus is using standards to structure conceptually-based units that promote action and international-mindedness. She is an advocate for equitable science learning at all grade levels, and believes science is where students can show the learning that transfers.
Heather has taught internationally in her home city of New York, for over 20 years. She has been a K-12 instructional coach for Science, an Elementary homeroom teacher, and an English language acquisition specialist for MLLs. Educational passions include student-centered coaching, curriculum development, UdL, and language acquisition theory.
Heather teamed up with Britta McCarthy during the pandemic to found NGSS Partnership. From 2020 to 2023, NGSS Partnership put on six multi-day, virtual conferences, in-person workshops, and developed an online asynchronous course. NGSS Partnership’s purpose was to bring science teachers together throughout Latin America, deepen collective understanding of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and learn from each other’s practices. This is NGSS Partnership’s first time presenting in the EARCOS region.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
TBA
TBA
Lisa Sachs is the Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI). She is a globally recognized expert and leading voice on climate finance, sustainable investment, and natural resource governance, and a leading voice on how laws, policies, and financial architecture shape global investment flows in support of development and climate objectives. She is also an Associate Professor and Director of the M.S. in Climate Finance program at Columbia Climate School.
Since joining CCSI in 2008, she has built the Center into a leading hub for research, analysis, thought leadership, and policy engagement. Her work spans climate finance and reform of the international financial architecture, energy transition financing, sustainable industrial policy, corporate climate action, and the governance of critical minerals and extractive industries. She advises governments around the world along with multilateral development banks, UN agencies, and intergovernmental organizations, and works closely with companies, investors, and civil society to translate research into practical policy and investment reforms.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University, a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School, where she was a James Kent Scholar and recipient of the Parker School Certificate in International and Comparative Law.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Eminently Buildable
TBA
John Tapper is the founder and CEO of the All Learners Network and has spent more than forty years in mathematics education. He has taught in public schools, served as a district math coordinator, and held a professorship, including work with the Vermont Mathematics Initiative. He holds a PhD in Teaching and Learning from New York University. John is the author of Solving for Why, an award-winning book on understanding and supporting students who struggle in mathematics, and is co-authoring Everyone Counts, a book on teaching mathematics to neurodivergent learners. His work rests on a simple idea: that every student can learn rigorous mathematics when instruction is built to include them. He founded the All Learners Network to put that idea into practice in classrooms around the world.
PRE-CONFERENCE TITLE
Designing Rigorous, Inclusive Math: Better Instruction for Neurodiverse Learners
This interactive preconference workshop introduces a practical approach for supporting neurodiverse learners in elementary mathematics using the Rigorous, Scaffolded, Inquiry (RSI) model. Participants will explore how to maintain high expectations while providing the right supports so all students can engage meaningfully with grade-level math.
Using examples from preK–grade 5 classrooms, we will focus on key mathematical understandings every student should develop and examine how neurodiverse learners often approach these ideas. Participants will look closely at real student work to identify strengths, misconceptions, and next steps for instruction.
The session will also highlight how AI tools can help teachers quickly interpret student thinking and generate targeted instructional responses. Through guided activities, participants will experience how AI can support planning while keeping teacher expertise at the center.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies, sample tasks, and clear routines they can use right away to design inclusive, rigorous math instruction that meets the needs of a wide range of learners.