Are you still looking for  professional development opportunities this summer ? Don’t miss out on the AISG Training Center! Registration closes soon. Please check out our presenters’ bios below and click here for workshop schedules and more details.

Join us for our summer workshops! 

Duane Smith is an international presenter, researcher, and consultant in early years education, currently team leader and passionate teacher at Istanbul International Community School. Duane has worked with teachers, teaching assistants and administrators to implement play and inquiry-based models of teaching and learning. Duane has visited AISG twice already providing PD workshops for our teachers, making a big difference in our teachers’ professional growth.

Yuri has worked in the USA, China and Singapore as a researcher, teacher, instructional coach, and program director in PreK-G12 since 2006. Prior to her journey in Singapore, she was director of the Chinese immersion program at a K-G8 public school in Portland, Oregon. For many years, she directed the STARTALK language programs funded by US Federal grants and developed teacher training programs for PreK-G12 Chinese teachers in the USA. She also speaks at international conferences and consults with schools around Asia on implementing engaging, responsive reading and writing instruction. She currently works at Singapore International School. 

Aiqin is passionate about harnessing inquiry and agency in the Chinese reading/writing classroom. She has worked at IB schools in China and abroad as a homeroom teacher, specialist teacher, Early Years coordinator and Kindergarten PYP Curriculum Director. In 2013, she became an IB PYP workshop leader. Aiqin leads workshops for EKC around Asia on Chinese program development, curriculum articulation, and responsive reading/writing instruction in the Chinese literacy classroom. Aiqin is currently working at the United Nations International School in Hanoi (UNIS) as a Chinese teacher, program leader and ES World Language Department Head

Elizabeth Beatty is an educator with 23 years of experience both in the US and in international schools and the past 15 years in educational leadership positions.  She began her career in Richmond, Virginia as a classroom teacher, and then moved to Italy where she spent the next twenty years in various roles including IB coordinator, Elementary School Principal, Middle School Principal, Curriculum Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning. She has done extensive work on curriculum development and teacher training, instructional coaching, and leading work with teaching teams from K-12 in differentiation, collaboration, and inclusion. Elizabeth particularly enjoys her work in Cognitive Coaching as well as supporting inquiry, critical-thinking and student-centered assessment practices.  She currently works as the Director of Teaching and Learning at Suzhou Singapore International School in Suzhou, China.

Kristin Lowe is a former international school teacher now working as a Positive Education Consultant and Certified Positive Psychology and Brief Solutions-Focused Coach. She helps international school leaders, teachers, staff, and parents use the tools and principles of positive psychology to develop community-wide positivity and wellbeing while teaching, mentoring, and raising our next generation of change-makers.

For more information, including the agenda and cost of each workshop, and to register, click here.