CCB News
April 5th will go down in INSET history! For the first time teachers from all sections (Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary) will have an in-service training day together, vertically integrated, called “Educators Inspiring Educators - We Are One Training Day”.
This event will allow teachers to share their experiences with peers on how applying technology in their classrooms has helped them create an ever increasing student centred learning environment. Renowned Blended Learning specialist, Michele Eaton, Director of Virtual and Blended Learning for the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indianapolis, Indiana, will be the keynote speaker of the event.
To the School’s Headmaster, Mr. Reeves, this INSET day is very important because it is aligned with many CCB Enhanced Strategic Plan 2025 imperatives.
“The “Educators Inspiring Educators - We Are One Tranining Day” hits a number of our imperatives, the first one is striving for excellence, with one of the objectives being 100% of our lessons will be student centred. And this event is focused around student centred learning. It also hits imperative number 2 which is to strengthen the sense of belonging in all community members with focus on one School, we are one School. There will be no boundaries. Teachers will be meeting teachers from other sections, delivering workshops to other teachers. So there will be a lot of integration”, said CCB’s Headmaster, Nick Reeves.
Other imperatives such as #5 which is to guarantee human talents that are competent and motivated as well as #7- to maintain top end technology in our School- are touched on by this initiative.
Integrating technology in the classroom for the purpose of student centred learning has been one of the top priorities of the CCB TECH collective which is constituted by: Miguel Vargas (Early Childhood’s Technology Integrator), Jonathan Wallis (Primary’s Tech coordinator), and Lucía Ramírez Pardo (Secondary’s Technology Integrator). They are the ones promoting this INSET Day and were able to convince teachers from all sections to participate in sharing their knowledge amongst peers.
“In recent years, and particularly during the pandemic, there have been many valuable technology-integrated learning experiences at the School in all sections. By opening an event like "Educators Inspiring Educators: We Are One", first, it will enrich our pedagogical practice, thereby positively impacting the learning of our students; second, teachers will be more motivated to share their experiences with each other; and third, it will help us to create an environment where we can share our experiences with our students.”, said Lucía.
Jonathan Wallis has seen how these positive experiences shaped CCB’s success in applying remote learning when the pandemic first hit back in March of 2020. And how they have marked a new attitude and way in which teachers are now embracing technology in the classroom.
“Teachers quickly stepped up to the mark and figured out how to give quality classes via video link-ups thanks to their positive, proactive attitude towards technology, and this commitment also drove them on to explore a host of other web resources to render their online classes that bit more engaging and interactive. It really was quite something to watch teachers quickly scale the learning curve in those early days of the pandemic.”, shared Jonathan.
Correctly applying technology to the blended, student centred experience has become the “new normal” for our staff members across the board. And Miguel Vargas sees its significance in continue improving the quality of the educational experience we offer at CCB.
“As teachers we want to continue strengthening ourselves in this aspect to respond to the learning community by promoting and complementing learning in a virtual environment and at the same time develop teaching skills that allow us to keep building a healthy and meaningful face-to-face environment for children's learning.", said Miguel.
We are very excited to see what comes out of this unique INSET day. Teacher presentations show a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the use of iMovie for storytelling to how to make your Google Classroom a comfy place, and many more that are sure to inspire.
We wish our teachers all the best! We Are One!
From Wednesday, March 24th to Friday 26th, the Seniors' corridor - which runs from Room 2 to the steps leading up to the Secondary office - will be the gallery where the final works of sixteen Grade 12 students will be exhibited during the IB Art Exhibition 2021. These paintings and sculptures reflect the spirit of these artists who over the past two years have taken part of the Visual Arts HL course of the IB Diploma Programme.
This event is the culmination of the Visual Arts HL course and a long-standing tradition that delights the CCB Community. This year, due to the pandemic, the exhibition will not be open to the public. However, several of the works will be posted on the School’s social media.
"The art exhibition is a sample of the whole artistic process that the students started and the works are the final result of that process. The idea is that they can experience how art works at an almost university level," said Secondary Art teacher David Morán.
"The IB Diploma Programme Visual Arts course encourages students to challenge their own creative and cultural expectations and boundaries," says the IB on its website.
Sara Jaramillo, one of the student exhibitors, believes that art also helps them discover techniques and skills, especially in their creative process.
"We have found a way to express emotions through the artwork. Each one of us tells a story. You realise what you are really feeling when you start painting," Sara said.
Although half of the art course took place in the midst of the pandemic, far from interrupting the process, the situation transformed it and the students found a way to continue making art despite all the difficulties.
"The pandemic helped us discover new ways to create art," Ana Sofía Ochoa (12th grade) told us.
At least 112 works will be exhibited this time. Taking into account all the biosecurity measures, on Wednesday, March 24, from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm, parents of the artists or two accompanying persons of each student will be able to take a tour of the exhibited works. On Thursday 25th and Friday 26th, the IB Art Exhibition will be open to students and teachers.
We invite CCB staff from the different sections and areas to come to the Senior Secondary hallway, now converted into an Art Gallery, which will transport them to a world of expressions and colours.
On Friday, April 23rd, Colegio Colombo Británico will showcase the artistic talents of several of our students in Colombo’s Got Talent/ Colombo Tiene Talento show, which will take place virtually and will be broadcasted as a premiere on YouTube at 6:00pm.
For Alexander Marulanda, CCB Arts coordinator and Secondary Drama teacher, this event will be an opportunity to “keep CCB’s artistic spectacles alive in light of the cancelling of the Musical due to the pandemic. Besides, as the CCB Arts department, it is important to us that the students show their works to the whole Community.”
Who can participate?
This is an invitation for students in grades 4th and 5th in Primary and all Secondary. If you think you have talent, this is your opportunity to show it to the entire CCB Community.
It may be that you have a knack for singing, dancing, choreography, drama, playing an instrument, telling jokes. It can be from showing off your soccer ball handling skills to writing and / or reciting a poem.
You must first register through the following link and answer the form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSckcCUPNZDEiFIurG_IWuxat9BkhsVan5OfO9MR8asHgncxgw/viewform?usp=sf_link To complete the registration you must attach a recorded audition to the form, that is, a video between 1 and 2 minutes in which you showcase your talent.
If you get selected among the best acts, you will have your chance to appear on the broadcast of “Colombo’s Got Talent”. We will record you and then it will be featured virtually to the entire community at the gala on April 23rd. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to shine!
The registration calls will be open until Monday March 22nd, 2021.
Arbey Castro, Director of the CCB Symphonic Band and elementary and high school music teacher, told us that this show “is an initiative that high school arts teachers had, so that students, through an online concert, can show many people what they are as artists. " And he adds that "It is a big challenge, but we know that it will have a wonderful response."
We know that our CCB community is full of talent, so this show is for those who want to inspire us and want to share what they know how to do. From this stage you can motivate whoever is on the other side of the screen to dream!
Luís Felipe Gutiérrez, Secondary music teacher, tells us that he has high expectations for this show. "I want to see them in action, with the enthusiasm, discipline and commitment that it requires to present an art or a talent in front of others.", he said
So go ahead and participate, because Colombo Has Talent!
