When schools around the Czech Republic closed on March 10th, it was a new and somewhat exciting experience. But within a couple of weeks, students realised that online learning would not replace the school’s community spirit. Consequently, the Student Council planned a series of competitions in an effort to bring students closer together even as they practised physical distancing.
Students took the lead in organizing a virtual dancing club, video game tournaments, online chess, a fitness contest, and an online art competition. Some tournaments were individually based while students in other competitions fought for their respective houses.
Art Competition
The Art Competition with the themes ‘Quaran-teen’ and ‘Technology’ attracted a variety of submissions. The results were judged by a panel of judges including ECP Staff and Marketa Vasickova, ECP Graduate of 2018 and student of University of Arts London, who congratulated all students for their work. She added: “I particularly appreciated that some students depicted this sense of a loss of personal connection in isolation, while others took a different approach and reflected on the positive consequences of isolation – such as the drop in pollution levels. With great work emerging from such a challenging time … it has become clear that art brings us together.”
Congratulations to all participants, organizers, winners or members of winning teams in all competitions.
In the Art Competition, 5 excellent works were chosen: 1. Shan Shan Chen (Y5) 2. Olga Kosjakova (Y4) 3. Sonya Kalinina (Y2) 4. Annabel Morrisova (Y3) 5. Elsa Srsnova (Y1)
Fred and Kristýnka, Student Council President and Vice-President
We are very pleased to announce that The English College in Prague has been selected as one of seven COBIS Training Schools after a competitive global application process. The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) is the premiere association of British schools of quality overseas. It is serving educational institutions around the world.
About the programme
The Training Schools programme was created “to enable schools to demonstrate the breadth and quality of their commitment to professional development,” according to COBIS. It focuses on career progression routes, initial teacher training and whole school workforce development. Training Schools serve as “regional hubs” for professional learning events and model best practice in the development of educators. COBIS also hopes the programme will help support the growth of the global teacher workforce in the long-term.
Dr Fiona Rogers, Deputy CEO and Director of Professional Development and Research at COBIS, wrote that The ECP promotes “good ideas backed up by enthusiasm, commitment of time and regular feedback to the SLT. As a small school, they are well on their way.”
Sharing with the community
The ECP has hosted a number of conferences over the past few years. They include events for the Association of Central European Schools, the Akademie věd ČR and WomenEdCzech. We regularly facilitate or partake in International Baccalaureate (IB) “job-alikes.” These allow subject teachers from across the region to share pedagogical knowledge. Other vocational workshops are provided as well, such as an evening on teaching English literature in Czech schools and sessions on Online Safeguarding.
Moreover, ECP staff have shared locally and globally in their areas of expertise. We have had individual staff members speaking at conferences, examining papers for the IB Programme, delivering webinars on learning management systems, writing for academic publications and more. The ECP staff is truly a community of lifelong learners.
Our approach to professional development
Our mission statement for professional development is “To celebrate, support and enhance the teaching and learning at The ECP.” The already-talented ECP staff continue to engage in developing their own and colleagues’ teaching. We have established a collaborative professional learning community that includes:
Evidence-based practice. Evidence from primary and secondary research is paramount in our decision-making process.
Analysis and evaluation. We evaluate the effectiveness of our own teaching and change and adapt based on what we find.
A culture of trust and risk-taking. This allows colleagues to continually hone what they do in a supportive environment that recognises diversity.
We actively encourage educational research and the promotion of new ideas. Staff have proposed and enacted language exchanges, a Year 6-to-Year 1 mentoring scheme, Science trips, community building days and more. For those who want to explore career progression, there is a shadowing scheme in place. Recently, staff have completed accreditation for the Induction for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQT) or the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL).
This COBIS Training Schools recognition affirms The ECP’s commitment to lifelong learning, innovation, and sharing our best practice locally and globally. More information on the Training Schools Programme is available here.
Emily Rankin, Deputy Head for Upper School/Teaching & Learning
I’m sitting at my desk, looking into my computer – dressed up from the waist up, a dress and beads, there are flowers behind me on the ironing board and there is a candle next to me – and I have Mácha’s Máj book in black cover in front of me.
I have a feeling like I am about to maneuver a plane. It is easy to read the Máj poem on the Petřín hill and to speak to passers-by – but how will it work today? How will I connect with those who will be requesting to join? Will the little white flashing box support me or fail????
But we really have to read the Máj poem, the verses must be heard throughout Petřín as well as online. We must exclaim them into the world, we must not break the tradition.
We have our connections on Petřín hill. ECP students are loyal and they mediate the view of Mácha’s statue at Petřín. Thanks to them, all the rest of us connecting over the internet can be there as well. There are other loyal students, current and former, and even one of our parents joining in online, just like my children and their child…
This year, the Máj reading is happening online – we can’t call people to assemble – what if more people come than it is currently allowed, but we had our links there! So we were able to go ahead: Long is my journey! Vain is all calling!
Alena Švejdová, Deputy Head Co-Curriculum, Teacher of Czech
Please accept statistics, marketing cookies to view this embeded content. We use Google Workspace, so our school calendar and other documents are embedded here for your convenience.
Please accept statistics, marketing cookies to view this embeded content. We use Google Workspace, so our school calendar and other documents are embedded here for your convenience.
Please accept statistics, marketing cookies to view this embeded content. We use Google Workspace, so our school calendar and other documents are embedded here for your convenience.
