Leadership

The role of an Early Years teacher is to encourage children to take ownership of their thoughts and ideas so they know their voices are listened to and respected. Teachers are also meant to foster a love and motivation of learning that will continue through a child’s education journey.

An inquiry-based learning environment encourages development and active participation in exploration, investigation and problem solving. Our classroom environments and activities are carefully planned with natural materials to help children connect with nature inside and outside the classroom. We understand that each child is unique and develops and learns in different ways and at different rates, thus we encourage children to learn in ways that suit their abilities and interests. We have respect for each other and learn to build positive relationships with our peers and teachers.

I believe that an Early Years Teacher’s role in the classroom is to not only teach but to bring balance to their students and to help them in all areas of their learning.

Here at HAIS, we consider a curriculum of play-based learning to be the most effective way of educating our young learners. We recognise that every child learns in a different way so we endeavour to incorporate multi-sensory learning to keep our lessons fun and interesting and our students engaged. Recognising that learning does not only occur in the classroom, our teachers in our Early Years Team utilise all areas of the campus to better enhance their lessons and direct their students to new and fascinating learning opportunities. Communication is key and because of this, we offer a variety of tools for communication so our parents never miss any academic achievements or learning milestones.

Finally, it is our shared opinion that a happy child is a healthy child, which is why we create a student-centred learning environment that ensures that all of our students go home each day with a big smile and come back to school the following day ready and excited to start a new day of learning.

The role of the International Bilingual Early Years Coordinator is to be the conduit between the two streams of curricula we have in our Early Years sector.

The primary school years are a time for children to explore, interact and develop an understanding of their place within their school, local and global communities. Children at this stage of their lives are naturally curious about the world around them and it is the work of teachers to expand and nurture this curiosity to encourage all students to become life-long learners.

I would like to extend the warmest of greetings to the HAIS community and inform you all of how blessed I feel to now be a part of this community. I have been teaching students in primary schools for the past decade and have developed a passion for the craft of education. My first eight years were spent teaching in Australian schools where I developed an understanding of holistic education and its vital role in the development of all children. I moved to Vietnam with my wife and two children a few years ago, where I became Head of Studies in an international school in Binh Duong before moving to Hoi An. 

It is my goal to be actively involved in the education of all students within the Primary School and to form meaningful relationships with all members of the wider school community. As International Primary Learning Lead, I will work closely with students, parents and teachers to ensure robust teaching and learning within the Cambridge Curriculum and allow the opportunity for each child to reach their full potential. I may be biased, but teachers are among the most wonderful people in the world and they have chosen to dedicate their careers to not only the children under their care but to add a significant contribution to future generations. With this in mind, I plan to support teachers to make their job as impactful as possible so that each student can actively engage in all aspects of school life.

Finally, I place children’s social and emotional well-being at the forefront of all I do. Student’s should feel safe and free to experiment within all aspects of life, both inside and outside of the classroom and school. They should be comfortable making mistakes as it is through our mistakes that we learn. They should be encouraged by the adults in their lives to not only perform well during their schooling years but to develop an awareness of the endless possibilities that will unfold throughout the rest of their lives.

The psychological development and well-being of primary school children are difficult for many people to understand. Primary School marks the transition period from childhood to adolescence; it is an important stage in a child’s physical, intellectual and emotional development. During this time, students experience many new social relationships, emotions and newly formed thought patterns. As a Primary School teacher at HAIS, I improve my teaching skills daily and consistently communicate with the students. When they feel comfortable, and they trust their teacher, they more readily express their feelings and thoughts without hesitation to learn more about the world around them.

This is my first year as the Bilingual Primary Learning Lead and I know it will be a challenge. However, I am very proud of our teaching staff in the Bilingual Primary sector, who all have a lot of teaching experience. We are all here at HAIS because we have the same passion for education and we want our students to excel at this happy school.

Being bilingual is an invaluable skill in today’s world. It enables students to expand their social horizons and broadens their engagement with the world around them.

In our Bilingual Programme, we are responsible for teaching our students English and Vietnamese in a dual-language setting. In doing this, we promote literacy and fluency in both languages. Our students develop lifelong skills that can benefit both their personal and educational lives.

In the Bilingual Programme, we develop activities so that our students are able to practice both languages in a meaningful context. We help our students to effectively connect with people of different cultures and backgrounds, increasing their ability to empathise with others and promote emotional intelligence.

Being fully bilingual myself helps me to understand the challenges that learning two languages at once may bring. In addition to learning grammar and vocabulary, we also
emphasise connecting English to our emotions, memories and feelings about the world around us.

As the International Bilingual Learning Lead my role is to oversee the English curriculum within the Bilingual Programme. I aim to motivate and provide opportunities for our students
in ascertaining their strengths and abilities and for them to be independent learners. I aim to create a safe and fun learning environment in which our students can strive and
reach their full potential.

I believe in the importance of every child feel valued in a learning environment that develops their confidence to explore and question things. I understand how valuable and important it is for children to enjoy their learning and take ownership
of it.

My theory of learning is centred on engagement and intrinsic motivation. I strongly believe that students respond favourably to choices where they can take ownership over their work and progress. My guiding aim is to create an environment where students feel moved to learn. Cultivating this intrinsic motivation will make for engaged and passionate learners who can succeed academically.

Alongside this, I believe that education should be grounded in the development of skills. This can be achieved through the integration of interactive, collaborative and project-based learning in the classroom, with an aim to develop critical thinking skills in learners. Connecting curriculum to real-world experiences provides students with a context for their learning; it results in transferable skills and knowledge which can be taken outside of the classroom. It is my aim to build a learning environment which keeps up with the development of our global world and equips students with the skills to achieve their academic potential. Above all, my guiding principle as an educator is to create an environment where learners feel safe, confident and empowered to embrace learning with interest and enthusiasm.

Central to any curriculum, and to the all-round development of a child, is the pursuit of the Arts. Thinking and working artistically develops a child’s confidence, technical skills, creativity and independence. It also offers opportunities for self-expression and to work without the fear of being ‘wrong,’ as art is a personal and subjective pursuit.

My aim is to create an inspiring learning environment so students may explore a range of themes, materials, techniques and artists imaginatively, creatively and through encouragement, with increasing confidence and independence.

Encompassed in this area at HAIS are Art, Music and PE. As the Art Teacher and Learning Lead, I am thrilled with the many exciting opportunities the year holds for our students.