It’s a wrap, but it is just the beginning!
International School Partnership’s inaugural Festival of Amazing Learning feels transformational – it has created a seismic shift in building deeper connections, sharing innovative ideas and has ignited a buzz about learning across Malaysia.
Having spent the last couple of years hiding behind a mask, and for a long time restricted to a 10kms radius of our homes, it was long overdue to bring colleagues together.
In my role as Director of Learning – Malaysia, I have the privilege to visit our nine campuses to see, hear and feel all the learning-focused initiatives that are making a positive impact for our students. I needed a way, beyond a screen, to open eyes and hearts to the amazing learning happening across the country so my colleagues could be equally inspired. The challenge was set – bring people together to share, learn and connect.
Here’s a brief run down of the Festival of Amazing Learning 2022
The Festival Line-Up
All about the teachers, leaders and learners – rather than the ravers, rappers and grungers here. No mosh pits, but 56 Speaker Space hosts, many solo artists, but lots of duets and trios. Spaces centred around CPD, leadership, EAL, specialist primary or secondary areas, student leadership, parents and carers and more, to choose from for the 5 time slots over the day.
All speakers came from one of our nine schools as far north as Penang, and as south as Johor Bahru, or from our regional ISP team based in KL. Speakers volunteered their time to share experiences, resources and to inspire their colleagues.
From Campus Principals who have been on the stage more times than Paul McCartney, to newcomers like Billie Eilish, each act embraced their stage with courage and confidence.
No glow-in-the-dark wrist-bands but 250 festival goers ready with their branded bag filled with customised timetable to detail their preferred Speaker Space sessions with times, room numbers, maps and a handy water bottle!
The Headliners and the rest
Teach Meet presenters got the audience warmed up with fast, fun topics and brilliantly delivered to the crowd with courage and personality.
One Head of Primary tested the threat of dodgeballs being fired at her in order to stick to the timings (and we did, but gently!) and at the halfway point attendees were scrabbling under their chairs searching for a golden ticket placed at random, to win a voucher!
Speaker Space hosts delivered engaging, learning-focused sessions and provided key takeaways for their attendees. In the most talked about sessions, interactive strategies, reflection opportunities and sharing best practice proved to be a hit.
Break Out Rooms gave opportunity for a more intimate gig. Twelve interests for everyone to choose from, festival goers met like-minded colleagues and purposeful chat was encouraged around all things learning specific about the topics on offer.
The Atmosphere
Electric! You couldn’t ignore it and the positivity was contagious!
Thankfully for this festival no mud was involved, no wellies needed and not a port-a-loo in sight. The Malaysian sun shone and the school selfies at the end of the day may even suggest that teams were possibly even tighter than before!
New connections talking about learning in the lunch queues! Sharing best practice, email contacts, chatting about their experiences as a speaker space host or as an attendee it was constant throughout the day in sessions, moving between sessions and back at the main stage where we started there were stories being talked about the learning.
Food helps the festival vibes, especially in Malaysia! Makan makan chant is key here and breakfast with the nations favourite, nasi lemak on the menu and the rest of the spread meant we started full! Our host school’s caterers dished up superb options over the event and the grill at the social was a perfect way to complete the day.
The Pyramid, The Main Stage…the tents aka the learning spaces
Starting and finishing at The Main Stage bought the crowds together to hear familiar tunes about learning, and although no voices particularly (at all) tuneful, the festival goers were revved up by the headline acts, and gave appreciation and gratitude to colleagues stepping onto the stage and into the arena to enable the day to happen.
Mixing up the learning spaces and providing transition time between sessions gave time to grab ‘n go curry puffs on route, and get some steps in over the course of the day. A great opportunity for visitors to gather a sense of the shared ideas through the visuals purposefully placed around the site.
From the multi-purpose hall for the largest audiences, to the secondary ICT suites, to the new outdoor kinesthetic play area in Early Years, festival goers had a built in tour of a few acres of the 20 on offer at ISP Malaysia’s flagship school, Tenby Setia Eco Park.
The Next Steps
My brain is in overdrive reflecting and hatching ideas to continue improving the quality of learning experiences, to grow and nurture the talent we have, and keep expanding the connection possibilities across our International Schools Partnership schools here in Malaysia and beyond, but that’s for another day!
I have been fortunate to have visited Asia Pacific Schools, Tenby Setia EcoHill, Tenby Tropicana Aman and Tenby Setia Eco Park this week and corridor conversations have shared how inspiration levels are sky high, new strategies have been tried and new connections and collaboration have started – all as a result of the festival vibes!
Not quite the history and traditions as other festivals but it’s now on the Malaysia International Schools Partnership’s annual calendar (what have I done?!) and I’ll be looking for headliners and class acts for 2023!
The date is yet to be marked, but as soon as it is make sure you are in the ticket queue quickly.
The festival is just one of the many CPD opportunities on offer for teachers in the Malaysia region of ISP schools. Plenty of exceptional courses and programmes compliment the regional and internal school offer, from our ISP central team who provide high quality training for teacher professional learning and leadership development. Check out the ISP website here.
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