Collaboration at TIS: Beyond Four Walls

Collaboration is a vital part of a successful school. At TIS, it is a fundamental part of our practice as teachers and a part of integrating and contributing to the wider community. Collaboration is not just about meeting and sharing ideas, but about making a difference in aspects of our lives and others.

Collaboration at School

Teachers in their professional capacity use collaboration to strengthen their own personal practice and to support student achievement. Grade team and Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings are utilized to examine student learning, determine the next steps in supporting student success and sharing instructional strategies that have worked to enrich student engagement.

Each teacher is also a part of a school committee that supports the school in a variety of capacities. For example, the Community Outreach Committee supports the development of Community Days and works closely with the Parent Association on their events. Committees are a collaborative group of teachers from all departments coming together to examine school improvement and support teachers, students and the community.

As a school, we value each and every family that is a part of our community. As such, each parent is immediately a member of our Parent Association. Collaborating with parents in this capacity, allows the school to hear from families, work with them to develop a shared voice on matters and strengthen the community at school. The role of the Parent Association is invaluable and collaborating with them bridges school and community relationships.

Community Collaboration

TIS is about more than being a school. It is about being an active member of the local community. Local options during Experience Week, provide students the opportunity to actively participate in the community and support the positive growth and care of Macao.

Experience Week options have included working to support biodiversity and the planting of mangrove trees as well as working with CARITAS to engage with the elderly and at an orphanage. These important opportunities build strong connections for our students to be active citizens in the community they live in.

TIS also has an active Volunteer Team that has worked and collaborated with different organizations in the local community. This includes working with Caritas Macau and the Richmond Fellowship of Macau to raise funds to support their charities. The Volunteer Team over the years has been a strong presence within the Macao and continues to be active in supporting our community.

TIS has also partnered with different groups around Macao to support important causes. TIS is a proud partner of the Run of Hope. This important event supports cancer research and orphanage care in Macao. These are just a few examples of the many ways that TIS collaborates at the local level.

Global Collaboration

At TIS, we also seek to collaborate on a global scale. We look to develop internationally minded children and by creating opportunities to support global initiatives, children build greater awareness about the wider community we live in.

Last year we began the Activist-in-Residence program and it has been met with great success and enthusiasm. By collaborating with Inspire Citizens, we had the incredible opportunity to work with Salva Dut and examine the need for safe, clean water and how our actions can make a difference. This year, we have the pleasure of working with Songqiao Yao and Inspire Citizens to explore how we can make changes in our local actions to preserve biodiversity, reduce deforestation in the Amazon and impact climate change. These collaborations are vital for our children to be a part of, as they will be inheriting this world and their learning about making a difference can affect future generations.

Overall, this is but a small sample of the many ways we collaborate at TIS. Collaboration when brought to its full potential is a powerful process. It develops stronger relationships, improves the wellbeing of others and ensures we are aware of the importance of working together to solve meaningful and relevant issues.