About Stephen

@sjtylr_round

Currently Director of Innovation in Learning and Teaching at Western Academy Beijing, I came to China in 2018 after serving as PreK-12 Director of Learning and IBMYP Coordinator at Canadian Academy, Kobe, Japan. Former MYP Coordinator, HOD Science and IBDP Biology and MYP Science teacher. Middle school girls’ football coach and Roots & Shoots supervisor. IBEN school visitor, candidate school consultant, Project Zero online coach.

I am very active on Twitter (@sjtylr). I created and managed the #MYPChat chats and the @MYPChat roaming account, and love the shared practice and collegiality that our community demonstrates. I’m the author of i-Biology.net, and believe that from our position of privilege in international schools we should share resources, ideas, successes and challenges.

surfaidsup.jpg

Father of two Cross Culture Kids, living in Beijing via Kobe in Japan, Bandung & Jakarta in Indonesia and originally from the UK.

I graduated from the MA in International Education pathway at the University of Bath in 2016 and try to think critically about my teaching and act on my learning. I’m currently on the Bath EdD programme.

I am an active IB educator, supporting new MYP schools on their journey to authorisation. I am also a team coach for the online course “Creating Cultures of Thinking” with Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Current interests include student-centred strategic planning, internationalism, using evidence-based teaching practices in compelling inquiry and making meaningful use of educational technology. As a coordinator and coach I value compassionate, clear leadership using a shared language. To support this, I enjoy creating graphics and process models that can be used to support thinking.

The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of my school or the IB. If you want to contact me to write or present, it’s best to use the email above.

Other roles

  • Former Co-chair of the MYP East Asia Network (Japan & Korea).
  • Former Chair of DPDunia (the Indonesian IBDP Schools’ Network), and co-created the “Dunia” teachers’ conference.
  • Initiated & sustained #MYPChat and the more recent @MYPChat community roaming account as a PLN for MYP educators.
  • HGSE Project Zero online “Creating Cultures of Thinking” coach.

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BlogPosts & Resources

These are from here and from i-Biology.net, organised by topic and some go back as far as 2010. I tend to “write to think” and  I usually have 2-3 drafts in progress. The last year of pandemic has slowed writing down and paused further study; I hope to get back to it soon. Writing comes in fits and starts, though this collection represents an evolution of thought and practice, inspired by current work, reading, my Twitter PLN and MA studies/ academic work. It includes some conference/workshop presentations and pieces for International School Magazine and the Journal of Research in International Education.

To see some of my most recent work, see a collection of LibGuides here.

Inquiry & Learning

Defining Inquiry
Defining Inquiry: A Pragmatic Approach

International-Mindedness and Global Engagement (IMaGE)

IMaGEAnimation
My MA Dissertation

Curriculum

bubbles
The Buoyant Force: Accelerate, Expand

Learners and the ATLs

ATL-Animated-@sjtylr
ATL Resources

Pedagogy & Practice

@sjtylr Webb's DOK4 as a -Transfer Filter-
DOK4 as a “Transfer Filter”

Project Zero: Coaching & Resourcing

PZLogo coach teams for the online Creating Cultures of Thinking course.

As with other elements of my roles, I try to increase accessibility to ideas through creating and curating graphics. All of it is posted on my PZ Libguide.

Educational Technology

On the MYP & DP: Curriculum, Assessment & Practice

IDU Planning @sjtylr
IDU Planning FlowChart

Service Learning

Service Learning Cycle Poster [Cycle Only]

Professional Learning

TankyuuGifsjtylr

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Short Third-person Biography

I’ve been asked to produce this for a couple of things, so here it is. 

Stephen is currently the Director of Innovation in Learning and Teaching, at Western Academy Beijing.  He was recently PK-12 Director of Learning and MYP Coordinator at Canadian Academy, Kobe, Japan and was recently co-Chair of the MYP East Asia (Japan-Korea) network of MYP schools. He was formerly an IBDP Coordinator in Bandung, Indonesia and until recently taught IBDP Biology and MYP Sciences. He is a UK-trained teacher with a keen interest in international education, curriculum development, educational technologies, pedagogical leadership and reflective practice. He has an MA in International Education with the University of Bath, a PGCE from Exeter and a BSc. Hons. in Marine Biology from Queen’s University, Belfast. With a philosophy of sharing, Stephen’s popular internet resources and i-Biology.net website support IBDP Biology and MYP Science teaching and learning while raising donations for a selection of charities. He probably tweets too much, and you can find him @sjtylr.

He writes personal and professional reflections on the blog sjtylr.net and is actively engaged in Twitter-based professional development, seeking and sharing resources and thoughts on science, education and #EdTech. He is one of the originators of #MYPChat and continues to enjoy learning with and from the PLN.

Stephen has presented at two IB Regional Conferences  MYP Mind the Gap: Tensions in Transitions between MYP and IBDP (2013) and Hack The MYP (2017), as well as Google Apps for Education Summits (Ready, Steady, Flow). He presented his dissertation (The IMaGE of an International School?) at the University of Bath’s 50th Anniversary Conference on International Education (2017) and continues to pursue his interest in research in this field.

His MYP and DP journey began in Jakarta in 2006, working towards authorisation for both programmes as a teacher at Tunas Muda International School. It continues in 2018 with a move to Western Academy Beijing to get back into the science lab as a teacher and to support colleagues as learning/tech coach.

Even Briefer Bio

Stephen has been involved in international education in IB schools since 2006 and is an experienced MYP Sciences and IBDP Biology teacher, Diploma and Middle Years Programme Coordinator. A UK-trained science teacher with a Marine Biology background and an MA in International Education, Stephen has a strong interest in effective, empowering inquiry education, putting research to practice and making the most of educational technologies. With a philosophy of sharing and collaboration, Stephen’s popular resources and i-Biology.net site support teachers and learners in MYP and DP, whilst raising charitable donations through Biology4Good. He writes about curriculum, pedagogy, technology and international education on sjtylr.net, has presented at a range of conferences/workshops and probably tweets too much (@sjtylr). Beginning his adventures in international education in Bandung, Indonesia, he is currently PreK-12 Director of Learning & MYP Coordinator at Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan and enjoys family, travel, surf, snow and service learning.

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My CV at a glance (updated 2018)

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Comments

8 responses to “About Stephen”

  1. […] used this with different schools including Canadian Academy in Kobe when I was working with Stephen Taylor and the CA faculty to implement creative […]

  2. […] mentioned that Stephen Taylor who was also a guest in the workshop, spoke about the human side of implementation, and I echo […]

  3. patreid Avatar

    Hi Stephen, would you be able to provide a Google or Word version of the Peer feedback form you created? Also, I am thinking of including in something I am writing. I will, of course, provide a reference back to you.

  4. Kasey Avatar
    Kasey

    I am blown away at the amount and quality of the resources you have created and shared. Thank you! You inspire me.

  5. lifeschooljakarta Avatar

    This is very informative and interesting for me. Thank you for such a wonderful article and for sharing. God bless you. We also provide service for French International School Jakarta for more info visit our website.

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