Presenter: Patrick Newell

Did you know you can improve student performance by up to 20% through enhancing their Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills?

Nurturing teachers and parents 32 Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills is crucial to enable them to care for themselves and others they serve. Join us to learn to raise your personal awareness and potential strategies to increase your and your student’s probability of success.

Discover the 32 Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills that contribute to our well-being and allow us to reach our potential. Each participant will take and instantly receive their strengths and weaknesses results related to these 32 skills divided into six domains (Cooperation, Emotional Resilience, Innovation, Self Management, Social Engagement, and Compound). We will also engage in discussions focusing on strategies and methods to enhance these 32 skills.

Also a note participants will be taking a short test prior to the workshop.

About Patrick Newell
Patrick, educated in California, moved to Japan in 1991, focusing on innovative learning programs. Concerned about outdated educational methods, he founded Tokyo International School (TIS) in 1995, a progressive model school. By 2005, TIS integrated a 1:1 laptop program, becoming an Apple Lighthouse school. Patrick's influence in education expanded as he revised the accreditation model for 1,800 schools, ensuring the integration of 21st Century Skills.

In 2009, inspired by TED, Patrick co-founded TEDxTokyo, the first TEDx outside the USA. That same year, he produced "21:21," a documentary on 21st-century learning. Patrick later taught at Shizenkan University and advised Jiyugaoka Gakuen, emphasizing Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills. By 2023, he launched SEL Japan, focusing on holistic educational development.

His Japanese publications include "TED Power" (2014), "21st Century Skills to Nurture a Children's Future" (2015), and "Strategies for Keeping Japan #1" (2019).

Presenter: Isaac Guetersloh

Explore the nuances between organic and inorganic happiness, and understand how certain perceptions can inadvertently set unrealistic expectations for students, leading to stress. Dive deep into the evolution of discipline and the methods we've adopted over time to shape desired behaviors in children.

Address prevalent challenges faced by educators in classrooms, especially when interacting with young learners. Discover strategies to mitigate teacher stress by reshaping expectations, ensuring a more rewarding teaching experience. Engage in a collaborative discussion, sharing personal classroom stressors and brainstorming solutions with peers.

About Isaac Guetersloh
Isaac Guetersloh, holding a Masters of Education from the University of Kansas, has dedicated over a decade to education. As the Principal of Joy to the World American International School in Tokyo, he oversees curriculum, teaching standards, and daily operations. Beyond administration, Isaac has taught at various kindergarten levels and co-founded ELITE SENSEI, an English school. He's also been an English Workshop Administrator with Benesse Corporation.

Previous Workshops:

• Speaker at the English Teachers of Japan Workshop, discussing “Teaching Digital Literacy Inside Kindergarten Classrooms.”
• Speaker at the Asia-Pacific International School Conference in Hong Kong, presenting on “Creating Critical Thinking in Kindergarten Classrooms.

Presenter: Christopher Holland

Please note this is an all day session.

Tokyo CPR & First Aid is the leading emergency response training service in Tokyo servicing the international community for more than 15 years. With its full color textbooks and streamlined skills and hands on approach to learning, it is easy to have fun and get engaged with coursework and life-saving skills that mean so much to ourselves, those in our care and to our fellow neighbor.

Take a course, have fun, and equip yourself with skills that enable you to help when your help is needed.

Presenter: Darren Cowlbeck

"Our brains are compelled to find meaning from something that stands out. Therefore we use colour to emphasise, it’s like shouting that this colour or element has the greatest value. However, colour has moods, psychological associations that are symbolic of ideas, concepts and feelings.

In this presentation you will learn how color can help you organize your classroom to become the optimal psychological space for children to thrive and develop. Learn about calming colors, happy colors etc. and how to choose colors to emphasize specific areas in your classroom.

Psychological profiling using colour provides an exciting window of expression that everyone can understand and gives visual insights into accepting or adapting human interactions. So, what’s your colour ..?"

About Darren Cowlbeck
My name is Darren Cowlbeck and I am a psychologist and communication consultant with over 30 years of experience in the healthcare field. I specialise in understanding motivation in learning behaviour, especially the influence of colour and shape on the uptake and retention of knowledge. As a psychologist, I strive to help my clients reach their full potential and understand their psychological needs.

When I am not working, I enjoy taking my two dogs for a walk or reading a good book. I am passionate about the work I do and am committed to providing the best possible services to my clients.

Presenter: Merete Kropp

How can children learn more than one language at once?
What does research tell us about dual language learning during the early childhood years?
What are current best practices for teachers of children who are learning multiple languages?
How can teachers support parents whose children are learning more than one language during early childhood?

About Merete Kropp
Merete grew up internationally and spoke three languages before she started school. After completing compulsory education in both Norwegian and English, Merete continued on to higher education in the United States. As an undergraduate, she studied Early Childhood & Elementary Education. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Language Education from Indiana University and an Ed. M. in Human Development and Psychology at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Merete is eager to share research and information she has learned throughout 30 years of teaching and leadership in international schools that serve multi-lingual children.

Presenter: Ann Nishigaya

About Ann Nishigaya
Ann Nishigaya was born and raised in the United States and has more than 20 years of experience working with children.

She holds a BA from the University of Washington and a MA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Sheffield in the UK.

Ann moved to Japan in 2009 and was the Education Director at Willowbrook International School in Tokyo for almost 10 years before deciding to open Tokyo Children’s Garden.

Having experience in inquiry-based learning in three different countries, including experience in the International Baccalaureate program, has given Ann a unique perspective on how children learn best.

Ann believes that changes in the world start in the classroom and is very passionate about professional development for teachers. She presents at workshops and seminars for educators in Tokyo and around Japan and is a long standing member on the board of directors for the Tokyo Association of International Preschools (TAIP), an organization dedicated to the professional development and promotion of international schools in Japan.

Presenter: Frederick Lauer

Discover the transformative power of outdoor education in cultivating curious and lifelong learners with 'Early Explorers'.

About Frederick Lauer

Co-founder and Representative Kamui Kids
Forest Kindergarten and Self-directed education Facilitator

From Wisconsin, USA. Fred earned a Bachelor's degree in Japanese and East Asian Cultures from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He obtained a Master of Science degree in Systems Ecology from the University of Montana, where he published award winning research.

He has five years of experience teaching English to high school students in Chiba Prefecture, and more than 5 years of experience teaching English to early learners in Gunma Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture.

Currently, he is researching early childhood education, child psychology and development, and outdoor education to improve the lives of children in Japan. He co-founded Kamui Kids in 2021, which provides outdoor programming for children through forest kindergartens, workshops, and summer youth camps. His most recent efforts are centered on providing alternative learning opportunities for the growing number of children who refuse to attend schools.

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Presenter: Allison Hasegawa

The workshop delves into the use of picturebooks as a medium to facilitate Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) for young learners. The presentation covers the background of the joint research project, the rationale behind using picturebooks and an interactive approach, an introduction to SEL, the steps of reflective practice, details of their sessions, and the results.

About Allison Hasegawa
As a qualified primary school teacher, a teacher of young learners for over 20 years and then a teacher-trainer at Miyagi University of Education for 10 years, my research has almost solely been focused on young learners.

Picturebook read-alouds can be an engaging activity that develops a wide range of literacies including emotional, or cultural literacy. I am currently undertaking classroom-based research with a focus on facilitating social-emotional learning and intercultural learning through picturebooks in various EFL settings.

My research looks at learners' responses to read-alouds, both written and artistic, with the aim of educating holistically through this approach.

Presenter: Karen Carmeli

In this workshop we will focus on a specific stressful situation. We will move in different ways to get to know the automatic response holistically and explore how the physical sensation in the body can be alleviated. Through breathing, writing and movement exercises you will experience. how stress manifests in the body and how to release it. You will learn to identify and control the automatic pattern that causes you pain and discomfort. You will discover your own special power that exists within you and how to express it fully. I recommend to bring: Comfortable clothes, writing tools, a bottle of water.

About Karen Carmeli
Holistic therapist
Born Tel Aviv, Israel.
Trained in Israel, Europe and Japan.
Working at Tokyo Paramedi since 2010.

At the clinic, I teach my patients from all over the world how to release tension, let go of chronic pain, emotional fatigue, and gain more energy. This empowers them to live their lives with much more freedom of movement and expression.

I firmly believe that we are all born with natural strength and the ability to learn and develop in a beneficial way. Learning is a holistic experience, and when you learn through the body, the experience becomes more powerful and profound. Once we understand ourselves and feel comfortable in our own bodies, it becomes easy to understand and communicate with others as well.

My background is diverse, encompassing music, theater, and teaching. These days, I'm delving into studying parental guidance for ages for 0-matriculation. I also develop workshops tailored for parents, teachers, and stage professionals.
On a personal note, I am married and the proud mother of a 10-year-old boy.