Nothing seems to strike fear into the hearts of our high schoolers and middle schoolers like the term “assessment”.
Academic Team Blog
At TASIS Portugal, shared stories and literature are central to the curriculum. We believe in the power of common literary experiences to connect students, spark discussions, and deepen understanding. When students read the same book, they gain broader perspectives and engage in meaningful discussions, fostering empathy and connection.
The early learning years of a child's life are an extraordinary time of rapid development and growth, laying the foundation for lifelong success.
Attention supports the basic cognitive functions of memory, processing, motor skills, and conceptual understanding. Without sufficient attention, very little learning takes place. The good news is that attention can be practiced and improved.
Institutions researching the impact of student wellbeing on academic achievement have identified a widespread interpretation of success defined only by grades, scores, or admission to the most elite universities. TASIS Portugal believes that student well-being is essential to learning.
At TASIS Portugal, we use ELLI (Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory) to support learners in developing the skills they need to be successful.
Each of our students at TASIS Portugal possesses unique strengths and interests. As educators, our job is to guide each of our students to realize their potential through a rich curriculum and best practices in instructional delivery and assessment.
We actively welcome parents as partners in the educational process and are consistently impressed with families' supportive and positive responses.
Being a good friend is probably the most frequent conversation teachers have with children. And just when you think your child has learned how to play nicely and interact positively with peers, hormones show up and change everything!
This lock-based game is a truly authentic learning experience for students that combines curriculum and character development to help teachers create 21st-century learners.
In addition to the subjects involved in this dynamic educational process, the environment is also an educator as the teachers provide an idealized, welcoming, active, inclusive, and collaborative approach to the learning and teaching of young minds.
Our culture of learning is the foundation for highly effective education. We are committed to evidence-based learning materials and high-impact teaching strategies, with Core Knowledge and Singapore Math as part of our DNA.
A comprehensive view of what makes a good student includes measuring their growth over a school year in factors both measurable and unmeasurable.
It is fascinating to see how a simple SEL (social-emotional learning) tool can create a powerful impact on young learners’ minds.
An explanation with resources of some very common science misconceptions and guidance for teachers and parents surrounding proper terminology and ideas.
PreK teacher Andrea Davis on her experience coaching Differentiated Instruction in Harvard's Graduate School of Education summer course.
A new teacher, a new classroom, new classmates, or a new school are big adjustments for children. Here are some ideas to help them (and YOU) start the new school year right.
As part of our ongoing professional development, each TASIS faculty member chose a title to read this summer. We invite those of you who love this kind of stuff to read along with us!
Academic assessment is a piece of a much larger puzzle and will never stand alone as the only marker of a TASIS Portugal student’s growing academic identity.
Without history, individuals are without identity. To be a person of the world, we need to know the past to understand the present and construct the future in harmony with others.
To learn and grow, we must come out of our comfort zone and into our learning zone. In the learning zone, we grow through what is called eustress, or good stress, positively pushing us to expand our skills, knowledge, and abilities.
As teachers, we are often faced with a range of different learning levels, interests, and learner profiles within our classrooms. So how can we teach a curriculum, respecting each and every individual, while catering to their personal needs, supporting them so that they may succeed as learners?
If we don’t learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it, and in order to learn from the past, we have to know and understand it. Our present society doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is the product of what came before, and to truly understand the society of today, we must understand the civilizations of the past.
Research shows that increasing social studies instruction is linked to improved reading ability. One common goal of education is to create critical thinkers. The study of history gives our students something to think critically about.
Students at TASIS Portugal learn and develop their social-emotional skills during general classroom instruction, through leadership and service opportunities, during assemblies where students are recognized for their demonstration of the TASIS Portugal ideals, and every day in our SEL classes.
During the pandemic, both students and teachers have been forced into utilizing technological solutions to replace face-to-face learning. Most educators and parents view this as a negative effect on student learning. However, it’s not all bad news.
TASIS Portugal is committed to treating our faculty like the professionals they are, and prioritizes their continued learning. We know this sets us apart as an employer, and more importantly, we know this sets our teachers apart in their effectiveness with students.
Recently, during our online learning program, 5th grade students had the opportunity to participate in a hands-on lab experience, even though they were not able to be at school. This is one of the beautiful things about Amplify Science and the NGSS. The content engages students in working towards the practical skills and content that they need to succeed.
Mathematical problem solving is fundamental to mathematical thinking, so it is important that as students manipulate the math materials or pictorials during hands-on activities, they are given ample time to think, ask questions, and talk through their ideas.
Our teachers are constantly looking to find ways to improve student learning through effective teaching. That is the never-ending goal of teaching: how to help students become better learners while building their confidence, their skills, and their knowledge.
Parents can support coding and computational thinking even without a computer or tablet! (We do off-screen or unplugged activities in school as well.) Here are ideas for things that can be done at home.
There is a richness to Core Knowledge–it is not just reading instruction and math—that is not always found in other programs. It’s so fun to teach! Core Knowledge integrates subjects and provides a well-rounded education.
Teachers aim to meet the needs of all learners, including those who learn visually, those who need step-by-step procedural checklists, and those who need external motivation and encouragement. They also aim to meet the needs of the rushers, the memorizers, and the students who think abstractly with ease.
Because children spend more of their waking hours at school than at home, we are cognizant of the fact that we (teachers and parents) are raising these children together. A growth mindset approach is one of the ways parents and teachers can partner to support student success.
In the Early Learning Center, teachers give regular feedback and encouragement and set goals for their students, but it is also important that even our youngest students reflect on their achievements and acknowledge areas in which they could improve.
At TASIS Portugal, we aim to cultivate a safe, caring, and positive learning environment for all students. Through the integration of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) frameworks, students are provided with the recognition and tools they need to thrive as confident lifelong learners.
At TASIS Portugal, we embed social and emotional learning within our academic and school-wide practices through the teaching and modeling of the CASEL 5.
Reading is one of the essential literacy skills that influences all other areas of learning. It is not a skill that develops without explicit instruction nor without sufficient practice.
Faculty professional development continues throughout the school year. As part of this, a cohort of founding TASIS Portugal teachers took part in a 13-week course in Visible Thinking through Harvard's Graduate School of Education.
As founding faculty and families at TASIS Portugal, we have a unique opportunity to build a healthy community from the beginning. Creating a healthy and respectful school culture is easiest when it is intentionally created at the start of the relationship.
When students have life experiences to reference, they often find it easier to connect with stories and ideas they find in books. Fiction and nonfiction open up worlds of thought, imagination, and expression.
Even though the early learning teachers at TASIS have delivered different pedagogy, our ethos unites us. Our teachers recognize that every individual learns at her/his own pace and respect each child’s unique learning path.
TASIS Portugal uses Singapore Math because the lessons empower students to develop critical thinking skills, positive attitudes, and confidence. We want students to be high-achieving mathematicians and we want them to love math!
In order to create the best learning outcomes, we hired the finest teachers, selected outstanding curricula, and committed ourselves to creating a supportive yet challenging school culture of high expectations.
Assessment as learning helps students take more responsibility for their own learning and monitor future direction.
The end goal of assessment should be to assist learning, not just to measure it.
Forest school programs provide an opportunity for children to excel in areas such as practical and physical skills, emotional and social skills, creativity, and communication. They also give children a chance to reflect, giving them time to think about themselves and adopt a healthy self-image.
How will we balance skills, knowledge, and critical thinking at TASIS Portugal? We believe that through explicit mediated instruction of fundamental skills and hands-on, project-based learning, teachers help students develop appropriate independence as they navigate their unique learning experience.