AGIS Conference 2026 Potsdam

Working Together To Support Learning

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9:00am CEST

Educating the Whole Child: Brain Science for Everyday Teaching - Learners Have to Maslow Before They Can Bloom.

Sunday September 20, 2026 9:00am - 11:30am CEST

Teaching for maximum learning requires more than delivering content - it requires understanding how the brain learns best. This session explores the science of the brain and the powerful connection between social-emotional development and academic success. Designed for teachers at every level, the session examines how factors such as relationships, emotion, stress, motivation, and belonging directly influence attention, memory, and learning. Participants will gain practical, brain-based insights into how supportive learning environments and intentional instructional practices can foster both emotional well-being and academic growth. By connecting neuroscience with classroom realities, this session highlights strategies that help educators create safe, engaging, and responsive learning spaces where students can thrive. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of why social-emotional learning is essential, not separate, from academic achievement, and how aligning instruction with how the brain works supports the whole child.

Session:
Social Emotional Learning and it´s connection to brain and a workshop
Memory Is Not a Filing Cabinet: How Brains Actually Remember
Reflections, sharing, takeaways

Speakers

Mandy Madnikoff

Primary School Assistant Principal, Leipzig International School

With nearly two decades in education, I’ve come to believe that meaningful learning starts with meaningful relationships. I’m passionate about building authentic connections with students - because when students feel known and valued, they’re far more open to academic growth... Read More →

Liene Leiskalne

Primary School Teacher, Leipzig International School

I am a dedicated teacher, shaping the future one mind and one heart at a time.
I am passionate about fostering student curiosity and I believe that only students that feel safe and accepted in their learning environment can reach their full potential as learners.

I am an experienc... Read More →

Sunday September 20, 2026 9:00am - 11:30am CEST
0.239 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

Two-Hour Workshop

Audience Whole school for educators
Subject Transdisciplinary
global Y

9:00am CEST

The Learning Design Lab: Practical Tools for Every Learner

Sunday September 20, 2026 9:00am - 11:30am CEST

0.245

We've all had that lesson. The one that flopped. The one where you could feel the room slip away and you kept going anyway, wondering what went wrong.
This workshop is built around that moment.
Bring a lesson that didn't land, or one you've always wanted to do differently. Over the course of the session, we'll dig into what inclusive, accessible design actually looks like in practice: how knowledge gets expressed, how feedback reaches learners, and how the right tools can change what's possible in a classroom. Then you'll redesign it with support, with peers, and with a toolkit you'll keep using long after the conference.
No perfect lessons required. Just curiosity and something worth rethinking.

9:00–9:15 Creative Provocation
Streamlined drawing task
9:15–9:45 Tools & Frameworks Overview
We will consider applications for assistive technology, feedback and data. We will highlight a few high-leverage tools and one feedback framework. We will share case studies.
9:45–10:00 Break
10:00 –10:45 Design Lab
Participants redesign one lesson/assessment using templates.
10:45–11:00 Break
11:00 – 11:30 Gallery Share & Implementation Planning
After exploring others designs, we will have a peer Share, then individual action planning and orientation to the resource site.

Speakers

Irina Bucur-Marcu

Learning Support Teacher, Berlin Metropolitan School

I am a Learning Support teacher and inclusion-focused educator with extensive experience in international schools across Europe, Africa, and the United States. My work is grounded in Universal Design for Learning, co-teaching, and practical systems that help reduce barriers to learning... Read More →

Jenny McManus

Learning Support Teacher, Berlin Metropolitan School

I am a learning support teacher with a background in cognitive science and anthropology. I take an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on neuroscience, culture, and human development to better understand how children learn.I focus on supporting neurodiverse learners through inclusive... Read More →

Sunday September 20, 2026 9:00am - 11:30am CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

Two-Hour Workshop