AGIS Conference 2026 Potsdam: Full Schedule

Working Together To Support Learning

9:00am CEST

AGIS Finances & Accounting Working Group

Friday September 18, 2026 9:00am - 3:45pm CEST

We would like to revive the accountants' round table. This working group is intended to serve as an exchange for all accountants. New legal developments and their implementation within the schools will be discussed. Furthermore, different processes and challenges of the accounting departments of the different international schools will be reviewed.

Speakers

Anne Winkler

Manager of Finances & Accounting at LIS, Leipzig International School

I am Anne, Manager of Finances & Accounting at Leipzig International School.

Melanie Gangloff,

Deputy Manager of Finances & Accounting at LIS, Leipzig International School

To be added later

Friday September 18, 2026 9:00am - 3:45pm CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

Full-Day Workshop

Audience Administrative staff
Subject Design

9:00am CEST

EAL Working Group Pre-Conference

Friday September 18, 2026 9:00am - 3:45pm CEST

0.245

This pre-conference aims to continue the development of a support network among EAL teachers in AGIS schools, building on the foundations in last year’s AGIS preconference and the monthly online meetings. It will offer the platform to exchange effective practices, strategies, resources and systems that enhance support for our English language learners and teachers. EAL working group members will contribute to shaping the topics and sessions featured at the AGIS Pre-Conference 2026.

Speakers

Courtenay Comiskey

Secondary EAL / I&S, Grade 6 Lead Teacher, Leipzig International School

to be added later

Mirjam Strauss-Paris

to be added later, Munich International School

To be added later

Friday September 18, 2026 9:00am - 3:45pm CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

Full-Day Workshop

Audience Whole school for educators
Subject Language Learning

9:45am CEST

The Significance of Visual Elements in Non-literary Texts in the Diploma Language A, Language and Literature Courses

Saturday September 19, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CEST

0.245

This workshop will discuss the significance/application of visual elements in non-literary texts in the Diploma Language A, Language and Literature courses. In Paper 1, the focus will be on the successful analysis and application of mainly criteria B and partially criteria A/C in relation to Paper 1 texts with visual elements. With regard to the Individual Oral, the selection of possible visual non-literary texts and their analysis in relation to various chosen global topics will be explored. Technical aspects such as colour schemes, composition, perspectives, symbols, implications and design concepts will be considered. The explanations in both parts of the IB-L&L-Exam are based on many years of experience as German L&L-DP-Teacher and as an German L&L-IB examiner, including participation in the respective standardisation teams. The workshop will be held in English. The selected texts will be GLL exam texts or German texts with mainly visual elements; existing text sections will be translated into English.
Participants in the workshop are expected to develop a deeper understanding of how visual elements function in non-literary texts within the context of the ‘DP Language A: Language and Literature’ course, and how these can be taught, selected (IO) and interpreted for the relevant exam components.

Speakers

Birgit Kress

German Teacher, Heidelberg International School

To be added by speaker

Saturday September 19, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

One-Hour Workshop

Audience Secondary / Diploma learners aged 17-18
Subject Language Learning

11:15am CEST

Building Practice, Not Positions: Moving International Schools from Rhetoric to Authentic Student Leadership, Agency, and Service.

Saturday September 19, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm CEST

0.245

This workshop critiques how international school student leadership often prioritizes confidence, compliance, and availability - narrowing leadership to titles and power - and invites educators to reframe leadership as service, emotional intelligence, and authentic agency using SEL and IFSEL competencies. Participants will interrogate whether their systems solicit mere feedback or genuine student voice and will explore practical, inclusive models (issue-based teams, student proposal cycles, low-threshold roles) that enable student-initiated, service-oriented action while preserving appropriate adult support.

Through reflection, discussion, and hands-on design, attendees will identify adult behaviors that limit agency, apply a Leadership Audit Tool to spot barriers, redesign one leadership structure to pilot immediately, and leave with concrete tools and coaching strategies to cultivate leadership as a learned practice that strengthens wellbeing, belonging, resilience, and global citizenship.

Speakers

Jessica Stralkowski

Deputy Head of Secondary, English Teacher, Franconian International School

A dedicated Deputy Head of Secondary, English teacher of 18 years, and advocate of student voice.

Saturday September 19, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

One-Hour Workshop

Audience Whole school for educators
Subject Transdisciplinary (teaching pedagogy & Methodology)

1:15pm CEST

Mastering the “Most Wanted” Text Types in DP Language Acquisition

Saturday September 19, 2026 1:15pm - 2:15pm CEST

0.245

This workshop introduces teachers to a practical framework for teaching DP Language B Paper 1 text types through modelling, guided analysis, and checklist-based scaffolding. Using authentic prompts and model texts, participants explore how exam tasks signal appropriate genre choice and how explicit teaching of conventions supports student performance. Central to the session is the analysis of a compiled overview of the most frequently appearing (“most wanted”) text types, which highlights recurring genres across recent examination sessions and informs strategic exam preparation.

Speakers

Enrique Periam

Language Acquisition Learning Leader, International School Hannover Region

To be added

Saturday September 19, 2026 1:15pm - 2:15pm CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

One-Hour Workshop

Audience Secondary / Diploma learners aged 17-18
Subject Language Learning

2:30pm CEST

Active Thinking, Active Students: Whiteboard & Discussion Methods That Stick

Saturday September 19, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm CEST

0.245

This practical, hands-on session explores simple but powerful routines that make student thinking active, visible, and accountable. Drawing on strategies from Building Thinking Classrooms and TQE (Thoughts, Questions, Epiphanies), participants will experience structures such as standing groups, onemarker protocols, targeted prompts, and short discussion cycles that shift students from passive completion to genuine cognitive engagement. Through modeling, guided practice, and reflection, teachers will see how whiteboards and structured questioning can quickly elevate the quality of student talk, promote productive struggle, and provide immediate formative insights.

Speakers

Elyse Krachman

Senior School English teacher, Munich International School

Senior School English teacher

Saturday September 19, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

One-Hour Workshop

Audience Secondary / Diploma learners aged 17-18
Subject Transdisciplinary (teaching pedagogy & Methodology)

4:00pm CEST

Strengths-Based Conversations in Education: Using Positive Psychology to Support Wellbeing, Growth and Performance

Saturday September 19, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm CEST

0.245

Description:
This interactive 60-minute workshop introduces educators and school leaders to practical tools from positive psychology to support staff wellbeing, strengths-based development, and meaningful appraisal conversations.
Drawing on the PERMA wellbeing framework, Character Strengths, and the GROW coaching model, participants will explore how to shift from deficit-focused conversations toward growth-oriented dialogue that enhances motivation, engagement, and professional learning.
The workshop is grounded in research from positive psychology pioneers such as Martin Seligman and coaching expert John Whitmore.

Intended Impact:
Participants will leave with practical tools and a shared language to:

Support wellbeing
Strengthen professional relationships
Improve appraisal conversations
Encourage a culture of growth and reflection

Speakers

Marieke Scholten

Cambridge Coordinator & Teacher of Mathematics, International School of Bremen

I am a Cambridge Coordinator and Mathematics Teacher at the International School of Bremen.

Saturday September 19, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

One-Hour Workshop

Audience Administrative staff
Subject Well-Being

5:15pm CEST

Explicit Teaching in Practice - Teaching Writing Explicitly

Saturday September 19, 2026 5:15pm - 6:15pm CEST

0.245

A practical session with examples, takeaways and materials designed to be integrated into everyday
teaching. This session will build upon theories of explicit teaching and visual learning to demonstrate
how strategies can be used to improve student writing across disciplines.

Speakers

Tayla McGregor

DP Psychology & TOK Teacher, MYP Humanities, Bavarian International School

DP Psychology & TOK Teacher, MYP Humanities,

Saturday September 19, 2026 5:15pm - 6:15pm CEST
0.245 Am Luftschiffhafen 1, 14471 Potsdam

One-Hour Workshop

Audience Secondary / Middle learners aged 11-16; Secondary / Diploma learners aged 17-18
Subject Transdisciplinary (teaching pedagogy & Methodology)
None Groups of Tables

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