Parent Workshops

For several years CAIS has provided an annual opportunity for parents to come to the school to learn more about the IB programs. In 2018 we expanded this opportunity from 4 to 6 workshops and expanded the nature of the themes offered to include  broader topics, such as the nature of creativity.

Based on the Parent Feedback survey in 2018 it was clear that offering live Chinese translation via a co-presenter had some draw backs; it effectively halved the content that could be presented in the same time framer and made it harder for both English language and Chinese language speakers to focus the 'other language' periods. 

In response in 2019 we trialled offering simultaneous, live translation for Chinese speakers. This did not interfere in the presentations as translations were made by a translator in a sound-proof cubicle and sent to recipients' earphones.

In 2018 after increasing the range of workshops parent participation increased by over 50% compared to 2017.

In 2019 parent participation increased further after offering live, simultaneous translation. The translators were drawn from the school office staff. This facilitated workshops to be more focused and time used more effectively.  The text of the presentations were provided at least one week before hand allowing for a high degree of accuracy.  Feedback from parents was highly positive.

CAIS aims to continue to build on this model in the future. award have plans to expand these events to include External speakers and to engage have teachers engage in Action Research to not only present what we do, but to demonstrate how we are continually improving.