XI NIS International Research-to-Practice Conference

Inspirational Speakers

International Speakers

Lorraine Els

Supervisory Principal, Singapore International Schools (Hanoi) under KinderWorld International Group


Lorraine Els was born in Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa and completed her schooling in a little town called Winburg, in the Free State. She attended the teacher training college in Bloemfontein and completed her studies in 1979, she started her teaching career in Virginia, where she taught Year 4 students. She quickly moved from teaching primary school students to high school, then tertiary and finally Higher Education where she enjoyed training teachers. Lorraine started her teaching career with a 3 year teaching diploma and quickly realized that she needed to improve her qualifications, do more research and improve her pedagogical skills. She completed a 4 year Further Education Diploma, a Higher Education Diploma, then continued by completing an Honors Degree in Education and a Master’s Degree in Language Practice. She recently completed a Certificate of International School Leadership. Lorraine has worked in South Africa, England, Kuwait, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. She started with the KinderWorld Group as a Deputy Principal, moved into the role of Principal at one of the largest schools in the company, and is now a trainee Supervisory Principal for the KinderWorld Group, overseeing 15 schools in Vietnam. Lorraine is passionate about education, strives to make a difference and is excited about the opportunities she has been given to grow within the KinderWorld Group.

XI NIS International Research-to-Practice Conference, 24-25 October 2019: Workshop

The Software for Success in KinderWorld Schools – The KinderWorld Teaching Model

The challenge of balancing cultural and pedagogical differences in a school system that caters for Asian students and employs Western teachers was the motivation for designing a teaching model for KinderWorld schools. The KinderWorld Teaching Model (KTM) is designed to shift students from a passive, dependent learning style to independent, confident life-long learners. The KTM is built around an explicit teaching approach to build mastery of core knowledge and skills before seeking to extend students through application of learning in higher order tasks. Linked to the concept of establishing a common core teaching approach across classrooms is the understanding that highly effective teaching improves student learning and consistency of teaching across a school maximizes the impact of the school on student success. This requires a commitment to instructional leadership from the Principal and school leadership team. The implementation of the KTM model is linked to the success of instructional leadership and pedagogical coaching which is facilitated through the use of SWIVL technology in KinderWorld schools.