Middle School Design Technology, CTE, Engineering Teacher

Middle School Design Technology, CTE, Engineering Teacher  

REPORTS TO: Head of School  

STATUS:                        Exempt/Salaried  

DIRECT REPORTS:     No  

SALARY RANGE:        $60,000 – $70,000 pro-rated  

We Invite...  

Motivated, innovative teachers with experience in teaching mathematics, or engineering, or maker space, or entrepreneurship, or computer science, or programming or IB Design Technology, to apply to join our growing International Baccalaureate World School (Middle Years Program and Diploma Program) for the 2023-24 school year and beyond.  

Based on candidate experience and qualifications, this position is a full-time Design Technology position. It includes the following courses:  

• IB MYP Design Technology – 5th/6th Grade and 7th/8th Grade

This role currently teaches in the middle school. A successful candidate will be interested in teaching all age groups our school serves.  

*Applicants should have experience teaching in their discipline at the middle and/or high school level. Applicants with experience teaching in the International Baccalaureate Program are highly encouraged to apply. *  

About WPS  

Willows Preparatory School (5-12) is a private school for children 5th through 12th grade with an enrollment of more than 250 students. We offer an individualized and coordinated IB curriculum 5-12 with an emphasis on core academic subjects. Our students are academically advanced, typically working at least one grade level ahead of state expectations. Our curriculum is set against international standards, though also meets state standards, further preparing our children to be dynamic and advanced thinkers and learners. Our class sizes are small and do not exceed 16 students. WPS is a member of the International Schools Partnership (ISP), a consortium of over 50 high performing international schools located across the globe.  

ISP Principles  

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.  

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.  

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.  

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage in personal and professional development and school improvement.  

Teacher Profile  

You enable students to learn in a safe, open, caring, collaborative and inclusive atmosphere. Your students feel confident having open and honest conversations about their learning and how they can get better. You create a positive atmosphere by building relationships, behaviors, and inclusive learning experiences that support a good struggle for all your learners. You engage in professional and respectful dialogue with colleagues and the wider school and ISP communities about learning and teaching, with a shared commitment to getting better.  

Shared Ideas. You know and model your school’s values and contribute to its mission and vision through your daily actions. Through all aspects of learning and teaching, you create a strong sense of shared behaviors and purpose for learners and their learning.  

A Focus on Learners and Learning. You put learners and their learning first. Your understanding of the difference between learning and the factors that affect learning enables you to plan and support a good struggle for all your students to get better. You are committed to your personal and professional learning and development, engaging in a series of learning visits and inquiries with colleagues and leaders to support your ongoing self-evaluation. You are an active and valued member of dynamic learning communities,  

Learning and Teaching. You put learners and their learning first in your design and facilitation of learning outcomes, content, and experiences, which are underpinned by positive and supportive relationships. You understand the types and phases of learning and apply your knowledge, skills and understanding of these to effectively facilitate learning, teaching, and assessing to meet the personalized needs of each student. You empower students to lead their own learning, supporting them to monitor, assess and adjust their learning in response to feedback. You continuously inquire into the process of learning, making evidence-informed decisions and taking action to further improve learning and teaching.  

Evidence of Learning. You gather, document and analyses evidence of learning from various sources and use this to identify targets and action steps for improving learning. You support students in knowing the different ways their learning can be evidenced and how to use feedback and learning advice to get better. Evidence enables you to make secure judgments about your students’ learning in line with their personal learning goals, age and stage appropriate expectations, and local, national, and international benchmarking. You document and share evidence of learning to answer the questions: “What are my students learning?” and “How do I know?”.  

Leadership for Learning. You see yourself as a leader for learning and demonstrate the same vision, values, and commitment as school leaders to support students to continuously learn and get better. You take responsibility for where students are now with their learning and the targets and action steps needed to improve. You support students to become leaders of their own learning by helping them develop their voice, choice, and ownership of their learning process.  

Learning Spaces. You create and use spaces to support and demonstrate the school’s shared ideas about learners and learning and the ways in which students are getting better. You ensure learning spaces (physical and digital) are safe, collaborative, accessible and inclusive, and enable students to play an active role in their development.  

In Partnership with Parents and Carers. You work in partnership with parents and carers, communicating with them regularly about their child’s learning, inviting their feedback and using this feedback to improve learning. You help parents and carers understand the school’s shared ideas about learners and learning in ways that help them to engage confidently when talking about what their child is getting better at, what their next steps are, and how they will be supported at home. You ensure that the individual needs of parents and carers are understood and that they feel informed and involved as valued members of the school’s learning community.  

Improvement Planning. You are committed to learning and getting better and ensure this improvement happens strategically and effectively. You are active and accountable for your contribution in setting your own professional goals, targets and action steps that focus on improving learning and gathering evidence to demonstrate these. You contribute to department and school learning improvement planning where possible and view the school’s learning improvement plan as the central focus for getting better together.  

Key Responsibilities  

• Instructional planning - Our school utilizes multiple curricular resources to develop learning experiences for our students that are dynamic and engaging. A successful candidate will feel comfortable developing instructional experiences with clearly defined learning objectives, a variety of whole-group, small group, and individual learning experiences, and always centered around questions of inquiry.
• Instructional delivery – Our teachers are facilitators of learning experiences. A successful candidate will feel comfortable delivering instruction in a learner-focused environment. Our school encourages our teachers to learn alongside our learners, embracing questions and actively engaging with our students throughout each learning opportunity.
• Student assessment – Our school believes student data is an important tool when designing and facilitating instruction. A successful candidate will integrate formative assessment throughout instruction and utilize the results in partnership with our learners to modify and extend instruction as necessary. Additionally, a successful candidate will be comfortable with utilizing a variety of summative assessment strategies to evaluate each learner’s learning.
• Record keeping - Partnership with learners and their families is a fundamental characteristic of our school and teachers. A successful candidate will provide feedback, both qualitative and quantitative, to learners and their families via a school management system promptly and regularly throughout each semester.
• Collaboration – Our schedule is designed with teacher collaboration in mind. A successful candidate will engage regularly in collaboration with colleagues who teach within the same department, as well as in interdisciplinary teams. This candidate will embrace the understanding that collaboration in instruction and assessment is a critical component of effective instruction.
• Participation in the learning community – Our school is a community of learners, and each teacher engages in that community in a variety of ways. All teachers participate in family and carer partnership events such as Curriculum Night, Open House, Celebration of Learning, and graduation celebrations. Our teachers are offered multiple opportunities to lead clubs and projects, coach teams, and engage with students outside of the traditional classroom. A successful candidate will believe this is a key component of a successful school and will look for opportunities to connect and develop our broader community.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• Must be proficient in educational technology.
• Collaborative practitioner who works well with colleagues.
• Ability to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects.
• Ability to effectively communicate with parents on a regular basis.
• Commitment to continuous growth as an educator through professional development and observational feedback.

Experience and Requirements  

• Must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• Teacher certification and/or combination of equivalent education or experience.
• Endorsement(s) in secondary subject area preferred.
• Capacity to create curriculum if needed.
• Must be able to produce at least two written professional references.
• Must be able to pass a pre-employment background check.

Opportunities for the Successful Candidate  

• The opportunity to work with a team of committed and supportive colleagues.
• The opportunity for ongoing professional development from highly experienced practitioners and school leaders.
• The opportunity to teach students who are engaged, enthusiastic, and respectful.
• The opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from different schools in the U.S. and from around the world.

E-Verify Participation:  

ISP U.S. and WPS participates in E-Verify and will provide the Federal Government with your form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.  

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles  

ISP and WPS are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All postholders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.  

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging  

ISP and WPS are committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.