Michelle Cloete

I am a teaching professional with over 20 years of experience as an Early Years Teacher, Junior Class Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, EAL Linguistic Specialist and Principal of Early Years. I passionately encourage my students to adopt a scholarly approach to learn, grow and develop holistically. Through my broad range of accrued skills, many students have recognized their innate potential and achieved their sporting, cultural and academic goals at the highest level. As a strong collaborator, I enjoy leading teams on latest teaching pedagogies. Raising my three daughters has evolved me into a creative, patient and empathetic role-model and teacher. 

I have over 20 years of teaching experience and have attained a plethora of skills from my roles as a Junior School Class Teacher, English as an Additional Language (EAL) Linguistic Specialist, Curriculum Coordinator, Early Years Teacher and Principal of Early Years. I am currently working as an English as an Additional Language (EAL) Linguistic Specialist for Grades 1-5 at Overseas Family School in Singapore. I have also taught as a Grade 1 EAL and Grade 2 EAL Teacher and Grade 3 Learning Support teacher in South Africa. 

As a lifelong learner, I am currently studying my Masters in Leadership in Education to upskill to contribute to the leadership at a school. I attend English Language Learning Specialists in Asia (ELLSA) sessions to collaborate with an international cohort of EAL Specialists to be informed of the latest strategies to support EAL students in the classroom. As an EAL Linguistic Specialist I have completed multiple EAL courses to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding of each student through ‘Translanguaging’, ‘Whole Body Teaching’, ‘Total Physical Response’ and ‘Visible Thinking Strategies’. My recent professional development by Mr Ross Armitage, Principal of The French International School, HK, addressed ‘Assessment in the IPC- Identifying, Assessing and Improving Children’s Learning’. This training provided the tools to assess and implement best assessment practices in the IPC. I attended a course by Alison Ford, Head of Inclusive Education and Therapy at Overseas Family School, on the ‘Introduction to Principles of Inclusion and Nurture in Education’ to be able to implement a curriculum to support different types of learners and their learning styles in a welcoming, nurturing environment that facilitates my students being at ease to interact with me while feeling confident, safe and secure to initiate their learning and express themselves in the classroom.