Laurie Holden
Education & Language Specialist, Content Author, Course Facilitator
Offenbach Am Main
Summary
A highly qualified international leader and teacher with 25+ years experience working with early years, primary, secondary and adult students in a wide range of curricula (International, British, American, German, International Baccalaureate).
An empathetic, organized team leader with 10+ years professional development course facilitation experience and a sincere love for life-long learning.
A passionate project development and design specialist.
An open-minded, self-motivated author, editor and proofreader.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Learning Support Teacher
Frankfurt International School
08.2021 - Current
- Plan and deliver personalized, small group educational, behavioral, and emotional support and subject-specific instruction to enable positive learning outcomes within the areas of grades 6-12 Mathematics, Literacy, and Executive Functioning.
- Create and manage data driven individual learning plans that define student learning objectives and educational strategies to support individual student goals.
- Communicate respectfully and proactively with students, families, teachers, school leaders, and community members to ensure a team approach for teaching and learning.
- Develop inclusive learning environments to enable students to gain maximum benefit from lessons.
- Provide guidance and mentoring to students regarding academic, social and emotional issues through informal interactions, as well as forma Academic Coaching sessions.
English Language and Literature Teacher
Frankfurt International School
08.2021 - Current
- Develop and implement a variety of instructional strategies to meet the diverse needs of middle and upper school students.
- Monitor student progress and provide feedback to students, educational team members, and families (oral, written, LMS), establishing and maintaining positive, professional relationships with all educational partners.
- Utilize data from standardized (MAP), formative and summative tasks to inform instructional decisions and personalize learning.
- Exercise respectful, proactive communication skills, both verbal and written, at all times, with an emphasis on inter-cultural awareness.
- Assisted in development and implementation of college and career readiness programs as the teacher of an English College Prep course for grades 11-12.
Course Facilitator and Contributing Author
Lexis Education
10.2019 - Current
- Facilitate face-to-face and online professional development courses.
- Monitor participant workflow and behaviors throughout training process, optimizing digital opportunities during online delivery.
- Implement diverse instructional methods, optimizing participant engagement.
- Prepare and present supplementary learning material to support course content.
- Communicate respectfully and proactively with all stakeholders.
- Collaborated and authored educational professional development course content in the context of a comprehensive course update (2019-20).
Language Editor and Proofreader
Technical University Darmstadt
09.2019 - Current
English as an Additional Language Teacher
Montessori School Dietzenbach
08.2020 - 12.2021
English Language Acquisition Teacher (grades 6-10)
Frankfurt International School
01.2021 - 08.2021
Learning Resource Author
Hsquared Education / Faria Education
04.2019 - 07.2020
- Developed engaging and comprehensive educational content for the International Baccalaureate English B Diploma Course.
- Conducted in-depth research to ensure accuracy and relevance of educational content.
- Collaborated with company leaders, fellow educators, and IT specialists to develop innovative, engaging, effective study content.
- Utilized multimedia elements, including graphics and interactive features, to enhance learning materials.
- Adapted content for diverse learning styles, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility.
- Stayed current with trends in education, instructional design, and technology integration.
IB English Teacher (grades 6-10, DP English B)
Strothoff International School
10.2011 - 08.2019
Whole School EAL Program Designer and Coordinator
Strothoff International School
10.2011 - 08.2019
- Planned, implemented and continually developed whole-school language acquisition and English language support programming (K-12).
- Received extensive program-related commendations from visiting CIS/NEASC and IBO accreditation teams.
- Consolidated data, generated reports, and produced tracking documents to ensure a data-driven approach to teaching and learning.
- Collaborated extensively with all school leadership, support services, admissions, and mainstream team members.
- Communicated with community and family members, actively nurturing a sense of belonging and team spirit.
- Supported 50+ teachers to achieve professional development course Teaching ESL Students in Mainstream Classrooms certification (50 hrs) and 15 teachers to successfully obtain certification in the 36 hour professional development course Literacy for Learning via facilitating these PD courses on-site.
Corporate Teacher and Trainer
Hochschule Karlsruhe, Duale Hochschule, LINC Training
08.2010 - 08.2011
Parental Leave
Family
08.2008 - 08.2010
Literacy Coordinator and Teacher (grades K-6)
Taipei European School
08.2005 - 08.2008
Coordinator and Teacher (standard 5)
Bishop Mackenzie International School
08.2003 - 08.2005
Parental Leave
Family
08.2002 - 08.2003
Teacher and Personal Assistant
International School Of Helsinki
08.2000 - 08.2001
- Served as a personal assistant and subject teacher for a 12 year old learning support student.
Combined Grades K-3 Teacher
Bishkek International School
08.1998 - 08.1999
USA Peace Corps Volunteer, Coordinator, Teacher
Peace Corps Of The United States Of America
08.1996 - 08.1998
- Piloted, coordinated, and implemented teaching methodology and resource development workshops with volunteer and local educators.
- Taught grades 1-11 English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to an extremely diverse, local student cohort.
Education
Master of Arts in Teaching & Curriculum - K-12 Literacy & Reading Specialist
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, USA 04.2001 -
Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, USA 04.2001 -
Bachelor of Science - English Language And Literature
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, USA 04.2001 -
Bachelor of Science - ZA Endorsement: Early Childhood Development
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, USA 04.2001 -
Michigan Teaching Certification - Pre-K To Grade 8
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, USA 04.2001 -
Teaching Certification - Teaching English As An Additional Language (TEFL)
Peace Corps of The United States of America
Kyrgyzstan 04.2001 -
Music Studies: Saxophone & Voice
Pop Jazz Conservatory
Helsinki, Finland2002
Skills
Experienced trainer, content creator, developer, and learning systems manager, who has an eye for accuracy and detail
Organized, creative, collaborative team player
Internationally experienced, open-minded, solution-oriented coordinator and communicator
Dedicated language and educational design specialist with a passion for life-long learning
Fluent in English (first language); intermediate skills in German (B2); previous experience with Russian
Confident user/administrator of extensive IT platforms of teaching and learning Knowledge and time invested using Articulate 360 (Storyline), Google Apps for Education; Canvas, ManageBac; Atlas Rubicon; Promethean; Slack; Asana; Zoom; Moodle; Microsoft Office; Logic music production software 70 WPM typist
Confident user/administrator of extensive IT platforms of teaching and learning Knowledge and time invested using Articulate 360 (Storyline), Google Apps for Education; Canvas, ManageBac; Atlas Rubicon; Promethean; Slack; Asana; Zoom; Moodle; Microsoft Office; Logic music production software 70 WPM typist
Skilled saxophonist, singer, songwriter with home recording studio experience
Recent Professional Development
- 2024: European League for Middle Level Education (ELMLE) Conference, London
- 2023: European Council of International Schools (ECIS) Leadership Conference, Dusseldorf
- 2023: ECIS Inclusive Education Conference, Athens
- 2021-2022: ‘E-learning Ecologies: Innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the digital age’ Course, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, online global
- 2021: Teaching Additional Languages in Montessori Contexts Training, Munich
- 2018: IB English B Diploma Course New Syllabus (Category 2) Training, Berlin
- 2017: ‘Literacy for Learning’ Tutor Training, Lexis Education, Digital/Global
- 2017: ECIS English as an Additional Language and Mother Tongue Conference, Denmark
Timeline
Learning Support Teacher
Frankfurt International School
08.2021 - Current
English Language and Literature Teacher
Frankfurt International School
08.2021 - Current
English Language Acquisition Teacher (grades 6-10)
Frankfurt International School
01.2021 - 08.2021
English as an Additional Language Teacher
Montessori School Dietzenbach
08.2020 - 12.2021
Course Facilitator and Contributing Author
Lexis Education
10.2019 - Current
Language Editor and Proofreader
Technical University Darmstadt
09.2019 - Current
Learning Resource Author
Hsquared Education / Faria Education
04.2019 - 07.2020
IB English Teacher (grades 6-10, DP English B)
Strothoff International School
10.2011 - 08.2019
Whole School EAL Program Designer and Coordinator
Strothoff International School
10.2011 - 08.2019
Corporate Teacher and Trainer
Hochschule Karlsruhe, Duale Hochschule, LINC Training
08.2010 - 08.2011
Parental Leave
Family
08.2008 - 08.2010
Literacy Coordinator and Teacher (grades K-6)
Taipei European School
08.2005 - 08.2008
Coordinator and Teacher (standard 5)
Bishop Mackenzie International School
08.2003 - 08.2005
Parental Leave
Family
08.2002 - 08.2003
Master of Arts in Teaching & Curriculum - K-12 Literacy & Reading Specialist
Michigan State University
04.2001 -
Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education
Michigan State University
04.2001 -
Bachelor of Science - English Language And Literature
Michigan State University
04.2001 -
Bachelor of Science - ZA Endorsement: Early Childhood Development
Michigan State University
04.2001 -
Michigan Teaching Certification - Pre-K To Grade 8
Michigan State University
04.2001 -
Teaching Certification - Teaching English As An Additional Language (TEFL)
Peace Corps of The United States of America
04.2001 -
Teacher and Personal Assistant
International School Of Helsinki
08.2000 - 08.2001
Combined Grades K-3 Teacher
Bishkek International School
08.1998 - 08.1999
USA Peace Corps Volunteer, Coordinator, Teacher
Peace Corps Of The United States Of America
08.1996 - 08.1998
Music Studies: Saxophone & Voice
Pop Jazz Conservatory