Chris Davis

Teacher, Curriculum Designer & Experiential Learning Coordinator

Manglares Discovery School — Panama

Built the academic program for second grade and for the middle school at a 65-student K–8 school with no curriculum budget, using entirely open-source and free-tier resources; elements were adopted by other grade levels.

• Authored three criteria of the ACS WASC Initial Visit School Report — Equity and Access to Curriculum (B2), Student Engagement in Challenging and Relevant Learning Experiences (C1), and Student-Centered Instruction (C2) — supporting the school's successful advancement to candidacy for accreditation.
• Moved every continuously enrolled middle school student to or above grade level in reading and mathematics, from starting points ranging from half a grade to three grade levels below, with several students finishing well beyond grade level. Students entering mid-year are excluded from this cohort.
• Designed the full curriculum, scope, and sequence for second grade and for the middle school, built entirely from open-source content, and authored the companion textbook and student materials for each.
• Mentor teacher and assessor for a Moreland University teacher-certification candidate across a trimester and a half of clinical practice, January–July 2025 — conducting formal classroom observations and completing the full evaluation documentation required for her certification. Supervised a first-grade placement while teaching middle school.
• Designed and implemented a multi-leveled reading and writing intervention program spanning K–8 reading levels, with differentiated entry points, progress monitoring, and scaffolded supports.
• Established schoolwide vertical alignment of Words Their Way phonics instruction across all grade levels, creating consistent progression and shared assessment practices between teachers.
• Initiated and rolled out a schoolwide Zearn Math program, including teacher onboarding and implementation support; established consistent schoolwide i-Ready administration protocols to protect test integrity and produce reliable assessment data.
• Taught second grade for one year alongside curriculum and coordination responsibilities, designing interdisciplinary learning experiences integrating Common Core literacy and mathematics, NGSS science, C3 social studies inquiry, media arts, and environmental research.
• Led structured reading and writing instruction through workshop models, Socratic discussion, nonfiction research, oral presentation, and a scaffolded drafting, revision, editing, and publication process.
• Developed sustained student projects and public exhibitions using design-thinking cycles, including This I Believe essays, films, animation, photography, projection-mapped installations, laser-cut mathematical forms, and multimedia galleries.
• Created place-based environmental investigations focused on mangrove ecosystems, watersheds, biodiversity, and changing landscapes on Panama's Azuero Peninsula.
• Built collaborative, noncompetitive learning spaces using visual thinking, movement, dialogue, hands-on materials, creative expression, restorative practices, and differentiated supports.

Fourth Grade Teacher

International School of Panama — Panama City

• Designed differentiated fourth-grade units using Understanding by Design backward planning and inquiry-based instruction.
• Integrated STEM, design, and embodied mathematics through Sphero robotics geometry labs, Turtle Art block coding, Zearn/Singapore Math, sketchnotes, and participatory theater.
• Facilitated literacy instruction through Socratic circles, collaborative inquiry, and multimodal learning experiences.

Library Media Literacy Teacher

Khartoum International Community School — Sudan

• Managed Primary and Junior Library collections, cataloguing, purchasing, and the integration of Infant and Primary collections.
• Taught Pre-K through Year 6 media literacy, information literacy, digital citizenship, and computational literacy within the PYP framework.
• Designed reprogrammable learning spaces, coordinated Book Week, facilitated professional-development webinars, and supported collaborative student interviews with artists. Reprogrammable Spaces at KICS: video one · video two

Podcast Producer & Learning-Space Researcher

Journeys in Podcasting — Bogotá, Colombia

• Produced 95+ episodes of a research-based series, conducting international interviews in maker spaces, hacker spaces, Reggio Emilia schools, laboratory learning sites, and innovative educational environments.
• Led workshops and consulting related to learning-space design, creative learning, inquiry, and experiential curriculum development.

Tech Innovation Project Coordinator

Colegio Nueva Granada — Bogotá, Colombia

• Coordinated interdisciplinary technology and innovation projects across the middle school, working directly with 18 homeroom teachers on project-based learning, design thinking, media production, and creative technology integration.
• Designed the evidence and media template system for the school's SACS accreditation report at a 1,700-student K–12 institution, mapping standards to supporting artifacts and validating evidence submitted by every self-study committee.
• Certified as a Restorative Practices trainer by the International Institute for Restorative Practices (Training of Trainers, 2009), then led workshops for teachers and parents across the school community.

Global Learning Studio — research, proposal, and build

• Conducted field research on immersive and active learning environments, including a study visit to the Hunt Library at NC State to examine its projection-immersion spaces.
• Presented findings to the school Director, formed and led a cross-departmental committee, and secured approval to design and build a Global Learning Studio featuring blended laser projection onto a single continuous screen.
• Partnered with Sonic Design on projection and video systems integration; secured over $100,000 USD in donated technology and furnishings from Steelcase and Samsung after piloting a flexible-seating prototype that drew Steelcase's interest. Project profile — Sonic Design
• Managed recurring project cycles, critical events, and public demonstrations of student learning within the new space.
• The studio remains in daily use and continues to serve as the school's flagship learning space nearly a decade later.

Elementary Classroom Teacher

Colegio Karl C. Parrish — Barranquilla, Colombia

• Taught Grade 3 using Project Zero's Spectrum approach to project-based learning, developing interdisciplinary projects built around students' varied entry points and strengths.
• Launched a student-and-teacher podcast broadcasting to parents and the wider Barranquilla community — student-produced audio for an authentic external audience, predating classroom podcasting as common practice.
• Directed large-scale stage productions centered on literacy development, using rap, song, and performance as vehicles for oral language, fluency, and text comprehension.
• Founded and led a student folkloric drumming ensemble that performed at every recess, building a daily music practice into the life of the school.
• Implemented Junior Great Books reading projects culminating in student symposia and Socratic discussion; sessions were filmed, transcribed, and published for parents and the community.
• Partnered with the Art teacher to create a student gallery, interviewing each student about their portfolio and printing the transcribed reflections alongside their artwork.

Sabbatical — Documentary Motorcycle Expedition

South America

• Rode South America by motorcycle with a fellow international educator, prioritizing unpaved routes and rural crossings over highways.
• Photo-documented the journey and produced a live travel website publishing dispatches from the road.
• Organized "A Day at Work" experiences with local hosts in communities along the route, working alongside people in their trades and documenting the exchange.

Elementary Classroom Teacher

Colegio Karl C. Parrish — Barranquilla, Colombia

• Instigated reform of the elementary literacy program, moving the school from a traditional basal-reader and daily-drill model to a balanced literacy approach with a strong phonics foundation, drawing on Patricia Cunningham's resources.
• Piloted and secured adoption of the Oregon Math Center approach across the elementary years.
• Developed Project Zero–based interdisciplinary projects in close collaboration with the school's Reggio Emilia atelier.
• Created a bookmaking project documenting student writing alongside transcriptions of videotaped Socratic discussions; the finished books were catalogued in the school library and available for all students to check out.
• Innovated music and literacy routines using call-and-response rap and song to build fluency, phrasing, and oral language.
• Taught Grade 2, with arts integration and student-voice documentation embedded throughout.