About this role
Department: ACS Athens Learning Commons
Reports To: Director of the Learning Commons
Location: Learning Commons, 2nd Level (Extension 220)
Operating Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 3:45 PM
Target Population: Middle School (Grades 6–8) and Academy (Grades 9–12) Students, Faculty, and Multilingual Learners
10-month contract, September to June Monthly Salary Range: €1,000 – €1,350 Gross 1. Position Overview The Literacy Studio (formerly known as the Writing/Research Studio) is a dedicated academic space located on the second level of the ACS Athens Learning Commons. It is designed to empower learners to develop strong literacy, communication, critical thinking, analytical reading, and research skills across all academic disciplines. Staffed by experienced literacy professionals, the studio guides Middle School (Grades 6–8) and Academy (Grades 9–12) students through every phase of the literacy process—including reading comprehension, vocabulary expansion, brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, oral presentation preparation, and academic research. Grounded in the ACS Athens vision of empowering individuals to become 'architects of their own learning,' the Literacy Studio Instructor fosters agency, self-expression, creativity, and lifelong literacy habits. The position integrates the attributes of the IB Learner Profile, the ACS Athens Powerful Learning principles, and the school's Responsible AI in Learning (RAIL) initiative, ensuring learners utilize modern digital and AI research tools ethically and critically while growing into confident, independent, and reflective conscious global citizens. 2. Core Responsibilities & Essential Duties A. Academic Writing & Literacy Instruction
• Comprehensive Writing Support: Guide learners through all stages of academic writing across subject areas, including analytical essays, formal research papers, personal reflections, citation styles, structural organization, proofreading, and revision strategies.
• Reading Comprehension & Vocabulary: Deliver targeted instruction in analytical reading strategies, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and subject-specific academic language acquisition.
• Post-Secondary & College Essay Guidance: Provide individual mentorship for UCAS personal statements, Common App college application essays, motivation letters, professional CVs, and academic portfolios.
• Standardized Test & Verbal Skill Prep: Assist students with SAT and ACT verbal preparation, offer literacy skill reinforcement, and facilitate academic language development.
• Creative & Multimodal Writing: Foster creative writing, poetry, fiction storytelling, drama, script writing, and film script development through interactive workshops and mini-lessons.
• Oral Presentation & Public Speaking: Coach learners in speech preparation, structure, visual presentation design, and public speaking techniques.
B. Ethical Research Guidance & Responsible AI (RAIL) Integration
• Research Skill Development: Deliver research instruction aligned with the Learning Commons Academic Research Support Program (Grades 6–12), connecting with classroom research initiatives and building information literacy.
• Academic Integrity & RAIL Alignment: Educate learners on ethical research practices, proper source attribution, and academic integrity. Guide students in utilizing Artificial Intelligence tools transparently, questioning AI accuracy and bias in alignment with the ACS Athens RAIL initiative.
• Database & Library Resource Navigation: Guide learners and faculty in accessing digital archives, open-access databases (e.g., Britannica, JSTOR/ScienceDirect, Pew Research, OECD, Smithsonian, World Health Organization), and the Sabbagh Library collection via Follett Destiny and Moodle.
C. Diverse Learner Support & Flexible Delivery Formats
• Multilingual Learner Support: Deliver specialized, differentiated literacy instruction and linguistic scaffolding for multilingual learners and students with diverse learning profiles.
• Flexible Delivery Formats: Conduct one-on-one personalized tutorials, small-group collaborative workshops, face-to-face mini-lessons, online modules, and in-class intervention support.
• Faculty & Classroom Partnerships: Collaborate with subject-area teachers to design classroom interventions, align support with course syllabi, and implement interdisciplinary literacy projects.
D. Programs, Events & Interdisciplinary Initiatives
• Literacy Festival Leadership: Oversee the Middle School and Academy Literacy Festival Committee, organizing schoolwide events that explore how literacy impacts the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, and communicate across printed and written contexts.
• Co-Curricular Literacy Activities: Facilitate reading circles, book discussions, author studies, writing competitions, scholarship opportunities, literary magazine publications, and student work showcases.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Partner with other Learning Commons facilities—such as organizing joint Scrabble and literacy-based activities in collaboration with the Math/Science Studio.
E. Operational Systems & Learning Environment Stewardship
• Appointment & Communication Management: Manage scheduling through the Literacy Studio Moodle Shell; communicate with classroom teachers via email or Softros prior to student visits and confirm student arrival immediately upon entry.
• Access & Walk-in Supervision: Welcome walk-in learners during lunch breaks and flex blocks, while ensuring students visiting during class hours have explicit teacher permission and clear learning objectives.
• Policy & Environment Enforcement: Maintain a welcoming, quiet, academic, and respectful studio culture. Enforce Learning Commons rules regarding cell phone restrictions, modest printing, dress code standards, and responsible computer usage.
3. Key Qualifications & Competencies
• Educational Background: Advanced degree (Master's preferred) or specialized certification in English Language Arts, Composition/Writing, Literacy Education, Information Literacy, or a related humanities field.
• Instructional Expertise: Demonstrated success in teaching writing processes, reading analytics, public speaking, and academic research methodologies to Middle School and High School/Academy learners.
• Technological & Digital Proficiency: High proficiency with Learning Management Systems (Moodle), messaging tools (Softros), academic research databases (Follett Destiny, JSTOR, Britannica), and emerging AI tools.
• Pedagogical Alignment: Strong alignment with student-centered learning, differentiated instruction for multilingual learners, Powerful Learning principles, and the IB Learner Profile.
• Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Exceptional collaborative skills to build strong working relationships with classroom faculty, student committees, and Learning Commons personnel.
4. Institutional Frameworks & Strategic Alignment The Literacy Studio operates as an integral component of the ACS Athens Learning Commons, contributing directly to the institution's accredited strategic priorities and holistic learning culture:
• ACS Athens Vision: Empowering learners to become 'architects of their own learning' in a rapidly evolving world to thrive as conscious global citizens.
• IB Learner Profile Integration: Cultivating inquirers, thinkers, communicators, principled researchers, open-minded collaborators, and reflective learners.
• Middle States Association (MSA) & RAIL Endorsement: Supporting authentic Action and Evaluation Research, maintaining academic integrity, and advancing ethical, transparent AI usage recognized under the MSA RAIL endorsement.
• Powerful Learning Principles: Designing profound, enduring, reflective, engaging, and transformative learning experiences centered on student growth.
Why Join ACS Athens? At ACS Athens, you become part of an international community committed to excellence, innovation, collaboration, and continuous growth. You are supported through meaningful professional development, diverse learning opportunities, and a culture of cooperation, belonging, and trust, while contributing your talents and expertise to a shared purpose: empowering learners to become architects of their own learning, thrive as conscious global citizens, and improve life and living on the planet.