PeerSphere Learning Communities

Members Handbook 2024-2025

Table of Contents

Welcome To PeerSphere! 👋

Dear Members, 

Welcome to PeerSphere! We are thrilled to have you join our vibrant and dynamic community of international educators and school administrators across Asia. PeerSphere was founded on a simple yet powerful belief: collaboration and shared learning can transform our schools for the better. 

Our journey began in 2015 when we met in China, igniting a shared commitment to enhance the professional growth of education professionals. We recognized the untapped potential of collaborative communities. We knew that job-a-likes and teach meets are consistently one of the most valued forms of PD, but they were difficult to sustain by volunteers and often limited to a few big cities. This realization ignited our commitment to create a platform where education professionals can connect, share, and innovate throughout the school year. 

At PeerSphere, we nurture communities where you are connected to professionals with a similar role so that you can collaborate and solve meaningful problems together. We achieve this through our interactive live sessions hosted by expert facilitators, combined with a community hub where you can access resources and ask questions any time.  

In addition to our 60+ communities, all members can join any of the following events and programmes:  

  • Peer Coaching – You will be paired with another member to dive into a professional inquiry together
  • Peer-to-Peer events – Regular in-person meetings in major cities around Asia
  • Hybrid Conferences – Full access to the hybrid Teaching Assistants Conference and virtual access to the Non-Teaching Staff (NTS) Conference.

We invite you to dive into our dedicated communities, share your experiences, and collaborate with peers who understand your unique context. Together, we can achieve better outcomes for the students we ultimately serve. 

Best wishes,


Ewen Bailey & Michael Iannini
Co-Founders, PeerSphere

How it Works

Your PeerSphere Journey 

Here is what you can look forward to as a member: 

  • Each membership gives you access to 60+ Communities: Identify one community that means the most to you. Then maybe try 1 or 2 others after you’ve signed up, but it’s up to you! 
  • Attend Live Sessions: Mark your calendar for each community’s four live sessions starting in October, where you’ll have the chance to connect, learn, and collaborate in real time. 
  • Participate in Additional Events: You also have access to the following exciting opportunities
    • Peer Coaching – You will be paired with another member to dive into a professional inquiry together
    • Peer-to-Peer events – Regular in-person meetings in major cities around Asia
    • Hybrid Conferences – Full access to the hybrid Teaching Assistants Conference and virtual access to the Non-Teaching Staff (NTS) Conference.

For a detailed overview of how PeerSphere works, visit our How it Works page. 

Build Inspiring Professional Connections with us!

Embark on a journey with us, where every interaction enriches your professional life and transforms your potential into better outcomes for the students we ultimately serve. See how your journey will unfold below!

Activating Your Account

Create Profile

  1. Look out for an email from us ([email protected]) titled: It’s time to activate your PeerSphere Membership!
  2. This will take you to the Account Creation Page.
  3. Fill out your details. Some will be auto-populated for you, like your School. Choose your job role from the drop down list. If you don’t see your job title, you can select [Other].

If you have any questions please email [email protected].

Email Verification

After you complete the profile creation form, you will be sent a verification email titled IMPORTANT: PeerSphere Account Verification from [email protected].

Click on the link in this email, and you will be taken to sign in to PeerSphere for the first time!

NOTE: If you don’t see this email in your inbox, please try the following:

  • Check your junk mailbox 
  • Check if your email client has the automatic email address filter on and turn it off

First Login - What to Expect

You will start on the All Communities Page where you can see 

  • The primary community you have already joined
  • The [All Members] community that you are automatically a part of
  • A recommendations widget on the right which will suggest other members to you based on job role.
  • The main menu is on the left and can be expanded.

First Login: Check List

Tips on Navigating the Platform

1. Add a profile picture!

Go to profile settings and personalize your profile with a profile picture. You can also add a cover photo too if you like.

2. Tell us more about who you are in your profile field

Whilst you are here, click the [edit] button to tell us more about yourself, including a headline, longer blurb, and your social media links.

3. Explore your community hub

Post on the Feed: Share a bit about yourself, your role, and what you hope to gain from this community. You can find your communities through the Communities button in the top menu, or the Groups button in the left side menu.

4. Calendar the Live Session Dates + Times: Make sure you don’t miss out on our live sessions. Add the dates and times to your calendar from the [Sessions tab]

You can now RSVP with 1 click in our Live Session Reminder Emails!

5. Complete the welcome survey for your community/s

  • Your input is invaluable for your hosts to make the live sessions as impactful as possible. Please take a few minutes to complete our initial survey
  • This can be found in your welcome email for each community you join, and the respective community feed.

There are 2 key menus inside PeerSphere that you can use to navigate to where you need to get to. 

  1. The top horizontal menu shows you the parts of PeerSphere that are shared with all users, such as all communities and the directory of all members.
  2. The left side vertical menu has sections that are specific to you, such as your profile information and your documents and joined communities.

Events Calendar 🗓️

The PeerSphere Events Calendar brings together all our our events in one place, so you don’t miss anything! 

How it works: 

  • You can find the Events Calendar in the main navigation menu of the members area:

  • You can choose monthly, weekly, or daily views. 
  • All our PeerSphere community live sessions are here, as well as our Peer-to-Peer events, which any member can sign up for. 
  • Once you open an individual event, you can add it directly into your personal calendar. 

Remember, you can still find all your community events inside the Session tab of each community hub! See the First Log in Check List: 4. Calendar the Live Session Dates + Times –  for more details 

Joining Additional Communities 🌟

We recommend committing to your first-choice community and trying 1 or 2 additional communities, but it’s up to you!

Here are the steps to join an additional community:

  1. Navigate to the top horizontal menu and click Communities
  2. Click All Groups:

     

  3. Look for the community you’re interested in
  4. Click Join Group:

 

5. Once you successfully join a community, the Join Group button will now say ‘Member’: