Deputy Head of College
Dulwich College Singapore

Singapore | ASIA

Jacob Martin serves as the Deputy Head of College at Dulwich College in Singapore.

Born in South East Asia, in Hong Kong, Jacob’s childhood was spent travelling as he grew up in China, Russia and Portugal, returning to South London in between these periods. He started his teaching career volunteering in Nepal, and after teaching in the UK in the area in which he grew up in, Peckham and Camberwell, his wife Charlotte (Charlie) and he moved to Hong Kong where he began his international teaching career.

He is originally a Chemistry and Science teacher by background and whilst in Hong Kong was Head of Science and Vice Principal as well as roles as MYP and DP coordinator. While in Hong Kong he was particularly involved in developing inclusion and new pathways for students through more innovative routes, something he is still passionate about.

After a decade in Hong Kong, he moved back to Europe worked at Vienna International School as the Diploma Programme Coordinator and one of the academic leaders of the senior school and teachers of Theory of Knowledge. Several years ago, he moved again to Switzerland serving as Director of Teaching and Learning at the International School of Zug and Luzern (ISZL). Whilst at ISZL, he was particularly focused on developing teacher-centered PD models, first language and curriculum alignment, skills curriculum articulation and also again innovative programme routes and pathways for all students.

Jacob also spent much of his time in the primary and middle schools where he and his colleagues were developing the Compassionate Systems Framework in collaboration with MIT in Cambridge, MA. Initially they began working with the framework with students and teachers in the primary school with eighty grade 4 students, this grew to include teachers in the community, leadership teams and a large range of primary school students. The use of the Compassionate Systems tools has produced profound improvements in the conceptual understanding of many subject areas including human migration, sustainability and trade. In addition, the framework has provided the school with a pathway and a methodology to address their key goal of promoting intercultural understanding and international mindedness. More recently, the use of the tools including the Check-in and the Systems Iceberg have provided effective protocols to improve the discussions in teams and deepen inquiry around school developments.

In August 2019, Jacob moved to Singapore with his wife, who coordinates the College’s IB Career Programme, and his two children, ages 13 and 11. There he took up a new role as Deputy Head of College where Compassionate Systems development is his primary focus, giving students the skills to save the world for us! It is his strong hope to not only develop the programme at Dulwich College, but also create a hub of schools in Singapore and South East Asia. Jacob is a master practitioner from the 2019 Centre for Systems Awareness cohort and works closely with Charlotte Ruddy a fellow master practitioner from the 2020 cohort.