Hello again, fellow inquiry teachers!

There's a moment in every unit when you can feel the shift. Your students stop reciting facts about the topic and start reaching for the concept underneath it. Know what I mean?  It's one of my favourite things to watch happen in a classroom, and it's not always obvious unless you know what you're looking for.

Making connections with concepts: form, causation, structure, change, impact all through the topic of rocks & minerals. 

Here are five signs I watch for and they all connect with classroom strategies: 

1. They Use the Word "Because" Without Being Asked

Topic learners tell you what happened. Concept seekers tell you why it happened, and connect it to something bigger, without you prompting them for the "because."😉

2. They Transfer the Idea to a Completely Different Context

A true sign of conceptual understanding is when a student takes an idea from your unit and applies it somewhere else, somewhere you never mentioned. That is tra...

Is human body science still an IB PYP Who We Are unit under the IB's refreshed transdisciplinary themes and how does a kindergarten community project fit under the very same theme as a grade 5 unit on beliefs and values?

Short answer: all of it fits, and it isn't a coincidence. Who We Are's updated descriptor names three strands: physical, emotional, social and spiritual health and well-being; relationships and belonging; and learning and growing all pointing back to one idea: identity. Body systems, community, belief .... they're three doors into the same room. (Full adoption of the refreshed descriptors runs through September 2027, so if your school hasn't formally moved over, it's worth a quick check with your PYP coordinator.)

But that raises the real question underneath all of this: if the content is completely different from one Who We Are unit to the next, what actually makes it recognisably the same theme?

Not the content. The concepts.

Content Is the Vehicle, Not the Destinati...

Every Unit of Inquiry starts somewhere. For most of us, it starts with content — forces, motion, machines, energy, structures, technology. We picture the activities first, then go hunting for resources, then try to squeeze it all into the planner.

Somewhere in that process, the inquiry itself can get lost.

I want to suggest a different starting point: start with the concepts. If inquiry is the journey, concepts are what propel it forward and that brings us to the single most useful question you can ask when planning a Unit of Inquiry:

What concepts live here?

Not just the specified concepts already sitting in the planner. What concepts actually live in this theme? That one question can change the way you plan every unit you teach  and it's the starting point for a simple, repeatable 7-step pathway I use for concept-based planning, which I'll walk through below using a How the World Works unit on forces, motion and innovation as the example.

Planning the Inquiry, Not Perfecting the...

😊If you know, you know! Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) remain one of the most powerful celebrations of learning. When done well, they put students at the centre of their learning story, build reflection, communication and self-assessment skills, and strengthen the partnership between classroom and home. This updated guide for PYP teachers emphasises agency, co-planning, hands-on experiences and practical ideas you can use in your classroom... and even extend into family learning experiences.

What Makes a Powerful PYP SLC?

An IB PYP student-led conference shifts the traditional teacher-centred format into a learner-centred dialogue. The student:

• Guides the conversation about their learning journey and goals.

• Uses evidence from their portfolio to show concepts, progress, and questions.

• Reflects on how they learn as much as what they learn.

The teacher’s role is to facilitate preparation, support reflection, and create the conditions for student voice and choice. Families become a...

Developing Reflective Thinkers: Using SOLO Taxonomy in the IB PYP

Why SOLO matters in a concept-based classroom

In an inquiry-driven IB PYP classroom, assessment is not just about what students know. It is about how they think, how they connect concepts, and how they grow as reflective learners. SOLO Taxonomy (Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes), created by John Biggs and Kevin Collis, provides a simple yet powerful framework to track and support this growth. Let me share how I use it in my classroom to develop and support our culture of on-going reflection. 

SOLO describes levels of understanding:

• Prestructural – The student is missing the point

• Unistructural – One relevant idea is identified

• Multi-structural – Several relevant ideas are collected but remain unconnected

• Relational – Ideas are linked into a meaningful whole

• Extended Abstract – The learner transfers and applies understanding in new ways

In many ways, SOLO mirrors the learner’s journey through inquiry: f...

Women’s History Month Through a Concept-Based Inquiry Lens

March is a powerful opportunity to inspire our IB PYP learners with the stories of remarkable women who have shaped our world. But how can we go beyond simple recognition and create meaningful, inquiry-driven learning experiences? By integrating Women’s History Month across the PYP transdisciplinary themes, we can deepen students’ understanding of key concepts, cultivate research skills, and connect their learning to the Learner Profile in a way that resonates for all ages. In this article, Im offering ideas for connecting this important recognition of women in society with classroom resources that may be able to support your investigations and align with our IB PYP framework.

Connecting Women’s History to the PYP Themes

Each of the six transdisciplinary themes offers a unique lens for exploring the contributions of women throughout history. By narrowing our focus with concepts such as identity, innovation, revolution, chang...

10 Easy Strategies for Assessing Conceptual Understanding in the IB PYP.

 Helping students build conceptual understanding is at the core of how we approach knowledge in the IB PYP. But how do we ensure they’re truly grasping big ideas rather than just recalling facts? I've put together 10 simple, effective ways to check for conceptual understanding at different grade levels ( supporting differentiation and diverse learning styles)—whilst encouraging student agency. Plus, you’ll find links to several resources that I designed for my class to support their self-assessment and reflective thinking practice.

Look for the  IB PYP This or That Exit Slips and Reflection Task Cards for Concepts to support deeper thinking across all transdisciplinary themes. They were such a hit for students and teachers! 

For Your Lower Grades Learners 

1. Concept Sorting with Real Objects This is an example of internalisation & classification in action. 
    Provide a variety of real-world objects and have student...

You know that way when your students' reflections are just regurgitated and not really giving us insight as to their conceptual understanding? When it comes to reflection and assessment in the IB PYP, fostering student voice and agency is at the forefront of creating engaged and lifelong learners. At the heart of this endeavour we want our students to truly understand what it means to BE reflective. Not only an attribute of the Learner Profile but being reflective is also a key Thinking Skill. The importance of this skill comes into play when we are assessing the concepts around which we plan and implement our inquiries. Concepts serve as the backbone of the IB PYP curriculum. Concepts not only deepen understanding but also empower students to take ownership of their learning experiences. 

Easy Strategies to Develop Reflective Thinkers

I'm excited to introduce a powerful approach to enhance reflection and inclusive assessment in the IB PYP through the lens of conceptual awareness. ...

Newsflash: Concept based learning is not exclusive to the IB PYP and it is not new. It may be buzzing around right now but it is certainly not simply the latest buzz word. It is how we have brought depth to understanding and transferrable knowledge within inquiry, ANY inquiry, in ANY subject, for a very long time. If you are just now learning about a concept based approach to learning, then welcome. You will never go back from here. :)

Form: What is Concept-Based Inquiry?

If you are new to this idea, consider that working from a concept-based approach to inquiry is going to bring two approaches to teaching together. We are merging inquiry-based learning with concept-based learning to produce this multi-dimensional approach that supports student agency, develops 21st century skills, amplifies understanding and enhances transfer of knowledge. 

Traditional learning typically chases facts and skills, bringing a two-dimensional approach to teaching and learning. Knowing facts is not endurin...

CONCEPT BASED LEARNING:

Concept maps are a valuable thinking routine in the inquiry based classroom. They visually represent relationships between concepts, fostering critical thinking and facilitating the exploration of complex ideas. For teachers navigating the terrain of inquiry-based learning, leveraging concept maps can be a game-changer in supporting students' conceptual understanding. If you havent tried them, I promise you....pick one, train your kids how to use it, then sit back and watch the magic unfold. 

Why I'm A Fan:  I’ve been using these in my IB PYP classroom for years and years and years and, every time, they stimulate thought provoking conversations from the children all whilst aiding in developing conceptual awareness. Simple to implement and integrate into any inquiry, any subject, you will get a lot of bang for your buck!

I usually begin using them as a generalisation tool; part of doing the groundwork in the first week of our inquiry as we are tuning in, unpackin...