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As we continue to navigate the dynamic landscape of student led inquiry in the IB PYP and beyond, one thing remains constant: the importance of fostering effective communication skills and nurturing inquiry-driven minds.  I'm delighted to share another innovative strategy, albeit not that new, that empowers facilitation of a transdisciplinary inquiry through collaboration and communication skills.  Today, I have some strategies for tuning in and developing communicators. And I'm excited to introduce you to a powerful tuning in and provocation tool: Concept Discussion Mats. 

Why Communication Matters

Effective communication lies at the heart of the IB Primary Years Programme.  It's not just about conveying information but also about collaboration: actively listening, exchanging ideas, and constructing meaning collaboratively. In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to communicate effectively is a fundamental skill that empowers students to navigate diverse perspectives an...

8 Ways to Use Task Cards in the IB PYP Classroom for Skills-Based and Collaborative Learning

Can we take a few minutes to chat about task cards as a solution to our constant search for innovative methods to engage our IB PYP students in meaningful learning experiences. Task cards, versatile tools that offer a wide range of applications, are a valuable resource for promoting skills-based learning and collaborative activities in the classroom. They are not only versatile but also provide us with an opportunity to infuse creativity and interaction into our approaches to teaching. In this article, we will explore eight effective ways to use task cards to enhance skills-based and collaborative learning.

1. **Skill Stations:** Create skill stations in your classroom by placing task cards at different learning centres and even around the room. Each station can focus on a specific skill, such as listening to understand, math problem-solving, grammar development, or critical thinking. Encou...

A key part of tuning into the IB PYP unit of inquiry is unpacking those additional concepts that our investigations will be based upon. I've spoken a lot about ways that we can provoke the children's curiosity and invite their questions into the inquiry. This article goes a little deeper into this tuning in phase as we use images to develop thinking skills, namely all of those skills that make up analysing information, in order to learn more about those related concepts.

If you've been following along with my social media accounts for a while now, then you will know how much I love using pictures to provoke the inquiry. There are so many thinking skills at work when you are presenting images to children and it's so easy to integrate those thinking skills into all subject areas, not to mention how they overlap into research and communication skills too.  This article gives you a few easy to implement tips that can be integrated into your units of inquiry through the related concepts ...

The Inquiry-Based Math Project in the IB PYP

Integrated maths inquiry, concept based maths, project based learning….it doesn’t matter what you call it, well designed projects support learning through a guided inquiry that has enough scope to ensure that maths concepts are approached authentically and with a student-led perspective. These projects naturally lend themselves to support all types and levels of learners. They are transdisciplinary in nature, allowing concepts and skills to be transferred and applied towards an end product that has largely been created with the children's voice as an obvious part of the process. They're open-ended enough to allow your students room to expand and direct the project yet structured enough to support those learners who aren’t quite ready to take that leap into independent inquiry.  As you watch the following video, where I share my strategies together with Parvana Guliyeva (an IB PYP grade 4 teacher, currently in Portugal) consider our transdis...

Within the IB PYP Exhibition, your team of mentors are a crucial support tool for students and facilitators alike. They are often a mixture of other staff members ( teachers, support staff ), members of the local community and parents. Many mentors are coming to the Exhibition for the first time. And, even if it isn’t their first time, its so important to ensure right from the very beginning, that everyone is on the same page. Mentoring your mentors is one key to making the journey  a smoother one.  I have a couple of GREAT tools to help! In this article, you will find a fantastic video, a free guide and my best-selling Exhibition journal. If this is your first journey through the PYP Exhibition, make sure you grab your FREE timeline here.

[caption id="attachment_3787" align="alignnone" width="980"] Get your FREE Exhibition timeline now![/caption]

Within my student journal, Journey Through the PYP Exhibition, you will find ideas for mentors as well as clarifying with students, ho...

Concepts are such a big part of our IB PYP lives. They begin with our transdisciplinary planning and end with the students' assessment of their conceptual understanding. And in between, we are nurturing and developing their awareness of those big ideas so that they may transfer their knowledge and understanding across disciplines and the programme of inquiry.

Following on from my conversation on Facebook, LIVE with  Misty Paterson from Pop-Up Studio, I wanted to offer some ideas that I have used for developing concept-seekers. I'm going to give you the super-quick tutorial on conceptual learning and planning before I dive into the tools I use to develop conceptual thinking within my students. If youre looking for ideas for assessing the additional concepts within our transdisciplinary themes, you will LOVE this article that shares my strategy for rich, rigorous and student-led conversations to reflect and assess those additional concepts. Take a look at this article below:

Enhancin...

Concepts vs. Topics: Let's Get clear.

In the very first coaching session in PYPTeaching Tools membership,  I dive into bringing inquiry teachers an understanding all about conceptual teaching and learning with practical classroom strategies to develop your young CONCEPT SEEKERS. 

 As an inquiry teacher, it's that important to have this fundamental understanding right from the beginning because we approach our teaching through a transdisciplinary lens, and it is through concepts that the children are able to make their meaning far more enduring, transferring this understanding across disciplines, time and place.

As we plan conceptual learning experiences for and with the students, we want their learning to have this authenticity and the scope for expansion as they begin to make those rich connections, forming meaning for themselves. In this article, I'm delighted to be sharing teacher-author, Misty Paterson, as she helps to uncover the difference between concepts and topics.  The follo...

The early years in the IB PYP can be a whole new experience for teachers new to student-led inquiry. It is a beautiful mix of play-based exploration,  guiding invitations leading to inquiry and  provoking wonder all led by the children's natural curiosity.

I do not profess to be an expert with this age-group. Having never taught in an early years classroom, it amazes me when I see creative early years teachers working their magic and bringing the elements of the PYP seamlessly into practice with our youngest learners.

Common Challenges

I often hear from early years teacher-facilitators that their challenges include questioning and developing this skill with the children.  Such struggles include:

• How do I get the children to ask meaningful questions?
• How can we use thinking strategies with such young children?
• They can't  read or write, how do I plan for inquiries?
• They're too young to ask good questions.

Perhaps you can relate to one or a few? Well, I am delighted to be a...

If we are inquiry teachers, facilitating a student-led inquiry process, then it makes absolute sense that we have to be able to teach the children the art of questioning. Questions are, after all, the beginning of each and every inquiry.  Questioning plays an important role in building a true student-led inquiry, beginning with the initial provocation. So, where do we start? Well, allow me to share my experience with you and, hopefully, bring you some practical strategies to take back to your own class of inquirers.  If you missed the first part of this discussion about developing the Approaches to Learning Thinking Skills, click  here to catch up with how I begin to develop those sub-skills.  In this article, I have provided a free video that also offers practical suggestions. But, let’s start by doing.

BE INSPIRED. BE CONFIDENT. BE READY! Teaching kids to ask better questions? The membership is full of activities built exactly for that. Explore the Membership🤩

Using simple thinkin...

Over the past few months, I’ve been hard at work creating an online training course for teachers who are new or newish to the concept-based, student-centred, inquiry classroom. Does this sound like you or someone you know? I am happy to announce that it is ALMOST ready to be released! I’m calling it Essentials for Inquiry.  (has a nice ring to it, I feel.)

Meanwhile, I have these FREE training videos which will give quick, practical and useful information and can be available on demand. I shall be releasing the 3 training videos over the course of the next week. So, make sure you have subscribed so that they will drop right into your inbox. Allow me to introduce this video training series and scroll down for training video 1, Introducing Concept-Based Learning.

Video 1 : Introducing concept-based learning:

• What is a concept?
• The purpose of concept-based teaching
• Related concepts vs. key concepts
• Developing conceptual thinking
• Download your free PDF here to use alongside the
...