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Making the IB PYP Central Idea Meaningful

Following on from my recent live webinar on Facebook, this week’s chat is looking at different approaches to the IB PYP Central Idea and how each method can benefit the learner in meaningful and effective ways within the inquiry process. I have added the video below.

When youre new or newish to the PYP, the jargon alone can be intimidating, nevermind what youre supposed to do with it all. When you are presented with a central idea that leaves you with the thoughts, ” Huh? What does that even mean?” , this is a huge clue that the central idea is, in my opinion, ugly! If you are struggling with it, how do you think the children will feel? Over the years I have found there to be 3 types of central ideas: the good, the bad and the ugly. Here is one UGLY example that stuck with me ( for obvious reasons). It was geared towards 7 & 8 year olds. I am not kidding!

The relationships within a community can determine the structure and engagements of its...

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Student-Led Assessment and Student Agency in the IB PYP

Hello again! And welcome to the third part of our conversation of assessment in the IB PYP classroom.  If you’re just joining me, welcome to the end of this conversation about assessment and student agency. You can read parts 1 and 2 right here, if you want to keep it all in context.

Peer reflection and planning the assessment

Following on from part 2, which listed ten forms of inclusive assessment for an IB PYP classroom, I wanted to complete this 3 part conversation on assessment with ways to record the evidence gathered from assessment activities.

By gathering evidence about ongoing student achievement, the evidence can assist both teachers and students in making judgements about their progress and accomplishments of standards and outcomes. It also provides feedback about how each child can improve their skills and their learning. The following list of inclusive assessment activities can be used by teachers and students collaboratively...

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The IB PYP Student Portfolio

Hello there! In this article, I will cover the different formats of a commonly used document of learning across the IB PYP: the student portfolio. I'll share my experience with the value and function of such a document and how to incorporate reflections across the content and the elements of the PYP framework.

Function: The Purpose

With the fact that every school has a responsibility to maintain evidence of students’ learning, the PYP Portfolio acts a source for collecting, recording and storing the evidence. The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) emphasises student agency, inquiry-based learning, and holistic development and the student portfolio plays a crucial role in the PYP. While it is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged and considered an essential part of the programme.

The PYP portfolio serves as a source for collecting, recording, and storing evidence of students’ learning.

Its purpose is multifaceted:

  • Documenting Learning: The portfolio...
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New to the IB PYP? FREE Teachersā€™ Video Training Series

 

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...
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2nd FREE Video-Inquiry Teacher Training! Developing Conceptual Thinkers

 

Welcome back! And if you’re just showing up….welcome! I have had an overwhelming response to video number 1! I’m beyond grateful for everyone who commented, sent me private messages and all in all, expressed thanks. I feel incredibly thankful to be a part of such a fabulously supportive, global community of teachers.

Video number 2 is here! Following on from training video number 1, where I introduce the idea of using concepts within teaching and learning, I’ll now go on to give you some practical ideas for developing conceptual thinkers.

These videos are a snapshot of my new online professional development course, Essentials for Inquiry: Getting Started with Inquiry-Based Teaching, which I shall be releasing SOON! I receive so very many questions from teachers all around the world and this course is designed to get you off to an effective start from planning, through the inquiry process, to assessment. It comes complete with lesson...

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FREE Video 3 Training for IB PYP Inquiry Teachers

Hello again! I am delighted to be sharing this inquiry teacher video training series for those of you new to inquiry-based teaching and/or the IB PYP.  If you missed video 1 and video 2 on concept-based learning, you can catch up right here by clicking the links. 

ANOTHER FREE WEBINAR COMING SOON!

With the ENORMOUS response I have had from this summer video series, I have decided to go one step further and will be hosting a FREE webinar about planning the inquiry!  And I know we are ALL over the world, so I have scheduled several times. Hopefully, you are able to make one of those webinars. I shall be sending out invitations to register in the next few days, so, keep an eye on your in box. If you would like to join in, and not yet subscribed to this blog, please drop your name and e mail in the box below.

Collaboration and Inquiry : Summer Training Video 3

The subject of this video in the series is something that is an integral practice to the...

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Strategies for Authentic IB PYP Inquiry with Distance Learning

And so it continues….

As some of us are now knee deep into distance learning, and some of us are still finding our feet with it all, the fact of the matter remains that for many of us, this new form of teaching and learning that has been thrust upon us, isn’t going away any time soon. I know, I know. But…..it isn’t all bad news. Let’s not forget the skills that we have learned, the inner strength we have developed and the technology hurdles we have overcome! Or perhaps that last one is just me? Anyway, I have a video replay with a few strategies up my sleeve that I’d like to share with you to help keep the inquiry authentic with the on-going remote learning.

                             
Distance learning brings out the crazed and the crazy in us all. Hang in there!

    

                     ...

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Amazing Books for Developing IB PYP Thinking Skills

There’s a lot more to this thinking business than we think. When developing IB PYP thinkers and inquirers, I believe it’s so important that we first  teach the children to become aware of their thinking. They need to know what this whole thinking thing is about. And before we point to that reference poster on the wall that outlines those sub-skills, I want to help them identify much of what those sub-skills involve. This is where books come into play!

When you’ve been teaching as long as I have, you come across a few books that become your favourite, go-to books over and over, for very specific purposes. This article shares my favourite books for developing the IB PYP Learner Profile attributes of Thinker and Inquirer and, in turn, the Approaches to Learning thinking skills.  In addition, I was excited to host a giveaway on my social media accounts and was able to give away 7 books to 7 teachers around the world!  In this article,...

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Developing Thinking Skills with the IB PYP

Hello again fellow inquiry teachers! This article is going to be expanding on my previous post where I was sharing my favourite books for developing thinkers and inquirers.

                                           

                             Looking for ideas for books? Read the article here.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I’m going to be breaking down the IB Approaches to Learning Thinking Skills and sharing strategies for bringing a greater awareness and understanding of the sub-skills to the children.  If you are a subscriber to my blog, you already know that I send you free samples of my new resources and examples of tools I’ve used.  Look out for those in your inbox over the next few weeks. If you’d like to become a subscriber and...

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To TEFL or not to TEFL? A quick summary for the international teacher

As an international IB PYP teacher, I am often asked if I am TEFL certified and what benefits this certification may offer a qualified teacher.

The short answer is yes. I got my TEFL certificate three years into my career. I have since taken several courses that assist with teaching English as  foreign language. But before I go into the reasons why I chose to become TEFL certified,  let me give you a wee bit of background.

What is TEFL?

TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It refers to a course that you can take, either online or in-person to learn how to teach English to non-English speaking students/children who speak English as their second or even third language.

Within 2 years of graduating from university in Scotland, I applied for my first position as an international teacher. I was winging my way to Abu Dhabi with only 2 years of teaching experience under my belt and a whole lot of excitement; new culture, sunshine,  international...

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