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SIMPLIFYING, CONNECTING AND CREATING POSSIBILITIES
The Journey Outwards
• Teachers establishing what units of inquiry really are about, conceptually, in very simple terms
• Creating visual tools and lenses to help students see the presence of concepts in their own lives
• Helping students see connections between their thinking and the written curriculum • How “letting them go” brings a wider variety of curriculum expectations into the
equation
Thanks!
Why?
Trained and “untrained” in the UK
Went a long way (and sometimes too far) in Dhaka
Two strange, tragic but professionally rewarding years in
China.
Started working on the 4 Core Elements of Education with Chad Walsh
Moved to New International School Thailand
The pace of life in Bangkok and NIST
Competitive teaching – who can work the hardest? Who
is more stressed? Who goes home latest?
We believe we are preparing kids for the “Real World”… but they are in it now. This is their time.
“A three-year old is not half a six-year old!” Sir Ken Robinson
“As a teacher, it is not hard to stay relevant. The kids bring relevance into your classroom every day. Just be open to it… welcome it into the room and help them use it to learn.”
Alan Fletcher
It is their future… do they know that?
The Art of Looking
Develop a positive relationship with time
Always think twice before taking time away from people, including students.
Give them time
Give teachers time
Create time
Use teaching time wisely by looking for connections wherever and whenever
possible.
“If you don’t know where you’re going, all roads lead there.” Roman Proverb
“Know your students, know your curriculum” Powell & Powell
A Mindset
Conceptual rubric to guide learning
Conceptual sentences to explain student understanding
Key Concepts
One word that describes what this
unit is about
One word that describes what this
unit is about
As a team, can you “boil down” one of your units of inquiry to one word?
What are the key concepts? Are they the right ones for the job?
Key Concepts
Can you write a “We want the students to understand…” sentence for each of your key concepts?
Conceptual sentences to explain student understanding
Do you provide students with a conceptual rubric that guides their learning?
Conceptual rubric to guide learning
TUNING-IN
“It is enough to open minds, do not overload them. Put there just a spark. If there is some good inflammable stuff, it will catch fire.” Anatole France
Self
Is the central concept of the unit present in the students’ lives? Where? How? How can you find out?
Self
Can the student take their understanding of the central concept beyond how it applies to their own life (a journey outwards)?
Self
Is the central concept of the unit present outside the students’ lives? Is it still worth learning about?
Self
How can the students bring the central concept closer to home as they progress through the unit?
“Know your students, know your curriculum” Powell & Powell
“If you don’t know where you’re going, all roads lead there.” Roman Proverb
Receptive Language Looking (viewing) Listening Reading
Expressive Language Presenting Speaking Writing
If kids are not receiving much, not much will come out!
And… of course, not much real thinking will be going on.
As teachers, we often believe students have done no learning if they do not do some form of expression. If there is nothing “on paper” then nothing has been learned! Is that really true?
What are all the possible ways that students can receive?
Have a look at your POI… are there plenty of chances for them to do so?
We assume our students know how to look because they all (usually) have
eyes!
We all need help with looking, particularly in these times.
Round-Robin Reflection
• Give each person a number from 1 to 3 or 1 to 4.
• Number 1 starts by completing these sentences:
“I contributed by…
“This helped us because…”
• Person 2 summarizes what person 1 said, then completes the sentences themselves.
• Then person 3 summarizes, and so on.
• Person 1 summarizes what person 4 said.
No interruptions and no cross-talk.
The Art of Looking
