Latest Posts

  • The Tempered Learner (on self-regulation)

    Going all the way back to my “MYP: Mind The Gap” session at IBAP 2013, I’ve been thinking about defining effective self-directed inquiry, the role of the MYP in “preparing” kids for DP, the approaches to learning and (more recently) building in ideas… Continue reading

  • Bold Moves for Schools

    This is a quick-and-dirty review of a book that ticks all the boxes for a curriculum nerd like me: Bold Moves for Schools, by Heidi Hayes Jacobs & Marie Alcock, from the ASCD (2017, 207 pages). It’s a practical and comprehensive, yet… Continue reading

  • Webb’s DOK4 & Transfer

    I recently took part in a fabulous Bold Moves Curriculum Mapping Bootcamp, by Dr. Marie Alcock at ISKL. I was there to think about next steps for curriculum planning at CA, and it was a great opportunity to pick the… Continue reading

  • Which Way Next?

    As hiring season begins for international schools, it is really starting to sink in that this will be our seventh and final year at CA and in Japan. This conversation is happening all over the world right now as international… Continue reading

  • Tankyuu (探 究): A Quest for Teacher Professional Inquiry

    One of our big projects over the last few years has been to shift the focus of professional learning and goal setting from competence in the programmes and practices into genuine teacher inquiry. As a lot of foundational work had… Continue reading

  • Cycle Diagrams and Design Thinking

    Inspired by the IB’s Middle Years Programme (MYP, ages 11-16) Design Cycle in the 2014 Next Chapter programme overhaul, I went into a frenzy of designing cycles and applying design/cycle thinking to my roles as teacher and coordinator. Over the… Continue reading

  • Google Certified Educator

    Today I took the Google Certified Educator (Level 1) test for a few reasons: To check my own competence in Google Apps for Education basics. To see how long it would take, with an eye on how we might support… Continue reading

  • Capturing the Curriculum, Criteria & “Zooming In”

    Shortlink to this resource: is.gd/mypassess Update Sept. 5 2017 based on edits summarized in this update from the IB. Big Update Dec. 2 2017: added subject group overview (curriculum articulation) tabs for each subject group, with data validation for key, related… Continue reading

  • Standardization: Cycling away from the moderation “event”

    Update 2024: Standardization Cycle 2.0 is here. A quick post to share a resource, based on some of our work at CA. I love cycle diagrams and was thinking about the process of moderation, planning and the challenges of effective… Continue reading

  • Don’t feel hopeless, despite the world right now.

    Originally posted on i-Biology: IB Learner Profile  With the world at fever-pitch for humanitarian crises, discrimination, a swing to the political right and environmental problems becoming compounded, it can seem like we are powerless to make a change. This might… Continue reading

    Don’t feel hopeless, despite the world right now.