Curriculum

November 3, 2014

New Challenges: Director of Curriculum & PD [for 2015-2017]

In the exciting time of year where international school friends and colleagues are making decisions about their futures – stay or go, which fair, which country, which school – we feel some relief at having made the decision to stay.… Continue reading

October 13, 2014

Educate for hope, not despair, for a fair and sustainable world.

I wrote this post in 2014, but come back to it often. See edits and additions below the main body. We tread a delicate line between hope and despair; between student action for change and not overwhelming our young learners… Continue reading

September 18, 2014

A pragmatic approach to inquiry: my article in IS magazine

The most recent issue of International School Magazine has run a feature written by me on how we interpret and frame inquiry, and is adapted from one of my recent Bath MA assignments. Continue reading

September 12, 2014

How NOT to be ignorant about the world.

Hans Rosling, TED.com “Fame is easy to acquire. Impact is much more difficult.” Update, 2018: As a Rosling fanboy, using their work on i-Biology since about 2008, I was saddened to hear of his death in 2017. However, his recent… Continue reading

July 2, 2014

Growth Mindsets & IB Programme Evaluation

When we take a growth-mindset view to programme evaluation, we see the process for what it is – a valuable, improvement-focused, school-driven method to generate feedback and set action plans. Continue reading

July 1, 2014

Are IB Schools Trivium21C Schools?

Trivium21C is an excellent vision for an excellent education, taking the best of the past and the present to prepare young people for the future. Give up the progressive/traditional mud-fight and read this. Continue reading

April 15, 2014

Curriculum Spark: ATLAS Webinar

Here are the slides from a short webinar I presented for Rubicon ATLAS on our MYP: Next Chapter journey so far. Over the last couple of years, we have had a lot of interaction with Ben, Chris, Natalie and the… Continue reading

April 4, 2014

“I reflect on my reflection…”

Reflection is not only backwards-looking, and if we treat it as such it loses its power and generates reflection fatigue in students and colleagues. Continue reading

March 9, 2014

Is “every experience a moving force” in our curriculum?

As I struggle through writer’s block (after a very intense couple of months of work and more), trying to organise and finish off this ULL assignment, I find myself pulled back into the literature, thinking about the quotes of educationalists… Continue reading

February 26, 2014

Faculty PD: Assessment Principles & Practices (and a stretched golf metaphor)

A golf-themed series of PD sessions on assessment principles and practices. Inspired by a Ken O’Connor post. Continue reading

January 4, 2014

An Inquiry Crossfader: Authentic vs Effective Learning?

In reading more about Understanding Learners and Learning, learning theories and high-impact teaching and learning strategies I got thinking again about a conversation Jon Schatzky and I had a year and half ago about a continuum of inquiry. I’ll use… Continue reading

October 11, 2013

Wayfinder Learning Lab – Stephen Taylor