Understanding Learners & Learning
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(If You) USEME-AI is 3 Years Old
Updates and reflections on (If You) USEME-AI after three years. Continue reading
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Making Feedback Visible: Four Levels in Action
Five years ago I was starting to become concerned with the difference between marking and feedback. What was making a difference to my students’ learning and was the effort I was putting into detailed marking worth it in terms of… Continue reading
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Curriculum as a Compass?
Over the last few years as a science teacher and coordinator I’ve been thinking a lot about how we might create a culture of thinking that balances vigorous and challenging outcomes with student co-creation (or navigation) of inquiry, particularly where… Continue reading
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Is this an inquiry with an ‘I’ or an enquiry with an ‘e’?
This post has been sitting in my drafts for a while, and I was reminded to complete it after a question from a student when I was covering a TOK class: “What’s the difference between inquiry and enquiry?” [tL:dR: Definitions matter… Continue reading
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What does this look like in the classroom?
This post is a quick recommendation for a very practical resource for teachers, coordinators & learning coaches. “What Does This Look Like in the Classroom? Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice”, by Carl Hendrick & Robin MacPherson, with illustrations… Continue reading
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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
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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
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Growth Mindsets in Differentiation & Feedback
A short review/summary of Carol Dweck’s Mindset. Continue reading
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Summertime Subsidence: Vacating the Mind of This Year’s Learning
Nobody wants to be that teacher – the one who assigns a massive packet of busy work, due the first day back to school, but it is evident that extended vacations result in a reversal of some learning. This loss of… Continue reading
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MYP: Mind the Gap [MA Assignment]
The circle closes with this assignment, from IBAP conference in 2013 to the submission of the assignment in 2014. From here it’s onwards and updwards with the Research Methods unit and the dissertation, building (hopefully) on my Web Chart of… Continue reading
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The Swallow, The Flock and The Writer’s Block
I forgot the word I wanted to say, And thought, unembodied, Returns to the hall of shadows. Continue reading
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Defining Inquiry: “Critical Reflective Thinking”
A quick abridged post to isolate Bente Elkjaer’s definition of inquiry as “Critical reflective thinking.” Continue reading
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Give a Student a Fish…
“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he’ll feed his family for a lifetime.” Anne Ritchie, 1885 (maybe) This short post, again related to Understanding Learners and Learning, Visible Learning… Continue reading
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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
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“Learning is about living, and as such is lifelong.” Defining Learning
Over the past couple of months (well, in those stolen moments), I have been reading up on Understanding Learners and Learning for my current Bath MA International Education unit. Where at first I was dubious about the value of going… Continue reading
Wayfinder Learning Lab - Stephen Taylor 