​We are engaging in the ultimate reflective practice.  As we go back through all of the elements of a PYP classroom success criteria, what is on your list?  Here is a recap of the big ideas we have discussed.  Get ready to apply!

​Your classroom is a place where curiosity thrives, and excitement for learning is contagious. How do we achieve this? It starts with a shared vision, my friends. A school that communicates its high expectations for learners and empowers them to steer their learning journey.

​Now, imagine your classroom walls come alive with knowledge. They're not just a backdrop; they're a canvas for learning. Infused with key and related concepts, your walls become an extension of your teaching.  Learners see relevant examples that have been created by their peers of what those concepts mean to them in their everyday lives. 

By learning through concepts, we are able to break free from the constraints of subject silos! A transdisciplinary approach weaves connections between subjects through concepts and sparks deeper understanding. Let's break down the walls, both metaphorically and literally, to create a space where learning is seamless, where learners see the world's interconnectedness.

​Differentiation isn't just a buzzword; it's a lifeline for learners. Tailor your teaching to meet their diverse needs and interests. Provide opportunities for them to explore their passions and develop their unique strengths.

One way to achieve this is through powerful visual tools.   Encourage learners to sketch their ideas, create mind maps, or design posters. Let them capture their "aha" moments visually, making learning more tangible and memorable.

Now friends, here is our final application task.  In the coming weeks, I encourage each one of you to take a deep dive into your own teaching practices. Reflect on how you've implemented these learner-driven strategies in your classroom. What has worked? What challenges have you faced?

Step 1:  Assessment Component: Self-Evaluation

I challenge you to self-assess your progress in creating a learner-driven environment. Consider these questions:

• How have you promoted learner agency in your classroom?
• Have you integrated transdisciplinary elements into your teaching?
• In what ways have you celebrated learners' voice, choice, and ownership?
• How effectively have you differentiated instruction to meet individual needs?
• Have you encouraged learners to visually represent their ideas and "aha" moments?

Step 2:  Setting Goals

After your self-assessment, set concrete goals for improvement. What specific changes will you make from the series to further enhance learner independence in your classroom? Think about actionable steps and a timeline for implementation.  I prefer an Oscar Action Plan, because it’s clear and precise. 

​Thank you for joining me on this adventure throughout the application series.  I know it has been wonderful for me to reflect back on past learning and to apply it to my practice in a different way. 

Any aha moments and ideas that you would like to share, please tag me on:
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Bluesky @thinkchat2020.bsky.social
Threads @thinkchat2020
X @thinkchat2020
LinkedIn @lugerlach
Instagram @thinkchat2020
Confessions of a PYP Teacher Facebook group

​This episode, we will only have one application challenge, because I have been quite intense the past two episodes.  I can’t help it, I get excited about this stuff and have to share it with you!  

​More importantly, they are realizing that innovators make mistakes continuously, but they continue to try again until they get the right outcome.    So, as educators, let's nurture this process and watch our students evolve into true experts in their own right.

​Think of the educational journey as tending to a garden, and in this episode, we're helping our learners cultivate it by exploring the variety of gardening tools available to them. It's akin to standing in a lush garden, where each tool represents a unique choice for nurturing our expertise in learning. Just as a gardener selects the right tool for a specific gardening task, our learners have the opportunity to choose where and how they'll kick start their journey toward becoming experts in a field. As they assess this garden of choices, our learners will need to consider which gardening tool best suits their current needs and goals to help their knowledge and skills flourish.

We will be using the Circle of Viewpoints routine, a Project Zero Visible Thinking Routine that can help learners consider diverse perspectives and explore local and global issues from multiple angles.  This routine scaffolds the process of taking more ownership of your learning. 

Step 1: Introduction
Begin the lesson by introducing the concept of the Circle of Viewpoints. Explain that we will explore a local and global issue and examine it from various perspectives to gain a more comprehensive understanding.

Step 2: Select a Topic or Issue
Choose our topic or issue. It's a complex issue with environmental, economic, political, and social aspects that allow for multiple viewpoints.

Step 3: Identify Key Perspectives
List key perspectives from scientists, policymakers, activists, business leaders, and the general public.

Step 4: Share Information
Provide learners with articles, interviews, and documentaries representing each perspective. For scientists, share peer-reviewed research articles. For policymakers, provide government reports and speeches.

Step 5: Assign Roles
Assign learners to groups, with each group taking on the role of one of the key perspectives. Group 1 becomes the "scientists," Group 2 the "policymakers," and so on.

Step 6: Individual Reflection
Ask learners to individually read and reflect on materials from their assigned perspective. They should consider the main arguments, evidence, and viewpoints presented.

Step 7: Group Discussion
Have each group discuss their assigned perspective and share their reflections. Learners within each group can elaborate on their understanding.

Step 8: Rotate Perspectives
After the initial group discussions, reshuffle learners so that each group now represents a different perspective. For example, the "scientists" group becomes the "activists."

Step 9: Synthesize and Compare
In their new groups learners synthesize insights from their original perspective and compare them with the insights they gained from the other perspectives. They discuss commonalities, differences, and areas of contention.

Step 10: Reflect on the Process
Lead a class discussion where learners reflect on how considering different viewpoints influenced their understanding of the topic or issue. Encourage them to share specific insights or changes in perspective.

Take the steps from the Circle of Viewpoints visible thinking routine and expand them to be more agentic.  

Your task
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• Break down the Circle of Viewpoints steps.
• Assess the agentic nature of each step.  If it is too teacher-driven, how might you rewrite them so they are open-ended?
• Identify other skills learners will need in order to be experts.
• Compare to your current unit and examine how you might change your existing engagements and processes to become more agentic. 

For instance, in step 4, it asks the teacher to provide resources for their learners.  To create experts, the Lessons from the Expert Effect Learners need to find their own resources, instead of the teacher providing them.  For this to occur, we will need to model the process of finding accurate and reliable sources of information. 

Have fun with this application exercise!  I know you will unravel some new ideas that you had not previously considered. 

​Disclaimer, there are two possible ways to apply local and global inquiry to your context.  You can choose to complete both or only one, based on where you are on your inquiry journey.  I like to have choices, so I don’t feel hemmed into a process, especially when talking about this topic.  The primary goal is to have fun with local and global inquiry. 

​There are so many children in this world that have limited understanding of how people and things work in other places.  In my last school, many learners could not conceptualize life outside of the 5-10 block radius of our community, let alone other parts of our city and country.  As educators, we can be a vehicle for learners to explore different ways of thinking and approaches to solving complex global issues.

Generate

• Product: Generate as many ideas, questions, or thoughts as possible related to local and global inquiry.  What does it look and feel like to you?  What are the learners doing? What are the teachers doing?  

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• Process: Encourage students to brainstorm and write down any ideas or questions that come to mind about their chosen topic. This phase is about creative exploration.  

Sort

• Product: Organize your generated ideas into categories or themes. Identify commonalities and connections among your ideas.  

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• Process: In this step, students categorize and sort their generated ideas. This helps them identify patterns, similarities, and potential directions for their inquiry.

Connect

• Product: Consider how your sorted ideas connect to broader themes, concepts, or real-world issues. What larger context or significance do you see?

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• Process: Students analyze the connections between their sorted ideas and larger themes or concepts. This step encourages them to see the relevance of their inquiry within a broader context of their local and global community.

Elaborate

• Product: Elaborate on one or more of your sorted and connected ideas. Develop your thoughts further by providing details, examples, or explanations.

​​

• Process: Students choose specific ideas from their sorted and connected list and elaborate on them. This could involve providing more details, offering examples, or exploring the implications of their ideas.

If students are conducting a shared or personal inquiry on renewable energy, here are some potential ideas of applying it to the local and global context

Local

• Generate: Students collaboratively generate ideas related to renewable energy within their local context, exploring aspects like local renewable sources, specific challenges and advantages pertinent to their community, or innovative projects in the region.

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• Sort: Students categorize their generated ideas, grouping them based on localized factors such as community needs, available resources, or unique environmental considerations.

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• Connect: Students examine the connections between their sorted ideas and local themes, considering how these notions relate to community sustainability, local climate issues, or the specific energy demands of their region.

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• Elaborate: Focusing on a specific aspect like solar energy, students delve deeper into the local implications, providing detailed information on how solar panels can be applied in their community, potential benefits, and the specific impact on reducing local carbon emissions.

Global

• Generate: Students collaboratively brainstorm ideas related to renewable energy on a global scale, exploring diverse sources, international benefits and challenges, or cutting-edge innovations worldwide.

​

• Sort: Students categorize their global ideas, grouping them based on broader categories like global environmental impacts, technological advancements on a worldwide scale, or the interconnectedness of renewable energy issues.

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• Connect: Students analyze the connections between their sorted global ideas and overarching global themes, considering how these notions relate to worldwide sustainability, the global impact of climate change, or the collective energy needs of the planet.

​

• Elaborate: Concentrating on a specific aspect, such as solar energy, students delve deeper into the global implications, providing detailed information on international applications, potential global benefits, and the overall impact on reducing carbon emissions on a global scale.

As educators, embracing the GSCE routine ensures that learners not only acquire knowledge but also develop the analytical tools and global awareness needed to address the complex challenges of the 21st century. It’s your turn to apply it to your context.  
​

• Consider a new idea or concept that you are exploring in the new year. 
• Use the GSCE visible thinking routine to unpack all of the ways it might be explored. 
• Replicate the process with your learners and compare/contrast the two experiences. 
• What did you notice?  What patterns and relationships emerged?  
• Present the two versions to your learners and ask them which components they would like to explore on their personal inquiry. 

We don’t want to overwhelm learners with choices, but it’s a valuable skill to be able to analyze previous wonderings with current ideas to determine where we will go next.  This happens all the time in our profession, so it’s a valuable tool to share with our learners. 

If you are hungry for more ideas, here are some interesting ideas that ChatGPT suggested to help you frame local and global inquiry into your context.  Some may not apply to you, which is okay.  Take and modify this list to meet your needs and the needs of your learners.

1. Identify Opportunities in the Curriculum:
Review your existing curriculum and identify topics or units that naturally lend themselves to exploring local or global connections. Look for themes that can be expanded to include perspectives from different regions or cultures.

2. Integrate Local Stories and Perspectives:
Infuse local stories, examples, and perspectives into your lessons. Connect the curriculum content to the students' immediate community, helping them see the relevance and impact of their learning on their daily lives.

3. Explore Global Contexts:
Look for opportunities to embed global contexts within your curriculum. For example, when teaching history, explore events from different parts of the world during the same time period. This helps students see the interconnectedness of historical events.

4. Use Multicultural Resources:
Incorporate multicultural resources, such as literature, documentaries, or artifacts, to expose students to diverse perspectives. Choose materials that represent a variety of cultures, ensuring inclusivity in the learning process.

5. Collaborate with Other Teachers:
Collaborate with colleagues to create transdisciplinary projects that incorporate local and global connections. 

6. Utilize Technology for Virtual Connections:
Leverage technology to connect your students with peers from different parts of the world. Use video conferencing, online collaboration tools, or social media to facilitate virtual exchanges, discussions, or joint projects.

7. Incorporate Service-Learning Projects:
Integrate service-learning projects that address local or global issues. This hands-on approach allows students to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts while making a positive impact on their community or beyond.

8. Explore Global Literature and Authors:
Introduce global literature and authors into your language arts curriculum. Select books that tell stories from diverse cultures, providing students with insights into different ways of life and fostering empathy.

9. Connect with Local Experts:
Bring local experts into the classroom to share their experiences or insights related to the curriculum. This could be professionals, community leaders, or individuals with expertise in the subject matter.

10. Provide Opportunities for Reflection:
Build reflection opportunities throughout the curriculum. Encourage students to reflect on how the content connects to their own lives, the broader community, and the world at large.

​Pick 2-3 ideas and actively apply them to your curriculum.  Monitor and reflect how they changed the feeling of your unit and how learners expanded their knowledge of the world around them.  It’s exciting when we have some tools that are simple and spark our creativity!

I hope you enjoyed this episode about local and global inquiry.  In the next episode, we are going to further apply it through the world of the Expert Effect.  Let’s do this!

​Kath’s work around personal inquiry emphasizes the importance of fostering curiosity, independence, and critical thinking skills in learners. To challenge our thinking, let’s begin by considering the following reflection prompt:

• Reflect on a recent experience where you felt a strong sense of curiosity or wonder. What sparked your interest, and how did you pursue your inquiry? 

​

• Consider the ways in which this experience pushed you outside of your comfort zone or challenged your existing beliefs. 

​

• How might you replicate or build upon this process in other aspects of your life or work to continue stretching your thinking and fostering a mindset of ongoing curiosity and inquiry?

Model

• Something that has piqued my interest has been the journey from primary/elementary school and the things we need to put into place, so each phase is smooth and easy for learners to navigate.

​

• To push myself out of my comfort zone, I participated in the IB DP Math Symposium in Stuttgart, Germany.  With a wonderful team (Taylan, Merve, Shannon), we presented our project on scaffolding the MYP command terms into the PYP through math and science.  

​

• I am implementing the use of command terms to drive my workshops and teacher consultations.  I want to model the process directly and implicitly with everyone I come into contact with.  Let’s do this!

Now, it’s your turn to complete step 1 of our challenge!

Explore and Wonder
Describe the initial spark or curiosity that led you to choose a particular topic or question during your personal inquiry. What fascinated you about it?

Investigate and Inquire
Share the steps you took to explore your chosen inquiry. What research methods did you employ, and how did you approach the inquiry process independently or collaboratively?

Create and Present
Reflect on the creative aspects of your personal inquiry. How did you express your understanding and what did you create or present to showcase your learning?

Reflect on Challenges
Identify challenges you encountered during your personal inquiry. What obstacles did you face, and how did you overcome them? How did these challenges contribute to your learning experience?

Connect to Personal Growth
Consider the ways in which your personal inquiry experience is connected with your personal interests and passions. How has this experience contributed to your personal and intellectual growth?

Extend Your Thinking
Explore how your personal inquiry extended your understanding beyond the initial scope. What new ideas, skills, or perspectives did you gain, and how might these extensions influence your future inquiries or projects?

Future Inquiry Planning
Based on your personal inquiry experience, outline specific strategies or approaches you might adopt in future personal inquiries. How can you apply the lessons learned to continue stretching your thinking?

​We have known for quite some that the internet is the depository of information and we are the facilitators of meaning making.  Our role will require us to know how to engage with the technology to gain the maximum output.  With this in mind, we are going to explore our new relationship with ChatGPT in this episode and challenge ourselves to start using it tomorrow. 

Before we begin, I want to be clear that our goal is meaning making.  More is not more.  For ChatGPT to be effective in our practice, we need to know how to engage it successfully.  Here is my attempt in modeling the process while making some mistakes along the way.  I will present my prompt, ChatGPT responses, and my commentary of the answers.  

Let’s get started!

My Prompt
What is a good prompt to start a search in ChatGPT for teachers who are new to the process?  Many teachers get frustrated, because they often do not get the answer they are looking for, because the prompt is not detailed enough.  What suggestions do you offer? 

ChatGPT Response
Creating effective prompts for ChatGPT, especially for teachers new to the process, involves providing clear and specific instructions. Here are some suggestions:

Be Specific About the Request
Instead of a general query like "Teaching tips," try something more specific like "Effective strategies for teaching mathematics to elementary students" or "Classroom management techniques for elementary school teachers."  Think about what is the heart of what you want to know.  More is not always more, so watch your words.

Use Descriptive Language
Include relevant details in your prompt. Instead of "Teaching resources," try "Online resources for creating engaging science lesson plans for elementary."  The more you can describe what you need, the better the system can give you an output that is in alignment with what you want. 

Ask Open-Ended Questions
Encourage detailed responses by framing questions in an open-ended manner. For example, instead of "How to teach science," ask "What are innovative approaches to make science lessons more interactive and enjoyable for elementary students?"  I love open-ended questions, because they allow for more possibilities for exploration.  The only problem is being too open, because then you will receive answers that go beyond the scope of your research. I would use a variety of factual, conceptual, and debatable questions in my prompt.  For more info about those, check out the Plan for Inquiry guide on my website. 

Provide Context
Briefly explain your situation or context to get more personalized responses. For instance, "I am a new elementary teacher seeking strategies to motivate students during remote learning."  This helps the system to differentiate what information it will give you, so you are not overwhelmed.  Pretty smart, eh? 

Use Multiple Sentences
Break down your request into multiple sentences or bullet points to make it clear and organized. This can help avoid ambiguity and improve the chances of receiving relevant information.  I do this all the time and it’s amazing what it will spit out. This is perfect for words within a unit of inquiry.  If you are struggling to know how to connect them, I ask ChatGPT to sort the list using related concepts, so I can see the relationship between the words.  It’s such a time saver!

Specify Grade Level or Subject
If your query relates to a specific grade level or subject, include that information. For example, "Effective teaching methods for introducing Shakespeare to 9th-grade students."  I received this answer, because my original prompt was not focused on elementary students.  I’ve had to modify all of the answers to be more specific to elementary. Something to consider. 

Request Examples
If you're looking for practical examples, explicitly mention it in your prompt. For instance, "Can you provide examples of play-based learning activities for fifth-grade students while exploring migration?" This allows for detailed search, but also specific to the content you are teaching.  I’m lovin’ it!

Mention Constraints
If there are constraints or specific conditions you need to consider, mention them in your prompt. For example, "Teaching strategies for a classroom with limited technology resources."  This will help to limit

Remember, the more details and context you provide in your prompt, the better the chances of getting a relevant and helpful response.

Lu Prompt
What is a good prompt to start a search in ChatGPT for elementary teachers who are new to the process?  Can you share it in the voice of Lu Gerlach, the host of Confessions of a PYP Teacher?  I revised this, because I wanted to see if I was missing anything and see if it could mimick my voice. 

ChatGPT response
Certainly! Crafting a detailed and effective prompt is key to getting the information you need. Here's a suggestion for elementary teachers who are new to the process:

Be Specific About the Request (Lu's Touch):
"Hey amazing educators! Lu here, venturing into the world of elementary teaching. Any secrets on making math an adventure for our little ones or tips for taming the energy in our vibrant classrooms?"

Use Descriptive Language (Lu's Style)
"Calling all science enthusiasts! I'm on the lookout for online gems that can add a spark to our elementary science plans. Any fabulous resources to create lessons that leave our kiddos wide-eyed and full of wonder?"

Ask Open-Ended Questions (Lu's Curiosity)
"Picture this: elementary science that feels like magic. What are your favorite, out-of-the-box methods for turning 'How to teach science' into 'Wow, science is awesome!' for our young learners?"

Use Multiple Sentences (Lu's Clarity):
"Hey awesome educators! I'm a fresh face in the teaching world and could use your guidance. Specifically, I'm curious about effective strategies for introducing storytelling to my lively 2nd graders. Any tips or engaging activities you've found success with?"

Specify Grade Level or Subject (Lu's Precision)
"Calling all storytelling enthusiasts! I'm in need of your brilliance. What are your favorite teaching methods for bringing the magic of stories to life in a 2nd-grade classroom?"

Now that you are done laughing about how ChatGPT perceives my online voice, I want to take a moment to be serious.  How are you using the platform to enhance your teaching practice? 

Wasn’t this humorous yet telling at the same time?  Now it’s your turn to practice and make your own voice with ChatGPT.  Let’s start slowly and go from there.  

I want you to go onto the platform and type in 2-3 prompts as suggested above and be sure to include:
​

• Your context
• Your learner needs
• Your curricular and unit objective
• What you need in the end

Evaluate the responses and create follow-up prompts to refine the answer to where it will be useful.  Be sure to share with us your prompts and ideas on X @thinkchat2020 and LinkedIn @lugerlach. I’m curious to see how it goes! 

By the way, I asked ChatGPT for the first time to help me write this episode and all of the application series.  If you are specific and thoughtful in your prompt, you will get some amazing ideas.  Will it be perfect?  NO.  This is where the human has to make sense of the outcome and create meaning. 

​As we look at playing with the ATLs, I’m reminded of my friend Vidhya.  She is a passionate PYP educator from India.  If you are on Twitter in the education community, you have probably run across her many tweets.  Ever since last summer, she has opened my eyes to so many possibilities in seeing learning and teaching.  

In a recent chat, Vidhya and I were discussing this challenge and the role of the ATLs.  She posed an amazing question that got my mind thinking. 

What skills do we learn naturally within a purposeful learning space that is designed for play?  Not just materials, but play with ideas.

This sparked my curiosity and I had to know more about this idea.  Here’s where my mind meandered to.  When we consider our learning space design, we need to think about the big purpose.  Is it to inspire play?  Bring about inquiry? Control the learning? Evidence of learning and growth?  

All of these considerations greatly impact how the approaches to learning (ATLs) are exhibited to the school community.  With purposeful learning spaces focused on play, the learner is able to self-direct their learning pathway by manipulating materials and ideas in their own way.  

Why does this matter?  More than ever, our learners need to learn how to create their learning identity by mastering and applying a variety of skills in different contexts.  These skills will help them to navigate uncertain times and hone problem-solving skills that they will need in the future. 

​To bring context to this process, Vidhya shared with me how she encourages her learners to make a personal connection to the ATLS.  As part of a unit of inquiry, Vidhya asked her learners to go beyond “learning” the ATLs, but rather applying them to real-life context.  Here are some connections that her learners made. 

• Homework Connections:  when beginning any assignment, we have to think about what thinking skills that we will focus on for the task.  This helps us to decide which skills we will use from prior learning.  Then, we are able to connect to the other ATL skills. 

 

• Relationship Connections:  we communicate to different people within our community based on their role and age.  When we talk with our family members or elders, we speak to them differently than we do with our friends at school.  Each relationship is different and we need to have certain skills to know how to interact appropriately. 

​

• Procedure Connections:  we use all categories of the ATLs to create a procedure for an inquiry.  We use thinking skills to help us know what type of thinking we will explore: creative or critical.  We look at what strategies we want to research and how we will communicate it with the world.  Then, we look at how we will become better during the process through self-management and social skills. 

​Your challenge is to brainstorm with your learners how they can possibly make a personal connection to the ATLS and let them showcase it to the school community.  Let them make the learning decisions and justify their choice. 

When I make connections to the ATLs, I think of how we all pivoted so quickly during the pandemic to learn new skills and increase our technological understanding.  This podcast was such an adventure for me.  We just passed the second anniversary and I am proud of “The Little Podcast That Could” and I hope it’s helped your practice in some way.  

A big shout to the top 5 countries with the most downloads:  United States, Australia, Canada, India, and United Arab Emirates.  I’ve lived in four of these countries and they all have a special place in my heart and India is still on the bucket list. 

The top 5 cities are Singapore, Hanoi, Melbourne, Sharjah, and Brisbane.  Ironically, I’ve been to four out of five countries; Hanoi is also on my bucket list.  

Thank you for listening.  I’d love to hear your ahas and topic wish lists on social media #thinkchat2020, so I can continue to grow.  I can’t wait to see your ideas!

​Let’s continue on with this theme about learning space design and how it impacts play.  From an organizational standpoint, what makes your space so special? 

When you look around your special spot in your home, what are some special things and tools you use that inspire you to play? 

One of my favorite spots in my home is my inspiration room.  Everything is organized in drawers, tubs, cabinets, and shelves.  For me to function, I need it to be clearly labeled and organized.  Imagine that.  When you look around the walls, you will see comic art from one of my favorite artists, Des Taylor. One of my treasures is a hand drawn sketch of Poison Ivy that he made for me.  Interspersed between the pictures is a Banksy with Billie Holiday, record covers of my favorite childhood tales, and local street art. This sets the tone of inspiration and creativity to come.  

All of this décor sounds silly, but to me it sparks creativity.  On the shelves, I have materials from my mother’s house, a cross stitch sampler with my name made by a student as a Genius Hour project, and artifacts from my travels.  These artifacts make me feel at home…all parts of me are represented from different chapters in the story of my life. 

As I examine the tools, I connect to my mother.  When I was a child, she was quite crafty and I’ve inherited her love of creating within and beyond the classroom.  My sewing machine is circa 1990’s.  It’s solidly built, made out of metal, and has very few stitches.  It makes me happy when I hear the hum of the machine as I create something new.  The pinking shears she used to use all the time with her handwriting sit in my drawer.  They are no longer sharp, but I keep them anyway. 

Besides being sentimental, the materials are carefully organized, so I can easily retrieve like materials to create.  All of my sewing notions are together while my cardmaking supplies are nestled together.  As you can imagine, I have lots of drawers, baskets, and containers.  Every time I walk in the room, I feel inspired to create something new. 

When looking at your home and learning spaces, consider answering these questions and make some suggestions for improvements. 
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• How does the space make you feel?
• How does the physical layout and décor invite inspiration? 
• How are the materials organized for ease of use? 
• Are similar materials placed near each other for easy retrieval? 
• How are the work surfaces created for multiple purposes? 

Just like my inspiration room, our learning spaces should be a place that excites, invites, and provokes.  

This should get your mind racing with new ideas!  Let’s have some fun with this application challenge. Be sure to post your new thinking on social media with #thinkchat2020.  I can’t wait to see your ideas!

Welcome to another application series, where we are going to take ideas we have explored before and apply them into a new context.  I absolutely love this part, because it helps to look at old things again…the process of anew (4A’s by Misty Paterson).

Since our last application series, you’ve had a chance to participate in the Transdisciplinary and Design Thinking challenges.  They helped you to take content and apply it to your individual context.  Now, we are going to do a minor version for learning environment, play, and the approaches to learning (ATLs).  

Over the past couple of months, I have become obsessed with the Danish way of life called Hygge.  I know it’s been coined as the next design trend or lots of candles with fluffy blankets.  It’s more than that.  It’s about looking for little things that bring you happiness, contentment, and joy, such as candles, good lighting, comfortable textiles, and cozy aesthetics.  Even still, it’s a way of being.  In Denmark, most of their year is cold and dark.  To offset this dreariness, they create work, home, and place spaces that celebrate those simple pleasures.  Besides candles, the Danes are known to eat a lot of cake.  My kind of people. 

When I think of Hygge, I consider my own home and yours.  Here are some questions to consider about your own living space. 
​

• What is your favorite spot in your home?  
• What about the spot peaks to you and evoke happiness? 
• How has the space been designed to meet your needs?
• How are the materials arranged and stored for maximum use? 
• How does the spot attract your sight, smell, and feelings?
• What corner or area do you always go to more than any other? 

If the feeling of coziness and warmth are important at home, why don’t we focus on it more when designing learning spaces?  Most of the time, we’re married to overhead fluorescent lights and flat pack furniture.  How can we bring a little Hygge into our school spaces? 

​Go around your school and find a learning space that is underused or not reflective agentic thinking.  Consider how you will bring it to life.  We will use a reflective tool to help us make lasting, sustainable change. 

When we are thinking theoretically, we consider the big abstract ideas or philosophy that we are learning about.  We are trying to identify and connect the big aha moments that have arisen. 

For the theoretical reflection, consider asking yourself these questions: 
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• What is your favorite spot in this space?  
• What about the spot peaks to you and evoke happiness? 
• How can the space be designed to meet your needs?
• How can the materials be arranged and stored for maximum use? 
• How might the spot attract your sight, smell, and feelings?
• What corner or area do you think you will like most? 

When we think operationally, we determine the resources that we need and how they are being used.  We advocate for support through human resources, professional development, and collaboration.  We consider the potential obstacle that may block our way. 

For the operational reflection, consider asking yourself these questions: 

• What resources do you need: read aloud books, manipulatives, loose parts, art supplies, etc.?
• Who in your school has a model classroom that you can use as inspiration? 
• Do you need help from others to share design ideas? 
• What type of professional development may be needed?  Will it come from formal training, school visits, etc.? 
• How can you use the knowledge of your staff to solve most of your design needs? 
• What are some potential obstacles to making the space the way you envision it? 

When we think practically, we focus on how we are going to make our process work on a daily basis.  We think literally.  We think concretely.  We want to know how it will happen. We demonstrate our inquiry thinking strategies to make relevant connections to our learners. 

For the practical reflection, consider asking yourself these questions: 
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• What is the purpose of the room? 
• Why are you redesigning it? 
• How can you use it to increase learning agency?
• When during the day will you use it? 
• How can others use it independently?
• How can other people in the learning community use it as well? 

This should get your mind racing with new ideas!  Let’s have some fun with this application challenge. Be sure to post your new thinking on social media with #thinkchat2020.  I can’t wait to see your ideas!

by Lu Gerlach

Welcome to the third and final episode of our application series.  If you haven't had a chance to apply your learning of the learner profile and international mindedness, I'd suggest you do so before moving forward.  It's a great chance for you to synthesize and apply your understanding of the big ideas to your school/ unit context.  This is our ultimate goal with any professional development to make meaningful application to what we are already doing. 

As we know, agency and action take up a lot of space in our practice within the PYP.  They shape everything we do, so we need to take time to apply their role into our practice.  

Take a look at the table below to remind yourself of their role. 

Let's use this strategy to help us take a deeper look at how to use agency and action more readily in our practice. 

• Look at the choices I have presented to demonstrate agency and action.  Which ones do you think you can implement right away?  Which ones for the remainder of the school year or beginning of the next one, depending on where you live? 

 

• Look again at your choices.  Which ones do you not have listed that you would like to explore, but you don't quite know where to start?  These are the ones that will yield the biggest fruit. 

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• Take a moment to brainstorm ways that you can break down these unexplored choices into bite-size chunks.  

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• ​Now, take these ideas back to your team and share your honest feedback.  As a team, decide which pieces will be the next step in your action plan and annotate them in your PYP unit planner. Our goal is tangible application.

​Let’s take look at an example for those who might need a bit more inspiration

• Implement right away:  Types of Actions (Level 2).  I just need to introduce each of them to my students and provide concrete examples and images to guide their thinking.  This needs to be present daily in my physical or virtual learning setting.

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• Implement the second half of the school year (northern hemisphere):  Collaboration (Agency Overall).  This will take some time to figure out within a hybrid/ virtual learning situation, because I’m still learning how to navigate meeting rooms and small group projects online. 

• Brainstorm with my students different ways they would like to express their understanding of big ideas​

• Have students work in small groups to research and apply a strategy and teach it to the class.  (For example:  have a group learn how to create a Powtoon and share the process with the class)

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• At milestones within the unit, allow students to choose from the pool of strategies, which one they think best fits the task and situation

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• Ask students to reflect on the process and identify what worked and needs to be modified in the future. 

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• Repeat this process throughout the unit and regularly reflect which tools work better than others; add more strategies to the toolkit to keep students engaged

​It’s only a great idea on paper until I share it with my team.  This will put it into action.

Final Thoughts
Something that came to my mind after our agency and action series.  We live in a world of endless choices: what career we will choose, what colleges we want to attend, which cities we want to live in, and so forth.  If we don’t get students to practice with making choices at a young age, they will struggle greatly to make informed choices when it truly matters.  

The last three episodes have been focused on applying our knowledge and understanding into our practice.  This is so important if we want to make lasting change and grow in our practice.  Reflection and application are never easy, because they often require us to change.  As we know, change can be scary and daunting at times.  My goal has been to get the dialogue started, so it’s easier for you to approach your team with tangible suggestions for improvement. 

See you in the next episode and hold on to that passion!

by Lu Gerlach

​Welcome to our second episode in our application series!  Today, we will look at ways to apply international mindedness and reflect on our practice.

​ When we apply international mindedness, what might this look and feel like?  It’s hard to put into action something that is so tied with our disposition and belief system.  Here are some ideas that we shared previously:

​The first step is looking at this list and thinking about some actions that you would like to take on within the next term.  My advice is to choose 1-2 items, so they can be truly mastered before trying something new.  It’s all about learning transfer; repeated practice and meaningful application will make it happen. 

The second step is reflecting on our practice using a reflection quadrant. We will use a table in paper or electronic form that you can use with your students.  It’s a great way to capture ideas in short sections, so it’s not too overwhelming.  This is a perfect way to get older students to reflect on their learning process and make suggestions for improvement.  Let’s try it out.

To set-up our reflection quadrant, fold a piece of paper in half two times to make four boxes.  Label each box accordingly. 
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• In the first box (upper left side), label the box is Potential
• In the second box (upper right side), label the box is Desired
• In the third box (lower left side), label the box is Current
• In the fourth box (lower right side), label the box is Growth

​Now, we are going to take our time to reflect in each box answering the following questions.  Remember, our path towards growth begins with an honest assessment of the situation as it really is and not how we wish it would be. 

In the upper left side, Identify the potential for international mindedness to happen in your class and/or school.
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In the upper right side, brainstorm ideas which represent a desired situation or “the bigger picture” that you would like to see happening with relationships in your class and/or school. 

In the lower left side, add notes which represent the current situation with relationships in your class and/or school. 

In the lower right side, identify and list the areas of growth that may inhibit the development of international mindedness in your class and/or school. 

Now, take these ideas back to your team and share your honest feedback.  As a team, decide which pieces will be the next step in your action plan and annotate them in your PYP unit planner. Our goal is tangible application. 

In our next episode, we will apply our understanding of agency and action in a new way.

by Lu Gerlach

​​What is the application series?  It’s a time to reflect on all of the learning we have shared so far, reflect on our practice, and make concrete goals for the future. 

​Application and reflection are at the heart of the PYP.  They help us to see where we’ve come and where we need to still go on our journey. It’s important for us to own our truth and not compare our journey to someone else’s.  We don’t see their challenges, just their successes.  Remember that as you apply your learning. 

Let’s go back to our podcast journey so far.  We started our journey together with inquiry.  Seven months ago, people were clamoring for new ways to keep their students engaged with the new virtual learning platform.  It was all new and we had to quickly pivot our thinking and the way we do things.  It seemed like a natural fit to begin with inquiry. 

Our first few episodes began with an inquiry challenge that focused on our role and needs as an educator.  This was a fun way to evaluate our journey so far and set the stage for new learning ahead.  This helped to lay the foundation to learn about agency, action, the learner profile attributes, and international mindedness.

Although it’s amazing to learn strategies to help our students, we also need time to reflect on our teaching practice to calibrate where we need to grow.  When I was creating the visual for the PYP House, I decided to make the font different for agency & action, the learner profile, and international mindedness. At the time, I thought it would look visually pleasing, but as I reflected I saw a bigger picture.  

If you consider the foundation and roof of the home, they are the pieces that hold a home together.  They help to weather the storm of district or board mandates, standardized testing, and parental pressures, because they are founded on the feeling and being of a campus culture. 

If you look at the other parts of the PYP house, they focus on how students take steps towards independent thinking through the approaches to learning and how teachers shape the learning through the approaches to teaching. Are you having an Aha moment right now?  It took me forever to come to this conclusion and the PYP house greatly helped me to put the pieces together. 

​Now, let’s go back to the IB learner profile attributes and how they shape our thinking.  They are: 

​Remember to revisit the definition of each attribute in episode 20 to avoid making misconceptions.  

Now, let’s take a deeper look at the attributes and try to apply them to our teaching practice and our unit planners. We will answer a set of three questions to probe into our practice and help us to devise the next steps of our action plan. 

​What do you know about the learner profile attributes? How are they connected to your purpose as an educator? 

​What are your feelings about the learner profile attributes?  How do your students feel about them? 

​How do the learner profile attributes drive the learning in your classroom?  Are you actively doing something with them on a regular basis? 

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​Now, take these ideas back to your team and share your honest feedback.  As a team, decide which pieces will be the next step in your action plan and annotate them in your PYP unit planner. Our goal is tangible application. 

In our next episode, we will apply our understanding of international mindedness in a new way.