In 2016, I was fortunate to attend a one day workshop with Kath, which was sponsored by the British International School in Houston, Texas. This was a hands-on learning experience that forever changed my usage of imagery in my lessons and how I create essential agreements. I have created podcast episodes and blog posts describing these processes.
Here I am with several of my colleagues from Harvard Elementary School in Houston. Jorge Rodriguez has always inspired me with his inquiry-based physical education program. Since this workshop, he has worked at the KAUST School in Saudi Arabia. The other person to the left of Kath is Jen Escalante. At the time, she was my PYP Coordinator at Harvard. |
In June 2022, I was given permission by Kath to podcast about her latest book, Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning. This fabulous book helps to guide you through the process of getting your learners to initiate inquiry on their own. Anyone else struggle with this too? I found the book an easy read with thoughtful suggestions, strategies, and self-reflection tools. If you are trying to get your learners invested in the inquiry process, be sure to have a read and listen to my podcast. Look at what Kath wrote about my podcast! I might still blush when I re-read this comment. |
Flash forward to Oct 2022, I had the opportunity to attend the Crafting Inquiry conference with Trevor MacKenzie, Kath, Kimberly Mitchell, and Stephanie Harvey. Talk about a learning delight. These were my online heroes come to life and it was so much fun learning alongside them. My friend Denise Kraft and I were fangirling the entire workshop, because we couldn't believe that we had the opportunity to chat with these brilliant minds. Also, Denise was hosting the Igniting Inquiry conference in April 2023 and this was a chance for us to see the logistics of operating a conference first-hand. |
In 2015, I attended a job alike session with Sudha Sunder about concept-based learning. It was the first time that I felt a hunger to learn more. As a PYP educator, I knew that concepts were important to planning and teaching, but I didn't understand their role until that moment. Sudha took me under her wing that year and helped me to see that teaching for inquiry and conceptual understanding was intentional, but not necessarily more preparation. It was up to the learners to create meaning for themselves by making most of the learning decisions. My mind was a little blown away by this idea. |
Through Sudha's guidance, I was able to determine that inquiry without conceptual thinking is just another craftivity. It may be hands-on, but there was very little thinking going on. This kindled a passion to learn more about conceptual understanding and how to build it within my planning and teaching.
WIth Sudha's guidance, I was able to capture the learning journey in the second half of the academic year. It was an amazing process to be more intentional with documentation and gathering learner feedback. As the risk-taker I am, I created a website of the learning journey. In particular, search through Unit 4, where Sudha and I began our work together. You will see how my learners made the conceptual connection of interdependence to the topics of habitats, ecosystems, and biomes. It still makes me giddy today that I have this record of our shared learning journey. |
Due to Sudha's encouragement, I was accepted for the 2015 Lynn Erickson Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction institute.
This was a big deal, because it was the final session led by Lynn Erickson and Lois Lanning with content specialists including Julie Stern and Tanya Elmer. This intensive 10-day program examined every aspect of concept-based learning and allowed me to analyze my existing practices from a new lens. By the end, I became an independent consultant with the Lynn Erikson Institute. |
The Lynn Erickson Institute was about building educator relationships. It was the first time that I had met others that thought like me, outside of my mentorship with Sudha. I've struggled with being different all of my life. People didn't get me, because I was so insular and a deep-thinker. This doesn't imply that I wasn't surrounded by these people, just that I struggled to connect. I enjoyed learning from the content specialists, because they helped me to apply the ideas into action, particularly Tanya Elmer for science and Julie Stern for social studies. They are the Concept Angels. |
For the full article explaining this instructional coaching model, you can click here. I love when others take a piece of foundational practice and make it their own.
Please feel free to share as I'm always seeking ways to grow and learn. |
Misty and I met based on our equal passion for inquiry and conceptual understanding. We met over Zoom to discuss her book and our shared love of this work. Next thing you know, the universe puts us together in various projects, which I am grateful for. Our friendship cemented over several visits to Vancouver to lead IB workshops, the Igniting Inquiry conference, an Edu-Retreat in Brussels, and so much more. To learn more about my dyanmic friend and her work, please read this blog post. Be sure to search for Misty on my website for book club videos and so much more. She truly is a gift and so is this work. |