What do our students expect of us?
At the heart of the IB Diploma Programme diagram is a picture of a child. IB programmes are student-centred. So what might a student-centred approach to learning look like? As your students return for...
The focus of every lesson
I came across an article recently which proposed three simple questions to drive our instruction every minute of every day in every school. For every lesson we teach our students, they should be able...
The Purpose Challenge
Student (and staff) wellbeing is becoming an increasingly central concern. And yet, according to a 2018 survey, many high school students don’t believe their schools have done enough to help them deal...
2019 - 2020: A New School Year
The beginning of a new school year is a good opportunity to remind all the school community what your big idea(s) are, not least because you will have new staff, pupils and parents joining the school...
The science of teaching and learning
A new academic year is about to start in the northern hemisphere. As new staff join the schools, and academic teams are reformed, it is a good opportunity to review our beliefs about what makes learning...
Why | How | What of curriculum design
Professional inquiry Any of the following questions could act as provocations for staffroom discussion: What we teach our students and in what order is a challenge for all schools and educational jurisdictions...
Top 10 Staffroom Discussions
Discussion and professional reflection are at the heart of lively staffrooms. This website opens up many current educational debates. This blog directs you to some of these. Homework - to be or not to...
Tell your kids ...
Let us never forget why we came into education: to make a positive difference to the lives of young people. At the heart of all that we do is that individual child, with their hopes, aspirations, fears...
Character Lab
What makes an education worthwhile? This question goes to the heart of our purpose as educators. It is a question I return to often in workshops with school leaders and teachers, since it is easy to get...
April Update
Since January I have been working with IB Global to help them prepare for the launch of the new Standards and Practices (S&Ps) that come into effect next year (2020). My role as one of two lead developers...