Professional Learning Conversations

Juliet Robertson is an educational consultant who specialises in outdoor learning and play, and in a former life she was the head teacher of three schools ranging in size from 6 to 277 pupils. Juliet is based in Scotland, UK and has worked at a national level since 2008 writing case studies, documents, and doing behind the scenes work to help shape strategy and support for schools and early years establishments. Juliet is in heavy demand world-wide for her practical training. She is also the author of two award-winning and best-selling books: Dirty Teaching: A Beginner's Guide to Learning Outdoors and Messy Maths: An Outdoor, Playful Approach for Early Years.

In this podcast, she talks with Sarah Gilmore about embedding maths concepts and skills into daily learning experiences and conversations through outdoor experiences in the Early Years. Through her work, Juliet has found that when children have opportunities to play with loose parts, their creativity, imagination and ability to problem-solve becomes evident, particularly outside. Juliet introduces and discusses the "5 R's" and explains how anyone, no matter what their outdoor space looks like, can make the most of the benefits of outdoor learning for younger children.

You can learn more about Juliet and her work by visiting her website: www.creativestarlearning.co.uk, following her on Twitter, and through her  blog, “I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!”.

You can also follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with news and exciting opportunities to work with fantastic educators like Juliet.

There is now a large and growing evidence base that helping teachers develop their use of minute-to-minute and day-by-day assessment is one of, if not the most powerful ways to improve student learning. In this episode, Sarah Gilmore interviews Dylan Wiliam about why and how  assessment for learning, or formative assessment works.

Dylan is Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at University College London. After a first degree in mathematics and physics, and one year teaching in a private school, he taught in inner-city schools in London for seven years.

From 1996 to 2001 he was the Dean of the School of Education at King’s, and from 2001 to 2003, Assistant Principal of the College. In 2003 he moved to the USA, as Senior Research Director at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ. From 2006 to 2010 he was Deputy Director of the Institute of Education, University of London.

Over the last 15 years, his academic work has focused on the use of assessment to support learning (sometimes called formative assessment). He now works with groups of teachers all over the world on developing formative assessment practices.

To learn more about Dylan you can visit his website or follow him on Twitter, and to find out more about the Teacher Learning Communities project discussed in this episode, you can visit the Dylan Wiliam Center website.

You can also follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with news and exciting opportunities to work with fantastic educators like Dylan!

In Oct 2018 the International Baccalaureate will release the long-awaited Primary Years Programme (PYP) Principles into Practice. Elements of this new curriculum framework have slowly been released over the last year and it has ignited a buzz of critical conversations across the PYP community. In anticipation of the release of these Enhancements, a number of leading PYP educators from around the world have been interviewed about their thoughts, hopes, expectations and developing understanding of the upcoming enhancements.

In this episode, Angeline Aow interview Suzanne Tomlinson about assessment.  

Suzanne has been an IBEN member since 2005 and has gone on to lead a huge range of in-school and regional workshops for the IB, Taaleem, the Aga Khan Foundation and IBSCA in the UK as well as being involved in school evaluation for the PYP. Suzanne was recently invited to be part of the PYP review and her experience as a teacher and leader has taken her to all parts of the world including Germany, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Serbia, Oman and now as a Director in Albania.

Professional Learning International would like to note that these podcasts have been developed independently from the IB and were created with the intent to promote understanding, implementation and in support of educators around the globe. All content are the individuals’ perspectives and are interpretations of programme documentation that these IB Educators have access to through their IB schools and IB Educator Network roles.

In Oct 2018 the International Baccalaureate will release the long-awaited Primary Years Programme (PYP) Principles into Practice. Elements of this new curriculum framework have slowly been released over the last year and it has ignited a buzz of critical conversations across the PYP community. In anticipation of the release of these Enhancements, a number of leading PYP educators from around the world have been interviewed about their thoughts, hopes, expectations and developing understanding of the upcoming enhancements.

In this episode, Angeline Aow interviews Kimberly L. Mitchell about inquiry.  

Kimberly, originally from Seattle, is the author of Experience Inquiry and an internationally-recognized speaker on inquiry-based instruction. She is the co-founder and CEO of Inquiry Partners and teaches at the University of Washington’s College of Education, where she is one of the university’s top-rated professors. Kimberly is a former teacher, International Baccalaureate (IB) principal in Greece, senior program officer at the Gates Foundation, and director for Teach for All in Argentina. She is the former Chair of the IB Americas Regional Council, where she consulted with associations and heads of IB schools from Canada to Chile. Her work is guided by the belief that It’s not how far you go, but how deep you go, that mines the gold of experience.

To find out more about Kimberly and her work, visit her website or follow her on Twitter!

Professional Learning International would like to note that these podcasts have been developed independently from the IB and were created with the intent to promote understanding, implementation and in support of educators around the globe. All content are the individuals’ perspectives and are interpretations of programme documentation that these IB Educators have access to through their IB schools and IB Educator Network roles.

In Oct 2018 the International Baccalaureate will release the long-awaited Primary Years Programme (PYP) Principles into Practice. Elements of this new curriculum framework have slowly been released over the last year and it has ignited a buzz of critical conversations across the PYP community. In anticipation of the release of these Enhancements, a number of leading PYP educators from around the world have been interviewed about their thoughts, hopes, expectations and developing understanding of the upcoming enhancements.

In this episode, Angeline Aow interview Sonya terBorg about the Approaches to Learning (ATLs).  Sonya has been a PYP educator since 2003 when she began working with 2nd Grade students at Bonn International Schooland has since worked as an art teacher, homeroom teacher, and technology integrator. Sonya is currently in her 2nd year at Nanjing International School, now teaching MYP Design. Sonya is a PYP workshop leader and has worked with the IB on developing the PYP Blog and on several projects in relation to the PYP Enhancements. Her interest lies in challenging ideas and seeking understanding in how we can best “do school”. To find out more about Sonya and her work, you can follow her on Twitter or check out her website.

Professional Learning International would like to note that these podcasts have been developed independently from the IB and were created with the intent to promote understanding, implementation and in support of educators around the globe. All content are the individuals’ perspectives and are interpretations of programme documentation that these IB Educators have access to through their IB schools and IB Educator Network roles.

In Oct 2018 the International Baccalaureate will release the long-awaited Primary Years Programme (PYP) Principles into Practice. Elements of this new curriculum framework have slowly been released over the last year and it has ignited a buzz of critical conversations across the PYP community. In anticipation of the release of these Enhancements, a number of leading PYP educators from around the world have been interviewed about their thoughts, hopes, expectations and developing understanding of the upcoming enhancements.

In this episode, Sarah Gilmore interviews Angeline Aow about developing a Programme of Inquiry.  Angeline has been a PYP educator since 2002 when she worked in Nanjing International School, the first full IB continuum school in China. Since 2005 she has worked at Berlin International School and has been a homeroom teacher, music specialist, and PYP coordinator. For more than a decade, Angeline has been a PYP workshop leader, team leader for visits and in these roles, she has worked in the Asia-Pacific, European, Middle-East and African regions. With over a decade of experience as a workshop leader she has facilitated multiple workshops on a variety of topics and categories. Her areas of expertise include PYP written curriculum development, and concept-based frameworks. As a trained concept-based curriculum trainer and presenter she has worked with schools to develop their programmes of inquiry and units of inquiry within a transdisciplinary/interdisciplinary framework as well as stand-alone disciplinary concept-based units. You can follow Angeline on Twitter, or visit her website here.

Professional Learning International would like to note that these podcasts have been developed independently from the IB and were created with the intent to promote understanding, implementation and in support of educators around the globe. All content are the individuals’ perspectives and are interpretations of programme documentation that these IB Educators have access to through their IB schools and IB Educator Network roles.

Dr. Gini Rojas specializes in English as an Additional Language development and in providing access for English-knowing bilinguals through differentiated instruction and progressive scaffolding for developing academic English.  She conducts professional training on effective programs and strategies for English learners from pre-school through grade 12 for ESL (EAL) and classroom teachers and has worked with over 300 international schools on language education policies, programs, and professional development. Dr. Rojas is a faculty member and author with the American Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and coordinates the EAL certification program for the Teacher's Training Center. Dr. Rojas was inducted into the AAIE (Association for Advancement of International Education) in February 2016.

To contact Dr Rojas, you can email her at [email protected]. You can also follow Angeline and Professional Learning International on Twitter to find out more about upcoming events in your area.

In Oct 2018 the International Baccalaureate will release the long-awaited Primary Years Programme (PYP) Principles into Practice. Elements of this new curriculum framework have slowly been released over the last year and it has ignited a buzz of critical conversations across the PYP community. In anticipation of the release of these Enhancements, Angeline Aow has interviewed a number of leading PYP educators from around the world about their thoughts, hopes, expectations and developing understanding of the upcoming enhancements.

In this episode, Angeline interviews Gioia Morasch about the transition to the Enhanced PYP, the role of the PYP Coordinator and leadership. Gioia is the PYP Coordinator at Frankfurt International School.  She is a certified trainer from the Lynn Erickson Institute to lead concept based workshops and an international educational consultant for the International Baccalaureate Organization. You can follow Gioia on Twitter or read her blog published by the SharingPYP website here.

Professional Learning International would like to note that these podcasts have been developed independently from the IB and were created with the intent to promote understanding, implementation and in support of educators around the globe. All content are the individuals’ perspectives and are interpretations of programme documentation that these IB Educators have access to through their IB schools and IB Educator Network roles.

In Oct 2018 the International Baccalaureate will release the long-awaited Primary Years Programme (PYP) Principles into Practice. Elements of this new curriculum framework have slowly been released over the last year and it has ignited a buzz of critical conversations across the PYP community. In anticipation of the release of these Enhancements, Angeline Aow has interviewed a number of leading PYP educators from around the world about their thoughts, hopes, expectations and developing understanding of the upcoming enhancements.

In this episode, Angeline interviews Christopher Frost about leadership in the Enhanced PYP from school leaders, to teachers to students. Christopher is currently the Primary School Principal at Tokyo International School, and he is a school leader originally from the UK with a wide range of international school experience. In addition to his role as principal, he is also an independent educational consultant, a workshop leader for the PYP, an IB consultant and visiting team leader. Christopher has considerable experience as a curriculum coordinator, and has written units for the International Primary Curriculum. Christopher's blog is widely read by PYP educators, and you can also follow him on Twitter to find out more about his thoughts and work.

Professional Learning International would like to note that these podcasts have been developed independently from the IB and were created with the intent to promote understanding, implementation and in support of educators around the globe. All content are the individuals’ perspectives and are interpretations of programme documentation that these IB Educators have access to through their IB schools and IB Educator Network roles.

In Oct 2018 the International Baccalaureate will release the long-awaited Primary Years Programme (PYP) Principles into Practice. Elements of this new curriculum framework have slowly been released over the last year and it has ignited a buzz of critical conversations across the PYP community. In anticipation of the release of these Enhancements, Angeline Aow has interviewed a number of leading PYP educators from around the world about their thoughts, hopes, expectations and developing understanding of the upcoming enhancements.

In this episode, Angeline interviews Bodo Heiliger who is the Head of Elementary at The International School in Portland, Oregon, about the enhancements related to collaboration within The Learning Community. Here they discuss how collaborative planning can be structured and supported to facilitate transdisciplinary teaching and learning, student involvement in collaborative learning teams and how the standards are developing in terms of collaboration requirements.

Prior to working in Portland, Bodo was the PYP Coordinator at Munich International School, and has served in many leadership and teaching roles at various schools across the United States and Germany. Currently, in addition to his role as Head of Elementary, he works as a PYP Workshop Leader and School Visit Team Member, as well as a Critical Friends Group Coach, and Lynn Erickson Concept-based Curriculum and Instruction consultant. In addition to following Bodo on Twitter, you can find out more about Bodo's thoughts on his website at www.bodoheiliger.com

Professional Learning International would like to note that these podcasts have been developed independently from the IB and were created with the intent to promote understanding, implementation and in support of educators around the globe. All content are the individuals’ perspectives and are interpretations of programme documentation that these IB Educators have access to through their IB schools and IB Educator Network roles.