Shifting Staff Understandings

Using the concepts to create a generalization.

Our professional development has been focused on building understandings about concept-based curriculum and instruction (CBCI). When we began, I noticed some staff members had not yet explored ways to develop conceptual understandings nor had they developed an understanding about the application and role of the key concepts in the PYP framework. They were new to teaching and also new to the PYP. I found that as we progressed through the theory of CBCI, the staff began to express frustration and the course content seemed to lack relevant context for them. I found that my initial approach to the framework of CBCI and its elements had been highly theoretical. It lacked relevance and the teachers were having difficulty relating it to every day life in the classroom. As the instructor, it was my responsibility to find a way to bring relevance to the course content and the reason for exploring CBCI as a staff. I had to shift our staff understandings by first getting them to buy into the need to consider it as a valid approach to learning and teaching.

As we began our third session, I decided to use an inquiry-based approach. The teachers were asked to work in groups to discuss the answer to question: What is the value of understanding concept-based curriculum and instruction? They were provided with a variety of resources to read through and discuss together. This was the first step in making connections to what we know to what we need to learn and pursue. Throughout this session, teachers were engaged and considering the facts. After a period of discussion, each group shared a generalization about CBCI and its value.

Following that session, we continued to make connections between our professional learning communities (PLC's) and CBCI to develop further our understandings about the value of CBCI. I provided each PLC with a T-Chart to compare CBCI with their inquiry topic. While some were investigating Understanding by Design, others were looking into methods of inquiry, multilingualism, strategies for ELL to use in inquiry or visible thinking tools. As a staff, we were able to make many connections between CBCI and our PLC's.

Finally, I shared some of my own learning journey as I had moved from project-based learning to concept-based inquiry. I shared some of my personal questions, frustrations and ideas I had found to both deepen and capture conceptual understandings. My goal was to show them the complexity and validity of the journey I had pursued by making it tangible. I shared my struggles, my fears and victories, and my passion for growing and deepening my own understanding about CBCI in the classroom.

We resumed the CBCI course content with a different vibe in the room. There was more interest, more questioning and buy in. Teachers actively engaged in discussions to plan their units of inquiry using the framework of CBCI. At the conclusion of the training, I saw some true shifts in understandings. The most important lesson I learned from my  reflection is that learning must be relevant for all - both students and teachers. They must know why.