Unpacking Standard C3 Teaching & Learning..in India

Teaching and Learning. I was just in India running a PYP workshop with the great teachers at Pathways NOIDA in New Delhi. What a fantastic experience. Every time I run a workshop I always take away so much.  I learn so much.  This one was special. This was my first time in India. A learning journey of my own for me in a country I have always wanted to experience.

We began by unpacking Standard C3 Teaching and Learning, which is essentially what the workshop was about. We then investigated how conceptual understandings underpin our units and Central Idea. Concepts can be challenging for adults sometimes, so how can we help the students along in their understanding? We spent a lot of time on the different inquiry cycles, what they are, how we might implement them in our teaching. The teachers at Pathways had a rather firm grasp of inquiry cycles in theory and we spent time discussing how we use these models in our practice.  Differentiation and questioning techniques and thinking routines were investigated throughout the 2 days. A highlight was using provocations such as the artifacts that participants brought in. As these were wrapped in paper we had to use our 5 senses to inquire what these might be, how they might be used. We applied our questioning techniques to these artifacts (above).

We finally discussed action, and this is my favorite video on Taking Action:

We had many ideas about action and came to the conclusion that we sometimes overlook the obvious, as the video clip demonstrated.

The workshop was a success for me as an educator and workshop leader. I enjoyed watching the teachers make connections, have some ‘aha’ moments and watching the affirmation that what they are already doing in their classrooms is indeed enhancing teaching and learning.  I learned a lot just by experiencing India. I went on my own inquiry journey visiting temples, talking to locals, sampling the great cuisine and I have come away with more question about this great culture.

Again thanks to the enthusiastic teachers at Pathways, it was great to  share and learn with you all.  A special thanks to Dr Swati, Mrs Lamba and Dr Shalini of Pathways School NOIDA who were very hospitable. I enjoyed my stay in New Delhi very much.

Also, thanks to Helen Morschell and Tom Wood for the advice and assistance in making this workshop a success for us.