Supporting wellbeing in schools
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
3M ago
Over the past few years research studies have shown the important link between wellbeing and learning outcomes.  Even before the pandemic wellbeing has been shown to impact cognitive functioning, learning engagement, focus, mood and behaviour, mental health and a more responsible and healthy lifestyle.  As I visit IB schools for evaluation visits, many of them have Programme Development Plans around wellbeing, in some cases as a response to students returning to physical schooling from online learning with issues related to fear, stress and anxiety. Around the world, countries, scho ..read more
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Learning loss
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
3M ago
When I visit IB schools as part of an evaluation team, I always carefully read through what the school has shared in its self-study questionnaire.  Invariably, when asked about challenges the schools have faced in the 5 year period under review, we are told about the impact of unplanned school closures and remote learning during the pandemic.  We hear about the loss of learning and the lack of development of many key social, communication and self-management skills.   In my local schools I hear about this a lot too.  There is a government initiative to employ tutors t ..read more
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Learning in and about turbulent times
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
3M ago
As the year closes, I think it's always good to look back on what has been achieved.  This year I have worked in 35 schools and have led regional workshops for participants from many more schools.  In some cases I have also worked with the same school multiple times as a consultant.  At the same time I've been blessed to have also been given the opportunity to work with the PYP curriculum managers over the past year as a consultant on a variety of different projects, such as the new subject continuums, the learning progressions pilot and the PYP glossary.  Most recently I ..read more
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Learning progressions in the PYP - next steps
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
8M ago
This post is a follow on from the last one and is looking forward to what can be expected in schools that are involved in the progressions trials that will run up to December this year. First, a quick recap for anyone who did not read the previous post.  In April this year a Learning progression development report was published.  It stated that most curriculum is divided into standards that are chunked into discrete year levels, rather than showing connections over time.  The idea of the PYP progressions is to give explicit support to teachers so that they understand not just w ..read more
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Learning progressions in the PYP
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
8M ago
As a number of my readers will know, I've spent the past couple of months working with the PYP Curriculum Managers on the learning continuums that will eventually replace the current scope and sequence documents.  It has been an interesting and exciting time, and the next stage of this looks like being school-based trials of the materials being developed.  But before we start on that, let's step back a little to think about learning progressions themselves and how we have got to the place we are in now. A little over two years ago, the Learning progressions research report was publi ..read more
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Harnessing the power of AI in education
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
8M ago
  In April I led a workshop about the role of ICT in the PYP in Kenya, and we were introduced to some AI tools by the participants such as ChatGPT for report writing and Copilot for lesson planners.  We could immediately see the potential of these tools and how they could save a teacher hours and hours of planning and report writing time. Moving forward I also hosted a webinar in June with Ali Hassan in the IBSCA PYP Communities.  He also shared a number of different AI tools that would be useful for education.  These included: DeepL translator - better than Google T ..read more
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Why IB educators are different
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
8M ago
Over the course of the past four of five years, since leaving full-time work in a school, I've visited many IB schools in Africa, Europe and the Middle East (probably between 80 and 90 schools).  These visits have been verification visits to authorise schools, evaluation visits and making visits as a consultant to support schools in the candidacy phase.  I've also visited schools to lead in-school workshops, including some virtual visits when it has not been possible to actually travel to the school in person. Each time I learn something new - and each time I marvel at the differenc ..read more
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School visits and appreciative inquiry
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
1y ago
Over the past 6 months or so I've done a lot of school visits - some in person but mostly still virtual visits at this point.  It's been a real learning journey for me, as we have been using the new IB 2020 Standards and Practices, and our approach to evaluation visits is now totally different from before.  Gone are the commendations and recommendations, and instead we are using appreciative inquiry.  For me (and for the schools) this has made a huge difference in the general "tone" of the visits - it is much more positive, much more of a conversation about the unique context of ..read more
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Making a PYP Playbook
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
1y ago
The next book we are looking at in the PYP Coordinator's Book club is The Instructional Playbook by Jim Knight.  This could well be a very interesting collaboration, but first of all I need to find out more about what an instructional playbook is.   Judy explained that the purpose of an instructional playbook is to... Help educators identify the highest impact teaching strategies Lead to a deep knowledge of teaching strategies Build a shared vocabulary Reduce stress and overwhelm Foster teacher hope and confidence In The Instructional Playbook Jim Knight explains that improve ..read more
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Change
Tech Transformation
by Maggie Hos-McGrane
2y ago
Change ... this is a big topic.  The past few years have seen so much change - we've had a global pandemic, schools have closed, lessons have shifted online, some of us have had to deal with hybrid teaching with some students in school and others at home.  And we have survived .... but for some of us only just!  We are tired.  Change has sapped our energies. Some change is welcome, some change is not.  Some change happens instantaneously, some is much slower.  For me there have been times when I've chosen change - a new job in a new country - and other times wher ..read more
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