With schools in harder-hit countries closing due to the new coronavirus, I know I’ll have more colleagues around the world who are forced into online learning or some other kind of remote learning (for students without dependable internet access). So
12 EASY Ideas for Distance Learning in Early Years General Music
The coronavirus situation is still pretty stable, so schools here are open for the foreseeable future. But with schools in harder-hit countries closing, I know I’ll have more colleagues around the world who are forced into online learning or some
10 Tips for Using Learning Centers in Specialist Classes
I’ve been experimenting with learning stations, or centers, in my music classroom. I’m always intrigued when I walk into classrooms that are set up with exciting experiments, games, and other provocations for learning. But a long time passed between admiring
20+ Questions to Guide Inquiry-Based Learning
A teacher new to PYP asked me recently, “How do you do inquiry in a specialist class?” I remember how confused and overwhelmed I was when I first landed in a PYP school. I was the only music teacher there,
Using the PYP Attitudes
I was a bit slow to work this out, but having the Learner Profile and Attitudes on my walls had an incredible impact on my teaching. My teacher training, though fairly progressive, did not prepare me for PYP teaching. The
Using Music to Develop Critical Thinking
For many teachers, making the change to PYP can be overwhelming, not only with all the jargon, but the complete shift in thinking. It’s not that the concepts are strange—it’s not even that we weren’t already doing these things. The
Response-ability
Response-ability: I was introduced to this term in a workshop with Cathryn Berger Kaye, a former teacher who focuses on service learning, and it has really stuck with me. Instead of “responsibility” we think about “response-ability”: Anyone has the power to
Responding to “I don’t know”
“I don’t know.” It’s a common response from students, particularly on those days when I make a point of calling on students who are avoiding eye contact and trying to hide behind someone. And I will start by saying this:
Instead of “I don’t know”
Okay, the title is a ruse. Children say, “I don’t know.” You can’t stop them. It’s a go-to response, it’s natural, and it’s fine. But what we want is for students to not stop there. “So you don’t know (or
10 Fun Formative Assessments
Here are some creative formative assessments for this beautiful Friday! Get children using their critical thinking skills to synthesize their knowledge and apply what they have learned. These ideas can be used in any subject. Students design an ad (for a