Chapters International

IN-PERSON WORKSHOP

Overview:

In the inquiry classroom, we aim to nurture learners who see themselves as capable, curious, resourceful individuals with a strong sense of agency. There is growing evidence of the importance of nurturing the kinds of dispositions and skills associated with agency. Being curious, adventurous, resilient and coupled with the skills of self-management, collaboration, thinking and communication are amongst what we can think of as ‘assets’ for learning. Growing these assets in our learners helps set them on a path to independence and a love of learning for life.

These skills and dispositions do not grow by chance – they are best developed through an explicit, thoughtful, embedded approach that embodies an inquiry stance. The role of the educator is pivotal not only to what young people learn but to the image they have of themselves as learners. In this wonderfully interactive and motivating workshop, Kath will draw upon her vast experience of introducing her ‘learning assets’ to schools all over the world and sharing really practical ways to effectively embed skills and dispositions for learning into our work with children and their families.

This workshop will be very relevant to educators working with the IB Approaches to Learning and Profile Attributes but will also be designed to support any educators who have a framework for ‘learning to learn’. Those participants yet to develop such a framework, will walk away with a template for introducing one and a strong repertoire of strategies to support implementation.

Over the course of 2 days, participants will:

Be introduced to a variety of frameworks for learning to learn and deepen their understanding of skills and dispositions for independent learning
Take a deep dive into the skills and dispositions associated with self-management, collaboration, research, thinking, communication and contribution
Participate in and design learning tasks to explicitly develop skills associated with assets for learning
Explore ways to use the ‘language of learning’ in daily classroom discourse
Learn how to design ‘split screen’ learning intentions and build learning engagements that focus on the how of learning – not just the what
Explore a range of texts we can use to promote skills and dispositions for learning
Consider how the micro skills associated with each learning asset can be scoped out and gradually strengthened over time
Consider approaches to assessment in relation to these assets for learning
Learn how to weave the teaching of these skills and dispositions into a unit of inquiry.

KATH MURDOCH

Kath Murdoch is an experienced teacher, author, university lecturer and popular consultant who has worked for many years in schools throughout the world. With a focus on early childhood and primary education, she is widely respected as a leader in the field of inquiry based learning and integrative curriculum in which she has taught, researched and published for over 30 years.

Kath began her professional life as a classroom teacher in Melbourne, Australia. Her fascination in how students' constructed their understandings - and her interest in the way questions and big ideas could drive curriculum soon led to a passion for integrative and inquiry based methodologies. This passion has become a career-long focus for teaching, research and writing and the methodologies in which Kath specialises are now central to curriculum frameworks in many parts of the world - including the popular International Baccalaureate, PYP program.

Critical to Kath's success is her continued involvement in classroom teaching. Whether it is to demonstrate techniques, coach teachers or build her own repertoire of practices, Kath is committed to regular and ongoing work with students. Her classroom work and research feeds a dynamic and ever-evolving expertise in the area of integrative and inquiry-based learning.

Kath's professional development offerings are diverse. They range from intensive partnerships with schools to develop inquiry programs and practices over several years through to one-day workshops for beginning or experienced inquiry teachers. Whether in her home town of Melbourne or on the other side of the world, working with a team or speaking to a packed auditorium Kath's style is refreshingly practical, inclusive and always connected to the real world of teaching.

Venue:
The American School of the Hague

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