Explore every episode of the podcast Confessions of a PYP Teacher
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| C168 (Book Club) John Dewey: Traditional vs. Progressive Education | 01 Jul 2026 | 00:24:32 | |
Welcome back my friends to Confessions of a PYP Teacher. This is Lu Gerlach with thinkchat.
Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C167 (Book Club) John Dewey: Experience and Education Intro | 16 Jun 2026 | 00:30:48 | |
Welcome to confession number 167. My name is Lu Gerlach from thinkchat. This episode is starting a new book club series, because you know I love a good book club. This summer, while traveling, I've been diving deep into podcasts and books that have genuinely shifted how I see the world. I've found myself captivated by figures like Marcus Aurelius, who, despite being one of history's most powerful rulers, spent his life wrestling with the most human of questions: What is the whole purpose of why we're here? He wasn't just a conqueror or a statesman. He was a thinker, someone who looked at the world around him and refused to stop asking why. Then I started asking, who are the Stoics of education? Who are the all-time greats, the true GOATs, who forever changed how we think about learning, about the rights of children, about what it actually means to teach? My brain started percolating. Naturally, names like John Dewey and Vygotsky rose to the top. These are people we reference constantly in education circles, people whose ideas form the backbone of so much of what we believe about how children learn. I began the quest to return to these educators who laid the foundation for modern thinking. The person we are exploring here is John Dewey in his work, Experience and Education. His work is dense, but also quite powerful. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C158: Why am I so Anxious? | 07 Oct 2025 | 00:18:42 | |
Welcome back to Confessions of a PYP Teacher and the seventh episode in our well-being series. Join me for this episode as we examine the cognitive, physiological, behavioral, and affect symptoms of anxiety. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.com Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C68: Designing for the Language Learner | 30 Oct 2021 | 00:21:15 | |
How does our learning space design reflect the needs of your language learners? Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C67: The Importance of Learning Space Design | 02 Oct 2021 | 00:14:32 | |
Welcome to our new series on the importance of the learning environment and play to support inquiry. This has been a labor of love over the past few months as I’ve experienced my own a-ha moments about the importance of learning space design. It sounds so intuitive, yet, it’s one of the hardest things for educators to give up. In this episode, we will explore different strategies that we can easily employ to make students more engaged in the learning space design and promote learner agency. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C66: What's in a Name? | 24 Sep 2021 | 00:14:14 | |
As we focus on learning environment design and building learning relationships, we must first consider a simple practice that bonds a community together. Pronouncing the names of our learners correctly. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C65: Using Split-Screen Teaching to Spark Learning Goals | 09 Sep 2021 | 00:13:21 | |
Once you have a solid understanding and use of split-screen teaching, you will be prepared to turn the ownership to your learners. Our ultimate goal with the PYP and a part of good teaching practice is developing learner independence. We can use split-screen teaching to support this process by having learners create their own goals by using the ATL sub-skills as their success criteria. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C64: Split-Screen Teaching with ATLs and Learner Profile | 06 Sep 2021 | 00:19:39 | |
You’ve chosen your ATLs and now comes the part of breaking them down into bite-size pieces, so your learners can apply them on a daily basis. I’m not going to lie, I used to struggle so much with this part, because these skills often felt insurmountable. When that happens, we tend to bury them like a stinky fish in the back of a closet. Over time, the fish will decay and the stench becomes so extreme that we have to pull it out and deal with it. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C63: Choosing Sub-Skills for our Units of Inquiry | 04 Sep 2021 | 00:18:10 | |
Now we have gone over in-depth how to use the Approaches to Learning (ATLs), how will we select them for our units of inquiry. This does not just apply to homeroom teachers, because all specialists and supporting teachings need to be part of the discussion. If we expect these teachers to be a part of the teaching, they need to be part of the selection process. How can we consider everyone’s needs? Quite simply. The ATLs are universal skills that all learners need to acquire, so they are purposefully broad and applicable to any subject area. How they are used is up to the teacher, which is the magical part. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C62: Self-Management Skills for Homeroom (1-6); Specialist & Supporting | 29 Aug 2021 | 00:14:36 | |
As a child advances in age, it’s assumed that they know how to manage themselves, because they are quiet, sit still, and complete assignments. There is so much more to self-management than that. When I think of self-management, I compare it to ownership as part of learner agency. Both of them are more difficult to define, because it’s part of our being of who we are. We can’t do a quick strategy to develop self-management skills, which means they must be done over again through a duration of time. For those who want it one and done, this is going to be a growth area for you as you delve further into making it a vital part of your daily process. In this episode, we will look at ways to increase learner self-management, so they can build up resilience through life’s toughest challenges. All of these ideas will be applicable for grades 1-6 homeroom, specialist, and supporting teachers.
Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C61: Self-Management Skills for Early Years (PK-K) | 28 Aug 2021 | 00:19:29 | |
I believe self-management is one of the hardest ATLs to “teach” in the PYP. It’s at the root of who you are as a learner, similar to ownership in agency. There are things you can do to support self-management development, but it requires the learner to do most of the heavy lifting. As you enter any early years classroom on the first day of school, you see a lot of curiosity, talking, and bonding. You also see a lot of students who are learning to self-manage their social skills, so all voices are being heard. It can be overwhelming for a new teacher. Yet, there is satisfaction in laying the groundwork of self-management skills that will help learners to channel their enthusiasm and curiosity to achieve tasks and overcome obstacles within themselves. Self-management skills require young learners to look deep within their beliefs and actions to determine why and how they do certain things and how to take corrective measures. In this episode, we will examine how self-management provides freedom to take risks and make mistakes in order to become more well-rounded learners. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C60: Social Skills for Specialists & Support | 09 Jul 2021 | 00:12:41 | |
Social skills are so pertinent in the specialist and supporting classes. They reinforce what is being done in the rest of the school, so we need to find some consistency in modeling them to our students. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C59: Social Skills for Elementary (1-6) | 08 Jul 2021 | 00:14:46 | |
In this episode, we are trying to examine the social skills that learners need in order to operate in the elementary classroom. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C157: Panic and its Impact on Learning | 29 Sep 2025 | 00:23:10 | |
Welcome back to Confessions of a PYP Teacher and the sixth episode in our well-being series. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.com Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C58: Social Skills for Early Years (PK-K) | 07 Jul 2021 | 00:16:31 | |
In this episode, we are trying to examine the social skills that early learners need in order to operate within the world. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C57: Juneteenth (Giving a Voice to the Voiceless) | 20 Jun 2021 | 00:17:54 | |
In our last episodes, we were talking about the ATL Communication Skills. Communication is about finding our voice and helping others to get more informed about the world around them. Sometimes, we have to discuss difficult and uncomfortable subjects, to help our learners better understand the systems of inequity, justice, and accountability.
Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C56: Communication Skills for Specialist & Support | 06 Jun 2021 | 00:12:39 | |
Communication is a complex process, so how do we capture it in a specialist classroom or while receiving additional help with supporting teachers? Just like a homeroom teacher, it requires continual practice in new ways, so students can have those aha moments. This process will take years to develop, so it requires us to constantly chip away at it. When thinking of a specialist class, it’s about making the vocabulary come to life in your context through visuals and experiences. What does it mean to have form in PE, Music, or Visual Arts? This will look completely different, but exploring the variables that affect form over again will help to reinforce this concept. As a supporting teacher, it’s about getting students to use the language of learning at their level and slowly growing the learner’s capacity and access. Your work is repetitive. We appreciate this work, because it’s during the small group sessions with you that students are able to make connections in their communication development. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C55: Communication Skills for Elementary (1-6) | 05 Jun 2021 | 00:15:29 | |
In this episode, I am going against the norm and choosing a different ATL than the early years. It spoke more to me as an upper elementary teacher. One of the things I struggled the most with my students was getting them to analyze and interpret information and connect to their own lives. This is a difficult thing for most adults to do, so imagine being an eight year old trying to tackle it. When I think of communication skills, I naturally see learners trying to make meaning of what is being presented to them. At this age, they are trying to determine if the message is clear and usually there are many misconceptions along the way. This is why learning how to communicate and deciphering the message of communication is so important. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C54: Communication Skills for Early Years (PK-K) | 04 Jun 2021 | 00:14:26 | |
When I think of communication skills, I can’t help but think of you early years teachers. Our youngest learners are so curious about the world around them that they want to continuously ask questions, add comments to the learning topic, and make connections to their everyday lives. At times, it can be overwhelming the sheer amount of questions that early learners ask, but isn’t it beautiful at the same time? They have such interest in the world around them and they don’t have problems voicing their ideas or opinions. In this episode, we are going to examine the communication skills that our young learners need to be able to harness their message and provide ideas in a logical manner. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C53: Research Skills for Specialists & Support | 08 May 2021 | 00:15:51 | |
In this episode, we will look at elements of traditional research skills and adapt them to our needs as a specialist or supporting teacher. The process takes intentional planning, but the results are well worth it. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C52: Research Skills for Elementary (1-6) | 07 May 2021 | 00:16:45 | |
In this episode, we will explore the ways we make research come to life with our elementary/ primary aged learners. We will delve into our part in setting stage for authentic research to happen and how we can unlock opportunities for students to analyze information authentically. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C51: Research Skills for Early Years (PK-K) | 06 May 2021 | 00:13:48 | |
In this episode, we are looking at the unique ways that early years learners research the world around them through play. It's an exciting time to be alive in this stage and we want to help our earliest learners to create generalizations of the world around them. Join me as we explore the things we can do to set the stage for this magic to happen. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C50: Thinking Skills for Specialist/Support | 26 Apr 2021 | 00:15:41 | |
Hello to my friends who work with learners in the entire school. You have such a special role in touching many, if not all, of the students in your school. With that, comes a unique challenge to get learners to better understand the learning in your classes and give them the tools to become more independent thinkers. Welcome to this episode my friends that has been crafted just for our specialist and supporting teachers. Ever since the transdisciplinary challenge, I’ve been seeking ways to include you more in the process. In the past, we have been talking about a lot of topics that can be applied to any grade level and situation. As we get into the approaches to learning and teaching, we need to start to diversify to meet your needs. When I think of the ATLs, you naturally come to mind. You can easily apply the ATLs to your discipline or role, because your aim is to grow the level of independence within your learners. For specialists, you need to start thinking of how to wrap the skill development with your content focus. For supporting teachers, you need to start thinking about the learning objectives you have for your learners and how to pair them with the ATLs. In this episode, we are going to examine the ATL thinking skills from your viewpoint. We will refer to PYP From Principles into Practice: Learning and Teaching from pages 26-38, since these are the more advanced learning situations you will encounter. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C49: Thinking Skills for Elementary (1-6) | 25 Apr 2021 | 00:14:16 | |
Welcome to this episode my friends who teach primary/elementary aged students. We are going to take a deep dive today into the thinking skills to help you broaden your understanding and help to unpack one completely. My aim is to get you to start thinking differently about the ATLs; not as an add-on to the program. In this episode, we are going to examine the ATL thinking skills from your viewpoint. We will refer to PYP From Principles into Practice: Learning and Teaching from pages 26-38. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C156: Let's Not Have a Panic Attack | 20 Sep 2025 | 00:20:51 | |
Welcome back to our podcast and the fifth episode in our well-being series. In this episode, we are going to lean into panic and how it can impact our well-being. We’ve all experienced those moments of panic and our brain temporarily shuts down. According to our friend Mo Gawdat, it’s because we believe a threat is imminent and there’s no time to act. This makes sense when we lean into what we know about panic attacks. Let's take some time to discuss how fear transforms into panic and what we can do to get out of it. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.com Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C48: Thinking Skills for Early Years (PK-K) | 24 Apr 2021 | 00:16:05 | |
Welcome to this episode my early years friends. I’ve long thought about how to create for you my early years teachers. I think going forward, we are going to need to adapt the learning for you, since we are getting past some of the ideas that are applicable to any age level. As a PYP Coordinator, I’ve come to truly appreciate the amazing things you accomplish in the early years. It’s quite remarkable. You lay the foundation so all other understanding can happen and many people don’t realize the scale of impact you truly create. In this episode, we are going to examine the ATL thinking skills from your viewpoint. We will refer to PYP From Principles into Practice: The Learner from pages 15-19. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C47: Understanding the ATL structure | 09 Apr 2021 | 00:19:42 | |
For this episode, I thought I would do a deeper dive into the IB documentation to get a better gauge of the ATL structure. To be honest, I’m still developing my understanding of these valuable tools. Prior to 2018, I was selecting one of the ATL categories (thinking, research, communication, social, and self-management) as the focus in the unit with little plan on how to execute it. I struggled as a teacher to make them come alive and find practical ways to make them accessible for students. Then, the enhancements happened and a light bulb went on in my head. The IB decided to provide specific ways to teach each of the categories and my eyes became hungry for ways to use them more authentically. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C46: Approaches to Learning Overview | 01 Apr 2021 | 00:15:46 | |
Welcome to our new series on the approaches to learning. My brain is a bit toasty after the transdisciplinary challenge, but don’t you feel pumped? I really enjoyed going through that experience, because it really helped me think differently about transdisciplinary learning. I hope it helped you too. Now, we are giving our brains a slight reprieve. I shouldn’t say that, because you may think our next series is going to be easy peasy. You should know better by now that my easy is usually someone else’s medium hot! I'm excited to explore the approaches to learning or ATL more in depth. This episode will provide an overview of our role in making the ATLs come to life in our classroom. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C45: Putting all the Pieces Together | 26 Mar 2021 | 00:13:22 | |
In this episode, we will wrap up our transdisciplinary challenge and provide suggestions on how to plan for next steps in this school year and beyond. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C44 (Challenge): Performing a SWOT Analysis | 19 Mar 2021 | 00:06:19 | |
Welcome to the fifth and final transdisciplinary challenge! Wahoo, you made it! Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C43 (Intro): Evaluating Transdisciplinary Learning | 18 Mar 2021 | 00:10:16 | |
In this final transdisciplinary challenge, we will focus on evaluating our practice even deeper. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C42 (Challenge): Transdisciplinary Learning Across the School | 14 Mar 2021 | 00:12:42 | |
Welcome to the fourth transdisciplinary challenge! Only one more to go! When we are trying to make transdisciplinary connections, we often leave out the specialist (Art, PE, etc.) and support (EAL, Special Needs) teachers from the process. Since transdisciplinary means across all disciplines, we should be incorporating everyone into the process, not just our content from the homeroom classroom perspectives. How can we do this authentically? In this week’s challenge, we are going to dig deeper into your program by zooming at a single unit of inquiry. I would choose one that your team agrees needs to be changed, so you receive less resistance when presenting proposed changes. Thinking smarter, not harder. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C41 (Intro): Connecting with Specialist Teachers | 13 Mar 2021 | 00:14:04 | |
Welcome to the fourth transdisciplinary challenge overview! We can’t chat about transdisciplinary learning without connecting to the specialist (PE, Art, ICT) and support (EAL, Special education, etc.) teachers. Transdisciplinary learning is all about learning across disciplines, so why are our specialist and support teachers often left out in the process? Aren’t they also another discipline? In my experience, specialist and support teachers are often on a lonely island on their own, since most homeroom teachers plan while their students are with their teammates. When planning with the specialist and support teachers does occur, it’s often framed on how they can support the homeroom teacher, when it really should be a 50-50 relationship. So how do we move forward to a better way? Let’s take a few minutes to look at ways to strengthen transdisciplinary connections with specialist and support teachers. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C40 (Challenge): Creating Transdisciplinary Connections with Standards | 04 Mar 2021 | 00:13:09 | |
Welcome to the third transdisciplinary challenge! In this challenge, we are going to further examine how to make connections with our standards or guidelines by transforming them from subjects to categories. This is one of the biggest challenges so far, so be sure to join us! Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C39 (Intro): Looking at Standards Differently | 03 Mar 2021 | 00:12:40 | |
Welcome to the third transdisciplinary challenge introduction. One of the greatest challenges as a PYP educator and coordinator has been making transdisciplinary connections using our standards. Whatever school situation, it has felt like a tug of war between the standards vs. the PYP. What many people don’t realize is that the standards drive the learning in the PYP, but we look at their relationship differently. We will explore content learning in a traditional and transdisciplinary classroom. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C155: Facing our Fears (Part 2) | 11 Sep 2025 | 00:19:52 | |
Welcome back to our podcast and the fourth episode in our well-being series. In the last episode, we examined the power of fear in our lives. We are all struck with fear many times in our lives and there is no shame attached to it. In fact, we might have to worry if everything is perfect all of the time. Fear is a natural response to tension in our lives, real or imagined, that can take over our rational thinking. Many of us can be controlled by fear at different times, especially during times of challenges and change. Once again, this is a normal human experience. The key is to not stay in the clutches of fear, but climb out of the situation as quickly as possible. Let's take some time to address our fears, so they no longer control our minds and hearts, so we can live a full life together. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.com Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C38 (Challenge): Unpacking the Themes in the POI | 24 Feb 2021 | 00:13:43 | |
Welcome to the second transdisciplinary challenge! In this challenge, we are going to examine the connection between the themes with your program of inquiry (POI). We will do this by analyzing how our content standards are connected with the concept families in the theme descriptors. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C37 (Intro): Understanding the Transdisciplinary Theme Descriptors | 23 Feb 2021 | 00:13:38 | |
In this challenge, we are going to explore understanding and unpacking the transdisciplinary theme descriptors. It took me a long time to realize the importance of them, because my teams never talked about them. We didn’t make the themes a part of our unit planning, so they never got taught. About my 10th year in the PYP, I wondered what would happen if I taught the students the meaning of the descriptors, so they could understand the bigger picture of the unit, Then, I began digging into the descriptors themselves and realized that they were families of concepts that were separated by semicolons. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C36 (Challenge): How Transdisciplinary Looks and Feels | 17 Feb 2021 | 00:07:04 | |
Welcome to the first transdisciplinary challenge. We are delving into what transdisciplinary looks and feels like in our classrooms through the use of PicCollage. Join us! Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C35 (Intro): Transdisciplinary Learning 101 | 17 Feb 2021 | 00:18:08 | |
Welcome to our new series on transdisciplinary learning! Now that we’ve had a chance to look back and apply our thinking, it’s time to challenge ourselves again. You heard me...we are returning to where we started and creating a five session challenge! These episodes will help us to sharpen our skill set and reflect on how we can improve our transdisciplinary practice. The challenge will have two parts to differentiate based on where you are on your PYP journey. Part B: we will complete a challenge and post it in on Twitter @thinkchat2020 or Linkedin @Lu Gerlach https://www.linkedin.com/in/lu-gerlach-9721991a8/ For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C34 (Application): Agency and Action | 10 Feb 2021 | 00:19:26 | |
Welcome to the third and final episode of our application series. If you haven’t had a chance to apply your learning of the learner profile and international mindedness, I’d suggest you do so before moving forward. It’s a great chance for you to synthesize and apply your understanding of the big ideas to your school/ unit context. This is our ultimate goal with any professional development to make meaningful application to what we are already doing. As we know, agency and action take up a lot of space in our practice within the PYP. They shape everything we do, so we need to take time to apply their role into our practice. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C33 (Application): International Mindedness | 03 Feb 2021 | 00:12:26 | |
It's time to apply our learning! Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C32 (Application): The Learner Profile | 27 Jan 2021 | 00:14:42 | |
Welcome to our application series! What is the application series? It’s a time to reflect on all of the learning we have shared so far, reflect on our practice, and make concrete goals for the future. Application and reflection are at the heart of the PYP. They help us to see where we’ve come and where we need to still go on our journey. It’s important for us to own our truth and not compare our journey to someone else’s. We don’t see their challenges, just their successes. Remember that as you apply your learning. Our first few episodes began with an inquiry challenge that focused on our role and needs as an educator. This was a fun way to evaluate our journey so far and set the stage for new learning ahead. This helped to lay the foundation to learn about agency, action, the learner profile attributes, and international mindedness. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C31: Building Relationships with International Mindedness | 20 Jan 2021 | 00:13:52 | |
This episode, we are going to discuss the deeper connections we make when building relationships founded on international mindedness. When we think about building relationships that lead to international mindedness, we naturally connect to building school culture. They support each other in building lasting relationships of trust where understanding happens. It’s difficult to lay a strong culture when community members lack trust in each other. We will explore how to break down the barriers with other community members that think differently than ourselves. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C30: Creating an Internationally Minded School Mission | 13 Jan 2021 | 00:14:12 | |
In this episode, we will explore the power of a school mission statement in creating culture and shaping the learning and teaching. We will examine the IB mission statement and craft or tweak our own using simple scaffolded steps. There will be an unorthodox example shared to help you think broader about your mission statement. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C29: Connecting Agency with International Mindedness | 06 Jan 2021 | 00:23:42 | |
Now that we’ve received some ways to incorporate international mindedness into our daily practice, how will we use them? Let’s go back to our agency continuum to gauge where we are in the process. As a reminder, the agency continuum has four phases:
In this episode, we will take a few moments to think where we are and where we'd like to be with international mindedness. We will examine different ways we can demonstrate agency when developing international mindedness and make goals for the next phase of the school year. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/ Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C154: Facing our Fears | 03 Sep 2025 | 00:23:38 | |
Welcome back to our podcast and the third episode in our well-being series. This is the most vulnerable I have been in some time.
In this episode, we are going to take time to name the fears that have taken over our lives. By giving them a name, we are one step closer to owning them and moving forward with confidence. For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.com Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C28: Fostering International Mindedness Daily | 01 Jan 2021 | 00:18:12 | |
The second layer of the foundation in our PYP house is international mindedness. It helps to cement our school culture with building relationships with each other and others around the world. How do we do this in a practical way on a daily basis? I believe it is about how you lay out the physical space and intentionally planning international mindedness into our unit. Here are some examples of how to do this.
Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C27: Connecting the Learner Profile with International Mindedness | 25 Dec 2020 | 00:17:52 | |
Building international mindedness in ourselves and in our learners takes time, because it is a process that can't be rushed. Through multiple years of exposure, students begin to better understand cultural differences, ways of doing things, and belief systems. They may not always agree with varying viewpoints, but they are able to demonstrate respect. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||
| C26: Using the Learner Profile to Build School Culture | 18 Dec 2020 | 00:09:42 | |
The number one mistake I made as a new coordinator was building the curriculum framework first. If you are a coordinator, please heed the call. Do not follow in my footsteps, because it cost me at least six months and polarized my staff. Here’s what I’d do instead. If I had to do it all over again, I would ignore the pressure from my school leadership to begin building the curriculum framework and focus on building a new school culture. Remember, the foundation of our PYP house is the learner profile.
Join this episode to learn how to establish these foundational practices in your school program. Thanks for listening! Please join the epic learning journey at lugerlach.com | |||