Concept-Based Inquiry in Action: Strategies to Promote Transferable Understanding

"This is exactly what my school needs right now to support colleagues to build on the foundations of our written concept-based curriculum and to take-off our taught curriculum to the next - and highest - levels."
Neville Kirton, Deputy Head of Secondary
Colegio Anglo Colombiano, Bogota, Colombia

"Filled with strategies, illustrations, diagrams, and pictures, this book really gives you the insight you need to help students better understand what they are learning. So many great ideas that can be used in any classroom. A must read for all educators."
Amanda McKee, 9th, Algebra/Geometry, Secondary Certified Instructor/Mentor
Johnsonville High School, Johnsonville, SC

Create a thinking classroom that helps students move from the factual to the conceptual

All students deserve the opportunity to think conceptually. But seeing conceptual relationships does not come naturally to every student. How can teachers construct thinking classrooms where students can move from the factual to the conceptual level of thinking?

Concept-Based Inquiry in Action has the answers. In this book, the authors marry theory with practice to create a new framework for inquiry that promotes deep understanding: Concept-Based Inquiry. The key is helping students to inquire into concepts and the relationships between them using guiding questions developed by the teacher, the students themselves, or by the teacher and students together. Step by step, the authors lead both new and experienced educators to implement teaching strategies that support the realization of inquiry-based learning for understanding in any K–12 classroom.

The book and its accompanying website are rich with the resources necessary to facilitate the construction and transfer of conceptual understanding, including

• Numerous practical teaching strategies, aligned to each phase of Concept-Based Inquiry, that can be modified for diverse populations
• Visual notes that represent significant ideas discussed within each chapter
• Videos of instructional strategies and teacher interviews that show Concept-Based Inquiry in action in K–12 classrooms around the world
• Templates of graphic organizers, sample anchor charts, and blackline masters that support the use of teaching strategies in the classroom
• Planners that show how the phases of Concept-Based Inquiry come together in a unit

In a world filled with complexity, the role of the teacher as a facilitator of conceptual understanding has never been more pressing. Concept-Based Inquiry in Action provides teachers with the tools necessary to organize and focus student learning around concepts and conceptual relationships that support deep understanding.

Carla Marschall is an experienced educator, curriculum developer, and pedagogical leader, who has worked in a variety of leadership roles in international schools in Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore over the past ten years. She currently works as the Director of Teaching & Learning at UWC South East Asia, with the mission to make “education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” A certified Lynn Erickson Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Consultant, Carla is the co-author of Concept-Based Inquiry in Action (Corwin, 2018). Carla holds a Masters in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Masters in Applied Educational Leadership and Management from the Institute of Education, University of London. 

Website: http://www.connectthedotsinternational.com/

Rachel French, MA Ed, Rachel is a full-time educational consultant and presenter. Through workshops and ongoing consultation Rachel supports schools around the world with the planning and implementation of Concept-Based Inquiry.  She also coaches and provides feedback to teams of teachers on curriculum development. She is experienced in aligning Concept-Based Inquiry and the IB programmes.

Rachel is an international teacher, who has worked in schools in South America, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. She is a certified Independent Consultant, Presenter and Trainer with Lynn Erickson and Lois Lanning. Rachel has presented numerous workshops in Europe and Asia, including workshops with Dr. Erickson, Dr. Lanning and Carla Marschall.

Rachel is also the director of Professional Learning International (PLI), a company she founded to support  international schools and educators in accessing leading professional development opportunities. Through PLI, Rachel French is now the sole provider of the annual Dr. H. Lynn Erickson and Dr. Lois A. Lanning Certification Institute for Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Trainers and Presenters.

E-mail: Rachel_french@prolearnint.com

Website: www.professionallearninginternational.com