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--- Eight-Week Online Course for K-12 Educators ---

Concept-Based Inquiry in Action

Strategies to Promote Transferable Understanding

From the desks of Rachel French and Carla Marschall

Hello Educators!

Can we please have a show of hands...

Who has heard about the powerful potential of bringing Concept-Based learning and Inquiry-Based learning together?

Concept-Based Inquiry is a pedagogical approach that:

Builds conceptual understanding

Promotes student agency

Helps students to develop as confident and articulate thinkers

Some of you already design Concept-Based units because your school uses a Concept-Based Curriculum or because you have participated in our CBCI courses, workshops and/or the Erickson and Lanning CBCI Trainer Certification.

Others of you may already be teaching through inquiry, using structured, guided, and/or open inquiry-based learning approaches in your classroom.

But what happens when we merge Concept-Based and Inquiry-Based learning?

This is exactly what we will explore in our online course Concept-Based Inquiry in Action, designed for K-12 teachers, curriculum coordinators and school leaders.

Over a period of eight weeks beginning October 3rd, 2022, we will show you exactly how to teach through Concept-Based Inquiry using self-paced video modules, group and individual coaching, book study and hands-on unit design.

You will learn specific teaching strategies that will help you use an inductive process to support students in coming up with their own understanding, with our step-by-step Concept-Based Inquiry Model (French & Marschall, 2016).

First Things First: Introductions!

Hello there, I’m Rachel French. I’m an Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI) Certified Trainer, experienced educator and curriculum coordinator, and best-selling author.

As Director of Professional Learning International, I work with teachers and school leaders around the world, helping them implement a Concept-Based Inquiry approach to support their students in building confidence and developing transferable understanding. I hold a Masters of Education in Leadership & Management from Bath University.

And, I’m Carla Marschall. I am also an Erickson and Lanning CBCI Certified Trainer, experienced in curriculum development and implementation for Pre–K to Grade 12.

I have worked in a variety of curriculum leadership roles in IB schools in Switzerland, Germany, and Hong Kong, and am currently the Director of Teaching & Learning at UWC South East Asia in Singapore.

I facilitate workshops internationally and work directly with schools interested in bringing Concept-Based Inquiry into the classroom. I hold master's degrees in Elementary Education and Applied Educational Leadership & Management from Teachers College, Columbia University and the Institute of Education at the University of London.

And, I’m Carla Marschall. I am also an Erickson and Lanning CBCI Certified Trainer, experienced in curriculum development and implementation for Pre–K to Grade 12.

Our Story

We met in 2012 at the Erickson and Lanning CBCI Trainer Certification Institute, where we instantly connected over our excitement about the powerful potential of a Concept-Based approach to engage students and honor their intellect as thinkers capable of making meaning.

At the time, we were both working as curriculum coordinators, and we continued to meet up at conferences each year. At one of these conferences, we were sitting together chatting about how so many dedicated and passionate teachers are unsure about how to translate Concept-Based unit design into Concept-Based lessons and a cohesive unit of inquiry that balances curriculum demands with student agency.

We decided to take action...

This collaboration led to the development of the Concept-Based Inquiry Model (French & Marschall, 2016), followed by the publication of our book, Concept-Based Inquiry in Action: Strategies to Promote Transferable Understanding (Marschall & French, 2018).

Now, after eight years of research, observation, trialing strategies, and collaboration with teachers around the world, we have designed a course that guides teachers to bring Concept-Based Inquiry to life and realize its full potential!

Presenting…

Our Online Course: Concept-Based Inquiry in Action!

Get ready to learn exactly how to design and teach through a Concept-Based Inquiry approach.

In this online course, Concept-Based Inquiry in Action, you will...

Deepen your understanding of Concept-Based Inquiry so that you can empower students to build transferable conceptual understanding.

Dig deep into each phase of inquiry to understand the purpose and critical design components, enabling you to use this approach flexibly in your own unit design.

Explore a range of strategies at each phase of inquiry that you can implement in your own school or classroom.

Think more intentionally about learning experiences and how you will sequence and pace learning engagements in your classroom to scaffold students' thinking.

Understand the flexible nature of a model of inquiry in a way that promotes revisiting phases as required and respects the beautifully messy, non-linear nature of true inquiry.

PLUS!

You will be designing your own Concept-Based Inquiry lessons, applying your newly acquired skills and knowledge to the context of your own school or classroom environment.

Are you feeling excited about getting to see the powerful impact Concept-Based Inquiry can have on your students' engagement, and most importantly, learning transfer?

This is powerful stuff...

When online workshops were first created, they often involved exhaustive reading lists, and they were filled with assignments and tasks that often felt like time-fillers.

Changes in technology have allowed us to interact in new ways that are more engaging and conducive to meaningful collaboration.

This opportunity will be very different from any online workshop you may have done before...

(Well, unless you have participated in one of our other online workshops at Professional Learning International, in which case this will be the same format you know and love!)

Here’s what we mean by that...

Our goal for the online workshop is to unlock the power of Concept-Based Inquiry in your classroom.

We have thought long and hard about the format of this workshop and how to best facilitate your learning.

And we finally settled on a series of engaging components that are designed to work together seamlessly, providing you with maximum support and the confidence to implement this into your practice.

Concept-Based Inquiry in Action is divided into 12 self-paced modules that we will explore over a period of eight weeks. Each module contains a set of videos where we break down Concept-Based Inquiry and each of the phases from our model.

New modules will appear for you every week when you log in to our course portal.

IN ADDITION...

One of us will personally be there to provide you with support in our weekly one-hour group coaching calls.

These calls are opportunities to clarify understandings, get feedback on your design process, and learn from questions other participants are asking.

AND!

Once you have completed the workshop, we genuinely want to ensure that the lessons you have designed are classroom-ready, so...

You will have a one-on-one private coaching call!

With your completed lesson designs, we will have a 45-minute one-on-one private coaching call to review your planning and work together on ensuring you are ready to put your learning into action.

BUT…

This coaching call will not be available to everyone.

To unlock a spot in our calendars, you must be willing to put in the work, complete your unit design, and have a genuine desire to improve your practice.

Are you committed to taking your teaching to the next level?

Oh and one more thing...

We know teachers LOVE free resources!

So... you will receive a free e-book copy of:

Concept-Based Inquiry in Action

By Carla Marschall and Rachel French

Published by Corwin, 2018

We have also designed book study guides around each chapter to ensure you are able to get the most out of your reading.

Yes! Register Me for This Online Course

Here’s what we’ll be doing during each week of course:

In Week 1, we will lay the foundation and build common understanding around two distinct pedagogical approaches: Concept-Based learning and Inquiry-Based learning.

Exploring these approaches separately will allow you to understand the intent of each one. You will see how they can be combined to empower students as thinkers who have ownership of their understandings, and how they can help your students develop the skills to transfer learning to new contexts.

You will also be introduced to the Concept-Based Inquiry Model. This model is designed to simplify a complex process and give you and your students a framework for building conceptual understanding inductively.

In Weeks 2-4 you will focus on unit design working to clearly articulate the Understandings, Knowledge and Skills that provide the foundation for the learning experience.

Weeks 5-8, you will delve into each phase of inquiry to understand its purpose and theoretical grounding, then look at examples of the phases in action through videos of classrooms from around the world.

You will explore practical strategies for implementing the Concept-Based Inquiry Model in your classroom and work on designing and teaching your own lesson plans.

Throughout the course you will be working on the development of a unit plan or two lesson plans for your final assignment, where you support students in generalizing and transferring their understanding. You will then book a private coaching call to review your planner.

Yes! Register Me for This Online Course

Sound interesting? And powerful? It is!

We hope you will join us on this journey! This course is a transformative opportunity for educators to take their teaching and curriculum development to the next level.

You will learn…

How to use concepts as the basis for transferable understanding.

The importance of having clarity around what you want your students to know, understand and be able to do within your structured or guided inquiry -- and the foundational role knowledge and skills play in building conceptual understanding.

How to get students to do the thinking rather than telling them the big idea, generalization, Statement of Inquiry, or Central Idea.

The distinct difference between structured, guided and open inquiry and the benefits and challenges of each kind of inquiry, so you can be more intentional in your lesson design.

The role of both student and teacher questions in a Concept-Based Inquiry unit.

How the success of a unit can hang in the case studies that students choose for inquiry and the guidance you must provide to support students in collaboratively building understanding.

The importance of organizing information to reduce cognitive load -- and practical classroom-tested strategies to help students organize their ideas so they can see patterns and make connections.

How to design lessons that get your students interested not only in their own inquiry, but also in their peers' research.

How to promote student agency and empower learners.

The powerful roles assessment and reflection play in a Concept-Based Inquiry classroom.

Are you ready to be amazed at what your students are capable of once you let them do the thinking for themselves?

Our Money-Back Guarantee

When you sign up for Concept-Based Inquiry in Action, you’ll be covered by our 14-day 100% money-back guarantee.

If you decide that the course isn’t delivering on the value you expected within the first two weeks, you can get a full refund, no questions asked.

But Wait, It May Not Be for Everyone

We truly believe that taking this course may well become a turning point in your teaching. Just to be up front though, we don’t think this course is for educators who…

Pull out the same worksheets year after year

Spend most of their lessons lecturing

Hate unit design and sit in collaborative planning meetings checking Facebook (We have all seen this!)

This is for educators who are life-long learners and believe it’s important to empower their students. Educators who believe in their students’ capacity to think and build understanding for themselves.

Is that you?

As our dear friend and mentor Dr. Lynn Erickson says, “Thinking classrooms require thinking teachers."

What You'll Get with This Course...

When you register for Concept-Based Inquiry in Action, you will get:

Twelve powerful learning modules that lay the groundwork and guide you through the step-by-step process of Concept-Based Inquiry unit design (Value: €850)

Eight weeks of group coaching calls, offered at two different times to cater for different time zones (Value: €1200)

A 45-minute private coaching session to receive personalized feedback on your own Concept-Based Inquiry unit design or lesson designs (Value: €400)

E-book copy of Concept-Based Inquiry in Action: Strategies to Promote Transferable Understanding (Marschall & French, 2018). (Value: €25)

This is a total value of over €2400, but when you enroll in Concept-Based Inquiry in Action, you will get everything above for just €850.

If you register a group of five or more educators, we offer a discount of €50 off the standard price for each member of your team.

Please contact admin@prolearnint.com to inquire about school discounts for groups of 20 or more.

To begin this exciting journey, click below to register now.

Please keep in mind that because we review each unit design and have a private coaching session with each participant, spaces are strictly limited and typically fill fast.

We are so excited to work with you!

Warm regards,

Rachel and Carla

PS…
TL;DR = Too Long; Didn’t Read

If you’re one of the people who scroll quickly, we have you covered! Here’s a summary:

You are invited to participate in our online course, Concept-Based Inquiry in Action!

Concept-Based Inquiry is an approach that integrates teacher scaffolding and student agency into an effective model that empowers students to pose and answer questions to develop conceptual understanding.

In our course, you will learn specific teaching strategies that guide you to use an inductive process to support students in coming up with their own understanding, using our Concept-Based Inquiry Model.

Rachel French and Carla Marschall will show you exactly how to adopt a Concept-Based Inquiry approach, using self-paced video modules, group and individual coaching, book study (you will get an e-book copy of our book!), group collaboration and hands-on lesson design.

The course will begin on October 3rd, 2022.

If you are passionate about Concept-Based Inquiry and believe in your students as capable thinkers and inquisitive learners, and you are ready to take the next step, this course is for you.

The price is €850 per educator, and we also have group rates available.

Because we provide individual coaching as part of this course, spaces are strictly limited! Register now to secure your spot.

Please note: If you are unable to join during these dates, please email admin@prolearnint.com so that we can reach out the next time we put this course on the calendar.