# data[].attributes.body
Go to MiniPD Core Courses to find out more about the course above.

- Actionable strategies to drive engagement in your learning community this month.
- Scroll horizontally along day by day. Scroll each day up and down.

Thank you to MiniPD Coaches, IB and Non-IB educators, who have co-constructed this calendar with the MiniPD Team.

Stay safe and well.
The MiniPD Team
www.minipd.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
MiniPD Core Course - Developing Mindsets for Success

# data[].attributes.body
Join our Driving Engagement Chat
@FariaMiniPD #MiniPDchat

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Change Your Timetables

Ali Ezzeddine, Mini PD Coach, says,

Starting from this month, every morning share with your students on the class white board what subjects they will have: English, Math, UNIT of Inquiry, PE, etc.

Next to each discipline, write a question:

English - What is an adjective ? (form)

Math - What is the relation between multiplication and addition? (relation)

UoI - How do we protect the environment? (responsibility)

When you share questions with the students you model for them how to ask good questions.

Questions will engage the students in the learning process.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to read more from Ali.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Use Thinking Routines to Promote Inquiry

Toni Hewett, Mini PD coach says,

Incorporate a ‘visible thinking routine’ into your classes. For example:

‘I see, I think, I wonder’ can be used with an image, graph or data table as a lesson starter.

‘Think, puzzle, explore’ can be used to help develop further questions to extend learning. It can be useful as a transition from a teacher guided session into a more student directed inquiry.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to read more from Toni.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PZ's Thinking Routines Toolbox | Project Zero

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Toolbox organizes the Thinking Routines into categories that describe the types of thinking the routines help to facilitate. Some routines appear in more than one category, and some routines have different versions that offer modifications for specific age groups or more specific conceptual challenges.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Use Art to Promote Thinking & Debate

Sarah Plews, MiniPD Coach, says,

Try this (5 mins of fun!):

In a moment, you will click the link below.

Reflect - What do you see? What do you think? What do you wonder?

Then click the image so you zoom in close.

Ask the above three questions again.

Record your thinking throughout the process.

CLICK HERE TO START

Try this with your students. How might you apply one of the images to a lesson or unit? You'll hook them in for sure!

With your students,

Choose any work of art that connects to the unit of study

Invite students to share their thinking using a strategy such as the one use here.

Record and use student questions and comments in planning next steps for student groups and inquiry pathways

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: VR Field Trips

Orchestrate meaningful experiences for your students to keep them engaged and curious.

Invite students to take an age-appropriate virtual field trip for an evidenced-based learning experience connected to the curriculum.

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
VR Field Trips - Listed on TpT - Do Not Delete

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Use Real Objects to Encourage your Student’s Natural Sense of Wonder

Ilse Billings, MiniPD Coach says,

Place a different object on each table or place a real object on a rug or table.

Seat your students around the object, if using small groups not more than four.

Ask the students the following questions: what do you see?

Students write down their answers and then talk about what they see with their team mates.  When working with the whole group do a pair share.

Ask students to come up with questions that come to mind as they examine the object.

Students then use their questions to search for answers.

It is important that students have learned about types of questions before using this strategy.

Some students might need question stems to help them with writing their questions.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to connect with Ilse.

# data[].attributes.body
CLICK HERE TO WATCH Driving Engagement: MiniPD Coaches in Conversation (60 mins) with Ali Ezzeddine, Engy Olama and Erica Chiotti.

MiniPD Coaches are experienced IB and Non-IB International Teachers, Leaders and Consultants.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Learn Beyond the Classroom

Engy Olama, MiniPD Coach, says,

Students make better connections to their learning when they apply it in an authentic context.

Look for opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in their surrounding environment. This can be a:

field trip

creating a new design for the playground

interviewing staff members

or collecting surveys

These experiences help them make sense of their surroundings, increase their interest and relevance in learning.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to connect with Engy.

# data[].attributes.body
Read the MiniPD Blog Post - Strategies to Drive Engagement: How can we Enable the Learning to Flow?

- Get to know MiniPD Coaches experienced in Driving Engagement. Then can support you 1-on-1!
- Sign in or create an account at no cost to access more MiniPD Coach articles and resources.

https://www.minipd.com/blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When students are engaged they are more likely to excel. As educators we know the importance of engaging our students. It is the key that unlocks learning and achievement.

So how can we drive student engagement?

Curiosity, inquiry, and agency are essential ingredients. And if we design learning and teaching with the concept of or productive struggle in mind, we may just have the magic recipe to engage the minds and hearts of our students.

Thr ough decades of research, Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discovered that people find genuine satisfaction during a state of consciousness called , defining it as, ' joy, creativity, the process of total involvement with life .' He states, ' The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times...The best moments occur if a person's body or mind is stretched to its limit in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile ' (2008).

Michael Toth, Founder of Learning Science Applied Research Center, defines productive struggle, where ' students work with knowledge and skills slightly above their current level of competency (which) occurs when students are thinking their way through a difficult solution or grappling with complex issues while the teacher steps back ' (2019).

So, how can we design learning engagements with productive struggle, or flow, in mind?

You can find bite-size actionable strategies to drive engagement here , or read below to learn with some of MiniPD's experienced coaches, who are IB and non-IB international school educators as they share selected teacher-driven and student-driven engagement strategies.

Teacher-driven engagement strategies

Engagement can come from the quality of teacher-student learning focused interaction, an important piece in the effective teaching and learning dynamic. The effectiveness of these strategies can rely heavily on teacher-student relationships and the energy and dynamism that the teacher can inject into direct instruction. Consider the points below to develop the quality of your teacher-driven engagement strategies:

Focus on building strong learning-focused relationships with your students - combine assertiveness with warmth

Provide dynamic high-energy direct instruction with relatable content - underpin with well established behavioural expectations for learning

Use high intensity rapid fire questioning at appropriate times - plan and balance spacing of quizzing over time

Pitch it up to ensure you are driving learning to appropriate standards - eliminate mediocrity

Model metacognitive thinking and promote metacognitive talk in your lessons - use process questions such as 'how do you know?' or 'how did you work that out?'

Student-driven Engagement Strategies

In student-driven strategies, engagement comes from peer interaction. It is these strategies that are at the heart of effective learning. Consider the strategies below to ignite curiosity, drive agency and promote inquiry in your students.

Challenging and Interesting Tasks to Ignite Curiosity
Ensure tasks have sufficient challenge and interest to appeal to the minds and hearts of students.
Erica Chiotti, MiniPD Coach, writes in Setting the stage for Curiosity, Inquiry and Agency in the Classroom, ' Consider planning an opportunity for your students to inquire into the concept of inquiry by creating experiences in which students need to make discoveries, co-constructing common understandings about inquiry and research' and 'generating a learning menu to access during future explorations .' Students will feel empowered as they will have ownership, voice and choice in their learning pathways.
Curate active and collaborative learning engagements with students' roles and responsibilities in mind.
Ali Ezzedine, MiniPD Coach, in his article , I'm a New Teacher, Where to Start Regarding Inquiry-based Learning? invites us to remember that we ' are not anymore the sources of knowledge ,' we ' are here to guide students on how to reach suitable resources and learn from them .' Design collaborative tasks to scaffold learning and manage cognitive load. As you step back as the teacher facilitator, your responsiveness to provide further resources, graphic organizers, or pocket mini-lessons of direct instruction can be incorporated as needed to ensure productive struggle does not become unproductive.
When designing learning with productive struggle in mind, purposefully develop a culture of questioning as an essential component.
Engy Olama, MiniPD Coach, in her article Students' Engagement Defined by Students recommends providing students with ' opportunities to ask questions ' so that they are able to ' take time to write meaningful questions ' with ' time to reflect and assess their questions .' She says ' when all students are involved from the beginning of the lesson, teachers will learn more about the students' level of understanding and adjust the planning accordingly. We have to make sure we are not following a script when we ask questions, but we should facilitate the discussion and scaffold learning .'

So, what does student engagement look like in your classroom?

Consider your current students and your practice.

To what extent do any of your students show high engagement: energy, joy, and creativity? Do your students have active roles and responsibilities learning with peers and resources? Do they face interesting tasks just beyond their current level of understanding?

To what extent do any of your students show low engagement: apathy, low energy or a lack of joy? Do you talk and your students listen, passive in their learning? Are your students listening to long moments of direct instruction, low in energy? Are they learning mainly through worksheets or mandated assignments? Are they mainly working alone?

Make the change if it's needed. Engagement matters.

Join the Conversation

We invited educators from around the world to join us in a Coaches-in-Conversation on Driving Engagement in December 2021. Jump into the recording below to listen and learn new approaches to drive engagement..

Wanting to further the conversation?

Needing a thought partner? A critical friend? Schedule one-to-one coaching sessions with any of our inspirational MiniPD Coaches above about areas that can support you to drive engagement in your classroom with your students!

Want to keep connected?

You will receive a newsletter at the beginning of each month with pro-tips, tools and resources.

You will have access to information on live events and our bite-size action-based calendar created for, with and by our community of international school educators.

You can access articles published by MiniPD experienced Coaches, IB and non-IB international school educators, on topics that matter to you.

You can connect with our experienced Coaches quickly and easily for ongoing one-to-one supportive conversations.

Want to learn more?

What topics matter to you?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Strategies to Drive Engagement: How can we Enable the Learning to Flow? - MiniPD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When students are engaged they are more likely to excel. As educators we know the importance of engaging our students. It is the key that unlocks learning and achievement. Curiosity, inquiry, and agency are essential ingredients.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Voice & Choice to Develop a Maker Mindset

Encourage your students to notice and explore the design world around them. Help your students to develop an inquiring mindset; a problem solving and maker mindset!

'Regardless of whether a problem is obvious or hidden, the impetus to engage with it starts with a sense of agency - a sense that it's possible to reshape the way things are by directing one's actions purposefully.' (Tishmann, S., & Clapp. E.P., Educational Leadership, 2017)

Agency by Design, Project Zero

# data[].attributes.body
Reading: Start With Disequilibrium or Struggle

Erica Chiotti, MiniPD Coach, says,

To support students in unlocking the concept of inquiry, think about a scenario in which students can observe, or experience some disequilibrium, or struggle, on the road to new discoveries. This could include:

Sharing a book or story in which a character experiences challenges

Watching a video clip that highlights the process of discovery

Posing a difficult task for students to complete

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to read more from Erica.

# data[].attributes.body
Try this: A Photo From My Window

Ali Ezzeddine, Mini PD coach, says,

Ask your students to take a photo from the window and let them post the photos on Padlet or any online platform.

The students will complete 3 sentences: I see, I hear, I smell. This task is completed at home.

The following day, the students look at all the photos published by others, they will discuss them, ask questions and choose the photo. The will say what they like and why.

The session will focus on the key concept perspective, and it can connect to any learning outcomes related to Arts or Language.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to connect with Ali.

# data[].attributes.body
Jump back into our Engagement Chat!

@FariaMiniPD #MiniPDchat

# data[].attributes.body
Do you plan for ambiguity?

Engy Olama, MiniPD Coach, say,

·      When planning units, assign some time for students’ independent inquires. Teachers design unit planners to identify key concepts and conceptual understandings, not to follow a fixed script.

·      Allow your students to ask questions and show them how they drive the inquiry. Ask them how they would like to learn and what new learning experiences will keep them hooked.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to read more from Engy.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Ask 3 Before Me

Build a culture of inquiry. Curate learning so students do not depend on 'ask the teacher' as their strategy to find answers. Guide you students to:

1. Ask a question on social media - Teach students to leverage social media for learning.

2. Google it - Teach students to find reliable resources, read and produce an answer.

3. Find a You Tube tutorial - Encourage the use of videos are powerful tools for self-paced learning.

Younger students can ask 3 different people, before they reach out to the teacher for support.

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.body
LIVE EVENT: WATCH THE RECORDING

DRIVING ENGAGEMENT
MiniPD Coaches in Conversation took place on December 16th, 2021. 5:00 pm UTC.

Access the recording, and other past live events, HERE.

Alternatively, go to our blogpost on driving engagement HERE and scroll down to view the live event recording.

Find Engagement Coaches to support you!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
MiniPD - Embracing the Learner in Every Educator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Driving Engagement - MiniPD Coaches in Conversation

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Use Simulations

Age-appropriate simulations can support students to emotionally connect with content. Create your own online simulation using breakyourownnews.com.

Consider these tips:

Prepare your students by talking about the possibility of a strong emotional response

Be intentional and pause during the simulation to highlight intended concepts

Provide opportunities for students to share their thinking using writing, drawing or talking

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Breaking News Generator - Today's top story... you! Or, whatever you want. Add your pic, write the headline and we'll go live to the scene. Sort of.

Your browser does not support HTML5 Canvas.

No images are saved to the servers of Break Your Own News.

By @JonathanEx. Find out more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Break Your Own News - The Breaking News Generator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today's top story... you! Or, whatever you want. Add your pic, write the headline and we'll go live to the scene. Sort of.

# data[].attributes.body
Consider This: Put Your Students in the Driving Seat

Don't be a teacher thief and rob your students of being agents of their own learning

Explain the why by providing an overarching real-world goal

Add and take away scaffolds as needed to support evidence-based research, transfer and reflection

Orchestrate learning in student groups to enable your students to make a plan for how to meet the overarching goal - put them in the driving seat

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Use a Discussion Strategy

Connect to prior learning and stimulate discussion. Try a four corner debate in your classroom, or adapt in an outside or an online version.

Create 'four corners' labelled Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree

Establish behaviour agreements so students feel safe to share their opinion

Devise and share a few statement that will provoke thinking and promote various opinions

Invite students from each corner to share their opinions

Provide opportunity for students to change their opinion and 'move' corners

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.body
Share a story of impact on our engagement chat on Twitter.

- What is one positive change you made in your work or classroom to drive engagement?

@FariaMiniPD #MiniPDchat

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.body
Try this: Make Inquiry Explicit

Ali Ezzeddine, Mini PD coach, says,

If you use an inquiry cycle at your school as a whole team, share it with the students, explain it and ask them why we use an inquiry cycle.

The learners need to know how we learn and we need to model it for them.

They also need to know that mistakes are part of the learning journey and without mistakes we can't learn.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to learn with Ali.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Use Question Banks To Build A Sense Of Agency

Use visible and predictable question banks to support students build a sense of agency around their learning process.

Take 5 minutes to make a poster for your classroom with these questions:

What do I know?

What do I want to know?

What have I learned so far?

What progress have I made so far?

What ideas or concepts are still unclear to me?

What connections am I making between concepts?

What might I do next?

Who could I ask for help?

Invite students to consider these questions as they progress through a unit.

(French & Marschall, 2018)

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Use Talk Prompts To Build A Sense Of Agency

Use visible and predictable talk prompts to support students build a sense of agency around their learning process.

Take 5 minutes to make a poster for your classroom with these prompts:

This reminds me of...

I think because...

I wonder what it means when...

I am unsure of...

The most thing I have learned is...

Invite students to consider these prompts as they are progress through a unit.

(French & Marschall, 2018)

# data[].attributes.body
Build Agency with Tech Resources: Try Smithsonian

We need to support our students to make evidence-based and contextualized connections within agentic learning.

Select curriculum related and age-appropriate online platforms.

Encourage your students to use relevant factual knowledge to build connections, make meaning and transfer.

Consider The Smithsonian here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Explore Smithsonian | Smithsonian Institution

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our vast collections and the research surrounding them are available to you online on a kaleidoscope of topics-from art to zoology.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Set The Stage For Engagement

Erica Chiotti, MiniPD Coach, says,

“How can you create an environment in which students feel empowered to explore and discover?”

To provide students with the agency to lead their own inquiry, it is important to spend time co-constructing definitions, expectations, systems and routines around learning.

To set the stage for this, consider planning an opportunity for your students to inquire into the concept of inquiry by:

Creating experiences in which students need to make discoveries

Co-constructing common understandings about inquiry and research

Generating a learning menu to access during future explorations

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to read more from Erica.

# data[].attributes.body
Use Tech Tools to Support Inquiry: Try Gapminder.org

We need to select appropriate tools and resources to support our students access case studies. In this way we scaffold content access so that students can:

Consider multiple sources of appropriate information to support evidence-mindedness during their inquiry process

Try teaching with gapminder.org

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Artefacts, A Unique Provocation

Engy Olama, MiniPD Coach, says,

A great way to stimulate discussions at the beginning of the unit or lesson is to bring new objects and artifacts to the class. You can even wrap it before showing it to the students and you can ask them questions about its physical characteristics. After you reveal it, you can ask more questions about the design, function or importance.

The same objects can be used again throughout the unit to see if students developed more ideas or understandings.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to learn with Engy.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Question Formulation Technique

Intentionally build a culture of questioning.

Try using QFT from the Right Question Institute to support students create 'good' questions for deeper inquiry. Stimulate students with a prompt and then:

1. Invite students to gather questions
2. Identify open and closed questions
3. Reverse the open and closed questions
4. Discuss the pros and cons of the questions
5. Prioritize the questions and consider the implications for inquiry

The Right Question Institute

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Developed by the Right Question Institute, the Question Formulation Technique, or QFT, is a structured method for generating and improving questions. It distills sophisticated forms of divergent, convergent, and metacognitive thinking into a deceptively simple, accessible, and reproducible technique.

The QFT builds the skill of asking questions, an essential - yet often overlooked - lifelong learning skill that allows people to think critically, feel greater power and self-efficacy, and become more confident and ready to participate in civic life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is the QFT? - Right Question Institute

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a simple but rigorous step-by-step process designed to help […]

# data[].attributes.body
Try this: Language Strategy

Sandra Pinzón, MiniPD coach says,

Actividad

Agrúpate de acuerdo con el papel recibido( igual color y tamaño)

Organiza las frases ubicando primero la más general y por último la más específica.

Explica la razón por la cual fueron organizadas de esa forma.

Luego, explicó la estructura del conocimiento.

- Sign in for free to MiniPD to learn with Sandra.

# data[].attributes.body
Try This: Start to Rewrite Your Next Unit Overview

Here are some pro-tips to put your students' brains in a state ready to learn:

Make the unit title an engaging or provocative question

Make the overview exciting so it grabs your students' attention with enough words to give focus to the study

Make a clear link to content to set context

Make it significant to the time of year and age-appropriate

Share the overview with students prior to the start of the unit

The MiniPD Team

# data[].attributes.body
Next? Explore MiniPD resources on Skilling Up with Tech.

Tech skills focused:

#MiniPDchat on Twitter

Padlet Calendar for daily-actionable strategies and practical resources

Blogpost and articles from MiniPD Coaches

Free live session with experienced MiniPD Coaches in Conversation

1-1 Coaching sessions via www.MiniPD.com

# data[].attributes.body
What are educators saying about MiniPD coaching for continued professional learning?

"Each one of us has magic, and it’s through connection and conversations that the magic gets discovered." Revalyn Faba Sack.

Get connected at minipd.com