Colegio San Cristóbal is an international K-12 school in Spain committed to fostering inquiry-driven, globally minded learners. While the school has long offered the IB Diploma Program (DP), it recently expanded to include the MYP.
As they prepared to implement the new program, it became evident that their existing systems fell short of meeting the unique needs of the MYP.
This led Javier, the pedagogical director for secondary and high school, to explore what other MYP schools were using, and Toddle stood out as the most common name. “When I first saw Toddle, it was clear we needed to make the switch,” he explains. “It wasn’t just well-aligned with the MYP; it also offered significantly more capabilities than the three platforms we were using combined.”
The Challenge: Previous systems were not built for the MYP, making the planning process cumbersome and chaotic for their new team
Javier shared how their previous platform fell short in crucial areas for the MYP. “Our old planner just wasn’t built for MYP,” he explained. “Teachers found themselves constantly juggling Word documents, spreadsheets, and the platform to create unit plans. Curriculum standards were in one place, lesson plans in another—everything felt disjointed, and it was up to the teachers to make it all fit together. Each unit plan took at least 3 to 4 hours to complete, and teachers were always worried they would miss some key MYP elements.”
“We also lacked the guidance we needed to plan effectively,” Javier recalled. “For example, writing a Statement of Inquiry (SOI) often meant flipping several times between IB documents and the planner, to understand what an SOI should look like and how to create one. Imagine doing this for every element of the planner. It was a constant challenge to connect the dots.”
The Solution: Toddle’s planners built from the ground up for the MYP
When San Cristóbal transitioned to Toddle, the MYP planning process became more cohesive and efficient.
Javier shared, “For a new MYP team like ours, having all the tools in one platform made a huge difference. Toddle’s planners provided everything a new MYP team needed all in one place, including MYP planning templates, built-in professional development, and curriculum analytics. Instead of juggling multiple documents and systems, we could focus on building a solid curriculum and understanding the MYP framework.”
Impact 1: Units and lesson plans seamlessly aligned with the MYP framework
With Toddle’s built-in MYP templates, planning became a straightforward, guided process for teachers. “What used to take us 3-4 hours now happens in under an hour,” Javier explained. “We have all the MYP elements in one place—no more toggling between documents or guessing if we missed something.”
Before, it always felt like we were piecing things together,” Javier shared. “Now, with Toddle, everything we needed to plan an MYP unit was in one place. From overarching learning goals to daily lessons and assessments, we could plan everything on a visually intuitive template that mirrored the MYP framework. This not only significantly reduced our planning time but also helped scaffold the planning process for our teachers.”
Impact 2: Their new teachers developed a deeper understanding of the MYP
The built-in PD in Toddle’s planners helped the new MYP team at San Cristóbal develop a more hands-on understanding of the framework. “It’s so efficient!”, remarked Javier. “We loved how Toddle integrated the MYP From Principles to Practice guide into the planner, providing step-by-step guidance exactly when and where teachers needed it. For instance, while writing a statement of inquiry (SOI), teachers could access guidance and best practices right alongside their work, and learn and refine on the go.
He added, “This immediate access to guidance not only boosted the teachers’ confidence but also fostered a culture of continuous learning and helped them create more cohesive unit plans that truly aligned with the MYP.”
Impact 3: Teachers could easily spot gaps in skills and competencies with Toddle’s curriculum analytics
With Toddle, the team at San Cristóbal could instantly track the coverage of skills and competencies across the MYP. Javier elaborated on the impact, “We work with over 137 thinking skills and competencies in the MYP. Imagine trying to manage and track that by hand! With Toddle, I could pull up statistics on the skills covered across all subjects in just 30 seconds, rather than spending hours looking through files and spreadsheets. And if we noticed gaps in the coverage of certain ATLs, it was easy to identify where those gaps were and determine when and how to integrate those skills into each subject.”
Impact 4: Families built a deeper understanding of the MYP
Toddle also significantly boosted family engagement at San Cristóbal. With planners visible to families, they could better understand what their children were learning and how the MYP curriculum operated.
“Families now have a clearer idea of their child’s progress. They could see specific units and projects their children were working on, making it easier to connect discussions at home to what was happening in the classroom,” Javier noted. “It’s not just about sending their children to an IB school anymore— families are now able to also understand what the curriculum involves and how it supports their child’s learning journey. This insight enabled parents to have more meaningful conversations about school.”
On how he would sum up his experience Javier explained, “We feel confident that Toddle will continue to support both teachers and families as we work together to provide the best possible MYP experience for the students”.
