{"id":2143,"date":"2020-09-14T01:29:44","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T19:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learn.toddleapp.com\/?post_type=blog_post&p=2143"},"modified":"2023-05-15T15:29:21","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T09:59:21","slug":"getting-to-grips-with-central-ideas-kirsten-durwards-toddle-talk","status":"publish","type":"blog_post","link":"https:\/\/www.toddleapp.com\/learn\/blog-post\/getting-to-grips-with-central-ideas-kirsten-durwards-toddle-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to Grips with Central Ideas<\/b> \u2013 Key Learnings from Toddle Talks Webinar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why Central Ideas?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When we thought about the focus for this first Toddle Talk, we wanted to address a topic that would be helpful to many educators. We decided on Central Ideas because teachers’ questions about these regularly come up on professional networking groups. As someone who is conceptually trained and has worked with thousands of teachers to develop Central Ideas, I believe that having a clear understanding of what is behind a Central Idea can really influence the successful guidance of a unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a Central Idea<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When creating or refining Central Ideas I refer strongly to the work of Dr Lynn H. Erickson. Her definition of a generalisation is a very useful scaffold for generating clear conceptual statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reproduced with the kind permission of Dr Lynn Erickson (slide from Concept Based Curriculum and Instruction Workshop)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the webinar we consider how to identify the concepts which will guide the unit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a clear conceptual statement that every team member understands and is able to unpack, both supports the connection of related concepts and drives learning forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we know what we are aiming for, it gives clarity to the process that we use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central Idea Guidance\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Central Idea Guidance provided below can be used to review Central Ideas and as a guide when developing completely new ones. This was synthesised from IB guidelines<\/a> and learnings from Lynn\u2019s training<\/a> into some guidance for Central Ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We don\u2019t always hit them all, but I have four non-negotiables:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Let\u2019s Consider an Example:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Survival depends on adapting to circumstances<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of my favourite Central Ideas, developed with a G4 team at KIS.  Two macro concepts \u2013 \u2018Survival\u2019<\/strong> and \u2018Adaptation\u2019 <\/strong>linked by a strong verb \u2018depends\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This transfers beautifully through science, social studies and PSPE. It is clearly a big idea. It\u2019s short, everyone understands it and we were able to suggest lots of examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What examples might you think of that exemplify that central idea?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s Reflect on the Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like everything else in our IB ecosystem, the process of developing a Central Idea can vary widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no one \u2018right\u2019 way to develop a Central Idea<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Read that again<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no one \u2018right\u2019 way to develop a Central Idea<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The process I share on the webinar is \u2018starting from scratch\u2019 to develop a new Central Idea. I am an advocate for referencing the curriculum early in this process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n