Author Archives: Rafael Angel

About Rafael Angel

Concept-Based Curriculum and Instructor Independent Trainer. Concept-Based Foreign Language Curriculum and Instruction specialist. Teaching and Learning Director; lives for traveling, reading, learning and tasting new flavours; culture and art lover; passionate about cinema and music. IB MYP, DP Workshop Leader. Mexican YouTuber and Soundclouder.

How can we help students achieve a conceptual understanding?

Posted on 11 October 2018

Concept-based teaching is one of the approaches to teaching in the IB Programs. What makes Concept-based teaching different from other methodologies is how teachers guide students to move beyond the facts and to find relationships and connections among the concepts … Continue reading →

Posted in Concept-Based Teaching and Learning, IB DP, IB MYP, Inquiry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Inquiry-based learning is a lesson on humility

Posted on 28 June 2018

I am writing this blog post upon culminating a very gratifying year or learning and teaching, as my summer break begins, and before the arms of the summer convince me that it is time to slow down and re-charge for … Continue reading →

Posted in ATL, Collaboration, Differentiation, IB MYP, Inquiry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Being Part of the Learners’ Universe

Posted on 20 May 2018

From May 20-27, 2018, I will have the pleasure of hosting the #MYPChat on twitter. Previous hosts have done an extraordinary work by helping us reflect on the value of being connected; by encouraging inquiries into ATL skills, the learning … Continue reading →

Posted in ATL, Collaboration, IB MYP, Learner Profile, Service Learning, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Approaches to amplifying the IDU Experience

Posted on 16 May 2018

Designing and experiencing an interdisciplinary Unit (IDU) can only be matched by the satisfaction of seeing students taking ownership of their work, and demonstrating how much they’re able to do with what they know. What is more, an IDU allows … Continue reading →

Posted in ATL, Collaboration, Curriculum, IB MYP, Inquiry, interdisciplinary learning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Accept a piece of homework, even if it’s 10 years late.

Posted on 24 April 2018

I started teaching when I was 22 years old. I used to teach EFL in Mexico, and many times, as I was getting my class ready, I was asked if I knew were the teacher was. I moved from teaching … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflection, Teacher-Student Rapport, Thoughts around the world | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Service-led Unit: A Triathlon of Learning

Posted on 23 April 2018

One of the goals for my MYP team at Qingdao Amerasia International School this year was to “regionalize” the IB MYP Standards and Practices. Simply put, this means to generate a series of exemplary resources that serve as guidelines for … Continue reading →

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Would MYP Teachers be willing to be MYP Students?

Posted on 15 April 2018

One of my mentors used to say that children are creative because they do not believe in “impossible”; that teenagers were charged with hormones to shake up adults, in the hope that they (adults) remember their journey.   I reflect … Continue reading →

Posted in ATL, IB MYP, Learner Profile | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments