Pre-conference workshops

Presented by: Ganesh Kohli

Career guidance is often treated as a siloed activity—career fairs, guest lectures or subject-choice discussions. In IB World Schools, the greatest impact is when counselling becomes a culture shaping learning, teaching and community. This pre-conference workshop shows how career guidance is embedded across classrooms, extracurricular activities, leadership opportunities and school initiatives, making it a shared responsibility. Anchored in the IB learner profile, participants will explore how counselling helps students grow as inquirers, thinkers, reflective learners and principled leaders. The session is driven by the IC3 Institute’s “Counseling Laboratory” pedagogy, emphasizing experiential, inquiry-driven learning. Participants will use the L2 approach—laboratory and library—where the laboratory emphasizes experimentation, reflection and collaboration; and the library provides frameworks, tools and research to anchor counselling in IB programme standards and practices, global contexts and student agency. Educators will leave with actionable blueprints to cultivate a counselling culture that is aligned with IB philosophy, strengthening whole-school coherence, lifelong learning and inclusive, future-ready global practice.

Presented by: Trapti Trivedi and Nitika Gupta

The DP is academically demanding but its true impact emerges when students feel seen, heard and valued. Authentic connections between educators and students create the foundation for trust, resilience and motivation—vital for both academic success and personal well-being.

This interactive session will highlight practical strategies for fostering trust, empathy and psychological safety, drawing on Amy Edmondson’s work and supported by the polyvagal theory (Porges, 1995), which explains how feelings of safety shape learning and engagement. Educators will engage with real-life scenarios and reflective tools designed to strengthen their connection practices.

We will also explore insights from Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain (Hammond, 2015), which links culture, cognition and neuroscience to strategies that engage diverse students. Finally, Patricia Erbe’s teacher–student relationship model will help educators reflect on their professional “brand”, identity and the role of equity and diversity in shaping meaningful relationships.

Presented by: Dr Justin Zhang and Dr Jonathan Kelly

How do we empower students to navigate and thrive in an uncertain world? This workshop delivers the answer. It is an immersive, hands-on experience designed to equip educators with the thinking frameworks needed for students to adjust and become designers of the future.

Participants will move beyond theory to practice, learning how to foster a classroom culture of innovation and intellectual rigour. We will explore design thinking as a framework for creative, human-centred problem-solving and demystify computational thinking as a process for logical analysis and system design. Crucially, we will frame critical thinking as the essential foundation that underpins both. This is an essential session for any educator dedicated to helping students navigate a complex and uncertain future. We also encourage non-technical teachers to apply. Coding and high mathematics requirements are not needed here.

Presented by: Chaahat Dhall

This workshop invites educators and leaders to explore how schools can create a unified, whole-school approach to well-being that nurtures both students and staff across IB programmes—early years, PYP, MYP and DP. Moving beyond advisory or well-being as a stand-alone component, participants will reimagine well-being as an ethos woven into the curriculum, culture and community.

Through interactive dialogue, case studies and design-thinking exercises, participants will explore how well-being evolves across developmental stages—starting with play-based social-emotional learning in early years, community building in the PYP, identity exploration in the MYP and resilience building in the DP (along with various other programme-specific themes).
The session emphasizes building trust, resilience, staff capacity and student voice, while equipping educators with practical strategies to integrate social-emotional learning authentically across classrooms, advisory groups, events and policies. Participants will co-create a whole-school well-being framework that is adaptable to diverse contexts, enriched with reflection prompts, student- or staff-centred activities and systemic strategies.

Presented by: Dr Sonia Soni

This interactive workshop will empower IB coordinators to embed sustainable well-being across the IB continuum. Participants will explore how student and educator well-being can be integrated into curriculum design, assessment practices and whole-school policy. We will share strategies and cross-programme examples for the PYP, MYP, DP and CP. The session includes global case studies, collaborative activities and guided planning to address common barriers like limited time and resources. By aligning initiatives with their school’s mission and the IB learner profile, participants will leave with a tailored well-being action plan. The workshop aims to equip coordinators with the tools to influence culture, strengthen collaboration and create learning environments where well-being and academic success reinforce each other.

Please note this workshop has been cancelled and replaced with the below workshop 6.

Presented by: Kirti Lohani and Chinki Chhapia

This interactive workshop is designed for IB educators eager to strengthen their integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching practices to enhance learners' metacognitive skills and mentor self-regulated learners. Through engaging demonstrations, sharing of practices, and hands-on activities, this workshop will guide educators to confidently lead the shift from using AI to support in-class to using it as a system to support learners' autonomy and metacognitive skills. The topic includes- utilising AI to develop students' metacognitive knowledge of how they learn; their knowledge of themselves as a learner, of strategies, and of tasks, in an effective way of improving students' learning outcomes and supporting them to be self-regulated learners. By the end of the session, the participants will gain strategies and resources to effectively weave in AI as a part of teaching and learning engagements in their IB classrooms.

Presented by: Dr Jennifer Chang Wathall

This workshop explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, while emphasizing ethical frameworks that align with holistic learning approaches. Educators will discover how AI tools can enhance learning experiences with meaningful feedback, cultivate inclusive environments and foster deeper conceptual understanding. We will investigate frameworks for integrating AI that promote student agency while maintaining IB philosophy. This workshop addresses developing students’ digital literacy, critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills when interacting with AI systems, fostering thoughtful digital citizenship in an increasingly automated world.

The main focus of the session will be to explore how AI complements rather than replaces expertise, and to emphasize the importance of maintaining human-centred approaches while supporting inquiry-based learning, collaborative problem-solving and global citizenship. Through interactive discussions and case studies, educators will gain actionable insights for implementing AI-powered pedagogies that preserve academic integrity and prepare students for an AI-integrated future.

Presented by: Rebecca Hamer

In the workshop we will share detailed examples of how teachers changed their teaching, the tools and activities they developed that changed the students’ learning experience and classroom engagement. Ways that worked and ways that did not work as expected. In groups, participants will be invited to think of - and work out - ways that they might use these or amend these examples to improve their own teaching, and how that would impact the learning outcome of students. Groups will then work on what questions, training and guidance would be appropriate for teachers and coordinators as IB develops a broader open book assessment offering. Participating IB programme coordinators may focus on what solutions schools found to address issues regarding the open book exam format, or how they would deal with changes in exam formats in general, including the move to digital.

Presented by: Josh Blue and Monita Sen

What does it mean to lead from the heart in a world that is increasingly complex and unpredictable? This dynamic workshop moves beyond traditional models, inviting leaders to explore heart-centred leadership as a deeply human practice rooted in purpose, vulnerability and connection. Participants will reflect on and define their inner compass and how it connects to the broader stories of their communities. We will explore leadership not as a solitary act but as a relational practice built on trust, collaboration and shared meaning. Participants will use their own humanity as a guide through thought-provoking dialogue, co-constructing understanding and personal action. They will tap into their authentic selves to see how to foster the conditions for self-efficacy and collective action in others. The participants will leave with the tools to practise fluid collaboration, creating an environment where everyone feels safe, connected and empowered to contribute authentically.

Presented by: 

• Benedict Hung, Senior IB World Schools Manager
• Florian Baciu, Senior IB World Schools Manager
• Suman Sethi, Senior IB World Schools Manager
• June Evans-Caulfield, Senior IB World Schools Manager
• John Cho, Senior IB World Schools Manager
• Michèle Mindorff, Senior IB World Schools Manager
• Indra Ang, Senior Marketing Manager
• Geraldyn Sng, Associate Marketing Manager

How can schools bring the strengths of their IB programmes to life for families, communities, and future partners? In this interactive workshop, school leaders will work alongside the IB World School team and the MarComms team to develop clear strategies that showcase how the IB strengthens student outcomes and benefits the whole school community. Through collaboration with peers and IB experts, participants will share experiences, co-create stories, and design practical approaches that foster community confidence, support programme growth, and reflect the lasting impact of an IB education.

Together, we will shape a collective narrative that highlights the value of IB learning and deepens trust and engagement across school communities.

Presented by: Camelia Constantinescu, Christina Collazo and Angela Rivière 

Sustainability, a multifaceted and contested concept, requires contextualization within education. Since the Brundtland Report (1987), definitions have evolved, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that integrates ecological and social justice, as well as community engagement. This session presents a vision for education that nurtures planetary flourishing, urging educators to consider how learning environments can foster ways of being, relating, knowing, and acting that contribute to a peaceful, just, and sustainable future. Key questions include how IB education supports responsible, compassionate, and active students, and how compassion, creativity, and well-being can be cultivated at personal, relational, and systemic levels. The session explores how IB principles—such as international-mindedness, inquiry-based pedagogy, and interdisciplinary curriculum—promote sustainable thinking and being. Sustainability is framed as an emergent property of ongoing deliberation and care, inviting dialogue and critical reflection within educational communities.

The session will combine presentations on research and definitions with interactive discussions about pedagogy, curriculum, and school policy. Participants will engage in collaborative activities to design projects or initiatives that promote sustainable thinking and action, sharing and reflecting on their ideas.