Reimagining and Conceptualising the Curriculum
“When concepts are emphasised over content, there is no limit to the range of topics that students may investigate through a conceptual lens.”
Innovative Global Education (IGE) partners with schools to reimagine curriculum through a conceptual lens—ensuring learning is purposeful, transferable, and deeply engaging. When curriculum content is framed conceptually, facts and skills are not discarded but thoughtfully layered within a more meaningful context. Students are invited into learning that is significant, future-oriented, and rooted in curiosity.
IGE supports schools in designing, reviewing, and refining curriculum so it becomes conceptually rich and aligned with purpose. Whether using existing national, state, or international standards — or co-developing them with schools — IGE helps structure curriculum around big ideas that promote understanding and student agency.
Importantly, transitioning to a conceptual curriculum does not mean starting from scratch. Most schools already have valuable curriculum content that can be reframed conceptually.
“Making the transition to a conceptual curriculum does not require you to discard your current curriculum. It is likely that your existing units have the potential to be taught conceptually once you have the tools to do so.”
By shifting the focus from content coverage to conceptual understanding, schools open new opportunities for student-led inquiry, deeper engagement, and greater transfer of learning. Research supports this approach:
“Organising information into a conceptual framework allows for greater transfer; that is, it allows the student to apply what was learned in new situations and to learn related information more quickly.”
— Bransford, Brown & Cocking (2000), How People Learn
How IGE Collaborates with Schools
IGE partners with schools using practical tools and research-informed models to guide conceptual curriculum development. This includes:
Using Existing or Developing New Standards: IGE aligns curriculum with school, national, or international standards—or supports schools in developing their own—to ensure rigour and relevance while shifting toward a conceptual framework.
Designing Conceptual Curriculum Frameworks: IGE helps teams organise curriculum around big ideas that foster deep understanding and long-term transfer.
Developing Integrated and Transdisciplinary Units: IGE supports the design of learning experiences that authentically connect subject areas through shared conceptual lenses.
Areas of Focus
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IGE supports schools to integrate curriculum across subject areas, creating rich, transdisciplinary units of learning grounded in big ideas. These units allow students to explore multiple perspectives while building conceptual understanding.
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IGE collaborates with specialist teachers (e.g., Music, PE, Art, Languages, Drama, Dance, Religion) to organise curriculum content into meaningful conceptual frameworks. This approach brings coherence and relevance to specialist teaching and learning.
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IGE works with middle years teams to embed content and skills into conceptually organised units that foster inquiry, relevance, and transfer.
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IGE supports the development of play-based, conceptually driven learning experiences that are grounded in young children’s theories, questions, and emerging understandings.
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IGE brings extensive experience supporting IB schools:
PYP: Supporting the creation, review, and refinement of Programmes of Inquiry to ensure conceptual coherence and IB alignment.
MYP: Collaborating with teams to design conceptual units, overviews, integrated units and assessments aligned with the IBMYP framework.
GE Curriculum Development Services
Conceptual Curriculum Framework Design
IB PYP Programme of Inquiry Development
Conceptual Units for Single Subject Areas
Integrated and Transdisciplinary Curriculum Design
IBMYP Conceptual Overviews and Unit Development
Middle Years Conceptual Curriculum (Grades 6–10)
Early Years Conceptual Frameworks