Build Highly Functioning Adult Systems
Managing an IB Programme means managing an interconnected system of people, responsibilities, timelines, expectations, and communication.
When those systems are clear and the adults responsible for them are confident and aligned, students experience a programme that is more consistent, more supportive, and less stressful.
My work with IB schools focuses on strengthening those adult systems. Whether we are developing an Extended Essay programme, supporting TOK teachers, training supervisors, strengthening the IB Core, or working with an entire faculty, the goal is the same: to help the adults work together more effectively so that students can thrive.
Where Does Your School Need Support?
Every IB Programme is different. Support can be customized around the systems, teachers, and priorities that matter most to your school.
Extended Essay Programme Development
Build stronger systems for coordinators, supervisors, subject groups, and students, from programme development and the Cohort Model to supervisor and point person training.
IB Core Strategy & Systems
Strengthen the structures, roles, timelines, and communication that connect TOK, CAS, and the Extended Essay across your Diploma Programme.
Theory of Knowledge
Support new and current TOK teachers with course organization, conceptual understanding, assessment, and the responsibilities of effective TOK teaching.
Faculty Development & School Culture
Develop the confidence, consistency, and capacity of your faculty through customized professional development, new teacher support, and classroom culture training.
What Customized Support Can Look Like
No two IB programmes are exactly the same, and professional development should not be one size fits all.
Some schools need a comprehensive multi day engagement. Others need focused support for supervisors, subject groups, TOK teachers, or programme leaders. Training can be delivered onsite or online and can be structured around your school calendar, faculty needs, and existing systems.
The goal is not to impose a model. It is to understand where your school is now, identify what needs strengthening, and design the right support around your context.
There is no single best model. There is the model that works best for your school.
Different schools need different structures.
Here are four ways schools have approached Extended Essay and faculty development with us.
Comprehensive Multi Day Model
A three day onsite engagement combining whole faculty professional development, IB Core systems work, and Extended Essay training. The programme included leadership conversations, subject group collaboration, supervisor development, and practical tools for building a more coherent school wide approach.
Embedded Subject Group Model
Training was built directly into the school calendar. A whole faculty session established the common framework, followed by focused subject group meetings during existing planning time to work through the new Extended Essay guidance and develop shared approaches within each discipline.
Whole Faculty Capstone Model
An online whole secondary faculty session used the Extended Essay as a model for thinking more broadly about research, Approaches to Learning, and long term student skill development. Faculty then had structured time to collaborate by department and grade level.
Individual and Small Team Model
Supervisor and Coordinator Training
Not every school needs a full faculty engagement. Schools can also send individual supervisors, subject teams, coordinators, or small groups to focused live training when that better fits their needs and resources.
Build an Extended Essay Program That Fits
The Extended Essay is not just a student assignment. It is a long-term programme involving coordinators, supervisors, subject groups, timelines, expectations, and communication.
When those systems are clear, supervisors feel more confident, students receive more consistent support, and the entire process becomes easier to manage.
- The Cohort Model
- Whole-Faculty Supervisor Training
- Subject-Specific Supervisor Training
- Point Person and Subject-Group Training
- Four-Step Plans and Shared Expectations
- Roles, Responsibilities, and Timelines
- Understanding the New EE Guidance and Mark Scheme
The goal is to create a clear, consistent system that supports supervisors while giving students the structure they need to succeed.
Strengthen Your Teachers Across the IB Programme
Theory of Knowledge
TOK teachers need more than an understanding of the syllabus. They need to understand how the course fits together and how to help students move toward deeper levels of thinking and understanding.
Brad and Sofía offer customized support for both new and experienced TOK teachers, including:
- TOK New Teacher Training
- Course Organization and Planning
- Understanding the Role of the TOK Teacher
- Concepts, the TOK Framework, and Areas of Knowledge
- The TOK Exhibition
- The TOK Essay
- Customized Training for Existing TOK Teams
TOK support can be customized around the experience, needs, and priorities of your specific faculty.
Faculty Development
Sometimes the greatest opportunity is not within one IB component, but across the faculty as a whole.
Customized professional development can include:
- Creating an Effective IB Classroom Culture
- Support for New IB Teachers
- Whole-Faculty Professional Development
- Teacher Self-Awareness and Student Relationships
- Building Greater Consistency Across the Programme
- Customized Training Around Your School's Priorities
Faculty development can stand alone or be incorporated into a larger onsite or online school engagement.
What IB Leaders Are Saying...
Feedback from IB Coordinators, school leaders, and educators who have worked with us on customized IB training and program development.
"Brad is an excellent communicator who really knows what he’s talking about—this training was absolutely worthwhile. I’m already planning our next in-service with him."
"Brad is super friendly, approachable, and always open to follow-up—working with him is fantastic, and I’d do it again."
"What I admire about him most is his ability to take complex systems and murky structures and simplify the whole process."
Other Ways to Work Together...
Not Every School Needs a Customized Training
Sometimes a full school consulting engagement is the right solution. Other times, a coordinator may simply want to support a small team, train individual teachers, or provide additional resources for students and faculty.
Three pathways
IB Core & Extended Essay Workshops
Live professional development for coordinators, supervisors, and small teams who want focused training without a customized school engagement.
Theory of Knowledge Workshops
Professional development for new and current TOK teachers, including the TOK New Teacher Workshop and additional customized support.
IB Economics School Membership
School-wide access to Brad’s IB Economics videos, resources, review materials, and assessment support for teachers and students.
