Brad Philpot - Teacher, Author and Workshop Leader - Frankfurt
In this episode I am speaking with Brad Philpot. Brad is an English teacher in Frankfurt but is best known for his brilliant range of textbooks and instructional courses for teaching the IBDP. Brad is someone who has worked within IB education for a long time, holding numerous roles, affording him a massive amount of experience and knowhow when it comes to English instruction and curriculum design.
We discuss:
The best book he’s ever read, taught or learnt whilst at school
How Brad feels about the most recent changes to the DP course, and the IO or HLE in particular
Why he chose to set up the most recent textbook s thematically
The texts he teaches in the new course
When and how the likes of Areas of Exploration, Key Concepts and Global Issues play a part in his curriculum
How the Learner Portfolio been implemented in Brad’s classes
And finally, the element of the English A course he enjoys most and one thing he’d change if he could
Brad offered up a variety of insights in this conversation that I’m already looking to implement into my own practice. This was really a refreshing blend of pragmatism and idealism around the many demands made of teachers by the IB.
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Links:
Brad’s IB education consultancy services - Philpot Education
Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Belonging by Nora Krug
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
The Land of Green Plums by Herta Muller
