Podcast Episode
Episode Description
In this episode of The Balance, I sit down with Ruba Abi Saab, Instructional Coach and Teaching and Learning Coordinator at Al Rayan International School in Accra, Ghana. Ruba shares how concept-based inquiry shapes her work with teachers and students, encouraging deeper thinking, empathy, and purposeful action. We talk about her passion for integrating service learning, graphic organizers, and play-based strategies in early years classrooms to foster both academic and emotional growth. Ruba also reflects on our work together implementing Universal Design for Learning and blended learning models, and the impact these approaches have had on teacher practice and student engagement. If you’re looking to make learning more meaningful and inclusive, this conversation is full of insight and inspiration.
Episode Transcript
Catlin: Welcome to The Balance. I’m Dr. Catlin Tucker, and today my guest is Ruba Abi Saab, an instructional coach and Teaching & Learning Coordinator at Al-Rayan International School in Accra, Ghana. Ruba is a passionate educator. She is an Erickson and Lanning certified trainer and presenter, and she’s dedicated to enhancing student learning through graphic organizers and empowering teachers to unlock conceptual thinking for deeper engagement.
Catlin: She believes in the power of empathy and putting meaning and learning into action. Ruba focuses on connecting service learning with concept-based inquiry, particularly in the Primary Years Program exhibition—so you’ll hear her use the acronym “PYPX” in our conversation. Her commitment to continuous learning inspires her to explore all kinds of innovative ideas and connect them to this concept-based inquiry model, which we’re going to talk about in this episode.
Catlin: Well, I’m super excited to have you on the podcast. I know you’ve already had a long day at your school in Ghana, but I’d love for you to begin by sharing your journey in education—where you began and how you got to the work that you’re doing today.
Ruba: Hello Catlin, it’s my pleasure to be part of your podcast. I began my journey in the IB world in 2015 as a humble facilitator. I taught Year 3 for two years, Year 4 for two years, and Year 6 for three years. Looking back, my approach was more deductive—starting by showing the central idea or conceptual understandings and asking students to collect factual examples to validate them.
Ruba: But something felt off. I realized there was more thinking to be done by the students. That drove me to inquire into concept-based teaching—understanding how facts and skills relate to concepts and how they connect in a lesson. In 2020, I joined the IB Institute and became a certified trainer. I’m now the Teaching & Learning Coordinator and coach at Al-Rayan International School in Accra, Ghana. I assist teachers with concept-based instruction through unit planning, modeling, and co-teaching.
Catlin: Nice. What drew you to the international school community?
Ruba: The IB system and student agency. Education has always been my passion. I used to role-play being a teacher as a child. Before 2015, I taught in the traditional Lebanese system—teachers in front, books, students flipping pages. I always felt there was more. That’s what pushed me into the IB system and concept-based curriculum—where knowledge, skills, and understandings all interconnect.
Catlin: That’s so interesting. Our experiences are different, but we both started our careers teaching the way we were taught, only to find it wasn’t getting the outcomes we hoped for. And we both searched for something more.
Ruba: Yes, exactly.
Catlin: You focus on concept-based inquiry. Can you define that for people who may not be familiar with it? What would we see happening in a classroom using this approach?
Ruba: Great question. In a concept-based classroom, students use graphic organizers to explore multiple examples and target generalizations. As teachers, we plan with conceptual understandings in mind—what we call generalizations. We create opportunities for students to reach those understandings by analyzing multiple factual examples.
Ruba: Instead of stating the understanding, we pose it as a question. Students examine facts, spot patterns, and derive the understanding through an inductive process. Graphic organizers make their thinking visible. For example, in a literacy class, we might look at how characters grow through challenges across multiple stories. A cross-comparison chart might help students explore challenges and growth in each character’s journey, leading them to the concept of transformation.
Ruba: Eventually, we ask conceptual questions like: “How are challenge, growth, and character connected?” It’s about connecting the dots and letting students own the thinking.
Catlin: Instead of just telling them the generalization, you let them build it themselves through analysis, discussion, and pattern recognition. I love that—it builds ownership and deeper understanding.
Ruba: Exactly—students gain agency over their thinking.
Catlin: I imagine some teachers listening to this might think, “That sounds great, but doesn’t it take more time?” How do you manage that tension between time and depth?
Ruba: Time is a challenge, and so is change. It’s hard to shift mindsets and practices. But we address this in our professional development by modeling. We show how to combine conceptual understandings efficiently. With proper planning, using the right tools—especially graphic organizers—we can guide students toward understanding efficiently. The planning may take more time than delivery, but it’s intentional and student-centered.
Ruba: We also support a cohort of passionate teachers who keep experimenting, learning from mistakes, and sharing successes. We’ve created an environment where walls display student thinking—our “screaming walls”—and even that inspires others to observe and learn.
Catlin: That’s amazing. And it really aligns with backward design: starting with the end understanding and planning strategically to get there. What does that process look like in your unit planning?
Ruba: We identify the main conceptual understanding we want to assess after six to seven weeks. Then we break it into smaller, supporting understandings—some knowledge-based, others skill-based. For example, in literacy, prediction might be a key skill. We teach strategies and then ask students to reflect: “Why did you predict this as a reader or scientist?” The “why” is crucial for metacognition.
Catlin: I love that. What impact have you seen, coming from a traditional system to this model? What’s changed for students and teachers?
Ruba: Two words: connection and purpose. Teachers are designing learning experiences that reveal patterns and relationships, not just deliver content. Students are connecting concepts across subjects and life contexts. They aren’t just receiving information—they’re discovering and transferring it into real-world applications.
Catlin: I love that. And you really highlight the importance of graphic organizers. You also mentioned service learning, which struck me as I reviewed your unit plans. How do those tools support conceptual understanding and student agency?
Ruba: Great question. When we think about student agency, service learning, and graphic organizers, we’re really thinking about conceptual learning. The three big ideas we use are: heart, mind, and action. We’ve collaborated with Inspire Citizens and integrated their “Empathy to Impact” cycle into our concept-based inquiry.
Ruba: The heart focuses on purpose—why do we care about what we’re learning? The mind is where the inquiry happens: building knowledge, applying skills, using graphic organizers. The action links learning to real-life outcomes—students identifying ways they can serve their communities based on what they’ve discovered.
Ruba: Choosing the right graphic organizer is critical. If we want to define concepts, we might use a Frayer model. For comparing patterns, maybe a placemat or comparison chart. For understanding relationships, maybe a sequence or flow chart. The key is being intentional and allowing students to build connections and apply what they learn in meaningful ways.
Catlin: I think that’s so powerful. Often the “why” and the action piece are missing in learning. We forget to ask students: Why does this matter? And what will you do with it?
Ruba: Exactly. When students are allowed to choose their own inquiry topics, the emotional connection comes naturally. But even in structured units, we work hard to provoke curiosity and relevance—so they care. We constantly reflect during planning to ask: Will this resource help students reach this understanding? Is it meaningful? Is it engaging?
Catlin: That mindset must be energizing for you all as educators. You’re putting yourselves in the students’ shoes and asking: What will help them build understanding?
Ruba: Yes. We analyze resources, build in research skills, and explicitly teach strategies—when to scaffold and when to let students explore. It’s about being fair and balanced.
Catlin: You’re also passionate about play-based learning. How do you blend that with concept-driven inquiry, especially in younger grades?
Ruba: Play is powerful. When we blend it with concept-based inquiry, we’re intentional. Sometimes play is a provocation—a way to emotionally connect or generate questions. Other times, it’s an investigation—followed by guided questions and reflection. Play helps students explore relationships and build understanding in a natural, joyful way.
Ruba: The key is knowing why we’re using a play-based activity. Is it to launch inquiry? To deepen investigation? Or to reflect? And then connecting it to our cycle: inquiry, service learning, blended learning. We avoid overwhelm by placing each element purposefully in the unit design.
Catlin: That makes sense. And it seems like you all have been very intentional about when to use blended learning strategies too—especially Universal Design for Learning. What motivated your team to bring in UDL and tech-enhanced models?
Ruba: It started in 2019 when a few teachers attended your session at the EARCOS conference. They returned inspired—and their classrooms transformed. Engagement, tech use, spark stations—it was contagious.
Ruba: After COVID, we analyzed surveys and data. Seventy percent of staff wanted to learn more about differentiation. But we also noticed fast learners weren’t growing enough. That’s when we realized we needed better tools for extension and inclusion—UDL became a solution.
Catlin: That’s so insightful. I reviewed one of your units and saw how you used station rotation in a very intentional way—to differentiate when things got complex.
Ruba: Exactly. And we’re now exploring playlists to extend learning for advanced students. We’re applying UDL principles more consciously—especially using the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) visual from your January article. It’s helped clarify our differentiation planning.
Ruba: Before, we jumped into units. Now, we start with pre-assessments and let the data guide us. Are we grouping by content understanding? Process skills? That informs how we differentiate. It’s been a huge shift in mindset.
Catlin: I love that you’ve embedded this into your working documents and coaching conversations. It’s not just a one-off PD—it’s becoming part of your culture.
Ruba: Exactly. Teachers now reflect on their planners: “70% of my students got the concept. Here’s what I’m doing for the other 30%.” It’s more personalized. Even reflective discussions have improved. We now embed both content and process pre-assessments to guide how we differentiate—whether to group or individualize support.
Catlin: And do teachers see the impact of this shift—how the differentiated plans change the classroom experience?
Ruba: Absolutely. And your blended learning models are part of it. We house all the resources in a Padlet toolkit that we use during coaching. When teachers want to try something new, we link them to models and examples. Then we co-plan, model, and reflect together. It’s embedded in our planning, reporting, and culture now.
Catlin: That’s incredible. Leading change is never easy. What are some of the biggest challenges you face?
Ruba: Time is the number one challenge. Planning for things like the playlist model feels overwhelming for some teachers. Another is managing multiple initiatives—blended learning, UDL, service learning—without burnout.
Ruba: What helps is asking: “Where does this fit in our inquiry cycle?” Is this activity part of investigation? Service? Extension? That helps reduce stress. We even plan to color-code planners to visualize where different approaches show up. That brings clarity and intentionality.
Catlin: That’s such a smart approach. I think schools often fail to show teachers how initiatives fit together. That’s when teachers burn out—when it feels like constant new work. You’re helping them build a connected toolkit instead.
Ruba: Exactly. It’s about integration, not addition.
Catlin: You clearly model continuous learning yourself. How do you stay inspired?
Ruba: I stay anchored in my niche—concept-based inquiry—but I keep my eyes open. What’s next? What can we blend into our existing model? I ask: “What’s one simple step I can try this week?” I also try to celebrate small wins. Step back. Reflect. Ask: “How have we grown this year?” That helps me stay balanced and motivated.
Catlin: I love that. Dream big, start small. That mindset is so helpful. And celebrating wins is something we often forget to do in the busyness of our work.
Ruba: Yes. We get caught in day-to-day tasks and forget how far we’ve come. Reflection is key.
Catlin: Thank you so much for this conversation, Ruba. It’s been a joy to talk with you and hear about your work.
Ruba: Thank you, Catlin. It’s an honor to be part of your podcast. I really enjoyed our conversation.
Catlin: Me too. To everyone listening, if you have any questions, feedback, or want to connect, you can find me online—on X @Catlin_Tucker, Instagram @CatlinTucker, or my website catlintucker.com. Thanks for joining me for this conversation. I hope you have a wonderful week!
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