At the American International School of Guangzhou, two 8th-grade Language and Literature teachers redesigned a unit rooted in a core text using community engagement and storytelling strategies to connect students, staff members, and the entire school community.

When the Year 3 (grade 2) teaching team at Green Oasis School in Shenzhen sat down to plan their second unit of the year, they knew they wanted to create something meaningful about their city. What they didn't anticipate was how a shift in framing would transform not just the unit itself, but their students' sense of agency, empathy, and connection to place.

In this feature, Amy Mulvihill from the American Community School of Abu Dhabi shares reflections about coaching experiences with LeeAnne and Aaron Moniz (from Inspire Citizens) and how this PD changed her teaching practice. It’s a story about alignment, common vision, and collaborating around core skills, strategies and approaches to innovative and impactful teaching and learning.