An Interactive Workshop
april 27 - 28, 2026
Hosted By
65 Riverend Rd, Bangholme Melbourne, Australia
Cornish College
Across Australian classrooms, many teachers are being asked to deliver increasingly prescribed programs and “what works” approaches. While explicit instruction has an important role, many educators are noticing a growing tension:
Students may comply — but they’re often disengaged, restless, or unable to transfer their learning.
This 2-day Concept-Based Inquiry workshop supports educators to design learning experiences that move beyond coverage and compliance toward conceptual understanding, intellectual engagement, and transfer — without abandoning structure, guidance, or evidence.
Unlock the power of a Concept-Based Inquiry approach
Join Rachel french And Lauren Zeigler in australia, april 2026
Help your students to Make Their thinking visible and move learning beyond recall.
Develop powerful inquiry questions and transfer tasks
Explore what we know about learning, cognition, and transfer and how it differs from both scripted instruction and unguided discovery. Inquiry
Understand the research-informed case for Concept-Based Inquiry
DO YOU WANT TO:
Transform Education
that can be used immediately in classrooms and adapted for local curriculum and school priorities.
Gain practical tools and planning templates
Step into your students' shoes in a model lesson that demonstrates the power of guiding questions and case studies in building conceptual understanding.
WORKSHOP OUTLINE
Following the lesson, participate in a debrief where you’ll explore the role of guiding questions, case studies, and the inductive teaching process.
Reflect on when and how to use structured, guided, and open inquiry to foster student thinking.
Gain insights from video clips showcasing the kinds of thinking developed at each stage of inquiry.
Learn from Rachel French as she introduces a six-phase model of Concept-Based Inquiry, and explore teaching practices proven to help students think conceptually.
Leave with a ready-to-use toolkit of instructional strategies that enhance units you are currently teaching, ensuring immediate impact in your classroom.
GARETH ROSE,
FRANKFURT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
"Concept-Based Inquiry has completely changed how I approach everything I do in school."
Teaching students, conferring with small groups, coaching teachers, and leading PD.
The main shift has been a huge increase in the amount of time and methods I use during concept formation. I have seen such progress from all students and the teachers I work with as a result.
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what they're saying
Transform your teaching practice and leverage the power of a Concept-Based approach.
Discover the Concept-Based Inquiry model developed by French and Marschall, and unlock a framework for intentional teaching and learning. Immerse yourself in various teaching strategies carefully crafted to cultivate students' conceptual thinking.
Share a model of Concept-Based Inquiry that you use as a framework for planning intentionally designing learning experiences across the curriculum.
Professional Development
Develop your toolbox of practical teaching strategies that can be used flexibly to support concept attainment, scaffold conceptual understanding, promote learning transfer.
Discover how guiding questions can be used to empower students as thinkers capable of seeing patterns and making connections to develop understanding.
Our Goals
Rachel French, MA Ed. has led innovative curriculum design and transformed how educators teach and students learn for over 12 years.
Mentored by the founders of Concept-Based Curriculum themselves, Dr. H Lynn Erickson and Dr. Lois A. Lanning, Rachel was entrusted with the exclusive worldwide rights to be the sole provider of the Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI) Trainer Certification Institute — the certification that kick-started her journey into Concept-Based Inquiry and inspired her own approach to the pedagogy.
Rachel has presented numerous workshops and conferences on Concept-Based Learning globally. She now hosts the annual Concept-Based Inquiry Learning Labs Conference, a conference dedicated to bringing together passionate CBI educators from around the globe.
Rachel’s mission is to help other educators transform their classrooms and schools by accessing leading professional development, planning and implementing Concept-Based units, and adopting a Concept-Based curriculum development approach.
Rachel lives in Greytown New Zealand, with her husband and three children.
Rachel French, MA Ed. is a certified Independent Concept-Based Consultant,
Presenter, and Director of Professional Learning International.
meet your PRESENTERS
Rachel French & Lauren Zeigler
Lauren is a Theatre and English educator who feels privileged to be part of young people's learning journeys every day. Over the years, she has taught students at all levels, from early childhood to senior students, and is passionate about developing and delivering purposeful curricula. In addition to her classroom role, she has served in various capacities as a teacher-educator, assessor, curriculum writer, and committee member for educational organizations.
Lauren is an Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Certified Trainer and works with Professional Learning International as a consultant and coach. Currently, she spends most of her time in the classroom and serves as the Concept-Based Learning and Teaching Leader at Cornish College in Melbourne, Australia.
Lauren Zeigler is a certified Independent Concept-Based Consultant,
Presenter, Course Facilitator and specialist in Theatre and English studies.
Transform the way you think about education for $650 AUD
The cost of the 2-day workshop is $650 AUD.
This includes a copy of Concept-Based Inquiry in Action and morning tea and lunch on both days.
Register before February 27, 2026 and pay just $600 AUD per person (save $50 AUD) with our early bird offer.
YOUR INVESTMENT
This hands-on approach invites you to recognize patterns and make connections, allowing you to articulate your own transferable conceptual understandings. The debrief session will delve into the strategies used to support inductive teaching.
Join Rachel French and Lauren Zeigler for this interactive 2-day workshop.
Let's get started!
About Cornish College
Cornish is an independent coeducational school offering Early Learning through Year 12 education in a 100-acre natural parkland setting. Located within a unique learning environment, Cornish provides students with the space and opportunities to engage beyond the classroom and develop a strong connection to the world around them.
The school delivers a holistic, interdisciplinary curriculum that encourages critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and deep engagement across subjects. Guided by a powerful curriculum and passionate teachers, Cornish develops the heart, mind, and character of each student, empowering them to make a positive contribution toward a sustainable and thriving future.
Cornish is an independent coeducational school offering Early Learning through Year 12 education in a 100-acre natural parkland setting. Located within a unique learning environment, Cornish provides students with the space and opportunities to engage beyond the classroom and develop a strong connection to the world around them.
The school delivers a holistic, interdisciplinary curriculum that encourages critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and deep engagement across subjects. Guided by a powerful curriculum and passionate teachers, Cornish develops the heart, mind, and character of each student, empowering them to make a positive contribution toward a sustainable and thriving future.
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