Rachel French | Designing for Deep Learning_Concept-Based Inquiry & Alberta's New Curriculum

In this episode of The Learning Curve, host and Assessment & Reporting Consultant Julia McLeod is joined by internationally renowned educator and author Rachel French, Director of Professional Learning International and co‑author of Concept‑Based Inquiry in Action.

Together, they explore how Concept‑Based Inquiry (CBI) aligns with and strengthens planning, instruction, and assessment within Alberta’s new curriculum framework. Drawing on Rachel’s global expertise and curriculum work within ECSD, the conversation offers clarity and practical insight for teachers navigating program redesign.

In this episode, Rachel and Julia discuss how Concept‑Based Inquiry supports teachers to:

• Plan for deeper understanding through concepts, generalizations, and transfer goals

• Design learning experiences that move beyond coverage and into meaning‑making

• Create performance‑based assessments aligned with Alberta’s learning outcomes

• Support student agency, curiosity, and intellectual engagement

• Build coherence across units and subjects using conceptual lenses

• Make inquiry manageable and accessible for teachers at all experience levels

This episode offers practical guidance, reassuring perspective, and concrete examples of how inquiry models can thrive within Alberta’s curriculum, and how teachers can confidently plan for powerful, concept‑driven learning.

🎧 Subscribe and listen to gain fresh tools and inspiration for designing learning that goes beyond the surface and empowers students to think conceptually.