An Invitation to the Campfire: Integrating Co-Curricular Educators into the Curriculum Conversation
Emily Thomas
Too often, outdoor education instructors, coaches, and co-curricular staff are left outside the campfire — excluded from the flow of curriculum knowledge that happens in planning meetings, PD sessions, and reporting systems. Yet these educators see students’ most authentic growth: collaboration on the field, resilience on a hike, creativity in rehearsal. This session extends an invitation to the campfire: a shared circle where every educator has access to the conversations and tools that define learning in your school.
Together, we’ll explore how outdoor education, athletics, wellness, and the arts can be integrated into the curriculum by using common frameworks like the IB Approaches to Learning (ATLs), learner profile attributes, and other competencies that almost every school already has in place. Through practical examples, you’ll see how simple tools can empower co-curricular educators to document and share evidence of student growth. Participants will leave with strategies to loop in, link, and up-skill co-curricular colleagues so their insights flow into curriculum conversations, assessment, and reporting.
The campfire is curriculum knowledge. Let’s ensure every educator has a place at its circle.
About Emily
Emily J. Thomas is an independent educational consultant, literacy strategist with Erin Kent Consulting (EKC), DP examiner, and MYP workshop leader with the IB Educator Network (IBEN). She has more than a decade of experience in international schools teaching MYP and DP (high school) English. Most recently, she served as the MYP Coordinator for four years in two different international schools in Asia.
She advises schools on curriculum design, assessment, and programme implementation through her consultancy, Playground Pedagogy. This year, conference presentations included “Trellis and Vine,” a framework for aligning ISCA Student Standards with IB programme expectations, at the ISCA Virtual Conference, as well as “AI and Assessment” sessions at TeachMeet Bangkok and the EKC Retreat in Dubai. She also supports schools with accreditation preparation, curriculum development, mission alignment, and implementation of IB principles and practices.
Emily works directly with teenagers, supporting them in academic writing, self-management, and overall well-being. After completing her 200-hour yoga teacher training certification in 2025, she began integrating mindful movement and stress management practices into her work with young people. A new branch of Playground Pedagogy, Teaching Matters Yoga, launching in 2026, extends this commitment by bringing adult-learning principles to yoga education and helping teachers elevate clarity, pedagogy, and inclusive practice.
What matters most to Emily is ensuring that every learner benefits from high-quality instruction within a cohesive school community built on clear, sustainable systems.
