Every student learns differently and needs to be given the confidence in knowing that their own style of learning is best for them and they need to be knowledgable and achieve through taking risks. The IB develops thinkers focussed on understanding the process of learning so that they can better reflect and communicate as well as being empathetic open-minded global citizens. While there are standards established for every student to meet in order to receive the MYP and DP diploma, the key to teaching the students is to focus on the process each student undertakes for their own learning. In both the MYP and DP, the summative assessment is what will provide the final evidence of the student’s understanding of the content, but the key to the student's effective progress lies within the formative assessments along the way.
In the MYP, one of the challenges for the student is the transition from the PYP program into a higher level of thinking and understanding as new concepts and academic language are introduced. This can be overwhelming and instill a real sense of insecurity in the student inhibiting a sense of potential success. In order to assure individual success, it is important to establish with each student what he or she already understands and what skills he or she has already developed. By doing this, both the teacher and student can establish how far and the best way to travel along the path of knowledge the unit will present. Knowing where the path leads to is also crucial to not just the understanding, but to the comfort level of the student in beginning the journey. This means that the teacher must clearly present the expectations of the unit summative. The time spent on this early in the unit demystifies the expectations and gives the student the opportunity to reflect upon their own progress along the way. The role of the teacher is twofold: as one who mentors by presenting information and also facilitates the process of learning. In facilitating the process, the teacher motivates the student to take risks in moving forward, observes the process of moving forward, and provides feedback immediately so that the student can make any necessary adjustments or feels the satisfaction and personal growth of accomplishment. In this way, they work together to empower the student to take ownership of the learning process. This transformative process of instilling confidence and ownership is also crucial for the next transition the IB student into the Diploma Program. The DP program takes the student to the next level of intellectual understanding beyond one’s own understanding of learning as well as a greater breadth and depth of application of knowledge and understanding to real-life contexts. The DP also expects the student to begin narrowing their focus in preparation for college and potential careers by taking at least 3 of their core subject areas as a “High Level” (HL) and the rest of the courses at a “Standard Level” (SL). Because the DP is preparing the student for the rigors of college and career, a greater emphasis on self-evaluation and peer-evaluation exist in the assessment process. Successful assessment still includes clearly laying out the summative expectations and timely formative assessments, but at this level, more student reflection is intertwined in the formative process to build the skills of critical analysis. As the student moves closer to a world that is less nurturing and compassionate, the character skills of being principled reflective learners allow for a more independent learner. In both programs, the key to success for the student, and - by means of their partnership in the process - the teacher, is to first have a clear picture of what is expected at the end and then to grow through the process of learning in order to reach that end with greater confidence. The IB program is meant to not just produce knowledgable individuals, but to develop knowledgable leaders who are open-minded and reflective inquirers for a world community that is growing ever closer.
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Because the technological world continues to grow and expand allowing for faster more efficient communication, the social world gets smaller allowing for people across the globe to interact more frequently and easily. Business issues, social issues, and political issues now take on greater meaning to citizens of all cultures. This is why having an educational curriculum that centers itself in developing global-minded citizens is so crucial to developing a world of caring empathetic leaders. By focusing on concepts that transcend all subject areas and cultural boundaries, the IB student is encouraged to be an inquirer and make connections of personal, local, and global significance. This gives greater purpose to the student’s learning.
When there is a purpose there is greater understanding and stronger motivation. As a student, my purpose for applying myself in the academic classroom stemmed from my desire to continue on the athletic field. I could not find, nor was I particularly interested in looking for, connections of what I was learning to why I would want to learn it. The classroom in 1984, my senior year in a “college preparatory”, was a silo of contextual information that was transferred from the teacher or textbook to the student to ingest. This behaviorist approach which was emphasizing good students as ones that “behaved” according to the stated expectations of the teacher defined the good student as one who would show “grit” and persevere through the demands of studying in order to produce above average grades. By that definition, I was a good student, but the problem was that I detested my classes. Later, as a teacher, I drew upon my personal experiences when preparing and facilitating my own lessons. I also used techniques I had learned and used as a coach since that was the learning environment in which I thrived. Backward planning is commonplace for good coaches so that players can better understand why a particular drill - that has no stand-alone meaning - is necessary to master in order to produce better in a game situation. The game brought together the various lessons into one meaningful event. The whole notion of the IB philosophy lends itself much more to the theory of Humanism with the goal of developing self-actualized students while providing a cooperative and supportive environment. The MYP program strives to impact the student’s experience through a framework that brings together contextual learning and emphasizes making connections to the student’s personal relationship with the context to enhance that learning. Across all subject areas, the student is introduced to Approaches to Learning which provides the foundation for a better understanding of the skills involved in learning. By teaching the utilization of these skills, the learner is more motivated to take ownership and gain confidence in taking on the next context. Inquiry plays a key role in the process of learning as each unit begins with the Statement of Inquiry foreshadowing the objectives of the lesson. The brain is wired to look for connections and therefore the unit progresses and connections are being made with greater depth and satisfaction. Through reflection, the student is able to wrap up the unit analyzing the process of learning enabling them to apply those skills as they grow as a learner. The last two years of the IB program challenge the student through in-depth research, studying deeper about the theory of knowledge, and taking action in their lives. The extended essay has the student to examine a topic of global significance by incorporating at least two of the subject areas. At this point in their IB experience, the student has a good understanding of how the different subject areas of the curriculum can tie together to create greater depth to the understanding that is being sought. The Theory of Knowledge course reinforces the prior experiences of cross-curricular projects in the MYP by unifying the disciplines and developing stronger critical thinking skills for the student. Finally, the Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS) component promotes action by the student to get out in the community and produce with the knowledge gained. The IB program reinforces that learning is not just taking in information, but actively utilizing this information to better themselves, the local community, and the world as a whole. Today, and especially into the future, the global community must know how to engage each other and work toward understanding and peace which is why educating the next generation in this context is so important. In the very near future, the countries that will continue to sustain positive growth are those that are not forming policies of isolationism, but instead, understand the importance of working together. We see this example in Asia where the Belt and Road initiative is bringing the Asian countries together again to establish what they had once had - the largest mercantile network in the world. The powerful countries who will succeed will be those countries who acknowledge their interdependence upon their less powerful neighbors and work to help build strength in them rather than weaken them. Thus, developing knowledgable, open-minded, caring and balanced leaders for tomorrow is crucial for our global community and world peace. |
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