IB Professional Learning
IB Global Conference 2020
Updates posted here
The conference runs from Tuesday the 8th of December through to Saturday the 12th as it starts in Singapore time and ends in US EST.
The opening address will be Siva's last. She is stepping down from the Director General role in March 2021. After she spoke, we heard from Nicole Bien (Head of PYP and MYP development), Tina Blythe (Harvard) and Anton Beguin (incoming Head of Assessment).
The message was positive. The following points came up:
Voice, Choice and Ownership. Intellectual rigour, while building soft skills like collaboration, creativity and curiosity. How do we accommodate learner interest in assessment? We need to build flexibility and agency in learners and teachers. We need to learn, unlearn and relearn to deal with life changing events. Building bridges, not towers of rigid curriculum and invite parents into this space too.
We are moving towards DP E-Assessment, but schools will be given a choice should their environment not support it. It will be a hybrid model. (I plan to get more information in the DP session).
Bridging the Gap PYP-MYP-DP
The starting point to look at commonalities between programmes is the document 'What is an IB education?'
It's important to use shared terminology between programmes to provide continuity and understanding.
The main difference between the programmes is that the PYP is trans-disciplinary, the MYP is interdisciplinary and the DP is disciplinary. We can see this through the differing ways each programme is assessed.
To bridge gaps, cross-programme service and action projects help. Having teams meet by subject and work vertically, there is a chance to get to know each programme better and to understand the particular language used for each.
Regular Coordinator meetings are vital. Coordinators are lead pedagogy and implementation l
Link to the video of the session here.
Designing a post-pandemic ATL skills programme - Lance King
Explicit teaching of ATLs is necessary
Particularly important are the following skills:
Time and task management
Designated space to work
Goal setting - in a way that goal achieving can be recognised.
Self assessment - learning from mistakes. Accurately knowing your performance. Failing well - taking the lesson and learning from it.
Searching and researching. Verifying and recognising perspective.
Summarising key points.
Building evidence based arguments.
These skills need to be taught explicitly to learners, to teachers so they know how to teach them and to parents so they know how to support at home.
How fit is your Core: CAS, TOK and the EE
A look at the Core and how they manage it in an international school in Abu Dhabi.