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Four C's

1. Connections - I can make the connection between IB and AVID. WICOR strategies are very similar to that of the IB approach to learning.

2. Challenges - I do not have any challenges with the text, but just the challenge of our teachers to implement, with fidelity, rigorous lessons, while allowing freedom of learning, and keeping classroom management in check as well. Another challenge will be the marriage of IB and AVID throughout the school, without the staff feeling like they are in competition and "one more thing to do".

3. Concepts - The concepts appealing to me, is the concept of engaging students in higher order thinking skills. Allowing for deeper understanding and showing what you know versus just showing recall and rote memory. The higher order critical thinking allows for original thought and deeper dives into teaching and learning. It will also allow for students to carry that knowledge forward and apply it when needed.

4. Changes - I am curious on how we can integrate IB and AVID in the same school with a unified instructional focus?

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1. Thinking Routines from PZ curently form a significant part of my lesson blocks. I was thrilled to connect that IB is well aligned with this practice. I look forward to learning more!

2. I challenge the IB Bloom's taxonomy chart and argue it is oversimplified. I believe it needs to be carefully analyzed and structured in multiple dimensions for our MLs and Whitman students. For example, a student may thinking internally at a much higher level in their L1, while the collaboration around them is taking place in a secondary or tertiary language, preventing them from full access. How does the IB program address these layers? I see the note about overlapping categories, but how does this actually work?

3. The key concept of focusing on the 5 interconnected skills we can build is especially noteworthy.

4. I am thrilled this training is reaching so many at our school, for it is easy to get bogged down in worksheets and online learning. The information here calls for a shift in our collective approach, one that changes our learning environment for the better!

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Connection: I can make the connection to IB is that it prepares students with effective learning, preparing them for success in life by focusing on strong academic, social, emotional skills while developing critical thinking skills and problem- solving skills.

Challenge: IB is known for its rigorous academic demands. While it offers many benefits, I wonder if it can cause challenges for students with learning differences. Some students may have difficulty with managing their time effectively.

Concepts: I really don't have a problem with any of the concepts. I am excited to learn how to use these concepts in my Reading classes. Several of these ley concepts are vital for reading comprehension. These concepts could help students more beyond surface-level reading and engage with text on a deeper, more meaningful level.

Changes: MYP and AVID have similar goals and high standards. Both are concerned with helping students have responsibility for their own learning. Each has its own vocabulary. It is not clear to me how all of the pieces can fit together in a meaningful and practical way.

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1. Connection: I have taught Social Studies at an IB school for nearly a decade, so the connection is that I have been implementing these practices since first coming to Whitman, but with an increasing focus on building these practices in throughout the curriculum as opposed to just a "box check".

2. Challenge: One issue that occured to me isn't necessarily something I'd want to argue with, but rather just question is that it seems most of the research cited in this was pre-pandemic and I am curious what newer research would say about trends in communication skills and information literacy today.

3. Concept: One concept that I am eager to integrate into classrooms are the Self Management skills. I find that students increasingly have difficulty not only self organizing, but also struggle to self motivate and reflect on their learning to understand if they are understanding the concept/content prior to assessment.

4. Changes: The changes suggested to me involve alligning the various school and county initiatives with IB and finding the best way to get the most bang for our buck and avoiding redundancy wherever possible.

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Connection: I am an advocate for the IB program and believe that all students can learn from the program. Having taught in PYP schools, I excited to extend my learning into the MYP programme. My favorite aspect is the inquiry lens and am interested to see this further used at Whitman.

Challenge: I read Alfie Kohn's "Punished By Rewards" 20 years ago and was certain I would be a teacher that would use intrinsic motivation. Alas, I still cave to handing out Jolly Ranchers or offering snacks or other tangible rewards to get students to participate. I would love to see how we work as a whole faculty to encourage self-motivation.

Concepts: Organization skills seems to be an incredible challenge for middle school students. I would like to build a library lesson that assists students in breaking down assignments into achievable steps.

Changes: I have been using FCPS POG language and I will start using ATL language and making this more visible to students. Having the ATL icon associated with the objective of the lesson and making it a part of the reflective tool before, during and after the lessons.

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Connections: Science can lend itself to IB connections very easily, with IB students can reflect and think critically. Reflection is a critical thinking skill integral to learning, with structured reflection activities playing a vital role in education. I want to add more include drawings, concept maps, or even questions about the topic based on everyday experiences. This brings better connection into the classroom.

Challenge: The text points out that there is a relationship between media and communication skills, then later points out statistics of the "Social skill deficiency". But does not offer valid suggestions on a way for IB to resolve the issue.

Concept: The development of affective skills is essential for self-management, helping students gain control over their mood, motivation, and resilience in facing challenges. Key affective skills for MYP students include resilience, self-motivation, and mindfulness. Resilience brings qualities like mindfulness and perseverance, enabling learners to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, thus fostering risk-taking and learning from mistakes, which seems to be foreign to many of my students.

Changes: This text has a lot of good ideas that could be used in the IB science classroom. However, I am learning to eat an elephant one bite at a time. The concept I will embrace and change in my classroom is to establish the routine of reflection. Thus merging the prior knowledge with the recently learned knowledge.

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Connections: The emphasis on developing ATL skills really connects with what I aim to do in PE. Especially in areas like self-management, teamwork, and reflection. For example, I often ask students to reflect on their performance after a game or fitness activity, which aligns with the metacognitive strategies discussed. Helping students make connections between physical effort, goal setting, and progress is a big part of my teaching.

Challenge: One idea I would challenge is the assumption that research or communication skills development is more relevant in academic classes. In PE, I see how vital it is for students to communicate clearly, resolve conflicts, and collaborate. These are often underestimated in the context of sports and physical activity but are essential life skills.

Concepts: The concept of resilience really stood out to me. It’s something I see in students during physical challenges, whether it’s learning a new skill, improving fitness, or dealing with losing a game. Helping students recognize growth through failure or setbacks in PE is a great way to support their social-emotional learning.

Changes: I want to be more intentional about teaching and highlighting ATL skills in PE. For example, using routines that build reflection or collaboration can become a regular part of class. I also want to give students more structured opportunities to set goals and assess their own progress in areas beyond physical performance, like communication or emotional regulation during team play.

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Connections: A connection I draw is that of reflection. I try to always ask questions to get students to engage and reflect on a lesson. I like this because it forces students to think back and recall information.

Challenges: I do not have anything in particular I want to question. I would be curious how well some techniques work versus others. I know many students learn differently and there is no one best way. I believe communication is most important and the most in need of practice.

Concepts: Communication and metacognition are most useful. Communication to understand concepts and metacognition to actively reflect on content.

Changes: I would like students to be more aware of their reflections. I believe when students actively reflect, they will remember content more effectively. Reflection also act as a recap so content is not easily forgotten.

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Connections: IB and AVID seem similar. I'm wondering how effective it'll be in Middle School Health and Physical Education Courses.

Challenges: How effective is IB in Health Education with students (how will it challenge them)? Communication, in class the students generally are quiet with the teacher and when working in groups.

Concepts: I'm looking forward to applying them in Health Education. Concepts for middle school students (being able to use their own words and apply the concept in real time).

Changes: Reflections - having students to be able to state or write (paper and pencil\pen) at the end of class what was taught and what they learned in class.

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Connections: As a HPE Teacher, I try to get connected with my students by building positive relationships, fostering a supportive environment and making learning relevant and engaging. This involves getting to know students individually, offering constructive feedback and creating opportunities for students to shine in whatever sports they like doing best. I try to get involved in the activities as well so that I can be a role model for my students.

Challenges: I can't say that I do not have challenges. Everyday is a new experience and I learn from them to help me face another day. In my learning experiences, I see myself more equipped and ready for the next day.

Concepts: Understanding concepts in PE, students have to be actively engaged with movements, connecting those experiences to broader ideas and reflecting on their learning.

Changes: I will like students to participate more in other activities to have more experience and learn new sports when we introduce them to other activities, so that they can have more exposure to activities that they can eventually get to like and not just participate in only what they know. They need to be more open minded and earn new sports.

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4C Reflection

I think reflecting is important in any lesson that we teach as my former principal would state, when you do a lesson you always give students the time to reflect on the process and the final product. I usually do this by using exit tickets or peer evaluation checklists.

Challenges

Some of the challenges in Health and Physical Education may include creating an IB summative assessment at the end of every quarter, along with trying to getting my students to understand the concepts within the IB framework. We usually use a common assessment with a grading rubrics. When I think of IB I think of making connections worldwide trying to get the students to understand the connection is difficult at times. I want my students to not be afraid to explore are be critical thinkers. It's so important to make learning relevant, challenging and engaging.

Concepts

Trying to implement those concepts, in PE and health will be a bit challenging. trying to get the students to put the concepts into their own words and elaborate on their thoughts will probably come with some difficulty. I think the more familiar the students become with concepts the comfortable, they will feel the concepts

Changes

The changes I'd like to see will be having an IB coordinator come and speak the Students directly helping them bridge together IB and Avid. It is not clear to me at times how all the pieces fit together.

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1. Connections: The need for social skills in the classroom is so important; without it, little real learning is possible. Having the time to think through a topic, form and present an opinion, also is somewhat of a luxury most days. As an adult learner, I too am loathe to complete "mechanistic and formulaic" reflective activities at the end of a professional development session. They seem to ask for a perspective that sometimes takes me a day or two to understand.

2. Challenge: I am fully supportive of finding ways to help students develop into self-regulated learners. The reality of the grades-focused "learning" environment frustrates that effort, though, and I welcome turning toward a pace that allows for a more holistic approach--one that encourages students to engage in learning through more personalized longer-term projects.

3. Concepts: The ability to collaborate depends on students understanding that they need to consider others' feelings and perspectives. In middle school, most have a wholly inward focus. Students who are inclined toward independent work want to avoid the types of conflict that might arise, but helping all students to work through any differences would go a long way toward calming their interpersonal relations.

4. Changes: I really want to work on building students' resilience and truly fostering a climate in which it's worth taking on a challenge despite the possibility of frustration and failure--and that others will be kind enough to support others in taking that risk.

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Connection: I can make the connection to IB by building positive relationships and making learning engaging and relevant with my students. Preparing them for success in life by focusing on academic growth, critical thinking skills, collaborative learning activities and problem-solving skills.

Challenges: While IB offers many rigorous and academically demanding benefits, I know it can cause challenges for Multilingual learners.

Concepts: Self-management is the skill I desire to integrate into my classes. Helping students to complete task on-time, make corrections, and reassess (when needed) to ensure they understand the concepts and content needed for success.

Changes: I will do my best to consistently integrate IB language and skills into each lesson to ensure my Multilingual students are exceling.

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1. What connection do you make to the text and your real life? As I was reading the section on reflection and thinking skills, I immediately thought about how I often use journaling or quiet time to process what I’ve learned during the day. Just like the text says, reflection helps me not just remember things, but really understand them and figure out how I think. It made me realize that I’ve been using metacognitive strategies without even knowing the name for them.

2. What do you want to change in the text or challenge? I would challenge the idea that simply including reflective activities in lessons guarantees deep thinking. From my experience, it only really works when there’s a safe environment and when the reflection feels meaningful. Sometimes it becomes a checklist rather than a chance to really think. I think the text could have emphasized more how important the classroom atmosphere is for developing those critical thinking habits.

3. What key concepts do you think were important in the text? Two big ideas stood out to me, thinking and learning how to learn. The focus on metacognition and critical thinking really connected with what I’ve seen in IB classes, where we’re always encouraged to ask questions and think deeper. It reminded me of how being a “thinker” is part of the IB learner profile, and that it's not just about solving problems but understanding how I approach learning itself.

4. What changes or ideas are suggested by the text? The text really encourages a shift in how learning works. Instead of focusing only on memorizing information, it suggests we build curiosity, creativity, and reflection into everything we do. That makes me think differently about school, like it’s not just about getting answers right, but about growing as a thinker and a person. It made me want to be more aware of my learning process and try new strategies when something doesn’t click.

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Connection: One connection I found between the text and my own life was regarding time management. The article stated, “Time management is not something we can assume that students will do naturally—as with all approaches to learning skills, it is a specific skill that must be taught and also modelled.” Being someone who discovered as an adult that I have ADHD, one of my biggest challenge in life is time management. Growing up I hadn’t struggled with it in school, but once I was on my own in college I noticed the difficulty I had when the structures of grade school was taken away.

Challenge: I noticed that most of the research was quite dated which made me challenge some of the information presented in the article. I’m curious to know how much of the information has changed throughout the years and if the consideration of SPED students was ever taken.

Concept: A key concept worth holding on to was, “Model a good conversation, particularly with students who struggle conversationally,” regarding communication skills. Having MYP students who are still struggling to find the vocabulary to express their thoughts and feelings, its important for us as educators to demonstrate the appropriate way to communicate.

Changes: The text suggested changing the way we allow children to think in our classrooms. The suggested to “plan time for students to think about their answers to questions, rather than engaging in rapid “ping-pong” questions and answers that do not give students time to think deeply about their responses.” Sometimes the pressure we have to meet unit/standard deadlines limits the time we give students to think deeply about their learning.

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Connection: When I think about AVID and my connection to students and what that looks like for me as a teacher, I think about real world connections and how I can help my students think about their future. How to be successful in choosing a career that they love and opening their eyes to new and different careers that are outside of the norm.

Challenges: I think a challenge that I may face is marrying the two (AVID & IB). IB is so new for me and as I am learning about it I have to learn how to incorporate and think of them as one and that they are both here to help students. Not just another thing to do on an already full plate.

Concepts: Two key concepts that I believe that is worth holding on to is self management skills and organizational skills and these go hand and hand with AVID practices and beliefs.

Changes: This training and the reading makes me think to keep an open mind and that the goal is to help all students be successful. In order to do that I have to be open for change and embrace the new.

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1. Connections: Some of the connections I can draw Between IB and my own life learning challenge regarding adquiring a new language is that should be conceived as complex and integral with the culture where that language is spoken.

2. Challenges: Everyday is a challenge in different ways, but at the same time a new opportunity to learn and to implement new strategies and new techniques to enrich my students leaning and to engage them and wake their cutiosity up.

3. Concepts: The text develops the idea of self- regulating, resilience, as well as perseverance, endurance and enable students to recognize and their weaknesses and work on them at the same time they aknowledge theirs strengths. Empower students to advocate for themselves and reflect on their own learning process.

4. Changes : Understand that we can change our mindset to re-learn how to have a more engaging learning environment. Foster in our classroomss participations and communication in all possible ways.

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Connection: The beauty of the IB program is that skills it seeks to explicitly teach the students are applicable to me and can be implemented in my life as i myself was not taught certain things even as an adult. I am aware of what is to be done but some things i was never taught to do efficiently, ie: Time Management, just expected to do. So as I itemize these skills and teach students how to apply the students i am simultaneously learning as well in my personal life.

Challenge: It can be potentially overwhelming for new teachers and presupposes teachers themselves know how and practice these skills. Needs to ensure teacher are well equipped and trained.

Concepts: A concept or idea that I really relate to is that of a holistic approach to student development. Recognizing that these skills contribute not only to academic achievement but also to students' social-emotional well-being, self-confidence, and future success in the workplace and life.

Changes: Skills need not be taught in isolation or in specific subject areas but rather need to be embedded explicitly and implicitly across all subject areas. It also advocate for a change from recognizing mistakes as something negative to being a learning experience. It encourages students to be risk takers and to understand that "failing well" is part of the learning process.

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The 4C's Reflection Questions - Karim Bencherif

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The 4C's Reflection Questions - Karim Bencherif

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1. Connections

As a Language teacher, I see clear connections between the Approaches to Learning (ATL) and my daily classroom practice. Specifically, ATL skills like communication, organization, and critical thinking directly support language learning, where students must express themselves clearly, collaborate in discussions, and analyze texts. I also connect this to my experience of teaching writing, where explicitly teaching ATL skills like self-management (time management for writing projects) enhances student success.

2. Challenge

One challenge I see is the lack of teacher confidence in embedding ATL skills meaningfully into lessons. Many teachers, as reported, focus on listing ATL skills in planners without fully integrating them into class activities. I would challenge the idea that ATL can be effective without continuous reinforcement. In my experience, language learning requires constant modeling and practice of ATL skills like collaboration and reflection to truly become embedded in student behavior.

3. Concepts

The most important concepts to hold onto are:

Learning how to learn: ATL skills empower students to become independent, reflective learners.

Real-world application: Both the ATL and the MYP framework stress making learning relevant, which is essential in language classes where we explore cultural and global contexts.

Student agency: Giving students the responsibility to reflect on and develop their own skills is crucial for their growth.

4. Changes

Reading these materials encourages me to:

More explicitly teach and revisit ATL skills in class activities, not just in unit planners.

Provide more opportunities for student reflection on their skill development, especially using student-led discussions and peer feedback in language tasks.

Plan across year levels with my department to ensure students progressively develop ATL skills that will support them in the Diploma Programme.