# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
During the past year, teaching ATL Skills has taken on a special meaning in the virtual learning environment. The pandemic forces teachers to think deeper on how students learn. The pandemic also leads teachers to realize that learning to learn is a process, in which they must invest time and energy in their teaching practices to help young people become aware of the learning strategies that work best for them, those that do not work for them and those that can be improved.

The IB ATL Skills Framework offers more than a hundred choices of actions that students could take to better succeed academically and in their life, and this is spread over a broad spectrum of skills combining basic ones with more complex ones. I can say, at a high level, that all ATL skills are equally important and useful as long as they meet the needs of the young people sitting in front of you.

But what are your students' most important needs in terms of skill development? How do you map these skills and how do you make sure to introduce them explicitly? In addition, how do you support your teachers in that process? These are basic questions that your school should address before embarking on an ATL skilled-based programme. It may sound obvious, but many tend to skip these much-needed preparatory steps while the success of their implementation depends on it.

For the purposes of this blog, I suggest we dive right into the teaching of a Self-Management Skill through Sensory Awareness.

Purpose
This strategy encourages students to develop and improve their self-management skills as they learn how to notice their own thinking and emotions, and use that awareness to stay focused and concentrated when they need to.

Instructions
Explain that in this activity, everyone will have a chance to pay attention to how they notice their sensory awareness.

1. Ask students to take a moment to pause, sit quietly, as you want them to scan all their senses one at a time, to experience every sense.

2. Ask them the following questions: notice some things you see around you, some things you can hear, smell, taste in your mouth, feel on your skin, some things you notice about your emotions right now. Take a short pause between each question.

3. Get some students to share their sensory awareness to the rest of the class.

4. After a few students have volunteered to share, ask them if they are normally aware of all these things around them. Why is this not so? Explain that our brain gets a lot of information at every second through each of our senses, but we only pay attention to some of it.

5. Find a moment to practice this exercise every day to help students self-regulate their sensations in their body and be aware of the ones that need to be fixed when they become a distraction.

6. For a more accurate self-assessment:

1. Invite students to regularly judge their learning skill proficiency by using self-assessment cards co-constructed by the class - with two to three rubrics per card and some visual to support associations between pieces of information. Have one card for each stage of a skill development (1-Novice, 2-Learner, 3-Practitioner and 4-Expert).

2. Scatter four squares on the floor - one for each stage - and have students march in the square that most represents their skill level of proficiency.

3. Point out that if buddies chose to go to the same square, they probably have something in common. Have them share those things.

4. Ask self-reflection questions: What actions would you like to continue/start/stop doing to improve your sensory awareness? Why is it important to notice your own thinking? Etc.

Supplemental activity for Early Years

Adaptations for a virtual learning environment

Extension

Overall, which of your senses would be your best ally in bringing you back to a state of concentration? Which one would be the most challenging?

Based on feedback received by teachers, this specific skill is generally described as easy to teach and many consider themselves to be at the Expert level when it comes to teaching it. Practising and improving this specific skill on a daily basis can be very helpful in sharpening students' focus and concentration - their self-talk - to increase their awareness of others and to better connect with the world around them.

Author Bio:

Bianca Duceppe is an internationally recognized consultant and workshop leader. She has been working in the field of education for over 25 years.

Bianca is the former Relationship Manager for the French IB schools. Since 2017, she has been a partner with Lance King, the designer of the ATL Skills Framework for the IB, and has delivered his workshops in French and English to schools around the world. She was the first one to create a workshop on ATL Skills specifically dedicated for PYP schools. Specialized and passionate about the PYP, Bianca is one of the founders of LALATAT and will author the resources for the PYP Portal which will be released during the 2021-2022 school year.

In January 2021, she launched a project so dear to her heart, the LALATAT monthly Meetups, to allow educators from around the world to meet and plan ATL Skills collaboratively. You can find more information at https://lalatat.com/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
IB Approaches to Learning: Fostering Self-Management in PYP Classrooms - ManageBac

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The IB Approaches to Learning are skills and attitudes that allow students to develop as self-regulated learners, able to set and meet learning goals, generate motivation, self-interrogate, show perseverance, be resilient and reflect on their achievements. In this blog, you will find strategies for teaching the Self-Management Skill through Sensory Awareness in a PYP and EY classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ATL – Approaches to Learning | The Art of Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Using ATL skills to provide effective feedback

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Primary Years Programme (PYP) teacher Johana Barón reflects on how she encourages her students to develop approaches to learning (ATL) skills through their inner reflections. By Johana Barón The educators at my school work as a collaborative team, sharing useful strategies to effectively teach in our online environment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About the Talk

A deeper learning 101, Julie explores ways to foster deeper learning in your students, helping them from merely 'remembering' to 'transferring' knowledge. Through examples of questions that help transfer learning, she gives you concrete strategies to help students transfer their knowledge. Julie examines the acquiring, organizing and transferring framework and its role in motivating students to want to learn. Don't miss this if you're looking to better understand and apply conceptual understanding in your teaching to facilitate rich knowledge transfer in your students.

Key Objectives and Takeaways

Through this workshop, you will be able to:

Select appropriate strategies that move students from surface to deep levels of learning

Help students take ownership of their learning and increase independence

Disclaimer - This event is organised independently of and not endorsed by the IB. Toddle's events and webinars are organised to enable an exchange of practices and ideas within the educator community and are not a replacement for official IB workshops. Views and opinions expressed by the speakers are their personal views and should not be construed as official guidance by the IB. Please seek assistance from your school's IB coordinator and/or refer to official IB documents before implementing shared ideas and strategies in your classroom.

You may opt out anytime. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

The all-in-one collaboration platform for educators.

Toddle streamlines planning, assessments, reports, projects, portfolios, and family communication - all from one place!

Book a free demo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A deeper learning 101, Julie Stern explores ways to foster deeper learning in your students, moving from "remembering" to "transferring" knowledge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ATL: The Big Picture - overview of designing an ATL skills programme by Lance G King