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What resources do we want to use?

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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I think one of the best things we do as a school is meet in our grade level teams to plan our units of inquiry and purposefully plan to include our grade level standards. Meeting as a school to make sure our schoolwide PYP covers all aspects of our units of inquiry without overlapping is so powerful.  I feel like as we grow and develop as IB PYP educators, we are taking more risks and trying new things to become better at giving students more opportunities to be inquirers in each of our UOI.  Revisiting and changing our units to meet the needs of our current students and the current state of our world is so important.  I love that our units are not static documents that are complete after the first year.  They continue to change and evolve each year.

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After listening to the webinar and reading about inquiry, I feel the most important thing we can do as teachers is to figure out the purpose of what we are teaching and make it as meaningful as possible for the students.  We do that with creativity, open-mindedness, and flexibility.  We take the grade level standards and build on what the students already know and dig deeper.  We make time for reflection and use those reflections to guide our teaching.  We use different levels of scaffolding and choose the one right for the students to foster the learning.  We continue to teach to the top and provide the support and scaffolding necessary to meet the standards.  

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After listening to the webinar and reading about inquiry, I feel the most important thing we can do as teachers is to figure out the purpose of what we are teaching and make it as meaningful as possible for the students.  We do that with creativity, open-mindedness, and flexibility.  We take the grade level standards and build on what the students already know and dig deeper.  We make time for reflection and use those reflections to guide our teaching.  We use different levels of scaffolding and choose the one right for the students to foster the learning.  We continue to teach to the top and provide the support and scaffolding necessary to meet the standards.  

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How do we provide inquiry but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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How do we provide inquiry but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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The beauty of  IB all comes back to the Inquiry. Inquiry drives each lesson: it can cause ideas to move in different directions, drive  the lines of inquiry, or generate new perspectives and ideas that deserve exploring. As the teacher, we can still create engaging content that is all inquiry driven, but apply it to our writing and ELA standards.Throughout this entire process, we can direct these questions and inquiries and explore all while maintaining the rigor of the grade level. While exploring, we are hitting upon the research  and writing standards, while reading more about a topic thats a lead off of an inquiry, this hits upon our informational standards for reading. We also have out presentation skills standards that are being addressed. Our science standards are hit when we connect our units to our NGSS Amplify program. Ultimately, the teacher needs to be well versed in the grade level standards so they can easily turn an inquiry into a standards based lesson.
-Katie

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We need to take a hard look at what we are being asked to teach and the materials we are being asked to use (i.e. Pearson and Amplify).  Inquiry should be blended into the rigorous curriculum.  A starting point for inquiry is what the students already know and that will guide us as to what types of questions we need to imbed to get them through the unit.  Teachers should start every unit of inquiry and/or curriculum material with inquiry to introduce the material in content areas.  We need to formulate ways to add inquiry to stand alone subjects such as mathematics – ways to give students more hands on/problem solving which should generate them generating questions.  I feel that if we actually can return to the classroom next year, and are able to do some experiments or more stimulating activities within the rigorous curriculum, students will once again begin to be inquirers.

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How do we provide inquiry but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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How do we provide inquiry but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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Starting with what students know about the concept is the beginning of the IB Inquiry process. It puts students in the center and gives them opportunity to share their prior knowledge and wonderings further. It is important to then keep the inquiry accessible to all students through teacher facilitation and guidance. For example, teachers might help with connections to the concept where students are able to reflect on experiences or reference what they know. Answering with open-ended questions can also be a way teachers can help students think deeper. Opening multiple opportunities for students to show what they know is another  one of the many ways that a classroom can be inclusive. Providing a learning environment that stimulates curiosity to explore and study is one we want to exemplify as an educator.

-Jina Cerioni

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I really believe that the key to Inquiry teaching is grounded in making connections. We build on student interest, student culture, and student background knowledge. When students are interested, they are engaged. When students engage in the learning, they learn more and are motivated more. One of our biggest challenges is motivating our students. By finding their interests, connecting them to content standards, and thinking globally, we create a classroom full of exploration and safe expression.

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How do we provide inquiry but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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How do we provide inquiry but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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As we tell our students daily there is never only one way to arrive at our destination.  We can teach rigorous grade level content and provide opportunities for student inquiry by using a combination of strategies. Identifying standards help guide our instruction.  We can integrate them into our unit study and use the connections that students make to help us create meaningful guiding questions.  Next, we can be flexible.  We can allow our students to explore topics that they are interested in and provide them with the support needed to create their own questions and continue to guide them as they search for solutions and answers.  We. can create a safe space that allows and encourages group participation, the sharing of ideas, and peer feedback.  We can encourage the exchange of ideas as a learning tool, letting students know that they can do hard things, and that peers and teachers will support and encourage them on their learning path.

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How do we provide inquiry but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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How do we provide inquiry but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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After listening to the webinar and completing the reading I think one of the best ways we can provide inquiry while still teaching rigorous grade level content is to be very intentional with our planning. While planning we can think critically about how we can make a connection between the standards and our unit of inquiry. We want the standards to happen authentically within our unit of inquiry instead of being forced in thus ruining the authenticity of the inquiry process. Also, working collaboratively as a school across grade levels will help us determine what subject areas or standards need to be focused upon and where. I feel that inquiry and rigor go hand in hand when we are intentional and truly consider the WHY when we are planning.

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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I think that the fact that we meet as grade level teams, and also as a staff throughout the Unit planning process is key in making sure we are providing the rigorous content, while still focusing on the inquiry process. I think that having an understanding of our big ideas, and key concepts, in both our IB Units, and grade level standards is helpful to make sure we can guide the inquiry as needed to cover standards, while still giving students the space to explore and inquire. Two things that really stood out to me were the example of the speaker's own learning as a child, and the blog post showing what students were wondering after being introduced to the unit. I love that in both examples, the teacher really had an idea of where the inquiry would go, but didn't show the students how to get there. It sparked their curiosity, and encouraged them to dive deeper into the concepts, and even possible action and next steps. I would be willing to bet that the majority of those students will remember more about the rigorous content than they would have if they had simply read it from a book and done a few experiments. When they have ownership of their learning, it will encourage them to inquire further.

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content? 

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content? 

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I think we can still provide rigorous content, but use the levels of inquiry to support our students. I found it interesting that students at higher grade levels are not always expected to perform at the highest level of inquiry. The type of inquiry used can depend on the content.

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I think one of the best ways we can incorporate grade level standards as well as inquiry is working within the different levels of inquiry and having teacher provided questions that come from the standards and provide different avenues for the students to explore as well as allowing the students to ask their own questions is a great way to incorporate the two.

I also think that ensuring we take the time to collaborate and plan our units of inquiry is important to ensuring they fit the standards as well.

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content?

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I reflected on the type of students we have the privilege to teach, and for me connecting with students culturally could be a vital part of making the content rigorous. If we approached our teaching this we we could possibly connect what students learn in school and then cultures, languages and life experiences. These connections could help students develop higher level thinking skills, and see the relevance between what they learn at school with their lives. Personally I enjoy to tap into the students background knowledge. I believe it validates their diversity and identities. It could send the message their teacher values all students and that multiculturalism  is an asset.
-KP

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content?  

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How do we provide inquiry, but also teach rigorous grade level content?  

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I have been reflecting a lot on the library role in all of this and think it is quite literally a bridge that connects the two.

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How can we help prepare LVM students for the exhibition?

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How can we help prepare LVM students for the exhibition?

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We need to start giving students opportunities, from the earliest grade levels, to share their thinking and learning with others so that it becomes a natural part of what they do with their learning. I need to work at more consciously letting the students questions and interests guide what we do in our units of inquiry and provide more opportunities for reflection, both on what students have learned and on what kinds of action they want to take as a result of their learning.

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The kindergarten team developed a UOI where students begin to notice how as human beings, we all express our cultures in ways that are the same and ways that are different. It draws attention to the fact that no matter who we are, or where we are raised, we can find commonalities between ourselves and other people, and we can also find differences that we can acknowledge and appreciate in others. This unit has seemed to really change the culture of our classroom and how we relate to each other and has allowed the opportunities for some really powerful conversations to take place that before being part of a PYP school, I would not have thought would be possible with 5 and 6 year old students. I now know now only are those types of conversations possible, they can become a way of interacting.

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Since the ultimate goal of the exhibition is for the students to take over and lead the entire unit, we as classroom teachers can begin by slowly handing over responsibilities to the students.  As we encounter each unit we need to guide the students into understanding how to share their thinking and learning with each other.  During each IB unit as student thoughts and wonders are charted we need to guide them into seeing how these thoughts and ideas lead into developing the unit further.  I also believe as a school site it would be great if we developed a way for students to have a digital portfolio.  This portfolio would follow the student throughout their PYP and give students a way to see the units they have worked on throughout the years and would make exhibition not only more meaningful but would guide them into developing the exhibition.  

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Since the ultimate goal of the exhibition is for the students to take over and lead the entire unit, we as classroom teachers can begin by slowly handing over responsibilities to the students.  As we encounter each unit we need to guide the students into understanding how to share their thinking and learning with each other.  During each IB unit as student thoughts and wonders are charted we need to guide them into seeing how these thoughts and ideas lead into developing the unit further.  I also believe as a school site it would be great if we developed a way for students to have a digital portfolio.  This portfolio would follow the student throughout their PYP and give students a way to see the units they have worked on throughout the years and would make exhibition not only more meaningful but would guide them into developing the exhibition.  

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* Get excited - present the idea of exhibition in a positive way so that students feel the possibility of success from the very beginning.
* Active listeners - we need to hear their ideas - even if we are doing a guided exhibition.  We need to respect all their ideas and suggestions.
*Provide the tools - we need to assess what they may need to be successful - graphic organizers, journals, outside resources.
*Evaluate what skills they may need to be successful - research skills, technology skills, writing skills, cooperative learning skills
*Provide classroom flexibility - they will need the time and the guidance to be successful.
*Most importantly, we will all need to be models and mentors.  This is a school wide undertaking.  Our students may not be as prepared this coming year for such an overwhelming concept as exhibition - we may not be as prepared for the same concept.  It will take us all pulling tightly together as we do to make this concept successful.

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In honesty, I have not really taught a unit that provides for global opportunities.  But I really feel that Who We Are provides a unique perspective - especially in today's global world.  By students examining who they truly were - their culture, who they were in their family and the roles they played, who they were in different aspects of their life - enables them to see how they fit in the broader global world.  Who We Are allows students to show empathy and to want equity and unity.  By discovering differences students are able to learn that differences are what give each and every one of us strength.  This unit allows students to be Communicators, Risk Takers, and Open Minded.
Two spots within the reading resonated with me - "Action comes from an understanding of self..." and "Reaching out to consider how we interact with others - Reaching in to understand ourselves in relation to others."

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How can you as the classroom teacher prepare LVM students for the exhibition?

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How can you as the classroom teacher prepare LVM students for the exhibition?

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Exhibition begins with the primary grades. Younger students need practice understanding themselves and responsibilities towards peers and the community. They need to learn how to make good choices. Collaboration and teamwork in all grades can support a successful exhibition. Students need opportunities to explore what they are interested in. Teachers can do this by giving students open ended tasks. We can also offer opportunities for creativity. Finally, students need opportunities to provide feedback and reflect about their own work.

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The best way to get the kiddos ready for exhibition is to allow them opportunities to show off their work and projects along the way ( through our units). Since exhibition is meant for our kids to present their work and discuss their pieces, allowing voice and choice in the classroom as well as opportunities to present can help them develop the skills needed for exhibition

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The best way to get the kiddos ready for exhibition is to allow them opportunities to show off their work and projects along the way ( through our units). Since exhibition is meant for our kids to present their work and discuss their pieces, allowing voice and choice in the classroom as well as opportunities to present can help them develop the skills needed for exhibition

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The 4/5th Hybrid kiddos this year really had the opportunity to understand what it means to be globally minded throughout our Sharing the Planet unit. Our unit focused on water responsibility and the water crisis affecting millions across the world. While reading the novel A Long Walk to Water, our students learned first hand how crucial access to clean water is.  They were so inspired by the unit and novel that we decided to raise money to help an organization build wells for different villages in South Sudan. We raised enough money to buy 2 water pumps that directly pump fresh groundwater for each village.

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The 4/5th Hybrid kiddos this year really had the opportunity to understand what it means to be globally minded throughout our Sharing the Planet unit. Our unit focused on water responsibility and the water crisis affecting millions across the world. While reading the novel A Long Walk to Water, our students learned first hand how crucial access to clean water is.  They were so inspired by the unit and novel that we decided to raise money to help an organization build wells for different villages in South Sudan. We raised enough money to buy 2 water pumps that directly pump fresh groundwater for each village.

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To help our students prepare for the exhibition, as a classroom teacher in the primary grades, I can help my students to build relationships with each other and develop the social skills to collaborate and feel confident when working with their peers. This will help them to build the confidence to share their thinking and their projects with the whole class during the unit and for the exhibition.

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I feel that the How We Express Ourselves unit in Kindergarten really helped to provide opportunities for global engagement. The book "This is How We Do It" particularly helped the students to learn about what culture is and how people in various cultures around the world do things the same and different as they do. This was a wonderful way for the students to learn about their classmates too who come from various cultures, but have things in common as well.

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Last year during the sharing the planet unit the class got to focus on the wildfires in Australia. It gave them an opportunity to understand that even though it wasn't happening right here, it still has a global impact and that they can help. The students became very interested in how they would be able to help Australia and the wild life impacted by the wildfires. It challenged them to understand that they can and should care about issues that happen in different parts of the world.

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Students being prepared for the exhibition is a process that takes place over their entire PYP career and it is every teachers responsibility to prepare them for it. Even from the early grade levels we can provide students with more opportunities to reflect and really lead the instruction. We need to give them plenty of opportunities to ask questions and take action. We want them wondering, reflecting, and taking action and for it to be a natural part of their learning. It can be difficult to "let go" as an educator when we may have a certain vision of how a unit should go. I want to continue to challenge myself to truly let the students take more of a lead and allow the unit to go where it goes!

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I think in the lower grades, it is important to remember that the skills they are building with us in primary will carry over. Providing opportunities for students to collaborate, and practice sharing their ideas with each other and with the class will help them prepare for explaining their thinking for the exhibition. I think it is very important to provide students with choice in how they present and share their knowledge and learning. If they have experiences with this throughout their PYP years, they will be more prepared to take action and present ideas.

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As others have shared above, the Kindergarten How We Express Ourselves unit on culture, celebrations, and traditions really engaged students as they explored their own culture and how it is the same and different from others. Reading the book Same, Same, but Different really seems to have stayed with them, as they still refer to it now in first grade.

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Exhibition is a way to display and celebrate what students have learned. In order for students to be prepared to articulate what they have learned, they need to practice sharing, discussing, and reflecting on their connections and experiences often in and out of the classroom. Teachers can support students by giving students multiple opportunities to present their learning and give guiding constructive feedback on their presentations. In starting to prepare for a presentation,  I would guide students to think about organizing information  within a graphic organizer, highlighting key vocabulary ideas/ and vocabulary. 

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Exhibition is a way to display and celebrate what students have learned. In order for students to be prepared to articulate what they have learned, they need to practice sharing, discussing, and reflecting on their connections and experiences often in and out of the classroom. Teachers can support students by giving students multiple opportunities to present their learning and give guiding constructive feedback on their presentations. In starting to prepare for a presentation,  I would guide students to think about organizing information  within a graphic organizer, highlighting key vocabulary ideas/ and vocabulary. 

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I feel that our 6th Grade Sharing the Planet Unit really provides ample opportunities for global engagement. Our Central Idea of "Human impact over time changes the environment", easily leads in to discussions about how to protect and nurture the environment. We started it off by discussing climate change and the true impacts that human activity has on the Earth. We move in to taking action and what can we do to bring change. The cause and effect relationship between human activity and our Earth is relevant to everyone. It doesn't matter if you live in Asia, Europe, or North America. It is an issue that must be addressed globally.

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I love the idea of students keeping a digital portfolio throughout their LVM IB education. Having students create portfolios, teaches them that every unit has importance and influences their learning. It gives them opportunities to reflect and grow. I also think that having students collaborate in groups and present their ideas is a great way to prepare them for exhibition. If they start doing that from the early grades, they will be comfortable with that by the time they get to exhibition.

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How can discussion of our deep culture help us become more understanding of each other, help us with supporting learner agency and self-efficacy, and help us build classroom culture.

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In my opinion, the best way to prepare LVM students for exhibition is to give them as much experience and opportunity as we can. Collaboration is an essential aspect, so students should practice those skills often to effectively work with another person or group with different thoughts and opinions.

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I was reminded of how much more work I have to do to involve the students more in our inquiry process.  Seeing the kindergarten students in the video designing their own experiments and choosing their own supplies showed me that I have to keep pushing myself outside of my own comfort zone to let more of that type of work take place.  It is a constant source of internal struggle for me as a teacher between planning what I feel are important and meaningful instructional activities and allowing the students the opportunity to choose for themselves.  Being an IB PYP teacher has helped me to do this more, but I have much more work to do.

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I was reminded of how much more work I have to do to involve the students more in our inquiry process.  Seeing the kindergarten students in the video designing their own experiments and choosing their own supplies showed me that I have to keep pushing myself outside of my own comfort zone to let more of that type of work take place.  It is a constant source of internal struggle for me as a teacher between planning what I feel are important and meaningful instructional activities and allowing the students the opportunity to choose for themselves.  Being an IB PYP teacher has helped me to do this more, but I have much more work to do.

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What connections can you make about your own teaching and the video? 

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What connections can you make about your own teaching and the video? 

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I have co-taught lessons where students have used charts for data and wondering. It is somewhat hard for me to relate to the video, based on that goals are the priority in my classroom. Even with goals the priority I do try to connect lessons with IB units and IB concepts. I make my best attempt to use reading materials that relate to our students current units or real life events around the world. I encourage students to share personal experiences to make a connection with the text. I liked the self-reflection part in the video that the teacher had the students do at the end. That would be something interesting to implement at the end of a taught skill.

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What connections can you make about your own teaching and the video

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What connections can you make about your own teaching and the video

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What resonated with me was when they were talking about the "8 Keys to designing tomorrow's schools today" They spoke so much of collaboration: not just within our school but within the whole learning environment and community. I feel like given this pandemic and how school shifted this year, there was forced community involvement and collaboration. However, the bonus to all of this is the parents feel more involved and apart of the decision making, which therefore provides more buy in and support of their school. This year has brought me more involved with the parents as I am communicating with them more often than past years. This is something I intend on keeping up with in future years.

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The connections I can make are with my instruction, and trying to do a better job of connecting the unit to everyday life.  In other words, connect what I teach in the classroom to real, everyday, authentic circumstances.  Taking the curriculum and looking at it differently to bring in more real-life connections.  I liked when they said in the video, "Are we teaching something in the student's life that they can take into the real world and adapt?"  I believe as teachers, we want to be in control of the teaching outcome and I really heard in this video that allowing students to be co-constructors will actually bring more balance.  As a teacher, I need to work on letting go of how I think the students' should learn something.  I need to allow the students to have more of a voice and choice with each unit.  I can also work on involving the students more in the lines of inquiry.

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The connections I can make are with my instruction, and trying to do a better job of connecting the unit to everyday life.  In other words, connect what I teach in the classroom to real, everyday, authentic circumstances.  Taking the curriculum and looking at it differently to bring in more real-life connections.  I liked when they said in the video, "Are we teaching something in the student's life that they can take into the real world and adapt?"  I believe as teachers, we want to be in control of the teaching outcome and I really heard in this video that allowing students to be co-constructors will actually bring more balance.  As a teacher, I need to work on letting go of how I think the students' should learn something.  I need to allow the students to have more of a voice and choice with each unit.  I can also work on involving the students more in the lines of inquiry.

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I realized how much I missed having the opportunity for students to work in collaborative groups.  Giving a task and watching how  different groups analyzed and solved the task gives such vital information into the comfort they feel within their own selves and their learning.   I really liked some of the strategies used within the video's classroom - "Challenges and Discoveries" - just allowing the students to verbalize those two things can lead to discussions where peers can provide feedback and brainstorm solutions.  I also really connected (that is, I want to put into play next year) with the idea of groups creating their own set of expectations and using that as part of their self-reflection.   There is always a new strategy that can be observed and modified to fit within your classroom and your own comfort level.

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I realized that I need to push myself even more to really involve the students in the design/action process.  Even little changes, like letting them choose their own materials for the inquiry experiment ,  would help narrow their focus.

I have also been working on ways to streamline the assessment and self-reflection process with the younger students, since many of them aren't able to express their thoughts and learning in writing yet.  The charts they created and the form for reflection would be easy to incorporate if I begin teaching them early in the year and we can use it for all of our units.

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This webinar made me realize how important it is take a holistic approach to teaching and learning. Curriculum within the subject areas should be presented conceptually where students can see the big ideas and the connectedness of things related to the big idea. All subjects can be interrelated and interdependent. When students can transfer skills from one subject area to another through their approaches to learning; that defines going across and beyond disciplines. I look forward to using my classroom space as a resource in redesigning the learning experience for my students. I think creating the space with my students will bring the balance in the curriculum. 

# data[].attributes.subject
This webinar made me realize how important it is take a holistic approach to teaching and learning. Curriculum within the subject areas should be presented conceptually where students can see the big ideas and the connectedness of things related to the big idea. All subjects can be interrelated and interdependent. When students can transfer skills from one subject area to another through their approaches to learning; that defines going across and beyond disciplines. I look forward to using my classroom space as a resource in redesigning the learning experience for my students. I think creating the space with my students will bring the balance in the curriculum. 

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After watching the webinar and completing the reading, it made me think about how I run my classroom and how I participate in the units of inquiry. I realized I need to challenge myself to let go and allow the students to take the lead.
I also realized that I need to look at the units from a different perspective and determine a way to relate the real world and students interests into the units.
I often feel pressure (pressure from myself) to meet the standards in a clear and obvious way and to focus on subject areas individually. However, a student being able to repeat information or being able to complete a worksheet correctly doesn't contribute to lifelong learning and it definitely doesn't give students voice and choice or involve them in the inquiry process.

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The video of the kindergarten class really helped me to reflect on how I can provide more room for student inquiry within my classroom both as we continue with our current unit and next year as well. I particularly liked the idea of having them think of ways to test out their own inquiries and providing them with a chart to keep track of what they noticed. I also appreciated that the webinar often brought up distance learning in terms of inquiry. Having seen the two videos, I realized that I can make more room in my virtual classroom for students to ask questions and collaborate with peers.

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Oh my gosh, the ATL get me as excited as the Learner Profile Traits do!  I feel like we can use the ATL in everything we do.  We just have to purposefully teach the vocabulary and what the ATL look like, just like we do with the Learner Profile Traits.  Like was mentioned in the training, we can do this if we plan it purposefully into our UOI.  I feel like if students become aware of these ATL and realize how much control they have over their own learning and growth, it will enhance all parts of their learning and they will become more involved because they realize how much more control they have over their own learning.  I can't wait until we overhear conversations between students about the ATL, just like we did the first year we started teaching the learner profile traits.  Being more aware of explicitly teaching the ATL will be another big game changer for our school culture.

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Oh my gosh, the ATL get me as excited as the Learner Profile Traits do!  I feel like we can use the ATL in everything we do.  We just have to purposefully teach the vocabulary and what the ATL look like, just like we do with the Learner Profile Traits.  Like was mentioned in the training, we can do this if we plan it purposefully into our UOI.  I feel like if students become aware of these ATL and realize how much control they have over their own learning and growth, it will enhance all parts of their learning and they will become more involved because they realize how much more control they have over their own learning.  I can't wait until we overhear conversations between students about the ATL, just like we did the first year we started teaching the learner profile traits.  Being more aware of explicitly teaching the ATL will be another big game changer for our school culture.

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How can using the ATL help students delve deeper into concepts and make better sense of what they are learning?

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How can using the ATL help students delve deeper into concepts and make better sense of what they are learning?

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I remember diving into the ATL at the IB Conference last summer. It was kind of an eye opening event because I realized that ATL can truly be utilized for every unit and not just spoken about. Since our units our also standards based, we really hit the thinking, research, and communicative traits. This year  I have heavily applied self management and social traits because we have all needed these skills to cope with what this year brought.

In our first reading, what hit home was how the ATL can help bring out self regulated learners. When these kids understand the ATL well and how it works, it helps foster their own learning; so that it becomes more self guided and self regulated.

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What really spoke to me in the webinar was really giving students ownership.  Empowering the students to take their own learning beyond the classroom.  This is so powerful.  If we guide them towards the necessary skills but allow them to apply those skills to their own lives outside of the classroom, we've definitely done our job.  When students become self-regulated learners they in turn make better sense of what they are learning.  Students become active participants in their learning.  

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What really spoke to me in the webinar was really giving students ownership.  Empowering the students to take their own learning beyond the classroom.  This is so powerful.  If we guide them towards the necessary skills but allow them to apply those skills to their own lives outside of the classroom, we've definitely done our job.  When students become self-regulated learners they in turn make better sense of what they are learning.  Students become active participants in their learning.  

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Another key point I took away from the webinar is to make the learning environment safe and welcoming. I think it is important to remember in the classroom when everyone feels comfortable they are more likely to contribute and participate. They mentioned even having the teacher let the students know the skill they are working on, everyone is working on even the teacher. This will help everyone feel comfortable and want to contribute. When students don't understand something they often don't ask for help. Instead they usually just avoid contributing. I want to work on this in the classroom next year so that students always feel comfortable enough to ask questions and contribute especially if they are collaborating together.

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ATL skills are the skills that will open up every other thing that IB is.  Without these skills students cannot ask deep questions, they cannot investigate, and they cannot communicate their ideas or findings.  With the explicit teaching of these skills and the sub-skills that go with each of them, we are empowering the students.  They will be able to take the ATL skills and use them in problem solving activities.  Students will become better collaborators because they will have the social, communication, and self-management skills necessary to work within a group and be productive.  ATL skills feed into growth mindset and adds an additional layer to the Learner Profile attributes.
I feel the "welcoming classroom" piece really fits in with the SEL piece that will be so necessary next year. In the video it was mentioned that in the MYP (somewhere) is a listing of the "skill indicators" that apparently are the small skills within ATL. This could possibly be an important list to acquire.

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As we get back to work in the fall, I think this will be a real challenge for us. Not a challenge we can't handle, but a challenge we need to be ready for. I think really incorporating some of the ATL vocabulary would be a great way to refocus our students. Many of my students have made growth with some of their research skills in this virtual learning process. I spent a lot of time this year teaching students how to find and evaluate sources, how to present their ideas digitally, and so much more. However, their communication, self-management, thinking, and social skills will be things we will have to work on at the beginning of the year.  Many of them didn't even have the opportunity to grow in these skills this year.

I would love some visuals like the chart that Barb posted above. Can we create anything even more kid friendly that we can all post on our walls? Should we spend time working on these skills the same way we work on learner profile attributes at the beginning of the year?

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I think a focus on teaching these skills can really help our students learn to take control of their own learning and is something they could take with them well beyond their time in our classroom. As we look for ways to be more intentional about giving voice and choice, I think attempting to give them an understanding of the ATL would help them really be able to take their inquiry deeper. They really need to be able to do all of these things to really get into free inquiry, so giving them an introduction to the ATL and really making it a part of our units by integrating them across the board as we do the learner profile attributes would help them dive deeper and make sense of what they are learning.

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How can using the ATL help students delve deeper into concepts and make better sense of what they are learning?

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How can using the ATL help students delve deeper into concepts and make better sense of what they are learning?

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ATL empowers students. It makes them feel successful and shapes a great attitude toward learning. I liked how ATL could correspond with the Learner Profiles. I also liked that they pointed out these are skills that still need to be taught. We assume many have them, but a lot do not. Teaching ATL skills requires modeling, scaffolding, sentence frames, and practice. I did enjoy listening to some examples from the speaker and realizing we have done many of those things. In the area of communication we have had morning meetings and we do teach students how to respond when another student shares.

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I love how through ATL these skills are explicitly taught and the students are made aware of the different kinds of skills and can work toward them in addition to academic goals. Fostering communication and self-management skills will help students grow academically and help to create a collaborative environment necessary for units of inquiry. It will also help students to know the research and communication skills that they can work on within an IB unit and situate their own learning through a new lens.

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I loved learning more about ATL and it truly opened my eyes to how important these skills are and how they can be utilized in every subject area and in every part of our unit. Approaches to learning create a strong foundation for students learning. If we are taking the time to explicitly and organically teach students they skills they are going to naturally use them in their units leading to more impactful and long lasting learning. When they have these tools available to them they are going to feel like they are playing an active part of their learning and feel that they have control instead of just being a passive learner. This webinar and reading opened my eyes to how important ATL are and that I need to be more intentional about which ones I select (or have my students select) for our UOI. I also need to spend more time teaching these skills instead of spending some time on it before rushing on to the next thing. Something the speaker said in the webinar that really struck me is that by spending the necessary time on these skills we are giving our future selves a gift! Such a powerful statement!