# data[].attributes.headline
Student inquiry and what it may look like in a Mathematics Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Student inquiry and what it may look like in a Mathematics Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
‘Inquiry is the dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world ’ (Alberta Learning, 2004). ’Simply put, inquiry is the personal path of…

# data[].attributes.body
These rich tasks can be modified to meet specific Math criteria strands

# data[].attributes.headline
Pattern of Performance- How do we see patterns in assessments?

# data[].attributes.subject
Pattern of Performance- How do we see patterns in assessments?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the Australian Curriculum, the general capabilities encompass the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Using the Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction model to support skills development in the IB MYP

The approach to learning (ATL) is a core element of all IB programs, but it can be challenging to fully integrate the ATL skills into the conceptual framework of a unit. All too often, ATL skills are treated like a box-ticking exercise. We may list them in our unit planners and even cover them in lessons, but are we taking the time to develop students' understandings of those skills?
MYP: From principles to practice (2021) states, "The most effective way to develop ATL is through ongoing, process-focused disciplinary and interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Teachers can use a wide range of content developed through MYP key and related concepts and global contexts as a vehicle for teaching effective learning strategies. Likewise, ATL skills can be powerful tools for exploring significant content. This dual focus (content and process, knowledge and skills) promotes student engagement, deep understanding, transfer of skills, and academic success" (MYP: From Principles into Practice, 2021).
That last sentence echoes the basic principles of Dr. Lynn Erickson's and Dr. Lois Lanning's three-dimensional Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction model, in which conceptual understandings are drawn from the Structures of Knowledge and Process. In a Concept-Based unit, knowledge and skills complement each other and are used as vehicles for developing higher order thinking and transferable understandings. According to Erickson, Lanning, and French, "(W)hen teachers implement the curriculum through authentic experiences that mirror the types of knowledge and processes students will most likely continue to use in their futures, understanding is advanced" (Erickson et al., 2017).
But while From principles to practice makes it clear why we should be developing the approaches to learning, it falls short of giving teachers a clear framework for how. This is where Dr. Erickson's and Dr. Lanning's Concept-Based model can enhance the MYP unit framework. By developing generalizations that draw from Lanning's Structure of Process, which complement an overarching statement of inquiry (many of which are drawn from the Structure of Knowledge), we can ensure that we move beyond the two-dimensional teaching of skills.

Beyond 'skill and drill': understanding why we do what we do.

In Concept-Based Literacy Lessons: Designing Learning to Ignite Understanding and Transfer, Lanning and co-author Tiffanee Brown assert that "...teaching students the strategies and skills within processes is not the end goal. Moving students beyond practicing strategies and skills to deeper conceptual understandings develops disciplinary expertise and enables students to transfer complex skills to new situations" (Lanning & Brown, 2019). When we develop generalizations from the Structure of Process, we move students beyond just doing to understanding why we do what we do.
If we apply this principle to the approaches to learning, we can use the CBCI model to move beyond the superficial treatment of skills by generalizing. Rather than seeing the ATL skills as an additional layer to a unit - something on top of the content we deliver - we can embed them more authentically within the curriculum narrative. If we aren't making those understandings of process explicit, we aren't harnessing the full potential of a concept-based curriculum.

An example: using the reading process to develop collaboration skills

The process of conceptualizing the ATLs makes sense when it comes to discipline-specific academic processes, like writing or research or the scientific method. What about the softer skills, like collaboration? Often, we use collaboration as a classroom management strategy rather than a deliberate pedagogical practice. How often do we take the time to develop students' understandings of why we collaborate? It is easy to treat collaboration as an activity rather than a meaningful learning engagement actively used to build students' collective efficacy.
A recent audit of our English Language & Literature curriculum revealed that most of our statements of inquiry are knowledge-based. Despite being a skills-based course, our conceptual focuses tend to be thematic and connected to the content of the unit's core texts rather than the processes, strategies, or skills needed to understand and interpret those texts. So we started to renovate our curriculum, beginning with Grade 9 (MYP 4). When my Grade 9 teaching partner and I initially decided to upgrade our unit on gothic literature, we added reading circles to our learning experiences. Originally, the purpose of the reading circles was to supplement the gothic extracts we studied in class; in other words, the reading circles were essentially used to cover more content.
As we continued to refine the unit the following year, we built the reading circles around the ATL of Collaboration skills, specifically, exercising leadership, taking on various roles within groups, and listening actively to other perspectives and ideas. This collaboration was a powerful means of developing a shared understanding of gothic conventions, which students then applied to their own creative gothic stories at the end of the unit. The reading circles also doubled as a writing workshop; students leveraged the knowledge and understanding they gained through analyzing shared texts to offer peer feedback on each other's stories.
Using the ATL as our lens and drawing from Dr. Lanning's Structure of Process, we developed a generalization from the reading process (or the responding to and critiquing text strands of the CBCI unit framework for English Language Arts):

To nudge students towards that understanding, we used the following guiding questions:
GQ1. What roles and responsibilities did members ofyour group take on to supporteffective collaboration? (F) GQ2. Did your group experience any challenges collaborating? Why might this be? How could you resolve these challenges? GQ3. What is the difference between cooperation and collaboration? (Z) GQ4. What conditions support an effective collaboration? (C) GQ5. How can individuals contribute to a positive group dynamic? (C) GQ6. Can a group be successful without the contributions of each individual? (D)
Those questions are deliberately transdisciplinary, focusing on the transferability of the skill. Any subject could use those questions to understand the importance of collaboration. However, we could design factual questions more directly linked to the unit content, such as What roles would help your reading circle be more effective? We might also zoom in further and develop generalizations drawn from the specific skills rather than the skill cluster. For example, Listening actively to other perspectives and ideas could be transformed into: Through active of other and , we can enhance our personal of texts.

Conclusion: using the CBCI model to develop cohesion

The IB curriculum framework can sometimes feel like several disparate parts (concepts, global contexts, approaches to teaching and learning, the learner profile). But the CBCI model can provide a cohesive thread to all those elements. The approaches to learning are, for many teachers, the most intimidating part of the IB curriculum framework. With roughly 140 individual skills, it can feel overwhelming to address each in a meaningful way, especially without a clear scheme to guide teachers. Of course, the key is prioritizing which skills are most important within an individual school's, discipline, or grade level's context. But unless we treat the approaches to learning as part of a unit's conceptual framework, we risk skills coverage rather than skills development.

Would you like to learn more about Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction? Learn more about the Erickson and Lanning CBCI Institute Applications close July 29, 2022.
References:
Erickson, H., Lanning, L., & French, R. (2017). Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom (2nd ed.). Corwin.

International Baccalaureate Organization (UK) Ltd (2021). MYP: From Principles into Practice.

Lanning, L., & Brown, T. (2019). Concept-Based Literacy Lessons: Designing Learning to Ignite Understanding and Transfer. Corwin.
About the author:
Angela Johnson (BA, M.A., M.Ed.) is MYP Coordinator and English Language & Literature teacher at Southbank International School in London. She is an Independent Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Certified Trainer and holds the ECIS International Teacher Certificate and the IB Certificate in Teaching and Learning (MYP). Angela has published several textbooks with Hodder Education to support students and teachers in the MYP and DP. She has held various examining and authoring roles within the IB Educator Network.
Social Media:
LinkedIn: Angela Stancar Johnson

Twitter: @inquirynerd

Web site/blog: conceptuallydriven.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Conceptualizing the approaches to learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The approach to learning (ATL) is a core element of all IB programs, but it can be challenging to fully integrate the ATL skills into the conceptual framework of a unit. All too often, ATL skills are treated like a box-ticking exercise.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
STEM Learning Ltd offers the largest collection of learning resources for teachers and educators of science, technology, engineering, computing and mathematics in the UK.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our summative tasks are divided into three classes - Novice, Apprentice and Expert. This is not a measurement of the difficulty of the content, but indicates the extent to which they require students to autonomously apply their mathematical knowledge: Novice tasks explicitly test particular items of content knowledge, Expert tasks are far less structured and require strategic problem-solving skills in addition to content knowledge. A “balanced diet” of Novice, Apprentice and Expert tasks is needed to properly assess the Mathematical Practices.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Not in school?
There are problems and activities here that you can try at home.

The Assessment Tasks are a good place to start.

More notes on using the materials at home...

Bowland Maths aims to make maths engaging and relevant to pupils aged 11-14, with a focus on developing thinking, reasoning and problem-solving skills. In these materials, the maths emerges naturally as pupils tackle problems set in a rich mixture of real-life and fantasy situations.

Assessment tasks
Bowland Maths includes a collection of over thirty 20-60 minute tasks with progression guides to support formative assessment of progress in mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Classroom projects
At the core of Bowland Maths are 26 extended mathematical investigations called Case Studies. Each case study includes teaching materials to support 3-5 maths lessons. Many, but not all, include ICT activities.

Professional development
The Bowland materials demand different approaches to teaching, such as collaborative learning through discussion and reflection, self- and peer-assessment and the use of less structured tasks. These 7 video-based professional development modules help teachers explore these techniques.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Not in school? There are problems and activities here that you can try at home. The Assessment Tasks are a good place to start. More notes on using the materials at home... Bowland Maths aims to make maths engaging and relevant to pupils aged 11-14, with a focus on developing thinking, reasoning and problem-solving skills.

# data[].attributes.headline
Further Guidance for MYP Mathematics and Sciences

# data[].attributes.subject
Further Guidance for MYP Mathematics and Sciences

# data[].attributes.body
Creating quality Criterion B Assessments is quite a bit of work, as there are not a lot of good exemplars online (unless I am missing something). Do you know anywhere where we can find more Criterion B Assessment exemplars?

# data[].attributes.headline
To waht extent do you penalise students if they are struggling to express themselves in criteria C but can show calculations which are accurate but not well explained?

# data[].attributes.subject
To waht extent do you penalise students if they are struggling to express themselves in criteria C but can show calculations which are accurate but not well explained?

# data[].attributes.body
If the IB provides subjective words to evaluate, and teachers need to clarify them within the assessment at a particular school, hence every school will apply them differently. Therefore, how does the IBO actually ensure that all IB schools are applying the subjective words fairly and appropriately?

# data[].attributes.headline
IS it acceptable to start an exploration at the beginning of a unit that culminates into a summative.

# data[].attributes.subject
IS it acceptable to start an exploration at the beginning of a unit that culminates into a summative.

# data[].attributes.body
How would you define a "complex" pattern?

# data[].attributes.body
Apply the mathematics "successfully". Does that include logical working?

# data[].attributes.headline
Am new to MYP. Look forward to learning more about MYP assessments

# data[].attributes.subject
Am new to MYP. Look forward to learning more about MYP assessments

# data[].attributes.body
How to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar situations? Does familiar refer to a type of question that they have seen before and unfamiliar is completely unseen? Or?

# data[].attributes.body
I understand that to make a nice Criterion B assessment, the task has to be fairly well scaffolded, but in the end, the students need to be able to do one without "assistant" in order to achieve anything higher than a 4 (maybe 5). I've also noticed that Criterion B is the only one that has supplemental information in the MYP Mathematics guide, is this because the IB recognizes that it is a difficult and unfair Criterion?

# data[].attributes.headline
- To what extent does the complex task in Criteria B be more complex than the simple one?

# data[].attributes.subject
- To what extent does the complex task in Criteria B be more complex than the simple one?

# data[].attributes.headline
- How to treat a student who gets every wrong in Criteria B or D, but then randomly writes correct mathematical sentences, produces a table and writes some correct equations unrelated to the task?

# data[].attributes.subject
- How to treat a student who gets every wrong in Criteria B or D, but then randomly writes correct mathematical sentences, produces a table and writes some correct equations unrelated to the task?

# data[].attributes.body
What are best criteria combinations in Maths

# data[].attributes.headline
- What does it mean that "applying math" can be demonstrated before "selecting math" in Criteria D?

# data[].attributes.subject
- What does it mean that "applying math" can be demonstrated before "selecting math" in Criteria D?

# data[].attributes.body
How can we link interdisciplinary units and service activities?

How can we incorporate service activities into a unit?

How can students create a Math Trail as a form of service and what are the methods for implementing it?

What does “generally” mean in Criterion A?

Why is “apply” assessed before “select” in Criterion D?

How would a Mini IA be structured and presented in MYP Math?

# data[].attributes.headline
- What does the word "generally" mean for Criteria A?

# data[].attributes.subject
- What does the word "generally" mean for Criteria A?

# data[].attributes.body
Hello! This is Carrie, 43 yo. I have taught IB MYP Sciences and DP Chem. I am currently teaching Grade 8 and 9 std Math. Aside from teaching, I love spending time with my kids and cooking. My favorite color is purple. My aspiration as a teacher is to continuously improve my teaching methods to adapt to the needs of my students—their changing attitudes toward learning, work, and interests—while also inspiring them to be responsible and kind human beings. Burning questions: Since the new MYP (Beta) appears to be shifting towards unit plans geared toward service, how can we ensure authentic service learning in a math class, considering time constraints and the need to complete the curriculum? Is using a fictional activity with real data enough to allow students to demonstrate meaningful action, especially when they are also expected to give suggestions? Can you give examples?

# data[].attributes.body
5th year teaching IB

Currently teaching Grade 9 Math & DP Economics

Taught Grade 6 & DP AI HL/SL Math

# data[].attributes.body
Vineet here from SWIS. over 20 years of high School Mathematics teaching experience ( 13 + in IBDP) , IGCSE and last two years MYP 4 and 5 extended Maths, IA examiner/ moderator, IB authorized online MAA SL/ HL presenter/ facilitator. Look forward to gaining some insights into MYP assessments

# data[].attributes.body
I believe in a safe and welcoming learning environment for students. In this space, students can make mistakes without fear of being judged by either classmates or their teacher.  They work together, helping each other and learning as a team. They gain knowledge not just from their teacher but also from their peers. This teamwork/collaborative atmosphere makes learning accessible, motivates students to do their best, and hopefully, inspires a lifelong love of learning and personal growth. Team burning questions: How can we link interdisciplinary units and service activities?

How can we incorporate service activities into a unit?

How can students create a Math Trail as a form of service and what are the methods for implementing it?

What does “generally” mean in Criterion A?

Why is “apply” assessed before “select” in Criterion D?

How would a Mini IA be structured and presented in MYP Math?

# data[].attributes.body
Been teaching Math for 20+ years, IB for 14 years. AIHL Math and MYP Ext 9/10 these days (but taught most grade levels over the years).

# data[].attributes.body
I am currently teaching DP1 and DP2 Math AAHL and Computer Science. Previously taught Grade 6 math, Grade 8 math, and Grade 9 science just for fun. Taught A-Levels and IB for over 10 years. My aspiration is that I hope to learn how to specifically create an MYP Grade 8 unit plan that involves a Direct Action Service using Exponents and Radicals.

# data[].attributes.body
Mostly Middle School specialist. IB and American system. Loves ATLs and finding ways to better "torture" students.

# data[].attributes.body
Been teaching Maths for 26 years

Been in IB for 12 years

Teach Maths MYP all Grade levels

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reading 2 Assignment teaching strategies

# data[].attributes.headline
Post your introductions and aspirations from this workshop

# data[].attributes.subject
Post your introductions and aspirations from this workshop

# data[].attributes.body
I hope that eductaors are inspired to adopt teaching methods that enable students to enjoy learning.