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Experimental cycle and Sentence starters

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This graphic of the Experimental Cycle is adapted from the IB's MYP Sciences Guide assessment descriptors (2014), using GoogleDrawings. The experimental cycle is a visual representation of the process of a lab inquiry - and also of the stages of a lab report for the 'Inquiring and Designing' and 'Processing and Evaluating' assessment criteria. It can help structure a lab, but make sure you get hands-on!

Other file types: svg file, GoogleDrawings file.

This version has been adapted further for MYP1, with guiding questions:

Sentence Stems: We Are All Language Teachers

These were created to give a linguistic support to inquiry in science.

For EAL learners, they provide vocabulary and a starting point.

For all learners they are a way into the language of science.

We used them as printed inserts in physical student lab-books, and found best gains in keeping the students off laptops for as long as possible, holding them to full-sentence response in speech and writing. We have to act (or speak, write) our way into a new form of thinking.

I don't advocate for these being used alone and forever, though. Once students are confident in them, they will want to use their own formats or phrases. We had students who were ready for more sophisticated language after one or two cycles, and others that needed support for longer. These cycles and stems are intended for "get going quickly and let go quick" learning and support.

Having a printed structure like this should increase student inquiry and thinking, not decrease it. Knowledge is the stuff we think with: fluency in the foundations is a jumping-off point for us to support student thinking. This is a differentiation tool. It should not be boiled down to a form-filling formula.

Here is a GoogleDoc version, with sentence stems for MYP 1 Students, to be used to help guide their language. Click File -> make a copy to make and edit your own.
For PDF Versions, click below:
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The Importance of Play
Please, if you use these with students, try to emphasise the importance of "play" in science. Are we inquiring through science... or "doing lab reports"?
It is entirely possible to spend a long time writing a lab report to meet the requirements (on paper), only for the method be unworkable.

In the early stages of lab design we can take more of a design-cycle approach: get hands-on with the equipment, try to actually manipulate the IV and see if the idea can even work before committing it to computer-work (or worse, homework).

Consider thinking about the structure and sequence of your course. Physical sciences lend themselves to quicker investigations than Biology and so might suit the start of the year, for example.

What can we do to get students hands-on, minds-on as soon as possible, to manipulate variables and see the cycle at work?

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High-Tech, Low-Tech, No-Tech?
Instead, we use a paper section (sample here) or lab-books to:
In the early stages of a lab, I keep students off the computer for planning. They might use it for research, but I much prefer that they don't start "writing the report" before the data are collected.

Keep the thinking focused on the science

Sketch ideas and graphs, and justify our reasoning

Test ideas practically (importance of play), before sitting to write

Keep expensive laptops safe and dry and workspaces clear of clutter

Students will show me their method outline, table ready for data and safety considerations before they collect the data. Once their data are recorded, we look at them together, scanning for anomalies or problems before setting off on the spreadsheet and then the write-up.

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Other MYP Cycle Diagrams

The Design and Arts Cycles are adapted from existing graphics in MYP Subject Guides. The remainder are self-created.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Design Cycle (MYP5)

Other file types: svg file, GoogleDrawings file

Americani zed spellings: svg file, GoogleDrawings file.

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PHE Objectives

Year 1: GoogleDrawing

Year 3: GoogleDrawing

Year 5: GoogleDrawing

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Arts Objectives

Objectives Cycle from Guide: GoogleDrawing

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For the IB Diploma: IBDP Investigation Cycle.

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IMAGE SOURCES

[ Spring gif from The Physics Mill]

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This graphic of the Experimental Cycle is adapted from the IB's MYP Sciences Guide assessment descriptors (2014), using GoogleDrawings. The experimental cycle is a visual representation of the process of a lab inquiry - and also of the stages of a lab report for the 'Inquiring and Designing' and 'Processing and Evaluating' assessment criteria.

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TED-talk + other resources

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This last couple of weeks we've been busy preparing faculty PD on the Global Contexts and their role in developing International Mindedness & Global Engagement (IMaGE) in our students. It has been a lot of work, but as we kicked off the sequence (3 x 1hr PD sessions) this week, the discussions began on some real areas of interest.

Key to the discussion was an excerpt from Chimamanda Adichie's TED Talk "The Danger of a Single Story" (thanks @LizDK for suggesting it!). We played the first 6 minutes, with the follow-up question " could her college room-mate have been a CA graduate? "

So far, so interesting. I'll follow up this post later once the sequence is completed. Next steps: taking action in the curriculum, teaching & learning.

Categories: Educational Philosophy, Internationalism, Middle Years Programme, Professional Development | Permalink.

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Global Contexts & Avoiding the 'Single Story'

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This last couple of weeks we've been busy preparing faculty PD on the Global Contexts and their role in developing International Mindedness & Global Engagement (IMaGE) in our students. It has been a lot of work, but as we kicked off the sequence (3 x 1hr PD sessions) this week, the discussions began on some...

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Update Sept. 5 2017 based on edits summarized in this update from the IB.

Big Update Dec. 2 2017: added subject group overview (curriculum articulation) tabs for each subject group, with data validation for key, related concepts, ATL.
If you find this useful, please consider making a donation to one of my chosen charities through Biology4Good.
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Capturing the Criteria (and the Curriculum)

After some parent-teacher conferences recently, I was asked to show all of the MYP assessment criteria together and realised I couldn't find something that met our needs for a single-reference, quick overview of the MYP assessment objectives and criteria.

Here is an attempt to put the big ideas and rubrics together in one place, so that colleagues can quickly see vertical and horizontal articulation and connections, and so that parents have a resource to hand to help understand assessment.

You might find it useful.
To make your own copy, click "File -> Make a copy".
This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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This involved a lot of clicking and is bound to have some errors. Big thanks to Mitsuyo-san, our data secretary, who helped with this.

Descriptors in bold did not make it across from text to spreadsheet. Use original descriptors in student assignments.

This is intended only as an overview of the programme. Teachers must exercise caution with this, and default to the published guides on the OCC for assessment rubrics, clarifications, rules and guidance.

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Edit: added 3 May 2017

Why the green bands?

In each of the subject-area bands, you'll find the Level 5-6 row accented with green. This is part of something I'm trying to work on with colleagues and students in terms of zooming into the objectives-level of assessment, and was something I used in #HackTheMYP.
The basic idea is this:

1. As a model of a 4-band rubric, we typically see the third band as 'meets objectives'. This means that the rows below are approaching and above are exceeding.
Try it: add up the scores for all 5, all 6 or a combination thereof. What does it come to when you apply the total to the 1-7 conversion chart? This is the kid that meets the outcomes of our core curriculum.

2. When we focus only on the top-band descriptors we may inadvertently end up doing one of two things:

Causing students to get stressed by default as they're aiming for the 'exceptional' descriptors first. "The gap" between where they are and want to be is too big; or,

Falsely making our core expectations for all students fit the 7-8 band, thus leaving nowhere to go from there - creating a "low ceiling" and no room for extension into genuinely meeting those top descriptors.

3. If we zoom into the 5-6 band first - in task design and as a student - we are able to set an appropriate expectation for all learners, see how and where to scaffold and support those who need it, and provide a "high ceiling" for innovation, application, analysis, synthesis, etc.

4. It should then become easier to create the task-specific clarifications. If we can clearly describe the 5-6 "core" band first, we should then make sure that the levels above and below can be really clearly distinguished. In my experience, this is easier than starting at the top and working back.

If you've tried this idea (or similar), how did it go?

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For a similar discussion and great resources, but in an SBG context, check out Jennifer Gonzalez's (@cultofpedagogy) posts on the "single point rubric":

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Capturing the Curriculum, Criteria & "Zooming In"

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Shortlink to this resource: is.gd/mypassess Update Sept. 5 2017 based on edits summarized in this update from the IB. Big Update Dec. 2 2017: added subject group overview (curriculum articulation) tabs for each subject group, with data validation for key, related concepts, ATL. If you find this useful, please consider making a donation to one of...

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Since the original post in early 2016, we've made some progress, experienced some great successes and uncovered some further challenges. Enthusiasm is building behind Interdisciplinary Units (IDU's), though there is still work to be done. I've updated the flowchart below to show some other "ways in" to IDU planning, and for potential inclusion in MYP IDU support materials. The pdf version has live links to supporting documents.

Click through to read the full post (1,500 words).

International Educator: Japan & Indonesia via the UK and soon to be China. Science educator, Learning & EdTech Coach. Twitterist (@sjtylr), dad and bloggerer. MA International Education. Experienced Director of Learning & MYP Coordinator. Find out more: https://sjtylr.net/about. Science site: http://i-biology.net.

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Updated: The Challenge of Interdisciplinary Learning

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Since the original post in early 2016, we've made some progress, experienced some great successes and uncovered some further challenges. Enthusiasm is building behind Interdisciplinary Units (IDU's), though there is still work to be done. I've updated the flowchart below to show some other "ways in" to IDU planning, and for potential inclusion in MYP...

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Standardisation Cycle

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A quick post to share a resource, based on some of our work at CA. I love cycle diagrams and was thinking about the process of moderation, planning and the challenges of effective collaboration when there are grades (and a big pile of 'done' grading) at stake.
If you've ever tried to 'moderate' work that's based on two or more teachers' hours of effort in grading, you'll recognise the challenge. The proposal here is to reframe stadardization as a cycle - various points of entry to working together on a common understanding of assessment - so that teachers align their assessment standards more closely. Post-hoc moderation events may tend towards defense of our own grading work; who wants to go back and change all that work?

Do you think you could put the cycle to work in your own context?

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Standardization: Cycling away from the moderation "event"

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A quick post to share a resource, based on some of our work at CA. I love cycle diagrams and was thinking about the process of moderation, planning and the challenges of effective collaboration when there are grades (and a big pile of 'done' grading) at stake.

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This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. If you click these and make a purchase from Amazon, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support.

Professional Development: The phrase has a way of striking dread into the hearts of teachers. But not because teachers don't WANT to improve. Not because we believe we're done growing and learning. Far from it.

In fact, so many teachers bristle at the thought of PD because most of the time, it's executed so poorly. Although the typical one-size-fits-all format-where every teacher in the building is herded together to listen to an expert speak-has been widely denounced, it still persists as the default model. Sometimes, if the speaker happens to be engaging, some teachers will walk away with a small tidbit they can apply to their own work. For most teachers, though, it feels like a waste of precious time, time that could be spent developing skills that would make a real difference in their specific practice.

But things are starting to change. More and more schools are experimenting with personalized approaches to professional development; this guide from EdSurge takes a comprehensive look at all the different shapes this can take. And as new unconferences pop up every week all over the world, teachers are seeing just how easy it can be to learn from each other, without the need for any kind of outside expert.

And now, taking PD to an even simpler, more local, more affordable level, we have the Pineapple Chart.

What is a Pineapple Chart?

A Pineapple Chart is a system that allows teachers to invite one another into their classrooms for informal observation. The chart is set up in some location where teachers go on a daily basis: the teacher's lounge, the copy room, or wherever teacher mailboxes live in your school. On the chart, teachers "advertise" the interesting things they are doing in their classrooms, activities they think others might want to observe. The activities could be as complex as a science lab, a history simulation, or a Skype session with a school in another country. Or they could be as simple as a read-aloud or a lesson on badminton.

The chart represents one week of school. Along the top, five columns are labeled Monday through Friday. Along the side, rows assigned to various chunks of each school day. In a middle or high school, these would be class periods. In an elementary school, the rows could be divided by hours or half-hours.

When a teacher sees something on the chart she (or he) is interested in, she goes to that classroom at the designated time, sits down in an out-of-the-way spot, and watches. That's it. No note-taking is required, no post-observation conference, no write-up. Just a visit. She can even grade papers or catch up on email if she wants, paying closer attention when the moment calls for it, but getting work done in the meantime. She can stay for five minutes or a whole class period. The key word here is informal, and it's the best way for teachers to learn lots of skills and techniques just when they need them.

The reasons the visiting teacher might come in are endless: It could be that she wants to start using Google Cardboard, but would like to see another teacher do it first. Maybe she's struggling with classroom management and knows this teacher runs a tight ship. Or maybe she's there because she always wanted to learn more about World War I. Regardless of the initial reason, what she ends up learning is likely to be far more than she expected. During that Google Cardboard visit, she'll also notice a cool bulletin board in that teacher's classroom and decide to try something similar in her room. While watching the lesson on World War I, she'll pick up a questioning technique she ends up using in her own teaching. Every teacher in your building has their own unique blend of skills and talents, but the only way you'll ever learn about them is to see your colleagues in action.

The Origins of the Pineapple Chart

The pineapple has long been a symbol of hospitality; it's used in the chart in the spirit of welcoming one another into our school "homes."

But that's just the beginning. Here's how the Pineapple Chart came to be: In early 2015, Mark Barnes and I were compiling innovative teaching "hacks" for our book, Hacking Education: 10 Quick Fixes for Every School. I remembered my sister, who teaches science in Massachusetts, telling me about her attempts to start a "Pineapple Welcome" initiative at her school, where teachers would hang a picture of a pineapple outside their classroom doors, indicating that any other teacher who wanted to visit was welcome to stop by.

When I asked her how the whole pineapple thing went, she said, "Eh. Some people came in, but usually I would hang the pineapple and nothing would happen. I stopped doing it after a while."

This bothered me, because some of the most valuable skills I have picked up as a teacher came from informally observing my colleagues in their classrooms. I feel strongly that some of the best professional development available to teachers lives right inside the walls of our schools, and if we could just watch each other teach more, we would all grow exponentially.

Just hanging the pineapple on the door, I realized, had two shortcomings. One, it was only visible to teachers who happened to pass by that door on that day. And two, it didn't offer enough information: Just seeing a pineapple on the door tells the visitor nothing about what's going on inside. If a teacher is going to spend time visiting another teacher's classroom, he wants to know that the thing he's coming to observe is something he's actually interested in. A chart posted in a central location, with a bit of information about the day's activities, solves both problems.

We asked my sister to pilot this centralized system at her school, and the first Pineapple Chart was born. Since the publication of Hacking Education, the Pineapple Chart system has taken off in schools all across the world, and the results have been fantastic.

Two Schools Where Pineapple Charts Are Making an Impact

Gator Run Elementary, Weston, Florida

"The Pineapple Chart has been a game changer for the staff at Gator Run," says Intern Principal Cyndi Felton, who initiated Gator Run's first Pineapple Chart in January of 2016. "We have some of the very best PD available under our own roof. Now teachers have the opportunity to get into each other's classrooms and learn from one another."

Since the chart has been going, Felton has seen teachers trying new things more quickly. "Last year we noticed tools and strategies spreading throughout the building after Pineapple Chart visits. Kahoot, Nearpod, Plickers, in-class flipped lessons, SeeSaw, and performance scales in addition to unique procedures, classroom management and teaching strategies."

Maple Avenue Middle School, Littlestown, Pennsylvania

In January of 2016, when Assistant Principal Cortney Golden first launched the chart in her school, she worked hard to keep it full. "I was very aware that if we lost momentum, and the chart was blank, it would die. I sent staff-wide emails, group emails, personal emails, face to face requests, and even had my secretary appealing to teachers to sign up. Getting teachers to sign up was my first priority....then, once that became more automatic, we began to 'push' visiting."

Since then, informal observation and an open-door policy have become part of the school's culture. So much so that the word "pineappling" has become a verb:

"Collectively, we embrace pineappling now more than ever," says Golden. "As teachers desire to grow their craft, to foster 21st century skills, and to help students discover and pursue their passions, it becomes clear to all that teachers need each other. Pineappling gives teachers the permission they feel they need to collaborate, observe, ask, and reflect. It is a 'safe' and powerful professional development opportunity. Pineappling is free, fits within the school day, and has proven to be the BEST professional growth experience."

Tips for Making Pineapple Charts Work

Find creative ways to make the time.
The simplest way to squeeze these visits in is for teachers to do them during their planning time, or part of it. Remember, we're not talking about a whole class period necessarily; a 15-minute visit may be all that's needed to pick up a new strategy. In cases where teachers want to see something that doesn't coincide with planning time, the staff will need to be more creative:

A floating sub can be arranged for a day (or a few days) and teachers can "sign up for the sub" in order to visit another room.

Administrators (or other certified personnel) can step in to cover a class. This solution does double-duty, as it gives the principal some time to interact more closely with small groups of students. Instead of covering the teacher's regular material, the administrator could use this time for having discussions about school issues or just getting to know the students.

Teachers can team up to cover each other's classes. Imagine a scenario where teacher A agrees to cover teacher B's class while teacher B observes in teacher C's room. Then everyone switches roles two more times. A motivated school might even experiment with a second chart (beside the Pineapple Chart) where teachers post a need for coverage and other teachers sign up to cover for them.

Keep it voluntary.
Administrators, be warned! The quickest way to suck the life out of this initiative is to make it mandatory for all teachers. By keeping visits informal and strictly voluntary (for the host teacher AND the visitor), you'll ensure that the Pineapple Chart is always seen as a positive thing, a learning opportunity initiated by the teacher.

Skip the documentation.
An equally fast way to drain people's enthusiasm for visits is to force them to do some kind of write-up afterward. Please don't turn the chart into another reason to require teachers to document. If they know paperwork is expected of them, they will be far less likely to visit.

Start with the bold and the brave...
When you first launch the Chart, many teachers will be shy about posting lessons. Get things going by having your most extroverted teachers sign up first. If you get a group of 5-10 teachers willing to put themselves out there, this will eventually help others step forward as well.

...but set the bar low.
Make sure teachers know they don't have to be doing something 'impressive' in order to post a lesson to the chart. "The hardest part is getting teachers to understand it doesn't have to be an extravagant lesson to sign up," says Felton. "Their everyday strategies and standard procedures can be incredibly helpful to someone who has never seen or thought of it. You really never know what you might learn whether it's a 5- or a 25-minute visit."

Sell it.
Especially when you first get started, encourage those who do the observing to share the good things they saw by talking about it in faculty meetings, sharing a compliment on a teacher "brag board" or posting about it online. At Maple Avenue, Golden encouraged teachers to tweet about their experiences using the hashtag#MAMSLearning. "This helped keep the excitement high, and the pressure low," she says. "Although I still have to harass teachers every once and again (I call it "gently wooing") to showcase the teaching and learning in their classroom, it has become very much part of our culture."

Share Your Story

If your school has already started using a Pineapple Chart, tell us about it in the comments. I would love to hear about tweaks you've made to the system and how the system is impacting teacher relationships and student growth.

Learn More

The Pineapple Chart is just one of the 10 hacks Mark Barnes and I share in our 2015 book, Hacking Education: 10 Quick Fixes for Every School. Get your copy today and start hacking tomorrow! ♦

Learn something new every week.
Join my mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration all geared toward making your teaching more effective and fun. You'll also get access to my members-only library of free resources, including my e-booklet, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, which has helped thousands of teachers spend less time grading!

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How Pineapple Charts Revolutionize Professional Development

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As one-size-fits-all PD fades into obscurity, more personalized professional development models have emerged. The Pineapple Chart may be the greatest of them all.

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Visual Markers of an MYP Classroom

An MYP classroom is immersed in discipline-specific language, but also strives to connect to other disciplines through common concepts and contexts. It is a collaborative space that is purposeful and friendly. MYP classrooms are appropriately rigorous and delivery globally relevant content.

Learner Profile:
Student created definitions and examples
Displays and resources that present students with a global perspective
Current Unit of Inquiry
Global Context
Inquiry Questions
Key/related concepts for the unit
ATL Skills being practiced and assessed
Unit-specific assessment criteria
Student created work, questions and student-initiated actions related to the unit
Resources related to the unit displayed and readily accessible to students
MYP Global Contexts
Used to structure learning in all subjects across the school day
MYP Key and Related Concepts
General Assessment Criteria
Documentation of individual and collaborative inquiry
Wall displays, inquiry journals, student works showing inquiry process, etc.
Current student work is posted
Evidence of ongoing learning process as well as products
Represents a variety of learning styles and approaches
Student reflections related to work
Balance of teacher and student selected pieces
Evidence of higher-level thinking skills
ATL Skills
At least 5 main skill areas posted for student reference (communication, social, self-management, research thinking)
Optional: Skill clusters
Evidence of student application of these skills
Classroom set-up that allows students to move easily between small group, whole group and individual learning activities
Also consider: classroom essential agreements, school/classroom mission statements, class/student goals and reflections as well as the IB mission statement

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Hadde du tålt 24 timer med hatmeldinger?

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Takk for at du signerte aksjonen for å bedre beskytte kvinner mot netthets. Vil du bidra med mer? Hjelp oss med å spre budskapet for å skape oppmerksomhet rundt kravet vårt. Film: 24 timer med hat For å vise hva enkelte kvinner blir utsatt for, har vi sammen med regissør Stefan Faldbakken lagd en minidokumentar vi har kalt 24 timer med hat.

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Students in High School Business Studies identified products, built a social media and web presence, marketed, and sold locally sourced products to international customers. Proceeds were donated.

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ATL alignment and resource sharing ("Smörgåsbord")

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ATL alignment and resource sharing ("Smörgåsbord")

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https://alisonyang.weebly.com/approaches-to-learning-skills.html?fbclid=IwAR0TmVJaUtcey638Bz-aoVbTbR4bGncqUmxW1TdDVADArwtDZ0fbIHgrlko

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This diagram was inspired by the blog post, The agile learner in a VUCA world , written by @alohalavina. VUCA is an acronym used to describe volatility , uncertainty , complexity...

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Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School, in Townshend, VT, used a popular 5-stage framework in planning their service learning: investigation, preparation, implementation, reflection, and celebration.

And they used this framework to improve their school's infrastructure in powerful ways.

Outdoor classroom, anyone?

It's the last two weeks of school and Leland & Gray students are busy.

One team is building an outdoor classroom.

Leland & Gray middle school students are creating an amazing outdoor classroom as one of their end of year service-learning projects- looks like a beautiful place to learn! #vted @innovativeEd @bob_thibault @JohannaLD1 pic.twitter.com/gdb9lTEAHC

- Jeanie Phillips (@JPhillipsVT) June 16, 2018

Another team is building planters to rejuvenate a neglected area of their school. They've chosen a variety of beautiful and sustainable plants to fill them, too.

#ServiceLearning at Leland and Gray in Action: Team Nature is beautifying the school grounds with plant boxes and horticultural care! #vted @innovativeEd @bob_thibault @JohannaLD1 pic.twitter.com/tXjOnBBXO5

- Jeanie Phillips (@JPhillipsVT) June 16, 2018

The murals team are working on five. different. murals.

Another group of Leland & Gray middle school students is busy painting murals to beautify the school grounds and create community #ServiceLearning #vted @bob_thibault @JohannaLD1 @innovativeEd pic.twitter.com/kN5Ta2RW1h

- Jeanie Phillips (@JPhillipsVT) June 16, 2018

And the trail maintenance team is renovating trails around the school: clearing brush, rebuilding a bridge and adding a welcoming arbor.

The 4th #ServiceLearning project that Leland & Gray students are working on: trail maintenance. They are rebuilding a bridge, clearing trail, and more for the entire community to enjoy. #vted @bob_thibault @JohannaLD1 @innovativeEd pic.twitter.com/1LHajWkVhA

- Jeanie Phillips (@JPhillipsVT) June 16, 2018

How did students and teachers prepare for these hands-on projects?

They broke the process down into manageable stages.

For their third big project-based learning unit of the year, Leland & Gray teachers wanted students to "make a difference" in their community. Service learning was the perfect fit, and the K-12 Service Learning Project Planning Toolkit (.pdf)provided a framework for student-led community service.

5 stages of service learning

1. Investigation

In the investigation phase, students explore and analyze their school setting. What problems exist that they might solve or improve? What opportunities exist for building community?

With these questions in mind, they begin to explore solutions.

Leland & Gray teachers scaffolded this learning during advisory, beginning by exploring the very concept of service-learning. Students watched and discussed the video below to better understand the work ahead.

Leland & Gray teachers wanted students to think broadly as they examined the local environment. To this end, they asked the students to unpack some categories and brainstorm some problems, issues, and opportunities that fit into each one. The categories:

Safety

Environment

Beautification

Community spaces

Community-building

School culture

Mapping the community

Finally, students were ready to engage in some community mapping. Each advisory group took a different route as they explored their campus and the surrounding town. As they walked, they gathered ideas - problems, opportunities, and possible solutions - on a graphic organizer.

When they returned to their classrooms they brainstormed an enormous list of potential service-learning projects organized by their categories.

Choosing projects

Inspired by the students at Burke, Leland & Gray teachers consolidated the lists from all advisories into one and asked students to vote on their top choices, using dot-voting. This narrowed them down to a list of four:

1. Creating a new outdoor classroom

2. Painting community-minded murals

3. Beautifying the campus through nature

4. Maintaining and renovating local trails

Students used a Google Form to choose the project they wanted to work on and formed teams.

2. Planning and preparation

The planning and preparation phase asks students to develop an action plan. The Leland & Gray teachers kicked it up a notch by requiring students to write grants for funding. Students wrote out grant proposals (including budgets) and applied for funding from a local non-profit.*

Getting to Why

The teachers wanted students to really think about the purpose of their service, and not just the service itself. They wanted them to outline what they were doing, but also why.

After watching Simon Sinek explain the power of why, teams discussed the relevance of their own work.

Teachers selected readings connected to each project and students used these to explore their whys. Depending on the team, this instructional time took one of two forms:

Common reading

Students read a common reading related to their service-learning project

As they read, they highlight text that answers the question "why?"

The team collects the "whys" on chart paper or sticky notes

The team organizes and prioritizes the "whys" as a group to generate a list

As a team, or in small groups, they rewrite the whys into a short paragraph that explains their purpose

Jigsaw reading

Give small groups within the team different readings

Ask each group to generate 3 "whys" for the project

As a whole group, share "whys" on chart paper or sticky notes

The team organizes and prioritizes the "whys" as a group to generate a list

As a team, or in small groups, they rewrite the whys into a short paragraph that explains their purpose

The results to the "why" question became the purpose statement for the student-authored grant applications.

Here are a few examples of student purpose statements:

We are making an outdoor classroom for our school to have class in. It will allow kids to escape the indoor classroom that we have been in for the entire school year. We want to have the experience of getting taught outside the normal classroom. With the space we found we can use it to learn and experiment in the outdoor area we will build in nature. We want to build an area that is safe welcoming, and inspirational with having fun as it is built and as we learn in it.

The goals of our project is to make a mural outside were people can see it, be inspired by it, and have the mural make them happy. Our goal is so that people can walk by it when they are outside either go to a basketball game, eating lunch or walking around. We also are trying to make it an even more beautiful and a happy learning environment for other students. I think that it will have a positive and happy impact on kids and their growth through art. We hope that it will inspire kids.

Deciding on the What

Specifically, what:

murals would they paint?

would their outdoor classroom look like?

trail maintenance and renovation would they focus on?

plants and trees would they use to beautify their campus?

Some teams used a brief affinity mapping activity to brainstorm ideas, organize them and then make a decision. Other teams did a simpler brainstorm to collect ideas for meeting their purpose and then used dot-voting to determine which idea(s) they would pursue.

The answers to the "what" question not only set the course of action ahead, they also contributed to the grant proposals:

For our service learning project, we are planting flowers and other vegetation to help beautify the school. This will help make a better learning environment for the school and make it more inviting for visitors and the community. People who care for nature will probably care for others. Our project ideas are to make:

There are several aspects to the trail maintenance project. We are revitalizing community trails that have been neglected; giving them new life. We are renovating a dilapidated old bridge that leads to a ropes and exercise course. We are also creating an arbor as an entryway to a trail system. Lastly, we are going to create a laminated storybook series of signs that line a trail near the elementary school.

The "what" was also a crucial step toward figuring out the "how" of the action plan.

Planning the How

Teachers asked teams to consider a range of questions as they further developed their action plan:

Teams jigsawed the work, coming back together to share their results and develop a cohesive plan.

Gathering supplies and materials

Once students received word that their proposals were funded, they began acquiring materials and tools necessary to complete their service projects.

While many materials would be purchased with grant funds, teams got creative about the supplies. The trail maintenance team used Front Porch Forum to collect rakes, shovels, and other tools from kind-hearted town residents. The murals group solicited donations of paint from a nearby hardware store.

3. Implementation

As facilitators, teachers engaged the students in some important considerations: how would they build in time for clean up? What would they do on rainy days? How would they decide which roles students played?

4. Reflection

Teachers also engaged students in lots and lots of reflection! Here are some of the prompts they used:

What was satisfying about today's work? What was challenging?

How did your plan support the work you did today? How might you improve your plan?

If others wanted to do a project like this, what advice would you give them?

What went well? What could be improved?

They also used a variety of strategies to help students reflect deeply:

And now for 5: Celebration.

The last day of school will be extra special for Leland & Gray's middle school students. They will present their service-learning projects to the school and town community: the what and the how, but also the why! Students will take visitors on a tour of the school grounds explaining the purpose of their projects and the learning they did along the way.

They in effect, are gifting their service to a town and community who support them in kind. The circle is closed.

How are your students making a difference in their community?
*Full disclosure: the granting agency mentioned in this story is our organization, The Tarrant Institute. We fund innovative school change projects to qualifying schools around Vermont.

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How to plan a service learning project in 5 stages : Innovation: Education

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Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School, in Townshend, VT, used a popular 5-stage framework in planning their service learning: investigation, preparation, implementation, reflection, and celebration. And they used this framework to improve their school's infrastructure in powerful ways. Outdoor classroom, anyone? One team is building an outdoor classroom.

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Kor har som oftest felles oppvarming for at alle skal synge seg opp både individuelt og sammen. Blant instrumentalensembler er det mer varierende hva starten av øvelsene skal brukes til. Strykere må stemme først, mens blåsere må få varme i instrumentene før de kan stemme. Alle instrumentalister har et behov for både individuell oppvarming og noe samspill for å lytte seg sammen.

Intervju med lærere Ole Ramsøy og Runa Skramstad om koroppvarming.

Som ensembleleder må man ha en bevissthet om hvilke behov ensemblet har til oppvarming og klargjøring når man skal øve sammen. Det bør være en generell del og en del rettet mot utfordringer i repertoaret som skal øves på samme øvelse. Man må planlegge øvelsene ordentlig enten det er et profesjonelt ensemble eller et nybegynnerensemble.

Det kan være en forventning at deltagerne skal møte opp i god tid før øvelsen for å varme opp selv. Ensembler med en profesjonell tilnærming forventer at alle er klare før øvelsen starter. Amatører og ensembler med unge deltagere forventer å få anledning til å klargjøre seg, varme opp sammen når øvelsen starter.

Intervju med lærere Ole Ramsøy og Runa Skramstad om å lede koroppvarming.

I faget instruksjon og ledelse skal man trene på å lede øvelser for oppvarming, klang og intonasjon. Mange har lært øvelser fra egenerfaring i kor og kan bruke dem, men man må tenke litt på hva som er viktig å ha med av type øvelser. Her er det mange valgmuligheter av øvelser og det blir stadig laget nye av dem som jobber med sang og kordirigering.

Her er noen eksempler på koroppvarmingsøvelser fra en time i ensembleledelse ved Sandefjord videregående skole.

Her er et videoklipp fra en koroppvarming med sopraner som sangpedagogen Mona Skatteboe leder.

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Ensembler har ulike tradisjoner og behov i forhold til å varme opp og gjøre seg klare for å spile og/eller synge sammen.

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Unit 2

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Stjernespekket europeisk MTV-show

Sigrid må kappes med blant andre Jorja Smith, Chloe x Halle, Lil Xan, Hayley Kiyoko og Superorganism under søndagens MTV European Music Awards, der hun er nominert i kategorien beste Push Artist. I alt 12 artister er nominert i denne kategorien, som tidligere var kjent som beste gjennombruddsartist i den europeiske MTV-prisutdelingen. Sigrid er også nominert i en av prisens nasjonale kategorier, klassen for beste norske artist , sammen med Astrid S, Kygo, Alan Walker og Tungevaag & Raaban (NTB).

Foto: Petroleum Records / Petroleum Records

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Hadde vi levd under krigen ville vi blitt drept, sier Simon Stranger om familien sin, til programleder Ole Torp. I boken "Leksikon om lys og mørke" skriver forfatteren om hvordan det var å være barn og vokse opp i et hus hvor 80 mennesker ble drept i kjelleren under andre verdenskrig.

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Make Beliefs Comix is a nice service on which students can create their own comics. But there is more to Make Beliefs Comix than just comic creation tools. Make Beliefs Comix offers free ebooks containing many writing prompts for students. Your Life in Comics is the latest ebook released by Make Beliefs Comix. The ebook contains one hundred writing prompts in the form of one-frame comic scenes. Your Life in Comics is a fillable PDF so that students can download it and then write in it.

My one criticism of Your Life in Comics is the subtitle which is "100 Things for Guys to Write and Draw." I realize that the author is probably trying to inspire boys to write, but there isn't any reason that girls can also use the prompts contained within Your Life in Comics.

An Overview of the Make Beliefs Comix platform
Make Beliefs Comix provides students with comic characters and scenes that they can drag and drop into comic frames. Students can publish their work online or download it as PDFs. Watch my video to for a detailed overview of how to use Make Beliefs Comix.

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Your Life in Comics - 100 Writing Prompts from Make Beliefs Comix

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Make Beliefs Comix is a nice service on which students can create their own comics. But there is more to Make Beliefs Comix than just com...

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Scrible is a service that helps students organize their online and offline research findings. That is done through the Scrible's website and Chrome extension. Scrible's Google Docs add-on helps students use their research in their papers.

Scrible's Chrome extension includes tools for highlighting and creating notes any webpage that students view. Those highlights and notes are saved in students' Scrible accounts. Scrible also automatically saves the information about a page that students need to include in the bibliographies of their papers.

Scrible's Google Docs Add-on provides students with access to all the resources that they have saved in their Scrible accounts. From the Add-on students can insert quotes from bookmarked resources. When students insert a quote an inline citation is also added into their documents. Scrible can also format a bibliography for students based upon the citations that they insert into their documents.

Watch the following video for an overview of all of Scrible's features.

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Scrible Helps Students Organize and Use Research

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Scrible is a service that helps students organize their online and offline research findings. That is done through the Scrible's website ...

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The International School of Amsterdam partnered with the Anne Frank House in an educational project to combat prejudice and intolerance
"In a world where discrimination is pervasive, inescapable, and rooted in the entire history of humanity's existence, the next generation must be equipped to take on injustices wherever they may be found," says Rania Khan, a Middle Years Programme (MYP) student at the International School of Amsterdam (ISA), in the Netherlands.

Rania is part of a group of students at the school, who have helped to develop Stories that Move, a free online toolbox for schools, which challenges learners (aged 14-17 years) to think critically about diversity and discrimination.

Created by the Anne Frank House with partners from across Europe, it is available in seven languages and has five learning paths, featuring assignments, information and short films of young people's experiences of discrimination.

ISA was approached to become a project partner by the Anne Frank House in 2015, explains English teacher Shannon Hancock, who is one of the programme leaders. The school was able to offer extensive experience with online learning, a diverse student population (60 nationalities), innovative pedagogical practices, as well as an IB ethos of international-mindedness.

"The aim of the project is to create a framework and space for safe, open dialogue about identity, discrimination, and to inspire students to take positive action in one's local and/or global community," says Hancock.

It fits with the MYP, which encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world and aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning.
Testing the toolbox
Students and teachers at the school have made an important contribution to the project. Hancock piloted the materials online and offline with students, as well as providing input on teaching strategies, content, design of lesson tracks and refining the learning paths. While Michael McGlade, Director of Educational Technology at ISA, has acted as a technical design consultant.

"The grade 8 teaching team also collaborated closely, by trialling the materials in their homerooms and providing feedback to the Stories that Move partners on both the look and feel of the online learning tool," says Hancock.

McGlade and Hancock presented the project at two conferences and helped facilitate the international project launch and teacher workshops in Berlin in July.
Student input
Four students from ISA-Rania (from Bangladesh), Zozi Lencz (from Hungary), Trinabh Banerjee (from the Netherlands) and Leilani Hancock (from the US)-participated in workshops at the Anne Frank House and provided feedback and ideas. They were also asked by the Stories that Move team to present and lead a social media campaign at the international project launch.

The project has made a deep impression on the students. Leilani says: "Through these experiences, I have learned that we all deal with discrimination and intolerance each and every day, granted to varying extents. No one is immune."

Trinabh adds: "I consider myself well-informed. Every day, I read the news stories of people who have faced discrimination, prejudice or racism as a result of a multitude of factors. Despite this, there is only so much information one can receive from a news story. And as I reflected personally, I began to realise the importance of personal stories. It's not every day that someone who has faced discrimination comes up to you and shares their story with you face to face."

The students have been asked to continue as ambassadors for the tool. This autumn, they launched a creativity, activity and service (CAS) club with the goal of creating a larger team of students to develop a series of parent workshops; to reach out to other schools in the Netherlands; to continue to act as speakers for the project at conferences and workshops and to prepare as teacher/student trainers for the tool.

The school has also expanded its use of Stories that Move-it is now being used in grade 10 English as an additional language, grade 7 individuals and societies, and grade 8 homeroom. ISA's grade 9 individuals and societies team plans to use the discrimination learning path section this semester. The Dutch department has also expressed interest in using the online learning tool in the Dutch language.

The toolkit is already garnering praise. It won the prestigious 2018 Comenius EduMedia Medal for excellent teaching materials, and will be presented at the UN headquarters in New York on 2 November 2018, at a conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Kristallnacht 80 years ago.

With antisemitism, racism and discrimination still prevalent today, Stories that Move is even more necessary to combat prejudice and help create tolerance and social cohesion.

As Trinabh, says, "If we cannot value another person for who they are, then we have failed to make society work. We must value each other for who we are, as individuals and as a collective global community."

For more information, see Stories that Move.

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Students and teachers help develop an online toolbox against discrimination

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The International School of Amsterdam partnered with the Anne Frank House in an educational project to combat prejudice and intolerance "In a world where discrimination is pervasive, inescapable, and rooted in the entire history of humanity's existence, the next generation must be equipped to take on injustices wherever they may be found," says Rania Khan, a Middle Years Programme (MYP) student at the International School of Amsterdam (ISA), in the Netherlands.

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Exploring the perspectives of immigrants with students helps them better understand the meaning of citizenship in a democracy.

Today, the foreign-born population of the United States is the highest it has been in more than a century. Nearly a quarter of the U.S. population does not speak English at home. Meanwhile, the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States, long thought to be around 11 million, may be as high as 22 million.

Immigration remains one of the most contentious issues facing America. Social studies teachers, therefore, need to bring the conversation about immigration to our students. One way we can do this is to bring immigrants and new Americans into our classrooms, be it as guest speakers or through the use of testimonials, books, or videos.

Incorporating immigrant voices in the classroom offers two important benefits. First, students consider the American experience from new perspectives. Why is our Constitution different? Why do people risk their lives to come here? Second, it provides a compelling springboard for conversations on difficult questions about who our nation should accept into its ranks as citizens.

A Personal Story

Last year, my friend Ferki, who immigrated to the United States from Kosovo as a 16-year-old refugee, spoke to my class about his experiences.

Ferki, an Albanian Kosovar, watched as the government of Slobodan Milosevic sought to destroy Kosovo's independence movement in the 1990s. As the repression intensified, the country descended into bloodshed. Ferki and his family made the journey to Macedonia, where they settled in a refugee camp before entering the U.S. in 1999 and moving to Erie, Pennsylvania.

Despite initial obstacles, Ferki grew to love the U.S. He and the other refugees from the Balkans began to shed old identities and become Americans.

Ferki emphasized to my students that liberty and pluralism are not natural elements of a society. They must be cultivated and protected. Creating a society in which people and opinions are universally respected, Ferki explained, demands that we talk to one another, meet our neighbors, get involved in our communities, and take an interest in the well-being of our institutions and ideals. Because he had personally witnessed what happens when the rule of law and civil society erode, his words carried extraordinary weight.

Ferki recalled one story my students found particularly chilling. Before the outbreak of the war, administrators at Ferki's school enacted a new policy: students were to make regular visits to a "counselor" who would quiz them on their beliefs, their home life, and their family's politics. Ferki described how his parents meticulously prepared him for these meetings. One slip-up could mean arrest or worse for him and his loved ones. My students expressed astonishment at such a policy, the horrific consequence of a government criminalizing thought and expression.

Personal stories humanize the topic of immigration and open up discourse concerning immigration history, law, and concepts such as economic migration, legal and illegal immigration, and refugee rights. My class talked mainly about the refugee experience.

Though Ferki came to America under the specter of war, he managed to infuse his story with humor. Asked by an American aid worker in the refugee camp where they wanted be relocated, Ferki's family said they would like to live near New York, a city they had seen in the movies. Several months later, Ferki found himself in Erie, only minutes from the border of New York state. "I didn't know there was a New York state!" he explained. Such intimate moments-funny or poignant-drew the kids into the discussion in an engaging way. In the future, I plan to use other personal stories for other types of immigrant experiences.

Personal Narrative As a Springboard for Conversation

Depending on the testimonial or speaker, teachers may focus the classroom conversation on any number of difficult topics. If educators couple firsthand accounts of migration with concerns about border security and undocumented immigration, for instance, students may begin to recognize the challenges lawmakers face in trying to address people's desire for a better life with the mission to uphold existing law.

How should lawmakers balance the safety and well-being of American citizens with our country's ideals and historic role as a place of sanctuary and opportunity for newcomers? How do we decide who gets to come here and how? How should our nation humanely enforce the law on its southern border, while not incentivizing a journey in which many are killed or exploited? What, ultimately, is America's responsibility to its own people, and to the people of the world?

These are tough questions that draw as much upon ethics as political theory.

Though our classes likely will not arrive at answers, hearing from people whose lives have been affected by immigration policy may illustrate how seemingly intractable and morally fraught these questions remain. It helps our students to empathize with the immigrant, as well as the politician who must think with both the head and heart.

Ferki eventually earned his EdD and now serves as president of a community think tank in Erie. His observations about the meaning of citizenship in a democracy resonated with my class, motivating us to discuss many important issues: What makes America different from many other places in the world, and why do millions of people want to live here? What issues in our local community demand attention? And, lastly, how can we get involved, even in small ways, with safeguarding what we most love in our neighborhoods and cities?

While Ferki is only one individual and his experience does not represent the entire complexity of the immigration system, he offered a concrete example of an immigrant who achieved the American dream. His talk made the promise of America come alive for my students.

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Sharing Immigrant Experiences in the Classroom | Edutopia

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Exploring the perspectives of immigrants with students helps them better understand the meaning of citizenship in a democracy.

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Introduction to Media Literacy: Crash Course Media Literacy #1

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Cartoon Worksheet: Technological Breathroughs of History | Gary Goodwin on Patreon

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Official Post from Gary Goodwin: A little cartoon worksheet that I am using with my MYP I&S Class.

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Stories and lessons for growing minds

We are a free multimedia platform for educators and students. Through our immersive storytelling and curricula, we aim to plant seeds of empathy, interconnectedness, and a sacred relationship with our planet. Use our award-winning films, photo essays, and essays to learn about social, cultural, and environmental issues from individuals and communities worldwide. For grades 3-12, our stories and lessons encourage students to broaden their perspectives and worldviews while fostering universal human values and respect for the living world. We aim to bring universal values into the lives of educators and students.

Experience Our Storytelling

Watch this short video to learn more about the stories we tell.

Student Winners and Finalists: The Environment Is in You

In what ways is climate change impacting the place where you live?

In this contest, students documented the fragility, hope, and future of our planet's ecosystem due to climate change. Inspired by four environmental writers-Linda Hogan, Robert Hass, Wendell Berry, and Dara McAnulty-students explored changes to local systems, how the environment shapes our identity, and how our actions and awareness today can impact the future.

View Winners and Finalists

Feature

These five shorts films follows five Native American communities who are restoring their traditional land management practices.

Learn More

Essay

How might stories act as keys allowing us access to challenge, examine, uproot, and illumine our habits and fears?

Learn More

Feature

This feature shares the stories of four Indigenous communities in California who are working to revitalize their languages and cultures in order to pass them on to the next generation.

Learn More

"This film has historic relevancy. I can see myself using it to encourage students to think about the value of the space program and how it speaks to the American Spirit and how we are often looking forward in our progress. This film begs to be used as an exploration of what it means to be a global citizen, how students can learn from people not like themselves, and what actions students can take in their everyday lives to make the world a better place."

Michael Dunn, Director of College Counseling at Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center

Stories Exploring Climate Change

Celebrating Student Artwork: New Student Gallery

Encourage thoughtful and meaningful conversations in the classroom with our student gallery. Use the gallery as a tool to foster curiosity, observation skills, and perspective-taking.

The gallery encourages students to learn from each other's perspectives. How are students witnessing and engaging with the world in new ways since the start of Covid-19? Search by theme, previous Global Oneness Project contests, or from locations around the world. The gallery is accompanied by an image analysis activity, including a Visible Thinking Routine from Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

View Student Gallery

Receive our newsletter to learn about new stories and companion lesson plans.

Who Is Using Our Materials

Our materials provide opportunities for an interdisciplinary approach to learning across disciplines from social sciences and humanities to environmental sciences. Education stakeholders, including K-12 educators, university professors, librarians, tech/media specialists, parents, and students are using our materials in multiple learning environments.

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News to open minds

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The Day is an online daily newspaper for young people. We publish analysis of the news that provides context for debates that explore the deeper currents shaping our world. All resources are created by our own team of journalists to help schools teach critical thinking, real-world knowledge and civic engagement. They are available in five different reading levels for children between the ages of 5 and 18.

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The Day is an online daily newspaper for young people. We publish analysis of the news that provides context for debates that explore the deeper currents shaping our world. All resources are created by our own team of journalists to help schools teach critical thinking, real-world knowledge and civic engagement.

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Big History Project

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Big History examines our past, explains our present, and imagines our future. It's a story about us. An idea that arose from a desire to go beyond specialized and self-contained fields of study to grasp history as a whole. This growing, multi-disciplinary approach is focused on high school students, yet designed for anyone seeking answers to the big questions about the history of our Universe.

The Big History Project is a joint effort between teachers, scholars, scientists, and their supporters to bring a multi-disciplinary approach to knowledge to lifelong learners around the world.

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Big History examines our past, explains our present, and imagines our future. It's a story about us. An idea that arose from a desire to go beyond specialized and self-contained fields of study to grasp history as a whole.

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With UN Sustainable developmentgoals

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IB Educator, Learner, Workshop leader, Conference presenter, Educational graphic designer Write to share and reflect!

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Teaching as Inquiry and Learning Inquiry

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Teaching as Inquiry and Learning Inquiry

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Teaching as Inquiry and Learning Inquiry

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MYP is a learner-centered and inquiry-based education. It is a paradigm shift for some educators who are new to the MYP. Before teachers can effectively implement inquiry-based teaching, we must...

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10. desember er det 70 år siden verdenserklæringen om menneskerettigheter ble vedtatt og NIM har utviklet et undervisningsopplegg om hvordan de internasjonale menneskerettighetene ble til og hvordan de fungerer.

Undervisningsopplegget er tilpasset elever på 10.trinn og elever i videregående skole og kan gjennomføres på 60 minutter. Læreren kan benytte seg av en PowerPoint-presentasjon med et tilhørende manus, en kort animasjonsfilm, diskusjonsoppgaver i ulike vanskelighetsgrader og en kahoot man kan gjennomføre med elevene i klasserommet.

Undervisningsopplegget skal bidra til en bedre forståelse av historiske perspektiver og nåtidens menneskerettighetsutfordringer.

Ta gjerne kontakt hvis du har spørsmål om undervisningsopplegget.

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NIM lanserer undervisningsopplegg om menneskerettigheter - NIM

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10. desember er det 70 år siden verdenserklæringen om menneskerettigheter ble vedtatt og NIM har utviklet et undervisningsopplegg om hvordan de internasjonale menneskerettighetene ble til og hvordan de fungerer. Undervisningsopplegget er tilpasset elever på 10.trinn og elever i videregående skole og kan gjennomføres på 60 minutter.

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Developing ATL skills through the Inquiry Cycle

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Developing ATL skills through the Inquiry Cycle

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The MYP is populated with cycles. Most prominent in From Principles into Practice (2014) is the inquiry cycle on page 10, consisting of three phases, Inquiry, Action, and Reflection. These stages are linked through arrows to show that the cycle is not sequential, but follows the individual learner's active engagement in thinking (inquiry), doing (action) and critical cognition (reflection).

As student progress through the MYP, they meet a number of many other cycles. The Projects Cycle in both Personal Projects and Community Projects shows the culmination of students' learning through cyclical and iterative inquiry-based approaches in MYP.

The Projects Cycle shows the process, which students follow as they approach the independent inquiry through the Personal Project in Year 5 and the Community Project in Year 3 or 4.

Leading up to the Community Projects in Year 3 or 4 and the Personal Projects in Year 5 are cycles, which each subject area in MYP approaches in a subject-specific conceptual frame.
The Design Cycle in the Design subject
The Design Cycle shows the cyclical, iterative nature of design, with arrows between and across the phases of design.

Investigating and Planning are directly linked to Inquiry in the general inquiry cycle of the MYP. Taking Action is the Action phase of the inquiry cycle; whereas Reflection remains the same for both the Design Cycle and the MYP Inquiry Cycle.
Experimental Cycle in Sciences
The Experimental Cycle in the Sciences subject shows the cyclical, iterative inquiry characterizing investigation in Sciences. Through the Experimental Cycle, students see the criteria for successful approaches to scientific inquiry.

These cycles describing inquiry in the MYP give us a possible approach to learning in the MYP. Through cyclical, iterative inquiry, students experience a coherent approach to critical thinking, principled action, and critical awareness and cognition present in reflective practices.

Recently, I came across Stephen Taylor's interpretation of the experimental cycle. With his permission, I made a copy of the template that he created using Google Draw.

With the idea that students may approach learning in MYP through cyclical, iterative inquiry, I played with the template and co-constructed a MYP Research Cycle with Kelsey Hedrick, MYP-DP Librarian at my school. What we came up with is an initial draft of a research cycle, which shows the inquiry cycle students use as they engage in research based inquiry.
The Potential for ATL skills Development through Iterative Inquiry
Using the inquiry cycle as the framework for Approaches to Learning in the MYP has enormous potential. At the moment, teachers at my school are co-constructing cycles, which has subject-specific significance, such as the Individuals and Societies investigation cycle, similar to both the Research Cycle and the Design Cycle because of its action planning approach; and the Language and Literature inquiry cycle.

As students journey through their experiences in the MYP, each might potentially appreciate and gain mastery of the cyclical, iterative nature of inquiry through the coherent interpretation of the cycles inherent in the process-driven approaches to learning in MYP subjects. The potential for transfer of understanding, a significant element of the growth mindset embedded in the inquiry cycle, is something that MYP communities might consider and engage in their co-construction of a viable MYP.

Please join us in the conversation! What are your thoughts on the potential for ATL skills development through iterative inquiry?

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Developing ATL skills through the inquiry cycle in MYP

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The MYP is populated with cycles. Most prominent in From Principles into Practice (2014) is the inquiry cycle on page 10, consisting of three phases, Inquiry, Action, and Reflection. These stages are linked through arrows to show that the cycle is not sequential, but follows the individual learner's active engagement in thinking (inquiry), doing (action)...

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This newspaper, published in Paris, serves as a national newspaper for all of France. Occupying a role of social importance similar to that of The New York Times in American culture, the paper is looked to by many for the definitive word on current issues. Le Monde, which means 'The World,' features French and international news. It's only available in French, but you can find translations of many Le Monde articles around the Web.

This German newspaper, whose title also translates into 'The World,' features news from around the globe as well as national sporting, economic and political news. Established by the Allied Forces following World War II, Die Welt has now been published for more than 60 years. This newspaper is primarily in German, but its international section includes articles in English.

Published in Rome, La Repubblica boasts a circulation of more than half a million. The newspaper is among Italy's most popular and is very influential in national politics. There is also coverage of fashion, literature and other areas of culture. This newspaper is primarily available in Italian.

Agriculture

Architecture

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Business

Communications and Journalism

Computer Sciences

Culinary Arts and Personal Services

Education

Engineering

Legal

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Asahi Shimbun is one of the most widely circulated newspapers in Japan. Headquartered in Tokyo, the 'Morning Sun Newspaper,' as it is translated, is a source of information on domestic affairs. Partnerships with other news organizations also allow the paper to feature in-depth global news. Visit the link above for the English language version.

This newspaper reports on all of the goings on down under. Among the most popular sources of news in Australia, The Herald Sun features information not only from Melbourne (where it is published), but also the state of Victoria and the greater nation. From politics to entertainment to sports and business, this paper has it covered.

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world watch: 10 free online international newspapers

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World Watch: 10 Free Online International Newspapers

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This newspaper, published in Paris, serves as a national newspaper for all of France. Occupying a role of social importance similar to that of The New York Times in American culture, the paper is looked to by many for the definitive word on current issues.

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Five years ago I was starting to become concerned with the difference between marking and feedback. What was making a difference to my students' learning and was the effort I was putting into detailed marking worth it in terms of their improvement? In reading Hattie's Visible Learning for Teachers, Wiliam's Embedded Formative Assessment and the pdf of The Power of Feedback (Hattie & Timperley), I developed a four-levels feedback template for use on student work.

This post is to share an updated version - I still really like this method of giving timely, actionable, goal-focused and student-owned feedback. It definitely saves me time, but puts the focus of feedback on what's most important for the student to take the next step. I'll keep updating, editing and adding to this post.

When giving feedback on a piece of work, I paste this at the top of the student's assignment, give some comments in the work and check their self-assessed rubric. Before we open individual feedback, I summarise whole-class feedback.

A copyable GoogleDoc version of the grid (and teacher explanation) is here, and to export it as pdf, click here.

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Why present feedback this way?

Feedback addresses three questions:

Feedback is timely, actionable and needs to be more work for the learner than the teacher.

Clarity of achievement so far: goal-referenced, tangible & transparent.

Understanding " the gap" between where the learner is and where they need to go next (not necessarily the top bands)

Timely. Using a system like this saves time in grading/giving feedback, makes it more accessible to digest (is user-friendly) and can be easily reviewed for the next time the student works towards similar goals.

Feedback first, then grades. Not presented together, to enforce student reflection & action.

Making The Four Levels Work

1. Goals and outcomes need to be clear - do students & teachers have a shared understanding of what success looks like at different levels of achievement?

2. Feedback needs to be ongoing. Students are taught to self-assess in the drafting stages and feedback (not grading) given on the drafts with plenty of time to take action before submission.

3. Students self-assess before submission. Even better - they can peer-assess and give feedback. If tasks are differentiated, this does not present a collusion challenge.

4. Teacher gives feedback in the grid, on the front page of the work (or in an accessible place):

1. Check the student's self-assessment against descriptors

2. Check the assignment, making comments only on actionable next steps - not an overwhelming number, as this can increase the perceived "gap" for students. Students who want and will take action on very detailed marking can request this in follow-up.

3. Summarize feedback in the grid: task-level, process level and self-regulation level.

4. Link to support resources where appropriate

5. Teacher places value on interaction with feedback by giving class time to digest & reflect

1. Give "whole class" feedback on common issues and note needs for later workshops

2. Students read their feedback: table and comments.

3. Students synthesise this into a "feed-forwards" note to self . Showing this to the teacher and a shared agreement on the next steps releases the grade, not before.

6. Next time the task type is attempted, the first thing students do is open the feedback and set achievable, specific goals to "level up" based on the feedback & feed forwards.

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Reflections in Practice

I worried initially that the pushback from students would be that I wasn't grading enough. This didn't happen for a couple of reasons:

1. We made explicit the reason for doing this and I keep no secrets about the "magic" of learning from students. I explain and demonstrate what works in learning and why we do things this way.

2. Most students like seeing the next steps really clearly. We're not all aiming for top levels right away - we're aiming for progress upwards.

3. We talk about "the gap" a lot, and our quest to close the gap in prep.

4. I already know what the grades are likely to be, as we invest time in class for drafting, feedback and conferencing. I expect students to show their work and take action on feedback.

5. I will happily take a piece of work back and sit with a student, giving really detailed marking and justification if they request it. This rarely happens and it is usually one or two who are working at the very top of the rubric. This is far more efficient and effective doing acres of marking for large classes, the bulk of which won't have an impact.

References

Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. (2007) The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research . Vol. 77 no 1 (pp 81-112). https://www.jstor.org/stable/4624888 (includes diagram above)

Wiggins, G. (2012) (and related: EL Takeaways Poster Seven Keys to Effective Feedback. Educational Leadership Magazine . Vol. 70 no. 1. (pp 10-16). www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/Seven-Keys-to-Effective-Feedback.aspx http://inservice.ascd.org/seven-things-to-remember-about-feedback )

Dylan Wiliam Centre: Ten Feedback Techniques That Make Students Think (poster). https://www.dylanwiliamcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/10-Feedback-Techniques.pdf

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More Resources on Feedback & Grading

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Making Feedback Visible: Four Levels in Action

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Five years ago I was starting to become concerned with the difference between marking and feedback. What was making a difference to my students' learning and was the effort I was putting into detailed marking worth it in terms of their improvement? In reading Hattie's Visible Learning for Teachers, Wiliam's Embedded Formative Assessment and the pdf...

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Two teachers reflect on the role that visual and performance arts play in an IB education
At the opening ceremony of IB Global Conference in October, students from Amadeus International School, Vienna, Austria, sang in front of a packed auditorium of over 2,000 educators. As well as entertaining the audience, the performance offered an active and meaningful learning process for the primary and secondary students involved.

Lidia Campanale, Primary Years Programme (PYP) Music Teacher and Choir Director at the school, believes that that the way we teach arts subjects -music, visual arts, dance and drama-must become "a manifesto of student agency".

She says: "With music and art, students are exposed to multisensory stimuli that have the purpose of provoking them into developing a sense of curiosity and hunger for knowledge. This is the beginning of the music and arts inquiry cycle."

The conference performance pieces included an Andalusian/Arabic piece, representing inclusion and peace between nations; a traditional piece from Styria in Austria; and a modern vocal piece to send a message of living our lives to the fullest. Campanale explains that, "students chose with teachers which repertoire to submit for the conference following criteria that we set together as a group. Students analysed and linked musical features and elements of the traditional pieces we performed to other musical works they were studying in class.

"They shared the lead during rehearsals by conducting the others and making artistic choices on how to interpret the repertoire. Primary and secondary students were active in all the processes. Some of our students recorded themselves to support the group with the Arabic and German pronunciation. They contributed by sharing stories and meanings that were part of their life experiences and were linked to the context of the songs. They were also active in the arrangement we created for the modern vocal piece," explains Campanale.
Encouraging student agency
The conference performance is just one example of how inquiring into the arts can help students develop agency, skills and international-mindedness.

"In order to make this learning journey meaningful, driven by students' interests and often initiated by students, teachers need to go through a selective process of resources that must involve authentic and traditional works of arts," believes Campanale.

"Through the arts, students have direct hands-on experience with the enormous hidden treasure behind cultural heritage, and by using that coded narrative, sounds, images and symbols they are able to hear, play, draw, analyse, review and recreate concepts that are at the base of those artworks and masterpieces," says Campanale.

She believes students should be invited every day to respond to stimuli; explore and inquire into the key concepts behind activities; share and create together, perform using different mediums and share responsibilities for the artistic outcome; and most importantly think and reflect on the process.

Nadee Dissanayake is a PYP art specialist teacher, who also teaches visual art to Middle Years Programme (MYP) students at Amadeus International School. She says: "The arts provide a range of mediums for students to express themselves in creative ways and to develop a critical appreciation of their own works and those of others. The arts help to construct, reinforce, challenge and transform social, cultural, political and religious values."

"By interpreting and performing works of art, we help preserve the values and the truths that our societies hold and we equip our students with the soft skills they will need to become global citizens of the future," says Campanale.
Fostering international-mindedness
Visual art, dance and music can be used to link local and global issues as well as deepen understanding of cultures and international-mindedness. "In the arts, one needs to enable students to look beyond artists and performers of the Western world and look at the transformation of art within Asia, Latin America and Africa," says Dissanayake.

IB learner profile attributes are also stimulated. For example, in visual art lessons, students can become knowledgeable, reflective and thinkers when exploring how the materials they are using may be environmentally friendly or sustainable, or when they learn the many ways to communicate through the arts.

"By performing and evoking real and authentic expressions of world cultures, arts classrooms change into micro communities that share responsibilities for the artistic process and encourage the natural development of the learner profile attributes," says Campanale.

"Today more than ever, students must know and understand the power and the beauty of diversity in cultures, and the arts have the fundamental role in giving them this learning opportunity. Through the IB, students should be driven by the value and the importance of the arts as a vehicle to understand who we are, how societies have changed in place and time, how we can express and organize ourselves, how the world works, and our role and responsibilities in sharing the planet."
A fusion of the arts
The future is in new types of practices such as voice choreography, painted singing, intelligent and virtual choirs, explains Campanale. The intelligent choir is a concept of training choir conductors to inspire choristers to share responsibility for the musical process and enhance reflection, creativity and interaction.

"The joy of expressing the self through the arts is in the doing, and the meaning is revealed through the thinking. To be able to preserve our humanity and avoid contemporary angst and alienation, we need to stop teaching subjects practising the deliberate isolation of the heart from the mind and body, and the separation of music from poetry and from movement and begin to combine them."

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What we can learn from inquiring into the arts

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Two teachers reflect on the role that visual and performance arts play in an IB education At the opening ceremony of IB Global Conference in October, students from Amadeus International School, Vienna, Austria, sang in front of a packed auditorium of over 2,000 educators.

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In MYP1, The students in class that speak another language at home, found news in that language and presented it to the class. They read parts of it for the rest of the class to hear what the language sounded like, and then summarised it for them in Norwegian. Then we placed it on the map, and the student taught the other students a couple of words connected to the article in their language.

In MYP1 we had Russian, Latvian, Polish, Swedish, French and

The other students found news from around the world but in English or Norwegian.

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News of the world in your mother tongue.JPG

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Literacy in Science class

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There are a variety of ways to incorporate literacy strategies in science education without sacrificing content.

©iStock/Nadzeya_Dzivakova

Written and spoken language play a significant role in all classes. But if you're trained as a science teacher, how do you support literacy development without losing content time for science?

Rethink Literacy

Asking students to think critically while reading science reports, news and pop science, graphs, and documentaries;

Challenging students to connect multiple sources of media, analyze a source's potential bias, or identify an unreliable source; and

Asking students to write or speak about science findings from a review of research or their own experiments with an audience in mind.

Good news: You already teach literacy. Science teachers offer students many opportunities to improve their literacy skills, including:

Components of literacy are already present in the science classroom. The key is to mindfully support the levels of reading, writing, and speaking skills your students possess, while focusing on content.

Embed Supports

A key method to support skill development without taking away content time is to embed supports.

When you're in direct instruction, acknowledge your strategies. Model reading a science text by thinking aloud with your questions about the text, making connections, or summarizing as you read.

Include multiple types of sources: Students can be given a chance to discuss a chart or watch a short video to set some baseline understanding before tackling a text on the same topic. Be sure to ask students to connect the different mediums-you may be surprised at how many of them initially see the pieces of information as unrelated.

Embed writing supports: Provide opportunities for students to write parts of their notes in their own words, with structure. For example, ask students to summarize a main idea as part of their notes for the day. For students who need more support, create a sentence frame and word bank. Mentor texts are another great way to clarify expectations and demonstrate strong writing; choose a former student's work to share with the class and ask students to identify what is right about the response.

Original prompt: Describe the process of photosynthesis as it relates to glucose production. Explain how plants and other living organisms depend on one another.

Annotated version: Describe the process of 1) photosynthesis as it relates to 2) glucose production. Explain how plants and other living organisms 3) depend on one another.

Annotate the prompt: Science prompts are often multifaceted, and scoring depends on students' responding to each component of the question. Students who miss points often know the materials but have difficulty processing the entire question. Students can learn to identify each part of a prompt and use each identified requirement as a section in their writing. Here's an example:

Readers Below Grade Level

Some students can discuss the science topics but struggle to access any material they have to read. There are several ways to address these below-grade-level readers' needs.

Engineer a text: Take a grade level piece of text and center it on a page. Create a column to the left where you pull out and define key vocabulary, and one on the right where you ask questions of the reader. These questions can be tailored for many levels of readers, ranging from supportive, fact-based questions (helping students read to find out the key facts) to application and extension questions for your readers above grade level. The result is differentiated instruction for your students.

Use technology to expose students to texts: Even if a student is unable to independently read a text, they can develop grade-level literacy skills by interacting with vocabulary, sentence structures, and content of higher-level texts through technology. Several devices have the option to enable text-to-speech functions, which have the device read the text out loud. Speech-to-text functions allow students to speak what they want to have typed. This function requires some practice-don't ask the student to use it for the first time on an assessment.

The Immersive Reader program from Microsoft also reads texts to students. It includes other enhancements, like syllable recognition and the ability to highlight as you read. It even has parts-of-speech recognition to support writing.

Two more benefits for science teachers in promoting literacy: As my students improved their engagement with the literacy inherent to science class, I noticed an increase in engagement with the content and a decrease in disruptions.

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Supporting Literacy in the Science Classroom

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There are a variety of ways to incorporate literacy strategies in science education without sacrificing content.

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What is concept based learning? How is concept based learning the same as what we are already doing? How is concept based learning different from what we are already doing? IB -MYP Key Concepts January 19, 2015 Welcome to the day! Today we hope to introduce you to: IB Key

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Subscribers: I will be moving to a new YouTube account soon! The original videos will continue to be available here, but please keep a look out for:"IMYP Mango Tree" for more resources. IB MYP in 3 minutes or less! The MYP is a conceptually-driven curriculum framework.

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Creating a conceptual understanding statement

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Creating a conceptual understanding statement

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Subscribers: I will be moving to a new YouTube account soon! The original videos will continue to be available here, but please keep a look out for:"IMYP Mango Tree" for more resources. IB MYP in 3 minutes or less!

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Sound effects from BBC

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Historical Norwegian sources from Arkivverket

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Under finner du fritt tilgjengelig kildemateriale som kan brukes i undervisningen eller i forbindelse med en skoleoppgave. Ikke glem å merke kildene du bruker med hvilket arkiv de tilhører.

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https://www.edutopia.org/blog/authentic-activities-world-language-classroom-sarah-loyola

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Process journal

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The process journal (PJ) is a written record of the development of your artwork as well as your own development as an artist. It is the record of your work in the visual arts and performing arts. It helps you to track your development as a student of the Arts, and provides evidence of your investigations, creations and reflections.

What is the purpose of my Process Journal?

The purpose of the PJ is to encourage experimentation and critical thinking. As the visual arts and performing arts are very practical subjects, it is important to find a way to record not only finished creations, but also your thoughts and processes and your research as you work, and your reflections afterwards.

Throughout the five years of the MYP programme you should use the PJ as a personal record of your ideas and individual development through the creative process. The PJ should demonstrate evidence of process, product, evaluation, awareness of the areas of interaction and other interdisciplinary activities.

This allows you to reflect on your progress and your teacher to see how you are progressing. It helps your teachers to grade you more accurately as it allows them to see your thought processes.

This book is about your "development" as an Arts student. You need to ensure that the work in your PJ displays how you have developed ideas and understanding of the Arts, and also your development from the start of each creative process to the completed art work.

What sort of things will I put in my Process Journal?

Your teacher will guide you as to what goes into the PJ, but most work you generate will be stored there. As you journey through the creative cycle in the Arts you will be collecting and selecting useful evidence and thoughts of the stages of investigation, planning, creation and evaluation that accompany any piece of finished artwork. Therefore, the kind of material and resources that you can include in the PJ will vary enormously depending on the subject, the nature of the task, its focus and your own personal preferences, interpretations and style.

Anything that shows the work you have been doing in the Arts, should be included. If it is too big to fit into your file or notebook, then you can photograph it or save it onto disk and store it that way (the disk gets filed in your DW). The DW is not a scrap book, however, it has to contain meaningful items, which you can talk about to other people and use as examples of your work and progress.

Your PJ is intended to show your creativity. Although your teachers will guide you as to what goes into your PJ, it is your responsibility to keep up to date with it and make it interesting. You should use some of the skills you learn from "Approaches to Learning" to keep your book organized, up to date, tidy, well presented, understandable, legible and appealing.

Am I graded on my Process Journal?

Your teacher will tell you which aspects of a project will receive a grade. It is unlikely that you will be given a grade for the PJ in its entirety, but appropriate use and management of the PJ will contribute to developing high-quality and successful products in the Arts. The organization of your ideas and resources, the presentation of your work and your reflections and evaluations are crucial aspects of your development as an artist and are a vital expression of your command of approaches to learning skills.

The Approaches to Learning Skills in the Arts
Participation Reflection Group Work
My Process Journal and the Creative Process

The creative cycle is a dynamic, ongoing process of sensing, planning and evaluation art, and one in which all the senses can be involved. The cycle is driven by the creative energy of all participants; and by communication, interaction and reflection which informs outcomes.
Every time you create a new artwork you follow a similar process. This "creative process" has broad headings for each type of activity you do. In understanding the creative process you will be able to add greater focus to your work. So, if we look at the above process we can put each of the activities under four headings, or phases: Investigate Plan Create Evaluate
MYP Arts places an emphasis on all phases of this cycle, not just on the creating phase. It requires students to develop a range of skills which will be shown through both the development of their art and their artistic outcomes. Effective use of the creative cycle can develop the artistic and the individual in the student.

How does each of the subjects use the Process journal?

In the PJ is a record of the creative processes experienced and techniques applied in rehearsing and producing music compositions/ performances.

In the Visual Arts the PJ will become a journal of creativity to be used continuously to record your, knowledge and understanding of units, ideas and experiments and thorough visual and written investigations. Best effort, originality, application of knowledge and progressive reflection contribute the overall success of your DW

In the PJ is generally used as a journal. In it you will: note down any inquiry you do, plan performances, reflect after every lesson/rehearsal, record finished performances.

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Using the Process journal in the Arts - Approaches to Learning

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The process journal (PJ) is a written record of the development of your artwork as well as your own development as an artist. It is the record of your work in the visual arts and performing arts. It helps you to track your development as a student of the Arts, and provides evidence of your investigations, creations and reflections.

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Children achieve more at school when their parents are involved in their education, according to numerous studies. And research has indicated that great schools have effective partnerships with parents.

So how do schools foster a strong and positive relationship with parents? Regular parent-teacher progress evenings, meetings, newsletters and parent associations are commonplace, but many schools are going further by encouraging parents to come into the classroom or contribute to action and service learning projects.

These interactions create a positive relationship between school and home. While it is important to acknowledge that not all mums and dads have the time (or confidence) to participate, schools that tap into parents' wide-ranging knowledge and experiences can enhance learning.

Three IB World Schools share how they collaborate with parents successfully.
Experiential learning and class parents
Shu Ren International School, California, USA, encourages parents to be involved in their children's Primary Years Programme (PYP) through experiential learning such as field trips and special speakers.

Each classroom has a class parent who supports the teacher by sending out the year's programme of inquiry, and parents are asked to submit ideas, make connections and volunteer.

"We recognize that parents are integral to the student learning experience. We need our children to see our parents as part of their learning journey-not as passive members, but engaged and active learners themselves. When parents are present, when they know the unit of inquiry central idea and lines of inquiries, it provides an increasingly genuine learning experience for each student and a benefit to the community as a whole," says Maria English, Director of Admissions and Communications at Shue Ren International School. "Through our experiential learning, parents now have a shared experience with their child-a lasting impression for a child that their parents are invested in their learning journey.

"Each of our PYP units are supplemented with at least two experiences, usually one in the classroom and one outside. The parents are key to planning these experiences that link to our central idea and lines of inquiry. We rely on their local knowledge to provide the connections to gain unique experiences in our community and/or bring in a speaker or workshop that aligns with the unit. Many of our parents end up being the special speaker, sharing their profession and/or passion through interactive workshops or presentations," explains English.

For the unit inquiring into on creative expression, for example, Jeff Neugebauer, an artist and parent, did a two-part painting workshop with the students exploring freedom of creative expression.

To support a unit inquiring into play in Pre-K3, parents were asked to come into school to share childhood games such as Duck Duck Goose.

"Shu Ren's experiential learning activities encourage all of the parents to be involved in the units of inquiry. Because every parent wants that real world connection for their children, they are motivated to provide the information or connection to some type of experiential learning," says English.

The system of volunteer class parents enables this to happen. Doris Kang, a Grade 4/5 class parent at the school, says: "I help the teachers research and coordinate all the field trips, workshops and special guest speakers, which make up the experiential learning element at Shu Ren. Staying involved by helping the teachers to organize and plan the experiential learning activities has helped me be actively engaged with my daughter's education and learning. I also help all of the other parents in the classroom stay involved by organizing sign-up lists for field trip chaperones and coordinating classroom parties and projects that need parental help and input."
Parents as peers
At Angels International College, Faisalabad, Pakistan, PYP parents are encouraged to 'role play' being peers (students) for project-based activities with their children.

"As parents are important stakeholders of collaborative learning, we try to organize frequent sessions inviting them. For example, they acted as peers to collaborate with their children to make robots using recycled materials. The learners explained the purpose of the activity to their parents," says Professor Sabahat K Tatari, Rector at the college.

Tatari says: "Learners feel proud and motivated demonstrating their understanding to parents and confidence levels increased among students".

Parents, meanwhile gain know-how about teaching/learning strategies and it enhances their familiarity with the IB philosophy."

The school also asks parent volunteers to be storytellers, or to deliver talks or share relevant experiences.
Providing service learning opportunities
Ascend International School, Mumbai, India, invites parents to be part of service learning initiatives. This also ties in with its language programme, which teaches the host country language Hindi, as well as encouraging students to use the language to reach out to communities that require support.

"Ascend's parent community has helped us in offering our students meaningful service learning opportunities by connecting us to non-profit organizations, or involving students in philanthropy work they have undertaken," says Varsha Agarwal-Rodewald, the school's IB PYP Coordinator and Language Programme Coordinator.

For example, one Middle Years Programme (MYP) parent, who runs an NGO called Aangan, invited students to be on the youth jury of an event called 'sign up for safety', where youth from underprivileged communities in Mumbai were pitching for funds to make their environment safe.

"These opportunities have not only shown our students the breadth of work that needs to be done to uplift and address social conditions of their fellow youth, but also the power of how a local language can connect you to the wider world outside and understand the nature of support required. Simultaneously, by communicating and connecting with the youth in their extended community, our students have also realized they have so much to learn from this exchange of dialogue."

Agarwal-Rodewald concludes: "As an IB World School, it matters to us how we involve our parents meaningfully to provide students with an authentic environment so they can experience how their learning can be applied in the real world and make a difference to our extended community."

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Children achieve more at school when their parents are involved in their education, according to numerous studies. And research has indicated that great schools have effective partnerships with parents. So how do schools foster a strong and positive relationship with parents?

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Engasjerende naturfag

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Siden høsten 2018 har vi lagt ut fire innlegg i vår serie "Naturfag på ekte". Her har vi vist konkrete eksempler på hvordan vi kan involvere elevene i mange ulike opplevelser som ofte kommer naturen, samfunnet og lokalbedrifter til gode.
Det er nemlig slik at elever ofte arbeider med oppgaver eller gjøremål som de ikke kan se direkte nytte av. Derfor sliter noen med å oppleve at faget er relevant for dem. I tillegg kan det av og til virke som om oppgavene er konstruert bare for at elevene skal ha noe å holde på med, og mange elever strever med å se noen mening i dette.

Arbeidsmåten Naturfag på ekte tillater elever å engasjere seg i en reell og viktig problemstilling i lokalsamfunnet. Det elevene gjør har en "ekte" effekt, og læreren trenger ikke å argumentere for relevansen for faget når elevene opplever at de faktisk bidrar til å forbedre nærmiljøet. Samtidig er fokuset på kompetansemål i faget.
Her finner du lenker til alle de fire innleggene i denne serien:

Øvelse gjør mester!

Det tar bestandig litt ekstra tid å utvikle opplegg som dette. En lærer kan ikke gjøre slikt arbeid alene uten at skolen involveres og støtter opp. Positive erfaringer kan uansett gi inspirasjon til å forbedre opplegget for neste kull elever. Ting blir ikke nødvendigvis perfekt i første runde. Også her er det slik at øvelse gjør mester. Og kanskje kan flere lærere kan samarbeide? Og ikke minst - se etter muligheter for din egen klasse eller skole. Det vi har vist i denne serien er jo bare fire eksempler på hvordan vi kan gi elevene "ekte" opplevelser i naturfag - som et alternativ, eller supplement, til mer tradisjonell teoriundervisning.

Gevinsten er engasjerte elever, som får en opplevelse de vil huske - en opplevelse som kanskje endrer deres forhold til naturfag eller realfag. Slik det ofte er når vi får "naturfag på ekte".

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Siden høsten 2018 har vi lagt ut fire innlegg i vår serie "Naturfag på ekte". Her har vi vist konkrete eksempler på hvordan vi kan involvere elevene i mange ulike opplevelser som ofte kommer naturen, samfunnet og lokalbedrifter til gode. Det er nemlig slik at elever ofte arbeider med oppgaver eller gjøremål som de ikke kan se direkte nytte av.

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Just last week grade 9 (MYPPHE4) students at the International School of Düsseldorf finished their "Netgames" unit. This actually is a nickname given to the unit as it shows what physical activity is happening and what equipment/learning space is needed. The concept however, overarches the content.

As we use the MYP framework we make use of a so-called Statement of Inquiry. The SoI for this unit was:
Through the act of repeating a process, I am able to improve my skills and become a better player. "Perfect practice makes perfect"
Together with my colleague Rachel Smeding, we have been working on developing and refining this unit for the past three years. Every year we get closer and closer to perfection. Three years ago this unit was quite skill progression based with the teacher giving direction to the students about skills that needed improved. Over the years we have loosened this up to allow for more voice and choice for our students. We didn't want to throw our students off the deep-end without giving them some guidance and practice. To allow for some sense of direction we created a Google Slides presentation, which the students used as a learning and/or progress journal. Through collecting video evidence during class, students were able to analyse their current skills and to set goals which they wished to achieve at the end of the unit. Once the students understood their current situation and their final destination we asked them to built a bridge between current skills and future skills through the means of research and practice.

Unless specifically asked for feedback on their movement repertoire we did not give students advice on how to improve the movements. We did share our perspective as to how they could coach themselves using recordings of their skills. We rather asked questions then giving them answers. Questions our students might have heard were:
What is your learning goal? Are you moving towards your goal or are you just moving through time? How do you know you have learned something? What is your deliberate practice? What assistance do you require to move your learning forward? How do you know you have mastered the skill? When are you ready to increase the level of difficulty? How can you make your practice more.... intense/efficient? What materials do you need for your drills? Can you explain to me how you are performing your skill?
Some students went full out on the research and gathered lots of information to improve the quality of their techniques and game sense. Others needed some more assistance as the freedom of time-management seemed to sometimes pull students into the "just play mode".

For us, the teachers, we recognized that our next step in refining this unit should be on introducing the unit with some more directive instructions. Making sure that the framework is robust and strong. Allowing the students to experience examples of deliberate practice and teach them how to navigate through the landscape of drills and practice.
Further reading:
Kaplan, Elle. "How to Learn and Master Any Skill Twice as Fast, According to Science." The Mission, Mission.org, 2 Sept. 2016, medium.com/the-mission/how-to-master-any-skill-at-turbo-speed-through-the-secret-of-interleaving-3ac4b9a8166a.

Wilkinson, David. "At What Point Can You Say You Have Learned Something?" The Oxford Review, The Oxford Review, 5 Aug. 2017, www.oxford-review.com/have-learned/.

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Just last week grade 9 (MYPPHE4) students at the International School of Düsseldorf finished their "Netgames" unit. This actually is a nickname given to the unit as it shows what physical activity is happening and what equipment/learning space is needed. The concept however, overarches the content…

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Historical children's books

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FNs bærekraftmål

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Den siste milliarden: Å utrydde fattigdom

Når du skal undervise i FNs bærekraftsmål må du først forklare for elevene hva bærekraftsmålene er, hva de prøver å oppnå og når det skal være gjort.

Kort fortalt kan man si at det er verdens felles arbeidsplan for å utrydde fattigdom, bekjempe ulikhet og stoppe klimaendringene innen 2030. Det er til sammen 17 mål. Les mer om bakgrunnen til FNs bærekraftsmål her . Jeg kommer til å skrive ett innlegg for hvert mål i løpet av våren. Følg med!

På de nye læreplanene som kommer i 2020 er bærekraftig utvikling ett av tre tverrfaglig temaer. FNs bærekraftsmål og bærekraftig utvikling som tverrfaglig tema i skole er to forskjellige ting. Men det noen likheter også. Bærekraftsmålene skal ses i sammenheng med hverandre og alle er like viktige. På samme måte skal bærekraftig utvikling finnes igjen i kompetansemål i alle fag. Dessuten er oppleggene som springer ut fra bærekraftsmålene gode verktøy du kan ta i bruk allerede i dag. Bærekraftig utvikling som tverrfaglig tema gir skolen muligheter til å utvikle handlingskompetanse for bærekraftige valg.

Absolutt fattigdom innebærer at man ikke får dekket helt grunnleggende behov som mat, klær og hus.

Relativ fattigdom er fattigdom sett i forhold til størstedelen av befolkningen i et land. Hvis du er fattigere enn de fleste andre i landet ditt, opplever du relativ fattigdom. Hvert land fastsetter sin egen nasjonale fattigdomsgrense. I Norge regnes du for eksempel som fattig hvis du tjener mindre enn 60 prosent av medianinntekten. Andre land har andre fattigdomsgrenser, og dermed andre definisjoner på relativ fattigdom.

Lær elevene dine om hva fattigdom er og hvordan det er for folk å leve i fattigdom. I 1990 levde 36% av verdens befolkning i ekstrem fattigdom. Siden den gang har andelen ekstremt fattige blitt mer enn halvert. 767 millioner mennesker lever i dag under fattigdomsgrensa på 1,90 dollar dagen, som er omtrent 15 kroner. Det er ganske lite. Målet er at ingen skal leve under fattigdomsgrensen i 2030. Det er disse vi kaller "den siste milliarden".

Å få til dette kan høres vanskelig ut. Å jobbe seg ut av fattigdom er vanskelig. Men flere av verdens fremste ledere mener dette er fullt mulig.

Hvem er de, hvor bor de, hvordan ser de ut?

Ved å sørge for at både gutter og jenter går på skolen sørger du også for at omstendighetene hjemme, økonomien og kunnskapen vokser. Med økt kunnskap kommer økt selvstendighet.

er en side som gjør statistikk visuelt og forståelig. . Der kan du se tusenvis av bilder av hvordan fattigdom ser ut, hvordan folk lever og gir deg bilder som sammenligner fattigdom og rikdom. Du kan søke i en rekke kategorier som hjem, senger, toaletter og mange flere. Felles for alle er at de deler bildene inn i fire kategorier som har med gjennomsnittsinntekt å gjøre. Bildene er kraftfulle visualiseringer av hvordan forskjellene mellom fattig og rik ser ut. Anbefales!

UNICEF Junior har egne sider for hvert av bærekraftsmålene . Om å utrydde fattigdom skriver de blant annet at vi må: "Beskytte mennesker mot arbeidsledighet og gi alle tilgang til viktige tjenester som medisinsk behandling. Dette kalles sosial beskyttelse, og skal særlig beskytte og støtte de mest sårbare og fattige menneskene."

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FNs bærekraftsmål 1: Den siste milliarden: Å utrydde fattigdom

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Den siste milliarden: Å utrydde fattigdom Når du skal undervise i FNs bærekraftsmål må du først forklare for elevene hva bærekraftsmålene er, hva de prøver å oppnå og når det skal være gjort. Kort fortalt kan man si at det er verdens felles arbeidsplan for å utrydde fattigdom, bekjempe ulikhet og stoppe klimaendringene innen 2030.

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The Plagiarism Spectrum poster

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The Plagiarism Spectrum identifies 10 types of plagiarism based on findings from a worldwide survey of nearly 900 secondary and higher education instructors.

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Paraphrasing: The Literacy Hero We Should All Care About

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Five reasons that paraphrasing skills are the superheroes of strong literacy curriculum.

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Character Autopsy

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For research. The username and password can be found in Slack, or on posters around the school.

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Welcome to Britannica School, a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Primary, Middle and Secondary School.

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Approaches to amplifying the IDU Experience

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Approaches to amplifying the IDU Experience

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Engage Students and Improve Writing Skills

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Engage Students and Improve Writing Skills

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From TurnItIn

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8 Lesson Plan Ideas To Improve Student Writing Skills

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These eight lesson plan ideas offer creative ways to engage students through effective feedback and to educate students about integrity and writing best practices.

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NRK Skole - Lærerike programmer og klipp

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Gratis klipparkiv for bruk i undervisningen. Organisert etter læreplanene.

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The Common Core State Standards require that students know three main types of writing: opinion/argumentative, informative/explanatory and narrative. What are these types of writing and how can you explain them to students?

Our classroom posters help you break it down by comparing the three types to the work of reporters, storytellers and debaters. Share them with your students today. Then check out our infographic for teachers that explores the similarities and differences between opinion/argumentative, informative/explanatory and narrative types of writing, as well as concrete ways teachers can introduce them in the classroom. You can print in color or black and white on 8×11 or 11×17. Or take to a copy shop to super size them.

Downloadable Posters
for Students

How to Teach the Three Types of Writing

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Teaching the Three Types of Writing Posters and Infographic - WeAreTeachers

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The Common Core State Standards require that students know three main types of writing: opinion/argumentative, informative/explanatory and narrative. What are these types of writing and how can you explain them to students? Our classroom posters help you break it down by comparing the three types to the work of reporters, storytellers and debaters.

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Østfold Fylkesbibliotek has class sets of books. Mostly in Norwegian, but also some in English.

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Østfold kulturutvikling, Fylkesbiblioteket - Søking : treffliste

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Soun

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Skip to main content

Try it free for 30 days,
or join an existing school account.

Explore creative sound making in the classroom

Soundtrap for Education empowers students and teachers to explore creative sound recording in all subjects, for all ages and ability levels. Whether students are exploring the ways music can take presentations to the next level, collaborating with classmates to create a song, or recording podcasts to share knowledge on subjects, Soundtrap for Education amplifies learning.

Create, communicate and collaborate...

Enjoy endless collaboration; between students, teachers, different classes wherever you are, in real-time.

...from anywhere on any device

Soundtrap works seamlessly across all wifi connected devices. And since the Studio is completely cloud-powered, students can continue working on their music or podcasts from home. You will have access to an extensive collection of quality loops, effects, and software instruments. Soundtrap is easy and intuitive to use by both teachers and students-of all ability levels-who want to create professional and polished projects.

How teachers are using Soundtrap today

Sound creation for your digital classroom

Take music class online with integrations to Noteflight Learn and Flat for Education, and also with LMS platforms like Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology and MusicFirst Classroom. Creation, assessment, and evaluation of assignments is smooth and seamless. Soundtrap is committed to being responsive to the future-ready classroom.

Safe and secure environment

Soundtrap for Education provides students with a safe and secure online environment to learn and play in. We work hard to meet or exceed legal compliance requirements and to stay abreast of the fast-changing privacy law landscape. We are committed to being a trusted partner for our schools and to help schools meet their own compliance obligations under the privacy laws. For more information, please visit our Trust Center.

Soundtrap for Education is trusted by more than 10,000 teachers worldwide

"Young people who struggle with academic writing and have brilliant ideas... these young people are frightened by the paper and pen. They want to sing, dance, shout, use slang, challenge conventions. This is where Soundtrap comes in."

Tamar Brown
New York City DOE Teacher

"My goal is for my students to be people who can think on a deeper level. Project based learning, which Soundtrap greatly supports, takes them out of the 'give me the answers' mentality and forces them to think and create on their own."

Kelly Martin
New York City Teacher

"Soundtrap is a game changer for my students. It has helped them learn that music is a tool that can spark the imagination and bring people together. Once those doors are open the possibilities are endless."

Melissa Salguero
Music Teacher at PS 48

"Soundtrap allows my students to express themselves to me emotionally, socially and academically when it is often so hard for them to do so verbally."

Allessandra Moore
Middle School Speech Language Pathologist

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Soundtrap for Education - Make music and podcasts online

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Create a podcast or use the beat maker for music or math. Soundtrap is a safe online tool for teachers and schools. Start your free trial now!

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Evaluating Research Questions
Criteria B

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Y1 FRORIC - Evaluating Research Questions

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Global and Multicultural Literature for Young Adults

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Borrow mother tongue books

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Digitalised books in Arabic, Persian, Tigrinya, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and Somali

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Langscape is an interactive map created at the Maryland Language Science Center. The Langscape interactive map displays more than 6,000 markers representing more than 6,000 languages. Each marker represents the native language of that location. Zoom-in and click on a marker to learn more about the language. When you click on the marker you will be able to find more information about that marker through links to pages on Ethnologue, Language Archives, and Wikipedia. Those pages will provide information about whether or not the language is extinct and its origins.

Applications for Education
Langscape could be a good resource for students to consult when researching the history and culture of a place or region in the world. Students may be able to use the information available through Langscape to learn how the native language in an area contributed to the dialect and or accents present in that area today.

H/T to Maps Mania.

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Langscape - An Interactive Map of Languages

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Langscape is an interactive map created at the Maryland Language Science Center. The Langscape interactive map displays more than 6,000 markers representing more than 6,000 languages. Each marker represents the native language of that location. Zoom-in and click on a marker to learn more about the language.

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Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego?

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The theme song for Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? is an earworm for those of us who grew up in the 80's or early 90's. And thanks to Google's new partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, we can now share the fun of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? with our kids.

This morning Google launched the first installment of Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? The game can be played in the web version of Google Earth, on the iOS version of Google Earth, and on the Android version of Google Earth. The best experience will be found on the web version by simply going to g.co/carmensandiego.

Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? isn't exactly like the old version that you might have played from floppy disks, but it's fun and could be a good way for kids to apply their knowledge of geography.

To play Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? simply go to g.co/carmensandiego and start "interviewing" witnesses by clicking on the magnifying glass. When you click on an interviewee Google Earth will automatically zoom-in on the location of the interview. Just like in any other use of Google Earth, you can zoom and pan around the area of detail. After talking to the witnesses, use the information to make your best guess as to where you should fly to next to pursue Carmen Sandiego. Good luck!

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Where On Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? - A Great Geography Game

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The theme song for Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? is an earworm for those of us who grew up in the 80's or early 90's. And thanks to Google's new partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, we can now share the fun of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

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The aims of the MYP Personal Project is to encourage and enable students to:

participate in a sustained, self-directed inquiry within a global context

generate creative new insights and develop deeper understandings through in-depth investigation

demonstrate the skills, attitudes and knowledge required to complete a project over an extended period of time

communicate effectively in a variety of situations

demonstrate responsible action through, or as a result of, learning

appreciate the process of learning and take pride in their accomplishments.

What will students learn through the MYP Personal Project?

The Personal Project involves students in a wide range of activities to extend their knowledge and understanding and to develop their skills and attitudes.

These student-planned learning activities include:

deciding what they want to learn about, identifying what they already know, and discovering what they will need to know to complete the project

creating proposals or criteria for their project, planning their time and materials, and recording developments of the project

making decisions, developing understandings and solving problems, communicating with their supervisor and others, and creating a product or developing an outcome evaluating the product/outcome and reflecting on their project and their learning.

As students become involved in the self-initiated and self-directed learning process, they will find it easier to construct in-depth knowledge on their topic, and develop an understanding of themselves as learners.

Information in this site courtesy of: International Baccalaureate Organisation. Middle Years Programme Projects Guide, Cardiff, Wales: Peterson House 2014

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The MYP Personal Project is the culminating project for the MYP. It is where Grade 10 students can show off how they have developed as learners. Students will choose a topic which is interesting to them.

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Primary sources/Articles in different levels

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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EyeWitness to History - history through the eyes of those who lived it

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First hand accounts, illustrated with vintage photos, original radio broadcasts.

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Explore all historical events on Google Arts & Culture.

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Medieval & Renaissance

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Learn about the material culture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, including clothing, tools, and artifacts.

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Historical documents

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Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy

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‎En ny pedagogisk app for iOS mobil og nettbrett. Språkkista 2, er laget for å løfte og inspirere arbeidet med språkstimulering og flerspråklighet. Appen er enkel og fleksibel i bruk, den har en fornyet brukerhåndteringsystem, med en unik mulighet for individuell tilpasning. Språkkista 2 gir også m...

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‎Nye ord-serien passer for elever som har ingen eller få forkunnskaper i norsk, med andre ord de som er "nybegynnere". Nye ord 1 - 5 er bøker som i hovedsak retter seg mot undervisning av elever som nylig har kommet til landet - elever i alfabetiserings- og/eller mottaksklasser. Appen er et suppleme...

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In my current Grade 7 Unit, Future City Designs, we have lots of videos for inspiration to watch throughout. I decided to use this as an opportunity to practice different note taking methods. I...

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I fjor varte våraksjonen i én uke - i år er den utvidet til to uker.

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Videoer

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Sign in now to see your channels and recommendations!

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Proudly telling the world about #generationIB in our 50th anniversary year

Project aims to help people with Alzheimer's Disease remember special moments

Music can help dementia and Alzheimer's patients recall memories and emotions, according to research. After learning this, three Middle Year Programme (MYP) students at Middle School of the Kennebunks, in Kennebunk Maine, US, were inspired to develop a project to help residents at a local care home.

As part of Project Playback, Juli Ennis, Jason Albaum and Colby Ellis regularly visit the Kennebunk Nursing Home for Health and Rehabilitation - where many residents have memory loss or dementia. The students share music from the residents' past to stimulate positive memories.

"Our mission is to provide musical care to improve the mental, emotional, and social wellbeing of those who are suffering from Alzheimer's Disease or dementia, where the cognitive function of the brain begins to decline," says Colby.

We connect with each resident through music to bring back memories from their youth."

As the students had all been members of the school's concert and jazz bands, and had formed a jazz combo, the initial idea for the project was simply to travel around local nursing homes, putting on different performances for the residents.

"However, after careful consideration, we decided that this kind of short-term engagement couldn't really have a lasting impact," says Colby.

After watching a documentary called Alive Inside, which explained how music from a person's past can bring back memories that have been lost due to Alzheimer's or like diseases, the three students decided to try this approach.

Many of the residents now have their own individualized playlists, which includes their favourite music. "For residents that cannot recall their favourites, or are unable to communicate that information to us, we contact their family to get to know their preferences," explains Jason.

The students have also created more generalized playlists based on time periods and genres for some patients. They often incorporate other special songs, such as wedding songs.

Juli adds: "It's so satisfying to see the smiles on the residents' faces when we come to visit. When you see them singing, dancing or tapping their feet, you know you are impacting their lives for the better, and that makes you feel as good as they do."

With the help of U.S. Cellular's Future of Good campaign - which recognises young people's community efforts - the students received a grant of equipment worth US$10,000-including headphones, iPods, a laptop to store and create playlists, and hundreds of CD's to allow them to download music for residents' playlists. Students are also working with the local United Way of York County to recruit and train volunteers to help expand Project Playback into other nursing homes.

"With this equipment, as well as the new volunteers, which we hope to train over the summer, we hope that this project can expand into more nursing homes over the next couple of years," says Colby.
This article is part of a series of stories from IB World magazine that bring to life the wonderful initiatives undertaken by IB students and educators from around the globe. Follow these stories on Twitter @IBorganization #IBcommunitystories. Share your great stories and experiences: email editor@ibo.org.

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Proudly telling the world about #generationIB in our 50th anniversary year Project aims to help people with Alzheimer's Disease remember special moments Music can help dementia and Alzheimer's patients recall memories and emotions, according to research.