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Where do you teach? What’s unique about your IB situation? 

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Where do you teach? What’s unique about your IB situation? 

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Hello everyone! My name is Yuanxin Ma, and I also go by Ashley. I'm from Shanghai, China and this is also where I'm teaching right now. The unique situation about me is that I previously majored in educational studies instead of teaching throughout my undergrad and graduate studies. I also grew up as an AP student and for the past three years, I've been working in an AP school. So my IB journal won't officially start until this upcoming September when I start my new job at an IB school and I'm super excited about it!

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What is your most pressing question about the Language A: language and literature course?

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What is your most pressing question about the Language A: language and literature course?

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As AI / ChatGPT starts to evolve quickly and shows its tremendous influence on students' education, my biggest concern and question for IB Language A is

1) What is IB’s current attitude towards students using AI in and out of the classroom to assist their learning experience?

2) How can we, as educators, guide students into this new era of education combined with AI, while ensuring that they are genuinely learning and not overly dependent on AI?

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How can you develop positive online professional relationships for the workshop and beyond?

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How can you develop positive online professional relationships for the workshop and beyond?

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Having completed my graduate studies during COVID, I’m glad that online learning is not unfamiliar to me. I believe the key to developing positive online professional relationships is to engage actively. Given that many of us are in different time zones, it’s crucial to post our discussions in a timely manner and allow ample time for further discussion and feedback. Additionally, in several past forums, I’ve noticed that some participants not only discuss and post responses but also follow up with questions and additional comments. I think this is essential for maintaining good connections.

Furthermore, sharing resources and knowledge is very important. Since we come from diverse backgrounds, each of us has valuable resources, thoughts, and experiences to contribute to the group.

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What does a successful outcome look like for you after this workshop? List three things you want to achieve.

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What does a successful outcome look like for you after this workshop? List three things you want to achieve.

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1. Of course, being new to IB, I hope that by the end of this workshop, I will have a better understanding of the IB program, particularly the Language A class. I aim to use the knowledge acquired from this workshop to better prepare myself as a Language A teacher.

2. I hope to utilize my past experience with AP in conjunction with what I learn in this IB workshop. By reflecting on the similarities and differences between the two, I aim to enhance my skills by integrating these experiences.

3. As I mentioned previously, having majored in educational studies, I may not have as much teaching experience as some of my peers in this workshop. Therefore, I am looking forward to gaining more actionable insights and practical strategies from my colleagues that I can implement to improve my practice in the field.

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Most Important to Least Important:

1. Teaching based on inquiry

2. Teaching developed in local and global contexts

3. Teaching focused on effective teamwork and collaboration

4. Teaching designed to remove barriers to learning

5. Teaching focused on conceptual understanding

6. Teaching informed by assessment

As mentioned in the prompt, the ranking could be quite arbitrary, so while ranking the approaches, my personal educational ideology has the greatest influence. I believe that it is crucial for students to take more ownership and have greater autonomy in their studies. Interests and curiosity are the best teachers! Additionally, I am a strong advocate for teaching soft skills to students. I believe that grades don’t reflect everything. Therefore, teaching students to become global citizens and to develop soft skills like teamwork is very important to me.

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Most Important to Least Important:

1. Social Skills

2. Communication Skills

3. Self-Management Skills

4. Thinking Skills

5. Research Skills

Eh, I have to say—this ranking is so hard. All these skills are important! While ranking them, I’m thinking of my past self as a student and also several of my students from last year. As for thinking skills and research skills, I consider these more as internal skills, heavily focused on academics, if that makes sense. On the other hand, social skills and communication skills involve interacting with others and establishing connections with peers. These skills not only influence academic performance but also contribute to being a well-rounded individual.

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What ideological biases exist in the IB mission statement and how do you know this as a reader?

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What ideological biases exist in the IB mission statement and how do you know this as a reader?

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One ideological bias that I noticed is the assumption that creating "a better and more peaceful world" relies on mutual understanding among various cultures. This implies that cultural diversity is something to be understood universally, which may not align with the perspectives of some cultures or nationalities. For example, having been educated in a traditional Chinese education system, I observed that certain topics, especially those involving foreign ideologies, can be extremely sensitive. The Chinese education system tends to be very cautious about external influences on its domestic education.

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What tone is created in the aims and assessment objectives, how does the author create it, and why?

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What tone is created in the aims and assessment objectives, how does the author create it, and why?

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The tone is professional, academic, and encouraging. The aims are presented in a very clear way with bullet points to stay organized and increase clarity. The word choices such as "styles, genres", "interpretation, analysis", and "formal and aesthetic qualities of texts" are very formal and precise, allowing its readers to sense the rigor of this program. In addition, the tone is also encouraging through the use of dictions like "lifelong interest" and "enjoyment of language and literature". It implies that students are encouraged to develop their genuine interest in this subject truly enjoy the learning journey and engage with the texts rather than purely work for the grades.

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What words or phrases have a highly charged connotation, and what is the effect on the reader?

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What words or phrases have a highly charged connotation, and what is the effect on the reader?

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The word "celebrates" connotates a positive perception of collaborative learning. It implies that people learning together is worth celebrating and valued. Phrases such as "lifelong learners" and "a lifetime of learning" both connotate continuous learning and growth. These two phrases suggest to readers that students and teachers from IB programs are always committed to learning throughout their lives and believe that learning is not just for achieving a final goal but also an ongoing journey. Similarly, phrases like "interplay of asking, doing and thinking" and "cycles of inquiry, action and reflection" also suggest that learning will take place in an evolving and exchanging process, emphasizing that learning is interactive and dynamic. These charged words can serve as an inspiration for readers by creating a positive and engaging vision of learning environment within the IB program.

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What words or phrases demonstrate the ideological perspective of this text?

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What words or phrases demonstrate the ideological perspective of this text?

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Phrases like "literary walking tour of the city the students live in", "raise awareness about a global issue", and "with younger students in the school" demonstrate that the ideological perspective of this text is grounded in encouraging students to actively put what they learn into practice, connect the academic knowledge learned at school with their real-life experience in meaningful ways, whether it's within or outside of the school.

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What is the dominant reading of this text and what might be an oppositional reading of the IB learner profile?

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What is the dominant reading of this text and what might be an oppositional reading of the IB learner profile?

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The dominant reading of this text is that the IB program is preparing its students to become well-rounded global citizens, essential qualities including learning from inquiry, having critical thinking skills, being open to exploring and respecting various cultures and differences, etc. The oppositional reading of this is that this learner profile could be too ideal without considering various barriers and limitations that one learner could be facing. In addition, an oppositional reading of this IB learner profile could think such high standards could put students under heavy pressure and stress them out for trying to meet the expectations.

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Ma__Subject Course Outline_Studies in language and literature.docx