Where are we falling short? What are we not doing that we should be? What does it mean to BE IB as opposed to DOING IB?

Where are we falling short? What are we not doing that we should be? What does it mean to BE IB as opposed to DOING IB?

Where are we falling short? What are we not doing that we should be? What does it mean to BE IB as opposed to DOING IB?

Where are we falling short? What are we not doing that we should be? What does it mean to BE IB as opposed to DOING IB?

Where are we falling short? What are we not doing that we should be? What does it mean to BE IB as opposed to DOING IB?

Some examples I have seen in the lower school in the last few weeks have been, an instrument build in music class where students created an instrument that originated in the country they are researching, Pre-K students sorting different items into the senses they use to explore them, a write the room activity where students find the vocabulary word around the room that corresponds to the definitions they have, as well as many others.

Where are we falling short? What are we not doing that we should be? What does it mean to BE IB as opposed to DOING IB?

-Designing Class T-Shirts with Canva

-Constructing their own "world" using elements of map design

-Conducting chemical and physical changes with hands-on lab materials

-Showcasing student designed infographics to PYP students of what to expect in middle school

-Speaking French during lunch with their French teacher

-Helping each other solve math problems and receive peer feedback

The ATL skills of research, communication, self-management, thinking, and social are embedded in all subjects across the curriculum, and all MYP teachers use the IBMYP Command Terms to assess our students for depth of understanding.

There also is room for growth in bridging 5th to 6th grade and 8th to 9th grade. The Personal Project allows students to showcase the skills they have built throughout their experience in the MYP- I wonder how we could team the middle and high school MYP levels to ensure students are equipped with the skills they will need to be successful at the next level. The same collaboration could occur with 6th grade teachers throughout the 5th-grade PYP exhibition.

-More intentional about interdisciplinary units/lessons beyond PYP

-Keeping students together more (i.e. not separating DP and non-DP Jrs/Srs - if possible)

Letter of the law vs. Spirit of the law

For example - does meeting instructional hours make us overlook opportunities to grow from shared experiences?

• Encourage thinking

• Encourage inclusivity

• Encourage hands-on

Don't/can't:

• Missing international-mindedness sometimes

• Don't always talk about the process because running short of time to finish syllabus

-IB path seems to be the exception rather than the expectation

-AP and "on level" curricula not IB related

+Within individual DP classes, seems to be *doing* IB, authentically engaging with issues, learning for deep understanding, rather than just preparing for exam

Struggling: Implementing programs and having time to implement changes. Also, students struggle to have a growth mindset - where is the love of learning? Students can be still very focused on grades.

Be IB = It's a culture that has to be built - from the top all the way down to the students.

*IB structures (compared to other schools) is amazing at NDA. I am not able to compare it to other IB schools.

*We need more relfection and writing (in art this is needed)

• Continually building on unit planners from year to year

• The UOI crosses all areas of the student's days so that there are connections that can be made.

• The student binders that follow them through their lower school years show the growth and learning that is happening.

Things that need improvement:

*Scope and sequences across the grade levels are inconsisent, which allows the students to fall into cracks

--Teaching that the world is huge place and we are from many different places, with many different cultures and languages.

--Asking questions about the different cultures, and wanting to explore and learn about where different people come from.

--It would be good to have more time to devote to IB and asking questions and reflecting.

--Make sure that we are focusing on the whole child.

--Trying to compete with the new world of technology and social media is difficult to do as educators.

-hard when learner profiles, attitudes, and attributes change

-need more PD in IB upon coming into the school as a new teachers and continuing our understanding the longer we work at NDA

-specials utilize units to create plans

-PYP mainly covers science and social studies, while MYP covers all subjects

-ATL skills can be integrated more equally across all subjects in lower school to make the transition from lower to middle easier

-could use a type of ELA program in lower school to include atl and command terminology/language