Approaches to Teaching:

1. Teaching informed by assessment (formative and summative).

2. Teaching differentiated in order to meet the needs of all learners.

3. Teaching based on inquiry.

4. Teaching developed in local and global contexts.

5. Teaching focused on conceptual understanding.

6. Teaching focused on effective teamwork and collaboration.

The manner in which I have categorized the ATT and ATL are following a flow chart method. I know many others in the group have completed their order of importance in the same fashion. First, I always begin my planning and pedagogical approach with backwards design. When I understand the assessment that will be administered at the end, I will be able to plan out the framework to guide students to that end point. From there, we will be able to integrate the implementation of differentiation which is best practice and allows all students equal opportunity from the start. This then opens up the line of opportunity for pupils to be engaged, enriched, and inspired - leading to inquiry based learning where they can explore new lines of thought and expand their perceptions in the classroom and beyond.

As students begin to encounter new texts, methods of inquiry, and diverse perceptions, they will be able to navigate texts on a global and cross-cultural level.

The next step would be examining the sum of the whole by solidifying their conceptual understanding of all that has led them to this point in their studies. Though collaboration and teamwork is placed at the bottom, it does not mean that is of any less value than the practices that are listed before it.

Approaches to Learning:

1. Thinking Skills

2. Self-Management Skills

3. Research Skills

4. Communication Skills

5. Social Skills

Thinking, self-management, and research are the necessary foundations upon which students must possess in order to have sustainable academic careers. These three ATL are the top three for that very reason. One can not expect to succeed if they lack any of these foundation and necessary skills. In order for students to become the level of learners that is required of them in the IB Program, these skills must become and remain second nature to them; as oxygen is necessary for life, such are these skills necessary for the student. As to why communication and social skills are placed at the bottom, while they are still necessary and vital for the learner, they are not as pertinent as their counterparts.

Most days (during the school year) you can find me teaching during the day and then snuggled up on the couch with my little girl after work. We are big fans of Bluey and books. Though, as she is just about to start walking, I find myself chasing her around my home more often than not now; meaning my time snuggling on the couch is at a low.

I currently teach at the secondary education level, with preps in Pre-IB English 9, Gen-Ed English 9, and Gen-Ed English 10. I am excited for IB certification to open more doors to different instructional opportunities in the future.

In conclusion, I am excited for this opportunity of professional development and I look forward to interacting with educators all over the globe for the foreseeable future.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. 

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”

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

   1. Ideological biases that I noted whilst reading the mission statement include the assumption that all students have automatic knowledge of intercultural understanding. While we all desire to live in a world where there are genuine relationships built across global differences, we would be remiss to to believe that this is easily achievable whilst incorporating many world views, beliefs, etc.

      While adults may be more adept at entering these complex conversations with differing views, students might not have yet had the exposure to intercultural diversity in order to achieve intercultural understanding. For example, living in the southern United States, many of my students and students in my county come from severely limited view on diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, a great deal of time is spent encouraging students to embrace cultural differences and to embrace being open-minded enough in order to gain new perspectives and understanding.

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

   1. Dominant: The International Baccalaureate dominant reading shares a message of encouragement, excitement, and hope for success. The dominant highlights the positive characteristics of the IB student. The tone of the reading is over-emphatic and wildly optimistic. "You will have these attributes and you will succeed."

   2. Oppositional: The International Baccalaureate oppositional would be the unreasonable level of assumed perfection that the IB leaders have placed on the shoulders of children. It almost seems as if they are saying, if you do not possess these attributes, then this program is not for you and you should not attempt to attain them at this point.

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

   1. The tone in the aims and assessment objectives seems to be straightforward but optimistic. There is a nature of repetition throughout said objectives. The author uses language that evokes feelings of encouragement, while also reiterating time and time again the expectation and necessity of challenge and development of multiple skills that will undoubtedly enhance the learning experience for the student. There is a clear logic in the organization of the objectives; it seems that the author was intentional about creating a "flow" within the points of the A&O.

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

   1. "Open, democratic classrooms."

   2. "Cycles of Inquiry Action and Reflection."

   3. "Learning is the central tenet."

   4. "Make sense of the world."

      1. The aforementioned phrases might have the effect of assuring the student that there is freedom in the IB classroom, but with the freedom comes the charge to think analytically, critically, and theoretically about all content encountered in the course. All students are present to learn, and at the same time, all students are in the same challenge of trying to make sense of a plethora of information that is being presented to them on a daily basis.

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

   1. "Creativity, service, and activity."

   2. "Explore global issues."

   3. "Raise awareness."

   4. "Critical Review."

      
      

Non-Literary Works: You are not yourself, Untitled (Your Body is a Battleground), and We Will Not Become What We Mean to You by Barbara Kruger

Literary Works: Medusa by Carol Ann Duffy and Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy