An ultimate goal of education should be to guide students to become 'motivated and autonomous lifelong learners' (IB Extended Essay Guide, p. 21).
One way to do this is through the six-fold IB approaches to teaching:
1. teaching based on inquiry (easier said than done, deeds not words, how is this actually done properly and in an evidence-based, results-driven, and measurable way?)
a. experiential learning (learning in/through interaction with nature, environment, measurements in nature)
b. problem and project-based learning (design problem, challenge, science fair)
c. case-based learning (Global context, science journal)
d. discovery learning (Gizmos, simulation-based learning)
2. Teaching focused on conceptual understanding (how to shift lessons and unit plans from factual knowlege to conceptual understanding - a constant challenge and opportunity)
3. Teaching developed in local and global contexts
4. Teaching focused on effective teamwork and collaboration
5. Teaching differentiated to meet the needs of all learners
6. Teaching informed by assessment (formative and summative)
The five-fold approaches to learning are:
1. Thinking skills
2. Communication skills
3. Social skills
4. Self-management skills
5. Research skills
How can authentic and enriched learning experiences be created for students where they actually practice, learn, fail, improve, and transform themselves?
References
Guide. Extended Essay. IB Diploma Programme. Published 2016
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