Meaningfully connecting teacher actions and student learning goals within the IB classroom

• Published in: International school : IS 2020-04, Vol.22 (2), p.31-32
• Main Authors: Gutmann, Laura, Chen, Pai-Rou, Pecheone, Raymond L
• Format: Magazinearticle
• Language: English
• Subjects: 21st century; Advanced Placement Programs; Behavioral Objectives; Classrooms; Educational Development; Educational Facilities Improvement; Educational Practices; Educational Quality; Educational Strategies; Evaluative Thinking; Evidence; Feedback; Individual Needs; Instructional Development; Instructional Improvement; Interpersonal Competence; Learning; Learning Strategies; Performance Based Assessment; Problem Solving; Program Improvement; Schools; Student Development; Students; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Evaluation; Teacher Improvement; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 1461-3956; 2049-5803

Could we help them create a tool that would provide their teachers with concrete feedback about evidence of their practice in relation to the IB Learner Profile Attributes and Approaches to Teaching & Learning (ATL), in order to support continuous improvement? SCALE's design process for this tool started with a groundlevel investigation into the learning outcomes that are valued within IB, with the goal of making connections between desired student-oriented objectives and strategic teaching actions or behaviors. Because IB takes a holistic, 21st century approach to learning that includes attention to thinking, research, communication, social skills, and selfmanagement skills, we focused on those key categories of applied skills and knowledge as we defined what IB teachers are working towards. Illustrative examples of teaching practice provided at each rubric level are an additional resource for coaches to guide educators at all levels of expertise to make deeper connections between evidence of their reallife instruction and achieving the learning objectives for IB students that are nested within their units of inquiry. [...]IB schools can benefit from utilizing a common set of rubrics that provides coherent criteria for helping teachers to grow In their practice and prompts actionable feedback about multiple aspects of their Instruction over time (Reynolds-Keefer, 2010).