Welcome to our new series on the approaches to learning. My brain is a bit toasty after the transdisciplinary challenge, but don’t you feel pumped? I really enjoyed going through that experience, because it really helped me think differently about transdisciplinary learning. I hope it helped you too. Now, we are giving our brains a slight reprieve. I shouldn’t say that, because you may think our next series is going to be easy peasy. You should know better by now that my easy is usually someone else’s medium hot! I’m excited to explore the approaches to learning or (ATLs), because they have been historically the most undervalued part of the program. My opinion only, but, I have seen such improvement with usage since the PYP enhancements in 2018. Who are the ATLs for? Which teachers can use them? How do we use them? These questions will be explored in this episode. Approaches to Learning 101I absolutely love the ATLs and I’m super excited to delve into them further to figure out different ways we can use them. I’m sure I’ll have to make some graphics to make the learning come alive for me, so watch this space for a guide announcement. It’s coming shortly. Just a reminder, the ATLs and the Learner Profile attributes are the two components of the IB program that follows a child from grades PK to 12. They might look differently based on the development of a child, but their purpose is universal. The primary goal of the ATLs is to create independent thinkers who are able to think, reason, and apply skills to multiple learning situations. This is a challenge, since so many children struggle to remember content and skill acquisition from prior years. How do they work?ATLs are divided into five categories: thinking, research, communication, social, and self-management skills. Within each domain, they have categories and sub-skills that target the learning. We are going to take our time to examine each domain and uncover their skills and what they mean. I’m absolutely obsessed with the revised ATLs, because they provide a clear road map to read the learning target, while providing flexibility on how to get there. Once again, we are going nice and slow to explore and play around each category. Whether you are a novice or experienced PYP educator, you should find new ideas you haven't considered. Spoiler alert: I’m going to provide some tips and tools on how to use the various sub-skills. Remember, our goal is to create independent thinkers, so the students must do the heavy lifting while acquiring the skills, so they can remember it. I’m going to practice with some tools to get you ready. Do I hear minor challenge activities for you to try out and implement in your classrooms or schools? Why, yes you do. The Early Learner (PK-K) For the early years teachers, you can find the ATLs in the guide PYP From Principles into Practice: The Learner on pages 15-19. The section highlights what teachers must do to set the stage for learning to happen. I think this part is often skipped, because we want to see the objectives for the students. A reminder that you are the most important part in making the ATLs happen in your classroom. Slow down and read the parts about you first. Here’s what teachers must do to encourage thinking skills:
This sets the stage for inquiry to naturally happen in our classroom without heavy planning. Grades 1-6For grades 1-6, we follow the same protocol. Your ATLs are found in the guide PYP From Principles into Practice: Learning and Teaching on pages 26-37. The section is set-up in the same way, but the ideas are more expanded to meet the developmental needs of the students. Regardless of age, the ATLs really help the students to dig deeper into their own learning. Here’s what teachers must do to bring about thinking skills
My mini-challengeMy mini-challenge to you this week is to take a look at the beginning part of the ATL descriptors and what teachers must do. Examine the five categories and identify 1-2 areas that are still a growth area for you. Commit to them and try to find strategies on how to accomplish them as we go through this ATL series.
I had to throw a challenge in there somehow. Once you start, you can’t stop!
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