C47: Understanding the ATL structure

​For this episode, I thought I would do a deeper dive into the IB documentation to get a better gauge of the ATL structure.  To be honest, I’m still developing my understanding of these valuable tools.  Prior to 2018, I was selecting one of the ATL categories (thinking, research, communication, social, and self-management) as the focus in the unit with little plan on how to execute it.  I struggled as a teacher to make them come alive and find practical ways to make them accessible for students.  Then, the enhancements happened and a light bulb went on in my head.  The IB decided to provide specific ways to teach each of the categories and my eyes became hungry for ways to use them more authentically.​

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​I don’t know if you know this, but this is the goal of the ATLs (PYP From Principles into Practice:  Learning and Teaching pg. 28)  Self-regulated learners are agents of their own learning.  They know how to:  

• Set learning goals
• Ask open-ended questions
• Generate motivation and perseverance
• Reflect on achievement
• Try out different learning processes
• Self-assess as they learn
• Adjust their learning processes where necessary

Okay folks, how many of you knew that this was the goal of the ATLs?  To be honest, I haven’t read the fine print before, but I like it.  I think this is the goal of any PYP educator who is trying to create agentic learners.  We just need to reprogram our brains that the ATLs help us to achieve this goal, instead of a separate compartment in the PYP planning process.  Now, I have a picture in my brain of the ATLs as another subject in your transdisciplinary program that must be taught explicitly across the content areas.  Ooh...I knew there was a reason we needed to focus on the ATLs right now.  

Structure of the ATLs

When you go into the ATLs section of PYP From Principles into Practice: Learning and Teaching, you will find there are some unique characteristics of the ATLs. 

Category:  One of the five main big categories of skills to be studied (thinking, research, communication, social, and self-management)

Sub-Skills:  these are the skills that are to be explored under each category.  The numbers vary for each category, but there is a short description of their purpose to shape the learning objective, so you can determine which ones will best match with the content and concept objectives of the unit. 

Sub-Skill Criteria:  these are the tangible skills that students may do to understand the sub-skill and main category.  They vary in number and depth of exploration.  From my understanding, you are not required to cover all of them in a unit.  Just like the learner profile and concepts, you’ll have a chance to revisit them through the years. 

This sounds wonderful in theory, but what does this mean in my current unit of inquiry? I’m so glad you brought that up, because I want to break this down into a concrete example.  Remember, context is everything when choosing the ATLs.  We will not go over how to choose them for a unit right now, rather, we will focus on how to use the structure of ones that have been previously chosen. 

From Category to Sub-Skill Criteria

For ease, I’m going to start with the first one in the guide.  

Category:  Thinking Skills

Sub-Skill:  Critical Thinking: Analyzing and evaluating issues and ideas, and forming decisions

Right here, you can see this is about really diving deep into issues and forming opinions.  You want to make sure that this is the focus of your ELA content standards when choosing this one or it will be extra work on top of what you are already doing.  Let’s avoid that at all cost, so we can work smarter, not harder. 

Sub-Skill Criteria:  this is what students will do to show they understand the sub-skill of critical thinking 

Analyzing

• Observe carefully in order to recognize problems
• Consider meaning of materials
• Take knowledge of ideas apart by separating them into component parts
• Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues. 

The purpose of this episode is not to examine the thinking skills, rather the structure of the ATLs.  We will do that shortly.  So, let’s look at it from a different lens. 

If I’m choosing this sub-skill criteria, I want to make sure that all parts fit into the scope of my unit of inquiry and the content standards.  If they work well together, you are good to go.

From Choosing Sub-Skills to Teaching 

We are now zooming into just ONE sub-skill criteria under ANALYZING. 

Sub-Skill Criteria:  Take knowledge of ideas apart by separating them into component parts

I can teach this through…

• Reading:  have events in a story on picture cards and have students sort them into sequential order

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• Math:  break numbers into place value parts using units, rods, and flats with a place value chart

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• Science:  separate parts of a flower and have students reconstruct them in order

 

• Social Studies:  have students examine an event in time with its causes and effects

Doesn’t this look like something we are already doing?  Hmm...I believe it is!  The most important step is to explicitly connect the sub-skill criteria with the content you are teaching, as you do with the lines of inquiry and central idea.  This will help them to make generalizations. 

I think that is enough for now my friends.  Take a peek at the ATL sub-skills in your units of inquiry and see if you have a clear plan on how you are teaching them.  This is the goal for the 2021-22 with my staff. 

In the next topic, we will have three episodes to support early years,  grades 1-5, and specialist and supporting teachers.  Depending on your role, you will determine which one is the right fit for you.  If you’re like me, you’ll listen to all, because you want to make sure you don’t miss out on anything.