Reflective Activity 1:
How would you summarise the main aims of an IB education?
- IB schools aim to offer children not just the facts of different curricular areas, but providing them with the tools and knowledge of different learning techniques and strategies to allow them more freedom and flexibility when learning in school.
- IB schools aim to include a range of different learning approaches in lessons understanding that each child will approach new activities and lessons differently, thus factoring in for each child’s abilities.
- Furthermore IB place a strong importance on including learning on current world events and different cultures to accommodate to their wide range of children coming into their schools from a host of different countries and cultural backgrounds.
Have you experienced any aspect of the IB aims when working in school or in your own education?
- IB approaches learning in a holistic manner and this is something that interests me greatly, ive not worked in a school before that approaches learning in this way however i believe this is the way forward for education and i feel i myself at school would’ve benefitted greatly from this style of learning.
Reflective Activity 2:
What are the similarities and differences?
- Similarities I noticed between the two learner profiles is the importance placed on producing responsible caring members of society. In the 4 capacities it states “commitment to participate responsibly in political, economic, social and cultural life.” The IB learner profile reflects similar values stating “We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.”
- Moreover, both learner profiles place significance on producing learners who are not afraid to take risks in learning and not to be afraid of voicing their own views and thoughts of the world around them.
- However it can be seen in the IB learner profile there is much more focus on children learning through inquiry and creatively rather than purely as outlined in the 4 capacities just having the ability to gain the appropriate knowledge from the curriculum.
- although the 4 capacities does mention learners being able to “think creatively and independently.” but it is clear there is not as much drive towards the importance of inquiry and creative learning.
Have you experienced or observed the development of any of the IB learner profile attributes in your own education or experience working with children?
- When reflecting on my own teaching experience in schools i have seen aspects of the IB learner profile brought into the curriculum however not so often in the Scottish primary schools that i have worked in.
- I feel i can best link my own experience and the IB learner profile to when i worked in an Indigenous primary school in Australia, due to much of the behavioural problems and other cultural aspects to the school they did take the more holistic IB learning/teaching approach with the children. I was able to see this through much more hands on learning activities, more opportunity for sporting and creative activities too. Furthermore through multiple school days that were dedicated to the children at the schools cultures and celebrating the indigenous people of Australia and different aspects of their lives and culture.
Reflective Activity 3:
Reflect on which of ‘progressive’ trends align with your understanding of teaching and learning within CfE?
- When reading through the progressive trends in the History of IB there are multiple that stand out from my own learning of the CfE, these trends being Student choice, Child-centred and Constructivism. However when reading into the rest of these trends it became clear to me that most of them are unfamiliar and I haven’t seen them in the CfE or used in practice before.
Reflective Activity 4:
Reflect: on the similarities and differences between the PYP and CfE. You should make reference to CFE’s curricular areas and principles of curriculum design.
- The PYP and CfE I believe are quite different, when reviewing both documents its more clear that the PYP is not just one rigid set approach to learning for specific areas of the curriculum like how the CfE is structured, but instead definitely gives a more fluid and flexible approach to teaching and learning.
- It is outlined in the videos how PYP is based upon transdisciplinary learning because this is the way our world is structured.
- I believe there is a a host of links between the CfE and the PYP but it is still restricted slightly more. However I do see more and more aspects of the PYP being introduced into our schools and teaching styles.
