MOLLY
Elementary Education &
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) |
MOLLY
Elementary Education &
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) |
During our eight week placement, Sarah and I are fortunate enough to experience, from start to finish, what the International Baccalaureate (IB) refers to as a “Unit of Inquiry” (UOI). During the school year, the students complete six units that are each six weeks long, where they explore a given topic that relates to one of the six IB “Knowledge Transdisciplinary Themes” - Who We Are, Where We Are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organize Ourselves, or Sharing the Planet. Within the UOI, there is also a focus on a particular “Learner Profile Attribute” - Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced, or Reflective. This specific unit is not treated a standalone subject, but rather, it is embedded within every aspect of the child’s education - mathematics, English, Italian, science, social studies, music, dance, and even gym! I recognize that all this terminology might seem complex to an outside reader, and I can empathize. I am only beginning to get a grasp of what an IB education is all about! However, when looked at in the context of my class’s current UOI, this approach to learning becomes much clearer and easier to digest. Personally, I have found the inquiry and concept-based learning process to be an incredibly meaningful, engaging and enjoyable experience for both the teachers and the students. My class’ UOI, in its broadest terms, is about beliefs. Our “central idea” is that, “people behave and express themselves differently based on their beliefs.” Our "Knowledge Transdisciplinary Theme" is “How we express ourselves,” and our "Learner profile attribute" is "Open-Mindedness." Over the six weeks, the students will inquire about the ways in which human beings discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, values and beliefs - both religious and non-religious. Now three weeks into the unit, the students have spent time “tuning in” and “finding out” about stereotypes, values and various religious beliefs around the world. During week one, students completed a pre-assessment, where they created a mind map to show their prior knowledge of beliefs. After that, the students participated in a “provocation,” which is done at the start of every unit to spark the students’ interest and lead them into the central idea and theme of the unit. For all the American teachers out there reading this, imagine it as one BIG anticipatory set that lasts a week! During this provocation period, the students were put in groups and given various photos of headless men dressed in different clothing and settings. One was wearing a white tank with tattoos all over his arms. Another was wearing a tuxedo on a red carpet. A third was wearing a plaid button-down with two police officers at his sides. The students wrote any words on the photos that came to mind in describing this person. What do you think they do for a living? How would you describe their personality? It turned out that all of these photos were of the same man - David Beckham! Judging from his headless appearance, some students thought he was anything from a criminal to a movie star. After this discussion, the students watched a video of him visiting a family in South America, where he paid off their bills for 10 years, wrote them a check for one-hundred thousand dollars, as well as gave them brand new iPhones. Some of the girls in class were in tears! As you can probably guess, the whole purpose behind this activity was to demonstrate that you shouldn’t always judge a person by how they look. From there, we had the students guess the topic of the unit (beliefs), as well as which "Learner Profile Attribute" they thought we were going to focus on (open-mindedness). See how it all ties together? This is a lesson I would LOVE to teach to future classes of mine! Although, I might include some photos of women, as some of the students complained about their underrepresentation in this activity. ;) Another provocation that the students did was, for homework, they had to write down the things they valued the most in their lives - family, friends, nature, sports, etc. When they brought them into class, we handed out specific colored paper to each student that was secretly supposed to represent what country they were from (blue for Italy, orange for Belgium, brown for China, etc.). The students had to write their values on this piece of paper, and cut them out and place them on the wall. After that, the students organized the values by similarity. Ultimately, they could see that, although we have many different nationalities in the class, we all have values in common. Not to toot my own horn or anything (but TOOT TOOT!), this lesson was mostly my idea, and it turned out better than I had imagined. I am already blown away by what these students have accomplished so far in this unit. I originally intended to write more about the “tuning in” process, where the students learned about various beliefs and religions around the world, but considering how long this post is already, I think I’ll save it for another post. Stay tuned for more inquiry magic!
5 Comments
Keli Garas-York
4/15/2019 12:01:16 am
Hi Molly,
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Patty
4/17/2019 10:38:01 pm
Great description of the IB curriculum! I can't wait to talk about how the "beliefs" UOI is progressing! Kudos on the super-successful lesson!
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Nancy Chicola
4/18/2019 07:46:39 pm
I'm excited to learn more about your UOI. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences in the classroom; they seem meaningful and a perfect fit for the IB curriculum. I imagine you are loving it.
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Julie Henry
4/24/2019 05:57:54 pm
I find this curriculum so "provocative," Molly. Thanks for sharing these details. I would love to have you do a guest lecture in my early childhood class this summer and share what you have experienced!
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Sherri Weber
4/24/2019 06:37:04 pm
Hi Molly,
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AuthorWhile studying abroad in Europe as an undergrad, I became infected with an ailment that makes one eternally propelled to discover and explore cultures other than their own. Many call it the "travel bug," and fortunately for me it is incurable. Archives
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