This scene resonated with me as an educator. In a world where expectations, standards and best practices seem to be constantly changing, I've heard teachers say on numerous occasions "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it!". It can be frustrating to try to keep up and teachers can't help but wonder..."Am I doing it wrong?".
My colleagues over at Carter Lake Elementary are getting ready to launch their very first IB units of inquiry next week and, while there is certainly excitement surrounding this new beginning, there is naturally a bit of panic as well. This post is for you my friends. I'd like to offer a few points to ponder, along with the reassurance that you're NOT doing it wrong.
- Don't reinvent the wheel. So much of what you already do will fit. We are fortunate to work in an innovative district where worksheets, basal readers and teachers lecturing to rows of students who are expected to absorb information are things of the past. Language investigations fits with IB. Collaborative group work fits with IB. Co-constructing anchor charts fits with IB. A variety of whole group, small group and individual instruction fits with IB. IB identifies constructivism and inquiry as effective teaching practices that should be used throughout the day, even when it doesn't fit directly with the content taught in a unit of inquiry (think math! think art! think PE! think music!). Take comfort in knowing that you don't have to chuck your teaching practices.
- The little differences become big. People sometimes visit an IB school, wanting to see how it looks different. They expect to see glaring differences from an IB school to a school that doesn't offer the program, but he changes are subtle. IB identifies the essential elements of concepts, knowledge, skills (a.k.a. approaches to learning), attitudes and action. It's deep understanding of these elements that make an IB student. It's easy to look at these elements and say "of course I do that", but it's the explicit teaching of each of these elements that lead to a deep student understanding, which enable students to transfer these elements to new situations. So, don't forget to post, reference and explicitly teach the concepts, skills and Learner Profile attributes identified in your planner. Share the action cycle and celebrate action. Soon, you will start to see students incorporating these elements into their lives. That is when the little differences become big.
- There are no IB police. Seriously. No one is going to swoop into your room and tell you "You're doing it wrong!" when a lesson isn't executed perfectly. This candidacy phase is your time to muck around with the pieces that are new and to see how the things you are already doing can fit within the IB framework. YOU are inquiring into what works best for you and your students.
So, take a deep breath, have fun, learn, reflect, grow and rest assured that you're NOT doing it wrong.
