Recent end-of-term work by students in grades 7 and 8 (years 2 and 3 of MYP) covered a wide variety of material in history (Humanities) and English (Language A) class. By turns students covered topics such as the Arab spring, Vancouver hockey riots, the development of shelter in the military, and the importance of national symbols in history class. In English students examined the root causes of genocide, the power of words, and what William Shakespeare would have done with Twitter. Answer: 2B R not 2B- :).
The units of study were: the Rebellions of 1837, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Yet, the students were able to delve much further into the topics because the focus was concept-based rather than content-based. The shift in focus is a significant one. It is also a major tenet of the educational philosophy of the International Baccalaureate. Scholarly journals (http://blogs.ibo.org/positionpapers/2012/07/12/concept-based-teaching-and-learning/) demonstrate the importance of such an approach to teaching and learning. Making learning contextual, meaningful, and relevant to the lives of students is fundamental. Yet, as a teacher the obvious interest and expansion of learning by students is proof positive that such an approach is the way forward in education.
In letting go of the traditional modes of teaching (teacher-centered) and fostering greater student ownership of work, learning takes on an entirely new meaning. This shift has been gradual in our school, but noticeable. The level of engagement has increased and as a teacher I have been encouraged with the results. Developing and adopting the principles of the IB-MYP has allowed the process to accelerate and the uptake from students has been positive indeed.
