Inquiry-based learning

1. Learning is constructed by a process that moves from real-world examples to concepts,

ideas, theories and facts.

2. Students are responsible for finding much of the information themselves, and processing
it to draw the important conclusions.

At a more practical level, simple things that teachers can do to introduce a more inquiry-based
approach include:

 posing questions, outlining problems, setting challenges, giving clear measurable

objectives

 putting students into small groups (three or four students), assigning clear roles and
allowing for role rotation within each group

 enabling and helping students to connect to the best subject-based resources

 focusing the students on both the answers they are finding and the research skills they are
using

 viewing their own role as facilitators of students’ journeys, rather than simply providers
of answers.

The nature of a contextual curriculum

Effective teaching and learning in context helps students and teachers to:

 plan concrete, memorable learning opportunities that can be tailored to individual

students and their learning styles, diverse backgrounds and cultures

 illustrate and provide concrete examples of conceptual and theoretical ideas

 offer pathways towards authentic assessment (demonstrations of understanding)

 model open-mindedness and intellectual risk-taking valued by the IB learner profile

 inspire critical and creative thinking as students encounter multiple, and sometimes
conflicting, value systems and cultural perspectives, including concepts that are open to
different interpretations such as citizenship, identity and globalization

 provide lenses through which to compare various conceptions (and misconceptions) of

reality

 promote inquiry-based teaching strategies (for example, problem-based learning)

  lead towards awareness of career interests, vocational planning and the exploration of
school-to-career pathways

 link classroom learning to action and service learning

 promote self-management as students learn to find their own personal contexts and make
meaning for themselves

 become more autonomous, strategic and self-motivated

 build up the skills and experience necessary to transfer learning from one context to
another

 explore the many ways the application of concepts can vary among human cultures, and
draw attention to our common humanity—including the search for universal cultural
understanding.

Exploring local and global contexts can help to develop international-mindedness in students by
providing opportunities for sustained inquiry into a range of local and global issues and ideas,
and opportunities to explore global concerns such as development, conflict, rights and the
environment.

Teaching through concepts in the DP encourages students to:

 process factual knowledge at a deeper intellectual level as they relate the facts to concepts
and essential conceptual understandings; this synergistic thinking (interplay between
factual and conceptual thinking) engages the intellect on two levels—factual and
conceptual—and provides greater retention of factual knowledge because synergistic
thinking requires deeper mental processing

 create personal relevance, as students relate new knowledge to prior knowledge, and
encourage understanding of cultures and environments across global contexts through the
transfer of knowledge

 bring their personal intellect to the study as they use a concept to personally focus on the
unit topic in order to increase motivation for learning

 increase fluency with language as students use factual information to explain and support
their deeper conceptual understanding

 achieve higher levels of critical, creative and conceptual thinking as students analyse
complex global challenges, such as climate change, international conflicts and the global
 economy and create greater subject depth through the study of discipline-specific
concepts.

In a concept-based teaching model, teachers use knowledge as a tool to help students grasp
transferable concepts and understandings. Knowledge provides the foundation and support for
deeper, conceptual thinking. Teachers ensure that assessment includes understanding and
application of the concepts.

Collaborative learning activities include activities such as group projects, debates, role plays, and
other activities with shared goals. There are therefore extremely close links between social skills
such as negotiation and collaborative learning. Across the world, students in IB World Schools
are engaged in a wide range of collaborative projects and activities in every subject. These types
of activities encourage students to engage with other students collaboratively and cooperatively.

A key aspect of fostering a collaborative relationship between teachers and students is through
encouraging effective dialogue and feedback on what students have and have not understood
during their lessons. Encouraging students to give regular feedback on the things they have not
yet understood gives their teachers valuable information that can inform future planning and
ensure that all understandings are being attained. This kind of feedback can be done by
discussion or on paper, at the beginning or end of any lesson (or week, or unit), or even through
innovative means such as Twitter®. One teacher asks students each night to read through the
material covered that day and to tweet to them either a thoughtful question on anything they did
not understand from the lesson, or an “all OK” signal. That way the teacher can immediately see
if the understandings were achieved, or if there is any trend of misunderstanding. This way any
problems can be addressed immediately in the next lesson before the lesson sequence continues.
This keeps all students up to speed and is also a way to encourage students to take responsibility
for their own learning, as it is up to the students to check and make sure they understand as they
move through the syllabus.

Differentiated learning

Affirm Promote environments that welcome and embrace learners.

identity— Foster high but realistic expectations.
build self- Value and use the diversity of cultural perspectives.
esteem Liaise and collaborate with parents.
Understand student learning preferences and interests.
 Identify and teach through student strengths.

Value prior Identify prior knowledge and activate prior learning, including that
knowledge learned in other languages.
Map language and learning profiles.
Build new knowledge onto existing knowledge.

Scaffold Support new learning through the use of graphic organizers (writing
learning frames, Mind Maps®), which are pictorial forms of promoting,
organizing and constructing knowledge; visual aids, drama,
demonstrations, etc.
Encourage collaborative learning groups/peer support.
Support and use best language.

Extend Combine high expectations with opportunities for learner-centred,

learning experiential practice and interaction with cognitively rich materials,
experiences and environments.
Use technology and assistive technologies to enrich learning and
level the playing field for all learners.