AoI #1 – Approaches to Learning
Creating an IB unit is a craft. Teachers start with their aims and objectives. They look at the curriculum, evaluate what needs to be taught, and seek out essential knowledge and concepts. This process often results in engaging guiding questions, that really reflect the value on the content that is covered in the classroom. As the teacher considers which instructional strategies will be employed in the classroom, the next phase of the IB unit enters in – the Area of Interaction (AoI). Since teachers love to teach, often the most natural fit is Approaches to Learning (ATL).
ATL really focuses on the learning process. With guiding questions
How do I learn best?
How do I know?
How do I communicate my understanding?
the teacher and student have the opportunity to truly engage in understanding and reflecting on the learning process. ATL goes beyond study skills. It also includes:
Organizational skills, study practices and attitudes towards work
Collaborative skills
Communication
Information literacy
Reflection
Problem solving and thinking skills
Subject-specific and interdisciplinary conceptual understanding
In a given unit, a teacher may choose one or two of these specific topics to focus on. He/she will take the time to connect specific classroom instruction in a way that the learner gains understanding and can apply these strategies to improve academic success. Because of the deliberate focus on the teaching/learning process, teachers often take time to engage in varied methods on instructional delivery, thus honing their craft and capitalizing on the best practices in education. So the lens for instruction with this AOI is the process of learning. This is exciting stuff!
AoI #2 - Community and Service
The picture above describes the heart of the IB philosophy. By developing a climate of inquiry, where the student’s own questions drive the learning, students will engage in a higher, more complex level of thinking. As a result, the IB student of the 21st century will care about the world around him/her and will act in recognition of the needs of others and/or the environment. This action as a result of concern that develops from the school experience epitomizes the goal of the community and service AoI. When the classroom teacher chooses this “lens”, he/she uses the content of the curriculum to help students gain a deeper understanding of these guiding questions:
How do we live in relation to each other?
How can I contribute to the community?
How can I help others?
Starting in the fall of 2007, Newton will begin to implement a school wide community service plan. All Newton students will be expected to give of their time and resources in order to help others in the community. Current plans call for students to document their volunteer efforts and also to reflect on the value and impact of the activity. This information will be kept in a log that will remain with the student throughout their years at Newton. We will continue to provide some service learning opportunities here at Newton and also seek to recognize actions and organizations outside of the school community as well.
This new program is still in the planning stages and parent input (and volunteer hours!) is needed! If you would like to volunteer to be a part of the Newton Community Service Program, please contact Mrs. Getzel at dgetzel@lps.k12.co.us or 303.734.6257. Additional information about Community and Service at Newton can be found on the Newton web page. Go to the "For Students" tab and click on the link at the left of the page.
AoI #3 – Health & Social Education (HSE)
The wellness triangle has long been a part of the Littleton Public Schools health curriculum. This model for healthy living states that there must be a balance between physical, social-emotional and mental health. It is not surprising that the IB AoI of Health and Social Education emphasizes these same attributes leading to a complete and healthy lifestyle. The goal is for students to become better informed about health issues and to develop a sense of responsibility for their own well-being and for their physical and social environment. As a result of their examination of this AOI in all subject areas students will be able to make choices using critical thinking based on a foundation of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values. Topics typically addressed through HSE can be grouped into four categories:
Looking after Ourselves,
Understanding Ourselves,
Ourselves and Others,
Ourselves in the Wider Society.
AoI #4 - Environments
How do we live?
What resources do we need?
What are my responsibilities?
These critical questions frame the thinking of the Environment Area of Interaction (AoI). IB believes that all subject areas must understand and reflect strong principles about the role of mankind as a caretaker of the earth. In reality, this AoI asks students and teachers to understand the impact of human activity on the living and non-living world around us. When approaching a unit through this lens, students come to understand that we have responsibilities to take care of our world for both ourselves and future generations.
There are four levels of understanding: awareness, responsibility, action and reflection.
Students become aware of their affect on the environment. They come to understand which environments they are a part of and how the environment affects them. As students become responsible for the environment, they recognize their roles as producers and consumers and they critically examine environmental issues and their causes. Hopefully, this results in active promotion for healthy environments. In the end, the goal is that students will be able to reflect on environmental issues from a personal perspective. Thus, in thinking about the environment, the fundamental IB path for learning is critical: Question, Learn, Think, Care, Act.
AoI #5 – Human Ingenuity
The locomotive is an excellent example of mankind’s creative process. Man has always sought to make life easier by reducing the amount of effort needed to accomplish a task. This resourcefulness led to the invention or discovery of the wheel, electricity, computer, democracy, art, games and the steam engine. What conditions led to the creation of these devices and more? Why does man create? The steam engine led to the locomotive which led to the rail road which eased transportation which contributed to the expansion of the American west which crossed Native American lands which enabled the decimation of the buffalo herds..... And so we ask, What are the consequences of our creativity? This describes the final IB Area of Interaction: Human Ingenuity.
Human Ingenuity (formerly named Homo faber) is more than just making an art project or a power point. This AoI encourages students and teachers to explore the creative process, looking into the causes, methodology, and consequences of man’s ingenuity. It allows students to discover their own resourcefulness and reflect on the ingenuity of their own and other cultures. It is one of the attributes that make human beings unique and is a central aspect of every subject that we teach.