The Urban Legend: Teachers Take the Summer Off
At West Sound Academy - Our Teachers Study the IB Curriculum in their Summer Months
There is an urban legend that has passed down through the ages that teachers take the summer months off. Some go so far as to say that "Teachers have been seen sitting by the pool and eating bonbons all day and binge-watching Netflix shows over their summer vacation!"
Teachers at West Sound Academy might have the summer off from their classroom and students; however, their summers are actually very interesting. They attend workshops, research new ways of teaching their subject, and some even attend IB Training workshops.
West Sound Academy's IBDP History teacher, Allison Heuschele, attended the IB Training in her discipline in Colorado and came back with new ideas and new thinking on teaching IBDP History to our students.
While the conference hosted several hundred teachers from across the globe, the workshop for DP History only had 15 teachers. Heuschele says, "I appreciated the small group as I was able to get to know others better and use our collective knowledge to build a cohesive and engaging curriculum."
"The IB History curriculum is expansive, and there is no shortage of events and ideas that students need to know. One of the key takeaways from the workshop is how to build the curriculum so students learn knowledge that makes sense historically, geographically, economically, and politically. History does not occur in a vacuum, and if I can create a curriculum that supports this idea, students will have a much more meaningful learning experience."
"Starting this fall, at WSA IB students will study Rights and Protest for Paper 1, 20th Century Authoritarian States and the Cold War for Paper 2, and for Paper 3, students will study Political Developments in Latin America, the Cold War, and Civil Rights in the Americas. At the workshop, I worked with the presenter and other teachers to find common themes and ideas that students can become experts in, but more importantly, appreciate how these ideas impact their daily lives. Through these units, students will come to understand the power of a single voice and the power of collective voices. Students will learn how the fear of the Cold War is a thread that can be traced throughout decades and countries. And that this fear still exists today. Students will be able to understand, follow, and evaluate the patterns of authoritarianism and nationalism that define countries in the 20th century. These are human events that have different perspectives and biases, but all are part of history."
"History is happening right now, and the more students understand this, the greater their ability to impact their own worlds. By learning history, students can make choices that perpetuate the good. The workshop was a foundational experience that gave me the opportunity to create a curriculum that will best serve my students now and in the future."
Our IB Theatre and IB Language and Literature teacher, Gretchen Nordleaf, hosted the IB Theatre Teacher Training on the West Sound Academy campus at the end of June. Sixteen IB Theatre teachers from Canada and the US arrived early on June 27 for a three-day intensive training in the new curriculum for IB Theatre.
The instructor for the workshop, Rene Rigant-Amthor, Ed.D., brought over 27 years of experience in IB Theatre and IB English classrooms to the training.
The added benefit of having Dr. Rigant-Amthor as the instructor is that she spent four years as a member of the International Baccalaureate Theatre Curriculum Review Committee - which means she actively participated in reviewing and revising the new IB Theatre course.
So, what happens at an IB Training?
These training workshops are led by teachers from around the world and are designed to encourage collaboration between educators and leaders in rich learning environments. The fabric of the IB mission statement is interwoven into the classroom experience throughout the training curriculum. The workshops also serve as powerful tools to ensure schools meet professional learning requirements. The experience for educators is exciting and exhausting all at the same time.
The IB Theatre training brought to light not only how the new theatre curriculum has changed for each assessment piece, but also why. Nordleaf learned that "there is now a focus on inclusivity in studying IB Theatre not just from a global perspective but at the student experience level as well." Besides the requirement of students individually studying a world theatre tradition in depth for the Research Presentation Assessment, every student involved in the Collaborative Project must now be a performer as well. In the past, students could choose a role off-stage in a technical position, but the IB wants all students to experience being both a creator and performer.
Another new aspect is that it is no longer mandatory for students to attend "live" theatre performances. Students are encouraged to attend live theatre when possible. However, during the revision process it was discovered that a high percentage of IBDP schools globally did not have access to regional theatres or touring productions. Attending live theatre was a hardship. This requirement directly impacted students' assessment work and, therefore, the final evaluations. While there is access to many theatre productions via Digital Theatre Plus and Online Drama, the requirement of attending live theatre was found to be exclusive.
The new theatre curriculum encourages students to become knowledgeable and fluent in social and global issues. It was stressed that when students create the Collaborative Project Assessment piece they focus on a social justice issue as the stimulus for their work. An underpinning of the IB curriculum across all subjects is to have students look outside of themselves, to truly see beyond their immediate environment, and to perceive and better understand a world they would not be cognizant of would it not be for their IB education.
To help with this aspect of the course, ISTA (International School Theatre Association) provided the IB Theatre teachers with a guest artist workshop with Idris Goodwin, Artistic Director of Seattle Children's Theatre, who is also a well-known playwright. He focused on teaching our students the basics of storytelling and allowing the process to simply unfold the wants and desires of a character or a community.
Finally, it was impressed upon the educators attending the training that the IB learner profile traits and personal reflection are the keys to success in the theatre curriculum. Students are asked to reflect on their learning for each and every assessment, to describe and explain their experience using the IB Learner Profile traits.
The IB explains that their curriculum and the IB classroom experience benefit students by enabling them to “direct their own learning pathway and develop the skills and confidence they need to thrive and make a lasting difference. It empowers teachers as the architects of learning excellence, working alongside engaged colleagues in a rewarding career supported by a strong global network. And it brings schools a strong reputation for successful outcomes that uplift the whole community."
Nordleaf summed up her summer IB training. "After having worked and experienced the new curriculum, it has become clear how our IB Theatre students will be challenged to explore the wider world around them through theatre, writing, and literature. The curriculum teaches the whole student, not just a subject. As always, my role as a teacher continues to be that of a guide for my students to inquire, take risks, think critically, challenge assumptions, and consider both local and global contexts when presented with issues and concerns. In short, my students will be well-prepared to create a better world."
Allison and Ms. N, happily and enthusiastically gave up poolside bonbons, binge-watching Netflix, and all those other lounging activities this past summer to learn more about themselves as educators and to become the best teachers they can be for their students at WSA.