I am currently working on developing my unit plans for a few of my UBC classes and I have a new found respect for the IB Units of inquiry. The framework is a great way to build transdisciplinary units which incorporate many different subject area’s PLOs. I have found it really helpful for understanding how to include different subject matter while making it relevant to the 3 lines of inquiry.

I am still trying to figure out a good way of building my weekly and daily plan so that it all flows in a cohesive manner as it is fragmented by subject matter at UBC while on practicum is it a cohesive flowing UOI.

I find myself still struggling to incorporate the IB wording into my lesson plans as I feel that I need reminders to focus on a couple of attributes or traits.

I think that once my extended practicum is completed it will finally all come together as I feel that the infrequency of my Thursday practicum does not allow me the chance to see how IB in incorporated wholly. Once I am there everyday for 2 months I hope I will be able to fully embody and incorporate the IB pedagogical methods. I wonder that if I become a TOC will I be able to incorporate the IB methods when I am at a schools on a sporadic frequency and constantly moving around. Hopefully when I land full time work I can sit down and structure the Units each year versus having top follow someone else’s plans.

This week I was given the opportunity to visit an IB public school and move around a variety of classrooms. It was really good for me to see how IB was displayed in the school in general as well as in the classrooms. I have attached some pictures which showcase some of my observations.

I also noticed that most of the classrooms had an “action cycle” on the walls. It is based on the simple idea of: Choose – Act – Reflect. This theme was shown throughout the classrooms in the public IB school while the focus in my practicum school is on the profiles and attitudes.

The one thing that I really enjoyed about visiting the school was to see all the grades and their learning levels. I went down from the 6/7 class down to Kindergarten by each grade level and got the chance to watch their capabilities each year. The interaction with the students has reaffirmed my decision to become a teacher and makes me wonder which grade level I would eventually like to teach (if I am even given the opportunity to choose in the current job market). I really interacted well with the older grades and had a bunch of good connections within the 5/6 split class that was taught by my IB cohort colleague.

I also got more exposure to the different environment in regards to parental involvement, special needs students, unions, and funding issues.

I took this picture on my first day at my school, and i didn’t really know how it fit into the IB PYP until this week in class at UBC. After learning about the Key concepts in class I am now reflecting on how it was used in my grade 2 classroom during the past weeks, including my two week practicum. I now realized that my SA had this up on the wall by the corner of the class where they usually sit and have class discussions. It was used as a reminder for the students to use when asking questions. When I look back at the classroom organization and layout of the classroom, IB content is prominently displayed.

This week has been a very active week for teaching I undertook the first science experiment for the class as well as tackling some PE and Math lessons. It was challenging and my area for improvement was to try and include more IB language into the classroom discussion and feedback. The school is relatively new to the PYP program and for me to fully succeed I want to ensure that they children become very familiar with the terminology.

My SA has been a great inspiration as she constantly peppers in IB language and it helps me see how I can use this in my lessons and throughout the day.

My School is fortunate to have many specialist teachers in Music, Mandarin, French, and PE which has allowed me to become fully integrated into the planning process during the prep blocks and how they implement their programme of inquiry into each class while aligning with the BC curriculum.

After my first week at my school, I thought that now would be a good time to reflect on the week.

The school is privileged to have such support from the parents as was exhibited during their swimming lesson this week where over 5 parents showed up to help get the children organized and changed for their lesson.

I learned a lot about my teaching style from the feedback that I received from my SA and my UBC advisor, I aim to implement these improvements in future lesson plans as I am now cognisant of my areas for improvement. Overall this week has reinforced my decision to become a teacher as I have loved every minute of it.

There were many things that happened during the week which typify the life of a teacher as you always have to be on your toes, as there was a fire alarm pulled by a student one day and the power went out on another day and classes were cancelled. Which allowed me extra time to work on my lesson plans for the upcoming classes. I aim on taking a more active role next week in class and challenge myself in areas that I want to improve upon.

The photo that I attached is a great example of the creativity and the influence of the IB program on the children and their families.

This child’s Halloween costume is a Starbucks coffee with some IB learner profiles checked off on the back from the feedback from his parent teacher meeting.

Here are some examples of the IB learner profiles which I witnessed in the classrooms at school. I was impressed with the overall use and mention of them blended into the curriculum. I observed an interactive read aloud where the teacher posed the question “Which characteristic of the IB profile was exhibited in this story?” I was impressed with the quality and depth of responses and it really showed that the students were able to draw connections. Having these visuals on the walls helped some of the student with identifying the learner profile exhibited. This school is relatively new to the PYP program and it was encouraging to see how they are adopting the new teaching methodology as it will help them going forward in their IB schooling.