How important is ATL?
The MYP was built around Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills. The whole idea of the developing programme in the 1980s and 1990s was to find a way to support students in learning and practicing a range of skills that would set them up for success in the IB Diploma Programme (DP). Over time the focus of MYP development has been around concepts and contexts, but still, at its very heart lies ATL. Students will be successful in the DP and beyond with a firm grounding in generic and subject-specific skills, through which they can demonstrate knowledge and understanding and application of them in unfamiliar situations.
The IB has placed ATL at the heart of the four programme models, seen as of equal importance to approaches to teaching in the attainment of learner profile attitudes. However, has the IB reinforced the importance of ATL through the mechanisms around programme authorisation and evaluation?
Do the Programme standards and practices reflect the importance?
The underlying nature of being an IB World School is described in the ‘Programme standards and practices’, which is at the core of the processes of how schools attain authorization and then keep improving through evaluation.
The IB values ATL as a crucial element to student success, yet the requirements of ATL described in the Programme standards and practices allow for schools to pay lip service and potentially miss an opportunity to develop the best possible learning for their students. Now, schools have few practices to meet regarding ATL (Programme Standards and Practices (2014):
- The school’s organizational structures support the implementation of all subject groups offered by the school, ATL, service and the personal project (or community project for programmes that end in MYP year 3 or 4). (B1.6a)
- The written curriculum includes an ATL planning chart for all years of the programme. (C2.1b)
- There is a system for the regular review of individual unit plans and of the planning of ATL skills. (C2.1f)
- Collaborative planning and reflection addresses vertical and horizontal articulation. (C1.3)
- The number of practices has been reduced from 73 to 42.
- Structure is changed to attempt to represent how schools organize themselves around IB philosophy and requirements.
- Terminology and categories mirror IB documentation, for example ATL.
- Systems and processes in place to document curriculum, policies, and procedures. The school articulates approaches to capturing and using data that informs implementation. Data informs changes to systems and processes and is used to demonstrate both the sustainability and growth of the programmes.
- Academic integrity policy which makes the school’s philosophy clear and is aligned with IB expectations. The academic integrity policy delineates responsibilities for teaching a variety of practices in academic integrity.
- ATL – The school can demonstrate how it plans, delivers and evidences the development of skills associated with ATL. The school has processes in place to actively engage students in their own learning. Students are articulate in explaining how they best learn and how they deal with challenges during the process of learning. Students use metacognitive tools as part of their learning experience. Students can articulate how they have developed and applied ATL skills; citing moments which demonstrate their understanding of: how these skills have enabled their successful accomplishment; that they have agency in shaping the development and application of these skills.
- schools must have systems in place to support student metacognition;
- schools must have in place processes for students to engage in their own learning;
- schools must have in place a way of capturing evidence of the development of skills.
- Reflection – The school supports creative opportunities for student to reflect meaningfully on their IB experience (what they are learning, and why), both alone with others.)
Good article. It’s not only important to have the paperwork in place but also to actually make sure it’s happening.
Very True!!!
The new Standard and Practice focus is not
teaching and learning however, taking care well being and mindfulness which is equal important for the learner’s holistic development.