Approaches to Learning Skills (ATL skills)

Through ATL, students develop skills that are relevant to learning in school and outside of school.   ATL skills provide a foundation for learning independently and with others.  ATL skills help students prepare for, and demonstrate learning. They also provide a common language that students and teachers can use to reflect on, and articulate, the process of learning.   IB Organizes ATL skills in 10 clusters for the Middle Years Program (MYP).  You will use the worksheet linked below to identify some ATL skills you will work on developing during your Personal Project.

Approaches to Learning Worksheet

ATL Skill Categories and Clusters

Specific Examples for Applying ATL Skills to a Personal Project

To complete their Personal Project, students must work through different steps to explore the learning goal and achieve the product.  Some possible specific applications of ATL skills they might engage in are:

• Planning a timeline

• Planning resources (financial, human and material) and constraints

• Producing drafts, sketches, prototypes, plans, etc

• Choosing information, techniques and materials based on the research

• Testing techniques and materials

• Compiling a list of purchases

• Predicting other possibilities

• Planning which documents to produce (survey, letter, poster, visual aids, etc)

• Preparing meetings (interviews, surveys, presentations, resource people, etc) 

• Practising a presentation

• Creating their product

• Regularly assessing their work to see if the product helps achieve the learning goal; this could be a self-assessment or an assessment by another person

• Making necessary improvements

• Presenting the product

Examples of Evidence You Can Collect in Your Journal 

You will use their digital journal to collect evidence of applying ATL skills.  

Evidence of skills applied to help achieve their learning goal might be:

• Communication: copies of emails to the supervisor, a human “resource”, or a community member or social media posts related to your project.

• Information Literacy: evidence of research, description of resources, MLA references

Evidence of skills applied to help achieve their product goal might be:

• Creative Thinking: prototypes, concept sketches

• Organization: to-do lists, your timeline, calendar entries

• Affective Skills: journal entries that describe responses to setbacks or challenges

• Critical Thinking: pro/con list, data analysis