Embedding the IB Approaches to Teaching and Learning at GCSD: PYP, MYP, and DP

At Greenburgh Central School District (GCSD), the Approaches to Teaching (ATT) and Approaches to Learning (ATL) form the backbone of instructional design across the IB continuum, ensuring that learning is purposeful, student-centered, and skill-driven from the Primary Years Programme (PYP) through the Diploma Programme (DP). These approaches not only cultivate academic success but also foster independent, reflective, and adaptable learners.

Approaches to Teaching (ATT)

The IB defines six key approaches to teaching that guide instructional practices:

1. Inquiry-Based: Learning is driven by students’ questions, curiosity, and exploration.\

2. Conceptual: Lessons focus on broad, transferable concepts that connect ideas across disciplines.

3. Contextual: Learning is grounded in local and global contexts, making it relevant and meaningful.

4. Collaborative: Students and teachers work together, sharing ideas and building collective understanding.

5. Differentiated: Instruction is adapted to meet the diverse needs, interests, and learning profiles of all students.

6. Informed by Assessment: Ongoing formative and summative assessments inform teaching and provide actionable feedback.

At GCSD, these approaches are embedded in practice through:

• In the PYP, students explore transdisciplinary themes by developing inquiry questions and engaging in hands-on investigations, such as exploring community roles during a “Who We Are” unit.

• In the MYP, interdisciplinary units (IDUs) connect concepts across subjects, like a science and humanities project on climate change, while teachers differentiate tasks to meet varied student interests and abilities.

• In the DP, Theory of Knowledge seminars prompt students to inquire into how knowledge is constructed, and Extended Essay supervisors guide students with personalized support, using ongoing assessment checkpoints to ensure progress.

Approaches to Learning (ATL)

The IB identifies five key categories of ATL skills that are explicitly taught and developed:

1. Thinking Skills: Critical, creative, and reflective thinking.

2. Research Skills: Information literacy, media literacy, and ethical use of information.

3. Communication Skills: Effective oral, written, and non-verbal communication.

4. Social Skills: Collaboration, empathy, and conflict resolution.

5. Self-Management Skills: Organization, time management, mindfulness, and resilience.

Across GCSD, students build these skills progressively:

• In the PYP, teachers embed thinking routines (like “See-Think-Wonder”) and scaffold research through guided library sessions, while students practice social skills through cooperative games and class meetings.

• In the MYP, students develop advanced research skills through the Personal Project, honing information literacy and ethical citation. Classroom norms encourage active listening, peer critique, and leadership roles that build social and communication skills.

• In the DP, students master self-management through rigorous deadlines in CAS, the Extended Essay, and IB assessments. They refine research and communication skills by presenting complex arguments in Theory of Knowledge and defending their ideas in collaborative discussions.

Alignment with GCSD’s SEL Standards

Our district’s SEL standards, aligned with CASEL, are woven into ATL instruction to ensure students are developing both cognitive and emotional competencies. For example:

• Self-Management and ATL: Time management checklists and mindfulness practices reinforce students’ ability to organize and persevere.

• Social Skills and ATL: Group projects and peer mediation strategies promote respectful collaboration and conflict resolution.

• Communication and ATL: Regular opportunities for presentations and written reflections strengthen expressive confidence and active listening.

At GCSD, the Approaches to Teaching and Learning are more than theoretical frameworks, they are embedded in daily practice, providing students with the tools and strategies they need to succeed academically and grow into thoughtful, principled, and skilled global citizens.