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Approaches to Learning Skills
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Approaches to learning (ATL) are skills designed to enable students in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) to “learn how to learn.” They are intended to apply across curriculum requirements and provide a common language for teachers and students to use when reflecting and building on the process of learning.
Approaches to learning (ATL) are skills designed to enable students in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) to “learn how to learn.” They are intended to apply across curriculum requirements and provide a common language for teachers and students to use when reflecting and building on the process of learning.
At UNIS we have identified 24 key AtL skills grouped into 5 AtL Clusters. These skills are explicitly taught from Kindergarten to Grade 12. A significant part of the Personal Project report is dedicated to a reflection on how your AtL skills had an impact on your project and where those skills might have grown through the project. You are required to substantiate your reflection with evidence. You will record part of this evidence in your process journal during the project.
Communication skills
Communication skills
Listening - Listen to other viewpoints with an open mind. Disagree respectfully.
Reading - Maintain a habit of reading for pleasure. Interpret and analyse a variety of informational and narrative texts. Examine the choices made by authors in creating meaning.
Interpreting - Critically analyse information from a variety of media in order to make meaning.
Speaking - Clearly express ideas and opinions. Use techniques to speak respectfully and constructively for diverse audiences and purposes.
Writing - Use written and symbolic languages to convey ideas clearly. Write in an appropriate style for diverse audiences and purposes.
Presenting - Engage and inform audiences using a variety of media for a range of purposes.
Research Skills
Research Skills
Questioning - Formulate conceptual and debatable questions that can be researched.
Gathering - Identify and select primary and secondary resources for research. Collect valid observations.
Evaluating - Assess the reliability and relevance of a variety of resources and understand bias.
Organising - Organise information in a variety of formats appropriate for different contexts.
Acknowledging - Recognise the significance of academic integrity and acknowledge sources using MLA format.
Self-Management Skills
Self-Management Skills
Personal organising - Organise materials and resources. Use systems to document learning.
Managing time - Set short and long-term goals, prioritise tasks, monitor progress, and meet deadlines.
Persevering - Work through challenges, grow from set-backs, and respond appropriately.
Managing emotions - Demonstrate awareness of own emotions. Use strategies to promote calm. Develop skills to achieve emotional regulation.
Advocating for self - Identify own needs. Speak up, be proactive, and ask for support.
Social Skills
Social Skills
Empathising - Seek out and listen to different voices. Support and empower others.
Collaborating - Actively engage with a variety of peers, and share work equitably.
Resolving - Conflict Identify the causes of conflict, own mistakes, and seek ways to restore justice.
Thinking Skills
Thinking Skills
Analysing - Identify patterns and trends. Formulate opinions and judgements using appropriate evidence.
Synthesising - Summarise main ideas. Make connections, infer, and draw conclusions.
Creative Thinking - Explore new ideas and perspectives. Generate and test a variety of approaches or solutions.
Reflecting - Recognise successful learning techniques and identify strategies to use for continued growth.
Transferring - Select and apply knowledge, concepts, and skills to other contexts. Make connections between different areas of study.
MYP projects are culminating activities through which students present, in a truly individual way, their development of ATL skills. ATL skills that students have developed in subject groups will prepare them for working more independently and developing a MYP project over an extended period of time. Projects, essays and investigations carried out in the subject groups are important vehicles for helping students to develop the skills and attitudes needed to complete MYP projects.
ATL skills provide a solid foundation for learning independently and with others, demonstrating learning, and reflecting on the process of learning. They help students to become more autonomous, strategic and self-motivated and ultimately prepare students for responsible participation in local and global contexts.
Students will demonstrate how they have met the objectives through their report at the end of the personal project. They will be expected to communicate clearly, accurately and appropriately, utilizing communication, organization and reflection as ATL skills.
Students have the opportunity to develop affective skills—mindfulness, perseverance, emotional management, self-motivation and resilience—throughout the entire process. This skill set contributes to managing state of mind and a healthy, balanced approach to the projects.
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