IB News
By Claudia Molleda | IB CP Coordinator
The holidays are an ideal time to continue putting into practice the attributes of the IB learner profile, especially to be caring, good communication, integrity and boldness, but above all reflection, which allows us to deepen our thinking and determine which ones we should be thankful for, what we learned, what we should improve, what are our priorities, etc. The IB profile accompanies us every day in each of our actions.
Happy Holidays!
The IB and concept-based learning
Lear how to teach is not a simple subject, however, the International Baccalaureate model proposes concept-based learning, this model has been proposed by Dr. Lynn Erickson and considers that learning must be three-dimensional, but what does it mean?
In the traditional or two-dimensional models, education aims to take place from the expected learning (data or facts) marked in the programs and the skills that must be developed, in the case of Mexico, the so-called ‘competencies’. However, the model proposed by Dr. Erickson also considers concepts or ‘big ideas’ as a form to engage the student through questions that have different levels. This teaching method is the IB inquiry model, which is applied from the PYP to the CP.
In her book, the importance of these factual (or factual), conceptual and debatable questions is explained with the ability to generate an emotional spark in the student that allows him to appropriate the concept, that is, to be able to understand it and apply it to a without a number of situations to respond to different problems: ‘this invitation envelops them – the students – emotionally and therefore increases their motivation for learning’. (Erickson, Lanning, French, 2017).
Let us set an example, when we talk about systems, we could think of different things … What is the first thing that comes to your mind? To mine comes, for example, the solar system, there will be those who think about computer science, economic, numerical systems, nervous system, etc., what does this mean?, that SYSTEM, is a concept or great idea that can be applied to different areas of knowledge, because it has a universal meaning according to the Royal Spanish Academy (2020):
‘A set of things that are related to each other in an orderly fashion contribute to a certain object’.
Therefore, connecting topics and concepts through questions about real and tangible situations for students, makes learning much more meaningful.
If you want to learn more about the models you can consult:
- https://blogs.ibo.org/blog/2016/07/08/aprendizaje-basado-en-conceptos-para-los-alumnos-de-hoy/?lang=es#:~:text=La%20educaci%C3%B3n%20impulsada%20por%20conceptos,su%20vida%20y%20a%20ser%20compasivos.
- https://blogs.ibo.org/blog/2017/11/07/como-aprovechar-el-aprendizaje-basado-en-conceptos/?lang=es
Erickson, Lanning, French (2012) Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom.
