On Thursday August 16th, we took time out the practicalities of getting ready for the opening day of school to do some professional development. The goal of the afternoon professional development was for the PK-12 faculty to work together to understand the IB Learner Profile. The “Learner Profile” is in our Vision Statement for our school a vital part of the curriculum of an IB World School. Below are my the notes from the major concepts from the afternoon session.
What is the Learner Profile?
- They are the values that inspire and focus our work
- It is what IB means by “International-mindedness”
- They connect the 3 IB programmes.
Schools that implement the Learner Profile
- are truly collaborative
- strengthen professionalism
- invest in PD (professional development)
The LP is a tool for whole-school-based reflection and analysis. How can we know the LP is “strongly evident” and “embraced by all members” ?? That is a question we will be answering in our new Strategic Plan. One part of the plan is to put the Learner Profile front and center in our school and make it more understood (and more importantly lived) in our community.
I was thinking of a method of memorizing the 10 attributes of the Learner Profile. I’ve categorized them to help me remember them:
1)Academics -knowledgeable, thinkers, inquirers,
2) Emotional – principled, open-mindedness, caring, balanced
3) All – communicators, risk-takers, Reflective
In reflecting on the workshop, I decided to make a nice laminated color copy of the of the LP for teachers to post in their rooms. The sheet will have the descriptors under each attribute. I am hoping teachers and students will refer to them often.
As a follow-on, I would like to explore the term “international-mindedness” and how it relates to the attributes. It would also be good to figure out a way people could self-assess themselves and document where they are on each of the attributes. Suzanne, our PYP Coordinator, suggested a passport that continues with them during their school years. She also would like some student to make an App to generate ideas and activities with the Learner Profile. Many people IB schools throughout the world would download it.
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