Essential understandings and learning objectives:
This workshop is designed to prepare participants to teach Language A:
language and literature in a manner that supports the International
Baccalaureate (IB) mission statement and philosophy.
Welcome
Who is this workshop for?
New or recently appointed teachers of Language A: language and
literature at IB World Schools.
Teachers of Language A: language and literature from interested or
candidate schools.
What will this workshop focus on?
Developing an understanding of IB key elements and thinking,
specifically as these relate to language and literature.
The Language A: language and literature guide, its elements and
associated internal and external assessment requirements.
Strategies for planning and executing effective teaching and learning
in the course.
Essential understandings
In this workshop, you will be encouraged and enabled to develop the
following understandings.
Module 1
Applying approaches to teaching and learning and the learner portfolio
in the Language A: language and literature course facilitates best
practice pedagogy, focuses on inquiry-based learning and maximizes a
student’s potential to achieve learning outcomes.
Diploma Programme schools align their educational beliefs and values
and practices to reflect those of the IB in order to create a challenging
programme of international education and a challenging Language A:
language and literature course.
Module 2
Language A: language and literature is an internationally minded
course with seven concepts and three areas of exploration that
underpin teaching.
A conceptual, flexible and internationally minded course—and
individual units—allows for much freedom and exploration while
keeping the IB mission and values at the forefront.
Module 3
Paper 2 offers students the opportunity to make connections between
different literary works and to write a comparative literary essay.
Paper 1 offers students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to
interpret closely and analyse an unseen non-literary text.
Researching and writing a Higher Level essay in Language A: language
and literature and an Extended essay in studies in language and
literature provides students with a powerful inquiry-based learning
experience and an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills in an
in-depth manner through their chosen topic of inquiry.
Module 4
The individual oral provides students with the chance to demonstrate
their international-mindedness by connecting both literature and
language texts to a writer’s choices and global issues.
Internal assessment in Language A: language and literature is
concerned with measuring student achievement in terms of the
assessment objectives.
IB assessment components reflect the IB's mission and values.
Learning objectives
By completing each module, you are expected to achieve specific learning
outcomes.
Select each tab to reveal the objectives.
Module 1: Creating the learner portfolio and close textual analysis of the IB
Start to create a learner portfolio, and in doing so, understand the
purpose, philosophy, logistics and opportunities behind it.
Share personal journeys that have brought individuals to this
workshop, creating a positive and supportive atmosphere of shared
collaboration.
Apply close textual analysis expectations (similar to Paper 1
expectations) to the IB, its mission, history, values, standards and
practices, aims, assessment objectives, learner profile and approaches
to teaching and learning.
Module 2: Theory of knowledge, questioning the canon and creating units of
study
Understand the seven concepts and how they underpin the syllabus
content.
Know the areas of exploration and the syllabus requirements within
each part, using the Prescribed reading list when necessary.
Connect the course to the theory of knowledge (TOK).
Design a course that incorporates the seven concepts and three areas
of exploration while also being internationally minded, using
the Prescribed reading list.
Understand the flexibility and freedom given to teachers to design
their course for their particular context.
Create a non-literary unit of study to be shared with others.
Module 3: Assessing student work
Discuss opportunities for effectively using the learner portfolio in
relation to Paper 2.
Understand the requirements and assessment criteria for Paper 2.
Read, mark and discuss sample scripts for Paper 2.
Understand the requirements and assessment criteria for Paper 1.
Read, mark and discuss a sample script for Paper 1.
Understand the distinction between the Higher Level essay and
researching and writing an extended essay in studies in language and
literature.
Develop an understanding of the role and responsibility of a teacher in
advising during the Higher Level essay process and of an extended
essay supervisor.
Develop strategies to assist students to understand academic honesty
and how to achieve this in their topic selection for the Higher Level
essay and in researching and writing the extended essay.
Apply the Higher Level essay and extended essay assessment criteria
using exemplars.
Module 4: Developing your own internal oral
Understand the assessment requirements, criteria, objectives and
procedures.
Understand how to connect texts, extracts and global issues to each
other.
Understand the student-directed and centred nature of this
assessment.
Understand how to use the learner portfolio to guide students in
making decisions for their internal assessment.
Practise creating an internal assessment just as a student in one’s own
class would do.
Listen to, mark and discuss an exemplar.
Revamp and revise your course syllabus or outline from Module 2 to
include summative assessment tasks.
Learning engagements, reflection points and optional challenges
What are the learning engagements, reflection points and optional
challenges of each module?
How do you engage?
Are you new to IB online workshops? Or do you have any doubts about how
to engage and participate?
Select the down arrow to walk through the options.
Burning questions
Got a question during the delivery of the workshop? Post it in the burning
questions forum, available in the workshop homepage.
Learning journal
You will be able to record your learning reflections in your learning journal in
the workshop homepage. Some learning engagements will direct you to this
space. However, you can use it at any time to share your ideas and views on
the workshop topics with your colleagues.
Social learning
You will be able to network informally with your peers in the coffee corner in
the workshop homepage. Various forums and learning spaces are also
available in the online workshop for sharing and commenting on each other's
contributions.
Sharing resources
You can also share and exchange useful resources in the sharing
resources space available in the workshop homepage.
Learner portfolio
This is a place for records and evidence of your activities. How you create it
is your choice. It could be analogue or digital. Some learning engagements
might ask you to share the whole portfolio or some of the content within it.
What sets it apart from the learning journal? It is your version of what
students use in your class.
The learning mix
All four modules include a number of individual and collaborative activities,
and reflection points. Some involve downloading resources which you will
find in the resource library in the workshop homepage. Take a moment to
learn more about the details of each module's learning engagements below.
Introducing the learning engagements
Module 1
1. The learner portfolio
Read and understand the significance of the learner portfolio to the course;
create your own learner portfolio; and, based on that experience, create a
worksheet about it to give to students. 90 minutes
2. Learner portfolio educator
Create questions and statements that will drive your experience in the
workshop, place those answers in your learner portfolio and introduce
yourself to the others in the workshop through your learner portfolio. 30
minutes
3. Approaches to teaching and learning
Read about and then rank the various approaches to teaching and learning,
thinking critically about what matters most to you personally. 30 minutes
4. Close textual analysis of the IB
Learn about the IB by applying close textual analysis skills to a variety of its
values, beliefs, and more, placing all answers in your learner portfolio. 90
minutes
5. Reflection point
Reflect on the importance of the learner portfolio; how all the IB documents
you analysed help frame your thinking about how to teach the course; and
how close textual analysis is an essential component of the course. 15
minutes
6. Optional challenge
Engage in a back-and-forth dialogue with a partner about one or two IB
documents you analysed. This is an optional challenge. 25 minutes
