A New Appreciation of Interdisciplinary Essays

Again, from the Extended Essay Workshop I finished, is a reflection on the World Studies EE.

Module 4 convinced me to dive into the World Studies EE. I was merely wading in the waters watching however, the learning engagements afforded me the space to see and experience the interdisciplinary essay in a new light. The WS EE was not taken up in this detail in my last EE workshop - which was years ago. 

Because the interdisciplinary essay is academic writing that puts into action what students learn from the classroom in the discussion and breaking apart of real life problems, learning is more personal. I can imagine the authentic texts and sources students can use and engage in when they research. Where authenticity happens, kindness and compassion are not far away. Reading authentic texts have that effect on people. 

So, I am going to analyze our library collection and find out how interdisciplinary our titles are; how many own voice literature we have on the shelf, the case studies, phenome nomological research and texts that show local knowledge that connects to global issues. When reading texts and sources like these, a more deliberate form of note taking and close reading can be employed. Then, there is the collaborative meetings with teachers and leadership.

The world may seem to be constantly crashing and burning, but, here we are in the IB community making the most of the situation, learning from each other and soldiering on.

More on the Pivotal Task of Reflection in the EE Process

Gathering my "sparkles" from the Extended Essay Workshop I have attended.  

Sparkle 1: Reflection on the RPPF: Takeaways from the Two Videos

As previously discussed and taken up in Modules 1 and 2, reflection and metacognition are highly cognitive tasks. The manner in which the skills are acquired can be derived in natural environments such as social interactions from home and family life, friends and peers and the larger community. Like language and literacy skills acquisition, it requires formal instruction, thus, the RRS and RPPF in the EE are set in place and marked following a criterion. Beyond the numbers, reflection and metacognition permeate the EE process which becomes a set of skills learned by students who explore and investigate topics they are passionate to know more about.

The supervisor's important role in the 3 phases of reflection in the EE is an opportunity to teach, guide and mentor. Each phase has a role in learning to write an academic paper for the first time: setting directions and clearing the path; being aware of roadblocks and finding out ways to overcome them; recognizing mistakes and victories, big and small that contribute to becoming a life long learner. Indeed, the part where reflection is concerned in the EE process is a growth for the individual student and the supervisor as well. This is core to being and becoming. This is beyond marks and grades received internally and externally.

In my interviews and guided sessions with students, and when I dialogue with them from the First Reflection; to the Interim and the Viva Voce, I will be more aware of the feelings that students articulate and the breakthroughs they made. I will value the check-in sessions since these act as bridges or ways of follow through in learning; connecting prior knowledge and making sure that the writing has integrity.

Sparkle 2: Reflection on Assessment

The most challenging part of working around the EE and supervising students to reach the finish line is the idea that of external examination. The idea alone is challenging, yes. A decade and counting in the IB, I have taken the external exams as a measure to check our quality of instruction ensuring that IB standards and requirements are met. This informs policy, practice and philosophy. It is a form of assessment and evaluation that removes complacency and pushes teachers and the school community to continuously grow. In an ever changing world, we cannot afford to not develop.

Keeping this in mind, I see the assessments in the EE as highly formative. It is a long haul though, therefore in between the three reflections, check-ins are just as important. It is in this little moments when strategies and techniques in thinking and learning are fortified, flowing into routines or habits. This in turn becomes culture.

As an EE Supervisor, I need to pay attention on my supervisee's process of choosing a topic, or how  she/he arrived in that decision; how the RQ presents an arguement that can be defended or proven with the intelligent and responsible use of sources. It is at this point when timelines and self management skills need to be observed. And for the next meeting, which is the check-in, I will look for report on progress. This period can be a long wait, so the Reflection Space can be utilized to monitor if the student is working or not. 

In the Interim, as the student reaches the writing of the EE, more reflections can be had and learning gains can be reaped. It is noteworthy to look at the metacognitive skills of students as this juncture. Again, as a matter of formative assessment that can be given as feedback, this is information that students will value. Thus, reaching the final draft of the EE and the Viva Voce, supervisor and student can look back at an experience that had been challenging but difficult.

Writing my final report based on my supervisee's RPPF would be a task I will look forward to.

Research Skills Instruction: Academic Honesty and Citations in APA Style

My session with our Business Management (BM12) students last week went as planned. My 20 minute lecture and demonstration on citations using the APA style/format was a review of what students already know and have, eventually, forgotten. Citing sources is emphasized as an important skill in research and in academic writing. Like all skills to be mastered, it has to be seen as part of a bigger set of composite skills like documenting sources and annotating them. It can be taught and learned in isolation, but context and real life application make the learning meaningful. When there is meaning in learning, the learner remembers.

Here are fundamental concepts I emphasized in my session.

1. Citing sources is part of documenting and annotating references and sources of information.

2. There are three preliminary steps before citation happens: understanding the task at hand; knowing the needed information to complete the task; identifying the source of information needed to complete the task. When these are all accomplished, engagement and transaction with the information begins.

3. As soon as sources are selected, taking note and recording of the sources' bibliographic data are important tasks as well.

I used the APA Style as requested by the BM teacher. Here is the poster of citation formats and basic in-text citation must-do. This is taken from Purdue Online Writing Lab.

On Friday, the last day of the week, we closed our advisory session with a discussion on Academic Honesty using a short film, Reluctance, as a spring board. Since it was a session with the entire cohort, we had breakout rooms for each advisory class over on Zoom. This strategy eased the students into expressing their responses over the material as well as the topic on Academic Honesty. It can be a big concept involving many factors and disciplines of thought.

The process of learning the skills and the big idea that drives them is ongoing. I will definitely blog them all here in as much and as frequent as I can.

IL Lesson for Grade 10: Identifying Sources In Line With the Statement of Inquiry

One of the many Information Literacy Skills lessons I enjoy planning and teaching is the identification of sources in line with the research question. In this lesson, my objective is to facilitate the search strategy of extracting important keywords from a research question or a statement of inquiry. These keywords will then be used for searching of sources online or in the library's OPAC.

Sharing with you the PowerPoint presentation I made. Notice that questions are asked and posted at each step of the identification process. Part 2 of the lesson is an exercise in knowing the content of primary and secondary sources.



This IL lesson was made possible in collaboration with the research coordinator and the Middle Years Program Coordinator's recognition of the teacher librarian role as literacy skills facilitator.

The Lighthouse Diary Entry #17: Welcome New Griffins!

This week we officially opened the academic year to new and returning students. As it has been the practice for years, the library conducted orientations for grades 9-12. Each cohort brought to the table a unique characteristic and behavior towards the library. Once again, I realized that a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and learning will not do.

What was remarkable to me in this year's library orientation was the response of the grade 9 students to the activity I planned and prepared. I kept the same activities for the returning students, but decided on the last minute to change the activities for the new Griffins. Besides the orientation, I carried on another session for them later in the day. This was part of the Foundation Days Program that the MYP Team put together.

The Harkness Table where thoughtful discourse and mutual respect are observed. 

The activities that the grade 9s worked on were anchored on two concepts namely, research as an inquiry process and  research as communication. The class was divided in two groups. Group 1 was tasked to make a plan in repairing an old bike. Group 2 was tasked to analyze Hitler's proclamation as Time's Man of the Year. Both tasks involved process as an important factor in completing tasks.

The output that each group brought to the table was impressive. Not only did they answered the questions and completed the tasks, they also described their process at arriving at an answer or a conclusion. There was evidence of critical thinking as one group reasoned out practical means to repair the old bike versus, going the long route of understanding how a bike works and what needs to be repaired if it is broken. I was impressed on the group who worked on the Hitler activity. They consulted books, online resources and went back to previous assignments about World War II. The discussion was rich with in the groups and the presentation was a team effort. Promising!

Onward to the next phase of research skills building. This is going to be an exciting academic year!

Why Libraries? Why Librarians? Why not!

BA Library School Life Presentation from Zarah Gagatiga

IB Online Workshop: Pedagogical Support for the EE

The two concepts that stood out to me after reading the Pedagogical support for the extended essay were the Reflection and the EE and the Student-Supervisor Relationship.

The Reflection and the EE

This concept stood out to me because this is new in the EE. To devote a criterion for reflection only goes to show how important this is. Besides, Reflective is one of the ten qualities in the list of the Learner Profile.

Previous to working in the Beacon Academy, I was a school librarian in a Jesuit school. As a lay partner of the Jesuits in educating and forming men and women for others, it was there, among Jesuits and their lay partners where I first encountered the relevance of reflection in a person's life. I learned from them the cycle of Experience-Reflection-Action. This permeates the teaching and learning practices of the learning community.

Back to Beacon. In my first year, I attended the IB Workshop and Training required of newly hired faculty and there I met the words Reflection, Action and Inquiry. Somehow, I did not feel entirely foreign to the IB as I have prior knowledge and experience to latch on new things that I will learn from peers and colleague who were IB trained. Over the years, my colleagues have been supportive of this continuous process of learning and some of them have become good friends. Oh boy! It has been unexciting ride as there are new things being incorporated in the IB within two or three years time.

In this journey of learning continuously in the IB, reflection remains at its core. The PYP is grounded on inquiry based learning and statements of inquiry are essential parts of unit plans. To reflect on process in the EE journey in the DP, as I take it, manifest as the capstone skill in year 12.

I believe in reflective teaching and learning. I enjoy reflection even though it is difficult to do at first and it is not akin to the Filipino psyche and culture. Reflection is something we need to consciously learn and teach. Despite the challenge, there are techniques to use and apply to help students (and teachers) become reflective learners. Once reflection becomes a habit, it is a life skill that can help a person push farther and further on in life.

This is where I find the TSM helpful, especially the section on Pedagogical support for the extended essay, because it has a slew of activities and strategies that prompts, helps and aids supervisors and students reflect in the EE. There are many things to unpack and set in place. In my plan of action, I included a Research Writing (RW) workshop for EE supervisors. I will add activities and points for reflection in the RW workshop that I will design with the help of my DP Coordinator and Dean of Faculty. I will definitely select and use the recommended activities in the TSM’s Pedagogical support for the extended essay.

The Student-Supervisor Relationship

Working with students in the EE for the past two years made me realise that I am building a relationship with them that is grounded on trust and mutual respect. Below is the description of what makes for a good student-supervisor relationship and the primary role of the EE supervisor. 

Taken from the Pedagogical support for the extended essay, I will keep these statements to heart:

A good student–topic–supervisor fit is likely when the supervisor:

• knows the student well

• shares the student’s excitement and curiosity about the topic

• is comfortable establishing a clear work plan with the student

• follows up with timely feedback.

The supervisor should:

• mentor the student with advice on the skills of undertaking the research process

• encourage and support the student throughout the research and writing of the EE

• guide the student in formulating a well-focused research question that satisfies appropriate legal and ethical standards

• ensure that the student understands the importance of using credible/accurate sources.

Implementing policies and procedures of the EE may appear as highly administrative. But, beyond these administrative layers, a school community needs to work together and each member has a role to play. School leaders create the learning environment and systems, supervisors teach, administer and form students as knowledgable, inquiring, principled and reflective learners within the EE journey, and parents are needed for support at home.

IB Online Workshop: Reflections on the Extended Essay

Sharing with you, dear readers, the reflections I have on the IB online workshop I am participating in for the past two weeks. This workshop is about the Role of the Supervisor in the Extended Essay (EE). I am not supervising a student's EE, but in Beacon Academy, I am part of the coordinating team helping and supporting teachers in the EE journey. 

 Something new that I learned about the extended essay: 
 * I am not the only one concerned with students' imbibing the values and codes of conduct that are essential in writing the EE. This gives me comfort. :-) To be in the company peers, colleagues and professionals in the IB and interacting with them is a big support for a learner like myself. There is more reason to teach and learn collaboratively.  

 * The EE is a process oriented task and therefore, reflecting on the process leads to learning beyond the subject and the topic of choice for investigation.  

 * Reflection happens or occurs in all phases of the EE, from the initial check-in sessions to the interim and final stage of the EE. That is why, reflection skills and strategies in teaching need to be planned and implemented in the context of the learner at the forefront of instruction.  

 * Formative assessments are the built-in structures that can firm up reflection and metacogntion. Some of the things I need to think about again are the current library services and programs we offer to our teachers and students that contribute to the development and strengthening of ATLs, also known as life skills. The value of reflection is for the development of skills in lifelong learning.

Learning From Peers: Observing Classes this Academic Year

Class observations are a regular practice in the Academy. In my six years of stay here, I have visited classrooms of my co-teachers and colleagues and have seen them teach in action. Here is a blog post from 2014 where I write about insights I gained from a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class I observed back then. 

This academic year, I have been to three classrooms and have been invited by the Business Management (BM) teacher in a class presentation of case studies. I have seen a variety of instructional strategies that my co-teachers employ as well as responses from their students.

I enjoyed listening to students' discussion during an English class. How the teacher gave them confidence to tackle and talk about issues that affected themselves and the world in general. Ursula Le Guin has good stories and essays to bring this out from students, but it is the English teacher's trust on her students that amazed me. The material was chosen well; the instructions to read the material was given ahead of time, with pointers on literary elements for students to pay particular attention to; and students were taught how to take notes at the beginning of the term. So, at Harkness Table, the discussion was very rich. Hope for this country floats!

In Economics, students work in groups accessing and selecting sources for their commentary. This is a senior class and I was glad to see the independence of the students at work. What impressed me more was the way a group helped a classmate who appeared to be lagging behind with the required work for the period. It was like a study group where students learn from each other. All the while, the Econ teacher supervised by observing class dynamics, lending consultations when student asked for it, and managing the time with the objectives in mind.

In the BM class, the seniors presented their case studies. There were revisions to be made, especially in the investigation of the case studies. Nonetheless, students came prepared with their presentations, dressed like young professionals ready for the world.

Looking back at these experiences, I realize how teachers in the high school and senior high school levels assume the role of coaches, counselors and mentors. It is in the design of teaching and learning experiences that makes a lot of difference. They appear to be having a ball but, really, the role is not an easy one to play. Knowing their students and where to bring them to is another factor for meaningful instruction and teaching practice. Being adept at teaching one's subject matter is one thing, but understanding the context and the learning conditions of learners is another.

Lastly, I realized how important feedback can be for students starting out in the IB Program. When I sat in the class of the Design teacher, she had all her reflection question ready for the students to think through. Her class, bright eyed and ready wrote on their worksheets. The writing activity helped students assess their progress in a month long project that prepared them for more challenging tasks in the coming year. Their reflections were helpful in facilitating feedback where the teacher assumed the role of a mentor guiding them through the entire process. Indeed, the students came out of the class with choices and possibilities to mull over on future academic endeavors.

Such observations and insights provide me with information I can use to improve the design of the library's programs and services. My co-teachers are designing learning environments with the students at the forefront of their instructional design. This approach has a lot to tell me about the behavior and attitude of teachers and students towards the use of information and media. Definitely, like our students learning from each other, teachers are also learning from peers.

At the Academy Last Week: Poetry and Christmas Reading Passport 2016

Last week at the Academy, we launched the annual Christmas Reading Passport. This reading campaign began three years ago. It has evolved into a program that address reading needs and interests of students. I have also included an aspect of Bibliotherapy by including reflection questions.

Here are posts about the Christmas Reading Passport from previous years:

Christmas Reading Passport 2015
 Christmas Reading Passport 2014
 Christmas Reading Passport 2014 Video

Here's how the Christmas Reading Passport works:

1. Students get a reading passport.

2. The reading passport is designed to encourage students to read four books on the themes of hope, peace, joy and love. There are four questions to be answered, one for each book. This way, students are guided on their book choices. Recommended reads, a list of books about the themes are sent out via email lists to everyone.

3. The passport and the books are taken home over the long holiday break.

4. Students come back after the break with the passports filled out. They submit this to the library staff.

5. They get a token from the library.

 As the grade 9s have started a unit on Poetry in English class, I have put on display books on poetry. Inspired by current events, I picked up some books and stacked them together for a book spine poem I shared with the community.

A Visit From Librarians of Lipa City Colleges

The visit of eight librarians from the Lipa City Colleges in our library was one event I was thrilled to host. They were the first group to see us at The Academy for benchmarking purposes. To prepare for their visit, my staff and I showed them the basic library functions we have set up, the activities and programs we have conducted, so far, gave them a tour of the campus and had a round table discussion at the end of the tour. We also served them the fabled puto Binan and brewed coffee.

The team from Lipa City Colleges was led by Ms. Belle De la Cruz. From this post in FB by Marianne Diesta, I think we had all a wonderful time. Here's hoping we can establish stronger networking ties with our colleagues in Batangas.

Extended Essay Journey: Progress Chart

Since the start of the Extended Essay Journey two weeks ago, I have set up a tracking mechanism for students. Our initial conversations about the topics they wish to investigate on had been purposeful and interesting. For one, many of the juniors see the EE as a ticket to college. A good and well written EE is proof that the student is ready for academic writing and in scholarly work, in general.  To some, the EE is a requirement to graduate from high school. Either way, the students writing the EE must have a purpose in doing it and that his or her perspective of it is clear. Writing a research paper is not an easy task, especially for students who are being introduced into the experience for the first time.

The EE Progress Chart is meant to help me, as EE Coordinator, guide the students through the process of choosing a topic, crafting a research question, preliminary research, outlining a structure for writing and initial writing of the Introduction and the Methodology. The chart is also a means to remind students where they are in the process. I keep reminding myself that the whole exercise demands competence, stamina and skill from students. A lot of thinking is put into this first stage of the process. Some students do well. Some falter.

In times when students express a difficulty at this stage, I look at the learning support structures in place in school. I recognize the individuality of each student; that there is no one way of learning; that there are varied ways to solve problems; and that, as a teacher of research, I too have my own limitations. In times like this, collaboration is essential.

Library & Reading Promo: Christmas Reading Passport 2014

So the Christmas Reading Passport was launched at Assembly in school this morining. It's easy to do.

1. Students get a reading passport from the library.
2. They borrow one book about the theme of the week.
3. They return the book a week after borrowing and they fill out a box on their reading passport.
4. They borrow another book until they complete four books by December 15, 2014.
5. Filled out reading passports will entitle them to a free frappucino on December 16, 2014.

PLUS: borrowers will get 5 book points off their book quota.

The book quota is the number of books each student is required to borrow in one academic year. There is a corresponding task or consequence for students who fall short of their book quota. Sounds harsh?

Well, at some point, reading must be required and monitored. With activities that encourage students to read, advisory and guidance on their choices of reading materials can be facilitated.

Will see how this will go by next week and the coming weeks to come.