Full disclosure: I have just moved to the Hague and started a new job at the IB. Future blog posts will probably be flagging up resources the IB have created/shared OR non-IB specific posts (though still with a focus on conceptual understanding, inquiry, visible thinking...and all that good stuff)

The resources on the website are arranged by:

• Our wellbeing: This section provides resources that have been curated to support student well-being.
• Our learning: This section provides resources that have been curated to support learning.
• Our action: This section provides resources that address action as a response to crisis.
• Our community: This section provides resources that have been curated to support the school community in times of crisis.

Some of the interesting things you will find when you dig in:

• Using the learner profile to learn through and about crisis.
• Facilitating dialogue in the classroom
• Introduction to source analysis and critical thinking in times of crisis
• Understanding crises through text: how can we speak about, write about, crises?
• Responding to student behaviours during times of crisis: guidance for educators of young children and adolescents
• Taking action: locally and globally — Guiding learner action in response to crises

There have been a team of great people working on these resources behind the scenes. When I joined the IB a few weeks ago, many of these resources were almost complete. The only one that I helped with a little was: ​Adapting MYP units to learn about a crisis — Guidance for educators and schools.

The idea behind this resource is that you can look at your current/upcoming unit's concepts or global context, and then use the questions to make connections. This will help with transfer and and conceptual understanding. It is also a good entry point/tool for starting discussions with your students.

For example, if your unit is using the Global Context of 'Identities and relationships', and/or any of the following key concepts 'Culture / Identity / Relationships / Communities', you could reframe/pivot your unit around the following questions, or simple create space to pause and discuss:
​

• Who do we rely on in times of crisis?
• How are different members of our community impacted by a crisis?
• How can relationships help us through crisis?
• How might a crisis affect people's well-being?
• Is it important to look after ourselves before we look after others?
• Are we stronger together?
• (Action) How can we support our family, friends and community in times of crisis?

The suggested inquiry questions cover factual, conceptual, debatable and a question that could prompt students to take action. These are just suggested questions/examples!

• Facing History and Ourselves.  A fantastic website full of free activities, lessons, units, professional development and teaching strategies. The strategy 'class contracting' is useful before beginning conversations on difficult/sensitive topics
• Harvard Graduate School of Education: Making Space for Difficult Discussions. This resource was made in response to the Capitol riots, but it still useful/relevant. They also have their 'Making Caring Common' initiative.
• Learning for Justice (previously 'Teaching Tolerance), has many useful resources, including 'Leading Conversations After Crisis' and 'Toolkit for When Bad Things Happen 
• Toddle have various resources for crisis response, including 'What to teach during a crisis' and 'Leading Through and Out of Crisis – A COVID19 Focus' 

Know any other useful resources? Add them in the comments!

Ages ago I came across a great little tool for my students - ACCESS FM sentence starters and keywords. I believe this is the original source (message me if not, and I will update). I've used this often with my students and also had them add/suggest their own key words and sentence starters. I decided to make an updated version of this resource, with some additional vocabularly and prompts. Hopefully this is useful!  ALSO the ACCESS FM website seems to be down at the moment, but when it is back up and running, you should be able to find it here.

Direct link to the resource. Feel free to make a copy (File > Make a Copy). If you have any suggestions for improvements, send them my way!

This is something I had planned to do a couple of years ago, at the end of a digital illustration unit. However, we never got round to it! Maybe it is something someone else wants to try? Linkhere.

Reflection prompts for student portfolios.
Below are some prompts you can use with students to reflect on a unit/piece of work.  These can also used as exit tickets.

• How did I use research skills in this unit/for this piece of work?
• How did I use thinking skills in this unit/for this piece of work?
• How did I use self-management skills in this unit/for this piece of work?
• Who did I collaborate with and how in this unit/for this piece of work?
• How did I use communication skills in this unit/for this piece of work?
• Which IB Learner Profile attributes did I demonstrate or strengthen in this unit/for this piece of work?
• How might I take-action inspired by what I have learnt during this unit?
• What other perspectives did I explore in this unit?
• How did this unit/piece of work help me better understand the unit’s global context?
• How did this unit/piece of work help me better understand the unit’s key and/or related concept(s)?
• How did I help others during this unit/when completing this piece of work?
• What are the most interesting discoveries I learnt during this unit/when completing this piece of work?
• What surprised me most during this unit/ when completing this piece of work?
• What is the most important thing I learnt during this unit/when completing this piece of work?
• What moments am I most proud of my efforts in this unit/when completing this piece of work?
• What would I change about this piece of work or my contributions to this unit?
• What would I do differently if I were to approach the same unit/piece of work again?
• Could I effectively teach what I learnt in this unit to someone else? Why/Why not?
• How will I use what I've learned in the future?
• Based on this unit/piece of work, what do I want to learn more about?
• When did I feel more creative in this unit/when completing this piece of work?
• When did I feel most challenged in this unit/when completing this piece of work?
• What did I find most difficult in this unit/when completing this piece of work?
• What can I do with what I have learnt during this unit/when completing this piece of work?
• What was my favourite part of the unit/piece of work?
• How does something I learnt in this unit/when completing this piece of work that I can connect with something I already know?
• How can I apply something I learnt in this unit/when completing this piece of work to another class/subject?
• How can I apply something I learnt in this unit/when completing this piece of work to my life outside of school?
• How can I apply something I learnt in this unit/when completing this piece of work in the future?
• What questions do I still have about this unit?
• How would I explain what I learnt during this unit/when completing this piece of work to someone in the grade below?
• How would I explain what I learnt during this unit/when completing this piece of work to an adult?
• If I was creating a quiz based on this unit/piece of work, what two questions would I include?

I worked with Toddle to create a visual guide to the MYP. This will help educators understand the key elements of the MYP.  The document is easy to understand and has some teacher tips and activities for reflection throughout. You can download it here.

I have noticed that many schools struggle with providing service opportunities within the curriculum or with students initiating service projects, inspired by the curriculum. Often service projects in schools are very disconnected from the curriculum, and are often just clubs, events and fundraisers.

I put together a slide deck with three main parts:
1. Some key quotes from MYP: From Principles into Practice about Service as Action
2. Some reflection questions for teachers
3. A series of reflection questions for students. These are designed for students to answer at the end of the unit. A teacher might pick one or two for all students to answer or might give them a selection to choose from. Not all will be relevant for every unit and some might seem to be repeated because they are very similar....BUT hopefully, they are useful.

​Slide deck is here.