Skills based learning in Individuals and Societies.

In Humanities, learning is focused more on skills and content is a medium used to enhance the application of skills.  MYP 1 start their journey by learning various tools that they will be using to explore the world. One of the important skills is analysing. In this article a few moments of learning to analyse are shared. Students are focusing on analysing artefacts to unfold the past. They are also learning to view the past from different perspectives; from their own as well as from the perspective of the owner/creator/user of the artefact. This skill enables students to connect the past with the present, it assists them to answer the question ‘why we are the way we are?’

While MYP 1 students are uncovering the past, DP 1 students are working on how to express their thoughts and analysis, precisely. Here they are involved in a task where they can analyse a case study and present their analysis using a graphical representation such as fish bone. With these and many other activities students learn to analyse, express, expand and concise their information effectively.

MYP 1

Students of MYP 1 are almost winding up their first unit in Individuals and Societies. This unit’s statement of inquiry – ‘Our understanding and perspective of the world can change according to the tools that we use’, gave the students an opportunity to observe, inquire, discuss, reflect and extend their quest to discover more. Creating personal timelines, mapping out school-to-home route, designing symbols for school map set up the inquiry pace for students to delve into map essentials and types of maps. The poster making gave students an opportunity to collaborate and present their understanding on types of maps. Themes of Geography were discovered by solving a puzzle, preparing a postcard followed by individual presentations to share their understanding. To encourage Critical Thinking Skills, students were guided through various steps of source analysis for historic artefacts.

In conclusion, all were encouraged to draw, sketch or bring an artefact of their choice and share their source analysis findings. The artefacts which were brought to school proved to be a great learning experience since some of the artefacts were related to personal family legacies. These presentations filled the class atmosphere with some memorable moments as the young learners witnessed smiles of pride, hearts filled with nostalgia, a long word list for admiration as well as empathy, while a few even shared their feelings as their eyes glistened with tears… Some snapshots of these spectrum of feelings caught on camera, here we go-

DP 1

On Monday, 4 November, DP1 Business Management students learned how to make a fishbone diagram.  A fishbone diagram allows businesses to analyse the causes and effects of a problem.  Students began by practicing joint construction of a fishbone diagram on the whiteboard.  

Students analyzed the factors affecting risk management decisions for a mining company. 

The problem to be analyzed was how to evaluate risk in different mining projects.

Supplemented by some secondary research, students identified several factors that should be considered when a mining company is taking on a new project.

At the end of the lesson, students began creating their own fishbone diagram of a problem being faced by their favourite business that they have been studying since the beginning of the course. 

While carrying out these activities, techniques such as scaffolding, guided practice activities and independent practice activities are used.

Rosy Dias

Steven Bushong

Sayli Tongaonkar