The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) emphasizes approaches to learning (ATL) as fundamental skills for students. These skills are not just about excelling in academic subjects; they are about fostering a lifelong love for learning and developing self-knowledge. ATL skills equip students to tackle the rigorous demands of the MYP curriculum and prepare them for future academic challenges, such as the IB Diploma Programme, and for active participation in their communities, both locally and globally.
In the MYP framework, ATL skills are broad and adaptable, designed to be relevant across all disciplines. They serve as essential ‘tools for learning,’ applicable in every subject group, and are customized to suit the unique learning requirements of students and specific subjects. To effectively cultivate these skills, educators provide students with clear models, expectations, developmental benchmarks, and ample opportunities for practice. While ATL skills are not directly assessed in the MYP in a summative manner, their development significantly contributes to students’ overall achievement across all subjects. Teachers play a crucial role in offering regular, focused feedback on students’ ATL skill development through various learning activities and formative assessments.
Each unit within the MYP explicitly outlines the ATL skills that students will cultivate through their inquiries and demonstrate in their final unit assessments. The most impactful method for developing these approaches is through consistent, process-oriented teaching and learning within and across subjects. Teachers often utilize key and related concepts, along with global contexts, as frameworks for teaching effective learning strategies. Conversely, ATL skills can be powerful instruments for delving into important subject matter. This dual emphasis on both content and process enhances student engagement, promotes deeper understanding, facilitates the transfer of skills, and ultimately leads to academic success.
Over time, students are expected to gain a refined understanding of their personal learning styles and how to assess the effectiveness of their learning strategies. This self-regulated learning approach empowers students to:
- Engage in purposeful reflection on their learning processes (metacognition).
- Appreciate the diverse spectrum of human learning needs.
- Evaluate their learning and provide evidence of their progress.
- Meet the aims and objectives of all MYP subject groups.
- Share in the responsibility of creating supportive, collaborative, and secure learning environments.
- Build confidence to experiment with new learning strategies and explore novel concepts and learning contexts.
- Prepare themselves for advanced studies and responsible engagement in local and global communities.
ATL Skills and the Theory of Learning
When viewed holistically and at their highest level of proficiency, MYP approaches to learning embody the essential skills students need to become self-directed, intrinsically motivated learners. MYP ATL skills align with the definition of “dynamic, internally controlled processes that positively influence a student’s tendency to approach, engage with, expend effort on, and persist in learning tasks in an ongoing, self directed manner” (McCombs, 1984).
Drawing from learning theory, ATL skills can be categorized as:
- Cognitive: Involving learner-initiated and active use of information-processing and recall strategies.
- Affective (Social and Emotional): Encompassing self-management of emotions, motivation, interpersonal dynamics, and learning attitudes.
- Metacognitive: Relating to the awareness, understanding, and command of one’s own learning methods.
ATL skills are not only grounded in learning theory but also actively support the cultivation of the attributes outlined in the IB learner profile, fostering well-rounded and principled individuals.
The MYP ATL Skills Framework
The MYP expands the broader IB ATL skills categories into a structured framework of ten developmentally appropriate clusters. This framework provides a comprehensive overview of the skills students are expected to develop throughout the programme. These ATL skills are interconnected, with individual skills and skill clusters frequently overlapping and relevant across multiple skill categories, highlighting the holistic nature of learning and skill development in the MYP.
Fostering Student Ownership of ATL Development
To encourage students to take ownership of their ATL skill development, key questions they should consider include:
- What is my current proficiency in this skill area, and what evidence demonstrates my growth?
- Which skills have room for improvement?
- What new skills can I acquire to enhance my learning?
When specific ATL skills are made a clear focus in teaching and learning, students can begin to actively participate in their own development. Over time, students can assess their competence in various learning strategies using a progressive scale:
- Novice/Beginning: Students are introduced to a skill and learn through observing others.
- Learner/Developing: Students practice the skill by imitating others and using it with guidance and support.
- Practitioner/Using: Students apply the skill confidently and effectively on their own.
- Expert/Sharing: Students can teach the skill to others and accurately evaluate its effective use.
A concept-based curriculum that effectively integrates ATL skills empowers all students to become more capable and self-regulated learners, prepared for future academic and personal success.
