Approaches to teaching and learning in the diploma programme
ATL are deliberate strategies, skills and attitudes that permeate the IB teaching and learning environment.
ATL supports the IB belief that a large influence on a student’s education is not only what you learn but also how you learn.
In the IB concept of ATL, there are five approaches to learning and six approaches to teaching.
Approaches to learning consist of interrelated skill categories, which also have close links to the IB Learner profile. The aim is to help students to take responsibility for their learning by identifying their best learning processes and developing their learning strategies with regard to
- Thinking skills
- Communication skills
- Social skills
- Self-management skills
- Research skills
Approaches to teaching are the six pedagogical principles behind all IB programmes.
Teaching in the Diploma programme aims to be
- based on inquiry
- focused on conceptual understanding
- developed in local and global contexts
- focused on effective teamwork and collaboration
- differentiated to meet the needs of all learners
- informed by assessment (formative and summative)
IB Guide: Approaches to teaching and learning in the DP (2015)