Investigate

Plan

Create

Reflect

Inquiry in the International Baccalaureate Program

Inquiry-Based/IB Educational

Approach Emphasizes:

Non-Inquiry-Based

(“Traditional”) Educational

Approach Emphasizes: • 21st Century Skills

• critical thinking

• collaboration

• problem-solving

• curiosity

• student-led learning

• community action

• concepts, knowledge and skills

• exploring, experimenting,

questioning

students passively receiving

information

learning limited to recall of

memorized and discrete facts

students answering close-

ended (yes/no) questions

teacher led classrooms almost

all of the time

DMPS International Baccalaureate Bulletin November 2012

By Dr. Alekno, DMPS IB and World

Languages Coordinator

This month, the DMPS IB Program is

emphasizing inquiry-based learning

strategies. This month’s newsletter

will highlight examples of IB

students participating in inquiry and

action-oriented IB education.

Learning through inquiry is

emphasized at every level of the IB

continuum. Students in the Des

Moines Public Schools’ IB Primary

Years (PK-5), Middle Years (6-10),

and Diploma (11-12) Programmes

participate in inquiry-based

learning every day, and IB provides

the structure through which inquiry

is highlighted.

What is Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning? IB classrooms are active places

where students and teachers

engage in the construction of

knowledge, skills, and

understanding. IB students are

expected to be curious, real-world

problem solvers who learn and use

the inquiry skills of analysis,

synthesis, application, evaluation,

creation, and transfer; both within

and outside of the classroom. IB

students learn to both ask and to

answer open-ended questions and

to take action as a result of their

own learning to improve their local

and global communities. Please

enjoy the examples of inquiry and

action within the November IB

bulletin.

To learn more about the

DMPS IB Programme please

contact:

Dr. Simone Alekno

IB and World Languages

Coordinator

Des Moines Public Schools

901 Walnut Street

Des Moines, Iowa, 50309 simone.alekno@dmschools.org

515-242-8504

Bulletin Editors:

Dr. Simone Alekno

and

Olivia Howe, Hoover IB

Coordinator

IB Inquiry

Cycle “Inquiry…is recognized

as allowing students to

be actively involved in

their own learning and

to take responsibility for

that learning.

Successful inquiry will

lead to action.“

-IB Organization

November IB

Highlight:

Learner Profile

Trait: Inquirer

Inquiry as an

approach to

learning has been

advocated for by

many educationists

since the early 20th

Century, and

inquiry is at the

heart of DMPS IB

schools. Inquirers

are curious,

problem-solving,

life-long learners.

November 2012 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● DMPS IB Programme● (515) 242-8504

El Dia De Los Muertos at Goodrell

greeted the Goodrell students with a “thank you” for taking an interest in world hunger. Dr. Hillel’s concept of bringing efficient water irrigation to arid lands helped some of the most barren environments in the world flourish. Goodrell Students recognized at the event are: Tanika Butts, Andrea Babcock, Sharlay Eaton, Safie Jackson, Victoria Lewis, Tatyhana Murray, Neomy Salgado-Suarez, Tiana Turner, Priscilla Uvalle, Kelsey Wadden.

Goodrell IB Students Recognized by the World Food

Prize Organization for Confronting World Hunger

Goodrell IB Students Collaborate

to Study Latino Heritage

By Kisha Barnes, Goodrell IB Coordinator On Tuesday, October 16, eleven young women from Goodrell Middle School were recognized by Ken Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Organization, for raising funds to purchase a goat for the Heifer Club International. After inquiring into global hunger and considering solutions, these IB students decided that the gift of livestock to a struggling family would lead to a more sustainable solution to their struggle with hunger. At the World Food Prize Organization, Dr. Daniel Hillel

By Kisha Barnes, Goodrell IB Coordinator A large group of students from all three grade levels collaborated to provide Goodrell students and staff information about Latino heritage. The students worked to complete a comparison of Halloween and El Dia De Los Muertos customs. Additionally, Dawn Ozperza shared some cultural information on Aztec heritage. “Bachata Des Moines,” a non-profit organization devoted to sharing Bachata dance and music with the greater Des Moines community, demonstrated dances for Goodrell students at an all-school assembly. Goodrell teachers, students, and parents were impressed by the level of commitment and the amount of work completed by IB students to make this inquiry into Latino Heritage a success. In addition, students also engaged in challenging discussions regarding multiculturalism and how to best understand one’s cultural heritage.

Page 2 November 2012● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● DMPS IB Programme ● (515) 242-8504

“The self is not something ready-

made, but something in

continuous formation through

choice of action.”

― John Dewey

Park Avenue second

graders are involved in an

inquiry into the qualities of a

good friend by playing

games created by students

with families and friends.

Provided by Cindy Slinger, Park

Avenue Coordinator

Park Avenue IB Fifth

Graders inquiring into

nature at McCrae Park.

Provided by Cindy Slinger, Park

Avenue Coordinator

English Spanish Pinyin Mandarin

Principled Integros yǒu yuán zé xìng 有原则性

Open-minded De mentalidad abierta sī xiǎng kāi tōng 思想开通

Risk Taker Audaces yǒng yú mào xiǎn 勇于冒险

Caring Solidarios mǎn yǒu ài xīn 满有爱心

Reflective Reflexivos shàn yú fǎn sī 善于反思

Communicator Buenos comunicadores shàn yú gōu tōng 善于沟通

Knowledgeable Informados e instruidos zhī shí yuān bó 知识渊博

Inquirer Indagadores lè yú tàn jiū 乐于探究

Thinker Pensadores shàn yú sī kǎo 善于思考

Balanced Equilibrados quán miàn fā zhǎn 全面发展

News from IB Candidate Meredith Middle School

By Laurie Sprinkle, Meredith IB Coordinator

Meredith Middle School is an IB candidate school, which means that we will be seeking

authorization, or accreditation, from the IB Organization next fall. All IB schools must offer a

second language to students. We are excited and proud to offer two Language B, or world

language options, to Meredith students. Our seventh grade students are working with Ms.

Messerly, our Spanish teacher, to continue learning Spanish. Our sixth grade students are

learning Mandarin Chinese with Mr. Lin. As a result of our unique IB partnership with Hoover High

School, all of our students will have the opportunity to take Spanish or Mandarin Chinese

through Grade 10.

This school year, Meredith students and staff are working toward making IB “come alive” in our

building. IB learners strive to develop all of the Learner Profile traits. Check out the Learner

Profile traits above in English, Spanish, Pinyin (our Latin alphabet used with characters while

learning Chinese), and Mandarin Chinese. Our students are learning to pronounce the traits

and to explain how they demonstrate the trait at school.

November 2012 ● Volume 1, Issue 1 ● DMPS IB Programme● (515) 242-8504

“Proficiency in a second language

gives students access to a broader

range of input, experiences and

perspectives, and is believed to raise

achievement in other subject areas,

as well as giving the student the

enjoyment of being able to

communicate in a language other

than his

or her mother tongue. “

— IB Organization

The IB Learner Profile: Ten Traits, Many Languages

Merrill students volunteering.

Merrill Career Fair

the community need for their

project. Second, students create a

detailed Service Plan that identifies

the organization they will partner

with, the dates that they will be

serving, the work they will be doing

and contact information service

supervisors. The third step is Service

Verification, or confirmation by the

adult who is supervising their

service. The final step is a Service

Reflection where students evaluate

learning and identify strengths and

weaknesses in their project.

Organizations that attended this

year’s fair included the Animal

Rescue League, Community Youth

Concepts, Fountain West Health

Center, Iowa Kidstrong and the

Lupus Foundation. Last year alone,

Merrill eighth graders performed

more than 900 hours of service for

their community.

Merrill IB Students Take Action as a Result of

Inquiry into Community Issues

Stowe Teachers Engage in

Reflective Inquiry to Reach for

Excellence

By Allison Woodward-Chartier,

Merrill IB Coordinator

Community service is an essential

component of IB at Merrill. Merrill

students have performed thousands

of hours of service over the last few

years. On October 10, Merrill held

its fourth annual Service Fair for

eighth grade students. Twenty-five

organizations from the community

visited Merrill and gave

eighth grade students information

about service opportunities offered

by each organization.

Each eighth grade student is

required to perform ten hours of

community service during their

eighth grade year. Following the

inquiry process, there are four

stages in the development of each

student’s service project. First, they

research and write a Service

Rationale that identifies and defines

By Michelle Anderson-Kunz, IB Coordinator

A dominant theme of the IB program is

reflection, and students are encouraged

to be reflective as one of the ten IB

Learner profile traits. IB teachers model

the Learner Profile by embodying the

traits in their own practices.

At Stowe, we knew that in order to

continue to grow on our IB journey, we

needed to look at our Programme of

Inquiry (POI) and make it deeper and

more conceptual. To help us examine

our POI with a more critical eye, we

brought in a consultant named Anne

Marie Evans. She spent two days working

with grade-level teams to strengthen all

our central ideas and make them more

conceptual. This was a challenge. It

made us go beyond our comfort zone.

Anne Marie challenged us and helped us

grow as a staff and we have a much

stronger POI than we did a year ago.

November 2012 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● DMPS IB Programme● (515) 242-8504

“The self is not something ready-

made, but something in

continuous formation through

choice of action.”

― John Dewey

“Giving importance to the sense of

community throughout the IB

programme [through service]

encourages responsible citizenship as it

seeks to deepen the adolescent's

knowledge and understanding of the

world around them.” -- IBO