Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Communication skills are an integral This playbook contains a set of activity Each card contains an activity idea
and crucial component of IB cards, designed specifically to practice that enhances a specific strand
Approaches to Learning (ATL). The and enhance students’ communication within the communication skill
ability to express one’s ideas clearly skills. These can be used as part of any clusters. It also indicates a learner
and in diverse ways, to listen to class or course, and are not aligned to profile attribute that can
multiple perspectives and to any one MYP subject. potentially be developed through
collaborate with other individuals are the activity.
important descriptors of an effective
communicator.
Disclaimer - This resource has been produced independently of and not endorsed by the IB. Toddle’s resources seek to encourage sharing of perspectives and innovative ideas for classroom teaching & learning. They are not
intended to be replacements for official IB guides and publications. Views and opinions expressed by the authors of these resources are personal and should not be construed as official guidance by the IB. Please seek assistance
from your school’s IB coordinator and/or refer to official IB documents before implementing ideas and strategies shared within these resources in your classroom.
Approaches to learning
Communication Skills
Exchanging thoughts, messages and information effectively through interaction
Overview
How can students communicate through interaction? Students should be able to:
Give and receive meaningful feedback Interpret and use effectively modes of non-verbal
Use intercultural understanding to interpret communication
communicatio Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers
Use a variety of speaking techniques to communicate
Participate in, and contribute to, digital social media
with a variety of audiences networks
Use appropriate forms of writing for different purposes
Collaborate with peers and experts using a variety of digital
and audiences environments and medi
Use a variety of media to communicate with a range of Share ideas with multiple audiences using a variety of
audiences
digital environments and media
Approaches to learning
Communication Skills
Reading, writing and using language to gather and communicate information
Overview
How can students demonstrate communication through language? Students should be able to:
Read critically and for comprehension Preview and skim texts to build understanding
Read a variety of sources for information
Take effective notes in class
and for pleasure Make effective summary notes for studying
Make inferences and draw conclusions Use a variety of organizers for academic writing tasks
Use and interpret a range of discipline-specific terms
Find information for disciplinary and interdisciplinary
and symbols inquiries, using a variety of media
Write for different purposes Organize and depict information logically
Understand and use mathematical notation Structure information in summaries, essays and reports
Paraphrase accurately and concisely
Roadmap: How to use this resource
Activity title
Feedback Cycle
ATL strand Give and receive meaningful feedback
students.
How many
Group
students
Awkward turtle
Navigate communication in real scenarios
& use nonverbal cues of communication
Scenario 4 Scenario 5
Your friend/relative You receive a lower
shows up at your
grade on a test/paper/
door right as you
essay that you think you
are leaving. do not deserve.
Group
Communicate
to draw
Use and interpret a range of discipline-specific
terms and symbols
Try it with
population
pyramids!
This is a great way to interpret data, describe what you see accurately, communicate
Pair up! One of you should find a The drawing student must draw
graph/chart on a specific topic (think: the chart as best they can, based
Pair
Glow and grow
Give and receive meaningful feedback
to your classmates, make sure to start The most outstanding aspect of your
Your response may be more effective if you
work is The part about ____ is a little confusing. You could
with the positives and indicate
I think the best thing about your work is The task was to… Be sure to
specific aspects of their work they
This is quality work because Our suggestion would be to
should improve on. I like the way you included Your next steps might be
I really enjoyed this because… Would it be better if…
You might try…
“Could you talk me “I love how you’ve captured “I think it would look even
through your process?” the essence of the topic.” more awesome when…”
Pair
Feedback cycle
Give and receive meaningful feedback
Presenting group: Describe the Critical friends: Time for feedback. Begin by Presenting group
components of your project.
focusing on the strengths of the presentation. , and critical friends
Follow up with suggestions for improvement, can now discuss
Critical friends: Friends remain
and suggest ideas for "next steps." if possible.
ideas or suggestions
silent. Do not ask clarifying or
I appreciate that about the project
follow up questions just yet. Take
and the feedback.
notes and evaluate the work I wonder if
presented based on parameters
My suggestion would now be…
provided by the teacher (e.g.
creativity, ease of understanding, Presenting group: Listen actively to the critique
flow, etc.). provided by your critical friends.
Group
How do you
take notes?
Take effective notes in class
Step 3
Share these differently styled notes with each other on the same
topic, and observe similarities and/or differences. Pick a favorite.
Individual
Be your class’s
social media pro!
Participate & contribute to digital social media networks
Your team has been put in charge of creating a likely to show up to this fundraiser? Design your tweets,
4
Using multimedia (GIFs, memes, emojis and videos)
Group
Speech!
Speech! Speech!
Write for different purposes
their speeches.
Fact or statistic
What are the different hooks they use?
Congratulatory speech
e.g. Did you know…
Are they tuned to a specific purpose?
A story/anecdote
Loss of a loved one
e.g. When I was a student…
A rhetorical question
Motivational speech
e.g. Isn’t it obvious…
Individual
Using graphic
organisers
Use a variety of organisers for academic writing tasks
For your own feature article, which organiser will you use to plan and
organise your ideas? Go for it! Have a try using an organiser of your choice.
Can you categorise
Pair up with a partner. Read a variety of mentor text types with your partner. information on a given
Match an organiser to the text by asking yourself:
organiser appropriately?
Pair
Act it out
Interpret and use effectively modes
of non-verbal communication
After the role play, discuss these questions with your partner:
What message does Does the racial/ethnic What do you look
Which parts of the What situations have
each character’s body identity or gender of the at when reading body can tell you you experienced in
language send? people in the scenes someone’s body how someone is which your body
affect the interpretation language? feeling? language was
of their body language? misinterpreted?
Pair
Wordless acting
Interpret and use effectively modes
of non-verbal communication
Pair
Group
Cultural iceberg
Use intercultural understanding
to interpret communication
Individual
About the authors
Lisa McKeon Joassaint has been teaching MYP Individuals and Societies since
2008. She has taught for 16 years in American and International schools in
Haiti, Sri Lanka and currently teaches at the ACS Hillingdon International
School, London. Trained as an intermediate/senior French and History teacher
in Canada, Lisa is a secondary school Social Studies and DP History teacher
and Head of Grade 10 currently. She has been an IB workshop leader since
2013, and has previously held several leadership positions including MYP
Coordinator, ATL leader and Head of Department for her school. She enjoys
working with curriculum across levels and the flexibility of the MYP.
Akriti Macker
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