TEACHING

with ATL
IN MIND
- Cognitive Skills and Inquiry Learning

Lance G King
Teacher Education Center, National Taiwan Normal University
January 31st, 2018

www.taolearn.com
‘ATL tab’ - an opportunity to share ATL resources world-wide
lance@taolearn.com
@TAOLearn
Teaching with ATL in Mind

Literature Review of ATL Skills – MYP & DP – www.taolearn.com/wp-

content/uploads/2017/08/article156.pdf
Literature Review of Approaches to Teaching – www.taolearn.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/08/article157.docx
Teaching with ATL in Mind – ATL in the IB Diploma – www.taolearn.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/08/article147.docx

“The world economy no longer rewards people just for what they know, the world economy
rewards people for what they can do with what they know”
Andreas Schleicher, PISA, OECD

See the IB MYP ATL skill description framework - http://www.taolearn.com/wp-

content/uploads/2017/09/17ATLFramework-1.xlsx

Three types of ATL Skill:

1) Cognitive skills – active information processing and retrieval skills eg: note-making, listening, time
management, questioning, summarising, remembering, critical thinking, creative thinking
2) Affective skills – enabling the student to gain some control over mood, motivation and attitude eg: self-
motivation, perseverance, resilience, emotional management, mindfulness, concentration
3) Metacognitive skills – thinking about thinking - noticing learning and thinking strategies, trying new
strategies, continuously improving learning effectiveness

When planning, keep in mind:

 Each ATL skill needs to be “Introduced” when it first needs to be used, not before
 The aim of the “Practice” phase is to have students develop the proficiency they need to cope with the
subject matter studied at each level or stage of learning
 You need to create your own definition of mastery for each ATL skill suitable for your students and your
school context
 The “Mastery” point is the point where the student is expected to be able to use the ATL skill in a self-
managed way - independently of any teacher input
Self-Regulation – the highest proficiency of skills development
Novice Learner Practitioner Expert
Watch Copy Do Teach/Share
Can watch others Can copy others Can demonstrate the Can teach others the skill
performing tasks and performance of the skill skill on demand
using the skill Self-regulating
High levels of scaffolding Medium level of Minimal teacher No teacher scaffolding
from teacher needed scaffolding needed scaffolding required required

Introduce – raise awareness of the skill, have the Practice - allow for Master - enable
students experience using the skill for the first practice and independent use of the
time improvement skill

Coaching not “teaching” - three levels of development needed for each ATL skill:
 Introduce – raise awareness of the skill, have the students experience using the skill for the first time
 Practice – have students practice the skill in many subjects, improve their proficiency up to expert level
 Master – create opportunities for students to use the skill independently in a self-managed way and
develop full self-regulation

Task 1: Cognitive skills – Introduction, Practice and Mastery

 In your programme groups, pick one relevant Cognitive (green) ATL Skill Practice per person
 Discuss and decide:
o when does each one first need to be introduced?
o by when do students need to have mastered the skill?
 Mark both points (I & M) on your spreadsheet google doc in the TIMING section - the space in-between
becomes “P” for Practice
 In the MASTERY section, for each skill practice, write in what a student would need to do, to demonstrate
mastery

Task 2: What do students need to be able to do? When?

 For the Cognitive ATL skill you worked with in Task 1, looking within the years of your programme, now
you need to:
o Identify any developmental stages when a student’s proficiency in this ATL skill practice needs to
“Step-up” to cope with learning at the new level
o What do students need to be able to do by the time they reach each Step-up point?
 Write the required evidence at the correct points on your subject spreadsheet in the DEVELOPMENT
section - merge the cells as required
 DO NOT CREATE A SEPARATE DEVELOPMENTAL STANDARD FOR EVERY GRADE LEVEL!

Task 3: How?
 For the Cognitive ATL skill you have been working on:
 Do your research:
o Find models of practice, coaching or “teaching” the skill
o How do other people do it?
 Pick a Grade level aligned with one developmental step-up you identified in Task 2
 Create one exercise for the development or practice of your Cognitive ATL skill that could be used by any
teacher in any subject area at that Grade level
o Write this in on your chart in the COGNITIVE section – at the appropriate Grade level - merge
cells as required

Teaching ATL skills – structural approaches:

 Explicit Teaching means teaching ATL skills outside subject based lessons – teaching a lesson purely on
time management, notemaking etc. focused on strategies, practices, techniques
 Implicit Teaching means embedding the teaching of ATL skills within the subject focused lesson

Task 4: Grade level planning – who, when & where?

 Within your Grade level or Departmental group:
o Who will introduce each Cognitive ATL skill to students for the first time?
o Do certain Cognitive ATL skills lend themselves to certain subjects?
o Can you make sure that all students in each Grade level get the same skill introduced at the same
time?
o Once each skill is introduced how can you make sure other teachers reinforce the same skill in
the same way, in other subjects?

Cognitive ATL skills teaching/coaching practice:

1) Establish awareness of the use of a particular skill to assist learning
2) Describe the skill – identify mastery
3) Introduce the skill – teach explicitly/implicitly
4) Have students practice the same ATL skill exercise in different subject classes using different subject
matter

Three forms of ATL assessment:

1. Self-assessment of skills proficiency completed pre~ and post~
2. Evidence of Mastery gathered at the appropriate time
3. Design subject assessments so that generating the answers needed requires the use of the ATL
skill(s) at the level of proficiency required

ATL Skills Novice Learner Practitioner Expert

Watch Copy Do Share
Starting Practicing Getting Got it!
better

See http://www.taolearn.com/approaches-to-learning/taolearn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/article204.docx
 Novice Learner Practitioner Expert
Doing
Watching Copying Starting Practising Getting better Got it! Sharing

I know what I can copy I am starting I am using the I am getting I am able to I use the skill
the use of the someone to use the skill skill by myself better at using use the without
skill looks like else using by myself in familiar the skill in learning skill needing to think
when others the skill situations unfamiliar whenever I it through first
are using it situations need to

I can break I use the skill I am still I am starting I can usually I can I am capable of
the skill down one step at a conscious of to put all the use the skill confidently teaching other
into steps time using the skill steps of the without use the skill students how to
one step at a skill together referring to without use the skill
time the way that I referring to
have done it the way that I
in the past. have done it
before
When I try to I still make I can correct I can correct Any mistakes I I can usually I correct any
use the skill mistakes and my mistakes my own make I can correct any mistakes I make
myself I make ask for help with some mistakes quickly correct mistakes automatically
lots of but I am help automatically
mistakes and getting
ask lots of better at
questions correcting
my own
mistakes
I need lots of I can use the I still need I don’t need I still need I hardly ever I can use the
help to use skill in help to use help to use help to use need help to skill in
the skill familiar the skill the skill in the skill in use the skill unfamiliar
situations sometimes familiar unfamiliar anymore situations
with some situations situations without any
help anymore sometimes help from
anyone else

Task 5: Evidence of Mastery

In your programme groups, find any ATL skills that are expected to reach Mastery within your programme
For each one, look at the mastery statement, discuss and decide:
What evidence would you need to see from the student that would clearly show they had reached mastery
What would a student need to be able to do to demonstrate self-regulation in this skill area?
Write the evidence required in the appropriate column on the spreadsheet

The best way to assess ATL skills:

 For subject integrated ATL skills:
o design your subject assessments so that generating the answer you want requires the use of the
ATL skill(s) at the level of complexity you need
 For all other ATL skills:
o use student self-assessment
Practicing Self-Regulated Learning in the Classroom:
POSBGIL - Process Oriented, Skills Based, Guided Inquiry Learning – designed to develop self-regulated (self-
managed, self-directed, independent, lifelong) learners through inquiry-based learning focused on teaching
the learning skills students need to learn all their subjects efficiently and effectively.

Factors making POSBGIL possible:

 A focus on teaching the skills of effective learning across all IB schools (~4000 schools in 150
countries) and in the national curricula of at least 12 countries
 The acceptance of self-managed inquiry-based learning as the necessary pedagogy for the
development of 21st C learners
 The proliferation of high quality school subject based websites
 The availability of internet accessible devices and high speed broadband
 The high level of comfort your students all have with the digital world

In a POSBGIL lesson teachers would:

 Find several sources of the subject matter they want to teach on-line
 Develop questions for students to answer that will lead them to the understandings needed
 Give students clear measurable learning objectives and time frames
 Put students into small groups and assign (rotating) roles – researcher, questioner, recorder, director
 Specify the web pages students are allowed to connect to
 Facilitate their journey
 Focus on teaching them the necessary skills of self-managed learning – www.POGIL.org

Great websites for Teachers and Students:

Subject Site Accumulators:
 taolearn.com/students.php - the Art of Learning website with links to many free sites to help you
design lessons and to help your students with their study
 topmarks.co.uk - search engine for many great school subject websites
Free Courses and Lessons for Teachers:
 Udacity.com
 Coursera.com
 TEDed.com

Summative assessment – is it possible to design examinations to:

 Encourage the practice of ATL skills and higher order thinking within the examination itself?
 Test the student’s expertise in the use of the actual skills they will need to be successful at their next
level?
 Advantage thinking over recall?
Make all exams ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

ATL Skills and the Teaching Revolution

1. Teach ATL skills to all students
2. Teach all subjects using inquiry methods
3. Make all examinations open-book
4. Give self-management of learning a high value for students – celebrate extravagantly!