What are the approaches to learning (ATL)?

• 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.
• Teaching students how to learn has always been a part of IB teaching, but now the IB is providing more explicit support for teaching these skills, aligning the Diploma Programme (DP) with the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the IB Career-related Programme (CP).
• Focus on ATL will improve the quality of teaching and learning across the programmes and may result in more engaged teachers and students.

Thinking Skills

• Generating new ideas and thoughts
• Developing contrary arguments
• Being able to strategically adapt to a new situation
• Creating reasonable arguments using logic and facts
• Asking important questions

Self-Management Skills

• Setting up reasonable goals and working to achieve them
• Structuring information in an effective manner
• Building relationships with others
• Working on focus and commitment
• Understanding personal strengths and weaknesses

Research Skills

• Finding reliable data
• Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize and efficiently use
• information from a variety of sources and media
• Using a variety of perspectives
• Understand and implement intellectual property rights and
• the value of academic honesty
• Use and interpret a range of content-specific terminology

Social Skills

• Consider, respect and analyze different opinions, points of view,
• ideas and preferences
• Help others and encourage contribution
• Negotiate goals and limitations with peers and teachers
• Resolve conflicts
• Take responsibility for own actions

Communication Skills

• Give and receive appropriate feedback
• Summarize and transform information
• Make effective notes, in class and for studying
• Use a variety of speaking techniques to make meaning clear for different audiences and purposes
• Organize information logically