MYP 2 Global Context Gallery Walk- Kalpana Daniel

The six MYP global contexts provide a framework for guiding questions that promote a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to learning. 

I'm going to walk you through the steps we took to examine the global contexts for our MYP 2 curriculum and how it influenced the students' understanding: 

 

Introduction to the Concept of Context:

I started out by having a conversation with the students about what "context" means. Example of a party was used to demonstrate the concept, pointing out that while there are many different reasons for parties (birthday, anniversary, achievement), each one has a context that gives it meaning. 

 

Using Context to Improve Learning: 

I compared the party example to education inside the IB framework pushing students to consider why context matters while learning about a subject. This helped them to recognize that context gives any learning meaning and depth. 

 

MYP Global contexts and their explorations were discussed and students were encouraged to summarize the meaning of each context but not delve deeper into explorations. While doing so, I told them to stress the importance of having a global perspective.  

Next, I divided the class into six groups, adjusting group sizes based on our dynamics. I also distributed ideas and examples to the groups. Each group was given a certain goal/example to work with. The task was to work together to find an appropriate global context for the given goal or example. They discussed the context that seemed to match the best and gave an explanation. 

 

At this point, I walked them through possible explorations of the context that could give justifications for their decision for choosing their global context, encouraging critical thinking and deliberate action. 

 

Each group was then asked to arrange their ideas on a chart and present it to their peers. Discussion was allowed to explore other contexts for the same goal and how it serves our purpose of study. 

 

Reflection: 

A rich and interesting learning experience was made possible by each stage, which was incredibly encouraging. It has been enlightening for the students' knowledge and teamwork to be guided through this process, in addition to being instructive.  

The moment the concept of context was introduced through accessible examples, such as parties, the students' attention was immediately captivated, and a relatable foundation was established. It was amazing to see how engaged they were as they started to make links between commonplace situations and the more general definition of context in our studies. 

 

They were able to view learning differently after applying this knowledge to the IB framework. A sense of curiosity and purpose seemed to be sparked by the process of investigating topics within particular situations. Their level of critical thinking and sense of ownership over their learning process appeared to increase when they were prompted to consider the "why" behind their studies. 

 

 

During collaboration, I observed the students debating their points of view, negotiating their positions, and choosing together the most appropriate setting for the subject or example they had been given. Their wonderful presenting, organizing and critical thinking abilities were demonstrated in the charts they produced. Their capacity to think flexibly and comprehend the dynamic aspect of context was demonstrated in the discussions that followed, where they looked at several contexts for the same topic.  

 

Their active participation in suggesting global settings for the unit introduction revealed their growing understanding of how context shapes learning experiences. Overall, it not only provided a structured approach to learning but also fostered ATL skills such as critical thinking and collaboration. 

- Kalpana Daniel