New teacher guides for writing assessment

An introduction to the new teaching guides for assessment of writing for A2 Key for Schools; B1 Preliminary for Schools; B2 First for Schools; and C1 Advanced

There are now new teacher guides for the assessment of writing designed to support busy teachers to evaluate learners’ writing in preparation for the B2 First for Schools; C1 Advanced exams; A2 Key for Schools; and B1 Preliminary for Schools exams.

The guides have been designed to provide teaching tips and classroom activities to assess writing. and they also give authentic samples of learner writing, examiner grades and comments. Also included are practice assessment activities to compare your assessment with the examiners’.

Why are the new guides such a valuable resource now? Because they are designed as a teacher development tool, to be informative, easy to follow and understand, and to support you as you support your learners. They also have practical tips and useful teaching ideas to try.

The new guides have new navigational tools and hyperlinks taking you where you want to go and back again. They take the pain out of searching, taking you directly to resources and saving your time. They also have embedded key terminology to explain terms you want to know but never dared to ask.

We have teacher assessment top tips that teachers find very useful as they show the importance of feedback. They encourage learners to take ownership of their work. Why is meaningful feedback so helpful for learners? Because they inspire confidence and motivation, promote self-awareness, encourage learner autonomy, and improve learner performance.

There are many activities to try such as picture prompts. Students need to learn the value of doing a picture prompt writing activity. The prompts provide speaking for fluency, activate ideas and language, and create safe spaces to write. The guide also provides options for you to adapt the activities.

For more details, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MPhqNyXa3A for B2 First for Schools & C1 Advanced and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruqKK_WpYYU for A2 Key for Schools & B1 Preliminary for Schools

Positive signal to international students as Canada sets immigration targets

Canada’s international education strategy has been successful largely because of the country’s reputation for straightforward immigration pathways. International students are given the chance to stay in the country and apply for a work permit after completing their studies.

The Canadian government has announced plans to welcome some 1,233,000 new permanent residents into the country between 2021 and 2023. The targets were published by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Canada now aims to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022, and 421,000 in 2023 – a goal which stakeholders have said will be partly achieved by international students remaining in the country after their studies.

“These newly announced immigration targets are a positive signal to international students that Canada is eager to welcome skilled talent from around the world,” according to Wendy Therrien, the director of research and external relations at Universities Canada.

Cosmina Morariu, senior manager of Fragomen, a leading law firm that deals with immigration services, explained that a study permit is one of the main gates into Canada.

“It allows you to come and study and then after you finish your studies you can get a post-graduate work permit, which is an open, very flexible permit that allows you to work for any employer, at any location in Canada,” she said.

“The maximum duration you can get on that permit is three years, so it is very convenient. The moment you have one year of employment in Canada you can apply for permanent residence.”

Go to https://thepienews.com/news/positive-signal-to-intl-students-as-canada-sets-immigration-targets/ to find out more

International Baccalaureate: the right choice for facing global challenges

Brad Brasseur left his prestigious job working for the United Nations on humanitarian projects to become a humanities teacher at a British international school in Lima, Peru. He says the International Baccalaureate is perfect for fostering the core values of humanitarianism.

He was immediately intrigued by working at an IB school and educating 'generation Z' with the skills that they could use to fight current global challenges. This ambition led him to become a geography teacher and university counsellor coordinator at an IB school. He is part of a team of international educators that follow the IB mission statement that aims to "develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people".

By working in an IB school, Brad is part of an organisation that focuses on educating students through international mindedness and an IB profile grounded on mutual respect and cultural awareness.

The three humanitarian principles at the core of the IB

1. Community focus

Brad’s students have focused their Service Learning project on a small community called Ihuanco. Last year, he supported the student-led three-day project there, working on improving local facilities.

2. Critical thinking

As well as fostering this sense of community spirit, the IB helps create individuals who can make sense of the world around them - something that is especially important at the moment.

The IB programme places emphasis on developing independent and critical thinking skills based on quality research and applying this when scrutinising global assumptions.

3. Sustainability

The IB recognises the importance of training future generations to manage global challenges sought by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs are the foundation of the IBDP Geography workshop and highlighted throughout the Geography DP syllabus. The SDGs are the roadmap to sustainable development and, like their predecessor the Millennium Development Goals, they will need a new set of global goals in 2030.

As a teacher, Brad feels he can help to equip generation Z with skills to fight climate change, eradicate poverty, improve global education and combat social and income inequality. The IB geography syllabus includes relevant 21st-century global issues, such as cybersecurity, drone technology and trans-boundary pollution.

Go to https://www.tes.com/news/why-teaching-ib-helps-address-global-issues to find out more