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IBDP Deep-dive: Interpreting the Language and Literature Course

February 25, 2023
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Thomas Lewandowski, Dan Bartholomew, Andrew Cohen, Dave Giles and Ashley Busse
2 min read

Reading is the passport to countless adventures!

Mary Pope Osborne

Anything that can be read – be it a vintage postcard or a Takashi Murakami NFT – brings our students one step closer to making meaning of the world around them. And as language and literature educators, no one understands the wealth of experiences and perspectives that texts bring to students better than you! From experiencing the extent of human courage to the exhilaration of dangerous adventure, you can have students go beyond what they know, or have lived, with the flick of a page! Join us at this IBDP Deep-dive as we navigate the language & literature course and explore ways to help students become more avid readers, more adept writers, and deeper critical thinkers. Find out more about course design and text selection, unpack assessments and grading, and take away actionable strategies for your language and literature classrooms!

Workshop objectives:

  • Explore three different ways to approach course design
  • Understand how to plan for the internal assessments
  • Master strategies for guiding students through external assessments 
  • Practice grading student exemplars and deconstruct the assessment rubrics

Session I: Three approaches to course design (1 hour)
Speaker: Thomas Lewandowski 

Given the flexibility inherent to the language and literature course, designing a course outline and text selection is often riddled with choices. How might you approach the structure of your course and choose appropriate texts? In this session, Thomas will walk you through three different ways in which you can structure the language and literature course for meaningful teaching and learning.

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Session II: Supporting students through the internal assessment (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Dan Bartholomew

The individual oral (IO) presents students with a unique opportunity to connect classroom learning to the world around them. In this session, Dan will discuss the requirements of the IO and how you can support your students in planning and structuring the same.

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Session III: Digging deeper into paper 1 (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Andrew Cohen and Dave Giles

Prepping students for paper 1 requires meticulous scaffolding of their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Brainstorm with Andrew and Dave on ways to help students build these skills as they approach this assessment and develop new teaching strategies to set your students up for success.

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Session IV: Supporting student success on paper 2 (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Ashley Busse
Recording unavailable

Comparing and contrasting literary works requires students to tap into higher-order thinking skills. What are some effective ways to help students master these skills and how can you weave them into your teaching? Join Ashley for this session to better understand the objectives of this assessment task and discover best practices for building the required knowledge and skills for students.

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Speakers
Thomas Lewandowski
International Consultant
Dan Bartholomew
English Educator, Northwood College
Andrew Cohen
IBDP language and literature educator, International School Bangkok | Website Author
Dave Giles
IBDP language and literature educator, International School Bangkok | Website Author
Ashley Busse
IBDP language and literature educator, & EE Coordinator, Suncoast Community High School | Curriculum Writer
Disclaimer - This event is organised independently of and not endorsed by the IB. Toddle’s events and webinars are organised to enable an exchange of practices and ideas within the educator community and are not a replacement for official IB workshops. Views and opinions expressed by the speakers are their personal views 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 shared ideas and strategies in your classroom.

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Thomas Lewandowski
Thomas Lewandowski has been teaching literature since 2006, and has been committed to helping students develop an authentic love for literature. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Saint John's University, a Master's of Art in Teaching from the University of Arkansas, and is a National Board Certified Teacher in the U.S. He spends a lot of time demystifying reading, writing, literary criticism and literary analysis for both DP teachers and students through his YouTube videos that have garnered more than 750,000 views.
Dan Bartholomew
Dan is an experienced IB educator who has worked in international schools in Hong Kong and Austria. Relishing the freedom to roam widely with texts, both literary and non-literary, he has also been a part of the wider IB global community and contributes actively to that network in various capacities. He now teaches English language and literature at Northwood College, UK.
Andrew Cohen
Andrew has been an IBDP language and literature teacher at the International School Bangkok for the past 17 years. He delivers workshops to schools all over the world and is dedicated to helping as many educators and students on YouTube for free! He is also the co-founder of the popular online resource store, IB English Guys. He has lived in Ohio, Florida, Japan, and now Thailand.
Dave Giles
Dave is an IB English teacher with nearly 30 years of teaching experience. He has taught in Japan, Tanzania, China and has worked at International School Bangkok for 11 years. He is also the co-founder of the popular online resource store, IB English Guys.
Ashley Busse
Ashley Denham Busse has taught IB courses since 2015 and has served as the Extended Essay Coordinator for her school’s DP programme. She has an MA in English from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in English literature from George Washington University.
Assessment, Classroom Strategies, Curriculum Planning, Language and Literature
IBDP Deep-dive: Interpreting the Language and Literature Course
Reading is the passport to countless adventures! Anything that can be read - be it a vintage postcard or a Takashi Murakami NFT - brings our students one step closer to making meaning of the world around them. And as language and literature educators, no one understands the wealth of experiences and perspectives that texts bring to students better than you! From experiencing the extent of human courage to the exhilaration of dangerous adventure, you can have students go beyond what they know, or have lived, with the flick of a page! Join us at this IBDP Deep-dive as we navigate the language & literature course and explore ways to help students become more avid readers, more adept writers, and deeper critical thinkers. Find out more about course design and text selection, unpack assessments and grading, and take away actionable strategies for your language and literature classrooms!
Workshop objectives:
Explore three different ways to approach course design
Understand how to plan for the internal assessments
Master strategies for guiding students through external assessments  
Practice grading student exemplars and deconstruct the assessment rubrics
Session I: Three approaches to course design (1 hour)
Speaker: Thomas Lewandowski
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM GMT
Given the flexibility inherent to the language and literature course, designing a course outline and text selection is often riddled with choices. How might you approach the structure of your course and choose appropriate texts? In this session, Thomas will walk you through three different ways in which you can structure the language and literature course for meaningful teaching and learning.
Session II: Supporting students through the internal assessment (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Dan Bartholomew
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM GMT
The individual oral (IO) presents students with a unique opportunity to connect classroom learning to the world around them. In this session, Dan will discuss the requirements of the IO and how you can support your students in planning and structuring the same.
Session III: Digging deeper into paper 1 (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Andrew Cohen and Dave Giles
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM GMT
Prepping students for paper 1 requires meticulous scaffolding of their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Brainstorm with Andrew and Dave on ways to help students build these skills as they approach this assessment and develop new teaching strategies to set your students up for success.
Session IV: Supporting student success on paper 2 (1.5 hours)
Speaker: Ashley Busse
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM GMT
Comparing and contrasting literary works requires students to tap into higher-order thinking skills. What are some effective ways to help students master these skills and how can you weave them into your teaching? Join Ashley for this session to better understand the objectives of this assessment task and discover best practices for building the required knowledge and skills for students.