Learner Profile Audit
As an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) Teacher I am aware that the learner profile is the most important thing we do in our programme. I think of ways to incorporate the learner profile in my lessons and in my own life. To start off I felt it could be a good idea to conduct my own learner profile audit of myself as an adult. Continue reading to see how I am doing.
Just as by the by, Brock C. Trip is a handy mnemonic device to remember the learner profile attributes. I’ll discuss them in that order.
The profiles and my peformance
Balanced – With being balanced we are aiming to achieve personal well-being, I feel I manage this on the physical side by cycling to work, hitting the gym and playing ice hockey. Emotional side by spending time with my children and having early morning alone time. Intellectual balance by pursuing my very beginner study of investing, the launch of this website and through the pursuit of my master’s degree.
Reflective – Engaging in this audit is a deep dive into my own experiences, as well, I spend considerable time reflecting on my own experiences. My cycle commute helps with this.
Open-minded – Living in China and being in an inter-racial marriage/ family gives me plenty of time to be open-minded, but this needs work. I was interviewed by a student recently who asked the question, Do you integrate Chinese culture into your lessons and do you encourage your colleagues to do the same? I replied but emphasised that I need to do more of this.
Communicators– The premise of this is that we understand and express ideas and information confidently and in more than one language. My Chinese language skills are reasonable and have plenty of opportunities to communicate in Chinese but need to improve this. I feel mywritten communication is reasonable but can be improved. How I use my spoken communication can also improve. I need to become a better listener and develop more empathy to improve my communication.
Knowledgeable – With my master’s degree and my kickstart to investing, I am acquiring knowledge that needs both a broad but balanced in a range of disciplines. I read quite a bit on a variety of topics.
Caring – The development of this attribute shows our empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. As a teacher, I am frequently called on to show this. I could improve this in my handling and dealings of my colleagues. I am hoping the introduction and launch of a peer coaching culture at my school can help develop a whole staff sense of caring for each other.
Thinker – Critical and creative thinking skills in approaching complex challenges are frequently called on in my role as MYP coordinator. I also face this as a parent especially living in a foreign country. We frequently encounter situations here that require careful and deliberate thinking but also stretch our abilities in the abstract.
Risk-Taker – The idea of exploring new roles, ideas and strategies with courage is something I also encounter on a near-daily basis. Being the network chair, speaking at the network conference, delivering my session on inquiry all required me to step outside my comfort zone. As well, I believe I create an environment in my classroom and in my workshops where people can feel comfortable enough to take risks.
Inquirer – Being an inquirer is provoking the natural curiosity and developing the skills to conduct research and show independence. As a learner, this is definitely a major part of my master’s degree. I have had to re-learn how to do a research paper, especially in the digital era. Referencing, and tunnelling into peer-reviewed journals is interesting as I haven’t had much exposure to that recently.
Principled – Acting with integrity, honesty and having that sense of justice is strong in this middle school teacher. Fairness is one a chief core value of most adolescents. I go out of my way to be transparent with the grading and marking. But this also extends outside the classroom.
Actions stemming from this audit:
Work on my Chinese – improve my communication. Add to my personal action plan.
Introduce the idea of respecting and implement elements of Chinese culture especially awareness into the school and our learning community.
Work on my emotional intelligence and take action on improving my EQ.
Plan and develop a peer coaching culture in our community.
