The Role of Reflection in a Constructivist Curriculum: Exploring International Baccalaureate Diploma Programs in North America

• In Event: The Role of Constructivism in Teacher Education

Abstract

Teaching and learning in the International Baccalaureate (IB) comprises a constructivist approach in which students are encouraged to work together to construct meaning and make sense of the world. Key to this constructivist approach is the IB Learner Profile attribute reflective, one of 10 academic and non-academic qualities the IB strives to foster in its students in order for them to develop as life-long learners, prepared for success in the 21st Century work environment. In the current study, researchers used a mixed-methods case study design to examine the implementation of reflective in six US and Canadian schools, exploring how reflection is interpreted and fostered, how it is integrated into instruction and activities, and how it is exhibited by DP students.

Authors

• Jacqueline R. Stillisano, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Kim Boddie Wright, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Kayla Braziel Rollins, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Hersh C. Waxman, Texas A&M University