Next up in the Meet the teacher series is Mr. Hay who works in an IB Continuum School in Austria. He has taught IB Business for the last 9 years. He is also an examiner and Team Leader for this subject.
1. What made you to become an IB Business Management teacher, and how did your journey begin and how long have you been teaching the subject?
I started teaching at 26. I coached Football in the USA and loved working with teenagers so got the urge to teach. Taught business since then and IB Business Management for 9 years
2. What is the make up and structure of your current IB class? Do you teach HL and SL? Together or separately? How many students do you have per class? Do you teach other curriculums or subjects?
I’m also the DPC (diploma program coordinator) so I only teach DP1 and DP2 BM. All classes are HL/SL. I have around 20 in each year group
3. Can you share a memorable moment or activity from your classroom that highlights the unique dynamics of teaching IB Business?
So many debates and discussions stick out. Be the teacher when students plan lesson and teach one another works well
4. What is one teaching strategy you've implemented that has significantly improved student engagement and understanding?
Regular quizzing of students helps. Especially quizzing from different units and inviting students to make connections
5. Do you incorporate real-world business scenarios into your lessons for students? If so, how?
As much as possible. This is when inquiry is so important. I ask students to connect ideas such as growth to real life businesses
6. What are some common challenges students face in IB Business, and how do you help them overcome these obstacles?
Lack of prior knowledge. We are in continuum school and MYP seems to lack business teaching in humanities. I overcome this by building up their confidence over time.
7. In your opinion, what are the key skills that students need to develop to succeed in IB Business? And how do you develop them?
Key knowledge is needed. Inquiry is needed and builds up with lots of research tasks. Being open minded helps and encourage students to think about issues from multiple perspectives
8. If you could give one piece of advice to new IB Business Management teachers, what would it be and why?
Read the BM Guide back to back and have it on you at all times. Connect with fellow
BM teachers. Explain the assessment requirements for all papers and IAs
9. Anything else you would like to add?
Enjoy it. Bring the subject to life. Students can be an amazing resource with what they already know about BM
Thanks to Mr. Hay for sharing his insights into the subject not only as a teacher but also as an examiner.
Opmerkingen