To finish of 2024, this meet the teacher interview comes from Ms. Blackburn who teaches in Australia.
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 was asked to be a teacher of IB Business when the school first implemented the DP as I am qualified to teach Business and Economics. I have been teaching it ever since (approximately 8 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 currently teach 2nd year IB Business. It is only a small class, with 4 HL students and 2 SL students taught together.
3. Can you share a memorable moment or activity from your classroom that highlights the unique dynamics of teaching IB Business?
I was struggling to engage students and tried a strategy called 'The silent conversation' whereby I put statements onto an A3 sheet of paper and had students write their questions/statements in response to it all around it. Then after a few minutes each would shuffle to the next, writing their own comments/observations/thoughts as well as replying to other students' comments/queries. It was a great way to engage with the material and shows the different learning approaches that suit the IB students in order to develop them as 'Inquirers'.
4. What is one teaching strategy you've implemented that has significantly improved student engagement and understanding?
There is a technique I use that is tying together context, content and concepts where I ask the students to share their curiosities. I hand out whiteboard markers and start with the topic on the board e.g. yesterday was international marketing. Links to areas of the syllabus, the 4 concepts and real world examples where they can post their questions, which we then discuss.
5. Do you incorporate real-world business scenarios into your lessons for students? If so, how?
Every single lesson they are linked to the topic under investigation. I draw from my own experiences and ask students to also think of their own examples. We also try to often link back to the organisation they chose for their IA. We also watch videos that link to topics, e.g. Rolls Royce bespoke cars, a documentary on how a Chinese firm tried to rebuild a factory in Midwest America based on their own values and operating methods.
6. What are some common challenges students face in IB Business, and how do you help them overcome these obstacles?
The biggest challenges are time management and approaching larger mark questions without going off track. We do lots of modelling, reading examples and breaking down questions. I find because Business is arguably one of the less in-depth subjects they often prioritise other subjects that they find more complex.
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 skills are analysis - anyone can rote learn definitions but it is the analysis that they really need to develop. They need to be able to look at business problems/scenarios holistically but also through certain lenses e.g. ethics. I think getting students to think deeper and develop metacognitive awareness helps with this. I also before have had students each answer a question then explain their approach to the question to the other students. Breaking down questions into the components required to answer them is one way to approach it as well.
8. If you could give one piece of advice to new IB Business Management teachers, what would it be and why?
Embrace it! Teaching IB Business has revolutionised my approach to teaching. Students are capable of a lot more than we often give them credit for, don't put them into a box - let them explore, innovate and be creative.
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