Experienced Teacher of IBDP History (HL Americas) and Global Politics, an (Examiner) for History IAs and Paper 3. Holds a Bachelor's Degree in History with 13+ Years of Teaching Experience.
- Teacher of IBDP History and Global Politics. - Former Acting Head of Department. - IB Accreditation Chair: Collaborative Planning and Reflection. - MUN Coordinator 2014-1017.
- Eighth Grade Social Studies teacher. - Model UN Advisor.
- The sole responsibility for History Department. - 37% increase in A*-C GCSE grades.
Graduate Diploma in Education Studies
Bachelor Degree in History
I believe in making the implicit, explicit, for students. It is important to engage critically with the course to develop the skills that allow students to be successful in the IBDP and beyond. I try to approach classes like a diet, providing students with a variety of activities and materials. However, the key to this variety is that it must be intellectually rigorous.
It would be very important to establish what a student had learned so far in their IBDP course, by looking at the syllabus together. Following this, I would discuss with the student how they feel I could help them and how they like to learn in lessons. I would be interested in hearing a little about their lives too.
For this it is important to teach students academic reading and how to take notes. Thus it is important that students know how to read, not to read aimlessly. Techniques like SQ3R are very important for this. Note-taking is also important for this, and it is important to give students examples of making notes, like the Cornell Method or mind-maps.
For this, it would be important to regularly review the goals of the student. Thus, if he or she wants to attend a specific university, the session will play a small part in helping them achieve this.
I try to present the information in a different format. So if they struggle with reading, I am happy to explain it, present it in diagrammatic form or watch a video clip to help them try to understand it.
It is important to break the reading down into manageable chunks with students. I then ask student to pick out key words or ideas from the text, to establish if they understand it. Then regarding recording this, students can summarise their learning in bullet points or another format if they prefer.
As previously said, it is important to establish how a student likes to learn. Taking this, I like to deliver classes in a format that they enjoy and can easily demonstrate their learning.
Knowing what a student likes and their goals can help with this. It can help me to find a link to the subject, no matter how tenuous, which can often help struggling students with their motivation.
There are a number of techniques for this: Quizzes e.g. Kahoot Writing definitions Writing key questions Writing a conclusion to an exam question Mind-mapping how to answer an exam question Ultimately, the main way to demonstrate this is by answering exam questions
I do this by assessing their work and their ideas according to some of the key knowledge and skills required in the course. So even if they only briefly demonstrate this knowledge or skills, it is a start. My favourite quote is "nobody is a black belt after the first class," and these skills and knowledge require work.
This is done through discussion with the student and reviewing any work they do in relation to exams or IA's.
This will be done based on discussion with the students and having observed their performance in class. Should they require more time to practice English fluency, I will give them that. Should they ask for more time to practice writing, they will get that too.
A combination of any of the following: Textbook Articles Video Journals Books Speeches And many more!
AMAZING, AMAZING! Not only is Owain friendly, he’s a professional that easily puts my 17 year old son at ease, and at the same time extremely knowledgeable about IB History IA’s. His knowledge beams interest, encouragement and motivation, easily projecting a relax style that a young person can relate to. We definitely plan on scheduling another session with Owain.
About the Author: Owain J.
According to the IB, the Political Engagement Activity (PEA), or IA, provides students with “an opportunity to explore the central unifying theme of the course—people, power and politics—in practice and outside the classroom.” THEREFORE, the IA can be seen as an opportunity to have a meaningful experience of politics in the real world. The IA is also worth a significant chunk of your final grade. Thus, it can also help with your grade outside of a pressurized exam situation and it is important to take it seriously.
In this blog post I’ll be covering some of the main aspects of the IA;
The IA is your opportunity to be an experiential learner; you will learn about an issue in global politics by participating and reflecting on your chosen political issue. This is an experience that is shaped by you and cannot be replicated in your classroom. As previously mentioned, a large amount of your grade depends on this; 25% of your grade if you are an SL student and 20% if you are an HL student.
The PEA is broken into three sections; the engagement, the complementary research and the written report, which should be no more than 2,000 words.
The engagement is the bedrock of your IA. This is what allows you to explore, experience and reflect on a political issue. When selecting an engagement, it should help you learn about a political issue through your experience. Ideally, it should also be something you have a genuine interest in. Ultimately, when choosing your engagement, you need to answer yes to the following questions:
Here is one example of some engagements and the political issue that they align with:
| Engagement | Political Issue |
|---|---|
| Attendance at the full meeting of a city council, followed by interviews with two of its female councillors |
How does the nature of democracy impact upon representation of women in politics? |
| Campaigning with a city councillor in support of a female candidate running for the national parliament |
|
| Attendance at a conference to hear a speech by a female member of parliament opposed to quotas for women in politics |
|
| Participation in a group discussion with a female government minister |
YOUR ENGAGEMENT SHOULD NOT CONSIST SOLELY OF INTERVIEWS AND MUST INVOLVE ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION ON YOUR PART
In addition to your engagement, you must also do complementary research for your IA. This helps to give some background context for which your engagement took place. It also helps to make links to some of the course's key concepts, theories, and ideas. The perspectives you gain through your engagement are partial and limited. Research is therefore required to establish which other perspectives on the political issue and organisation(s) with which you have been engaging are possible, as well as what the strengths and weaknesses of the various perspectives are. Ultimately, when doing this part of your IA, you should be asking yourself: what else do I need to know and understand to be able to write a good, evaluative analysis of my selected political issue?’
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This is what you actually submit to the IB for assessment. It is useful to formulate it into a question, that you will attempt to answer through your experiences and research. Your report must be no more than 2,000 words in length (but anything substantially below this is unlikely to meet the criteria for success). You should be careful that your report does not simply describe, at length, what you did during your engagement. Instead, the key aspect of the engagement in the report should be what it taught you about your selected political issue. You must synthesise your insights and evaluate the political issue from multiple perspectives. There is no specific structure required for the IA, but it must have a clear structure and be well-presented.
Tips to be successful in your IA The first step is to consider what parts of the course you are most interested in. Gender equality? Human rights? Sustainable development? This will give you a start on finding a political issue linked to some of the key concepts, theories and ideas from the course.
Once you have some ideas, then you can start doing background research. Before you can start, you should be able to answer the following questions:
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Your opening paragraphs should set the scene about what you did and how it links to the course and should include the following:
Once you have outlined what you did, it is time to begin analyzing your political issue. The majority of your IA should be dedicated to doing the following:
Conclusion
The Global Politics IA is your opportunity to learn about a political issue of your choosing out in the real world. It is also a chance to gain valuable points that contribute to your final grade. Avoid any common pitfalls by being organized, choosing a clear political issue and making sure you conduct a variety of engagements. This will enable you to further your passion for global politics and get an excellent grade, giving you two reasons to be happy!
With thanks to:
About the Author: Owain J.
AN EXPERIENCED TEACHER OF IBDP HISTORY (HL AMERICAS) AND GLOBAL POLITICS. WHETHER IT’S EXAM TECHNIQUE, KEY COURSE MATERIAL, OR INTERNALLY-ASSESSED WORK, He WOULD BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU WORK TOWARDS YOUR GOAL OF IMPROVING YOUR IBDP GRADES!
Written By our IB ++ Tutor Owain J.
Are you looking for fresh History Internal Assessment (IA) Topic Ideas? Here are 25 ideas brought to you by one of our expert tutors!
The History IA, although daunting at first, gives you many opportunities. Choosing an IA
topic can be a struggle. This post has been written to help those who are unable to select a
topic for their History IA. Here are 25 ideas to help get you started. Please make sure you
discuss any proposals with your teacher before researching and writing your IA:
1. Pandemics in history; the current Covid pandemic is not the first deadly illness to
have struck the globe. Investigating the causes and impact of the Black Death in the
14th century or the flu pandemic after WWI could be a good option for your IA.
2. Black and minority history in the USA; the protests in 2020 about the treatment of
some communities in the United States by the police is nothing new. America has a
diverse racial history well worthy of investigation.
3. LGBTQ rights; pride marches are a common sight in many cities of the world in June.
What have been the experiences of LGBTQ people in history?
4. Cuba; recently, Miguel Diaz-Canel became the first Cuban leader since the 1950s
without the surname Castro. Why did the Castros stay in power so long if Cuba still
doesn’t have free elections?
5. Israel/Palestine; you may have seen this in the news in recent times. Why not
investigate the historical root of the problem?
6. Climate change; is probably the biggest global challenge today. How has
humankind damaged the environment in previous ages?
7. Refugees; recent cases in places like Myanmar have highlighted the plight of
refugees. How did people become refugees in the past? How were they treated?
8. Voting rights; recent years have seen a rise in attempts to make voting more difficult.
How have people fought for their right to vote in the past?
9. Cold War; why did the USA and the USSR hate each other so much? Was the
experience of the Cold War the same for everyone around the world? Why did it end?
10. Nuclear weapons; how close has the world come to a nuclear war? The Cuban
Missile Crisis and the Able Archer Crisis saw the world closer to nuclear war than we
might like to admit.
11. Nazi Germany; why did the Nazi regime come to power? How did the regime affect
women, children, minorities like the disabled, homosexuals, or even Germany’s small
black population?
12. Technology: technology plays a huge role in a global society. But how has it been used
in the past, for example in wars? The role of new technology in WWI and WWII are
two possible examples.
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13. Sport: sports have been used for a variety of political reasons in the past, very worthy
of a historical investigation.
14. American/French Revolutions; two very important events in the 18th century, that
provided some of the inspiration for modern human rights today.
15. The end of Apartheid; an event that saw the end of minority white rule in South
Africa and launched Nelson Mandela to be a global figure. Why did it happen? What
was the impact on South Africa?
16. WWII; there are endless possibilities with this one. This was a global war, so you
could look at the war in a specific region or its impact outside of the military sphere.
17. Empires; unfortunately, empires have been a huge feature of history from Rome, the
Mongols and the British. How did the imperialists benefit from the empire? What
impact did the empire have on the local population? Why did it end?
