Research

On this page you will find my research interests and current projects. =Completed Projects=



One mission of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program is to develop internationally minded students. My qualitative study looks at the experiences of IB teachers in one Fairfax County public school. This study will examine teachers’ support for IB philosophies in relation to other teaching standards. With the pressure of high-stakes standardized state tests, are teachers able to make room for internationally minded curriculum? What factors in the school help or hinder efforts to incorporate IB theories and philosophies. The goal of this project is to document the real practice of IB teachers and find out what effects their curricular decisions.

=**Curriculum Integration: an Approach for the Development of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP)**=

This project will investigate interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity teaching and learning in education. Through the means of a literature review, it would seek to find where these approaches to curriculum differ from each other. Further, the project will explore curriculum integration focusing on how the specific principles of this approach relate to the core concepts of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP). Using learning theory specific to Middle Years students, the project team will suggest ways in which curriculum integration could be used as an appropriate approach to curriculum development for the MYP.

=**IB Teacher One Award Review**=

How does the IB teacher award program foster international-minded thinking among its participants across different countries and cultures?

The IB is an international organization and offers a training program all its own for teachers. The IB teacher awards are a professional development programs that officially recognizes teachers’ comprehension and understanding of the principles and practices coupled with the IB programmes, and the dedication made by teachers to their own professional learning (IBO, 2011). The courses offered for a teacher award are recognized by the IB and the partnered university for effectively focusing on IB programmes and teacher preparation. Currently 12 universities worldwide offer the teacher award, in countries such as Australia, The United Kingdom, The United States, Turkey, and China (IBO, 2011). I wonder, with the Teacher Award programs offered in so many different countries, how do the IB courses align with the different teacher education requirements at each university? Most importantly, how do these programs at each university incorporate international minded thinking –a key component for all of the IB programs—into their study of the IB?

To answer my research question I would like to start with a syllabus review of each of teacher award program at the 12 universities to look for evidence of teaching and learning with a global dimension. I want to investigate how each university discusses and develops the international minded focus that IB incorporates as a main standard in the program. What does the teacher award program look like at each university and how do they incorporate teaching credentials or standards into the program? How much do they focus on teachers’ development of international mindedness?

=In Progress=

Assessment in the MYP classroom: Collaborative Research Project Learner Profile Literature Review: Applications and Ideas for Teachers