Block 7: Sunday 11:00 to 12:15

Just as the Silk Road opened the East to the West in the ancient world, the National Council for Teaching Asia (NCTA) provides the opportunity for educators to present Asian culture to students. As Asia continues to rise in prominence on the global stage, there is a growing need for integration of Asian culture in the middle and high school curricula.

Recent changes in CAS ask coordinators to expand the definition of "reflections" and create a team of CAS advisors. This session will explain the CAS changes and offer practical suggestions on how to implement them and evaluate the new reflection process.

This session will cover the methodology of the Touchstones Discussion Project, the integration of the Socratic seminar fits in the IB classroom, development of good opening questions, and the use of questions to influence group dynamics. Participants will also learn how to create discussions around the areas of interaction and build these skills further in Theory of Knowledge courses.

As the IB manages growth and technology continues to advance, the importance of ICT systems in the IB has never been clearer. In this session, the IB Chief Information Officer will share her views on how the IB will utilize new technology to enable growth, particularly in relation to electronic assessment and electronic marking and what impact this will have on our schools and examiners.

This session will provide an overview of current developments within and across all three IB programmes. It will also be an opportunity for participants to contribute to the development of future directions through dialogue with the IB's Academic Director.

How can schools tell if they are meeting the IB standards for international-mindedness and collaborative planning? Explore these two standards more in depth and plan with colleagues how to help move your school community to higher levels of practice.

The panel will present and discuss how a large, ethnically and economically diverse, suburban public high school in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area has developed peer group models through which students not only support each other academically, but also create activities of increased personal and academic support for all students.

Destiny is a student who reflected on her class's use of a problematic scenario. Some of her classmates said, "This is getting us to think outside the box. It makes us curious." And Destiny said, "It's 3-D." This session will explore what Destiny meant by that by examining models of problematic scenarios in K-12.

The session will illustrate the use of performance-based practices at the International Community School in Decatur, Georgia and encourage participants to engage in their own improvisation exercises. Performance-based activities can be used in any classroom in which individuals learn and grow by adopting new roles.

If you have ever had a question that you wanted to take straight to the top, this session is for you. The senior leadership of the International Baccalaureate will field all questions, on all topics or issues. This is a wonderful opportunity to share both your concerns and your best ideas with leaders of the IB community.