With the new guide the learning outcomes are out the window. While for many of us used to the old system of LO’s this may appear daunting, I for one am pleased to see the back of “describe the role of situational and dispositional factors in explaining behaviour” and “explain emic and etic concepts.” These are poorly phrased, to say the least.
Now with just “topics” and “content” to guide us, we are free to construct our own learning outcomes that best match our understanding of the core conceptual relationships we want students to understand.
The major problem with this new approach, however, is that it adds a whole new layer of uncertainty to the exams. This is precisely why the LOs were removed. In order to reduce the amount of regurgitated answers and to try to increase teaching for understanding, the LOs were taken away.
There are significant issues now with understanding the exam requirements, but at Themantic Education™ we’re confident that our three levels of thinking and the resources we’ll provide will have teachers and students ready to face the IB Psychology exams.
Travis Dixon is an IB Psychology teacher, author, workshop leader, examiner and IA moderator.