Bryan Warren helps his students understand how they learn

Meet Bryan Warren , 5th grade science teacher and UIL Chess Puzzles Coach at J. L. Everhart Elementary School. Mr. Warren, who has been teaching for seventeen years, many of them at the fully authorized IB Everhart campus, begins the year with Essential Agreements. Before dividing the class into small groups, he familiarizes students with the ten IB Learner Profile traits, then he assigns each group 3 traits and asks them to fashion 4-5 Essential Agreements from the perspective of a teacher. Students design these statements to tell how they will behave in class

WARREN using these 3 traits; for example, “I will not make fun of others,” or “I will treat others with respect.” Each group then presents their Essential Agreements to the class and the class must guess which Learner Profile Trait is exemplified by each statement: for example, “Caring.” This student-driven activity starts the year off on a positive note along with an individual self-portrait in which each student tells how he or she can practice the IB Learner Profile traits.

After these “kick-off” activities, Mr. Warren “dives into” exploring with students