Jodie Garrett - English L&L

Professional Portfolio

ELL @ISNS

IB DP - EL&L

25/26 - While still working with units that are new to me, knowing many of the students has made for a smoother transition. Being able to knowledgably reference the things they did 'last year' has allowed for scaffolded strengthening of skills. It has also provided a useful platform from which to focus our personal integrity push (IB Lifelong Learners 4.1 to 4.4), which resulted in a 99% positive result for this year's G11 cohort Individual Oral detailed planning documents.

The flexibility options that we have been working (providing opportunities for students to use technology and group work in a more interactive way - using audio, video, immediate responses etc, instead of merely as a word processor or slide deck - and changing the organisation of my classroom space - providing working areas that have a different feel and location - are directly relevant to IB Approaches to Teaching 4.1 and 4.3. (Effective relationships, dynamic collaboration) and Approaches to Teaching 5.5 (Barrier removal). As a department, we are committed to ensuring necessary information is available via multiple platforms, as a mitigation factor in the stressors that may cause students to make unhelpful choices.

Portfolio.mp4

In the G10 - 11 classes, it has been really beneficial to see how AF and my skills and strengths complement each other and provide students with a range of paths to success.

We have been discussing options for doing more 'class sharing' - perhaps using different texts and having students 'choose' the unit. This also links with IB Lifelong Learners 2.2 Continued development and 3.1, where students get to consider success factors within their programme and groupings, and make choices accordingly.

Within the department I have provided support for the Moodle system and how it can be used to meet our needs, but studies are really showing more and more that for learning areas like Literature, having students engage using elements other than a computer, is optimal.

IB MYP - EL&L

25/26 - As a department, our focus for G9-10 was on streamlining our UOIs so that the skills development could occur in a more natural and supported way from there into the Diploma Programme.

We have also been adapting units to provide greater breadth and depth in skill development, without relying on a large number of longer texts, and ensured that our mark schedules are adapted into 'what this means for your work' student-speak, to give greater opportunities for students to peer-mark and co-teach.

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24/25 school year. Lots of questions. Lots of reading in lots of places. Teaching to a scheme that I wasn't involved in creating, meant that there were opportunities for me to misunderstand or go in the wrong direction; the silver lining was that students could see my active learning taking place and realise that making and owning mistakes are a part of that.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick Global Competencies were regularly referenced in all of my classes during the 25/26 year. It was also lovely to have an NB Accreditation Team member visit my lesson as part of their time here in October 2025, and to bring the NBGCs into our ongoing planning.

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In the 24/25 school year, I only had senior NB students in the last few weeks before they moved to a different teacher.

J-TAC 25/26

This year I am running the Junior Theatre Arts Club while being wonderfully supported by a PYP teacher. Our focus has been on enabling student skills and understanding of all the processes involved in creating a performance. The intention is for students to write, direct, perform and stage their own work, with a public performance occurring in May 26.

Lighthouse Mag' 24/25

The 25/26 year has taken the Lighthouse in a new direction - towards ongoing publication rather than a single end-of-year option - due to the changing needs and interests of students and the wider school community.

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In 24/25 the number of students who continued with this dropped to 5, so there was a lot more work involved in getting something ready for publication. I didn't know who to 'lean on' to get content, and we were competing with students who were publishing their work elsewhere. However, we made it in the end.

JTAC Activity 24/25

This was a 'You're a drama teacher so can you help with this club?' situation and I was very much playing catch up and getting to know the students (none of whom I taught).

The production was quite a challenge, given the amount of time and access to facilities we had, but my colleagues worked tirelessly to make it happen and the students involved learned a great deal.

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