At ISNS, Individuals and Societies (I&S) is a multi-disciplinary subject that students take in MYP and DP. We plan teaching and learning in a fun and engaging way to ensure that our students from G6 all the way to G12 are fostered their inquiry and investigation skills, as well as critical thinking, and communication skills.

This week, we interviewed our Grade 6 Individuals and Societies (I&S) Teacher Ms Gretchen to find out about the I&S subject in Lower MYP and how it builds the fundation through MYP to DP.

In I&S, we try to build knowledge and understanding, investigation skills, communication skills and critical thinking skills. In most units, we go through a cycle of building knowledge around a subject, then the students choose something to investigate and follow a research cycle, in which they decide what they are going to study or investigate.

After that, they build and follow an action plan to further their time management. The students collect all their research in a systematic way for them to communicate their findings in a real project (a speech, a paper or a website etc). At last reflection, it is important to reflect on how the research went and then build a plan for improvement in the future.

In lower MYP grade 6 through 8, we try to build their skills strongly by focusing on ATLs.

We use time management and effective notetaking, which helps students build organizational skills that they must have.

The first time when students started their I&S style research was PYPX, when they were in grade five. I always tell my students that every time a unit in Grade 6 is like doing a PYPX. Repeatedly, students follow that same process as they do in MYP through the years.

PYPX

By the time they get to grade nine, students need to complete a community project that requires all the organisation skills and communication skills that we've been building in I&S. Then in Grade 10, they will have the personal project when they could utilize all their skills and experience.

MYPX

Further in DP, students will engage in more of their own interests and investigations and communications about their learning in their knowledge and essays. Certainly I&S always feeds into the spirit of IB and the knowledge building and creating the lifelong learner from an intrinsic motivation standpoint.

“To teach my students short-term time management using the Pomodoro method, which is that you work for 20 to 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. It kind of seems obvious but students don't know that. If I can build that practice in, that is something they can use all the time. It really helps them get their work done and engage with their work. It is really important for an 11- and 12-year-old brain.”

在ISNS，人文社会学科(I&S)是学生在中学和高中阶段学习的一门多元学科。我们以有趣和引人入胜的方式规划和教授科学，以确保培养6到12年级学生的探究和调研研究技能，以及批判性思维和沟通技能。

本周，我们采访了6年级人文社会学科 (I&S) Gretchen 老师，了解 I&S 学科如何从初中低年级过渡到初高中高年级。

在I&S，我们竭力于建立知识和理解调查技能、沟通技能和批判性思维技能。在大多数单元中，我们会进行一个围绕某个主题构建知识的循环，然后学生选择要调查的内容并遵循研究循环，在这个循环中他们需要决定学习或调查的内容。

之后，他们制定并遵循行动计划以进一步进行时间管理。学生以系统的方式收集他们所有的研究成果，以便他们在实际项目（演讲、论文或网站等）中交流他们的发现。最后学习反思，重要的是要反思研究的进展情况，然后制定未来的改进计划。

在初中低年级阶段（ 6至8年级），我们会通过关注学习技能来增强学生们的学习能力。我们使用时间管理和有效的笔记记录，帮助学生培养他们做研究必须具备的组织能力。

学生们第一次开始他们的I&S风格研究是在小学五年级毕业展的时候（PYPX）。我总是告诉我的学生们，每次进行6年级的单元研究，就当做PYPX来做。多年来，贯穿整个MYP的过程中，学生们一直采用同样的方法。

PYPX

到九年级时，学生需要完成一个社区项目，该项目需要用到在 I&S 中培养的所有组织技能和沟通技能。然后在10年级，他们将有个人项目，他们可以利用所有的技能和经验。

MYPX

在DP的进一步发展中，学生将更多地参与他们自己的兴趣项目以及关于他们在知识和论文中学习的调查和交流。当然，I&S始终从内在动机的角度融入IB精神以及知识构建和培养终身学习者的精神。

“使用番茄工作法教我的学生进行短期时间管理，即工作20到25分钟，然后休息5分钟。这看起来很明显，但很多学生不知道，如果他们可以养成这个习惯，一直使用这个方法，确实可以帮助他们高效完成工作并投入工作，这对于11岁和12岁学生的大脑发育来说真的很重要。”