Teachers' experiences in using constructivist pedagogies in the international baccalaureate diploma program

Abstract

This study collected, presented, and reflected on the experiences of International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) teachers who have developed and consistently employed constructivist pedagogies in their IBDP classrooms. A constructivist theoretical framework guided the design and analysis of this study, which was informed by a literature review of international schools, international school curricula, specifically the IBDP, and new constructivist pedagogies. Three research questions guided this study: (a) How do IBDP teachers who have developed and implemented constructivist student-centered learning practices in their classrooms describe and explain the development of those practices for the purpose of increasing their students' engagement and enhancing their learning, with a specific focus on doing so within an IBDP curriculum and school culture? (b) What practices have they implemented and what are the outcomes of those practices, above and beyond the more "traditional" means of teaching IBDP classes, as evidenced and perceived by them? and (c) What areas of tension exist between constructivist pedagogies in the IBDP, and how do teachers seek to address them? The findings indicate that teachers implement constructivist student-centered pedagogies for a range of reasons; they maintain them because they see value in them and because these pedagogies align with their own philosophies of education. The findings also suggest that support is crucial to enabling teachers to implement these pedagogies. The findings indicate that there are tensions between the implementation of these pedagogies and the IBDP, but that teachers seek to mitigate these tensions in a range of ways. Finally, the findings suggest that implementation of these pedagogies is constrained by IBDP content and assessment requirements.