Approaches to Learning from the IB Curriculum Belong in Every Classroom

As educators, we’re always searching for tools that support the whole child—academically, socially, and emotionally. One powerful yet often underutilized toolset is the Approaches to Learning (ATL) framework from the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. While designed for IB schools, these strategies are universal in nature and can transform classrooms regardless of curriculum, standards, or setting.

Whether you’re teaching in a public school, a charter school, or a private school with its own scope and sequence, ATL skills offer a flexible, student-centered approach to learning that supports deep understanding and a positive classroom culture.

What Are Approaches to Learning (ATL)?

ATL skills are five broad skill categories that support students in becoming self-regulated learners and lifelong thinkers. The five categories are:

1. Thinking Skills
2. Social Skills
3. Communication Skills
4. Self-Management Skills
5. Research Skills

Each skill area is broken into smaller subskills that are taught explicitly and practiced regularly. The beauty of ATL is that they’re not content-specific. They apply across subject areas and grade levels. Here is a free-be version of the ones I use in my own classroom!

Now let’s dive into how each skill area can be used in any classroom and how they contribute to a thriving, student-centered culture.

Thinking Skills: Encouraging Depth, Not Just Recall

Thinking skills help students become critical and creative thinkers. They include analyzing, evaluating, predicting, reflecting, and forming new ideas.

How to use them:

• Think-Pair-Share during a read-aloud: Ask students to make predictions about a story’s ending based on character behavior and then share with a partner.
• Visible Thinking Routines like “I used to think… Now I think…” help students track changes in understanding after a lesson or discussion.
• Use graphic organizers like cause-and-effect chains, Venn diagrams, and concept maps.

Positive Culture Impact:

When students are encouraged to think deeply rather than memorize facts, they feel respected as learners. Students begin to value their own thoughts and those of their peers, leading to a culture of inquiry, not competition.

Social Skills: Fostering Collaboration Over Competition

Social skills go beyond “playing nicely.” They include listening to others, resolving conflict, accepting feedback, and working cooperatively.

How to use them:

• Group projects with defined roles (e.g., facilitator, timekeeper, note-taker) encourage collaboration and accountability.
• Model and practice restorative circles where students talk through conflicts or share appreciations.
• Use anchor charts for sentence starters like “I see your point, but…” or “Can you explain that another way?”

Positive Culture Impact:

When students practice social skills, they learn that mistakes are okay and feedback is part of learning. Classroom dynamics shift from individual achievement to group success. Students begin to root for each other, not just themselves.

Communication Skills: Building Confident Voices

Communication isn’t just about speaking well—it’s about expressing ideas clearly, listening actively, and understanding different perspectives.

How to use them:

• Use daily share-outs where students explain their thinking after solving a problem or completing an activity.
• Implement “Turn and Talk” routines during lessons to give all students a voice.
• Use visual aids and sentence stems for students who need support articulating their ideas.

Positive Culture Impact:

When communication is explicitly taught, students become more confident sharing their ideas. They also become better listeners. This builds mutual respect and empathy—key ingredients for a respectful and inclusive learning space.

Self-Management Skills: Helping Students Own Their Learning

Self-management includes organization, time management, emotional regulation, and setting personal goals. This is my favorite out of the Approaches to Learning because it really helps drive classroom management.

How to use them:

• Begin each week with goal setting: academic and personal. Revisit them at the end of the week.
• Use calm-down corners or breathing techniques to teach emotional regulation.
• Allow students to manage checklists for multi-step projects to build autonomy.

Positive Culture Impact:

When students are trusted with managing their time, emotions, and responsibilities, they begin to see themselves as capable learners. It reduces classroom disruptions and increases motivation. Students feel safer and more in control of their learning journey.

Research Skills: Encouraging Curiosity and Inquiry

These skills include collecting data, evaluating sources, summarizing information, and using technology to deepen understanding.

How to use them:

• During science or social studies units, let students pose questions and conduct mini-research projects using books or supervised digital tools.
• Teach note-taking strategies explicitly: underlining key words, using bullet points, or using the Cornell method.
• Use Wonder Walls where students post questions and track their research journey.

Positive Culture Impact:

Research skills empower students to ask big questions and find their own answers. Curiosity becomes the driver of learning. This makes the classroom feel dynamic, purposeful, and student-led.

How Do I Get Started?

• Pick One Skill Area-Focus on one category per quarter or unit. For example, start with “self-management” in August to help students build routines.
• Make It Visible-Use bulletin boards, posters, or table tents to show the ATL focus. Let students know, “This week we’re working on listening actively.”
• Reflect and Celebrate-Build in time to reflect on how students used these skills. “Who used self-management during group work today? How?” Celebrate progress, not perfection.
• Integrate into Existing Lessons-You don’t need to rewrite your whole curriculum. Just insert ATL moments. For example, during a math lesson: “How did you show persistence when solving this problem?”

Approaches to Learning isn’t about adding more to your plate—it’s about making the learning more meaningful. When students are taught how to learn and how to interact, they perform better academically and thrive socially.

Whether you’re in a Title I school in the U.S. or an international classroom abroad, ATL skills can help you cultivate an environment where students feel seen, heard, and empowered.

So even if your school isn’t officially IB, don’t wait. Try incorporating ATL into your classroom culture—and watch your students grow in more ways than one.