The International Baccalaureate Learner Profile: A Social Justice Framework in the English Language Arts Classroom

“The International Baccalaureate Learner Profile: A Social Justice Framework in the English Language Arts Classroom, highlights the story of an expert secondary ELA teacher as she navigates the political climate in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. Through narrative, classroom anecdote, and pedagogical reflection, this story offers readers an authentic portrait of the complex decisions that face teachers as we navigate tenuous political terrain in our classrooms. Central to this story is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Profile (LP), which is the framework from which this teacher operates: the IB LP serves as both the anchor and guide for this teacher’s pedagogical decision-making and a teaching tool in her classroom. In unpacking this teacher’s narrative and practice, this piece offers criteria for establishing a classroom climate of productive political discourse and shares features of a politically engaged classroom, both of which are aimed to inspire readers’ critical inquiry into their own practice as they address politics in their own classrooms