Isabel Machinandiarena is editor of Journeys in Implementation: Proven strategies from IB World Schools and co-author of MYP Assess, MYP Interact and MYP Inquire, all published by IB Publishing.
Read on to find out more…
Click on one of the questions below to scroll directly to that answer:
1. What is your school or organization?
2. What roles have you had or do you have within the IB?
4. What was your motivation behind being a part of these publications?
5. Who do you see as the main audience for this publication?
7. Getting personal, what is your current favourite music, book and movie?
8. What is one piece of advice you’ve been given that you actually use in practice?
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1. What is your school or organization?
Wheatley School, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
2. What roles have you had or do you have within the IB?
Diploma Programme (DP):
- Associate regional manager (IB Africa, Europe and Middle East)
- Workshop leader (to train workshop leaders, school visitors, consultants)
- Theory of knowledge (TOK) assessor
- Workshop leader for history and TOK (English and Spanish) in Athens and Madrid (categories 1 & 2)
- DP coordinator (5 years)
- IB history teacher (15 years)
Middle Years Programme (MYP):
- Senior moderator for humanities
- Workshop leader of standardization meeting for humanities
- Workshop leader for humanities (categories 1, 2 and 3) in Canada, USA and Buenos Aires
- MYP Coordinator (5 years)
- Humanities teacher (15+ years)
3. Tell us some more about yourself, your education, your career and other roles you have had outside of the IB.
I have always had a passion for writing articles, essays and books. When I came to know the DP it was an eye opener and I decided to start working on a book on Argentine history that would use sources to teach history. “Thinking History” (“Pensando la Historia”) was never formally published but has circulated in some schools of Buenos Aires as a booklet since 1994 (460 pages). In 1998 I won an essay contest award organized by the Spanish Embassy in Buenos Aires for “The values within the Spanish-American culture” (“Los valores de la cultura hispanoamericana”).
Among other essays, though not published yet, are the following titles: “The Strength of Ideas” (“La fuerza de las ideas”, 1995) and “Discovery of America: Fifth Centennial” (“Quinto centenario del descubrimiento de América”, 1992).
Regarding my education, I have a history (Honours) degree from the Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires and a PhD in progress at the Universidad de Buenos Aires.
4. What was your motivation behind being a part of this publication?
Since I became acquainted with the IB, I have loved the challenges and opportunities it offered to teachers around the world. I believe this is the best education that we can offer our children for the 21st century. Therefore, choosing examples of schools starting the IB journey from around the world was very attractive to me. I really enjoyed editing this work.
5. Who do you see as the main audience for the publication?
The main audience for this publication is comprised of schools considering implementing one or more of the IB programmes. When schools hear about the success of students who have gone through the IB programmes, they need to contact IB World Schools in the area to find out about their experience of implementing the programmes. Sometimes those schools are not located nearby or their path to becoming an IB World School is not one that is suitable for all schools. This is why Journeys in Implementation works as a great inspiration, demonstrating how schools have adapted IB requirements to their own realities.
6. What benefit does this book have to the user, and how would you recommend that a teacher or student use this resource?
The idea of having a selection of stories in one book has been at the genesis of this publication. This book will help and inspire schools considering the IB journey to procure a quick feeling of how they can go about it. They are also able to see that there is flexibility in the implementation of the IB programmes.
7. Getting personal, what is your current favourite music, book and movie?
Music: Handel, Water Music
Book: Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness
Movie: Meyers, Nancy, Something’s Gotta Give, 2003.
8. What is one piece of advice you’ve been given that you actually use in practice?
“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.” —Samuel Johnson
9. If you were going to a desert island and allowed to take only one item with you, what would you take?
My laptop, running on eternal battery or battery free and a blank notebook.
