ToK Teacher & CoordinatorResearch Support Specialist

Primary Position Objectives

The UWC-USA program a two-year experience that integrates our Academic UWC CAS and Residential curricula prepares students to serve as catalysts for greater unity peace and sustainability in the world. We support students in the practice of our mission during their two years on campus and challenge them to live our mission for a lifetime.

The ToK Teacher/Research Support Specialist contributes to the schools mission across our full program. Under the supervision of the Dean of Teaching and Learning the ToK Teacher/Research Support Specialist leads the Theory of Knowledge (ToK) and Extended Essay (EE) faculty to provide instruction guidance and access to research techniques analytical writing methods library databases and their role as the Research Support Specialist they coordinate all teacher education and student-led learning support services. Beyond these roles they create and lead expeditionary outings and they support other programming areas in formal or informal ways. The ToK Teacher/Research Support Specialist fulfills their responsibilities in accord with the UWC mission and values as well as the schools strategic plan foundational documents IBDP authorization ISAS accreditation and best practices in teaching and learning.

The ToK Teacher/Research Support Specialist is employed on a 10-month agreement that runs from 1 August to 31 May and paid over the course of 12 months. Their summer and winter holiday travel plans should not interfere with their professional obligations at the beginning of August mid December early January and late May.

Position Responsibilities

Teaching responsibilities

• IB Teaching: Teach 4 or 5 ToK codes in Trimesters 1-3 and the share in the teaching of the First Year Foundations class in Trimester 1.
• Course Content and Assessment: As ToK Coordinator the teacher is responsible for organizing and leading the Theory of Knowledge (ToK) teachers to provide consistent and coherent instruction for all students in ToK skills content and instructional goals using diverse teaching strategies. At UWC-USA the ToK teachers build lesson plans collaboratively and the Coordinator should ensure that the course covers the required course content as aligned with UWC-USAs Four Global Challenges. The Coordinator ensures that the course assesses student performance based upon a standard set of requirements and criteria as laid out in the relevant IB Subject Guide(s) and provides research skills applicable across all subject areas.
• Extended Essays: Supervise Extended Essays in line with all teaching staff responsibilities. All teachers are expected to supervise Extended Essays (EE) research projects developed by students which result in an essay of approximately 4000 words. Teachers may be asked to supervise EEs in subjects that they do not teach if there are not any in their given subject.
• Grades and Reports: Teachers compile grades and write a narrative report for each student in their classes at designated times of the year. Teachers track grades and attendance using Veracross and use the schools LMS as the learning platform.
• References and Recommendations: Teachers write letters of recommendation to colleges and universities on behalf of their students at the students request.

Research and Learning Support Specialist responsibilities

• Provides research methods and information literacy skills to students in the First Year Foundations class and the ToK course.
• Provides research methods and information literacy skills to faculty in Professional Development to ensure coordination of resources use.
• Stays current with the utility of Artificial Intelligence in an academic setting to aid teachers in using AI as a tool for learning and to define and draw parameters around AI as a deterioration of academic integrity.
• Ensures that any library and research database subscriptions are up to date.
• Coordinates the student-led academic support services including the Peer Tutoring Program.
• Budgets for and coordinates the contract work of external providers: Writing Coaches Math Tutors and any other subject tutors. Serves as liaison between students and these support service providers as needed.
• Provides direct services to students in any area where they have significant training or experience.
• Serves on the Student Success Team and meets with students at the first threshold of attendance concerns.
• Collaborates with the Dean of Teaching and Learning Dean of Student Life and the Student Success Team to build review and improve the schools learning support services.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Other Program Responsibilities

• Advising: Teachers serve as official advisors to a group of 7-8 students.
• Querencia & Basecamp: Teachers sponsor activities that fulfill student requirements across our co-curricular programs. Sponsorship includes activity design and assessment against a standard set of learning outcomes. The Querencia program comprising Community Engagement and Wilderness & Outdoor Adventure aims to build a sense of home in northern New Mexico; the Basecamp program builds a sense of integral sustainability for students on our campus.
• Expeditionary Learning: The ToK teacher will plan and drive six Expeditions relevant to the ToK course content and skills. Willingness to learn to drive a 15-passenger van is a requirement of the job.
• Second-year Success Week: In their role as Research Support Specialist this person will support all programming on campus during Second-year Success Week including leading the ToK sessions. They will be on vacation during Project Week.
• Residential Life: Teachers with campus-provided housing serve on dorm teams and informally contribute to the residential experience of students with their active presence on campus (e.g. sharing meals with students in the dining hall attending student events periodically etc.).
• Meetings/assemblies/special events: Teachers attend all-employee meetings all-faculty meetings IB teacher meetings department meetings and school forums. Teachers are also asked to attend a good balance of special events throughout the year.
• Professional Development: All teachers participate in IB workshops specific to their discipline on a regular basis to stay current on curricular developments. Teachers new to the IB are expected to participate in a Category 1 workshop after they have been hired at UWC USAs expense most likely through UWC-USAs own summer IB workshops. Additionally teachers are expected to participate in internal and external professional development related to their program responsibilities and the UWC-USA mission more broadly.
• Leadership: In keeping with our basecamp ethos teachers are asked to practice exemplary self- and peer-leadership while contributing leadership at the institutional level in support of the UWC mission. Examples of leadership at the institutional level include but are not limited to:
• Actively participating and contributing to committee or task force assignments providing leadership in campus-wide events or initiatives strategic planning efforts in the experiential education program the dorms dining hall and/or in physical plant initiatives.
• Initiating strategic discussions and sharing thoughtful and innovative ideas with their co-workers for carrying out the UWC mission and successfully completing day to day work assignments.
• Demonstrating a growth mindset by believing and acknowledging that intelligence skills learning and creativity can all grow with time and experience.
• In all interactions upholding the UWC mission and values and creating an environment that promotes and values diversity equity and inclusion.

Required Qualifications

• Any combination equivalent to:
• MA or MS and/or hold educator licensure in a research and writing degree area
• Prior experience
• Knowledge of:
• Research writing style and structure
• Instructional methods and techniques
• Principles and practices of training
• Principles of budget management
• Ability to:
• Operate office equipment
• Read handwritten documents and other records or reports
• Exchange information in person or on the telephone
• Some light lifting and carrying

Required Experience:

IC