How the IMP Classroom Is Different IMP's rich curriculum and its focus on understanding require changes in the classroom. The IMP curriculum requires an expanded role for the teacher. Because the curriculum goes beyond mechanical skills, the teacher's role must expand as well. Not simply an imparter of facts, the teacher must also be a keen observer, a sympathetic listener, and a skilled facilitator to ensure that students progress in their learning. One facet of the teacher's role that does not change is the maintenance of a positive learning environment that conveys confidence in students' capabilities.
Teachers continue to set high standards and have high expectations for every student.
The IMP curriculum requires a more active role for the student. Just as the role of teachers changes, so does the role of students. In many traditional classrooms, a student's task is to mimic the work presented by the teacher and to find numerical answers to similar problems. But in a world that is ever changing, students need to be equipped to handle problems they have never seen before, and to handle them with confidence and perseverance. To meet this need, the IMP curriculum is designed to give students a more active part in their learning.