5th April - Tuesday

Welcome back after a rejuvenating break!

We are getting back to our class blog from now on.. the reason being the ongoing PYP Exhibition. We had taken a break from the website due to regular updates being sent through newsletters.

By now you all might be aware of what the PYP Exhibition is all about. However here is an introduction yet again:

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) exhibition represents a significant event in the life of a PYP school and student, synthesizing the essential elements of the PYP and sharing them with the whole school community.

As a culminating experience it is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the International Baccalaureate (IB) learner profile that have been developing throughout their engagement with the PYP.

Students are required to engage in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. The central idea selected must be of sufficient scope and significance to warrant a detailed investigation by all students.

Purpose

The PYP exhibition has a number of key purposes:

• for students to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry
• to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning
• to provide students with an opportunity to explore multiple perspectives
• for students to synthesize and apply their learning of previous years and to reflect upon their journey through the PYP
• to provide an authentic process for assessing student understanding
• to demonstrate how students can take action as a result of their learning
• to unite the students, teachers, parents and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP
• to celebrate the transition of learners from primary to middle/secondary education

Role of student

Students will:

• have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition from the outset of the process (guidelines and planning instructions should be provided by the teacher or mentor)

• participate in selecting a real-life issue or problem for the exhibition

• develop the inquiry by helping to decide on a central idea, lines of inquiry and student questions

• collaboratively plan learning and assessment experiences; these should involve independent and collaborative work and students should be involved in all stages of the planning and staging of the exhibition

• carry out an open-ended inquiry into a real-life issue or problem

• demonstrate an understanding of the components of the PYP, in particular the IB learner profile; the students involved in the exhibition should be given an opportunity to demonstrate their learning and the development of the attributes of the IB learner profile

• demonstrate an understanding of the five essential elements—knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes and action

• select and utilize a variety of strategies and resources to meet the outcomes of the inquiry; wherever possible, students should use a variety of source materials, such as first-hand experiences, interviews, surveys, field visits, artifacts, science investigations, working models, not just book and/or Internet research be academically honest when referring to their sources of information

• communicate effectively with teachers, peers and parents

• reflect on the components of and processes involved in the exhibition; they should keep a journal or portfolio of their planning, draft pieces of work, sketches and photographs of work in progress as well as the final product

• carry out self-assessment and peer assessment

• celebrate their learning by presenting the exhibition to the school community.

Role of teacher

Teachers will:

• have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition from the outset of the process

• initiate, facilitate and guide the exhibition process; teachers should facilitate the process of the exhibition rather than teaching directly, with the exception of particular skills and/or knowledge that is required in order for the students to proceed with their chosen inquiry

• provide support for student inquiries, enabling students to overcome any problems encountered in the process

• Plan collaboratively with other teachers

• communicate regularly with students, parents and other participants

• act as mentors as required or appropriate

• develop essential agreements with students regarding academic honesty to ensure that they are taking responsibility for their learning and being principled in the resources they are using; mentors and parents should be informed of these agreements

• encourage students to use a balance of primary and secondary sources; help students to access information; and ensure they know how to cite sources used in research

• ensure the participation of all students by considering their interests, accommodating learning styles and needs, and by determining prior knowledge

• empower the students to feel able to take action as a result of the exhibition

• assess the exhibition process ensuring all the essential elements are included

• keep detailed records of the processes involved including ongoing reflection

• encourage and join in with students to celebrate their learning.

Role of parent/guardian

Parents/guardians will:

• have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition

• support and encourage students and teachers throughout the process of inquiry

• be informed by reading newsletters, attending meetings, checking school websites, talking with students

• help students to access resources—people, places, media and information

• provide expert subject knowledge where applicable

• act as mentors as required or appropriate

• encourage independent inquiry and respect student ownership of the process

• have an opportunity to reflect on and give feedback on the exhibition

• celebrate with the students by attending the staging of the exhibition.

Role of Mentor

Community members, older students, parents and teachers may be invited to act as mentors.

Some examples of mentor participation include the following.

The mentor’s primary role is to act as a guide and resource in the accomplishment of specific tasks during the exhibition process. Members of the school community are invited to mentor in one or more areas of interest or expertise, for example, research, writing, or information and communication technology (ICT). They are available at different stages of the exhibition. For instance, in the early stages of the inquiry, research mentors come in two to three times a week. Mentors have a purely advisory role, and while they do not participate in the summative assessment of the exhibition, they may contribute to formative assessments regarding their area of support, as well as reflecting on the exhibition process.

The mentors are encouraged to meet the students at least three times in the beginning stages of the exhibition but may reduce their involvement over time to increase student responsibility. They are not involved in formal assessment but are encouraged to make anecdotal observations and to give feedback to the students and teachers.

Staging the exhibition

It is a requirement that the exhibition is shared with members of the wider school community. There are many formats a sharing event could take, for example, an interactive display, a performance, a debate, or a combination of formats.

The exhibition should include the following:

• Examples of written work in a variety of formats and styles: poetry, reports, persuasive texts
• Oral presentations, individually or in groups, to the school community
• Uses of technology including ICT, working models, designs, science experiments
• Performances or compositions in any medium: dance, music, drama, visual arts, film, video, mixed media.

The first day after the Spring break, the students excitedly shared their activities with the rest of the groups. It was evident that they were highly enthusiastic and optimistic about their exhibition. They also had meeting with their mentors and discussed collaboratively their further action plan.

We then used a fishbone (cause and effect) graphic organizer to brainstorm the reasons for our action and the end results. The students realized that a good education system can solve many global and local problems. This lead to wording our central idea for our unit: “Equal and wholesome education can lead to a peaceful society”