PYP Exhibition Information for parents and mentors What

PYP Exhibition Information for parents and mentors

What is the Exhibition? l An opportunity students to synthesize and apply their learning of previous years and to reflect upon their journey through the PYP l A ‘rite of passage’ from PYP to the MYP.

The Role of the Exhibition l l l to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility. 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 to celebrate

What does the Exhibition ‘look like’?

What is involved in the process? Students investigate: March an area of interest Students design: April Timeline and planner Students plan & research: March – May Read, listen, interview, survey May - June Students create: and communicate their learning Present: Students evaluate: June 16, 2015 Progress and depth of inquiry

Key roles

Critical Thinking • Ask open-ended questions. • Let them solve their own problems. • Let them be responsible for their own learning. • Encourage independent inquiry and respect student ownership of the process. • Monitor, challenge, question, clarify.

How can parents help? l Support and encourage your child by discussing their progress. This helps them to stay on task and to clarify their progress. l Help your child organise him or herself by checking that they bring their journals to school every day and ask what they have done and what the next stage is. l Help with your child’s research by taking them to museums, exhibitions or places that will assist their learning. l Celebrate with the students by attending the final presentations.

How can mentors help? Mentors can assist by: l reading difficult texts l explaining concepts l reviewing the students’ research l proofreading l helping students organize their time and materials l assist in finding resources, or contacting primary resources l helping students clarify their thoughts through discussion l monitoring student progress, ensuring students are on task by setting weekly tasks

Students investigate: An area of interest

Transdisciplinary Themes Over their years in the Primary School, students have studied units of inquiry under six transdisciplinary themes: Who we are These themes Where we are in time and place assist students to structure their How we express ourselves thinking within How the world works the Exhibition process. How we organise ourselves Sharing the planet

Students design: Timeline and planner

Students plan & research: Read, listen, interview, survey

Finding out…

Students reflect: On progress and depth of inquiry

Student Guidelines An excellent Exhibition will have the following characteristics. It should: l be something you are proud of l represent your best work l be your own work and credit work of others l answer the inquiry questions l be something you understand understood by others l be creative, interesting and engaging.

Reflection & Assessment Tools Students are provided with a variety of assessment and evaluation tools including: - Rubrics - Checklists - Reflection sheets

Skills l Students must use skills from all 5 areas- l Social skills Research skills Self management skills Communication skills Thinking skills. l l

Concepts l l l l l Students must show an understanding of the main concepts: The key to moving form students beyond the study function of a topic is to ensure they causation are engaged in change developing conceptual understandings. connection perspective responsibility reflection

Concepts l l l l Form – What is it like? Function – How does it work? Causation – Why is it like it is? Change – How is it changing? Connection – How is it connected to other things? Perspective – What are the points of view? Responsibility – What is our responsibility? Reflection - How do we know?

What do you think your teachers wanted you to learn about in your previous units of inquiry? • The Sea • Adaptation • Cooperation • Dinosaurs • Organisation • Animals • Change • Marco Polo • Conservation • The Rainforest • Communication • Rocks & minerals • Responsibility • The Romans What do you notice about the two lists?

Concepts - Student Responses l l l l Explore ideas Inquiry Relevant now Bigger than subjects Impacts the world Make you ready for life Linked together Concepts “If you do the blue ones you don’t have to do the red ones. But, if you do the red ones, you might do the blue ones. ”

Students create: and present in a variety of ways

The Exhibition could include: l examples of written work l oral presentations (live or filmed) l examples of technology l visual art l performances in any medium – dance, drama, film, video, mixed media.

What does the Exhibition ‘look like’?

How do we ‘mark’ students work? “Exhibitions are the best way to measure learning because they put the kids right in the midst of their learning” Dennis Littky

How do we mark students work? l The assessment of the process is crucial. l The students keep a journal throughout exhibition that shows how their thinking and goals have developed. l This journal may include pictures, diagrams, poems, timelines and writing. l The mentors keep a log of minutes from meetings that monitor student progress.

Who will assess the work? l Children will self and peer assess using the assessment tools. l The class teacher will also use the assessment tools, alongside observations to assess students. l Parents will complete a feedback sheet on the evening of the exhibition.

How much time do students spend working on the Exhibition? l The Exhibition becomes a central part of the G 5 programme, where skills across the subject areas are developed. l Amount of time spent on learning related to the exhibition will vary at different stages throughout the process.

What about homework? l Teachers will set less of the ‘typical’ homework during this time. l The children should use their time at home to research and prepare for the work in class. l Students need to ensure work is also done in class, so the teacher can keep track of progress.

ESL Intermediate l l l Talk, Talk Supporting their research and thinking Reflections on what they are learning Exhibition journal will be a real focus Challenging language - the opportunities for learning are great. Mother Tongue support

ESL Intensive l l Supported by ESL Intensive Teacher Group work Talk, Talk Mother Tongue support

What the Exhibition is not… It is: • Intense • Tiring • Exciting • Self-directed • Process driven • Rewarding • Action provoking It is not: • A science fair • A poster contest • A competition • Individual • Product driven • Adult directed • A burden

Something for us all to remember… ü As with any inquiry there will be times when it seems that students are not being very productive. ü Sometimes there will be lot of discussion and thought but this will not result in anything that can be seen. ü Students (and adults) need time and space to wonder about things and consider their plans. ü This is why we place so much emphasis on the scrap books/journals. They will show the understanding of concepts and application of skills (e. g. problem solving) more than the final product.

Mentor comments on Exhibition l It's a process, children grow during the period of the PYP exhibition and its great to join and contribute to this. l Stressful for children, teachers and mentors. l I had a wonderful time listening to their ideas. Refreshing

Mentor comments on Exhibition l a learning experience l amazing what these kids could (eventually) do l I observed children’s development to define ideas, share them and cooperate with each other, after conflicts

…and… l What I took from today’s meeting is that one’s mind must always be open to new ideas, and what better way to learn, than from the thinkers of today and leaders of tomorrow.

Student reflection on the Exhibtion – piece 1 l l l I chose these colours because they represent my feelings. I chose red because I think it is going to a big chaos. Purple because I’m sure I’m going to feel nervous. Yellow and green are to show that it will get calm. Blue represents that it will be fun. I chose the symbol of a circle because I thik I will never stop thinking about the exhibition. The colours around it represent that I will not be able to see what is going to happen next. I included a picture of a opne box because all my ideas are flowing out onto my work. The black bit in the middle represents all the things that I don’t know yet.

Student reflection on the Exhibition – piece 2 l l l I chose light green because I can be nervous. Blue and purple because it shows the joy. Red and beige because of the stress. I chose the ying-yang symbol because it thinkgs of the positive and the negative. The arrows turn around the ying-yang and looks for ideas on the outside. I included a picture of a lightning bolt because it represents how the ying-yang started thinking.

Questions?