Preshil Alumni Update

The IB Primary Years Programme* at Arlington

The IB Primary Years Programme* at Arlington

 

by Marilyn Smith

 

In our last Newsletter I mentioned that we had been successful in completing the process to become a *candidate school for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

 

This means that we are now a part of an outstanding international network with access to a wealth of resources and professional development opportunities with educators from across the globe. Jason Barton and the teachers will work towards our final authorisation over the next two years.

 

There will be many opportunities for families to hear more about the PYP, but at this point I wanted to share some of the thinking behind our decision to undertake this journey.

  • The PYP is a framework to support an inquiry based approach to learning; it is not a pre-packaged curriculum
  • The PYP will vary from school to school and will reflect the culture of the school
  • The PYP focuses on conceptual understanding and developing skills, rather than focusing on the delivery of content
  • The PYP requires teachers to plan, to collaborate, to constantly evaluate their teaching and engage in high-level professional learning

At Preshil the PYP will:

  • reflect our commitment to individual learning and to reflecting the interests and the capacities of every child while providing structure, challenge and high expectations
  • provide each child with detailed feedback on their progress in learning, and allow them to have a voice in how their learning will be assessed
  • encompass collaborative projects, individual projects and specific skills development
  • connect our teachers and children to a global network of cooperation and interaction
  • encourage creativity, imagination and critical thinking
  • allow parents to see, and to engage with, their children’s learning

The PYP will not:

  • impose a narrow, academic approach to learning
  • impose a competitive, standardised approach to assessment

Our teachers spent a considerable amount of time in the latter part of 2016, discussing the merits of the Primary Years Programme and there are many aspects which I have not touched on here.  Several teachers have already taken up opportunities to complete some of the training and all of them are committed to the collaboration and the planning involved. Jason has had considerable experience in IB schools and has developed a profound understanding of how the programme needs to be shaped to provide a progressive, future-focused approach. Together with the teachers we will continue to evaluate how it can best serve the needs of the children at Preshil, to ensure each child is a confident, successful learner.

Student Voice

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) coordinator news.

The concept of ‘student voice’ has always been an integral part of Preshil culture. Student input has always been highly valued in the development of collaborative classroom inquiry, projects, essential agreements, traditions and new initiatives through our School from Kindergarten to Year Twelve.  

 

The framework of the IB Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) provides many authentic opportunities to maintain our commitment to ‘student voice’ throughout our dynamic School. It challenges students to have a voice in articulating their own learning, by setting personal goals for individual projects and through the consultative process of developing a shared Rubric of Assessment within Units of Inquiry.

 

Becoming part of the International Baccalaureate community allows opportunities for Preshil staff and students to collaborate with the global IB community and connect with other schools that share our values of Respect, Compassion and Courage, and encourage staff and students to be ‘internationally minded’ in their teaching and learning.

 

As classrooms move into the ‘Launch Pad’ phase of their Unit of Inquiry, examples of ‘thinking being made visible’ and evidence of student voice will be woven into classroom displays and, more importantly, into how students articulate and discuss their curiosities and wonderings as they begin to pursue their personal projects.

 

I feel blessed to take on this role especially now as we begin our IB PYP *Candidacy journey.  I look forward to continuing to collaboratively define how we will interpret the IB framework to best suit and meet our needs within our vibrant and progressive school. For further reading, I have included a link to an article published on Edutopia focusing on the importance and positive impact of student voice within the school setting: Including Student Voice - Bill Palmer

*Candidacy

Preshil - The Margaret Lyttle Memorial School is a candidate school* for the PYP. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy- a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students.

 

* Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme, or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.

For further information about the IB and its programmes visit http://www.ibo.org.