PYP

PYP - Virtual TeachMeets

It has been a busy week for the teachers at St Columba’s and indeed Victorian PYP teachers in general. As a part of being a candidate IB PYP school, we are now associated with The Victorian PYP Network. This is a vibrant and highly regarded network, not just in the Asia Pacific region but worldwide. Benefits of being in such a network include:

• Professional learning opportunities for staff that are only available to members of the network
• The opportunity to connect with other educators regularly as a way of discussing best practice
• The distribution of current and relevant research that relates to improved student learning

This week, all teachers at St Columba’s participated in the Victorian PYP Network TeachMeets. In a way, I would liken TeachMeets to informal mini Ted-talks. People are given the opportunity to share things that have worked well, however, each presentation is very brief (it must be 7 minutes or less!). This allows you to listen to a number of talks in a short space of time. The idea is also that TeachMeets are for and by teachers. All presenters are teachers who have current real-life experiences with students. It is not about being an expert but rather about sharing and discussing.

We had three St Columba’s teachers who presented at this week’s virtual TeachMeets and I commend them for their spirit as risk-takers. It is not easy to present in front of your peers! 

I would, therefore, like to congratulate the following teachers and give you an insight into their talks:

• Stephanie Young - discussed the role of the Prep LP puppet in helping young students identify with and understand the IB learner profile attributes
• Tara Wilkes - talked about the way Padlet can be utilised for the sharing of student’s personal inquiries.
• Stu Andreou-Mill - shared the way the St Columba’s Podcast works and how it contributes to our Year 6 student’s sense of agency and leadership skills

It has been affirming to receive much positive feedback about these talks. At the same time, it was also great to see some of the work other teachers and schools are doing and to reflect on how we can continue to improve our practices.