Hello, it has been a while since I wrote on this blog. This is because in the academic year 2022/2023. I have taken on a new role as a primary school teacher at Ciputra School. I am grateful for the opportunity that God has given me to be one of the teachers here.
It is an incredible and enjoyable challenge, as the students have more mature character and emotional development. The lessons and teaching methods are also different from the seven years I spent teaching at a playgroup.
There
are many things that I have learned during my almost one year as a PYP (Primary
Years Programme) teacher here. I have learned about key concepts,
transdisciplinary themes, units of inquiry, and of course, many other terms
that I still need to learn.
The PYP is an educational framework that aims to develop student's
knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become active, caring, lifelong learners.
It emphasizes the importance of inquiry-based learning, where students take an
active role in their learning by asking questions, seeking answers, and making
connections across different subject areas.
Key concepts are the big ideas that underpin each unit of inquiry, such
as causation, connection, and perspective. Transdisciplinary themes are
overarching themes that connect the different subject areas and help students
make connections between their learning and the real world.
Units
of inquiry are the central focus of the PYP, where students engage in a deep
and meaningful exploration of a topic. They are designed to be
transdisciplinary and inquiry-based, allowing students to make connections
across different subject areas.
Overall, being a PYP teacher has taught me a lot about the importance of student-centered learning, inquiry-based teaching, and the power of interdisciplinary connections in education.
In the IB Curriculum, there are six units of inquiry designed to develop
students' holistic understanding of the world around them. In PYP 3, the first
unit we learn is "Who We Are" with the guiding concept of
"influence". In this unit, students learn about becoming a role model
for others.
picture 1: one of the examples of students' task to see their daily life role models by using a Y chart. This task helps students to identify positive role models and learn from their examples.
In the second unit, "Where We Are in Place and Time", the guiding concept is "exploration". There are many experiences and theories of exploration that students learn during this unit. They explore questions like why people engage in exploration and why they climb mountains. One of my friends at Yayasan Kasih Bangsa was invited as a guest speaker, and he brought all his climbing equipment, from tents to spotlights.
picture
2: picture of Mr. Diaz sharing his knowledge about mount climbing exploration.
In the third unit, "Sharing the Planet", we learned about resources and materials that are either replaceable or irreplaceable. We also learned about the 3 R's (reuse, reduce, recycle) and how they can help us to conserve resources.
The fourth unit, "How We Express Ourselves", has a guiding concept of "production". During this unit, we learned about performing arts, and at the end of the unit, we had to put on a performance that was showcased during the PYP Assembly as a celebration of our success in learning about this unit.
picture 4: This unit encourages students to explore different forms of artistic expression and develop their creativity.
In "How the World Works" with the guiding concept
of "structure and design", we learned about building structures, the
materials used, and how people build and maintain their homes according to
various cultural traditions. One fun project we did was designing a sustainable
building that met the needs and brainstorming of the students using design
thinking.
picture 5: the Eames' House of Card. This type of hands-on learning can be engaging and effective in helping students grasp abstract concepts like structure and design.
The last unit, "How We Organize Ourselves", focused on teaching us how to become responsible digital citizens. We learned about effective digital communication and the various applications available for different needs.
picture 6: students learned how to design a video about digital safety to understand how to become a good netizen in the virtual world.
One interesting aspect of each unit is that the activities within each unit are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are global goals for sustainable development adopted by the United Nations. This helps us to see the bigger picture and understand how our learning and actions can contribute to a better world.
I still have a lot to learn about the IB Curriculum, and I hope to have a long life so that I can continue to share with you some of the methods or approaches that I have used during my teaching here.
Until we meet again,
warm regards,
Ms. Nino.
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