The PYP Exhibition

Parent Information

What is it?

The Exhibition is there to provide the students with an opportunity to:

engage in in-depth inquiry independently or as a small group.

demonstrate responsibility, commitment and a passion for their own learning.

display their individual talents. celebrate the transition from PYP to MYP. show their understanding of the PYP in all of it’s

areas.

How it Works . . .

All students in the grade have the same Central idea.

All students develop their own Lines of Inquiry around a question that they develop independently.

Group Directors give initial learning experiences during this year on various conflict and resolution concepts and issues.

Students Role…

Participte in selecting a real-life issue or problem to inquire into Develop lines of inquiry Be involved in the planning and assessment process Demonstrate all of the 5 essential elements Carry out a range of research strategies to gather information Reference and be academically honest Display their knowledge in a variety of ways as an individual and small

group using a range of media Regularly meet with class teachers and mentors on their progress Keep a portfolio of their work Celebrate their learning by presenting their exhibition to the school

community Reflect, self-assess and peer assess

Process

Develop an interest in a theme

Form a question and

lines of inquiry

Research the question in a variety

of ways

Develop different

methods to display their knowledge

Celebrate their learning by showing exhibition to community

Reflect on and self-assess

their achievement

How much time do students spend working on the Exhibition?

The exhibition is a process which is already underway.

From April May 2011 the children are split into smaller groups with a mentor to work on research skills and the process of independent inquiry for 2 weeks.

Timetables will generally remain the same until 2 cycles before the exhibition, where focus will then be on preparing the exhibition and normal timetables will stop.

Mentor Groups

Groups of 10 or 11 students from different classes. Focus on research skills for the exhibition and later

presentation skills Change twice. First groups are chosen through the

theme that the student wants to focus on and the final groups are chosen from how the students want to show their knowledge (dances, dramas, etc)

In these groups students develop their research, portfolios and evidence of learning.

Role of a mentor

Mentors are members of the teaching staff; GDs and experienced teachers.

They are there to work in smaller groups to give more attention to the student.

Guide the student through the research process.

Keep regular progress reports and offer feedback for the student and parents.

Student or

Group

Parents

Mentor

Group Director

The role of parents

Parents role . . . .

Make sure they understand the purpose and requirements of the exhibition.

Keep informed about the process by regularly checking Sophia

Support and encourage their children Provide knowledge Help to locate resources – people, places, media and

information Celebrate with the students by attending the final

presentations.

Specialist Mentors

Members of the wider school community who can support the students in their inquiry.

They can offer expertise in various forms of skills, knowledge and interests. E.g. support students with dance, drama, art, give a talk, help with ICT editing, etc.

They can volunteer or be contacted by the students themselves.

How do we mark students work?

We assess the process more than the product. The students should keep a portfolio throughout the

exhibition that shows how their thinking and goals have developed.

The portfolio may include research, pictures, diagrams, poems, timelines and writing.

The mentors keep checklists and observations that monitors student progress against a timeline.

Work and process is matched against rubrics.

Rubrics and self assessments

There are 3 main areas that will be assessed. These are “skills and knowledge”, “attitudes” and “concepts”.

Each rubric and self assessment will focus on these 3 areas and evidence will be taken from:

Portfolios and report Completed checklists Work produced for the exhibition Observations

Who will mark the work?

Children will self assess using the rubrics. The Group Directos and mentor will also use

the rubrics to assess. Parents will be invited to complete a

reflection on student learning aswell.

Will there be a grade?

There are 2 logros for the exhibition based on the 3 areas of assessment.

The class teacher and metors will each write a short summary of their observations. These summaries and the rubrics will constitute the final assessments.

Something for us all to remember…

As with any inquiry there will be times when it seems that students are not being very productive.

Sometimes there will be lot of discussion and thought but this will not result in anything that can be seen.

Students (and adults) need time and space to wonder about things and consider their plans.

This is why we place so much emphasis on the scrap books. They will show the understanding of concepts and application of skills (e.g. problem solving) more than the final product.

Questions?

If you have any further queries please don´t hesitate to contact your child´s Group Director, Mentor or the Head of Year.

Adapted from OCC website http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/occ/home/userResources.cfm April 2008