Editorial p. 2

Collaborative work in the

classroom p. 3

The continuum of the IB programmes seen through the

Learner Profile p. 5

A value driven education: clear ex-pectations across the three IB

programmes p. 7

Camping constructing of homes Camping constructing of homes

“Un techo para mi país“Un techo para mi país——Uruguay”Uruguay”

Issue Nº 2 // Julio 2010 IB MATTERS at St. Brendan’s School

PYP “Collaborative work in the classroom”. Ac-cording to the PYP, such process is based upon two important pillars that support(s) all teaching and learning: constructivism and the inquiry process. (page 3)

MYP AND DIPLOMA Images: The continuum of the IB programmes

seen through the Learner Profile. (page 5)

PYP - MYP- DIPLOMA At St. Brendan’s School we believe that edu-cation is change. We also believe that edu-cation is a catalyst for positive action, and therefore education is what it takes to cre-

ate a better world. (page 4)

Organizations nowadays require more interaction between people which can only be accomplished by displaying a cooperative, collaborative and non-individualistic attitude. In the business world, work-ing in groups is connected to different concepts: strategic planning, redesigning processes, continu-ous improvement, quality, etc. The school today, an educational organization, is directly linked to those concepts and has the task to develop those skills in all of its members; from the pedagogical leadership team to the students. For that reason, group work is fundamental and as teachers we have to learn how to teach out students to work in groups.

A VALUE DRIVEN EDUCATION: clear expectations across

the three IB programmes

St. Brendan’s School’s mission statement, which is aligned with IB(O’)s

mission statement, explains our understanding of that complex concept.

To us, high quality education is directly related to the need for critical and

creative thinkers. It is also related to the belief in the development of the

whole child; and, ultimately is it linked to the need to educate for a better

world. Yet, if we want to create a better world, how can we educate for a

better world? The answer is, through a value-laden education.

Insid

e

IB Matters is an e-publication of St. Brendan’s

School

info@stbrendan,edu.uy Phone: 4094939

Fax: 4094939 int. 158 www.stbrendan.edu.uy Montevideo, Uruguay

Collaborative work in the classroom

“Continuum, from the latin verb continuus means to keep together, uninterrupted without a break. It is a continuous series in which no part is noticeably different from the parts imme-diately next to it but the extremes or ends are very different”, IB 2010. Even though each of programme has its own unique features and can be implemented independently, they are based on a common philosophy and use a common language to describe the teaching and learning process as well as student development. Within this continuum it is possible to recognize the main characteristics of a common edu-

cational framework underpinning the three programmes. First and foremost, all three of them are based on a shared set of beliefs about international education. These beliefs are clearly expressed in the IB mission statement which states that the purpose of international education is: “to help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect”. This, in a way, means striking a balance between “the celebra-tion of human diversity on one hand and the recognition of a common humanity on the other”, (Walker 2002 p111). In order to achieve this goal it is necessary to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile which synthesize what is meant by international mindedness in the IB world. The development of this profile constitutes the backbone of the values curriculum at St Brendan´s School. Values are not inherited; they are acquired. In order to ensure that the attributes are developed by each student, it is necessary to have a curriculum framework which places the student and the construction of values at the centre of school life. The innovative nature of the IB programmes requires that teachers explicitly plan not only aspects related to the cognitive competences as part of the teaching and learning experience, but attitudes and disposi-tions as well. The learning experience within the continuum is not limited to the acquisition of knowledge or the de-velopment of skills, but takes into consideration the social and emotional aspects, thus catering for the whole child. Learning through experience is fundamental to all three IB programmes. Action is one of the five essential ele-ments of the PYP and can be considered the most significant evidence of understanding. It is expected that suc-cessful inquiry will lead to action. When students understand they are able to act upon themselves or their commu-nity in a manner that will be beneficial. Through active involvement in Community and Service in the MYP and Creativity, Action and Service in the DP, students are able to develop key skills such as cooperation and problem solving while developing an understanding of their community and the world around them. As students strive to apply their new understandings in order to better themselves and improve their community, they are able to gain social responsibility as well. The key principles of assessment are yet another common factor to all three programmes. Assessment is re-garded as a continuous process which is integral to planning, teaching and learning. Students become actively and systematically involved in the assessment processes as from a very early age and they continue to do so all the way to the Diploma. Reflection plays an important role in the development of metacognitive skills. Assessment in the IB programmes is also regarded as rigorous in the sense that it is based on professional judgment which is in turn, based upon a set of predetermined criteria. These assessment criteria are made clear to students and par-ents alike. In this way, assessment plays a key role to promote learning because students are aware of the suc-cess criteria in advance and are able to distinguish between a good piece of work and an excellent one. Implementing the continuum of international education implies a commitment from the part of the school towards continuous improvement of its educational practices. The reward is a coherent and significant learning experience whose aim is to develop independent, lifelong learners who are able to enjoy their learning process and who can make a difference in this world. Bibliografía:

Hacia un continuo de programas de educación internacional. Bachillerato Internacional.2008. To Educate the Nations. John Catt Educational Ltd. 2002.

St Brendan’s School is the only school in Uruguay that offers the full sequence of the three IB programmes: PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme. Therefore, the students who enroll at school as from the early years are able to experience what is known as “the con-tinuum of international education”.

Jimena Taboada School Principal

IB MATTERS // Issue Nº 2 // Julio2010 2

The IB programmes at St Brendan’s School: a

commitment towards a coherent educational experience

FACTS & FIGURES

Numbers of IB World schools with the three programmes Africa/Europe/Middle East - 58 Asia Pacific - 49 Latin America - 26 North America and the Caribbean - 17

IB World schools in Uruguay with the three programmes

St. Brendan’s School

{ Editorial }

Organizations nowadays require more interaction between people which can only be accomplished by displaying a cooperative, collaborative and non-individualistic attitude. In the business world, working in groups is connected to different con-cepts: strategic planning, redesigning processes, continuous improvement, quality, etc. The school today, an educational or-ganization, is directly linked to those concepts and has the task to develop those skills in all of its members; from the pedagogical leadership team to the students. For that reason, group work is fundamental and as teachers we have to learn how to teach out students to work in groups. According to Katzenbach and K. Smith (1995) collaborative work implies “a reduced number of people with com-plementary skills who have a purpose, an objective and shared possible ways to approach them with a shared re-sponsibility.” We define cooperative work when work is mainly structured by the teacher and after the students interact more independently and can plan their work in groups by themselves, which becomes collaborative work. According to the PYP, such process is based upon two important pillars that support(s) all teaching and learning: constructivism and the inquiry process. At St. Brendan´s School we carry out shared inquiry to build a community of learners that takes place at school and beyond. This model integrates the IB philosophy and good practices in edu-cation(s) to support students. .

Kathy Short in “Learning together through inquiry: from Columbus to in-tegrated Curriculum” (1996), estab-lishes a model that represents the dif-ferent stages of the inquiry cycle in the classroom similar to the one below. If we take a look at the different stages we can clearly see the dialogue that takes place during group work in-stances is fundamental so that each child can continue the process of in-quiry. Regarding constructivism, we believe it is fundamental to start from where the child knows to be able to continue con-structing and reconstructing meaning. The constructivist approach also sup-ports, based on thorough psychological theories, collaborative work. We will only mention two constructivist theore-ticians that consider the social interac-tion as an essential component of de-velopment:

Lev Vigotsky, who bases his theory on the socio-cultural learning of each indi-vidual. This psychologist states that the high order psychological functions take place first at a social level and then at an individual level. Jerome Brunner identifies “sub com-munities of mutual learning” as he em-phasizes the social and cultural aspects of learning. The question is how can we work in teams, and how do we learn to do so? It is necessary to: Have clear objectives Define and agree on different

roles and responsibilities: author, mediator, time keeper, etc.

Promote respect and trust. Remember that the product is

the result of a shared responsibil-ity.

By Silvia Sánchez, Spanish Principal of Primary and Kindergarten

COLLABOARTIVE WORK IN THE CLASSROOM

IB MATTERS // Issue Nº 2 // Julio2010 3

It is through that interaction that stu-dents reconstruct their learning through conceptual understandings. The teacher mediates and facilitates the develop-ment of skills and attitudes as he docu-ments evidences of the process to con-tinue optimizing it. Lets remind transdisciplinary skills pro-moted by the PYP (it includes the de-scription of the ones which are related to cooperation):

The necessary attitudes for being able to develop the attributes of the IB profile are as well relevant for learning through cooperative experience.

Thinking skills

Acquisition of knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Dialectical thought: Thinking about two or more different points of view at the same time; understanding those points of view, being able to construct an argument for each point of view based on knowledge of the other(s); realizing that other people can also take one’s own point of view. Metacognition: Analysing one’s own and other’s thought processes; thinking about how one thinks and how one learns.

Social skills

Accepting responsibility: Taking on and completing tasks in an appropri-ate manner; being willing to assume a share of the responsibility. Respecting others Cooperating Resolving conflict Group decision making Adopting a variety of group roles Understanding what behaviour is appropriate in a given situation and acting accordingly; being a leader in some circumstances, a follower in others.

IB MATTERS // Issue Nº 2 // Julio2010 4

By Silvia Sánchez, Spanish Principal of Primary and Kindergarten

COLLABOARTIVE WORK IN THE CLASSROOM

Sculpture “We are together in this” representative of

democracy, group of 6th A students

Communication skills

Listening Speaking Writing Viewing Interpreting and analysing visuals and multimedia; under-standing the ways in which images and language interact to convey ideas, values and beliefs; making informed choices about personal viewing experiences. Presenting Non-verbal communication Recog-nizing the meaning of visual and kinesthetic communication; recog-nizing and creating signs; inter-preting and utilizing symbols.

Self-management skills

Gross motor skills Fine motor skills Spatial awareness Organization: Planning and carrying out activities effectively. Time management Safety Healthy lifestyle Codes of behaviour Informed choices Research

Research skills

Formulating questions Observing Planning Developing a course of ac-tion; writing an outline; devising ways of finding out necessary information. Collecting data: Gathering information from a variety of first- and second-hand sources such as maps, surveys, direct observation, books, films, peo-ple, museums and ICT. Recording data Organizing data Interpreting data findings Effectively

Appreciation

Trust

Cooperation

Creativity

Curiosity

Enthusiasm

Commitment

IB MATTERS // Issue Nº 2 // Julio2010 5

By Secondary Department

THE CONTINUUM OF THE IB PROGRAMMES SEEN THROUGH THE LEARNER PROFILE

The attributes of the learner profile express the values inherent to the IB continuum of international education: these are values that should infuse all elements of the three programmes and, therefore, the culture and ethos of the school. The IB programmes promote the education of the whole person, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth through all domains of knowledge. The outstanding attributes of social abilities in the Learner Profile in Secondary MYP and Diploma Communicators: They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others. Principled: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the in-dividual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and consequences that accompany them. Open-minded: They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience. Caring: They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal com-mitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. “What is essential is invisible to the eye” Design Technology – Year 5 MYP

“What is essential is invisible to the eye” Project was held with the students of year 5 of the MYP( 4th. Secondary). It was implemented within Design Technology focusing through the Area of Interaction: Community and Service. A specialized teacher for blind students from the Braille Foundation of Uruguay, visited the school and had a workshop with our students, as to give them hands-on experience for teaching and the learning of blind students. As part of the unit of work, later, the students created toys for children who go to the Foundation, blind children or children with very low vision capacity. This activity moved the students in such a way, highlighting empathy and sensibility towards people with different capaci-ties to be able to understand their needs and interests. In this context, the Project was an enriching experience, with clear objectives, which were: To be caring To promote open-mindedness which helps to understand different situations. To be good communicators

IB MATTERS // Issue Nº 2 // Julio2010 6

By Secondary Department

THE CONTINUUM OF THE IB PROGRAMMES SEEN THROUGH THE LEARNER PROFILE

“Intercultural understanding: different foods and customs” Design Technology – Year 3 MYP The Project “Intercultural understanding: different foods and customs” was performed by the stu-dents in the year 3 MYP (2do. Secondary) in 2009 focusing through the Area of Interation: Health and Social Education. The aim was to foster psychological, sociological, economic and ethical as-pects of health, eating habits and culture.Therefore, the students had to investigate to find out about the characteristics of the food, the preparation, and find out about eating habits of each population and their corresponding culture. Diverse factors influence the choice of ingredients and ways of cooking. The IB attribute which mostly stands out in this Project is that of open-mindedness since it is the one which promotes the capacity to understand other cultures and their particular way of think-ing. “Timetables” Design Technology – year 3 MYP

How can we help the 1st. Year students get organized, with scheduling their classes, homework, and so on, in their first weeks in secondary? This was the key question for this Project taken on by the students of year 3 MYP (2nd. Secondary) this year. It was focused through the Area of Interaction: Community Service trying to promote a caring focus towards the students who were enter-ing secondary, making them a personalizad timetable. This timetable was meant to help the new students of 1st. year Secon-dary feel more comfortable and at easy. The attributes of the IB learner profile which were enhanced were communicators as well as caring. Camping Constructing of homes “Un techo para mi país – Uruguay! CAS 5th and 6th The camping “Construction of homes” is promoted by the NGO “Un techo para mi país”. Its main objective is to construct elementary houses for families of scare resources in the lower social classes in Latin America. Another aim is to make the

younger generations aware of these types of social problems and foster their active participation, reflections and critical thinking abilities. These aims of the organization are very much the same as those of CAS in the IB programme. Participating in this project, it is hoped to foster different attributes: To be caring: by participating constructing houses To be open-minded: being sensitive towards the lower social classes To be principled: working collaboratively, living together while on the camping To be reflexive: giving the students opportunities to reflect on concrete actions

This camping turns out to be a really valuable learning experience highlighting empathy, tolerance and respect towards oth-ers..

IB MATTERS // Issue Nº 2 // Julio2010 7

By Secondary Department

EL CONTINUO A TRAVÉS DEL PERFIL DE LA COMUNIDAD DE APRENDIZAJE DEL IB

“Dancing for a roof” CAS 5th and 6th This activity took place on the 28th. May 2010, being the third year of “Dancing”. It is a Scottish and Irish dance festival in aid of “Un techo para mi país – Uruguay”. This was organized by the students of CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) of the School, who decided to unity the whole community by being caring.

Oral Presentation in English A2 5th Within the IB programmes, especially Diploma, there are various ways and strategies to exploit different topics. Here are the 5º students, who are doing an oral presentation about topics within an English novel studied this year. They showed great capacity of being critical thinkers and communicators, choosing the topic to analyze.

IB MATTERS // Issue Nº 2 // Julio2010 8

According to the IB, “through high quality education we cre-ate a better world.” At St. Brendan’s School we believe that education is change. We also believe that education is a catalyst for positive action, and therefore education is what it takes to create a better world. The debate may rely on the meaning of “high quality education.” St. Brendan’s School’s mission statement, which is aligned with IB(O’)s mission statement, explains our understanding of that complex concept. To us, high quality education is di-rectly related to the need for critical and creative thinkers. It is also related to the belief in the development of the whole child; and, ultimately is it linked to the need to educate for a better world. Yet, if we want to create a better world, how can we educate for a better world? The answer is, through a value-laden education. What are the values that we are promoting and developing at St. Brendan’s School? You may argue that a value is quite an ambiguous concept. Yet, if you asked our students what to be caring, principled, open-minded, knowledgeable, bal-anced, reflective, a risk-taker, a communicator, a thinker, or an inquirer means, I am sure they would be able to give you an extensive explanation of the meaning of each trait. Those are the values of our institution. The IB learner profile em-bodies the set of values that our school’s community strives to exemplify and embrace. At St. Brendan’s School, we understand the IB learner profile as “the lived curriculum”. One way to “teach” those values is to model them. If we want to have caring students, we need to be caring teachers. If we want our students to be open-minded and able to acknowledge and respect others’ per-spectives, we need to be open-minded and able to empa-thize and seek for diverse points of view. If we want our chil-dren to be risk-takers, we need to show them how taking risks help us move forward and how that is better than being complacent or limited by apathy. All the members of our community of learners- teachers, administrators, staff, par-ents, and students become models for each other; and we

all share the responsibility of living the learner profile and making the values of our school visible through our actions. That is certainly not an easy task! So, how else can we ensure that our children have other op-portunities to develop those values? It is through the careful and deliberate planning of each unit of inquiry. When the Form 5 students explore the concept of “change” as part of the unit of inquiry “Everything changes, evertything trans-forms”, they challenge the meaning of that concept by com-paring different types of revolutions. Being open-minded is what it takes to be able to see beyond the apparent differ-ences of the different revolutionary movements throughout

time to find what portrays the essence of the concepts. In-quiry comes naturally when the Lower students through the unit of inquiry “Plants need us” under transdisciplinary theme “Sharing the planet” do research and find out differ-ent connections between the natural world and human-made products. As Form 2 explores how social groups im-pact individuals, communities, the present and the future the students develop their understanding of what being car-ing is.

A value driven education: clear expectations across the three IB programmes. By Claudia Ourthe-Cabalé Elementary School Principal

A value driven education: clear expectations across the three IB programmes.

Many times, to be “politically correct”, education systems are quite shy when asked to expose or share their values. We believe, that in order to educate for a better world, val-ues need to be the center of our teaching. For that reason, we need to focus not only on concepts, knowledge and skills. We need to plan learning opportunities thinking about de-veloping those values into attitudes that will ultimately re-sult in action. That is what the curriculum at St. Brendan’s School is about: concepts, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and actions. Those five essential elements of the PYP are always present in the written curriculum, the learned curriculum, the assessed curriculum, and they ultimately shape the lived curriculum. There is a growing consensus on the importance of values in education. As stated in the IB learner profile booklet, “IB

programmes promote the education of the whole person, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth through all domains of knowledge. By focusing on the dynamic combination of knowledge, skills, independent critical and creative thought and international-mindedness, the IB(O) exposes the principle of educating the whole per-son for a life of active, responsible citizenship.” Underlying the three programmes is the concept of educa-tion of the whole person as a lifelong process. The learner profile is a profile of the whole person as a lifelong learner. To us, the attributes of the learner profile define the type of learners that we want to develop at the school. The attrib-utes of the learner profile are the essence of high quality education; and are the traits that help people create a better world.

IB MATTERS // Issue Nº 2 // Julio2010

An e-publication of St. Brendan’s School

Editor & Graphic Design: Natalia Acerenza // Head of Communications Department

9