Developing Learning Spaces
What Is an lB Education?
During this year’s Parent Day in September, we had a strong turnout for the first MYP Information Session of the year, entitled, What Is an IB Education? While our identity as Seisen International School extends beyond the three IB programmes (PYP, MYP, DP), our commitment to these programmes reflects our belief that the IB philosophy aligns well with our educational priorities and context.
In that light, the next few MYP blogs will be exploring the IB Standards and Practices, which function as one tool to help us evaluate the educational programmes at SIS and help us identify areas for continued improvement.
The IB has identified standards and practices for schools under four domains:
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Purpose
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Environment
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Culture
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Learning
A First Point of Focus – the Learning Environment
There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment.
– Loris Malaguzzi
In accordance with the shared Middle School and High School goal of continuing to develop our MYP learning spaces in alignment with IB standards and practices, we have recently been investing time in collaboration around ways to make more effective use of shared learning spaces.
From the IB Standards and Practices perspective, this falls under the Student Support branch of ENVIRONMENT:
The school demonstrates a commitment to make the most effective use of learning spaces and learning environments in ways that meet the needs of all students.
Our initial efforts have centered around making the physical learning environment more engaging and flexible.
With the support of SPA, we are piloting new flexible furniture arrangements in some MYP classrooms.
Following principles outlined by our Learning Support team, we are also focusing energy on inclusive practices, including enhancing the visual learning environment. Teachers have been holding collaborative sessions to agree on how best to enhance shared learning spaces.
We look forward to seeing the impacts on learning as our classrooms and other learning environments evolve into spaces of greater flexibility, inclusion, and student engagement.
Watch This Space
In subsequent blog posts, we will plan to look at other facets of the IB standards and practices, drawing our attention to the importance of …
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knowing our students;
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planning for inquiry; and
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fostering collaboration
as we continue to progress in our implementation of the MYP at SIS.
On the Horizon
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Friday, November 24 – MYP Information Session – Understanding Criterion-Based Assessment
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a new virtual-format information session on the second day of parent-teacher conferences
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designed to help parents/guardians better understand the MYP assessment model
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Thursday, January 25 – MYP Information Session
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mark your calendar for the next information session
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this session will address additional key features of the MYP (specific content to be determined – and publicized – well in advance of the date)
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Tuesday, February 20 – Grade 10 Personal Project Showcase
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Grade 10 students celebrate the culmination of the MYP, by means of an in-person interactive gallery showcase of their independent learning.
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Thank you for your ongoing support of and interest in the development of the MYP at SIS.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or feedback.
Eric Usher, MYP Coordinator
eusher@seisen.com