Recap: SJK's virtual PYP Exhibition
SJK’s 18th annual PYP Exhibition began as it had in previous years. In the weeks leading up to March Break, we launched Exhibition with an engaging Provocation Week where the Grade 6 students participated in a week-long experience aimed at provoking them to explore and think about local and global issues and opportunities. From here, students used the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a starting point for the idea generation.
Grade 6 students participated in simulations, presentations and discussions to spark ideas, interests and directions for their Exhibition inquiries. Students identified their areas of interest, were grouped with like-minded peers and began to plan their inquiries by developing their central ideas and questions to guide their research. Provocation Week was a huge success, the students were passionate about the issues they chose to pursue and were excited to find out more. Students were in the process of planning the places they could visit and what experts they could interview when we received the news of the upcoming school closure.
Exhibition is a student-initiated, student-designed, collaborative inquiry. How would we manage this process remotely? How would students collaborate from home? How would we support the students through an already challenging process and ensure it was a meaningful experience for all? Both students and faculty had more questions than answers as we began March Break, but we would all soon learn that our Grade 6 students were up for the challenge. The passion these students had for their chosen topics remained strong and they were eager to show the SJK community just how knowledgeable they had become, what capable and independent inquirers they are, and that they are truly internationally-minded lifelong learners.
Students adjusted quickly to our new remote learning format and their self-management skills, remote-collaboration and digital skill set blossomed. Daily class meetings and pre-recorded provocations focused our goals for each week:
- What primary sources can help us with our inquiries?
- How can we investigate our issues through a math lens?
- How can we express how we feel about our inquiry through the arts?
- How are we going to synthesize what we’ve learned to share it with the SJK community?
- How can we take action to create a more equitable world?
Exhibition groups met regularly with their teacher-mentors, Ms. Smith, Ms. Rogers-Hern and Mrs. Wilkinson. Daily Google Meets, collaborative To Do lists, regular check-ins, and a high level of engagement kept us all on track. Students worked around the challenge of business closures and connected virtually with a variety of primary sources from the SJK community and beyond. Groups of students arranged Google Meets with social workers, marine biologists, a psychologist, a doctor, and the mayor of Cambridge. Students noted that the experts they reached out to were eager to help answer their questions and reflected on the diverse perspectives and depth of knowledge gained from these connections.
The part of Exhibition that our students look forward to most each year is the sharing of their learning with the SJK community. Exhibition is an important milestone and right of passage for our PYP students and this year was no different. Our Grade 6 students wanted their moment to take action and create impressive, memorable Exhibitions to be shared with their friends and family. And they did not disappoint! The SJK community was the focus of student action this year with Exhibition groups students reaching into our own community to raise awareness and inspire others:
- Ava, Khalil and Mason took action by using a social media platform to promote positive messages within our community while we have been isolated.
- Becca, Logan and Suhaana attended the Grade 4 Google Meets last week and shared ways the younger students could protect our oceans.
- Hamza, Lucas, Mark and Trevyn created a series of videos to share with Lower School students and our SJK graduates to spread positive messages of appreciation and hope during this challenging time
- Bailey, Coco, Lucy and Nysa have plans to share their learning about gender equality and their revised version of the Cinderella story with the Grade 3 class
- Julianna, Lily and Zoe plan to share their learning about protecting life under water with students in Grades 3 and 4
Each group hoped not only to share their learning, but to inspire their audience to care about the UN’s Goals for Sustainable Development so that we all might make positive changes in our own lives to create a more equitable and sustainable world.
Engagement in the PYP Exhibition is an IB requirement for PYP schools. The purpose of the Exhibition is to provide students with the opportunity to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry and demonstrate agency and responsibility for their learning. Remote learning did not hold our Grade 6 students back from achieving their purpose. They engaged in each stage of the Exhibition process with great passion and determination, working together to find ways to research, collaborate, and create remotely. This year’s Exhibition inquiries demonstrated exceptional depth and the students continually showed that they are capable thinkers and inquirers. Exhibition is intended to be an authentic experience where students demonstrate their approaches to learning skills and the attributes of the IB Learner Profile. It is an opportunity for them to reflect on their learning and take meaningful action. Our student Exhibition presentations were evidence of their strong research, communication and self-management skills and that our Grade 6 students are indeed exiting the IB Primary Years Programme as internationally-minded lifelong learners capable of creating a better and more peaceful world.
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