Reflective
I thoughtfully consider the world and my own ideas and experience. I work to understand my strengths and weaknesses in order to support my learning and personal development.
In the Junior School we have a mission to ensure our boys develop the essential basic skills to assist them to access the wider curriculum as the journey through our institution. We aim to provide this through both discrete skills, specific teaching and through our transdisciplinary approach. Our goal is to provide an engaging and challenging inquiry based education.
The six transdisciplinary themes assists us to deliver a basic skills programme and inquiry learning that provides a context the boys can relate to and share. As the boys travel through the School they learn about topics that they can relate to their immediate world and to topics and concepts of a national and international nature. Our units of inquiry are designed to engage, educate and to challenge the boys to reflect on what they know and to consider the experiences of others. Our Year 5 boys are experiencing this now.
The Year 5 exhibition's central idea is "Challenges, risks and opportunities may lead to migration." The topic has once again challenged the boys to explore the casual factors that influence migration. The boys have examined migration, both modern and historical, and reviewed evidence from primary and secondary sources. Some were able to interview relatives and friends to learn about what drove them to migrate to Australia. These first hand accounts have significantly impacted on the boys.
As they have worked through the exhibitions process, reviewed their research and prepared the reports, the boys have been asked to reflect on what they have learned. They have been asked to consider the experiences of others and their own opinions. As Jesus told us, "do not judge another until you have walked a mile in his sandals. " Not surprisingly, the topic has lead to some profound conclusions by the boys and some changes of attitudes as well.
The ability of a Year 5 boy (10 years old) to research, write and reflect on his learning in such a mature manner always impresses me. Our Year 5 boys are able to speak about their learning with a passion beyond their years and challenge us to think about what we believe. The Year 5 PYP Exhibition for 2015 opens on Wednesday 19 August. It will remain available for viewing by the Scotch Community until Tuesday 25 August. I invite our community to visit the Gallery in the lower level of the Junior School/ Middle School Library to be challenged and to reflect on what they will learn from our boys.
Mr John Stewart
Head of Junior School
