BDM IB News · 2020-01-31 · BDM IB News February . PYP Coordinator - Christina Panizzon MYP Coordinator – Lyndsy Panizzon Caring . Learner Profile of the Month . Students who

BDM IB News February

PYP Coordinator- Christina Panizzon MYP Coordinator – Lyndsy Panizzon

Caring

Learner Profile of the Month

Students who are caring show empathy, compassion and respect. They have a commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around them.

The Hidden Power of a Smile Did you know your smile can be a predictor of how long you'll live -- and that a simple smile has a measurable effect on your overall well-being? Ron Gutman, founder and CEO of Health Tap, reviews a raft of studies about smiling, and reveals some surprising results. His video can be found on TED talks. This month, explore the benefits of smiling and its relation to our Catholicity and stewardship.

Books to explore the profile attribute of being Caring:

How can parents help to develop

students who are Caring at home?

Think about how your family can

get involved with community organizations.

Reduce, Reuse &

Recycle. Sometimes this can be challenging, but make the effort

to establish these habits in your home. By developing children who care

about the environment, you are helping the future of the globe.

Role model the caring behavior

you would like to see in your child all the time. Your child has big eyes and ears and notices everything you do. Using kind words, helping people without

being asked, and being an active listener all show your

child that you care about people.

IB in Action at BDM

Grade 4- How We Express Ourselves… In 4D our current unit of inquiry is “How We Express Ourselves,” students inquired the

different patterns in our school during our math trails activity. Students were given clues to go around the school and solve math problems using real life objects and structures such as lockers, office windows, chairs, tables, and how teachers utilize patterns on their bulletin boards to express whatever their students may be working on. 4D Students worked in groups and were able to communicate their answers effectively to each other as they went around the school trying to find the answers to their clues. Once students had understood the answer to their problems, they were responsible for communicating a short 2-3 minute presentation on what their problem was to the class and what strategies they used to solve it. Through this activity students were able to realize that math does go beyond the classroom, and patterns are ways that we can express ourselves.

Inquiring minds in Grade 3! In Grade 3E students are working on their second Unit of Inquiry, Where We are in Time and Place. Students are honing their inquiry and collaboration skills by engaging in group work, developing relevant questions and reflective process in their work. Their first line of inquiry is ‘geographical locations affect quality of life.’ Tasks: Students created posters detailing their opinions of what constitutes quality of life. Students are using the interactive board to detail geographical locations. Students begin their research about quality of life by asking thick and thin question pertaining to the countries being studied. \

Grade 2E- IB in Action Currently, the Grade 2E class is investigating multiculturalism in Canada and around the world. This unit of inquiry, Who We Are, encourages the students to explore Canada’s diverse communities, which are shaped by our diverse cultural characteristics, traditions, celebrations and languages.

The students have interviewed their family members to learn about their culture, celebrations and traditions. Their interviews were then used to create their own family coat of arms.

During our unit of inquiry, the students will compare three different communities in Canada to Edmonton. The students will reflect on the differences between the three communities and how the culture, traditions, celebrations and languages shape each community. The students have posed questions which they would like to answer as we research the three different communities within Canada. Below are some examples of the students research questions:

Year 1 (Grade 6)- Language and Literature Within our unit, students inquired into how communication has changed throughout history. The investigated what it means to communicate, what are the parts of a news article, how has communication changed throughout history, and if people should be made aware of what’s going on around the world. The focus of this unit was not only exploring the content of a news article, but the structure. With guidance, students were able to plan and practice creating different components of a news article, appealing specifically to the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions that a reader would want to know. Students had the opportunity to work both individually, as well as in groups to collaborate and discuss the importance of different ideas, as they ranked them from most-to-least important on their graphic organizers. Once completed, the graphic organizers served to prioritize the order the information was presented in the article. Students were also introduced to basics of conducting an interview and transcription. Upon creating two interview questions, students interviewed different staff members for their opinions on the subject. Students recorded the audio from their interviews which they later transcribed, and included as a quote in their articles. As a unit wrap-up, students were provided with the guiding question

of how has communication changed throughout history? Through guided research and discussions, we discovered facts about how different communication is today compared to even 15 years ago. Students from all three grade 6 classes created a graffiti wall in the classroom to display what they discovered.

Year 4 (Grade 9)- Religious Studies Grade 9A engaged in inquiry learning about emotions and how they can lead to virtue or vices. We learned that emotions themselves are not good or bad, but our behaviors and choices that come from our emotions can have positive or negative consequences. We began by researching emotion glossaries and how depending on perspective, emotions are categorized differently. In teams, students studied a particular emotion by looking through the lens of several of the Psalms. Groups did an in-depth analysis of how the Psalm expresses that emotion and the complexities of that emotion. Then, we did a “jigsaw” activity where one “expert” of each emotion joined a new group with other “experts”. We had pre-set structures in which social skills were developed (eye contact, attentive listening, sentence beginnings with articulate and supported ideas, etc). The sharing and learning was rich and fruitful! Students did an excellent job at exemplifying being inquirers who are curious about the world around them, reflect, gather and process information in order to make personal meaning.

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International-mindedness – teachers are talking about it, but what exactly is it? September 1, 2017 in Thought Leadership

By Carolyn Savage Most schools have their own definition of what it means to be internationally minded. Policies have been written, curricula developed and special events scheduled into academic calendars, but what exactly do we mean by international-mindedness? Put simply, international-mindedness means understanding, respecting and valuing different cultures, embracing diversity and knowing that different perspectives have a great deal to offer.

International-mindedness enables us to work in harmony with colleagues from around the world and to benefit from a wide range of knowledge and experience. It promotes respect, encourages collaboration and sees students develop high levels of empathy and compassion.

Seven signs of an internationally-minded person: • Knowledge, understanding and appreciation of different cultures • Increased self-awareness • Increased empathy • Ability to collaborate with peers from different backgrounds • Deepening knowledge and understanding of global issues • Ability to see themselves as responsible, global citizens • Language skills

Globalisation and increased population mobility have led to communities becoming melting pots for a colourful array of cultures. One school where I worked had over 68 nationalities in its community! Multilingualism is becoming increasingly common, with many children at international schools leaving primary school speaking 3 or more languages.

The benefits of international-mindedness overseas are clear, but how does this manifest in your world as a parent in the UK? Does your child really need to develop this sort of mindset? In short, YES! Your child is growing up in an increasingly interconnected world, where overseas travel, expat life and multinational businesses have become the norm. Even if your children choose to remain in the UK for most of their working lives, they will be working with people from all around the world and will need to be able to collaborate effectively across cultures. Job advertisements regularly specify language skills in addition to the traditional skills required for the position,

and industries are actively seeking out multilingual employees; not only for roles in multinational companies, but increasingly for positions within industries such as healthcare, law enforcement, education, customer service and social services, where employees deal with people on a daily basis. Gap years and international travel are seen as positives on a CV, demonstrating adaptability, flexibility and collaborative skills.

Global politics, worldwide environmental issues and dramatic population movements across continents have become part of our everyday lives. If we want our children to grow up to be innovators and leaders in positive global change, then an international mindset is a must.

A recent study carried out by ACS International Schools and the IB Schools and Colleges Association suggested that, although A levels are better for developing in-depth subject knowledge, the IB leads the way for independent inquiry and international-mindedness. “The most dramatic and perhaps significant differences between the two qualifications, especially given current events, concern ‘encouraging a global outlook’ for which the IB Diploma Programme (DP) received the top ‘well or very well’ rating from 97 per cent of officers. This compares to a woeful seven per cent for A levels.” FE News So, what can you do to help your child develop international-mindedness? Although exploring new countries and cultures is obviously one of the best ways to develop their understanding, you don’t have to take them on expensive holidays as there are lots of things you can be doing at home. To open windows into fascinating new cultures, I enjoyed reading stories from around the world with the children in my classes. In a safe and encouraging learning environment, these stories invited discussion and celebration of our similarities and differences, they encouraged empathy for our fellow human beings, and sparked a spirit of wonder and curiosity about the world around us.

You can also watch foreign films or world documentaries together, volunteer at local shelters, take part in environmental work and visit local places of worship. And if learning a new language is something you’ve always wanted to do but never found the time, why not try it now with your children? The benefits of multilingualism are tremendous. Check out this article for a more detailed outline of how learning new languages can improve your cognitive skills and mental wellbeing. Our world is becoming increasingly complex. Multiculturalism is widespread and with social media bringing the benefits of international living into our homes, our children are keen to explore! Encourage them to talk about their world and what they perceive to be reality – is this the same reality that’s being perceived by children growing up in Brazil or Cambodia, Russia or the Middle East? Wouldn’t life be boring if we all thought in the same way?