Very soon our Year 6 students will be embarking on their culminating unit of inquiry in the PYP – The Exhibition. This is an opportunity for your son to research and problem solve in a collaborative group, drawing upon and extending their skills, knowledge, strengths, passions and interests in order to make a positive difference to others. It is an experience that enables students to exhibit the attributes of the IB learner profile, which are central to learning and teaching in the PYP, that they have been developing throughout their engagement with the PYP. The Exhibition journey is an opportunity for students to demonstrate the application of the IB Mission Statement  – “to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world”.

Our students carry out an extended collaborative inquiry under the guidance of the class teachers and staff mentors. This specific inquiry allows them to demonstrate a synthesis and understanding of all of the elements of the PYP (knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes and action) and share them with the school and wider community. Student will choose real-life issues or problems which will be explored, investigated and their learning exhibited via the Exhibition event on 25 September 2018.

To date Year 6 have been considering issues and problems of our world. These were collated and students considered which transdisciplinary theme they belonged to and what specific aspect of the theme they would best fit. This helped the students understand the big picture and nature of problems that we are facing in the world today.

The expectations of the students throughout The Exhibition unit are:

• Define a field of inquiry around an issue or problem of a global nature that they want to advocate for;
• Formulate questions that drive their inquiry and deepen their understanding;
• Conduct research using a variety of resources to gather different perspectives around their inquiry;
• Document the process, independently and collaboratively, using various formats (written and digital);
• Take action when they have researched widely in order to make a difference; and
• Exhibit their learning at The Exhibition evening as an opportunity to be powerful advocates for their issue.

As parents, you can support your son by:

• Listening to their concerns around the issue they are investigating;
• Being informed about The Exhibition through talking to your son;
• Being mindful by ensuring that your son maintains a balanced lifestyle during this time;
• Being supportive by taking boys on excursions if required, being an ‘expert’ for the boys to interview, or seeking help with a particular area or skill that you or someone you know may have;
• Keeping in touch with the information provided about The Exhibition. Students will also be working with a mentor during their this time and this will be a different teacher to their class teachers; and
• Being proud of the contributions your son makes to the learning that is part of The Exhibition inquiry. The Exhibition is a partnership between students, teachers and parents.

We look forward to seeing you and your son at the information evening to be held on Tuesday 19 June at 6pm in the Don Brown Hall where specific information will be made available.

Save the date: PYP The Exhibition 2018 on Tuesday 29 September.