Category: IB PYP

Independent Study Projects - PD Video

1/6/2024

I've done a lot of work with independent study projects, and this video is an attempt to share some manageable ideas about how to incorporate these as a regular, ongoing part of a regular classroom setting. This is a video of an hour-long professional development workshop with tons of ideas and resources - I hope you find it helpful!

Apologies for the not super-cute graphics, but the content is a good starting place for all sorts of teachers - those who are trying to answer the I'm Through - What Do I Do question, those trying to support gifted learners through differentiated options, and teachers who want to support students in authentic inquiry - whether it is through Exhibition as part of IB-PYP, or an ongoing process of pursuing what genuinely interests students.

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What's Worth Fighting For?

5/11/2019

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My colleague and I offered fifth grade students this writing prompt as part of our current unit of inquiry - Who We Are. Our central idea is "Conflicts transform communities," and although I have some hesitation defining "who we are" with an emphasis on conflicts, it does make for an interesting lens as we study the Civil War, food webs and interdependence, and persuasive arguments.

I notice many of the students personalized the writing, rather than connecting it explicitly to the curricular standards, but I love seeing the diversity of students' responses, so with their permission, I'm sharing some of them here.

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Exhibition Is . . .

4/27/2019

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I recently created a movie to explain Exhibition to students, teachers, and parents. This was my first time using WeVideo (you may notice the free version tag gracing the upper right hand corner), and I was glad to explore the tool.

I very much wanted to include student interviews and reflections in this film, but access to good sound equipment is still a struggle: our iPads pick up a lot of background noise and can't record soft-spoken students well, even just a few feet away. Next time, I hope to capture student reflection quotes throughout the process.

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The Speed of Inquiry

4/19/2019

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Have you ever been on a long car trip with an impatient driver? He's only thinking about the destination, and wants to end the trip as soon as possible. He resents it if people ask to stop, is irritated by excess traffic, and complains about the highway conditions, the cleanliness of the car, and the fact that they should have left two hours earlier, as he suggested.

With a broad set of curricular standards, it's easy for teachers to become like an impatient driver on a long trip. There are billboards (benchmarks) and mile markers (units) along the way, and a lot of traffic (educators) moving in the same direction that can make teachers anxious about arriving at the intended destination on time.

With inquiry, it's inherently inefficient. Students aren't climbing into optimized vehicles with perfect road conditions; they're heading toward a point of interest, and this can involve some wandering, some stumbling, and some backtracking. In our travel analogy, inquiry is like when you see a sign that says "Come See the World's Biggest Doughnut," and the driver says, "That sounds fascinating! Let's go check it out!"

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ISP in the Grade-Level Classroom, Part One

10/13/2018

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The "Why"

Independent Study Projects (ISPs) have been a staple of my work with gifted and talented students for years. Hooray, right? A chance to explore a topic of interest in school and share your learning in any format that makes sense for that topic - preferably, with a real-world audience.

As part of an IB school, especially as a 5th grade teacher, we get to experience that process through Exhibition, which specifically focuses on taking positive action about an issue, in addition to research, product development, and presentation. (There are other components specific to Exhibition which may vary from ISPs, but it's in a similar activity family.)

I have long wanted to build in ISPs as an ongoing component of my classroom structure for every student, apart from Exhibition. It's a challenge with an ever-growing list of specific standards to teach and an ever-shrinking amount of minutes in which to accomplish everything. Social-emotional and organizational skills, number sense, reading habits, scientific thinking, history - these are already huge buckets of content, and they are only a fraction of the list of things to do. Still, I think it is a priority to value student voices and interests, and I believe that people learn by doing, reflecting, and trying again, with support along the way. As a result, I'm committed to carving out time to try.

Visual Management Tool: The ISP Board

Independent Study Project Board

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Independent Study Projects - PD Video

What's Worth Fighting For?

Exhibition Is . . .

The Speed of Inquiry

ISP in the Grade-Level Classroom, Part One

The "Why"

Visual Management Tool: The ISP Board

Jamie Wright

Categories

Archives

Alphabetical List of Book Recommendations
Book Recommendations by Topic
Book Recommendations by Grade Level
Picture Books for Lessons
Middle School Book Talk Videos
Blog Posts about Reading Instruction

© 2017 - 2024 - Ideas for Learners by Jamie Wright

Independent Study Projects - PD Video

What's Worth Fighting For?

Exhibition Is . . .

The Speed of Inquiry

ISP in the Grade-Level Classroom, Part One

The "Why"

Visual Management Tool: The ISP Board

Jamie Wright

Categories

Archives

Alphabetical List of Book RecommendationsBook Recommendations by TopicBook Recommendations by Grade LevelPicture Books for LessonsMiddle School Book Talk VideosBlog Posts about Reading Instruction

© 2017 - 2024 - Ideas for Learners by Jamie Wright

Alphabetical List of Book Recommendations
Book Recommendations by Topic
Book Recommendations by Grade Level
Picture Books for Lessons
Middle School Book Talk Videos
Blog Posts about Reading Instruction