FIS-W+Exhibition+II

__The Exhibition__
In the final year of the PYP the students participate in a culminating project, the PYP exhibition. This requires that each student demonstrates engagement with the five essential elements of the programme—knowledge, skills, concepts, attitudes, action. It is both a transdisciplinary inquiry conducted in the spirit of personal and shared responsibility, as well as a summative assessment activity that is a celebration and rite of passage, symbolic and actual, from the PYP into the middle years of schooling.

As the culminating PYP experience, it is required that the exhibition reflects all the major features of the programme. Therefore it must:
 * provide an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the IB learner profile that have been developing throughout their engagement with the PYP
 * incorporate all the key concepts ; an understanding of the key concepts should be demonstrated by the application of key questions throughout the inquiry process
 * synthesize aspects of all six transdisciplinary themes
 * require students to use skills from all five sets of transdisciplinary skills (see Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, 2007, figure 8); students should be given the opportunity to develop and apply skills from all the transdisciplinary skill areas in their exhibition inquiry
 * offer the students the opportunity to explore knowledge that is significant and relevant
 * offer opportunities for students to display attitudes (see Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, 2007, figure 9) that relate to people, the environment and their learning; these attitudes should be evident throughout the process
 * provide opportunities for students to engage in action; students should demonstrate an ability to reflect on and apply their learning to choose appropriate courses of action and carry them out; this action may take the form of personal involvement with the planning and implementation of the exhibition and/or service-orientated action; action may not always be clearly or immediately visible or measurable but evidence should be recorded whenever a particular behaviour results from the learning involved
 * represent a process where students are engaged in a collaborative and student-led, in-depth inquiry facilitated by teachers; records should be kept that reflect the process of planning and student engagement with the exhibition
 * include ongoing and rigorous assessment of the exhibition process; this assessment should take two forms: firstly, ongoing assessment of each individual student’s contribution to and understanding of the exhibition; secondly, a summative assessment and reflection on the event itself.

All members of the school community have important roles to play in the exhibition.

Role of student
Students will:
 * have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition from the outset of the process (guidelines and planning instructions should be provided by the teacher or mentor)
 * participate in selecting a real-life issue or problem for the exhibition
 * develop the inquiry by helping to decide on a central idea, lines of inquiry and student questions
 * collaboratively plan learning and assessment experiences; these should involve independent and collaborative work and students should be involved in all stages of the planning and staging of the exhibition
 * carry out an open-ended inquiry into a real-life issue or problem
 * demonstrate an understanding of the components of the PYP, in particular the IB learner profile; the students involved in the exhibition should be given an opportunity to demonstrate their learning and the development of the attributes of the IB learner profile
 * demonstrate an understanding of the five essential elements—knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes and action
 * select and utilize a variety of strategies and resources to meet the outcomes of the inquiry; wherever possible, students should use a variety of source materials, such as first-hand experiences, interviews, surveys, field visits, artifacts, science investigations, working models, not just book and/or Internet research
 * be academically honest when referring to their sources of information
 * communicate effectively with teachers, peers and parents
 * reflect on the components of and processes involved in the exhibition; they should keep a journal or portfolio of their planning, draft pieces of work, sketches and photographs of work in progress as well as the final product
 * carry out self-assessment and peer assessment
 * celebrate their learning by presenting the exhibition to the school community.

Role of teacher
Teachers will:
 * have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition from the outset of the process
 * initiate, facilitate and guide the exhibition process; teachers should facilitate the process of the exhibition rather than teaching directly, with the exception of particular skills and/or knowledge that is required in order for the students to proceed with their chosen inquiry
 * provide support for student inquiries, enabling students to overcome any problems encountered in the process
 * plan collaboratively with other teachers
 * communicate regularly with students, parents and other participants
 * act as mentors as required or appropriate
 * develop essential agreements with students regarding academic honesty to ensure that they are taking responsibility for their learning and being principled in the resources they are using; mentors and parents should be informed of these agreements
 * encourage students to use a balance of primary and secondary sources; help students to access information; and ensure they know how to cite sources used in research
 * ensure the participation of all students by considering their interests, accommodating learning styles and needs, and by determining prior knowledge
 * empower the students to feel able to take action as a result of the exhibition
 * assess the exhibition process ensuring all the essential elements are included
 * keep detailed records of the processes involved including ongoing reflection
 * encourage and join in with students to celebrate their learning.

Role of parent/guardian
Parents/guardians will:
 * have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition
 * support and encourage students and teachers throughout the process of inquiry
 * be informed by reading newsletters, attending meetings, checking school websites, talking with students
 * help students to access resources—people, places, media and information
 * provide expert subject knowledge where applicable
 * act as mentors as required or appropriate
 * encourage independent inquiry and respect student ownership of the process
 * have an opportunity to reflect on and give feedback on the exhibition
 * celebrate with the students by attending the staging of the exhibition.

Role of PYP coordinator and principal
The PYP coordinator and principal will:
 * have an understanding of the requirements, and value the purpose of the exhibition
 * provide support for teachers and students involved in the exhibition
 * provide opportunities for relevant professional development and support
 * promote the exhibition in the school
 * allocate sufficient time for teachers to plan collaboratively on the exhibition
 * allocate sufficient funding to provide appropriate resources
 * celebrate with the students by attending the staging of the exhibition.

Role of other teachers within the school
The success of the exhibition within a school can be facilitated in a number of ways. The school needs to plan carefully in advance so that it has the correct structure in place when the final-year students begin their exhibition plans. The teachers of the earlier grade levels/year groups in the school should:
 * be informed about the exhibition
 * implement a programme of inquiry that reflects the PYP
 * provide experience of the five essential elements
 * provide opportunities for student-led inquiry
 * consider how their teaching supports and contributes to the exhibition
 * help students construct meaning through problem-based learning.

Role of mentor
If a school uses mentors, it is important that their role is clearly defined. A mentor can help the students set and meet their goals by asking questions, suggesting resources, helping to interpret difficult information and facilitating interviews or telephone calls. Community members, older students, parents and teachers may be invited to act as mentors. Some examples of mentor participation include the following.
 * Members of the school community are encouraged to identify areas (knowledge, skills and interests) where they could support the students, and an inventory of “experts” is developed. Students contact these experts and arrange support as needed.
 * Each group of students is assigned a mentor who will support the group through the process leading towards the exhibition. Groups will meet with their mentors on a weekly basis or as needed. The mentor will guide the students and help them monitor their progress, assisting them in setting new goals. They are responsible for some aspects of student assessment. Ultimately, the students are responsible for the completion of work.
 * The mentor’s primary role is to act as a guide and resource in the accomplishment of specific tasks during the exhibition process. Members of the school community are invited to mentor in one or more areas of interest or expertise, for example, research, writing, or information and communication technology (ICT). They are available at different stages of the exhibition. For instance, in the early stages of the inquiry, research mentors come in two to three times a week. Mentors have a purely advisory role, and while they do not participate in the summative assessment of the exhibition, they may contribute to formative assessments regarding their area of support, as well as reflecting on the exhibition process.
 * After the students have written their central idea for their inquiry, teachers and other adults within the school who have nominated themselves for the mentoring role are matched up with a group of students. The students are responsible for contacting and organizing meetings with their mentor. The mentors are encouraged to meet the students at least three times in the beginning stages of the exhibition but may reduce their involvement over time to increase student responsibility. They are not involved in formal assessment but are encouraged to make anecdotal observations and to give feedback to the students and teachers.

This year..........

Our students will inquire into the following:
 * Conflict Resolution ||  Who We Are  || Everybody has the responsibility to make choices that result in peace. || Constantin – Humanitarian mission of the German army

Antonia – Religious Freedom & Religious Conflict

Luca – North and South Korea ||


 * Well-being ||  Sharing the Planet  || People throughout the world have basic needs and rights to a healthy life, no matter where they live. || Yann – Feeding the World’s Population

Cormac – Irish Language ||

Claudius – Future of the internet
 * Social Ethics ||  Who We Are  || Humans have personal choice and their decisions impact others. || WJ – Internet safety

Fatih – Ethical behavior in sports ||


 * Physical Safety ||  How the World Works  || People use technology to advance human safety in architecture and transportation. || Julie – Sustainable/Environmental Architecture

Max – Hybrid/Electric Engines

Nicky – Aviation Safety ||

Lucy – Alternative to oil (not just limited to engines)
 * Environmental Stewardship ||  Sharing the Planet  || Environmental stewardship encourages the development of ideas to help the planet from exhausting finite resources. || Ludwig – Nuclear Energy

Charlotta – proper disposal of non-recycable, non-biodegradable waste ||


 * Human Health ||  How the World Works  || Scientific discoveries and advancements impact human health. || Carson – tissue regeneration

Seth – Stem cell research

Kaia – Cancer research Laura - Heart Valve Disease ||


 * Animal Rights ||  Sharing the Planet  || Humans and animals depend on each other. || Piotr – Bee population

Marie – Animal Therapy

Luke – Whale population ||

Sebastian – bio farming ||
 * Environment ||  Sharing the Planet  || Weather changes impact farming || Steven – weather