Message from the Principals 4/14/2023
Good morning, everyone!
Today's topics:
1: Important Reminders
2: Curriculum Focus: Constructivism
3: Learning Highlight: G2 Exit Point
4: March 24th Parent workshop
5: House Points
6: Photos of the week!
1: Important Reminders
The Parent workshop scheduled for April 28 is canceled.
Golden Week: May 1-5 (NO SCHOOL)
Open School - May 16th
The school will be open to all visitors from 8:20-10:00.
Non-Hope visitors must complete this form.
2: Curriculum Focus: Constructivism
At Hope, the seven foundations of the IPC and IMYC help to guide our day to day approach to Teaching and Learning. In previous blogs, we’ve explored many elements of the foundations, including “Global Competence”, “Assessment”, and “The Process to Facilitate Learning For All”. Over the next few weeks, the Curriculum Focus updates will explore the 2nd Foundation - “A Progressive Pedagogy”.
The idea of the progressive pedagogy has been informed by a range of learning theories and practices across the world, and has been grouped into four key areas:
Constructivism
Brain Based Learning
Experiential and Active Learning
Metacognition.
Today’s update will focus particularly in the area of constructivism. This approach seeks to ensure that students are not simply passive in their day-to-day learning, awaiting direct instruction but rather, they build up the skills to follow their personal areas of exploration through facilitation and guidance from their teachers.
At Hope, constructivism is enabled through such things as the “Knowledge Harvest” which allows our students to connect new knowledge to prior knowledge and increases the awareness of how new learning builds upon old. This allows the students to make these connections through active engagement, rather than through direct teacher instruction.
Another lens in which students engage with a constructivist approach is through building up their understanding throughout their “Research, Recording and Reflection” tasks, particularly through reflection, as this allows students to demonstrate their own personal journey in deepened understanding. These tasks also allow students to actively engage with their classroom environment, as well as socially with their peers.
At the end of the unit, the constructivist approach is seen very strongly through the Exit Point. The Exit Point allows students to build connections between all of the learning that has happened throughout their unit and find ways to share this understanding with their peers, their teachers and the community. Learners are co-constructors of their Exit Point ideas, having agency and voice in the communication medium, as well as the understanding shared through the medium.
3: Learning Highlight: Grade 2 Exit Point
Yesterday, grade 2 students performed plays for their exit point for 'How Humans Work'. After reading a playscript based about a doctor's clinic in ELA last week, students wrote their own playscripts (with some teacher help!) in a medical setting of choice. The students applied their knowledge learned from IPC to create somewhat accurate patient problems and doctor advice. Students chose their own characters and decided how much they wanted to speak in the plays. Grade 2 students then practiced reading their lines with projected, expressive voices to take on the role of their character. The students had great fun adopting the role of a character and performing their plays! You can view the videos here:
Grade 2 Maroon: Video 1 Video 2 Grade 2 Blue: Video 1 Video 2
4: March 24th Parent workshop
We wanted to share a special thank you to the parents that attended the Parent workshop on the 24th. The workshop was led by Mr. Colin, Mr. Jay-R, and Ms. Sam. They focused on how to extend the learning at home. Mr. Colin talked about connecting the Unit themes to home life. Mr. Jay-R provided examples of how to use real life experiences to engage in level-appropriate math. Ms. Sam discussed how to engage in English development using key questions. Each presenter had activities for the parents to participate in. We appreciated the active involvement of the parents!
5: House Points
Hydra: 4660 ➜ 4799
Basilisk: 4734 ➜ 5012
Dragon: 5579 ➜ 5784
Phoenix: 5654 ➜ 5841