MAKE IT AN ‘EXPERIENCE’ Jordan Rose, Head of Primary and PYP Coordinator, Zhuhai International School (ZIS), China, and William Applebaum, PYP Teacher, International School of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (previously at ZIS) We challenged students to think about their presentations as an experience that involved the audience – an experience that would allow visitors to interact with the exhibitors and receive information in unique and creative ways. To encourage creativity, we stripped student work, posters and decorations from the classroom walls. Students had to think of their classroom as a blank canvas on which they would be designing their exhibition inquiry, and eventually their presentation. As the inquiries took shape, and the students began their research process, each group carved out a section of the classroom to work in, which later became the space where they built their presentation experiences. Students were given room to create. Desks, shelves and computers were relocated to the hallway as students reshaped their classroom. Instead of worrying about how to fill up our poster boards, we were solving creative challenges such as
how we could turn a corner of a room into a dinosaur cave or a movie theatre. When the time came, visitors were fully immersed in the experience, creating an atmosphere where students enjoyed teaching and learning. For example, the ‘transportation/tech group’ inquired into the causes and effects cars, boats and devices have on the environment. They created a pollution cruise where they took passengers on an imaginary ride to the great Pacific plastic garbage patch, and initiated discussions with visitors.
Ruth White, PYP Teacher, Kingswood College, Australia Last year, we made the decision to use a digital exhibition journal, rather than photocopies or a scrapbook. This was to enhance collaboration between students, mentors, teachers and parents and to emphasize the importance of the process over the product. We chose to use Google Slides to help students keep
18 IBWorld October 2017
a journal of their planning, to draft work, sketches, photographs and videos. The documents were shared by students; within their exhibition group members, mentors and their families. They were able to give feedback and seek clarification by using the ‘comments feature’ on Google Slides. This was our first exhibition so the
flexibility Google Slides offered students and staff was exceptional, as it allowed things to be added or deleted as required. Using these journals also encouraged students to approach and respond using multimodal content, enriching the learning experience. This allowed for greater differentiations and supported students across a range of learning styles. We will definitely use it for our next exhibition.
Marilyn V, Picsfive/123RF
DITCH THE PEN AND PAPER