Primary Years Programme Exhibition

Lighting a Fire: The Year 6 PYP Exhibition in the Primary Years.

SIMONE MITCHELL Head of P-6 Curriculum skills, all of which have been developed throughout the Primary Years’ journey. When asked about the impact of this learning experience, students speak earnestly about how pivotal the process is in challenging their perspectives, developing their critical and creative thinking skills and empowering action on issues of global significance. In addition, they are able to communicate effectively with a wide audience and reflect on the significance of their learning and how they have changed as a result. It is truly heart-warming to hear the students speak so passionately about the future; we are certainly in good hands. The Exhibition journey begins with an invitation to an expedition—a learning expedition. This occurs through a range of evocative experiences designed to stimulate students’ interests and curiosities under the banner of Sharing the Planet, one of the transdisciplinary themes of the Primary Years Programme. As with all the transdisciplinary

Students entering their final term of primary schooling at St Peters celebrate their learning with the whole College community in the annual Year 6 PYP Exhibition. A significant component of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), this transdisciplinary inquiry is conducted in the spirit of personal and shared responsibility. It is a collaborative task that challenges students to position themselves as global citizens, thinking about how they can help create a better and more peaceful world, which is the mission of all IB programs. The Exhibition is a culminating event in the life of a PYP school, with students synthesising the essential elements of the PYP to investigate an area of interest and present their inquiries in a knowledgeable, open-minded and reflective manner. This is an opportunity to showcase the application of students’ social, research, thinking, communication and self-management

Pictured (facing page, left top): Year 11 mentors with Year 6 PYP students; (left bottom) Tuning in with reading; (remaining images) Year 6 PYP students setting up their exhibits and presenting to staff and parents.

themes of the PYP, it encompasses many significant and globally transferable issues. Sharing the Planet is an exploration into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolutions. After exploring these issues, students select an area of passion which they research further, developing central ideas, lines of inquiry and probing questions. Throughout this process, students recognise their ‘a-ha’ moments, changes to their thinking and hopes for the future. As part of this journey, students are supported by not only their classroom teachers, but also mentors from across the school. These mentors offer small groups of students needs-based guidance throughout their inquiry. At St Peters, this provides us with a unique opportunity to connect some of our International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme students with our Primary Years Programme students. It is inspiring to see the connections made between some of our eldest in the Senior School and our Seniors in the Primary School. The Exhibition affords students the opportunity to work collaboratively and demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning. This transformative experience sees students flourish in confidence and agency which includes increased focus on the approaches to learning that comes from deep and sustained inquiry. As one of the final experiences in their Primary Years, not only does it establish life-long learning skills and prepare students for the next stage of their learning journey, it also promotes a genuine love for learning. As William Butler Yeats stated, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." Indeed, the Exhibition lights a fire for our Year 6 students.