Get documents about "Inquiry-based learning adopting the IB
Document Sample
The International School’s TIS News is published three
times per year to update our community on school
programs and activities. To subscribe, please contact
Marketing Director Linda Bonder, LBonder@intlschool.
org, 503-226-2496 x104. We do not share our mailing lists.
The InTernaTIonal School’S T I S n e w S
TIS grad helps Latinos in crisis
The lineups at Portland’s Northeast people in need and to practice her Spanish.
Emergency Food Program start at 10am The experience was a great success both for
even though doors don’t open for another her and for those she helped.
three hours, according to Kia Greene, Class The Northeast Emergency Food
of 2007 graduate from The International Program has two paid staff members and
School. relies heavily on donations and volunteer
The Ecumenical Ministries program support. Kia worked with clients who came
meets the urgent food needs of Portland’s for food assistance. She had to understand
North and Northeast residents who are their needs, then bring them through the
living on the brink of crisis – many of hallways to select proteins, carbohydrates,
them Latino immigrants. Last summer Kia fruit and vegetables that met guidelines for
volunteered for the food program to help each family.
continued inside
Inquiry-based learning:
FA L L 2 0 08
The International School
adopting the IB
provides a multicultural
environment where children
are fully immersed in
Spanish, Japanese or Chinese “We cannot be the center, the child is the elementary education that is offered by
language and culture. center,” says 2nd grade Spanish Teacher Pilar International Baccalaureate (IB) schools.
Children become bilingual Arias when she talks about the International TIS is in the process of implementing the
as they learn a full preschool Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme program as we transition into becoming an
& elementary curriculum (PYP). “Before, I decided what the child IB World School. The framework uses six
with native speaking should learn. With PYP, the children have transdisciplinary themes (at the corners of
teachers, small classes, and the opportunity to create questions, so they the hexagon below), six subject areas (in the
high expectations. are much more involved. As a result, they are outer ring), and five elements (the inside).
The International School more motivated. That is the main thing.” The PYP method requires students to
was founded in 1990 and The Primary Years Programme is an participate in the learning process by asking
today educates 396 students. inquiry-based curriculum framework for questions, investigating, exploring, and
continued on the back page
The InTernaTIonal School’S T I S n e w S
400
Where they went:
Classes ‘06 - ’08 350
TIS enrollmenT hISTory
East/West Public, 16 300
Sylvan Spanish
magnet 250 CHINESE
Gilkey Private 8 200
International JAPANESE
Middle School 150
Hosford Public, 4 100
Spanish & SPANISH
Chinese 50
magnet
0
Beaverton Public 3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
9
/'0
/'0
/'0
/'0
/'0
/'0
/'0
/'0
International
-'9
-'9
-'9
-'9
-'9
-'9
-'9
-'9
-'0
-9
- '0
'91
'00
'01
'02
'03
'04
'05
'06
'07
'90
'92
'93
'94
'95
'96
'97
'98
'99
08
School
Mt Tabor Public,
Japanese
3
Enrollment reaches new highs
magnet TIS enrollment for ’08-’09 reached have a record number of returning
Oregon Private 3 a record high for the 17th time in the students this year, combined with
Episcopal school’s 19 year history. This year’s 396 as many new students as we had last
School enrolled students represent a six percent year.” according to Jan Williams, TIS
Jackson Public 2 increase over last year and a 24 percent Admissions Director. “The combination
increase over just three years ago. “We is making TIS stronger than ever.”
Metropolitan Public 2
Learning Ctr
Northwest Private 2
Academy
Trinity Private 2
Lutheran
Other public Public 9
(1 student
each)
Other private Private 5
(1 student
each)
come joIn uS
for The aucTIon!
We hope to see you for an
evening of fun and fancy at The
International School auction, 8 year tradition continues
November 8 at Montgomery On September 5th the weather was warm go up a grade,” observed Carson, a third
Park. The auction is the school’s and sunny as the children walked past grade Spanish Track student.
biggest annual fundraiser, teachers and staff shaking hands and From the teachers’ perspective, it’s
bringing in a net $177,000 last greeting each other in English, Spanish, pure joy to greet the new young students
year. Chinese, and Japanese. and to see the older ones return. The
Please see www.intlschool. “[The Handshaking Ceremony] is annual TIS Handshaking Ceremony was
org/auction/ for details. important so you know all the teachers introduced in 2001 by former Head of
and you know who they are when you School Bruce Bayliss.
The InTernaTIonal School’S T I S n e w S
5th graders experience Japan first hand
The years of Japanese language, history and culture paid off went with TIS Sensei Yukako to visit Japanese historical and
handsomely for last year’s fifth graders with their Capstone cultural sites. “First we learned about the place’s history at
Academic Trip to Japan in May. school. Then to see the place with my own eyes was amazing,”
“The first week we went to Nagano to do a home stay,” said fifth grader Kento. For classmate Kyomi, “when I saw
explained fifth grader (now TIS graduate) Zeami. “At first of the 1001 dolls of the Kannon god I had a special feeling and
course I was nervous, but I instantly became friends with my could feel the wind blow. I had a great experience and learned
home stay brother Taku.” many things on the Capstone trip. Now I want to visit
TIS students attended Nojiriko Elementary School with another Buddha and other temples and many other places.”
their host brothers and sisters, participating in classes and “I have realized the differences between American and
all school activities. “We did things like rice planting and Japanese cultures more fully since returning home,” said
math projects with the fifth graders there,” Kindra recalled. Kindra. “And knowing more about Japan has made me like it
“We even taught them some English games and songs like even more.”
‘BINGO’. Near the end of the week, there was an assembly The Class of 2009 Japanese Track fifth graders will travel
to share our cultures. We answered questions about ourselves to Japan in late October 2008. In March 2009, the Capstone
and showed them a video we made of TIS and Portland. They tradition will continue as the Chinese Track and Spanish
did a special play about the town around their school.” Track fifth graders attend school and travel in China and
In the second week, the TIS students and their families Mexico respectively.
TIS grad helps Latino families (cont’d)
“At first the clients didn’t talk much,” Broussard, Program Assistant at the it feels weird because I’m younger than
Kia said. “But once they realized I could Northeast Emergency Food Program. students in the class,” she says with a
speak Spanish, they would wait to work “She had no reservations about smile. “They try to whisper to me, but I
with me each time they came in. Then introducing herself to anyone: young, say, ‘hey, you can’t do that, I’m grading
they would talk and talk and talk. You old, English speaker or not. It was your homework!’”
start to know them, you’re talking to very helpful to have a fluent Spanish When Kia looks back at her
them, and you feel bad that you can’t speaker here, not only to help us get International School experience, her
give them more food.” the information we needed but also to Capstone Academic trip to Spain stands
There were many times when Kia help the Hispanic community feel more out as a highlight. “I thought (the class
was the only Spanish-speaking worker. at home. We all loved having Kia with trip) wouldn’t be so good because I had
She saw that “other volunteers would us, and we hope to see her again in the already been to Spain, but we each saw
get really frustrated when they couldn’t future.” something different when we were there
communicate, and that would make Now that Kia is back in middle for Capstone. I still talk to the friends I
the clients frustrated too. I felt good school at NW Academy, she wants made in Spain every day.”
to be able to communicate with the to volunteer at the Food Program Kia’s advice to current fourth and
Spanish-speaking families, but I also felt on weekends. For now, she is using fifth graders? “Enjoy your last years
bad because they couldn’t converse with her Spanish mostly at school. After at TIS, because when you leave,
anyone else.” completing high school Spanish as a everything is totally different. I loved
“Kia is one of the brightest, most sixth grader last year, she is now getting TIS because it was a community. I
confident and fearless young people school credit for being a teaching miss it, but I don’t want to leave NW
I have met in years,” said Jennifer A assistant in Spanish Level I. “Sometimes Academy.”
The InTernaTIonal School’S T I S n e w S
Library receives IKEA grant
Thanks to IKEA, the TIS Multicultural
Library Media Center is now a “kid-
friendly environment that meets the
needs of the library as an instructional
space with lots of room for books,”
according to TIS Librarian Tamara
Fornell.
“Library use by all members of our
community - teachers, students and
parents - is up significantly as a direct
result of our new furnishings which
provide better access to our collection.”
The retail value of the grant was
$1,815.
Adopting the IB (cont’d)
engaging in hands-on learning the country. “They love the questions. working closely with the teachers to
opportunities developed with their They own the questions,” beams Pilar. assist them in putting the curriculum
teacher. In a typical lesson, a class first “When they feel some ownership in into practice. All teachers have
considers what they already know their learning, they are more involved.” participated in the first level of training,
about a theme. They then create The children researched the answers to and two monthly faculty meetings are
questions to reflect what they want to their questions by turning to methods devoted to professional development
know. These questions guide the rest such as interviews and books. Finally, in PYP. Additional training will come
of the unit, as students explore the the children reflected on what they once TIS is officially recognized as an
answers through research, projects, had learned through journal entries. As IB school.
and experiments. A final step in the she looks through the journals, Pilar Although the PYP is still in the
method allows students to reflect on is impressed with how far they have early stages of implementation at
the knowledge they have gained. come. “With PYP, you can see how TIS, teachers are already noticing a
Recently, Pilar’s class studied a unit much they have learned, really clearly difference in their classrooms and are
on Chile using the PYP method. The see it.” excited about the changes the new
students began by brainstorming on This year, Erika Kohn was hired teaching methods bring. Pilar predicts
Chile and making a concept map to as the International Baccalaureate that in the months to come, she will see
assess their previous knowledge. Then Coordinator at TIS to help successfully more confidence in her students and
the children came up with questions, implement PYP in our classrooms as we more involvement in the classroom.
things that they wanted to know about become an IB school. Erika has been Fourth grade Spanish teacher Maria
Lira already notes that with the PYP
method, “the children are more
engaged in their work. They are happier
and this makes me happier too.”
For more information on IB schools
and the PYP curriculum framework,
visit the IB website at www.ibo.org.
The InTernaTIonal School
025 SW Sherman Street
Portland, OR 97201
503-226-2496
www.intlschool.org
language, DIverSITy,
excellence
Related docs
