As our PYP exhibition comes to a close, there is always a lot to look back on. So much to celebrate and learn from. For the most part, the exciting bit is that a lot of learners got to showcase and celebrate their passions not their parents or what the teachers thought was worth learning about.
Amidst these inquiries and on this learning journey, there were some restrictions or expectations that always felt like they hovered and were meant to be covered as a requirement.
Maybe it was our interpretation of them, maybe we built those shackles ourselves.
Taking action. The hardest bit about taking action is that it was a foreign concept. It wasn’t part of our vocabulary. It seemed like the only time this phrase is used is when you get to Grade 5. But on the contrary, learners take action on a daily basis, they take action when learning is personal and meaningful to them, when it is something that they genuinely care about. Sometimes we think that action should be a grand act, something bodacious and ground breaking and yet it could be something personal and unseen, under the surface like changing how I think. The expectation and pressure to sometimes show your action, share your action, explain your action, justify your action is intrusive and I am sure is exhausting for learners.
The math. Sigh. Asking learners to share their math or how they have used math in their exhibition project must be exhausting for them as it is for me. I think where we went wrong is asking them to show how they are using math rather than how math could help them explore and understand their topic better. Some topics lend themselves quite well to math and for others it might not be as apparent. Having math as a check box that must be ticked takes away from the authenticity of inquiry.
Display boards hinder learners from designing an experience to just sharing information. The display boards are small and all they can show is the tip of the iceberg. I am glad that we rerouted to learners designing an experience that required that they think about what message they wanted people to take from their exhibition. Having the space and time to imagine and design an exhibition helps to bring their learning to life. It is the heartbeat of the celebration.
The parameters are put in place to help guide us in designing the PYP exhibition and yet it is so easy to have them limit us as well. Transcending these limitations and surviving another exhibition is a great opportunity to learn and reflect and still be committed to celebrating learning in all it’s glorious messiness.
