Horizons Issue 2 March 2010
grlbotics: The new girls-only robotics club supported by Google Promoting differentiation Art as a process of transformation
The IB Diploma Program has arrived! Brain research and its impact on parents and educators How children take action The language of life and learning: Drama
Message from the Director
March 2010 With the successful launch of our first edition of “Horizons” last spring, we were given the challenge of producing a second issue that best features our school and its continual development in the areas of academics and International Baccalaureate programs. The core of any school focuses on curriculum and best practice, therefore, with the planned implementation of the Diploma Program in August 2010, we continue to develop our programs to prepare our students for success in tomorrow’s world. Our challenge is to provide continuity between the programs to ensure that we are developing individuals who are lifelong learners and who are able to keep pace in an era of rapid change. The task of creating, maintaining, and improving the conditions for learning is thus the most basic challenge facing us as educators today. Learning for each individual is, at least to some extent, unique. Take, for example, the article in this edition of “Horizons” on differentiation. At International School Winterthur, we view our students as unique beings and who possess talents on many different levels. We (regularly) communicate student academic performance through the issuance of four progress reports each school year. However, what is communicated to a lesser degree are the wonderful enriching opportunities that play an integral part in the overall education of our students. This edition of our bi-annual magazine features articles covering some of the many tools, techniques, and ideas that provide additional ways to engage students in their learning. What are these extra pedagogical areas that lend themselves to producing lifelong learners who can adapt to our rapidly changing world? We offer a variety of visual arts experiences in drama, art, and music. Furthermore, classroom curriculum is enhanced through student inquiry providing deeper understandings in many areas. The development of our technology and its uses, personalize and support a range of human talents. For example, the students in grade 2 who, through studying Impressionism and French artists, arrived at the idea of creating Monet’s garden in their classroom. Or the Middle Years’ students who have found drama to be an expression of their ideas and feelings. There are the music classes that, spontaneously, go outside the classroom to hear the sounds of nature and its rhythmic patterns. There is art as a means of transformation that lend itself to the development of skills that communicate experiences that cannot be “expressed in any other form.” An example of this is the grade 10 art unit where students create art, photographing the stages of its development, and produce a final video product. Technology is best exemplified by the “grlbotics” program in association with “Google”, that will culminate this year in a competition amongst teams of girls who have created “sumo” robot wrestlers. This is our attempt to promote a level of interest in these girls to pursue computer science careers in the future. It may seem cliché to claim that our goal is to prepare students for the world of tomorrow, that we are educating our students in promoting diverse experiences and that we foster a sense of appreciation for life-long learning. At International School Winterthur, we tailor the learning process to each student’s needs and capacities and recognize that every learner has a unique set of innate talents and personal interests. In the following pages, I hope you enjoy the teachers’ passionate accounts of the work they do, testimonials that describe our attempt to meet the individual needs and interests of our students.
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Rhonda Mott-Hill Director
How Children Take Action Or how a Second Grade Classroom became Claude Monet’s Garden create an imaginative play environment that will ensure “hands-on“ experiences. The play corner should consist of a mixture of child-made and commercially produced props that inspire the creative mind. The teacher has to establish common routines and rules and allow time for the children to play in small groups, or even alone. It is important that it is a balance of adult ideas and supervision and child initiated attempts and action.
Being welcomed by one of the
In the PYP it is believed that education must extend beyond the intellectual, to include appropriate action. Successful inquiry in class will lead students to take responsible action as a result of the learning process. Action is a voluntary demonstration of a student’s empowerment and may be considered as a significant summative assessment.
art gallery guides It is fascinating to observe young children absorbed in play. They are often unaware of the regard and presence of adults when they enter a world of invention and creativity. Through play children act out imaginary roles and imitate real life scenes to prepare for different situations. Play is crucial for the young child’s intellectual, social and emotional development, and it also provides many opportunities to explore adult life and solve problems. It is therefore the teacher’s task to create and model rich places to play. The classroom should support many different learning experiences and a corner for play is important so that children can take initiated action for deeper learning and understanding. The children should feel that they have ownership and freedom to take independent and responsible action for their learning. It is also important that the students have a project in common, in order to develop cooperation skills and critical thinking. The teacher’s role is to enable children to
By: Jenny Rosenberg Grade 2 Teacher
the classroom to represent the pond. The other children were thrilled and they all came up with exciting suggestions and ideas. (Obviously it took a whole morning and I had to put my lesson plans aside for that day), but the children and I had flow in our creative minds. The next day the pool was inflated and installed and we started to build the Japanese bridge and the small rowing boat Monet used to sit in while he was painting. The second graders took ownership of the learning and for some of the unit they were busy making waterlilies, goldfish and flowers for the pond. At the end of the unit we invited the parents and grade one and Kindergarden to come and visit our art exhibition. We kept our Art Gallery open for two days and many teachers and even MYP students visited our garden to learn about impressionist artists. By letting the children take responsibility for the learning and making it their own, and by giving lots of time for the project, the children were able to take action and make an unforgettable learning experience. The question was not “ What will the students learn?” but “What can we learn together? ”or even “What can the children teach me?” Impressionism made a lifelong impression on all of us!
A year ago my second grade class and I had a very interesting and exciting learning experience. We were reading about Impressionism and French artists in the unit of inquiry (Painters’ Perspectives). The unit was one of my favorites and I was very enthusiastic about teaching Art History to seven-year-olds. After reading an informative book about a girl’s visit to the French artist Claude Monet’s garden, one of my students exclaimed, “Lets make Monet’s garden in our classroom.” I asked him about his idea and he said that we could put a child’s pool in
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ISW Supported by Google
By: Jonathan Bradley MYP Teacher
Google Internship Last year, grade 8 to 10 students from the International School Winterthur won a contest to visit the Zürich Google offices for a day. Both the staff and students who attended this event were incredibly impressed, not only with the Google offices, but also by the hard working and inventive Google engineers or ‘Googlers’. What makes the Google offices so special? Well, these offices are different-really different. If you’ve never seen pictures of the Zurich Google office-imagine a teenager’s room, now expand that image to cover an area as large as an office complex. Their office has aquariums, video games, massage rooms, free snacks and drinks, slides linking different floors together and breakfast, lunch and dinner provided to employees free of charge at Switzerland’s best canteen. There aren’t too many workplaces where playing the video game ‘Guitar Hero’ constitutes taking a break from work. It is little wonder that the Middle Years’ Program (MYP) students loved their visit! Our day out was fantastic, but there was one thing that we found a bit unsettling. As we were touring the offices, it became apparent to the ISW staff that the Google engineers were predominantly male. The female engineers were few and far between in the entire complex. We further reflected on our experience at the Google offices and realized that the boys were very vocal during the sessions, but most of our female students hardly spoke a word. The ISW staff met to brainstorm some possible ways to encourage more female participation in the information technology field. Those internal discussions led to a series of meetings with Google representatives about different ideas to encourage girls to consider careers in information technology.
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One of the ideas that we discussed with Google was creating an internship for girls. The goal of the internship was to provide female students in our MYP with the experience of working for a company in the information technology field. Four girls were selected for our pilot year and they attended Google for a full day of exercises and seminars. The girls arrived bright and early at 8am and they didn’t finish until 6pm that evening. They had some great discussions with a range of members of the Google team and they learned about the different types of jobs and roles within Google.
The four girls who attended this year’s Google Internship. They had a great experience at the Google Office in Zurich, learning what it takes to work in the field of computer science.
with students to help them understand the programming reThese are some comments from the MYP girls who attended quired to get these robots to operate correctly (and hopefully beat the opposing robot). Next years program will focus on the the day: sumo robots, but students will also work on developing ‘smart “Going to Google was one of the best experiences we have clothing’. Smart clothing is a garment that incorporates comencountered since we joined ISW. It helped us understand puting fibers and materials into otherwise normal clothes and how much work that is actually behind the global search universities and companies all over the world are working on engine. We now understand all the different jobs and quali- different smart clothing projects. This year, Mr. Chapman chalfications you need to become a ‘Googler’. One of the abilities lenged his grade 8 students to create a hat for one of their projGoogle values the most is being able to socialize, commu- ects. The hats were stuffed with LED lights and wiring and it was nicate and collaborate with others. We realized that there is all designed to give students a sneak preview of a future that more to being a ‘Googler’ than just sitting in front of a com- is fast approaching. The students in next year’s grlbotics Club puter screen. ‘Googlers’ have to be dynamic people; they have will have the opportunity to understand the coding involved to be available to handle problems 24/7. We also learned in this type of project and the reasons behind the devices. that it is important for a ‘Googler’ to be in a good working atmosphere and surrounded by optimistic colleagues. After working for weeks on sumo robots the girls from the various teams will need a place to show off their hard work. At the This experience inspired us to pursue IT for our studies and end of the club, all of the teams will compete in a sumobot comwe were quite surprised to discover that there are only petition at Google. The teams will be attempting to push the 10 female engineers working at Google. Overall we had opposing team’s robot out of the sumo circle, to be declared a great time which was highly educational and inspiring.” the grlbotics champion. The winning team will then challenge -Isabella Klempel (Grade 8) & Katharina Müller (Grade 10) a group of Google engineers for the overall championship. Just to keep things fair, the Google engineers will be handicapped in the competition. They won’t get to work on programming their robot until the competition begins. In my During the spring semester, the MYP program will be- humble opinion, given this disadvantage, it’s doubtful that the gin a new afterschool program. Over the last six Googlers will have a chance against the girls, but I’m sure that months the MYP staff have been hard at work de- this resourceful group of engineers will put up a good fight. veloping a program, under the code name Google Girls Club, which has been recently renamed grlbotics. After the event, the girls of grlbotics will head to the Google campus for a quick debriefing of the event. The winners will brag and grlbotics is a collaboration between International School the losers will discuss ways to avenge their loss when the grlbotics Winterthur and the Zurich Google Office. The short- clubs resume their programming tasks the following school year. term goal of grlbotics is to generate interest in and awareness of IT for girls in the greater Zurich area in information technology, and the long-term goal is to encourage girls to pursue computer science degrees in university and ultimately build careers in information technology.
grlbotics
ISW teacher Colin Chapman has been working for months now developing a challenging curriculum that he can introduce to the grlbotics students. Each week, the girls will work on coding tasks to build their knowledge and skills. The club is focused on teaching coding skills to the girls to create their sumo robots. Sumo robots is the project for the grlbotics club and thanks to popular Hollywood films and the portrayal by the actor and current governor of California, Arnold “I’ll be back” Schwarzenegger in the Terminator movies, we imagine robots dragging humankind into a bleak apocalyptic future. Let me dispel that notion right now; Mr. Chapman’s robots have a more gentle, simplistic nature. They only do what they are programmed to do and in this case their job is to push the opposing robot out of a sumo circle. No lasers, guns or plans to eliminate mankind. Mr. Chapman will be working
ISW teacher, Colin Chapman, enjoying a cup of coffee before the days events at Google.
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Why Music? By: Christina Mayer PYP Music Teacher standing and combines those often separated aspects of the human perception. This is maybe the biggest difference between sports and arts; it is not only about the control of the body but also about an intellectual awareness. Any artistic expression fosters creativity and the ability to listen, not only to the outer but at the same time to the inner environment. This sensibility is the requirement for the development of a personality that observes the world in a critical and independent manner and becomes a responsible human being who is conscious of life and its coherencies.
Some weeks ago, I went with Grade 2 on a spontaneous mini field trip, 200 meters away from ISW. On my way to school, I had seen thousands of birds gathering on a tree, before they flew southwards to spend the winter in a warm climate. The air was filled with a deafening chitter chatter that reminded me rather of a bee-hive. I had never seen anything like this before and was so impressed and moved by this natural spectacle, that I wanted to show the children.
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cation and the influence of music on children. Neurologists are constantly researching the effects that music has on the human brain and the question of whether music makes children more intelligent has made its way into the media. Publications about experiments such as the Mozart effect, where children’s IQ scores increased after listening to sonatas by Mozart, have spawned both criticism and support for music’s ability to alter intelligence.
My target as a music teacher is to make young people aware of life’s expression in this world. This is not a new approach to teaching students, there is the story about the 17th century Jesuit, Athanasius Kircher, being compared to Leonardo da Vinci, for his enormous range of interests and therefore called “Master of a Hundred Arts,” who went with his pupils to the open meadow. With their eyes closed, only trusting their ears listening to the sound of the wind, the students had to guess whether the grass on the field was cut or not. Of course this complexity is not visible to children and that is why there was a student asking me, “Miss Mayer, what does the noise of the birds have to do with music?”
Even if science is still groping in the dark and it is difficult to make conclusive statements, there are approved results about the stimulation and linking of brain regions that function as key areas when engaging oneself in music. This works even with elderly people because of the plasticity of the brain and there is no doubt that musical education has a positive impact on the development of a human being in many ways. Nevertheless, I can still observe an attitude that doesn’t take musical education seriously enough. Our society asks instead for so called ‘hard skills’ with immediately visible results rather than for soft skills that operate on longterm sustainability. In this sense music is not a must-have but a nice-to-have application in the curriculum of many schools.
In the past years, there has been a growth of scientific interest about musical edu-
Music is a holistic education because it asks for rational and emotional under-
All this may sound very abstract and the daily practice and musical experience at school looks, of course much more pragmatic. Music lessons include – as do other subjects – theory. But in comparison with, for example, mathematics we have to use the theoretical knowledge as guidelines for an individual expression. Music consists of so many different elements, first of all it is a physical phenomenon, building on mathematical structures, but behind every composition there is a complex human being with his/her personal background (history, psychology, philosophy, etc) and its vision. Music lessons teach the children the appropriate tools and techniques to explore, understand, feel, interpret and write music. At the end of the day, the preoccupation with music leads to the inquiry and discovery of one’s own personality and the more we know ourselves, the more we can be empathetic about our environment. That is why music as a subject at school is one of several possible ways of fostering a caring and loving attitude towards life in all its forms.
Faces of ISW
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Supporting Young Children with Math at Home
By: Susan Kiener Grade 1 Teacher
There are many ways you can support your child’s math learning at home. Children go through broad, overlapping stages in their numeracy learning. If you would like to learn more, please ask your child’s teacher to talk with you about those stages.
every time you sit together to read a book or look at magazines. Point to numerals and say the number name out loud.
You are your child’s first and most important teacher. By showing a positive attitude towards mathematics, you will help to foster your child’s interest in the subject.
•Use a calendar and ask what date it will be in 1, 5 or 10 days time.
Counting is the beginning of numeracy learning. Numbers are all around us. Show your child how you use them, everywhere and any time. Here are some activities to try with your child at home: •Count real things and use counting to solve real problems. •On pieces of cardboard, draw large numbers. Have the children glue O-shaped cereal inside it, the same amount as the number value. After it’s dry, they can run their fingers along the shape of this number and begin counting skills, along with your help. Start with numbers one to five and increase numerals according to age and skill level. •Write the numerals 1-12 inside the sections of an egg carton with a black marker. Give each child a cup of cereal and have him/her place pieces of cereal to correspond with the number in each section. Count the pieces together in each eggcup. As children play this game, they are learning to recognize symbols for each number. Another way to teach number recognition is to look for number symbols
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•Count in groups of two, five or ten. •Play cards, board games and dominoes.
•Recognize and write numerals in everyday environments such as numbers on mailboxes, road signs, price tags and sizes on clothes and shoes. •Share special food objects among friends or family members so that each person has a fair share. •Sorting Ask your child to sort their toys or other items from the house or garden into groups according to the attributes of size, color or number. Sort items using two of these attributes to establish group membership. •Comparing Have your child and their friends stand back to back. Ask them to decide who is the shortest and who is the tallest. Have them find a way to check their ideas. Compare the number of buttons on your coats. Who has the most, and who has the fewest? Help your child make and display a chart to show these comparisons. Give them ideas on other math investigations they could try. •Patterning
Together, find and look at patterns, such as those on wallpaper or curtains. Your child could copy a pattern, repeat and extend a pattern, and make their own from anything that’s handy, such as leaves, flowers, pens or shells. •Shape and Space Find shapes around the house and environment. Talk about why objects are called different shapes. Find shapes on three-dimensional figures. Do jigsaw puzzles together. Construct models using boxes and cartons. Children will, as time passes, begin to use their memory and to work things out in their heads. Children will be exploring many ways to work out problems. Talking about how they work out their own problems and listening to others’ strategies helps their understandings. Showing an interest, being encouraging, and having high expectations that children will succeed in mathematics are powerful motivators for children’s achievements in mathematics.
Grade 1 working on their Math activities and games.
The IB Diploma Programme Has Arrived at ISW!
By: Marie France Labelle MYP Teacher/DP Coordinator
ISW is proud to announce that we have been fully authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) to offer the prestigious Diploma Programme starting August 2010. We, as a whole school community, are making final preparations for the implementation of this rigorous pre-university course and are looking forward to welcoming our very first Grade 11 cohort. Following are some comments that will emphasize the recognition that the Diploma receives. “IB DP is well known to us for excellent preparations to post secondary education. Success in an IB programme correlates well with success at Harvard. We are always pleased to see the credentials of the IB Diploma Programme on the transcript.” (Marilyn McGrath, Lewis, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Harvard University) “One of the advantages of an IB curriculum is its structure and quality. It is a well-established, well-known and well-respected programme. We know the quality of IB courses and we think the IB curriculum is terrific.” (Christopher Guttentag, Director of Undergraduate Admission, Duke University) “IB DP is the ‘best’ high school prep curriculum a school can offer.” (Marilee Jones, Former Director of Undergraduate Admission, MIT) “The IB is a first-rate program, one we are familiar with. It prepares students well for a university like ours.” (Fred Hargadon, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Princeton University)
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Art as a Process of Transformation By: Morné Swanepoel PYP/MYP Arts Teacher process and discovery allows children and teenagers space in which they have the chance to express themselves. And within the art class it is essential to offer a space which is non-competitive, non chaotic and safe. Children who have difficulty in expressing things through words, will often find it easier expressing themselves through visual means. Art gives the joys and fears a chance to show themselves and be faced, enjoyed and shared.
Art is about seeing, hearing, feeling and
thinking. Art excludes nothing, yet it narrows everything down to a personal view, and it is the awareness of the personal view, which again opens up the universe. Art is a life long process, which transforms the inner and outer vision of the person. It is about discovering what you are about, and finding a way through which to communicate experiences, which cannot be expressed in any other form.
it by themselves at home. Neither is it merely about providing materials and offering a place to do it. Learning techniques and methods plays a major role in art making. It is about learning how to use the skills to communicate ideas and experiences, and to bring artistic skills and content together, swapping and changing into a fusion called art. Teaching art also moves beyond the skills development and any assessment categories (necessary within most
And why communicate such an experience in the first place? Why not just let it be? I think that when an experience is so unique or moving, one can’t help but want to grasp it, return to it again and again and even share it. In many ways art serves as a finger pointing towards something (the experience). Sometimes very directly. Often it can be shocking and confronting to both the artist and the viewer, because it can address issues and values which one hold, so dear. Good artists have always faced their personal situations and crossed their personal borders: taking risks is essential for artistic development.
Teaching Art
is not the same as only giving free range to expressions, because then the students do not need the teacher and they might as well do
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school systems). The process of creativity is what fundamentally bridges all areas, levels and ages. It is essentially about the unexplainable (creativity) from where new and original art springs forth. This
Essential strategies in teaching art are firstly being self-motivated, which passes onto the student like the break of day. Without self-interest it is a difficult, if not an impossible con. Secondly, there is the interest in discovery of both outside and inner worlds. What I look for is the ‘you’, the individual, in the work. It is really about honesty, not to me the teacher, but to oneself, the student. This means that I am interested in the students’ involvement in what they are doing. It is a natural response that involvement reflects something of the individual. Something of their effort is communicated through the way they draw, their use of line, form or shape. It is not and has never been about the perfect end-result, but about conveying something, which comes from personal exploration and effort. This is no oldschool philosophy, but rather something very alive and present. No effort equals poor results and leads to an acceptance of “I cannot and do not want to”. It is also not about having talent (which is a bonus of course); one can have a lot of talent, but without ongoing effort and testing it will stagnate at the point where it was noticed. Young children, generally up to the age of 11/12, are still very much awake in their imagination and express their experiences quite naturally through art. As they develop into the teenage years, their imagination is confronted with the complexity of identity development, the who am I complex. Focusing on something is not easy during these times, yet, art offers the space where these dif-
Quotes from parents
ficult issues can be explored. The biggest problem which I have noticed is that many teenagers think that they are not good enough at art. There is an accepted norm (wherever that came from) that art should look a certain way and normally this so-called certain way looks something very realistically correct. It takes referencing and exploration into the variety of artistic expressions in the art world to see the vast strains of artistic experiences, in order to open up these restricted viewpoints. It also takes a lot of motivation of the personal artistic abilities in order to keep or regain the self-
“When first visiting ISW, we thought: What an ambience of open-minded international people - that is the place, where our kids should go to school. When now entering the school everyday and observing our boys in their development, we think: they live on a daily basis to become international minded people, accompanied by teachers, who are great individuals from all around the world, committed to the children from all kind of nationalities. PYP students learning to sculpt wire models from drawings.
When - unfortunately - now leaving ISW, we know: they were greatly helped to become citizens of the world: tolerant, able to share different thinking and eager to learn many new thinks! Thanks!� Kristina Stiefel Former Early Years 2 and Kindergarten Parent To us ISW is the difference. One of our children used to be very shy. Now after 2.5 years she stands up in front of audiences large or small to sing or give a presentation - and she judges herself to be good! She will carry that with her all her life, wherever she goes.
confidence in the individual expression. The world is so full of beautiful details, which we overlook in our rush or forget, because we have seen them so often. Yet when we look at nature, it is never the same, everyday is different: this is also the teaching in art, to look again at the ordinary and discover something more, different or other.
ISW has a unique group of teachers. They are committed, fun, enjoyable for kids and parents, they teach well and they enjoy their workplace together. After visiting all major international schools in the greater Zurich area, we chose ISW - and then found a home close to the school in Winterthur. We have never regreted this decision. Boers Brita Westelius Grade 1, Grade 3 and Grade 7 Parent
MYP students creating animations during the creative process of their charcoal drawings.
The teachers at ISW do not teach to a standardized test. There is true learning happening at this school, beginning with a unit of inquiry. There is a sincere collaborative effort among the teachers in each area of study so that learning is holistic. Students are expected to participate at a higher level, and in doing so, they take an active, responsible role in their learning. And finally, there is an open door policy which makes accessibility to the teachers and staff immediate. Roz Birkelo Grade 5 and Grade 8 Parent
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Effects of a Forgiving Environment on our Children By: Katie Mott School Counsellor/Psychologist A metaphor of two porcupines huddling together to give each other warmth, but pricking each other at the same time, is a perfect image of why forgiveness is so important in our everyday lives. We are social beings in need of warmth and closeness from our fellow humans but at the same time, by doing so, we put ourselves in a vulnerable position, making it easy for others to hurt us. Experiencing such hurt in a relationship typically elicits anger, fear, avoidance, revenge and aggression, which need to be dealt with, so as not to harm the self or the relationship. All these facts have led recent psychological research to focus on forgiveness as a mechanism to enhance wellbeing and health, making forgiveness the key to dealing with hurtful circumstances in a healthy, positive way.
But what does forgiveness encompass? People tend to believe that reconciliation (i.e. making up) and neglect (i.e. ignoring the transgression) are essential elements of forgiveness, whereas researchers clearly dismiss these concepts. Psychological research usually understands forgiveness to be an unconditional act, not dependant on reconciliation or the reestablishment of a healthy relationship with the transgressor; still confessions and apologies may promote forgiveness but are not a
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requirement for the process. To forgive, one must admit to being unjustly treated and hurt, and must make a conscious decision to commit to the forgiveness process. Forgiveness definitely is not just forgetting, charitableness, acceptance, approval, pardon, denial or justification; rather it is a deliberate choice made in full understanding of the facts. Many studies have demonstrated the relevance of forgiveness. An individual’s stress level is lowered by forgiveness to such a degree that positive effects can be measured for the immune and cardiovascular system, thereby largely improving physical health. Furthermore forgiving individuals report less pain, anger and psychological distress than persons less inclined to forgive. It has also been confirmed that persons with a forgiving disposition report having fewer anxiety disorders, depression and anger. Considering all these findings that point to forgiveness as an extremely effective mechanism to enhance health and well-being, it seems obvious that we need to try to foster and promote it. Another positive effect of enhanced forgiveness includes the lessening of violence, which in this day and age of escalating youth violence seem to be a crucial point to address. An important element in these violent situations seems to be the inability to resolve conflict, which might deescalate if forgiveness were involved. Many adolescents involved in violence report that they were motivated by anger and a desire for revenge. If children are learning to forgive, where are they learning this vital quality? Parental socialization is the best bet, laying the foundation for empathy, lessened anger and shame, appropriate guilt and other aspects of forgiveness. Family ties are very important due to the fact that
family relationships are long term and very intimate. In addition, in a family setting, there is a high occurrence of transgressions, making forgiveness in a family an important coping mechanism that should be encouraged and enhanced. Our surroundings teach us how to interpret and assess our feelings, as well as provide us with strategies for managing our emotions. Children internalize how people typically behave based on family experiences. Therefore a family that fosters forgiveness as a strategy to cope with distress and emotional pain, broadens the child’s emotional and social competences, while helping him/ her internalize this behavior pattern. One was also able to prove that mothers have the greatest hand in forming the forgiveness traits of their daughters, whereas fathers contribute most in the shaping of their sons’ forgiveness. The fact that sons look to their fathers for behavior modeling, while daughters model their mother’s behavior makes eminent sense. Not only are parents the initial models for adult behavior, they also are the primary models for gender related behavior. Our porcupine cannot help but prick the other. But it seems that the environment has a large influence on how this hurt is dealt with. To know that it is possible to cultivate and enhance such a strong predictor for health and well-being is sensational. With this knowledge, we should now focus on creating an environment in our homes and here at school that nurtures forgiveness as a healthy response. It is important that we all try to be the best role models we can for our children. Our behavior as parents (and teachers) not only affects our children’s lives but forms their future behavior patterns as well.
Brain Research and its Impact on Parents and Educators By: Marie France Labelle MYP Teacher/DP Coordinator
For the past 5 years, there have been significant discoveries about the ways in which the human brain functions and assimilates information. Thanks to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), thousands of brains have been scanned and so, researchers are able to, more than ever before, make informed and appropriate recommendations for educators who, every day, need to instill knowledge in children or adolescents who sit in their classes. The brain is the most complex biological organ known and its development is only starting to be understood. According to research, the human brain has reached 95% of its full size by the age of six. Does this mean that a child`s capabilities to learn and his/her personality is fixed at this age? Not really, but the capacity to be skilled in many different areas is building up only during childhood. Due to the brain`s exuberant growth during the pre-puberty years, exposure to a variety of learning opportunities becomes crucial for several reasons. First, children need to build long robust neurons (brain cells) with thick myelin sheaths (like insulation around a wire) as this is important for impulses (messages) to be received and transmitted. All that needs to be done to acquire
these perfect building blocks is: drink lots of water, sleep and eat a balanced diet – yes, it is that simple! Second, millions of connections between brain cells (made with dendrites – like little arms) need to be formed. This is where parents and educators have significant roles in brain development because we need to help the children make these connections. We have a tough job because it is known that approximately 100 billion neurons form an individual’s brain and each has, on average, 7,000 connections to other neurons. It has been estimated that the brain of a three-year-old child has about 1 quadrillion connections for example. Unfortunately, this number declines significantly with age, stabilizing by adulthood. Can we not learn anything else as adults? Dr. Giedd from the American National Institute of Mental Health found, through his research on the adolescent brain, that the grey matter in the brain (which is used for thinking) thickens as more and more connections are made. On the other hand, he found surprisingly that this grey matter peaks around the time of puberty and starts to thin as the brain gets rid of any excess connections, simply because it becomes selective. Hence, the connections that are regularly used develop further and become stronger. This means that whatever the adolescent is spending his/her time doing will affect how their brain develops. Dr Giedd states, “If a teen is doing arts, sports or academics, those are the cells and connections that will be hard-wired. If they are lying on the couch or playing video games... those are the cells and connections that will survive.” We, as parents and educators, have to believe fully in the “use it or lose it” principle and encourage all children/teenagers to engage in all kinds of activities, even those that are more challenging and require more out of them.
More importantly, we need to help them develop that inner drive or ambition to gain more knowledge and skills. A Stanford psychology professor Carl Dweck, asks parents and educators to praise the children`s “effort, strategy and progress rather than emphasizing their ‘smartness’ or praising high performance alone.” Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that there is a strong link between the brain`s major center for processing emotional events (the amygdala) and the cerebral cortex (where information is stored). Therefore, it is important to create situations where positive high emotions are felt (i.e. giving tests, surprises, exposure to uncomfortable situations, etc...) so that the brain can remember longer. During an IBO conference in Morocco last year, I had the chance to attend a presentation on brain research and its links
to education by JoAnn Deak, Ph. D., an educator and psychologist – a truly accomplished woman! She wrote numerous articles and two books: Girls Will Be Girls: Raising Confident and Courageous Daughters, Hyperion. 2002 and How Girls Thrive, published by the National Association of Independent Schools, 1998. She illustrates exciting new ways in which we can help empower girls to learn and strive as they struggle through stress and the pressures of the teenage years because it is a fact that female brains differ to male brains in various ways. Thus, as educators, we should pay attention differently to the needs of girls and boys, for example, if a girl `believes` that a teacher truly cares about them, they will `think`. This is when they
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become passionate about a subject or about what they are engaged in. We should also create tasks that develop the right and the left side of the brain. There are thousands of resources nowadays on ways of improving `brain power`. These range from taking medication to exercising the brain with `brain gym` but, in the end, the brain feeds on stimulation, water and a good diet to develop. So, our job as educators and parents is to expose children to opportunities to learn and strive (so that they make trillions of connections) and to educate teenagers on how to take care of themselves (so that they can keep those connections).
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ISW WorldFest September 2009
Physical Education and Why it Applies to the Lives of our Students By: Shane Peter Athletic Director
At International School Winterthur the sports program offers a variety of individual and team sports. The curriculum offers sport to all ages ranging from three to sixteen years old. There is also the opportunity for after school sports for our Middle Years’ students. Throughout the Early Years’ and Primary Years’ Program the students learn a range of skills and games meant to develop their fitness, coordination and cognitive abilities. The units within our sports curriculum are designed to match and enhance the inquiry units of the homeroom class. This means that while learning about civil rights in class, students are also learning how civil rights pertain to sports during a unit on games. The physical education PYP units are broken down into five areas. Each area is designed to focus on a specific skill. The six areas are music and motion, body control and spatial awareness, gymnastics, adventure challenge, health related activities, and games. Music and motion is a dance related unit where the students develop skills related to rhythm and beat while doing sports. During this unit all PYP students learn a variety of dances and games centred on music. At ISW the students learn the basic steps of the
salsa, the waltz and the two-step. You can usually tell when the music and motion unit is taking place because teachers and parents are often seen gathering outside the gymnasium door to watch, in particular, the Early Years students moving their feet to a salsa beat. The units focus around body control and spatial awareness and are designed to improve the students’ fine motor skills, including their hand/eye coordination and stop-andgo reactions. Gymnastics is a unit where students learn the basics of gymnastic movements developing a variety of jumps and tumbles. Adventure challenge is always the most fun unit of the year, as this is the where the students must learn to think outside of the box. It is great for kinaesthetic learners as they must use a mixture of mental and physical prowess as well as quite a bit of teamwork to solve puzzles. Health related activities are tied into every unit and is specific to the older PYP students. This unit is designed to give these older students a more in-depth look at biology, nutrition and health while still doing their fitness activities. The games unit is a chance for students to learn different games and sports as well as develop teamwork skills. For the Middle Years’ students the program is focused much more extensively around fitness. The main goal of physical education in the Middle Years is to
teach the students how to lead healthy and active lifestyles long after they graduate. A second goal of the physical education in the Middle Years is to show students how they can transfer what they learned to help individuals in their own community. In the Middle Years’ Program the students learn a mixture of practical and theoretical skills pertaining to fitness and health, as well as learning the skills needed to coach and referee teams. In physical education the students learn about different exercise programs and the benefits and weaknesses of each one. On top of having physical education twice a week the Middle Years’ Programme students are also given the option to participate in several sports clubs and represent their school (in after school sports). After school, ISW offers Latin dance club, rock climbing, basketball and martial arts. If the students wish to compete against other international schools they can represent ISW on either the boys or girls football team or in track and field. As a growing school there is always the possibility of adding new sports to our program. As long as the students are interested in sports we are willing to offer it.
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The Language of Life and Learning: Drama
By: Tania Erzinger Language Arts/ Grade 5
I think you learn a lot about a country from its art. To me, it’s part of the drama of life. It teaches you that there are places, moments and incidents in other cultures that genuinely have a life of their own. –Michael Palin, comedian, actor, writer. Since people were very young children, they have learned to distinguish between the conversations of play and those of everyday life and exploring the boundaries between the two can be a great source of delight. It is from children’s innate capacity for play, and upon understandings they gain from participating in play, that dramatic activity can be constructed, (Wintson & Tandy,2001: vii-viii). In grade 5 the students have the opportunity every week to develop their imagination and use their creativity by applying it to an array of drama situations. The idea is that the students use drama to make connections between the unit of inquiry and language. This assists them in becoming more aware how the concepts are interrelated and their impact on their overall learning. In other words, the main objective is that the students attain an emotional and conceptual understanding of their work and be able to make an instant connection between imaginative and real-life situations. An example of this has been the grade 5 introduction to the origins of Greek theatre and traditions during the Unit of Inquiry, entitled: Legacies: An Examination of Past Civilizations. The students were introduced to Thespis, who is considered one of, if not the first, Greek actors as well as the origins of tragedy and comedy. The types of costumes the Greeks used consisted mainly of their masks. Both myself and the art teacher Mr. Swanepoel collaborated on a Greek theatre mask making project. This has allowed the students to create a cast mask similar to the ones the early Greeks used. The students are currently designing their masks according to their character and the character description they were responsible for writing. Grade 5 was also exposed to information about some of the earliest Greek theatre buildings (theatron) and how they functioned. The students were then able to hold a lively discussion comparing what they had learned about early theatre with what they already knew about theatre today. This was linked to language arts by discussing how the genres of comedy and tragedy are depicted in books and films of today. Following this, the students were introduced to Aesop and the impact his fables have had throughout history. The students rehearsed a series of fables by Aesop, memorized their lines, wrote character analysis and started to understand the importance of stage blocking. These fables were performed at the December 2009 Winter Event. This will give the students a chance to incorporate their creative expression along with some technical skills they have acquired and actually use these skills to perform in front of a varied audience.
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It is important to add that the students have begun to grasp the importance of warming up their face, body and voice before every drama session, with extra emphasis being placed on voice projection. There are some noticeable improvements in how the students address the class when they raise their hand during discussions and want to address the class as a whole. This is a direct result of how drama and performing helps to build confidence in the students. According to drama expert Mark Almond, acting helps build confidence because apart from the aspect of performance and applause, it is totally collaborative and mutually supportive. The students rely on each other to succeed in producing something of value and quality. As the class becomes more involved in the different aspects of drama they will be asked to also use their story writing skills to develop scripts from different stories they have heard. The students will be guided to adapt these stories to be used for drama, and will then take responsibility for their scripts, creating their own stage production. It is through the development of their drama skills that grade 5 is also honing their confidence, learning to deal with group dynamics by working together in small to whole class dramatizations. The students are getting to take part in activities that enable them to channel various learning styles such as visual, kinaesthetic or auditory. Naturally they will rely on the one that suits them best during this learning process. Through drama, language becomes more personal and the meanings of language can be played with through variation in the way the words are spoken, leading to different interpretations. Drama is also a wonderful way for students to find out the meaning of unknown language in a context which often makes sense to them. Lastly, drama in grade 5 is used to combine all subjects helping the students to make connections between the questions asked and the main ideas that support the inquiry. Bibliography: Almond, Mark. Teaching English with Drama. London: Modern English Publishing Ltd., 2005. Winston J and Tandy, M. Beginning Drama 4-11. David Fulton Publishers, 2001.
Promoting Differentiation By: Ron Sietz MYP Teacher students are adept at computer technology, while others would rather spend a quiet hour reading. Some students are gifted musically, some are gifted artistically, and others technologically.
As educators, all of the teachers at International School Winterthur are student-oriented. Our students come first, whether it be in the classroom, on the athletic fields, during the overnight camping trips, or in the afterschool clubs. We tailor our ideas, plans and curricula around one question: what is best for our students? Obviously, this can be quite a dilemma with so many students from so many different backgrounds (and nationalities), each with different skills and learning levels. The answer lies in the teaching philosophy of Differentiation. What is Differentiation? At its core, ISW teachers understand that all students are unique, are individuals, and are, well...different. Thus, the emphasis of our curriculum is to address all these diverse areas on an individual basis, and on a class-wide basis. All students need to be motivated in a dynamic way that emphasizes their personal strengths. For instance, some students are aural learners and some are visual learners. Some students enjoy working in groups while others prefer to work alone. Some
So how do ISW teachers deal with this dilemma? In short, we allow, in our curricula and assessments, for students to maximize their individual potentials. At the basis of our ideology are the EAL (English as an Additional Language) and Learning Resources/Special Needs Programs. These programs allow all students to be active in regular, mainstream classes with their peers, despite only having a few years of training in the English language, or having other learning-based deficiencies. At ISW, we understand these issues and are professionally adept at dealing with them. ISW employs a full-time EAL instructor who aids students in improving overall proficiency in the English language. Our Special Needs Department focuses on other educational issues, not necessarily related to the English language. Of importance is our commitment to keeping students together, and not separating them due to differences in language or learning ability. We feel they learn better when they are with their friends and allowed to work to their strengths – instead of excluding them because of their differences.
On a classroom basis, teachers at ISW focus on each individual student and
modify their curricula and assessments accordingly. For instance, MYP projects allow for students to choose their own area of inquiry (in which to study). Projects allow students to choose an appropriate study which aligns with their own personal strengths, whether it be writing a poem or short story, painting a portrait, writing a song, presenting a power point/technology project, making a video, working with computer graphics, mathematical formulas, acting out scenes from a play, or even participating in debates. There really is no limit to what we allow students to do. In fact, we encourage them to think analytically question the textbooks, and inquire further into any area of learning or study that interests them. The staff makes maximum use of the computer lab, art room, music room; and library as ancillary resources for our classes. As far as clubs go, ISW offers everything from Latin dancing to robotics to basketball to silk painting, to Harry Potter to science. We have taken advantage of our multi-cultural, multi-talented staff and have created a vibrant lunchtime and afterschool environment. Our emphasis, as always, is to provide numerous and engaging activities that meet the needs of all of our students.
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Mother Tongue Development, a First Step to Internationalism By: Jenny Rosenberg Grade 2 Teacher In international education, language learning plays a major role, where the language of instruction may not be the students’ first language. Language, and not necessarily only one language, is fundamental to learning, thinking and communicating. The development of mother tongues and language learning strategies is crucial for cognitive development and maintaining cultural identity. The support of mother tongues also increases intercultural awareness and facilitates personal growth. We have to know who we are and where we come from in order to know where we are going and who we are becoming. This school year (2009-2010) ISW offers Swedish lessons for native speakers in the PYP. Every Tuesday afternoon Swedish students from ISW and a group from Swiss schools in the neighborhood come to learn Swedish. The purpose of the course is to maintain and develop the language and to learn about traditions, geography and history. The Swedish lessons are important for both students who intend to go back to national schools in Sweden and for those who are planning to stay overseas. The Swedish state is supporting the teaching and Swiss students from national schools in Canton Zürich even receive grades from the Swedish course. As a teacher in an international school system, the Swedish teaching gives me time to reflect on my own cultural identity and national background. The teaching keeps me updated on what is happening in my own home country and how the Swedish language is developing. It is also interesting to become ‘teacher Jenny’ to the children instead of Mrs. Rosenberg as we call teachers by their first names in Sweden. The Swedish lessons also offer a good opportunity for the students to reflect on their backgrounds and to share thoughts about the coun-
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try they live in compared with Sweden. In grade 2 we have 8 different mother tongues this year and I have developed more mother tongue activities to support the children in their learning. The teaching and learning should always be engaging, relevant and significant for the students and an interest in their national backgrounds and different language backgrounds, the teaching becomes all of it. Every week a student from grade 2 prepares a language mini-lesson in his or her mother tongue. The other students learn how alphabets are different and how some languages are similar. We have Mother Tongue Reading Buddies every week together with Early Years’ students. The children are paired up with another student who has the same mother tongue and they read and communicate with each other in the language they speak at home. This weekly time gives the students opportunities to develop their mother tongues together and increase their confidence and cultural awareness. The grade 2 children also write and express themselves in a Mother Tongue Journal for homework. It helps them to keep contact with their home country, family and friends. By supporting and encouraging the mother tongues as one part of the school work we do in class, I can see that the children have gained more confidence and more interest in learning from each other. Teaching internationalism starts by encouraging students to express themselves in their own languages. By listening to each other and being openminded we can learn different ways of thinking and can communicate better. I want the students to be proud of their cultural backgrounds and feel motivated to share their language and culture. Both teaching and learning is mutual and we can all learn from each other.
Do you know... International School Winterthur has moved in and around the Hegifeldstrasse three times since it opened in 2002. The school began at Hegifeldstrasse 10, in the old Sulzer building, then moved to 4a, the TMZ building, and now to 30, which has been renamed Zum Park 5. In 2002, the school opened with only 12 students, and we have now grown to over 145! One of our 1st students who joined us in August 2002 in 6th grade, has now graduated and earned the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma!
German in the MYP By: Susan Lüthi and Carlos Dombrowski MYP German Teachers In the native speaker program Standard German is taught. Standard German differs slightly between Germanspeaking countries in vocabulary and in some instances pronunciation, and even grammar and orthography. Standard German is officially used in Northern Germany, Swiss Standard German in Switzerland, and Austrian Standard German in the Austrian education system. German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world’s major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 95 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native speakers. Overall it is the third most learned language worldwide, and the third most taught language in the English speaking world after French and Spanish. German is spoken primarily in Germany (95% of population), Austria (89%) and Switzerland (65%). The majority of the small population in Lichtenstein also speaks German. Other European German-speaking communities are found in Nothern Italy, in the East Cantons of Belgium, in the French Alsace region and in some border villages in Denmark. One of the largest concentrations of German speakers outside the European Union can be found in the United States (1,4 million). An indication of German presence can be found in the names of such places as Bismarck, Munich, Karlsruhe, and Strasburg in North Dakota, New Braunfels and Muenster in Texas, and Kiel, Berlin and Germantown in Wisconsin. At ISW, MYP German is divided into two separate programs; the native speaker program (German language A), and the program for those who have to learn German as an additional language (German language B).
To grant a smooth conversion for students being taught in the official Swiss
system who like to join our school, we teach the official Swiss Standard German. Therefore, students will find a familiar environment in the German classes, as well as the official German school books, which are widely used in the secondary schools in Kanton Zürich.
vide a method of assessing and teaching which applies to all languages in Europe, the use of which offers a system of learning, teaching and assessment appropriate to all six reference levels (A1C2), which are becoming widely accepted as the European standard for grading an individual’s language proficiency. This includes a constant progression of the passive and active skills as well as the vocabulary and has developed a broad variety of learning material closely related to each part of the learning process conceived on the background of learner centered teaching methods. As the CEF highlights, the significance of language as a tool for everyday life and communication – particularly on the levels A1-B1 on which we are focused – we usually work with a method known as Task-based Language Learning (TBLL). This is a method that focuses on the use of authentic language, and to students doing meaningful tasks using the target language; for example visiting the doctor, conducting an interview, or calling the customer care for help. Assessment is primarily based on task outcome rather than simply on accuracy of language forms. This makes TBLL especially popular for developing target language fluency and student confidence.
In addition we strive to combine the German units with the other subjects taught in our school, encourage the students to use and compare both languages, and finally to acquire a deep understanding and interest in the language, its grammar and literature. As another change to last year, language groups are not only divided consistently into language A and B (Native and Non-Native) courses, but are also separated completely according to the grade level. This allows us to introduce an overall criterion-based curriculum for language B that is oriented towards the Common European Framework for Languages (CEF). As a guideline to describing achievements of learners in foreign languages across Europe, its aim is to pro-
At ISW we have four German teachers; German is a mandatory language from Kindergarten upwards (though Early years also has classes). At ISW we also offer Mandarin, French, and English as an Additional Language.
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We’re an International School, Why do WE Need Philanthropic Support? By: Candice Olgun Marketing/ Fundraising Coordinator Often there is the misconception that because we are an international school, we are a “private school”, and that tuition fees equate to a large profit margin, however, this is not the case for our school. International School Winterthur was created by a foundation and is a non-profit school, which means school fees only cover the cost of staffing, facilities and running the program. For anything over and above this, the school needs to find other means of raising funds.
What has fundraising helped us achieve?
Over the years we have received a lot of support from parents and the Parents’ Association with regard to our fundraising efforts. To date, with help, our school has been able to buy 3 interactive whiteboards, build a new playground and a new computer lab as well as the computers that are needed for it. This year we hope our fundraising efforts will be successful enough to build a new Chemistry Lab that is a much-needed addition to the school in order to support our newly authorized IB Diploma Program.
In 2008, ISW fundraising helped fund the building of a playground at our new location in Zum Park 5
If you are interested in supporting the school with any contributions big or small, please contact Candice Olgun on 052 269 59 00 or email: candice.olgun@iswinterthur.ch
How the schools funds are distributed In 2009, ISW fundraising raised money to help fund the new computer lab which is being built for the new school year 2010 / 2011
ISW renovation projects 2010 / 2011 4th floor chemistry lab, 2nd computer lab/media center 5th floor classrooms for MYP and DP, drama room, robotics/animation room Only 0.3% of the school’s finances come from money raised through fundraising
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Building/rental of gym facility
Middle Years’ Program Information Technology at ISW
By : Colin Chapman MYP Teacher
The MYP is guided by three fundamental concepts: Holistic learning representing the notion that all knowledge is interrelated and that the curriculum should cater for the development of the whole person, attributes of which are described by the IB learner profile. Particular emphasis is placed on: • • •
The understanding of concepts The mastery of skills The development of attitudes that can lead to considered and appropriate action
Intercultural awareness the encouragement and promotion of international-mindedness as reflected in the attributes of the IB learner profile. Communication the development and encouragement of open and effective communication which are important skills that contribute to international understanding, as exemplified by the attributes of the IB learner profile. A core challenge for learners is how to incorporate information in a productive, judicious, effective and efficacious search for understanding. The three fundamental concepts of the MYP seek to provide a checklist of processes that help learners judge whether their use of technology is appropriate to their learning objectives. Projects in the MYP are designed to encourage learners to make choices about how they learn, their evaluation of their learning and how they communicate their learning to others. How learners choose, use and assess technology to augment their learning is a key concern of the International School Winterthur program. International School Winterthur seeks to encourage learners to: Develop their understanding of concepts by using technology as a research tool, experimental platform, communications hub and reflective space. Gain mastery of skills through the use of technology to provide opportunities for participation in simulations, the use of review tools, the provision of assessment of abilities and forum discussions and peer review. Form attitudes that can lead to considered and appropriate action by using information technology for local and international collaborative work, discussion, social networking and sharing of information and ideas. To these ends the International School Winterthur prioritizes the student and their learning when we engage with information technology. Information technology is more than a tool, it should be a focus of our critical, evaluative and creative endeavours if it is to be a truly effective means to learn.
Drama in the Middle Years’ Program By: Michelle Benzing MYP Teacher
During the first weeks of this school year, a brand new grade 6 drama student asked me “Ms. Benzing, what is the point of drama? Why do we do it?” I love it when they just get to the bottom of something all on their own. It was an excellent question and one I wish more students would ask. The group discussed it for quite awhile and then we agreed that the main purpose of drama is that it is another way to communicate our ideas, feelings and beliefs, and that it can reach people in a much more creative and interesting way.... as it has for centuries all over the world. I am a devout believer in arts education, and am saddened by its loss via budget cuts in so many other schools. The arts, and drama in particular, have numerous benefits for young people. Drama may seem like “an extra” in any program, but the skills learned will be used throughout life: communication, collaboration, concentration, self-confidence, voice and speech, physicality, as well as fully embracing the design cycle. At ISW I have also seen the benefits for emerging English speakers, frequently drama be-
ing the one place where new students can express themselves and their lack of English does not hold them back. It’s an incredible confidence booster for these students. I am also pleased by the overwhelmingly positive response to drama from our students, especially our current 10th graders who have asked to be able to continue drama at Diploma level.
How I came to teach Drama I have been involved in theatre and drama since I was a young, and though hard to imagine, shy child. After my family had relocated at the beginning of one summer vacation, my mother was trying to figure out what to do with me for three long months. She saw an announcement for auditions at a local university theatre, and asked me if I would be interested. I was a little unsure, but once I arrived at the audition I decided I could do it, and landed my first part. For the next fifteen years acting was my passion and I was involved with numerous productions and theatre companies in the U.S. My shyness slowly dissipated and my self-confidence grew. Not being
the best student ever, drama helped me to stay focused on my studies and was the primary reason I attended university. After auditioning and being accepted for a number of university drama programs, I decided on the North Carolina School of the Arts, one of the top ten drama schools in the U.S. and known as the “Julliard of the South.” For two years I studied everything from dance, voice, movement and acting, to stage combat, and basic stagecraft, with teachers from all over the world. It was a grueling schedule, but one I value beyond words. However, I came to the conclusion that as much as I loved the work of acting, I wasn’t particularly fond of actors, and that by nature I am not the most competitive of people.... two things one must have a limitless supply of to be a professional actor. (Also, the prospect of waiting tables for the rest of my life did not thrill me either.) I chose to take a year off, worked in a few productions in Chicago, before deciding to finish my undergraduate degree in the liberal arts instead. Since then I have worked with small acting ensembles on a variety of projects.
The MYP Drama Curriculum I have been teaching drama (along with English/language arts) for the past 11 years in a variety of settings and to all ages of children. It takes great energy as a teacher, but is a wonderful complement to my other classes. While in Chicago I was lucky to foster a working relationship with Karen Eriksson who is an actor and arts educator. She helped me to transform my own drama training and experience into valuable experiences for my students. We’re still in touch and I utilize many of her books and ideas in my classroom daily. Last year I wrote ISW’s MYP drama curriculum. It is a four level program: the first year students learn about the tools of the actor and explore creative drama; the second year emphasizes creating characters and monologues and two-person scene study work; the third year is devoted to studying and creating Greek dramas, and the final year focuses on Shakespeare in the first unit, and writing and performing one-act plays in the second. I think this a well-rounded program which will expose students to a wide variety of techniques and experiences. In addition, I am now offering two field trips a year for students to see professional theater here in Switzerland. Please let me know of any opportunities you are aware of as well!
Student Drama Opportunities Community and Service through performance- For the past two years I have
offered students an after-lunch club to earn community and service hours through performance. We have collaborated with PYP to create public service announcement plays about bullying and hygiene. We also have created a play about jobs for an Early Years unit of work. This year we are currently working on drama lessons for MYP students to teach to each PYP class. There is still room in the club if your child would like to participate Intensives- Intensives are weeklong courses that allow MYP students the opportunity to study one subject area indepth. (Last year students had a choice of rugby, biking, yoga or drama). Each year for the drama intensive we put on a full production in one week. In 200708 I only had 7 students who put on a stellar performance of The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas. Students created all aspects of the performance: costumes, make-up, sets, as well as rehearsing and creating characters. In 2008/9 we had 17 students who signed up and staged a much larger production of Frumpled Fairy Tales by Bill Springer. In addition to staging the play from the ground up, students were given the opportunity to do a backstage tour of the Zurich Opera House. Parents played a large role in this bigger production helping with everything from costumes, make-up and sets to loading and unloading the props. Again, it was amazing what we achieved in only 5 days!
MYP Arts Exhibition- before 2009, MYP students would participate in the Winter Event as a venue to share the work from their arts classes. As the school has grown, it was decided that a more ageappropriate way to showcase the MYP arts is through an Art Exhibition. In January last year, semester one MYP students hosted an evening of their work including sharing their visual art, animation, music and drama. It was an excellent evening. This year we intend to do the same, but would like to add a spring exhibition for second semester students as well.
School-wide Drama This year, ISW teacher Tania Erzinger has been teaching drama in the PYP, and is preparing to lead the DP drama program next year. We are excited to have this opportunity to expand drama on a schoolwide level, and to collaborate across programmes! One of our goals for the next school year is to stage a full-school production.
Parental Support Please let us know if you have any special talents that would lend themselves to our drama program; painting, sewing, costume or make-up design, stage managing, lighting, sound, musical talents, etc. Any and all of these would be an excellent addition!
International School Winterthur, Zum Park 5, CH-8404 Winterthur Tel: +41(0) 52 269 59 00 Fax: +41 (0) 52 269 59 02 Email: administration@iswinterthur.ch Web: www.iswinterthur.ch Design and Layout by: Candice Olgun