PECHERSK SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL
WINTER 2019–2020
PSI LIFE
Thinking Many of us don't think about thinking — we just do it. At PSI, Thinking is one of our three strategic plan goal destinations. We think about thinking a lot!
PSI Life Quarterly Magazine WWW.PSI.KIEV.UA
PECHERSK SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL
WINTER 2019–2020
Thinking Many of us don't think about thinking — we just do it. At PSI, Thinking is one of our three strategic plan goal destinations. We think about thinking a lot!
PRIMARY
PSI LIFE
PSI Life is published quarterly by Marketing and Communications Department of Pechersk School International, Kyiv for students, alumni, parents, and friends of the school.
SECONDARY
Chief Editor – Emma Zelenina emmaz@psi.kiev.ua Copy Editor – Patricia Puia patriciap@psi.kiev.ua Layout Design – Max Mart Printed by: “Ukrdruk” Publishing company
Pechersk School International, 7a Victora ZabilyKyiv, Ukraine, 03039 Phone: (380 44) 377 5292 Fax: (380 44) 377 5242 communication@psi.kiev.uawww.psi.kiev.ua
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COMMUNITY
Founder
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EDITOR’S LETTER
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DIRECTOR’S NEWS
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BOARD'S UPDATE
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DIRECTOR OF LEARNING
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FROM THE PRIMARY PRINCIPAL
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PYP COORDINATOR THINKING
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THINKING ABOUT CHILD SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION
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GRADE 2. BUILDING THINKING SKILLS THROUGH CURIOSITY, WONDERING AND QUESTIONING
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DEVELOPING THINKERS IN GRADE 4
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MAKING THINKING VISIBLE IN EAL
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DEVELOPING MUSICAL THINKING THROUGH DIFFERENT LENSES
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VISIBLE THINKING MATTERS
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FROM THE SECONDARY PRINCIPAL
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THINKING IN DP LANGUAGE CLASSES
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DESIGN THINKERS
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FACILITATING THINKING IN TEACHING MATHEMATICS.
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PTA NEWS
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PHYSICAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND ECA
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THINKING THROUGH CAS
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THINKING IN THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHING CAS PROJECT
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COMPASS POINTS DETERMINING DIRECTION
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ALUMNI
THINKING
Dear PSI Community
By Emma Zelenina, Marketing and Admissions Manager
What a wonderful winter season it has already been for PSI! The PTA International Night, CEESA Primary concerts, Secondary production, assemblies, CAS projects, every day classes, and snowflakes - all this that we have enjoyed so far makes it one of my favourite seasons of our school life. This Winter 2019 edition focuses on one of our Strategic Plan Goals - Thinking. As our director Rachel Caldwell mentioned in her article: 'Many of us don't think about thinking — we just do it. At PSI, thinking is one of our three strategic plan goal destinations. We think about thinking a lot!' Please enjoy reading this edition of PSI Life, where you will see some great examples of students’ lives and will get some thoughts and inspiration for a new year ahead.. With so many best wishes for the winter holidays and New Year 2020 - happy winter break, and warm warm holiday greetings to all of us !
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Director’s News
Thinking About Thinking Rachel Caldwell PSI Director
Many of us don't think about thinking — we just do it. At PSI, thinking is one of our three strategic plan goal destinations. We think about thinking a lot! Educators know that our students need to think in certain ways. They need to think on a level that is higher than memorising facts or regurgitating received information. Rote memory (memorising and repeating information without having to think about it) can be useful when only recall is required, but in itself, it is an ineffective tool for achieving conceptual understanding, for problem-solving or for creating. Since it is in these areas that we know our students must develop strength and confidence, it is these areas where we focus our efforts. Thinking means concentrating on one thing long enough to develop an idea about it. It does not mean learning about other people's ideas, or memorising a body of information, although these approaches may sometimes be useful. Developing your own ideas is, in short, the goal; i.e., thinking for yourself.
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Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try! Dr. Seuss
Our IB programmes provide strong frameworks in this regard. Inquiry-based learning programmes and concept-driven curriculum provide increased opportunities to focus on the teaching of generic skills, including thinking. Transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary learning environments are created at PSI, and time is dedicated to the teaching of thinking and to the development of metacognition.
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Our IB programmes encourage and help our students to: – ask challenging questions – think critically – develop research skills proven to help them in higher education. In addition, our teachers have been exposed to Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero’s Cultures of Thinking (CoT), which are defined by the group itself, as places where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted as part of the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members. Recently, we enjoyed a return visit from Mark Church, a consultant with Harvard Project Zero’s Making Thinking Visible and Cultures of Thinking initiatives worldwide. During his first visit in November 2018, Mark challenged PSI faculty to foster thinking dispositions in students in order to better enable deep understanding. He invited teachers to promote a discourse of thinking in their classrooms. Mark also encouraged teachers to make their classroom environments rich with the documents of student thinking processes. His second visit took us on a discovery of the cultures of thinking active within our school. Facilitated by Mark, a group of more than 20 teachers took part in the ‘snapshot protocol’ that involved observing others in order to think about ourselves as educators - an impactful approach we intend to continue.
Another initiative in its early stages of development at PSI is Design Thinking. There are different variants of the Design Thinking process, but they all embody the same principles. PSI has two faculty members trained in the Stanford University Design School (also known as the d.school) process. The five phases of Design Thinking, according to the d.school, are: – Empathise - with your users – Define - your users’ needs, their problem, and your insights – Ideate - by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative solutions – Prototype - to start creating solutions – Test -solution The potential for this model is expansive. It has already been used successfully with groups of students to: – Re-design a learning space to make it more agile and responsive to learner needs – Revise the student code of conduct in the Secondary School – Introduce the MYP Personal Project Thinking is a high priority here at PSI. In Voltaire’s thoughtful words: ‘No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.’ What better reason can exist for our commitment to this skill and disposition which creates extraordinary possibilities. I hope you enjoy this edition of PSI Life and that it provides plenty of pause for thought.
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Board's Update
The PSI Strategic Plan 2019/20: thinking Alex Munteanu Board Chair
‘Je pense, donc je suis’ – René Descartes - et certainement plusieurs autres
If the act of (critical) thinking is analysis of facts to form a judgment, the collective thinking of (any) Board of Governors should distill (different) judgments and lead to decisions and / or actions. It’s important to let all opinions be heard and debated within established rules and processes to avoid proverbial fallacies, e.g., ‘groupthink’ as described by Irving Janis in his outstanding book. Another extreme would be to fall into ‘paralysis by analysis’, defined as overanalysing or overthinking a situation that can cause forward motion or decisionmaking to become ‘paralysed’. The ‘golden middle way’ is the process of balancing on which we focused in detail in the previous edition of this magazine.
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A good illustration of our Board’s strategic thinking and decision making is the phase three of PSI campus development. It was important to start assessing it as early as possible. The whole process was driven by the necessity of continuous facilities’ upgrade for our growing student body. We obviously considered our previous experience (Phase I and II), taking into account the lessons learned. We made a ‘road map’, tried to estimate our resources and risks carefully and meet the deadlines strictly. Of course, some of the projections have proved to be inaccurate – hence the importance of adjusting quickly. For instance, our actual growth has been faster than projected – normally, a good problem (a winner’s curse, ironically speaking) but it has put some additional pressure on our assessment process. This process (which is still to be finalised) has been both thorough and diligent. First of all, lots of groundwork has been done in committees, primarily in the Facilities and Building and the Finance and Risk Management Committees, where lots of minutiae were discussed involving our operational management, service providers and supervisors. Currently, we are very close to the point when we will get the working drawings from the architect and will start the construction companies’ tendering process. It has also been very important to keep all our community informed and get all important input. For example, some good questions were just raised at the last Coffee Morning with the
Board. Our Green Committee will also be consulted. The same process is being applied during the assessment of the extension of our cafeteria. The Board has many important strategic goals for this school year. As a reminder, we have been working on the following: – We committed to finalise the Leading School Benchmarks (LSBs) with the support of the PSI leadership team and the whole community. The LSBs will be included in the next annual report and will be reported to the PSI community on an annual basis. – The Board will continue its work on the improvement of the School’s legal structure with the support of the ad-hoc task force and outside legal counsel. – The Board has also decided to review the criteria of our PSI admissions policy. The Board has also started preparing the budget and strategic plan as well as planning Board succession for 2020/21 – our 25th anniversary school year! I’d like to take this opportunity and wish our community a wonderful holiday season. May it be filled with joy, peace, fun, sports, travel and lots of relaxation with family and friends! Thank you so much for your support. We look forward to working with you all in 2020!
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Director of Learning v
Cultures of Thinking
by Cindy Beals, Director of Learning
I believe that our thoughts are what make us special and are what we need to harness to thrive in the future. With increasing technological capabilities, computers and robots are taking the place of many traditional jobs. While they are superior to humans at processing facts, machines struggle with higherorder thinking skills. As such, at PSI, we focus on developing these crucial thinking abilities in students daily so that they may find success in the future.
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In fact ,we work to engage our students in complex thinking, which includes critical, creative, systems and design thinking, as well as metacognition. Critical thinking helps us to analyse information to make logical associations between ideas so that we might develop a deep understanding of issues. Creative thinking, on the other hand, allows us to think outside the box and come up with innovative ideas. Systems thinking provides an overview of the big picture to make connections between aspects of a larger project, while design thinking brings together the essential human touch of empathy to problemsolving. Finally, metacognition is the ability to reflect on our own thinking and better understand our own approach to learning and processing information. It is the power of the combination of all these different forms of thinking working together that allows us to approach issues from different perspectives and adeptly tackle any problem we encounter. Given the importance of these reasoning skills, we strive to create a culture of thinking in our classes and across the school. At Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero, a culture of thinking is defined as ‘places where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted as part of the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members.’ To
guide our faculty in enhancing their approach to promoting thinking, we have twice engaged Harvard Project Zero’s Mark Church, co-author of Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. This work ties in with one of PSI’s strategic plan goals, ‘to develop students’ thinking dispositions and habits by creating a culture of thinking in our classrooms and across the school.’ Recently, when reflecting on this goal with Mark Church, we chatted about the use of the phrase ‘dispositions and habits’ as compared to skills. He agrees with us that there is power in this particular phrase, as dispositions occur when skills become a part of someone’s natural tendencies. We believe that by setting our aspirations to this level of forming dispositions, we are committed to developing in our students a deep-rooted inclination for thinking, where students are not only skilled but also value these reasoning traits. By embracing these various types of thinking as part of their essence, students will be able to conquer issues that arise throughout their lives. These habits of mind will serve them so they might thrive in the future while working in jobs that have yet to be invented.
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PRIMARY SCHOOL
THINKING
From the Primary Principal by Sue Williams, Primary Principal
My favorite part of being the primary principal is being able to go into classrooms and watch students as they think through problems, talk to each other, answer questions, research and wonder. There is quite a bit of thinking happening all across the Primary School. Inquiry and visible thinking lend themselves perfectly to stretching our curiosity, making connections, visualising and expressing our thoughts, researching our questions and looking for the many ways problems can be solved.
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have had the pleasure of watching our three year olds as they explore different materials, colour and textures while thinking and talking about their creations...painting, buildings with blocks, using feathers, sequins and clay to create something from their imagination. Ask one of our three year olds what they are creating and thinking and they will tell you the most amazing stories. Our four year olds also love to build and create. While out in their outdoor learning play space, they observe and ask questions about water and the growth of living things. They look at bugs and think about how they might put them into a story. They use their imagination and think through puzzles and interactive writing tasks. And Kindergarten children are thinking about their writing as well. When I stop in and ask them questions about what they are writing, they can show me their pictures and put words to these and tell a story - real or imagined. Asking them questions such as 'What came next?, What do you think the cat felt like?, How did you feel when that happened?' gets them to think through their stories as they draw and write about their lives, their pets, and all the things that matter to a five or six year old. And then we get to grade one. Children are continuing to develop their thinking around numbers. They build and draw representations of equations, without knowing the equation yet. Our children can be seen looking for patterns and thinking through what comes next in the pattern. I have seen them ask each other questions about a story that they read together and question their friends about how to make the stories that they are writing even better.
Our second graders have been doing some work on measurement and thinking about numbers in the environment. Children, as maths was integrated into their unit of inquiry, investigated how many minutes a day we lose as we head into winter and WHY. Grade two children have also looked at the science involved in why and how leaves change their colour in autumn. In their unit of inquiry involving rights and responsibility, I had the opportunity to observe our grade three children as they listened to a guest speaker from the United Nations on refugees. The children were asked to take on a role - that of a refugee or that of a person of means. The children were then given situations and asked to think of the character/role they were given and connect it to the situation. Was the situation something that was a positive for a refugee or a negative? Children had to think through their role as an ‘other person’ and connect the situation to the role they were given. Discussions took place and their thinking demonstrated their understanding. The other day I had the privilege of going into a grade four classrooms when children were demonstrating their thinking from their unit of inquiry, Where We are in Place and Time, as they investigated the central idea: Exploration leads to discoveries and new understandings. As a summative assessment, children wrote historical fictions after researching explorers, connecting their learning literacy in historical fiction and their learning of explorers. As each student chose a place and time in history and set themselves as a character who was an explorer in that place and time, they thought about and made connections as to what they were exploring (place or idea), researched the time and giving appropriate information, explained their motivations for exploring, discovered and wrote about changes that happened or what they hoped would happen as a result of their exploration and determined the impact of technology (appropriate to their time) on the exploration. Pretty soon, our grade five children will begin their Who We Are unit of inquiry and will learn about how changes that occur during adolescence help us become more responsible. Students will be making connections between who they were, who they are now and who they may become and connecting the idea that becoming more mature brings along with it having more responsibility. Making connections is one of the higher elements of thinking. When children can connect what they are learning to something new or change their ideas because of the learning and thinking taking place, thinking has been at the core. Asking questions and being an inquirer go hand in hand with thinking. We encourage all of our children to think for themselves, and think deeply. Through our units of inquiry and stand alone units, day in and day out, we want our children to think, seek solutions to problems and make connections. We do this through visible thinking and our inquiry cycle. It’s hard work to think, so I know our children are tired when they get home.
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P Y P r o t a n i d r o co g n i k thin ‘Cogito, ergo sum’ is a Latin philosophical proposition by René Descartes usually translated into English as ‘I think, therefore I am.’ Henry Ford also said- ‘Whether you think you can or think you can't — you're right.’
By Glen Nicholson, Deputy Principal/PYP Coordinator Primary Principal
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In line with research and best practice in education, one of PSI’s Strategic Plan goals this year is Thinking. For us that means: Developing learners who transfer knowledge, skills and understanding, and who are able to thoughtfully, flexibly, and purposefully identify problems and create solutions. Using a constructive, inquiry-based programme of learning and teaching that requires students to construct knowledge and understanding of the world. Teaching learners to explore ideas and solve problems with innovative approaches. Studying visible thinking routines and the cultural forces that define our classrooms. Having students reflect on their learning and their thinking. This metacognition is a very powerful tool in developing self knowledge and developing learning through thinking about our own thinking.
One of the pillars of an IB education is the expectation that responsible action is a consequence of learning. As seen in the In Thinking, IB School Leadership website by Chris Wright (2019), in the progressive IB programme, ‘What is of paramount importance is not what is learned but learning how to learn…. What matters is not the absorption and regurgitation of either fact or pre-digested interpretations of facts, but the development of powers of the mind or ways of thinking which can be applied to new situations and new presentations of facts as they arise”. This is supported and developed through a constructivist, inquiry-based programme of learning and teaching where we focus on learners having agency. In our case, ‘agency’ is the power to take meaningful and intentional action, and acknowledges the rights and responsibilities of the individual, supporting voice, choice and ownership for everyone in the learning community. The now-famous author of the Harry Potter Series J.K Rowling once said, ‘It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.’ This means that as part of our teaching paradigm, learners are encouraged to exemplify the IB Learner Profile - to be thinkers, communicators and risk takers, principled, knowledgeable, caring, open-minded, balanced and reflective learners. Noted by Boaler (2019), parents and teachers have a tendency to do just about everything they can to make sure that children don’t struggle. It turns out we are making a terrible mistake...Science now tells us if we are not struggling, we are not learning. Not only is struggle good for our brains, but people who know about the value of struggle can improve their learning potential. This also means embracing the idea of making mistakes as opportunities to grow our brains because when pushing the edge of reason, making mistakes and struggling, our brains are growing. Here at PSI, we challenge learners to develop strong thinking dispositions and habits by creating a culture of thinking in our classrooms and across our school.
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Thinking abo Child Safegu Child Protec I was asked the other day what the term ‘child safeguarding’ means and how it differs from ‘child protection’. We often use these terms interchangeably, but they actually have distinct meanings. It is useful to think of a continuum or scale to understand the differences between safeguarding and child protection. At one end of the scale is a child who is growing up in a healthy environment at home, supported by a strong family who love and care for them, who is reaching developmental and academic milestones, having regular medical and dental care and has time to play and relax. This child accesses universal services, and no additional support is required to keep this child safe. Now think of a child at the complete opposite end to this, that is, a child who is growing up in an abusive or negligent environment, who has inadequate or irregular parental care and engagement, and does not reach developmental or academic Safeguarding is what we do for all milestones. This child needs children, no matter where on the significant additional support and continuum they sit. Child protection is protection to have their needs met. the support and protection put in place and keep them safe. When we use for children at risk of significant harm. the term ‘child protection’ we are referring to specialized interventions At PSI, we provide universal preventative education for all for a particular student to keep them children through teaching the Keeping Safe curriculum for safe from harm. students from Early Years through to grade 10. This highly regarded curriculum was developed in Australia and is based on the best available evidence and current practice.
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Annie Butkus, Primary School Counsellor
bout guarding and ction The aims of the curriculum are to teach all children from a young age, in an age appropriate way, to: – Recognise abuse and tell a trusted adult about it – Understand what is appropriate and inappropriate touching – ·Understand ways of keeping themselves safe.
The curriculum is based on two key themes and has four focus areas: – Theme 1: We all have the right to be safe – Theme 2: We can help ourselves to be safe by talking to people we trust. – – – –
Focus Area 1: Focus Area 2: Focus Area 3: Focus Area 4:
The right to be safe Relationships Recognising and reporting abuse Protective strategies
The curriculum is delivered by the school counsellors in collaboration with classroom and Homeroom teachers. At PSI, we believe that: – Safe, happy children are able to learn. – Knowing and naming their feelings helps children recognise when they don’t feel safe. – Strong assertiveness and self-advocacy skills help children effectively report and refuse unsafe and abusive situations.
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Building Thinking Skills through Curiosity, Wondering and Questioning In Grade 2, the children have been using a variety of visible thinking tools and routines to encourage wonderings within their units of inquiry.
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As they explored effective communication in their first unit, ‘How We Express Ourselves,’ students used a variety of visual prompts in the form of art, video, dance, music and storytelling. They built depth of thought through the use of 'See, Think, Wonder,' 'Flat Chats' and Venn Diagrams. With the use of these tools, they were able to compare and contrast the effectiveness of various forms of communication, bringing this right back to their classroom, their lives and their own communication. This year, Grade 2 are excited to have a year-long unit of
inquiry based upon curiosities in nature. This has led us to explore the changes happening right outside our windows in the form of changes within nature during autumn time. They began with wonderings such as: → Why do the leaves change colour in autumn? → Why do some animals hibernate as the weather gets colder? → Why do we have seasons?
The children have really extended the thinking skills they developed in the first unit as they used their growing knowledge to build on these questions, adding layers and content to their newer questions. They now wonder: → When the leaves change colour, why is it always the same colours (red, orange, brown, yellow) not like blue or pink? → If leaves get their energy from the sun in the form of chlorophyll, how does the tree create its own sugar and use this to make its colour? → What is happening to the Earth so that other parts of the world are having longer, hotter days and the days are getting colder and shorter in Kyiv? → If an animal’s heart rate slows right down during hibernation, what other physical changes happen to it to stop it from starving or freezing as it sleeps?
As we delve into non-fiction texts in our literacy time, children are learning to be able to scan texts and use the different features of non-fiction text to help them explore their curiosities, their wonderings and come up with more and more questions! Our next unit of inquiry allows us to build further as we get more hands on and explorative. We are learning of the many different forms of measurement we have in our lives, how these are used and how they help us. There is no way the wondering and questioning is slowing down ….. We are just beginning our lifelong journey of curiosity!
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Grade Developing Thinkers in Grade 4
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Jane Lueders, Kimberly Brown and Bryan Reardon, Grade 4 Teachers
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A thinker, as defined by the IB is someone who uses critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions. In Grade 4, we strive to develop our students’ thinking skills in a variety of ways.
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Most recently in mathematics, we started our inquiry into 1The IB Learner Profile. (2013). [ebook] International Baccalaureate Organisation. multiplication by showing the students the first photo with the Available at: https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/ fd82f70643ef4086b7d3f292cc214962/learner-profileprompt: ‘What do you notice? What do you wonder?’ Responses en.pdf [Accessed 25 Nov. 2019]. ranged from ‘I see a rainbow of colors, only they are not in 2 The Understanding Map. (2019). [ebook] Project Zero, Harvard University. Available at: http://www. rainbow order’ to ‘this reminds me of us and how we are growing pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Understanding%20 map%20circle.pdf [Accessed 25 Nov. 2019]. our knowledge from the beginning of the year and we are getting bigger and bigger.’ The use of ‘what do you notice and what do you wonder?’ is one way we develop students’ critical and creative thinking skills so that they can use prior knowledge and make connections. Date: 20.10.2019 In reading, our students complete Book Title: G. S. The Golden statue plot reading responses as part of their pages read: 34 - 107 home learning and Readers Workshop My Strategy / Goal: Wondering and Reasoning lessons. These responses are framed with Evidence. around workshop teaching points, personal reading goals and sometimes 1. Wondering - I had lots of questions in my 2 around the Understanding Map (Project head while reading ( like ... ‘Can cats really get Zero-Harvard). Students are asked to seasick?’ ‘Why were the cats always so nervous?’ respond to what they have read using ‘Why was the pirate cat king very selfish?’, etc. one or more of the types of thinking Asking myself questions really does help me in the Understanding Map. Here is one understand the book more. I paused very much in example: this book, so I read this book like in 1 hour!!!! 2. Reasoning with Evidence - As it says on the 89th page, it proves that they were VERY scared of those fleas. 70 / 71 - it says that the pirate cat king was selfish by saying that HE thought of everything and that HE prepared extra rope for the attack and said that he was the only one allowed to think there. I thought it was very not nice of him. 79 - it shows that the king's daughter also wanted to get rich by wanting to get the cheese part of the Mousey Liberty Statue (Which is worth a TON). Kleja.
❷ As part of our focus on Agency this year, Grade Four students meet as a whole syndicate bi-weekly. In these meetings, we are tackling important issues and themes together, allowing students to take the lead and practice critical and creative thinking to analyse and take responsible action to solve problems. These include creating a Grade 4 syndicate magazine, putting up signs to remind themselves of how to move in the hallways and taking ownership of their own learning at home.
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Making Think Visible in Usingvisualsto learnanother language is best, especially ifyou are a beginner or even an intermediate student trying to grasp a certain concept. Learning is not about coming up with the ‘right’ answer or memorising lessons a teacher gives to you. Helping students to develop a certain way of thinking will serve them in the classroom and in the future. How can we make the invisible visible? We often asked this as educators in ‘Making Thinking Visible’ workshops. Here are a couple of ways I’ve learned to bring out the best in my students while teaching them English and at the same time hoping to discover how they think.
Sharon L. Cofer, EAL Teacher
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king
Last year, second graders did a ‘See Think and Wonder’ activity. They were exploring the Earth and how it is changing. Their unit was ‘Sharing The Planet’ and I showed them different photographs of the same places on Earth but many years apart. One of my tables had a ‘See’ poster on it, another table a ‘Think’ poster and another a ‘Wonder’ poster on it. Each photograph I showed gave my students an opportunity to talk about the changes they were seeing in the pictures while building their vocabulary. By sharing their ideas, they were practicing their listening and speaking skills. They also practiced their writing and reading skills whilst writing down their thoughts on each poster and sharing their ideas by reading aloud to everyone in the group. This is a great way to understand how students think and also gauge where they are in their learning of the English language.
Recently, another group of students did another activity, called ‘Zoom In’. They were at the end of their unit of inquiry called, ‘How We Express Ourselves’. As part of they activity, the class looked at a photograph of one of the many murals in Kyiv. Instead of seeing the entire mural, they only saw a small part of it. They were asked what they noticed. Over time, we revealed more and more of the image and discussed in their groups what new things they were seeing and if they’d changed their minds on what they believed the image to be. This was also another great exercise to see if students were building on the ideas of others or or just limiting their thinking by keeping to their own ideas. As far as learning another language, through discussions and by using visuals, they continue to build their vocabulary in a meaningful way and have fun while learning about new and interesting subjects.
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Developing Musical Thinking Through Different Lenses
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Gretchen Foster, Primary Music Teacher
In Music class, each engagement is designed to encourage students to think more deeply about music and the world. Each musical concept or area can be connected with other ideas or concepts and built upon,
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hinking about music through a historical context helps students to understand how music changes over time. deepening the knowledge. Beginning We listen to different styles of music and compare them in EC and moving up through Grade based on geographical location and time period. We also discuss composers and how their contributions have led to the music we 5, students build upon their prior have now. knowledge and experiences. We Scientific advancements have created amazing opportunities for musicians. We consider how the invention of different instruments explore the fundamentals of music and creation of tonal sets have allowed for all the different sound through many different lenses. possibilities we hear today across genres. The use of technology has also played a large part in the ability to share and create music from anywhere in the world. Being able to listen to a concert in real time or watch an orchestral concert from the other side of the world allows students to make personal connections. Music is also considered a mathematical system. The division of the beat into specific segments, which allows different rhythmic combinations to be created, is a large piece of what we study in music class. The system of pitches used in Western Standard Notation is based on the science of sound and the frequency of specific notes. Students are able to make sense of sheet music through the understanding of the different elemental systems. Developing literacy skills is a large part of musical thinking. Being able to read and understand the meaning of the lyrics of a song is necessary when singing in a group. Music literacy allows students to make sense of notational systems and develop their ability to ‘hear’ the music through studying the sheet music. Music and visual art have been intertwined throughout history. The creation of musical masterpieces based on artwork demonstrates how the visual and aural aspect of art can help students develop different perspectives. Students are able to explore art through websites like Chrome Music Lab, which creates visual images of different musical concepts and student compositions. Physical movement and dance are also very important to the development of musical understanding. Students use their understanding of musical form to create and learn dances. Appreciating and understanding works like ‘The Nutcracker’ help students create connections between the kinesthetic and aural. There is more to music than playing the notes on a page. It is important for students to understand how different elements affect our perspective of music. Through history, science, math, literature, visual art and dance students are able to consider music from different angles and think more deeply about the piece and their own understandings of the music and the world around them.
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Visible Thinking By Nataliia Russian fo Grishyna, r Native Sp eakers Teac
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Grade 2
ng Routines e using Thinki ar 2 de ra G in tegrated Students . During the in ng ni ar le t en to deepen cont ed the ns, students us utine unit on emotio routine. This ro r’ de on w I – ‘I see – I think servations of ake careful ob m to ts en ud helped st d to develop and feelings an ns io ot em t en differ based on terpretations in d an s ea id estions, their own ng the two qu ti ra pa se By t what they see. you think abou and ‘What do ’ e? se u is yo ingu h ‘What do ere able to dist w ts en ud st ’ tions. what you see? and interpreta ns io at rv se ob k between wonder and as g students to in ag ur ections co nn en co By make to ed lp he e in rout questions, the ideas. r between thei
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of thinking Within a cu , students lture experience where thin s chool as a king is valu place ed and giv opportunit en time, h ies for thin a s rich king. Stud learning th ents in Gra e topic Adje de 3 were ctives. By routine ‘+1 using a thin ’, students king were able thinking b to stimula y first writi te their ng down o as many d n the pum escriptive p k in words as p walking aro ossible an und and to d then find a part items from ner to sha his or her re pumpkin. their respo One group nses until shared group 2 he that was n ard someth ot already ing on their lis the new re t. They wro sponse on te their pape group ‘got r. Once one one’ (+1), the roles s witched.
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Matters g Grade
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world, it’s In today’s more impo connected rtant than know how e v e r that stud to think fo ents r themselv or recognis es, spot an e a biased a rg ument view. Stud using a rou ents in Gra tine called d e 4 were ‘Colour – S to extend ymbol – Im their think a g e (CSI)’ ing on the Students w topic of Co ere encoura n fl ic ts . ged to iden new ideas tify and ca they have p ture explored th watching o rough read r listening in g , . As they se symbols, a lected colo nd images urs, , students m and thoug ade conne ht metaph ctions orically. Th students to e CSI routi express th n e helps eir thinkin g non-verb ally.
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Grade 5 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education teaches students how to solve problems by using their critical thinking skills. By engaging in STEM learning experie nces, students learn how to examine prob lems and then creat ea plan to solve them. During the integrate d unit on Civilizations, stude nts in Grade 5 were part of a STEM activity wh ere they had to choo se an architecture piece from ancient times an d then use skills like pr oblem-solving, reco rding data and evaluating evidence to make de cis ions. Students experienced failures and mistake s during the learning pr ocess, but they took ris ks and kept on trying ag ain and again, which led them to success.
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From the Secondary Principal by Patricia Puia Secondary Principal
It might be a surprise to you that ‘thinking’ is one of the three areas of focus of our schoolwide strategic plan. After all, students should automatically be thinking in school every day!
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hat’s absolutely correct. But we know that thinking is a lot more complex and challenging to teach than you might suspect. I remember that a lot of my time in school was based on learning and memorising facts and writing essays on whatever we’d discussed in class. In short, I was told what to think but not how to think. That approach doesn’t work in a world where the knowledge of the world is doubling at least once every two years (Schilling, 2013). There isn’t a set body of knowledge that will help our students succeed. They have to be able to think and problem solve independently. It’s important to also realise that there isn’t just one kind of thinking. Students in our Secondary School must think in a wide variety of ways. They use their imagination in Drama class, think analytically in Maths, and solve problems
visually in Art. They use technology to help them research in Individuals & Societies. They work collaboratively to synthesise and use the best ideas for a project in Design. They hypothesise in Science and train their bodies to think and learn in Physical & Health Education. To make it even more complex, they should be able to crossover thinking skills. For example, they need imagination in Maths and hypothetical thinking in Drama. So it makes perfect sense that as a whole school, we are looking at ways to ensure that our students are living and working in a culture of thinking. We want to know that they can think in a variety of ways, understand how their thinking helped them, and choose the best strategies from an array of choices. As you’ll see in the articles in this month’s magazine, our PSI students are expanding their thinking every day across subject areas, in their ECAs, and in their relationships and hobbies. It’s the best tool we can give them to live in the world that faces them and the futures they are aiming towards. Schilling, D.R. (2013). Knowledge Doubling Every 12 Months, Soon to be Every 12 Hours. Industry Tap Into News. (http://www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/3950)
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Thinking in DP language classes by Olga Berezhna Secondary Languages Head of Department
Learning an additional language the Diploma Programme not only encourages students’ understanding of a target language culture, but also improves their cognitive ability and prepares them for life beyond school. The development of higher-order thinking skills, rather than the simple memorisation of content, is integral to the language learning process in the Diploma Programme at PSI. In their DP language course, Grade 11 and 12 students explore the topics like peace and conflict, human rights, equality, globalization, ethics, etc. They are learning meaningful content through the language rather than simply learning the language itself. In this way, the language becomes a tool for critical and creative thinking.
Is your DP language class beneficial for developing your thinking skills and your understanding of the world? We asked this question of PSI Grade 12 students and these are their answers.
Kai Language classes provide a medium of thinking unlike most other courses. Throughout my experience in the DP Higher Level French course, I have been able to view topics and ideas through a different lens by discussing them in a different language. I have considered how to write a resume or CV while also discussing pressing global issues such as immigration and refugees. Discussing these ideas in a different language provides different means of explanation and ultimately influences the way one might discuss the issues. For example, our study of Theory of Knowledge has carried over into many of our discussions in French class. In our unit on Social Relationships, we learned about how individual and social relationships contribute to our understanding of the world. One of our TOK focused discussions was about the origin of love, which has many more descriptors and phrases in French than in English. This definitely contributed to our understanding of the origin and definition of love as an emotion. These conversations not only help us develop our French speaking abilities, but also develop our understanding of complex concepts which we have explored in other subjects. Ultimately, language does provide an approach different to other courses, but more importantly, it shapes our understanding of the world around us.
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Lara Learning through a language exposes you to a variety of new ideas, experiences, and ways of thinking. Through the DP Higher Level French course, we have explored the workplace, education, family, mental health, and a variety of other topics from a French perspective. A lot of our classes take place in a discussion format, which as well as allowing us to improve our oral skills and thinking on our feet, lets us develop our own thoughts and opinions on a range of topics. Throughout my experience as a language learner, I have used French to learn more about the world around me and developed skills that will be invaluable to me in the future, including analytical and independent thinking skills. I have also learned to think critically about and evaluate my own work, and learn to apply systems and concepts that I already know to new or unfamiliar ideas, both in terms of language and the cultural and practical knowledge afforded to me by the course. I look forward to being able to continue the development of these skills as a lifelong language learner
Cody Languages are different than most other DP classes in that it develops new ways of knowing rather than being its own area of knowledge. Languages provide a platform from which you can learn about the world’s complexities and ambiguities by sharing experiences, identities and opinions. Not only do DP languages play a vital role in developing interdisciplinary understandings of the world, they also provide a foundation for a life of continuous learning and personal growth. The skills and understandings that I have already acquired from these courses have made me someone who is driven to understand and address global issues and have prepared me for a life of impactful global citizenship
Sofie DP language classes have the advantage of granting you with the skills to problem solve in a different language, which contribute towards making you a more well-rounded person. Not only have we gained a lot of information about Spanish speaking countries throughout topics such as ‘experiences’, or ‘social relationships’, during which you learn about new cultural traditions and approaches to ways of living, but we are also exposed to background knowledge concerning the topics. Discussing such complex and interesting topics, encourages you as a DP student, to step out of your comfort level and engage in class discussions with personal ideas and perspectives. Hence, you develop ways to express yourself at times when you might struggle with communicating in the language, or simply coming up with ideas. As we are part of a constantly changing world that is becoming more and more globalised, it strongly encourages international collaborations and alliances. Therefore I am convinced that being able to speak more than one language, and to have had the experience of being part of a language course, will be highly beneficial in my future, opening up more personal opportunities and ways of growing as an individual
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Solving complex problems and using a wide range of critical thinking skills is an IB trait that we are trying to develop amongst our Design students. In a recent design challenge, our Grade 7 students learned the basics of computer coding and programming by developing a story with the foreign language department. To develop the critical components of the programme, students had to think critically and creatively to make reasonable decisions.
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gn kers THINKING
By Nicholas De Dios, MYP/DP Design Technology HOD
To develop a real-world connection to their unit of study, Design students attended a field trip to the Innovecs information technology company to develop an understanding of this career path. During the field trip, students asked many challenging questions for our expert panel to answer. Students demonstrated outside of the box thinking that contributed to a meaningful discussion with our amazing panel of experts. The visit to Innovecs truly inspired many of the students as they came back excited to explore the IT career paths. The real-world connection allows our students to have a better understanding of what it takes to be an IT professional and some of the typical projects that they can work on if they pursued future studies in this field. The students were Thinkers in every aspect of the word!
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by Tatiana Isakova HOD of Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge whose significance in the modern world runs high. The Information Age requires a deep change in teaching mathematics. Critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication are recognised as key 21st century skills. As many researchers state, a big portion of current occupations will be automated in the future, and jobs will shift to technology. In order to meet the challenges of the 21st century, teaching mathematics also should be re-thought and moved from traditional memorization of formulas and rules to conceptual understanding, problem solving, data analysis and team work.
This year, the IB continued its own transformation of mathematics education. Old IB Diploma Mathematics courses were replaced by two new subjects - Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches and Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation. 32
The first course fosters the development of strong skills in mathematical abstract thinking and problem solving. The second course focuses more on modelling and statistics. It encourages students to develop real-life problem solving and statistical analysis. Both courses foster exploring mathematical modeling and the application of technology. We live in an age when kids can easily ‘Google’ knowledge, and an educator’s task is to teach students what to do with this knowledge. The new DP Mathematics courses encourage students to recognise which mathematical method can be used. Students also analyse how it is limited and justified, and how to interpret solutions, as well as how to apply relevant technology, and think critically and logically. Mathematics in these courses is not a series of ‘recipes’, but a powerful tool for exploring the world. Thinking in the classroom becomes more and more visible.
itating in ching tics. Teachers encourage students to wonder ‘What makes you say that?, teach them to find what is common and what is different, and teach them to make and justify conclusions. In order to develop a continuum of inquiry, the PSI Maths Department uses the same approach in MYP. We strongly believe that it is important to balance learning skills with development of collaboration, communication and critical thinking. One way to achieve this is to put the learning into real life contexts. When students focus on solving a real life problem, their motivation to learn a new concept increases. The Grade 7 ‘Water Footprint’ task is an example of such a project. Another example is finding a personal walking rate to understand linear relationships in Grade 8. More examples include Grade 9, where students learn practical applications of logarithms focusing on time intervals between crucial scientific discoveries.
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In Grade 10, students not only model the growth of urban populations, but also discuss the significance of their findings and make predictions based on their models. In Grade 11 and 12, DP students make a step forward in their mathematical thinking. The new programme includes 30 hours of ‘toolkit’ work, with the focus on solving open-ended questions and applying technology. A required element of learning is a mathematical exploration that is a culminating task designed to demonstrate students’ ability to use the research and problem solving process. Balance between learning skills and developing mathematical thinking through problem solving creates a basis for the alignment of the MYP and Diploma Mathematics programmes, prepares students for university education, and makes them competitive in the modern world. 33
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PTA NEWS By Emilie Hill PTA Communication Coordinator
As members of the PTA, we are familiar with the struggle of balancing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines, whilst also being present for our children. With the theme of this issue of PSI Life being ‘balanced’, PTA members share their thoughts on what work-life balance means to them, how they find balance between professional and personal responsibilities, and effective tools or methods for managing stress.
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his year, students in Primary and Secondary School are actively engaged in 10 projects benefiting animals, children, and the environment. The PTA has awarded over 60,000 UAH to 3 of the projects based on the proposals presented by the students. Two of these projects include initiatives to acquire educational and sensory equipment for an orphanage to benefit students with autism and Down Syndrome between the ages of 6 – 18. Another project has the participation of eleven Secondary students whose goal is to provide food, shelter, and medication to an underfunded animal shelter in Kyiv.
The PTA has partnered with Secondary CAS students in their efforts to raise funds for an animal shelter. The PTA will be contributing 12,500 UAH towards the purchase of preventative medication, and is collecting pet food donations from the PSI community. Another way the PTA supports CAS students is by providing them with a forum to present information about the organizations they support to parents, faculty, and staff at a PTA Coffee Morning meeting. This opportunity enables students to practice their public speaking skills, demonstrates service learning, and reinforces their role as compassionate and socially responsible citizens. The PTA is proud to have raised over 109,000 UAH from the Silent Auction at this year’s International Night, and is looking forward to hosting the Winter Bazaar and Bake Sale fundraiser on 19 December. Proceeds from all PTA events directly fund student-led initiatives. The PTA hopes students' experience with CAS will influence them to think creatively and critically about ways to give back and improve the lives of people in their community long after they leave PSI.
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PTA International Night
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PHYSICAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND ECA 39
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PSI PANTHERS ATHLETICS 2019 - 2020 Fall Season Season 1 was completed in early November with our teams experiencing much success. We also hosted the CEESA Middle and High School Boys and Girls Cross Country Tournament with our amazing PSI families hosting over 130 students who visited our lovely city and country.
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CEESA TOURNAMENTS: Middle School Girls Football
3rd Place First medal win in 5 years
Middle School Boys Football
Champions First championship in 5 years
High School Girls Football
Champions CEESA All Stars Kai F, Lison V, Emily C
High School Boys Football
2nd Place CEESA All Stars Giorgio C, Cody F
Middle / High School Boys and Girls Cross Country
High School Boys Team - Champions High School Girls Team - Champions Middle School Boys Team - 2nd Place CEESA All Stars Emil M, Lara AP, Audrey R Gold Medals - Ihor T x 2 Silver Medals - Lara AP x 2, Emil M, Iryna V Bronze Medals - Medeine V x 2, Marius V, Iryna V, Cody F
KSSL TOURNAMENTS: Middle School Girls Football
2nd Place
Middle School Boys Football
2nd Place & 5th Place
High School Girls Football
Champions & 4th Place
High School Boys Football
4th Place
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KSSL Cross Country conducted two races this season and our school cross country team competed with some very good results in all divisions, as listed below:
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Race One
Race Two
Middle School Boys
Ihor T - Gold Ethan C - Silver
Ethan C - Bronze
Middle School Girls
Iryna V - Gold Alice D - Silver
Iryna V - Gold Jane R - Silver Alice D - Bronze
High School Girls
Lara AP - Gold Mediene V - Silver Sasha B - Bronze
Lara AP - Gold Mediene V - Silver Audrey R - Bronze
High School Boys
Cody F - Silver
Cody F - Gold
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This year, the Panthers Primary Sports Programme also achieved two 3rd Place trophies in the Primary Football Tournaments with the Grade 2 and 3 team and the Grade 4 and 5 team. Season 2 (Winter Season) has started, and we have had good sign ups for both basketball and swimming. Our biggest ever team in the history of PSI Panthers is this year’s swimming team, with 41 students signed up. We hope to be sending teams to all CEESA tournaments in early March 2020. Our students are also excited about the upcoming Kyiv School Sports League (KSSL) basketball season, where we will compete against other international and local high schools in Kyiv. KSSL will also have two swimming tournaments this year. Our school will host the events in our pool as we compete against Kyiv schools here in the city before we host the CEESA tournament at our new pool. The programmes we offer in athletics for the winter season are listed below, with the dates and venues for each CEESA Tournament and the list of coaches involved with each team.
WINTER SEASON Team
Coach
Assistant Coach
CEESA Dates
CEESA Venue
MSB Basketball
Sylvain Vereges
Matthew Jason
5 - 8 March
Tirana - Albania
MSG Basketball
Rory Parsons
Anasatsia Poliovyk
5 - 8 Mar
Belgrade - Serbia
HSB Basketball
Ron Livecchi
Tito Basu
12- 15 Mar
Minsk - Belarus
HSG Basketball
Corie Jason
Andrew Sayles
12 - 15 Mar
Krakow - Poland
MS HS BG Swimming
HS Boys Bogdan Moiseev HS Girls Alexandra Lashchenko
Bree Kraft
5 - 8 Mar
Bratislava - Slovakia
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PHYSICAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS Physical and Health Education (PHE) is one of the most powerful (and unappreciated) 'medicines' for present and future health issues - for the body, mind and spirit. Physical and Health Education in schools captures everyone, and not just those who want to be active. It teaches great life and health lessons. Putting it simply, PHE conditions a child to be a more active and healthy adult.
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by Peter Hausz, PHE Head of Department / Assistant Athletics Director
THINKING
General Benefits of Physical and Health Education Physical and Health Education prepares children to be physically and mentally active, fit and healthy... for life. Here are some of the many benefits children receive from a quality PHE programme: – – – – – – – – – – –
Effects on Academic Performance Evidence suggests that increasing physical activity and physical fitness may improve academic performance and that time in the school day dedicated to recess, physical education class, and physical activity in the classroom may also facilitate academic performance.
Improved physical fitness Skill and motor skills development Regular, healthful physical activity Increased self-discipline Development of student responsibility for health and fitness Moral development, leadership, cooperation with others Stress reduction – an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety Strengthened peer relationships Improved self-confidence and self-esteem Respect for your body, your classmates and your teammates Experience in setting goals
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The Benefits of the Panthers Academics Programme Getting involved in academic activities outside of classroom time can give you new skills and help you learn about yourself — and can be fun.
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By Peter HAUSZ, PSPE/PHE Head of Department /Assistant Athletics Director
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Improve Academic Performance Some students worry that participating in extracurriculars may take away too much time from their schoolwork, thus hurting their grades; however, these activities can actually improve your grades and your outlook on the school in general! Participating in activities you are passionate about can increase your brain function, increase your concentration, and help you manage your time better - all of which contribute to higher grades. Explore Interests and Create Broader Perspectives When you participate in multiple different activities, you’ll get the opportunity to explore a range of interests and unlock passions you never knew you had! In addition, diversifying your interests subsequently broadens your world view. Higher Self-esteem The more you achieve success through activities you’re passionate about, the more your self-confidence will improve. For example, let’s say you’re really good at maths and your teacher encourages you to get involved in competitions. You join the school team and start training for Mathcounts. During the process, you realise how fun maths can be and how talented you actually are, which gives your confidence a massive boost. Social Opportunities Let’s be honest, making friends can be hard, but one of the easiest ways to make friends is through joining different school provided activities. Essential Life Skills Above all, one of the greatest advantages of the Panthers Academics programme is that it gives you ‘real world’ skills. These skills include (but are not limited to) the following: – Goal setting – Teamwork – Time management
– Prioritising – Problem-solving – Analytical thinking
– Leadership – Public speaking
Currently, we have the following activities in our Panthers Academics programme: – – – – – – –
Yale Modern Government Europe (YMGE) - Grades 9-12 Video Mathcounts Challenge - Grades 6 - 8 Mathcounts - Grades 6 - 8 FFL Robotics - Grades 6 - 8 International School Theater Association (ISTA) - Grades 6 - 12 Model United Nations - Grades 6 - 8 Knowledge Bowl - Grades 6 - 8
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CAS
by Kai F Tutoring Centre CAS project leader
THINKING THROUGH CAS
Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS), is an integral part of the IB Diploma Programme. I am in my second year of DP and my fourth year at PSI. I have had the opportunity to partake in a variety of projects throughout my high school career. These service opportunities offered learning and growth in ways that no classes could have provided. One of the most important service projects that I have been involved in is the Tutoring Center. It was established by a student two years ago and once they graduated, I took over management of the project.
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he Tutoring Center provides free tutoring services to all students in all subjects at lunch three times a week. The experience of helping students improve their work has drastically changed the way I understand learning and teaching. One of the many lessons I have taken away is the importance of compassion and understanding when it comes to education. Many students are much younger with less experience and hence require guidance catered to them in order to truly improve. Additionally, many of the students easily feel intimidated by an upperclassman in a learning environment. As such, tutors need to learn how to make them comfortable while still giving valuable advice. My understanding of education has changed by viewing it through the lens of an educator rather than through the lens of a student. It is now easy to see not only how much effort and patience it
takes, but also the amount of reward that comes from helping someone learn. I have had many tutors in the project tell me how exciting it can be to tutor people, but how much more rewarding it is when that student comes back to the same tutor for help. It feels as though we are genuinely helping students learn and the fact that they have improved enough so that they have come back to us to continue to improve is unbelievably fulfilling. On a more individual level, teaching someone else helps the teacher learn just as much as it does the student. Identifying the mistakes other students have made and explaining how to fix these issues has made me infinitely better at those same fundamentals in my own studies. I am now able to identify grammar mistakes better, my theses and analyses have improved, and I have more cohesive structures for my essays. CAS is a remarkable way to improve mentally in terms of compassion, understanding, and academics. As part of the Tutoring Center, I have been able to progress on an academic level while also helping others do the same. This has imparted to me a degree of fulfillment that few other activities have.
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CAS
by Mariya M
THINKING IN THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHING CAS PROJECT In the modern world, knowledge of English is essential. This international language creates endless opportunities for speakers, allowing them to communicate internationally, form relationships, exchange ideas, and develop the world we live in. Learning English is a privilege in developing countries, and Ukraine falls into this category. English is rarely taught to kindergarten students here. Learning this language at a young age makes children more familiar with it, making the learning process easier and faster in the years to come. Inspired by this, the Kindergarten Teaching Project was started 6 years ago.
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he goal of this CAS project is to teach children basic English to help them succeed in the future. This project is very pleasant to participate in, as children themselves enjoy and understand the value that the lessons have. However, many challenges arise, as the lessons are planned by us, the participants in this project. It is difficult to make the lesson both enjoyable and fun, while also informative and effective. In order to meet the goal of this project, a lot of research is done weekly; there is one meeting weekly and lessons occur weekly as well. As it is our second year in this project, we grew a lot as thinkers. Any decision made in terms of lesson plans, units and, in general, what is taught to the students, is always discussed as a group. It is very important to understand the implications of the information given to the kids, as this project is forming the foundation of future learning. Through learning the alphabet song with children, we familiarise them with the basis of the language, which will ensure faster learning in the future. Children also enjoy watching simple
cartoons in English when in class, which makes them used to hearing English. Another way to make sure that the gap between the lessons doesn’t make the students forget information, is printing different posters for them and hanging them up in the classroom. Overall, the Kindergarten Teaching Project revolves around thinking. Without an in-depth thought process, the project would not be effective. Through weighing all decisions made in terms of the curriculum and structure of lessons, we ensure that the project is going to benefit those who do not yet have an ability to learn English. As students who study in an Englishspeaking community, we want to provide kids with a strong foundation in English for a successful and open-minded, globalised future.
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Compass Points Determining Direction By Pam York and Polina Spencer, PSI Librarians
What do you think of when you hear the word library? We imagine for some it will be the traditional idea of a collection of books and a quiet space to study.
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ccording to the Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC) in 2010, 75% of respondents said ‘books’ is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the library. It is assumed that the library’s brand is books. However, according to a 2018 OCLC report, while the traditional library services such as the use of nonfiction and fiction sections are used less often, the library is also increasingly seen as a community hub for human connection and lifelong learning, with 45% of respondents now viewing the library as a ‘place to gather and socialise'’, up from 36% in 2008 (OCLC, 2018). In light of this, we have challenged ourselves and you to take a different perspective and look at the library through a different lens, that of
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by Pam York and Polina Spencer,
‘library as a hub’. In his previous visit to PSI, professional consultant March Church worked with teachers to enhance learning through visible thinking routines. As this approach is becoming more apparent in student learning and instruction, we decided to look at the library through the Compass Points routine. Compass Points allows for an idea to be explored, developed and evaluated and choice to be made considering the explored options. Upon application of this routine, we are hoping to inquire further into the role of the library in the lives of the students, teaching faculty and whole PSI community.
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E We are excited about the increase in the number of students across the school and therefore the increased usage of the library spaces for recreational, educational and research purposes. The number of parent patrons and library visitors is continuing to rise, with some parents becoming regular visitors. We are looking forward to organising future events for the community and branching out into a creative maker mindset.
W If you begin with exciting and positive aspects of where the library is moving, the challenges involved in a change of direction don’t seem so daunting or overwhelming. While we are excited about the future, there is much talk about the decrease in demand for paper resources and possible a 'library without books’ model, which makes us very nervous! However, in our community, the circulation of books is increasing and recommendations and requests for books are as high as ever.
N In order for us to move forward and have a better understanding of what the future might hold and how the library can become more of a hub at PSI, we excitedly anticipate updates with the Phase III building project. As always, we are interested in community feedback, so look out for the upcoming Patron Satisfaction survey. Steps within the library action plan will be determined by the bigger picture.
S As we move forward towards a maker mindset, whilst remaining faithful to the core values of librarianship (access, confidentiality, democracy, diversity, education and lifelong learning, intellectual freedom, public good, preservation, professionalism, service, social responsibility and sustainability), we welcome suggestions from everyone on how to make the library a true hub of the community.
When considering the library, what would be your compass point directions? We’d love to hear from you.
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ALUMNI An exclusive interview with Laura Peltomaki, PSI Alumna from the Class of 2010. Introduce yourself, your name, years at PSI, etc I’m Laura and I attended PSI from 2007-2010 (Grades 9,10,11)
by Nikita Vasyliev Communications Officer
It’s been almost 10 years after your graduation. PSI changed its look, we reached our first ‘500 students’ mark, and we are currently preparing to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. How did your life change through this period of time and how did PSI help you to find your path?
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My life has changed a lot since leaving PSI. I moved straight to the UK to study and after graduating, I began my career in supporting young people with special educational needs. I had a smooth start to my university life, thanks to PSI and the staff who supported me all the way. Since PSI, I’ve become interested in helping people, but I was unsure of what career path would suit me the best. Studying Psychology was a good first step to take.
Where did you study, what was your major and why did you choose this major and this particular university? I graduated with a BSc in Psychology from the University of Kent (UK). I chose the university with the support of a former PSI school counsellor, and Kent ended up being a fantastic, international experience for me. I also finished an MA in Education a year ago as I became more interested in education in international schools.
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Do you keep contact with some PSI friends? In 2020 we are going to have 3 Alumni Reunion events across the globe: London (18 January), New York (31 January) and Kyiv (5 June). Any chances we can catch you somewhere there? Since leaving PSI, I have met up with other alumni all around the world and I’m still in touch with many. I would love to visit Kyiv and PSI next time I’m in Europe, most likely in the summer.
We heard that you currently work as a learning support teacher at an International School in Bangkok, Thailand. What led you to this decision? Prior to this, I was already living in Bangkok, working in Special Educational Needs centres, and then I wanted to try working in a more international setting. I have always been interested in helping struggling learners and promoting inclusive education in schools. I’ve had some great teacher role models at PSI who inspired the teaching career for me. I also love Southeast Asia, because living here is very rewarding in all aspects.
The theme of this PSI Life Mag issue is ‘Thinking’, which is one of the three focus areas of the PSI Strategic Plan Goals. What is in your opinion, is a ‘culture of thinking’? A ‘culture of thinking' fosters inquiry-based learning, which is something I try to instil, even in my younger students. I think the idea of education over the years has shifted from teacher-oriented into more student-oriented and problem-solvingbased which is an important aspect in preparing students for real-life and to become more independent.
Any advice you can give to PSI students who wish to enter a career path in education? The field of education can hold many different career paths, and being a learning support teacher is a specialised role. I would recommend gaining work experience in schools, nurseries or after school clubs before deciding whether teaching or psychology as a career is right for you. It’s worth researching different ways of becoming a teacher because there are many pathways, especially in the UK. Being an educator can be challenging but very rewarding and it requires you to be a good, inspiring role model with lots of patience.
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London 18 january
New York 31 january
Kyiv 5 june
PSI ALUMNI REUNIONS 2020 Save the date and join us! @Alumni.PSI
PSI ALUMNI
@AlumniPSI
#WeGrowWeLeadWeSucceed #PSIKyiv