The following information is a direct cut and paste from my classroom blog. The blog is used as a communication tool between home and school. I also post homework, ideas, polls, and all things related to life in 4D. Over the course of the year, we have gone from “What is a blog?” to “Can you please put it on the blog?” and now “I wrote my first blog post last night!” as we start our own journey into blogging in our Exhibition groups.
In the process of unpacking our Central Idea, I shared a number of videos that opened up amazing discussions. Some were oldies but goodies, some were hot off the internet, all of them were inspiring. If you are looking for a longer list than the five I am sharing below, take a look at the playlists created by Terri Eichholz of Engage Their Minds. They are for students and teachers via Pinterest (which, thankfully is unblocked at my school now!) and I plan on sharing the link with my students to peruse the library of inspiration!
“Taking Action” is a big part of the PYP and also a big part in our Exhibition. Before we even began, I was hearing the deafening roar of, “We are going to hold a sale…”. In reading the idea behind action as a key component of the PYP, I wasn’t getting the connection to the selling of stuff. I reached out to my friend Marina who put me in touch with the work of Richard Black, whom I had visited (virtually) before. He had a great way of explaining a much more fleshed out picture of what action was. I turned his words into cute cards, but they are all his thinking. We have them up as a permanent visual that in reality, we are taking action at all times which I actually think is freeing the kids up from the ‘bake sale’ idea and potentially (I will keep you posted) opening them up to a more diverse path of action.
What inspires your kids?
How do you encourage authentic action?
On to the class blog post….
Today we looked at the central idea for our Exhibition unit:
We discussed as a class what this meant:
We then watched some videos to support our understanding of the central idea and the Exhibition process:
Follow the Frog – This video is all about what the Exhibition is NOT about. It is not about going over the top with wild, crazy expectations. It is about inquiring into topics that you are passionate about and finding out what action you can take to make an impact. Take a BIG issue and think about taking action on a SMALL scale. It doesn’t have to stop there, however it is often the smallest of actions that can make the biggest impact.
Kindness Boomerang – This video highlights how one small action can make an impact that can grow exponentially. You might not ever know the impact of your actions and one action is never too small in the eyes of the person it impacts.
Emily’s Hair – Some people say “but I’m just a kid, what can I do to make an impact?”…those people need to hear 3 year old Emily’s story. She shows that through the simple action of cutting her hair, she is making an impact. It doesn’t matter how old you are, it matters how much you care.
The Race – The Exhibition is like this race. We have been ‘training’ for it all through our years in the Junior School. We are prepared. We can do it! BUT….we might fall. It doesn’t matter when, where, why, or how hard we fall, what matters is what we do AFTER we fall. That will be a determining factor in the success of our Exhibition journey.
Sarah’s Softball Story – This is one of my favorite stories. To me, it highlights what life is all about – helping others to achieve greatness, doing the right thing, paying it forward, and always choosing kind. The students who helps Sarah, Mallory and Liz embody what it means to a PYP student and to be an inspirational human.
Tomorrow we will be digging deeper into what it means to take action. Today we looked briefly at six different ways of taking action (with thanks to Richard Black, PYP teacher in Canberra, Australia – his words, my layout):
sonya terborg 
Thanks for all the links. This is great! I love that you share so much. I need to take time to do that more.
You think it would be easier to share with all the tech we have but it still takes times which so far, is yet to be magically slowed down! You are always someone, for me, who knows when to share and when to listen. l know that when you have something to say, people listen. Plus, you share daily through the example you are of reflective practice. I think that is what I miss most about working with you….seeing what great inquiry teaching looks and feels and sounds like, just right down the hall.
🙂
Marina! Look at the comment above! It will have only taken three years but dreams DO come true! Roll on August when you are “right down the hall” again! xx
Hi Sonya,
Very cool! I stumbled across this just now as I was reading your blog and checking out the links again. I (we) am so excited that you will add your voice and love of learning to NIS next year and beyond. Can’t wait to grow greatness on the shoulders of giants! To infinite and beyond! xx
Thanks for including the links to my boards! I always enjoy reading your blog. You give me so many wonderful ideas!
I was thinking I need to make a playlist of good videos for school and then at the same time, I was looking for something else and came across your boards – perfect. That is one of the things I love about internet ‘sharing’ via a network of connected educators – now I can spend my time on something else because you have done the work for me!
The power of the internet is an amazing thing!
Thanks sonya for this. My kids are in week 4 of their exhibition and are looking at action in its entirety, and these ideas were a great way to unlock the idea. Cheers, Pit
What an exciting (and surreal) moment to find this when I googled ‘Pyp action’!!! SO glad you like the idea. Love your layout!
Awesome!
Thank you for sharing.
I just found your blog and love all of the content you have offered. As a PYP Coordinator, I’m always looking for more ways to add to my PD and provide resources for teachers. Do you by chance have a download for these action “posters”? A few of my teachers were intrigued. Thanks!
So sorry for taking so long to get back to you!
Here’s the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9_-7hgT0UMgQll5MHMyNFdNeEU/view?usp=sharing
Sonya, I’m so glad I found your blog. It is a great source of inspiration! I can’t wait to share these videos with my class.
Awesome! Good luck with the exhibition. It is one of my favorite parts of the PYP. I think the whole school year could run the same way as Exhibition does. I hope you and your kids find videos inspiring.
I am going through pyp exhibition right now this article really helped i am going to write to organizations related to my topic which is discrimination
Hi Eva! Glad it was useful. I always like to think about how I can change my own way of thinking or doing, how I can share the new ideas I have with my family and friends, and then how I can connect with other people who also share my passion. Good luck with your Exhibition. Discrimination is a big topic but one that is important we address. I hope you find inspiration from the organizations you make contact with. When I think of discrimination I think of ’empowerment’. It might seem strange but it is the idea that those being discriminated against need to feel empowered to stand up for themselves. You might like to look at the Mighty Girl website. It has a lot of great resources (not just about or for girls) about empowerment. Best of luck! x
it is amazing for my PYPX ms Sonya
Thank you so much for sharing this! This is very helpful, as my students are now in their PYPx.