How Do We Learn?

Inquiry is a student driven approach to learning that allows our students to construct their own meaning. This is powerful when you consider that knowledge transfer is at its strongest when:

Student autonomy and initiative are accepted and encouraged.
By respecting students' ideas and encouraging independent thinking, teachers help students attain their own intellectual identity. Students who frame questions and issues and then go about analyzing and answering them take responsibility for their own learning and become problem solvers.

The teacher asks open-ended questions and allows wait time for responses.
Reflective thought takes time and is often built on others' ideas and comments. The ways teachers ask questions and the ways students respond will structure the success of student inquiry.

Higher-level thinking is encouraged.
The constructivist teacher challenges students to reach beyond the simple factual response. He encourages students to connect and summarize concepts by analyzing, predicting, justifying, and defending their ideas.

Students are engaged in dialogue with the teacher and with each other.
Social discourse helps students change or reinforce their ideas. If they have the chance to present what they think and hear others' ideas, students can build a personal knowledge base that they understand. Only when they feel comfortable enough to express their ideas will meaningful classroom dialogue occur.

Students are engaged in experiences that challenge hypotheses and encourage discussion.
When allowed to make predictions, students often generate varying hypotheses about natural phenomena. The constructivist teacher provides ample opportunities for students to test their hypotheses, especially through group discussion of concrete experiences.

The class uses raw data, primary sources, manipulatives, physical, and interactive materials.
The constructivist approach involves students in real-world possibilities, then helps them generate the abstractions that bind phenomena together.

These suggestions are adapted from In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms by Jacqueline G. Brooks and Martin G. Brooks (Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1993)

These are the ways we engage students in learning at Spicewood and in the PYP. Ask yourself when the last time you learned something new was. What types of learning experiences took place before you felt your knowledge or skill was solidified? Now how can we help students have these types of experiences so that they can master new understandings and make connections to their learning?

PYP Learner Profile in Action

At your goal-setting Fall conference your child's teacher shared Spicewood's Learner Profile Continuum with you. This is a document that provides teachers and students with a place to reflect and assess the student's growth in the ten Learn Profile attributes (inquirer, knowledgeable, thinker, communicator, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-taker, balanced and reflective).
Together, the IB learner profile attributes represent key aspects of intellectual, personal, emotional, and social theories of learning that interact with and inform each other. The attributes clearly reflect, and concisely express, the IB’s unique mission and history. They shape and mutually reinforce each other.

By engaging in conversations with our students about how they exemplify these attributes, and using this dialogue to set goals, we are both outlining their value and helping students continue to develop these skills through reflection and practice. The Spicewood Continuum also allows your child and his/her teacher to communicate their specific strengths and goals so that you can support their progress at home.
If you have any questions about our Leaner Profile Continuum, please do not hesitate to contact me at doriane_marvel@roundrockisd.org

Inquiry in the PYP

Last weekend, Ms. Kim and I flew to LA for three days to attend an IB PYP workshop on inquiry. Inquiry-based learning is a learning process through questions generated from the interests, curiosities, and perspectives/experiences of the learner. When students engage in learning centered around their own questions, curiosities, and experiences, learning is an organic and motivating process that is intrinsically enjoyable.

We reflected on the way we learn best, and then looked at the learning environment we provide for our own students. When reflecting on the ways WE learn best we came up with:

• subjects that are relevant and interesting to us
• tackling real-world questions, issues and controversies 
• collaborating and interacting with other learners in a variety of ways
• solving problems or creating solutions
• exploring concepts through a variety of materials and resources
• sharing our learning with others and then reflecting and revising our ideas based on feedback
• opportunity to practice and revise our thinking

     We really enjoyed meeting with educators around the United States to discus the best ways to  support inquiry based learning in our classrooms. We know that we learn best when given the  opportunity to engage in the process using using inquiry driven strategies, so that is what we  are committed ti providing for our own students!

Spicewood Parent IB NIght

Please join us on Thursday, October 24th at 6:00 pm for a parent information session called "What is an IB Education?"

“constructing meaning”       “sustained inquiry”       “critical reflection”
“broad and balanced”         “effective teaching and learning” 

"meaningful assessment"            “creativity and imagination”

“conceptual”        “rigorous”    “aspires to empower”        “principled action”

Driving questions:
What is the leaner profile and how does it impact my child’s education?
How is inquiry used to drive student learning?
What is the action cycle?
How can I support action at home?
What is the IB continuum?
How does reflection enhance learning?

What Do We Value?

The IB recently released a new document that aims to clearly communicate what lies at the heart of of an IB education.
It states: "The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world."
With that in mind IB programs focuses on learners, develops effective approaches to teaching and learning, works within global contexts and explores significant content.

Spicewood's own vision echoes these values:

Spicewood aspires to be a community of caring, global-minded thinkers.

This summer Spicewood teachers and administration sat down together and asked ourselves: What do we value? Why are we here? What do we want our students to know and be able to do? This vision is our answer to that question. We value students treating each other, the planet, and fellow humans with dignity and respect by being caring. We value our community, and what it means to collaborate and exist as a member of it-our commitment to one another and our roles as members. We value looking outside of ourselves, our families, our city and our state-to the wide world around us and asking: What can we learn?and What are the different perspectives?

We live our vision and are proud to embody it along with you, our Spicewood community.

Establishing Essential Agreements using The PYP Learner Profile and Attitudes

This is a cross-post with Spicewood's Technology Blog!

At the beginning of the year Spicewood teachers involve their students in setting up the "essential agreements", or rules, for their classes. By involving students in the process there is more engagement in the process and more accountability for them in their choices. We usually guide this process with the IB PYP Learner Profile attributes, and the attitudes.

Learner Profile attributes:	Attitudes:
Inquirers Knowledgeable Thinkers Communicators Principled Open-minded Caring Risk-takers Balanced Reflective	Cooperation Tolerance Respect and Appreciation Curiosity Creativity Commitment Enthusiasm and Confidence Independence

Our new art teacher this year, Mrs. Raybourn, also used technology to engage students in the process and to model the specific value of each statement to the grade levels. She put the students comments into Wordle to show them the frequency that certain words or phrases were suggested. This helps kids see how they all feel about the agreements they are making, building a community of learners who agree upon the way things should be done!

5th Grade Celebrates Their PYP Journey

On Wednesday, May 1st, Spicewood's 5th graders participated in the culminating act of their PYP careers:  the Exhibition.
In the past students have explored the theme Where We are in Time and Place and examined problems we face in the world today. For the first time this year they looked at the theme How We Express Ourselves and students explored how people of the past have expressed themselves in reaction to significant historical, economical and social events. It was powerful for them to engage in different modes of expression while delving into the events that have shaped our world.
The looked at visual art, music, movies, television, the internet, architecture, fashion and more as they learned about the events of the 20th century until today.
After this research and inquiry students were asked to select a mode of expression and create a unique product in response to an event in their lifetime  They then synthesized and applied their research and the results were amazing!
Not only did the students demonstrate their understanding of the relevant PYP elements (concepts, attitudes, skills, knowledge and action), they did so in a very personal and engaging way. What resulted was a powerful conclusion to their journey through Spicewood's PYP program.