PYP EXHIBITION (1)

"The Primary Years Programme (PYP) exhibition represents a significant event in the life 

of a PYP school and student, synthesizing the essential elements of the PYP 

and sharing them with the whole school community".

(IB-PYP Exhibition Guideline, 2008)

For all PYP students around the world, PYP exhibition is surely a big thing. I have been doing the exhibition with my students for six years. For six years, I have seen things are growing differently. The transdisciplinary theme can be the same for two years, but the way the students approached the issues are certainly different. 

In my first year teaching in IB-PYP school, I asked myself: why should we do the exhibition? why bother? Once I jumped in, then I realized how challenging the stage was. I saw how my students applied their PYP attributes within the exhibition preparation totally. The role of the teachers as mentors only took part as a "frying pan". The students are the ingredients, the stove and the fire!

Here I describe the teachers as a "frying pan" because they only a place where the students put everything they find during their independent research. The teachers hold the findings and only the truest and genuine findings can stay within the "pan". After having a "green" light to go, then the students will turn on the stove and lit the fire!

Here also I try to copy what has been mentioned in the exhibition guideline handbook.

The PYP exhibition has a number of key purposes:

• for students to engage in an in- depth, collaborative inquiry
•  to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their
  own learning
• to provide students with an opportunity to explore multiple perspectives
•  for students to synthesize and apply their learning of previous years and to reflect upon their journey through the PYP
•  to provide an authentic process for assessing student understanding
•  to demonstrate how students can take action as a result of their learning to unite the students, teachers, parents and other members of the school community in a collaborative
  experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP
• to celebrate the transition of learners from primary to middle/secondary education.

(IB-PYP The Exhibition Guideline, 2008)

  After this writing, I will provide you all with the latest process of PYP exhibition conducted by my students at my current school, Tunas Muda International School Meruya, Jakarta, Indonesia. 

blessing,

Hugo