Making PYP Happen Online Workshop - May-June 2019

Module 1

The role of language to promote and provoke international-mindedness and transdisciplinary learning".

Connect - How are the ideas and information presented CONNECTED to what you already knew?

Actively promoting the maintenance and development of home languages helps to build a positive culture of language learning. In our classroom, we invite parents to join us in celebrating their children's learning and we encourage children to share this learning in their home language. This creates an opportunity for students to make connections between languages.

Actively promoting the maintenance and development of home language also promotes a positive culture of language learning. Children are welcome to read books in our class that are written in their home language and share them with their peers.

Extend - What new ideas did you get that EXTENDED or pushed your thinking in new directions?

Multiliteracies involve students in different ways of accessing and making meaning, including technology and the potential for expression and audience. This helps me to understand how important it is for our students to learn other languages - it is such a powerful way of developing international-mindedness. Being exposed to new languages really is a way of exploring the world.

Challenge - What is still CHALLENGING or confusing for you to get your mind around? What questions, wonderings or puzzles do you now have?

I am interested to learn more about creating a student language profile. I wonder what the student language portrait tool is? I can imagine that it would give you rich information about a learner that you may otherwise miss out on.

International mindedness can be embedded in the classroom by ...

• focusing student inquiries on global human commonalities
• embracing multilingualism
• fostering intercultural understanding
• providing opportunities to develop learner profile attributes and approaches to learning as these provide the foundation skills
• exploring multiple perspectives
• creating opportunities for role plays
• challenging disrespectful behaviour or bullying
• showing kindness to all community members
• Sharing cultural traditions

Change cannot be made alone:

• a culture of international mindedness has to created by a learning community
• International mindedness needs to be embedded through mission statements and policies
• the learning community needs to have a voice in decision making
• The learning community needs to model, develop and demonstrate international mindedness

Schools need to collaborate with …

• the entire school community - students, parents/caregivers, teachers and leaders and the local community

This is a long term strategy. International mindedness takes time and commitment

• intercultural mindedness needs to be visible in schools through the use of displays and languages in school resources
• throughout the school year, events can be used to promote international mindedness
• developing cultural exchanges outside of school will develop cultural diversity

You will know it is working if …

• the learning community is open minded, welcoming and respectful
• international mindedness is visible in a school through its shared language, displays and resources
• people are accepted for who they are and where they are from
• there is a culture of tolerance, empathy and understanding of one another
• there are events that celebrate diversity
• people feel secure and respected