Challenging students to think about life

Moving beyond the obvious

In helping students work out what to focus on in their PYP Exhibition, I believe we need to help them move beyond the obvious, beyond the last thing they heard or experienced. We need to help them synthesize the learning, experiences, sensations and knowledge they have been developing for the last 10/11 years. We need to help them dig into their souls to find the deep connections and convictions that exist inside them. Here is one way to do this.

Tell students you would like them to compile two lists: one list of the top ten things they like about life, the other of the top ten things they dont like about life. Talk to them about the differences between shallow and deep, obvious and subtle, factual and conceptual, nouns and descriptions. Use an Iceberg diagram to make this thinking visual. Collect examples to illustrate what you mean. Here is one from Tammy who is in 6SS this year. I like Pizza. It is yummy. Tammy

I like Pizza because my family has Pizza every weekend and when were eating Pizza we talk about what happened to us during the week. Its a special family time because we can never get together during the week. Tammy

The more we show students that we expect depth of thought, the more they give it to us. The more we refuse to accept shallow responses and dig deeper, the more students start to do it themselves. Tammys example above gives me, as her teacher, so much more to work with. Through a fairly simple task I have helped her to uncover how much she values family time, how much she regrets the busyness of the week and how Pizza is the catalyst that brings her family together. She may choose to focus on the importance of family time for her PYP Exhibition. She may not. But, what she does focus on will be of similar depth and will reflect who she is as a person at this stage of her life. Sam Sherratt