German B - Copenhagen International School

Collapsed Week allows students to investigate a particular concept or skill in greater depth than
would be possible during ‘normal’ school time. At CIS we traditionally collapse a whole week for MYP
Years 1 ­ 3 in February where students step out of the normal timetable and immerse themselves in
an area of interest. Students and teachers alike collaborate in small groups to set goals, plan
strategies to achieve these goals, to manage time and resources and to meet a performance
deadline. Much more responsibility and accountability is placed upon the student and our experience
is that whilst it is new and challenging, most thrive on it. The new approach to learning presented to
them in this week allows them to explore new skills and dispositions not necessarily used in more
traditional learning settings and the work produced is consistently of very high quality.
Educational Trips
Enriching learning in real­world contexts is integral to the interpretation of the MYP here at CIS.
Social Overnight and Activity week are requirements for all students
in MYP years 1 – 5 and are seen as opportunities for disciplines to
conduct field work. Each year group travels and stays together at
particular destinations where they take the knowledge and skills
taught in the classroom environment and attempt to apply them in
real world situations. It is also the start and culmination of much of
the Advisory Programme in that the emphasis on peer to peer
relationships, communication, conflict resolution, teamwork,
collective responsibility and self­reliance are essential for the week
to be a success.
The first day of the year is devoted to community building
activities around a topical or “burning issue” and culminates in
a collaborative product or action. This year, for example, all
students in the secondary school collaborated on creating art
work response to issues of climate change of the UN Climate
Conference
Throughout the year there are numerous extra­curricular trips to venues around the world. Included in
this are NECIS, the after­school sports programme, ISTA for members of the after­school Drama
clubs, Destination Imagination and Team Peru. There are also a number of curricular trips ranging
from a whole week, Activity Week as mentioned, to a few days, Lübeck for MYP 1 and 2 in
December, to a whole host of one day field trips to the Zoo, the Experimentarium, and to the city’s
museums among many others.
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