01 - Copenhagen International School

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! profound and sustained.” East Asian " " " Regional Council for Overseas Schools " “You represent the next generation of! ! ! ! environmental speakers who are not telling ! us about the problems any more, but rather ! the solutions” J.P. Morgan Peter Wellby Director Climate Conference We are very fortunate to have outstanding speakers coming to our school for our CIS COP 15 events. Please make sure you register early by clicking here, as space is limited and we shall fill vacant spaces by opening our conference to the wider public, if it is not filled by those in our community. I highlight below three of the seven events arranged at CIS. John Liu will be showing his film ‘Hope in a Changing Climate’ in the PAC on Monday, 7 December at 17.00 hrs. John is an eminent keynote speaker at international conferences. His thesis is that the eradication of poverty and the rehabilitation of ecosystems are inextricably linked. In rehabilitating ecosystems we not only ensure the survival of our species but also ’address the massive historic crimes that enriched some, but left billions of people in abject poverty.’ John believes that the headline solutions being proposed for COP 15 will achieve little more than Calpol: alleviating the symptoms but leaving the fundamental causes of the problem intact. ‘The Age of Stupid’ , starring Oscar-nominated Peter Posthelthwaite and produced by an Oscar-winner, will be screened in the PAC on Tuesday 8 December at 17.00 hrs. This film has been shown in 23 countries and has a trailer featuring students from CIS. The BBC will be showing the film during COP 15. At its premiere in Australia it was shown simultaneously in over 40 cinemas. Its UK opening week enjoyed the highest screen average, beating even ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ It has been described as ‘essential viewing for anyone who cares about the future of our planet.’ ‘Ghost Forest Project’ Angela Palmer will be talking about her most ambitious art installation, at 16.00 hrs in the PAC on Wednesday, 9 December. She has used ten tree stumps, which she selected onsite from a rainforest in Ghana, as a metaphor for climate change: the missing trunks symbolise the lungs chopped from the world by deforestation. The stumps have been exhibited in London in Trafalgar Square for the last week and are now being shipped to Copenhagen where they will be displayed in Thorvaldsens Plads next to Parliament. These speakers would energise the walking dead. Now it looks as if the politicians may again have lost sight of the significance of their failure to be decisive and courageous, it is more important than ever that grass-roots movements put irresistible pressure on them to act. I look forward to seeing you there. He has directed 14 films for the BBC, Discovery and National Geographic channels. " “John Liu's message of Earth's Hope at the ! recent Global Issues Network Conference in ! Beijing empowered international students and ! ! educators from around the world to take ! imme!diate action. The impact has been
Heikki Soini Primary School Principal Inquiry based Learning As a PYP school we believe that all children arrive to any learning situation with valuable knowledge and skills from previous experiences, which will further enrich the learning environment. This means that children at CIS who come from all over the world will each have a slightly different entry point to our PYP curriculum, often seasoned with different educational, linguistic and cultural backgrounds. How does a school plan and implement effective teaching for such a diverse and global community? Inquiry or inquiry based learning is often connected with or used as a synonym to characterize teaching by investigation, research or discovery. In the IB PYP inquiry is the leading pedagogical approach which has been given a rather distinct form and function. The process is seen as a cycle which is very similar to Kolb’s cycle of experimental learning. At the very beginning of the process learning is anchored to the prior knowledge and experiences of the child. This means shifting the focus from knowledge in the books and curriculum to knowledge within the child. By acknowledging where the children are with their understanding, knowledge and skills we can ensure developmentally appropriate content and phases in order to engage them with an optimal learning experience, either as independent or dependent learners. The following stage of inquiry is often called the invitation phase (Kathy Short). Children are given plenty of opportunities to explore and engage with challenging, meaningful and significant material collated by the teachers. The level of children’s prior knowledge, the programme of inquiry and the curriculum expectations determine the breadth and depth of the resources used. This phase leads into the most significant part of the inquiry: student initiated questions, provocations and wonderings. Usually, these will be recorded and refined in collaboration with teacher and peers. This is a design of study where the child is in the driver’s seat while the curriculum expectations are met. It is truly fascinating to observe the enthusiasm and time both the children and teachers are spending on the project at this stage. Parents will find their children describing what is going on in the classroom with excitement, asking questions, using internet and other sources to find answers to their questions. Children collect, sort and present data in different ways. They may be keeping a journal, developing a power point presentation, working on a dramatic play or designing a piece of art, a poster or a brochure to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts. The open-ended nature of the inquiry guided by the teacher allows the children to reach their fullest potential in understanding the big ideas, deveoping life-long learning skills and acquiring significant knowledge. Inquiry is not only limited to the units of inquiry which combine several subject areas and demonstrate interconnectedness of the scientific disciplines. Inquiry based learning happens also during a single subject lesson e.g. language, mathematics or PE. These are often shorter than the more holistic units and may focus on important subject based concepts like proofreading in language, commutative law in mathematics or problem solving through passing a ball in an invasion game introduced in the PE. Again students are given an opportunity to explore the authentic world of an author, a mathematician or a sportsman which will lead to the development of enduring understandings. The end of the first term has provided parents with many opportunities to observe student inquiry at the primary school. During Open Houses parents could see student questions published in the classroom, reflective writing in a unit diary or presentations of conceptual understanding in art work. Parents can see how their children have responded to, and reflected upon their performance regarding a specified expectation by observing the work and comments presented in the portfolio. However, the most important measure of inquiry based learning can be seen through the level of ownership children demonstrate towards their work. I must say that I can see that every day and I am impressed! Thank you to all the parents for your continued support and I wish you all happy holidays and all the best for the year 2010!
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01 - Copenhagen International School

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