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IC NEWSLETTER -
WINTER 2009
8
By Julia Kozak,
Elementary School Director
The Elementary School, which is
known for its open door policy has
now unhinged its classroom doors.
A pilot project that was launched in
February invited parents to ‘become
students’ and participate with their
children in a regular math class. The
main purpose of this sharing session
was to help parents better understand
who their children are as learners.
Since the inception of PYP in 2002,
the focus of teaching and learning at
the Elementary School has changed.
No longer do textbooks anddrill drive
the learning. Critical thinking, hands
on problem solving, collaborative
learning, and inquiry allow students
to make connections to the real
world. In math class, for example,
students are asked to explain, show,
or apply their visible thinking and
understanding.
Reem Sardouk, Math Department
Chairperson
and
third
grade
teacher explained, “Math is not just
a drilling session which is why
some parents think of math as
boring.”
SardoukandalltheElementary
School classroom teachers
believe that children love
math when taught using
an open-ended, inquiry
approach like that used in a
PYP classroom.
I had conducted several math sharing
sessions with parents in Canada
before joining IC seven years ago. I
believe the only way to help parents
understand what is happening in a
PYP inquiry-based classroom is to let
them experience it themselves.
“We got to see first-hand how math
is taught,” said Rana Jubaily, who
accompanied her third grade son to
the playground to participate in a
hands-on lesson on measurement.
“It was wonderful to interact with
our children and see them really
understanding concepts.”
“I grew up on drills and exercises,
and I just couldn’t imagine how math
was being taught without them,” said
Sawsan Khalil, a CE1 mother. “I was
pleasantly surprised to find out that
‘math is not just about operations
and calculations’.”
Excited students couldn’t wait!
Younger ones climbed onto their
parents laps, and the older students
enjoyed taking on the role of math
teacher. All the children were
able to verbalize and explain their
understanding and knowledge of
math concepts.
“It could actually be a lot of fun,” said
Faten Rizk, CE1 teacher.
And fun it was, as children vied to
problem solve using a variety of
strategies. Learning engagements
included group and individual tasks.
Math
Week
Our New Students…
Our Parents