“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle
It is imperative that every Ridleian – past, present and future – is instilled with a desire to change the world. Commitment to service, contribution to community, the desire to take action: all of these qualities make up a true Ridleian. The International Baccalaureate (IB) programme aligns perfectly with the values and core beliefs of our school. The same global mindedness is encouraged in both the IB programme and at Ridley. The shared values of both organizations create a perfect partnership.
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a programme for students aged 3-12, offered by IB World Schools. Ridley is proud to implement the PYP into our Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum. The PYP curricular framework focuses on the whole child; developing their social, academic and emotional well-being. Incorporated into the curriculum are six transdisciplinary themes that focus on local and world issues and can be explored in each subject. The students are asked to explore these themes, find connections between them and determine how they relate to their course work.
In their final year of the PYP, all Grade 6 students take part in an exhibition that combines all of the skills, strengths and techniques that they’ve developed and learned during their primary years’ education. Each year, the exhibition focuses on one of the six transdisciplinary themes.
“Students are required to engage in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in identifying, investigating and offering solutions to a real-life issues or problems.”
– Ms. Marcie Lewis ‘03, Grade 6 Teacher and PYP Coordinator
On May 11th, our Grade 6 students participated in this year’s PYP Exhibition. This year, the theme chosen was ‘Sharing the Planet’, focusing solely on current world issues and how to take action to solve them. The exhibition featured a gallery walk and presentations on topics ranging from the ethical treatment of animals to natural disaster recovery. The students were encouraged to pick topics that interested them and ignited a fire within to make a difference. Choosing something that aligns with their own passions allows the students to form a personal connection to their research, resulting in a desire to learn.
Once the students chose their topics, they were required to form a central idea. This central idea focused on how one could take action to contribute to the resolving of their world issue. Through extensive research and inquiry, the students were required to provide research that supported their central idea and visually display the information for the exhibition.
The students created incredible presentations, using well-made visual aids and slideshow displays. Many also included demonstrations and interactive elements that students, staff and members of the Ridley community could partake in. The projects included:
- ‘The Ethical Treatment of Animals’ by Emily Abbey-Rupnik ’22 and Olivia Massis ’22
- ‘Natural Disaster Recovery’ by Calum Murphy ’22 and Lucas Vigna ’22
- ‘Global Warming and the Effect on the Global Food Supply’ by Shakirah Zaidi ’22 and Ire Oloketuyi ’22
- ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases with a Focus on the Zika Virus’ by Chloe Cook ’22
- ‘Mental Health in Developing Countries’ by Lindsey Siao ’22 and Taylor Searle ’22
- ‘Living with Disabilites’ by Keji Adeyemi ’22
- ‘Community Based Sports Programs’ by William Clayton ’22 and Phillip Stroganov ’22
- ‘Child Labour’ by Brooke Loranger ’22 and Isha Walia ’22
- ‘Global Warming and the Effect on Global Water Supply’ by Bradley Mattocks ’22 and Sascha Jansen-Rudan ’22
“The exhibition allows the students to have greater independence. It allows students to see their strengths as learners and feel empowered by being in control of their own learning.”
– Ms. Marcie Lewis ‘03, Grade 6 Teacher and PYP Coordinator
The projects presented by the students during the PYP Exhibition clearly demonstrated the inquisitive nature of our students and showed that they are well on their way to becoming globally minded individuals. It was a thought provoking experience for both the students and all who explored the exhibition. We look forward to seeing what next year’s students can discover.
View photos or watch the video from the PYP Exhibition.