IB Candidate: Madison Simis Elementary School in Phoenix

[Harry Mathews]

(WARNING!! In a recent study it was found that reading the following new-speak caused Conservatives heads to explode 100 times more frequently than a control group who read the Federalist Papers instead)

Actual IB Graduate:

 

The following is from the Simis Elementary School website (seriously)

International Baccalaureate

Madison Simis Elementary is a candidate school* for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy- a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Madison Simis believes is important for our students.

Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.

For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit http://www.ibo.org.

IB mission statement:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

What is IB?

To view an overview of the IB Primary Years Programme, click here.

The IB Learner Profile and Attitudes

IB Learner Profile

Madison Simis students strive to be:

• Inquirers— Students develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning.
• Knowledgeable—They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance.
• Thinkers—They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively.
• Communicators—They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication.
• Principled—They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.
• Open-minded—They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities.
• Caring—They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others.
• Risk-takers—They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage in defending their beliefs.
• Balanced—They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance.
• Reflective—They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

View the video on the IB Learner below or click here.

The IB Attitudes

While recognizing the importance of knowledge, concepts and skills, these alone do not make an internationally minded person. The development of personal attitudes towards people, the environment, learning, and attitudes that contribute to the well-being of the individual and of the group is also vital. Students should demonstrate:

• Appreciation – appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people.
• Commitment – being committed to their own learning, preserving and showing self-discipline and responsibility.
• Confidence – feeling confident in their ability as learners, having the courage to take risks, applying what they have learned and making appropriate decisions and choices.
• Cooperation – cooperating, collaborating, and leading or following as the situation demands.
• Creativity – being creative and imaginative in their thinking and in their approach to problems and dilemmas.
• Curiosity – begin curious about he nature of learning, about the world, its people and cultures.
• Empathy – imagining themselves in another’s situation in order to understand his or her reasoning and emotions, so as to be open-minded and reflective about the perspectives of others.
• Enthusiasm – enjoying learning and willingly putting the effort into the process.
• Independence – thinking and acting independently, making their own judgments based on reasoned argument, and being able to defend their judgments.
• Integrity – being honest and demonstrating a considered sense of fairness.
• Respect – respecting themselves, others and the world around them.
• Tolerance – being sensitive about differences and diversity in the world and being responsive to the needs of others.

Primary Years Programme (PYP)

Madison Simis’ goal is to nurture a balanced learner who is well equipped with not only knowledge, but the skills and confidence necessary to succeed in our rapidly changing world.

The PYP Programme has five essential elements:

• Knowledge—The Program of Inquiry includes six units: Who We Are, Where We are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How We Organize Ourselves, How the World Works, and Sharing the Planet.
• Skills—The Transdisciplinary skills are a set of skills that we explicitly teach our students to equip them to be world-class learners, fully confident in a variety of settings. They include thinking skills, research skills, communication skills, self-management skills, and social skills.
• Concepts—Structured, purposeful inquiry is a powerful vehicle for learning. We use the key concepts of form, function, causation, change, responsibility, connection, perspective, and reflection to frame our questions for inquiry.
• Attitudes—The twelve attitudes of the PYP program are: appreciation, commitment, confidence, cooperation, creativity, curiosity, empathy, enthusiasm, independence, integrity, respect, and tolerance. These attitudes, along with the learner profile, provide common language used by the entire school community as we work toward becoming internationally-minded citizens.
• Action—We always honor and celebrate student-initiated action. Students are encouraged and provided opportunities to seek out ways to make their world a better place.

Programme of Inquiry (POI)

Our Programme of Inquiry (POI) is the heart of our written curriculum. During each year at Madison Simis Elementary, students participate in six Units of Inquiry that are transdisciplinary and focused on a central idea.

When developing the written curriculum the following transdisciplinary themes were considered and used:

Who we are

An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.

Where we are in place and time

An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries; explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives

How we express ourselves

An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

How the world works

An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

How we organize ourselves

An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Sharing the planet

An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is IB?

IB stands for International Baccalaureate. Baccalaureate is defined as educational requirements set by standards and international would mean, used by people of many nations. IB consists of three programs. The Primary Years Program (PYP) is for children ages 3-12, the Middle Years Program (MYP) which is for ages 11-16, and the Diploma Program (DP) for students aged 16-19. The IB mission is to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. For more information about IB please visit the IBO website www.ibo. org/

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2. Why IB? What is special about it?

IB offers a continuum of education, consisting of three programs for students aged 3 to 19 and has a reputation for high quality education sustained for over 35 years. These programs encourage international-mindedness and citizenship skills in IB students. To do this, we believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. IB encourages a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, critically reflect, develop research skills, learn how to learn and participate in community service By having IB at our school, the level of rigor goes up further for each student. Students are learning how to be critical thinkers and how their actions can help shape the world. When Simis becomes an offical PYP school, they will be only one in four PYP schools in Arizona! There are about 322 PYP schools in the United States.

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3. Why IB at Simis?

At Simis we have worked to develop our POI (Program of Inquiry) on inquiry-based instruction. Simis staff is dedicated to work together to assist students who will become international thinkers and who understand how to apply problem solving techniques to local and global issues. Highly qualified teachers and staff at Madison Simis work with students through the six themes of guided inquiry. We assist students in understanding what their relationships and responsibilities are toward the new information and knowledge that they are acquiring. This sets Simis apart from other elementary schools.

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4. When do we start?

We start now! Right now teachers are teaching the learner profile and attitudes in their classrooms. Teachers are using TCT time to write the planners. After Winter Break, we’ll start teaching the 4th IB unit. All school year long we will be working on writing all 6 planners so that next year we will be able to teach all 6 units and be ready for authorization.

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5. Will my child still have homework?

Homework is still part of the necessary daily practice students need. Some homework assignments might look the same and some will probably look different. Students may continue to research topics at home and will ask parents questions as they seek to deepen their understanding of material explored during class time.They may come home asking higher level questions and deciding to take action because of something they are learning about in class. Students will become life-long learners.

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6. What is inquiry?

Inquiry is defined as an investigation to seek for information and knowledge. The inquiry process leads students to develop and construct their own understanding of concepts presented. We want students to understand that learning is about generating one’s own questions related to personal experience and real-life application, and then looking for answers, which in turn may generate new and more complex questions in need of answers, thus making them life-long learners.

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7. What kind of training is involved?

All teachers have received a minimum of 15 hours of training in the components of the IB program and continue to gain knowledge and support as we work to improve the units of inquiry. We have a coordinator who provides ongoing training and there is an expectation of continuous training within the IB guidelines.

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8. What about state standards?

The POI units were written to correspond with the Common Core Standards. Most of our units were written to include Social Studies and Science standards. Reading, Writing, and Math standards are also taught in the units where they fit in but some standards are taught as separate units. We are always looking for ways to increase inquiry instruction in all academic subject areas.

 

http://www.madisonaz.org/simis-elementary/programs/international-ba...

[PhD in IB]

IB is the biggest educational scam on the planet! Why do American students need the UN to teach them "values and attitudes"? How obnoxious!

[Harry Mathews]

Yes! How IBnoxious

PhD in IB said:

IB is the biggest educational scam on the planet! Why do American students need the UN to teach them "values and attitudes"? How obnoxious!

[Nancy Genys]

Yes - but they sure make it look great don't they? 

[Harry Mathews]

They use words and phrases that don't mean the same to them as they do to you and me. This "New-Speak" changes the meanings of things so that those on the inside know they mean one thing but to those on the outside think they mean something else. This way, they can and lie the whole time while you think they are saying something different. All the while, they know they are lying even though you don't. They have so much contempt for the individual that they are sure they know better than you and if you don't agree you don't deserve to join the discussion.