The PYP Exhibition: Taking Action

The final week of The PYP Exhibition is upon us and the students are intensely focused on the conclusion of this process. Their presentations are almost complete, and attention is turning to the spoken word. Grades 5 and 6 and collaborating with their peers in Grade 4 to put together a summation of their findings in the research process.

At the end of the journey, there are a number of factors to consider. It’s a time for reflection, but also of anticipation. For these students, it is like nothing they have ever done before. Never, have they been asked to be so independent, responsible, and freethinking. Indeed, they may never have had such autonomy in their academic lives. This to be celebrated, because their work is not a result of guided instruction, controlling superiors, or well-intentioned teachers; it is theirs and theirs alone.

As such, their work is a testament to all they have learned in the IB Primary Years Programme at QAIS; they have a deep understanding not only of concepts and ideas, but of the process by which that new understanding can be attained.

Moreover, we started this journey with an emphasis on the process, and that emphasis continues to this day. All the components of the PYP are linked to the Exhibition. You cannot help but learn at every part of the process. You cannot help but be challenged and grow as you meet every new obstacle. You cannot help but reflect upon yourself and your commitment to the process as there is no place to hide; truth will out.

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

Greg Anderson.

As the PYP Exhibition is a culmination of the PYP, only the Grade 5/6 students will take part in the evening celebration, on Friday 22nd May at 6pm. The Grade 4 students will collaborate to make a separate presentation for the school community on Monday 25th May at 9am.