ISberne is known for it’s programs that contribute to the local community. This video segment features Ulli Warren and Theresa Buehlmann, who teach English, on Wednesday afternoons at ISBerne, to students who already possess a level of spoken English but are enroled in the local swiss school system.
If you are interested in enroling in the Community English Programme, see our school website for more information:
As an IB school, one of the ‘end product’ attributes we aspire to develop is that of being a risk taker.
By definition, our students are:
Expected to approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
There have been some wonderful examples of this around the school in the past few weeks, for example;
During the Grade 11 Science Projects, despite the best of well-intentioned planning, our Grade 11 projects may not have always worked as they would have wanted them to during the final presentations: nevertheless, they were prepared to start all over, learn from their errors and identify not just what went wrong but what they succeeded at within their constructions. The mark of true scientific thinkers!
(You may see more photos and videos of the Grade 11 Science Project on our Flickr Page)
The ELC Garden has been transformed into a growing wonderland of flowers, vegetables, fruits and pathways: all due to the hard work , cooperation and commitment of a group of our Grade 8 students. In addition, they volunteered their personal time after school to get the garden looking just how they envisioned it.
(You may see more ELC Garden Transformation photos, taken by ISBerne student, Luis Murguia Diaz, on our Flickr page)
Then there were the 70 ISBerne participants in the Berne GP! I had the pleasure of running with a few first-time runners in the 4.7km event this year. The fear of the unknown before they ran the course (ie: where will I run? How will I know when I have finished?) was soon replaced by stamina, enthusiasm and joy as they were cheered along the route by members of the wider Berne community.
And finally the PYP students who participated in ISBerne’s Got Talent showcase just this afternoon. It takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of your peers, teachers and parents and show them all what you’ve got and our students all did an amazing and impressive job at doing just that!
(You may see more photos, courtesey of ISBerne Parent Federique Chambour) and video snippets of the PYP ISBerne’s Got Talent show on our Flickr page.)
All of these events are achievements that you may not see on a report card, but you will certainly see in the human being that develops the risk taking attribute.
Mid week and the students, though still enjoying the process, are starting to feel a little stress. Worried about dance steps and having to make up for lost work. Friday draws nearer and methodically, the pieces come together as the teamwork pays off!
Below the synopsis of the day, from the kids themselves.
From the costume group, ” It was very fun first day, but by the second it was getting quite repetitive, although it was still fun!”
Though all is generally moving smoothly, pitfalls happen, and though frustrating, ‘the show must go on!’
Today our set design team creates the elements, literally and figuratively! Clouds and fire are on the agenda today. Things are progressing smoothly so far in the set design department!
Below you see the progress as noted by the students themselves as they evaluate and share their process and advancement in the project. The Narration Group wrote poems, while the Media group made a cover for the programme, no element is forgotten!
Once again, the PYP is in full swing, creating a performance from concept to stage in one week. During this week, the students are grouped and tasked with one element of the show– costumes, set design, scriptwriting, etc. They are faced with the challenges typically encountered in teamwork. They are learning to work to a deadline, creative brainstorming, to be open to each other’s ideas and accepting gracefully when their choice is not that of the group. These are attributes all adults strive to achieve and these students are taking the challenge in stride!
This year we are following one group through the process. Below you will find a video of the team tasked with set design. Stay tuned for more, and for a video of their final finished performance which will be held at the end of the week!
Below the students have chronicled their progress. Each group reports back what they have done and their reflections on the choices of the group.
The word “creativity,” in our society, tends to be applied to artistic endeavors. But creative thinking is an essential part of everyday life, whether it’s navigating office politics or devising a new social-media network.
Whether that potential is being fulfilled is another story entirely. Kyung Hee Kim, Ph.D., an educational psychologist at the College of William & Mary, in Virginia, has spent the past decade poring over the creativity scores of more than 300,000 American K—12 students. The news is not good: “Creativity scores have significantly decreased since 1990,” she says. Moreover, “creativity scores for kindergartners through third-graders decreased the most, and those from the fourth through sixth grades decreased by the next largest amount.”
The scores Kim is referring to are those generated by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking—the standard-bearer in assessing creativity in children since the 1960s. In fact, the results of the Torrance Tests are also better indicators of lifetime creative accomplishment than childhood IQ. The tests consist of open-ended questions, such as “How many uses can you think of for a toothbrush?” Scores are awarded based on the number and originality of the ideas produced. A creative child might respond by saying that he can brush his cat’s teeth, polish a rock, and clean his fingernails—all answers that show dexterity in generating a wide range of potentially useful ideas.
This unique ability is one that will be crucial to the workforce of the future. Today’s toddler faces a universe of rapidly evolving technology, an ever-shifting global economy, and far-reaching health and environmental challenges—scenarios that will require plenty of creative thinking.
In the ISBerne context, next week begins the annual Performing Arts Week. The students will experience a collapsed timetable as they work with students from other PYP grade levels with a common focus on creative thinking. Our students will be guided on a journey of taking an idea and evolving it onto a creative performance….some will be on the stage, others will be behind the scenes.