In a recent Grade 1 unit , students began their studies with a week of provocative activities to help them begin to wonder about where their food comes from . As they dissected an apple , they formed questions about the plants we eat , what affects the food we eat and how we produce food . By the end of the unit , students had refined their questions to focus on one question about food that most interested them , and they then conducted research to answer their personal questions .
With the groundwork for inquiry laid in the early years , students move through numerous Units of Inquiry that evolve in sophistication as they advance through their educational career at LCIS . By the end of Grade 5 , students carry out an extended , in-depth , collaborative project - the PYP Exhibition . Students conduct an in-depth inquiry into a real-life local or global issue that is of interest to them . Starting with their burning question , students explore many lines of inquiry across numerous disciplines and demonstrate the skills gained in their critical-thinking journey through Primary school .
English and humanities classes . All of these experiences provide greater educational value because knowledge is deepened by examining questions across different disciplines .
In the same way , our Grade 6 teachers created a multidisciplinary unit for their students that examined the global water crisis . In order to fully appreciate this complex problem , teachers provided learning experiences that combined concepts from their English , humanities and science courses . In one of their unit assessments , students had to synthesise their learning from multiple disciplines as they took on the roles of social entrepreneurs and created technological solutions to the water crisis . These were then pitched to guest judges in the style of the Dragons ’ Den or Shark Tank .
Through units and culminating tasks such as these , our students draw from concepts across subject areas both to think critically and solve problems . They learn how to develop the strong analytic skills that executive coach Ellen Kumata identifies as a differentiator for successful professionals today which include the ability to test assumptions and take nothing at face value . These are the capacities most in demand within today ’ s corporate world , agrees Dr Annmarie Neal , a human resources expert and currently the Chief Talent Officer at Hellman & Friedman , a leading US private equity investment firm . And if students are to succeed in the global workplace , they will need to draw on knowledge from various disciplines , various cultures and even question that very knowledge itself .
Grade 5 students during their PYP Exhibition
THINKING BEYOND DISCIPLINES Similarly , helping students understand the need to draw on multiple disciplines to solve problems is a major part of the IB Middle Years Programme ( MYP ), which encompasses Grades 6 to 10 at LCIS . Through the development of unique multidisciplinary units , teachers prepare students for in-depth inquiry very early on in the MYP . These units not only encourage the process of inquiry , but also engage students in breaking down the barriers between subjects to build a richer understanding of concepts .
For example , history is not taught in isolation or in chronological order . Rather , the issues that affect individuals and societies are examined in units such as Peacekeeping and Genocide . Students in the Grade 9 class came to appreciate the significance of the Holocaust in distinctive , yet interrelated , lessons delivered through both
Grade 9 students conduct Skype interview with Holocaust survivor
RAISING QUESTIONS When students get to Grade 11 at LCIS and enter the IB Diploma Programme ( DP ), they take Theory of Knowledge ( TOK ), a distinctive course in applied philosophy designed solely for IB students . Through the readings and guided discussions of TOK , our students learn how to connect multiple subjects and transcend disciplines in ways that are both imaginative and practical .
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