In early June, the sixth-grade students of our ASJ successfully held the PYP (Primary Years Programme) project exhibition with the theme "Taking Action to Change the Future."
The PYP exhibition is a practical process where students investigate, record, and share their understanding and exploration of valuable issues. This project requires students to focus on global issues and collaborate to find positive answers within their local community. Our PYP exhibition encourages children to take meaningful action to make a difference in the environment they will inhabit in the future. Students use their research and discoveries to choose meaningful actions and encourage others to practice them, thus making a positive impact on the world around them.
There were 17 inquiry groups in our exhibition, including topics such as National Tide, Science and Technology, Protection of Minors, Environment and Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence, Human Immunity, Tea Culture, Sanxingdui Civilization, Animation Art, Game Design, Green Energy and Urban Community Development, Online Games, Artificial Intelligence, Intangible Cultural Heritage-Chinese Calligraphy, Civilization, Science and Technology. Students chose their own topics and concepts, developed central ideas and lines of inquiry, conducted research and information collection, and engaged in in-depth exploration... Finally, at the exhibition, they shared the results of their six weeks of hard work with the entire community.
During the preparation phase of the exhibition, our group mentors led the students to revisit the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, further understanding the importance of sustainable development. They combined these goals with our six transdisciplinary themes to think about the topics they wanted to explore in depth and formulated questions based on their interests.
We supported students' inquiry learning through a six-step inquiry cycle.
Based on concepts, students raised many questions related to the themes and showcased their prior knowledge and directions for inquiry using various thinking tools.
Based on concepts, students raised many questions related to the themes and showcased their prior knowledge and directions for inquiry using various thinking tools.
Students continued to work collaboratively, collectively considering and analyzing the collected resources and information, using the most reasonable information as determined by the group, and recording their viewpoints in various forms.
Students chose questions of personal interest in their theme of inquiry for further exploration. For example, in the Sanxingdui civilization group, they discovered that when Sanxingdui was excavated, archaeologists believed it was a large sacrificial pit 4,800 years ago based on the unearthed relics and remains. Therefore, they decided to delve deeper into the religious beliefs of Sanxingdui.
Based on concepts, students raised many questions related to the themes and showcased their prior knowledge and directions for in Students reflected on and summarized their entire inquiry process, reviewing and summarizing their learning performance and achievements in terms of knowledge, understanding of concepts, development of skills, and nurturing desired attributes.
quiry using various thinking tools.
"Action" is one of the core principles of the PYP curriculum. Students applied their acquired knowledge to real-life situations and solved practical problems through concrete actions, bringing about changes in their lives. For example, the technology group adopted the suggestion of ASJ kindergarten teachers and designed a set of assembly toys using laser cutting machines, which can enhance children's hand-eye coordination and spatial thinking abilities. The online gaming group designed a program to practice mental arithmetic for elementary school students using programming skills. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) group developed a video detection program for the kindergarten children, utilizing facial recognition technology to allow children to learn while playing...
Privacy Protection and Cybersecurity Group
Through listening to lectures on fraud prevention by a police officer, the students have learned about various situations where personal information may be leaked. Through field research and learning about internet information technology, they have not only learned how to protect personal privacy and enhance cybersecurity but have also educated guests on how to protect personal privacy, raise security awareness, and use the internet responsibly.
Students have collected information to understand the current trends in Chinese culture and the economy. By combining intangible cultural heritage with fashion, they contribute to the innovative development and creative protection of intangible cultural heritage.
Through further study of science and technology, students have used various technological devices to create many technological products that serve our ASJ learning community. In the modern society of rapid technological advancement, balancing technological development and environmental protection is a topic of great concern to us.
Protection of Minors Group
Under the same sky, minors in different countries and regions may lead vastly different lives. Minors are the hope of every nation and every country's future. Protecting the legitimate rights and interests of minors and ensuring their physical and mental health are beneficial for building a harmonious society and are the responsibility of the entire society.
Environment and Infrastructure Development Group
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed improving the level of environmental infrastructure construction and promoting the improvement of urban and rural living environments. Students in the Environment and Infrastructure Development Group conducted field investigations and research, analyzed the current status of urban infrastructure construction in the Longdong and Guangzhou communities, and wrote a letter to the relevant management departments incorporating suggestions from various sources on improving the urban community environment.
Sanxingdui Civilization Group
Students in the Sanxingdui Civilization Group have gained a lot of knowledge through exploration. They have spread their research findings and knowledge about the Sanxingdui civilization within the campus, contributing their own efforts to the promotion of Chinese civilization.
Tea is not only a staple beverage in people's lives but also beneficial to human health. Tea culture has permeated our lives. To learn about tea culture, the Tea CultureGroup has explored the tea-making process: picking, killing the green, kneading, drying, etc. They have gone on field trips to explore knowledge related to tea culture, invited tea artists to learn tea art, identified tea varieties and quality, learned brewing techniques and methods of tea tasting. During the presentation of their achievements, students performed tea art demonstrations and organized a tea fair to introduce more people to knowledge related to tea culture.
Artificial Intelligence Group
With the continuous development of human technological capabilities, the emergence of CHATGPT has made artificial intelligence a hot topic of discussion. The Artificial Intelligence Group explores the applications of artificial intelligence in daily life and the impact it brings. Through debates, students discuss topics such as whether artificial intelligence will replace humans and whether CHATGPT should be discontinued, allowing people to have a more dialectical, comprehensive, and objective understanding of artificial intelligence. At the same time, students in the Artificial Intelligence Group use ICT technology to design robot programs that serve the ASJ learning community.
What structures does the human immune system have? How does the human immune system work? How does the human immune system help us resist viruses? What would happen if we lose our immune system? The Human Immunity Group explores and investigates various aspects of human immunity through 3D printing, handcrafting models of the human immune system and viruses, interviewing experts in immunology, and conducting surveys. Through speeches, they promote the importance of human immunity and raise awareness of the importance of protecting the immune system and enhancing immunity.
Green Energy and Urban Community Development Group
Low-carbon development and green development are the main themes of today's world. The Green Energy Group has explored and studied questions such as "Should we use new energy to replace old energy? What crises does our energy face? How to develop 'low-carbon communities'?" Combining practical learning in the Carbon Neutrality Theme Park, the students have built their own models of future low-carbon communities, advocating the concept of low-carbon development and promoting the importance of energy conservation and urban green development.
Under the guidance of the ICT teacher, students in the Game Design Group independently constructed a realistic ASJ 3D scene using ICT technology. This scene was created to enhance the spatial thinking, collaboration, and competitive awareness of both game designers and players.
Online games have advantages and disadvantages, and one of the focuses of the Online Gaming Group was to explore how to maximize the benefits while minimizing the drawbacks. They designed a computational program to help students in the ASJ community practice mathematical arithmetic.
Through independent exploration, students in the Animation Design Art not only gained a systematic and in-depth understanding of the origin and development of animation, but also explored various animation techniques. During the exhibition, they planned and performed their own cosplay show and dance, showcasing their charm.
Intangible Cultural Heritage - Calligraphy Group
Under the guidance of mentors and the school's calligraphy teacher, students in the Calligraphy Group delved into the history of calligraphy, calligraphic art, and various calligraphy styles. During the exhibition, they collaborated with the Tea Art Group to perform an art integration program called "Ink Fragrance and Tea Rhythm," which received enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Students in the Civilization Group explored civilizations from various countries. They created timelines to compare and analyze the origins and development of the four major ancient civilizations in the world. In particular, they conducted in-depth and detailed research on the different stages of Chinese civilization. During the exhibition, they collaborated with the Animation Design Group to travel through history, presenting an exciting performance that combined dance and martial arts.
The PYP Graduation Exhibition showcased the learning achievements of the students. As a profound project-based learning model, students fully demonstrated their intrinsic motivation for learning through this independent exploration activity. With the guidance of mentors, they broke through the boundaries of disciplines and discovered and solved problems based on real-life contexts, truly integrating learning into practical applications. Through group collaboration, students developed their research, thinking, social, communication, and self-management skills, thereby cultivating various IB learner profile attributes. Congratulations to the students as they embark on the next milestone of their learning journey! May you always brave the wind and waves, and pursue your dreams!
