EY Connect - June issue 2024

Morning everyone! 

Thank you for your readership this year, I hope the content has been thought-provoking and helpful. Now let's wrap up the school year with some celebrations 🙌 

1 REFLECTION


Last week marked the end of the second iteration of "A Closer Look at the PYP" PD series. One thing comes to mind when I think about this cohort of learners - "The more you put in, the more you get out of it" Educators came with an eagerness for learning and growth, and their efforts were evident in the many connections they made between theory and practice. 



During the last session, educators did a thinking routine (see above) to synthesize their learning around transdisciplinarity and inquiry. They zoomed out and really thought about this conceptually, coming up with symbols such as waves and interconnected rings, to symbolize all the elements of the PYP coming together in cyclical understandings. 

Well done Hillside EAs!

1 IDEA

At the third ESF Annual Research Conference, colleagues from across ESF presented and shared their research and ongoing projects. It was inspiring to hear about the professional wonderings educators had in their everyday school settings, and actioning on it to fuel their intellectual wellbeing (a term coined by Jacques-Olivier Perche & Patrick Alexander; read more about it here). 

A big question that emerged was: What is education for?

Keynote speaker Paul Campbell put his perspective forward- education is to support sense-making. The curriculum is so broad, the play so diverse, the learners so perceptive, the world so complex,  that ultimately the role of education is to attempt to find patterns and connections and make sense of it all. That leaves us the question- given our scope of influence as teachers, what will we choose to use education for?

1 RESOURCE


How can we boost our focus quickly? Studies in neuroscience has shown that focusing visually actually can help our brain focus on a task (Dr. Andrew Huberman). Narrowing your visual attention activates brain circuits that release neurochemicals responsible for increasing alertness and arousal.

Give the one minute focus a try, and see if it can get you back on track (with reports, or otherwise!) 


1 WELLBEING

We're almost there! 9.5 school days... countdown is ON!



1 QUOTE
You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.- Jim Stovall 

Until next time,
Brenda 

Currently reading:
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

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