JS News: 17 Nov 2021
By Nick Martin, Assistant Head of Junior School Teaching and Learning
We’re not gonna sit in silence. We’re not gonna live with fear.
You're the voice, try and understand it. Make a noise and make it clear
John Farnham, ‘You’re the voice’
The PYP Exhibition is an in-depth, collaborative, student-led inquiry into an issue that is important in our world. This year’s Exhibition was inspired by the lyrics from John Farnham’s classic anthem, ‘You’re the voice’.
The Exhibition process has been a challenging one for this year’s Year 6 students. The implications of COVID have meant that a large proportion of the Exhibition process has been undertaken remotely. Nonetheless, the students have remained positive and have overcome practical hurdles to continue with the Exhibition process. In under two weeks, our Year 6 students will present their inquiries to the parent community.
The students have engaged in some enormous issues that are facing humans on a personal, local and global scale. They have looked at power, poverty, progress, addiction, extinction, exploitation, sustainability, conservation, innovation, animal cruelty, fairness, body image, equity, economic responsibility, conflict, racism, homelessness, opportunity, exploration, intersectionality, human rights and mental health.
The students have created a website that hopes to capture their inquiries, their action, their creative responses and their engagement through The Arts. Parents will join each group virtually to interrogate the students with thought-provoking questions and challenges. This is often the most satisfying phase of the Exhibition as students ‘think on their feet’ and truly demonstrate all that they have understood throughout the process.
A unique component of this process is the role of the mentor. An adult from within the Radford Community was assigned to each group. Mentors meet with students weekly to listen, guide, prompt, challenge and support the learning. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude for our team of mentors for committing their own time and energy to support the Year 6 students.
A truly collaborative process could not be possible without the guidance of the teaching staff. The Year 6 classroom teachers have expertly supported the students throughout the process, our team of Specialist Teachers enriched the process through each of their areas of expertise and a host of other staff members have supported the Exhibition in ways too many to mention.
Finally, an enormous congratulations to the Year 6 students of 2021. We are eagerly anticipating the Exhibition next week and know that you will share your knowledge, passion, empathy, creativity and sense of hope. We can’t wait to hear your voices!