Global PD letter to PYP Workshop Leaders
Dear Workshop Leaders,
As the newly appointed head of global professional development for the IB Primary Years Programme, I would like to take the opportunity to make contact with you. I have come from St Leonard’s College in Melbourne where I was Deputy Principal of an Early Years to Year 10 campus, but I have lived and worked in Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Vietnam. During my teaching career, I have taught at all levels from lower primary through to the senior years of schooling. My professional and research interests are on inquiry learning and sustainable education. I have been a PYP workshop leader in the Asia Pacific Region for the last three years.
I am very pleased to be part of the IB’s commitment to maintain a high quality of professional development and to further develop exciting new workshops. As you are aware, the PYP has already initiated the new global architecture for workshops. All workshops are now identified and publicised as one of three categories:
Category 1-For educators new to the IB
Category 2-For experienced IB educators
Category 3-For educators seeking in-depth investigation into specific areas of expertise
The session guidelines for all currently developed workshops are in the PYP Workshop Handbook which is available through the Online Curriculum Centre (OCC). These guidelines provide standardised aims and objectives for each workshop. The session guidelines apply across all regions and have been cross referenced with the newly reviewed Standards and Practices document to be published in 2010. The application of session guidelines will ensure the inclusion of essential information so that workshop participants in all regions receive a consistently high quality provision of professional development. All workshop leaders will be requested to address the session guidelines when preparing the content for workshops, however, as with current practice, you are also encouraged to support the workshop with your own strategies and personal flair to enhance the workshop experience and ensure that all participants are actively involved.
Primary Years Programme workshop leaders continue to be vitally important in the development and delivery of high quality workshops. Your feedback to me regarding the content of the session guidelines would be most welcome. Our dialogue will enhance the international mindedness of the programme and give workshop leaders around the world a common language and a common platform for planning and evaluation.
Please be aware that the regional office is still your point of contact for issues regarding the compilation of workbooks, requests for materials and logistics. The global professional development team looks forward to working with each of you to inform future developments. Please direct all contact regarding the session to guidelines me at pyp.pd@ibo.org
Regards,
Dr. Marcia Behrenbruch, Head of Global Professional Development (Primary Years Programme)
