by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Jan 30, 2017
Futuro Verde has now entered its third, and hopefully final, year of the application process to offer the IB Diploma Program. We all continue to work hard: teachers continue to attend IB workshops and revise their curricula; new installations are being built at school; and a workshop was held for board members, parents and new teachers. The next, and perhaps most important, stage of our application is the verification visit which IB will conduct on the 29th and 30th of May, 2017. Two IB representatives will inspect the school and meet with the director, the IB coordinator (designate), teachers, parents, students and board members. After this visit, our application will be approved, denied, or remain pending with matters to be addressed. It is very important that all stakeholders understand that during this process we continue to be a candidate school*, applying to offer the IB diploma program.
Our goal is to prepare our students to be successful. With this in mind, we have adapted the 10th grade subject offering for 2017. Students will have now have three music and three art classes per week, to prepare them for when they choose a group six subject in the arts. Integrated science will prepare them for the Biology IB diploma course, and a new elective “Collaborative Study: Sustainable Innovation” will give students the opportunity to run their own business project, and face all the challenges and successes that a real-life situation will bring. Finally, students will have the opportunity to meet once a week to prepare themselves for Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) as they work on their 10th grade community work project.
*Centro Educativo Futuro Verde is a candidate school* for the Diploma Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy- a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Centro Educativo Futuro Verde believes is important for our students.
Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.
For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit http://www.ibo.org
by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Dec 14, 2016
Algunos nos sentimos muy emocionados ante la perspectiva de pasar las vacaciones con nuestros hijos, incluso tenemos miles de ideas de cómo entretenerlos. Otros, por el contrario, no sentimos tanta emoción dado que ni el trabajo, ni las exigencias de la vida cotidiana dejan de existir. Al fin y al cabo, el verano es la época más movida en la Península a causa de la llegada de muchos turistas. “¡Estoy aburrido(a)!” podría ser algo que escucharemos a menudo. Como padres, ¿debemos intentar solucionarlo tan pronto como lo escuchamos?
Muchas investigaciones indican que no debemos intentar solucionar el problema de inmediato cuando nuestros hijos nos dicen que están aburridos. Un artículo de la BBC recomienda que permitamos que los niños se aburran para que logren explorar su propia creatividad, imaginación y motivación para resolver su problema. En el artículo se cita al Dr. Belton, un experto sobre el impacto de las emociones en el comportamiento y aprendizaje. Según él, el aburrimiento puede incomodar a los niños, pero esta sensación no es mala ya que les enseña a lidiar con la incomodidad. Con tanta tecnología a su disposición, los niños hoy día están desarrollando la necesidad, una adicción, a ser estimulados y entretenidos incesantemente.
“¡Busca algo qué hacer!” es posible que no sea la cosa más constructiva que decir cuando nos enteramos inicialmente de su problema de aburrimiento. Algo que suele funcionar bien en nuestra familia es compartir ideas, redactar una lista de todas las actividades que se pudieran realizar durante las vacaciones y luego colgarla en un lugar visible.
- Al redactar la lista, enseñemos cómo pensar en cosas qué hacer. Reflexione sobre cosas divertidas que hicieron antes y que podrían volver a hacer.
- A lo mejor ya tiene eventos grandes o viajes planeados, pero no olvide cosas sencillas.
- Asegúrese de que algunas de las ideas sean fáciles de realizar para los niños, es decir, sin asistencia.
- Posiblemente algunas ideas requieran planificación. Involucre a sus hijos: “¿Puedes hacer una lista para que no olvidemos llevar almuerzo a la playa?”
- Recuerde que durante las vacaciones nuestros hijos pueden retroceder en lectura, matemáticas, y adquisición de lenguaje. Incluya oportunidades para leer, escribir y usar su idioma nuevo en situaciones auténticas.
- Aprendemos en todas partes, no tan solo en la escuela. Gracias a una lista variada podemos seguir aprendiendo. El día que planee hornear galletas, su hijo(a) leerá la receta, verificará cuáles ingredientes se necesiten, elaborará una lista de compras, seguirá instrucciones, aprenderá por experiencia propia y aplicará ciencias.
- Asegúrese de que los aparatos electrónicos o el tiempo delante de la pantalla no sean la solución fácil.
- Siga añadiendo más cosas a la lista a la medida de que surjan.
El “¡Estoy aburrido(a)!” puede convertirse en una costumbre con los niños. Puede ser que nuestra respuesta normal se genere por frustración. Recuerden que está bien que los niños se aburran a veces y que con gentileza y algunas herramientas nuevas podemos re-orientarles para que empiecen a lidiar con esa sensación incómoda de no ser entretenidos a toda hora y a descubrir nuevos pasatiempos.
Referencias y lectura adicional:
Richardson, Hannah. “Children Should Be Allowed to Get Bored, Expert Says.” BBC News. 22 Mar. 2013. http://www.bbc.com/news/education-21895704
Rosenthal, Lisa. “Stop Summer Brain Drain | Parenting.” Parenting. 11 Mar. 2016. http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/stop-brain-drain/
by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Dec 14, 2016
Some of us are filled with excitement at the thought of school vacation with our children and are full of ideas to entertain them, while others are less thrilled at the prospect. Just because they are on vacation doesn’t mean work and the demands of life can be put on pause. After all, the summer is the busiest time of the year on the Peninsula as tourists flock to the area. “I’m bored!” might be something we will hear more than once. As parents or guardians is that something we should rush to fix?
A large amount of research indicates that we should not immediately try and fix our children’s problem when they say they are bored. A BBC article recommended that children be allowed to get bored so that they can start to explore their own creativity, their imagination, and find their own motivation to fix their problem. The article quoted Dr. Belton, an expert on the impact of emotions on behavior and learning. He believes that boredom can feel uncomfortable for children, but that it is good for them to learn to deal with being uncomfortable. With so much technology at our disposal children are developing the need, an addiction, to be constantly stimulated and entertained.
“Find something to do!” might not be the most constructive thing for you to say while our children are first learning how to deal with their perceived problem of being bored. One idea, that has had good results in our family, is to brainstorm and make a list of all the things that could happen during the vacation and then put it in a visible spot.
- As you make the list with them, show them how to think of things to do. Reflect on fun things they have done in the past and could maybe do again.
- You might already have some big activities or travel planned, but don’t forget to add in the simple things too.
- Make sure some of the ideas are easy for your children to do alone.
- Some ideas might take some planning to come to fruition. Involve your children in that planning. “Can you write a list so we don’t forget what to take for lunch on the beach?”
- Remember that vacation can be a time when our children take a backward slide with reading, math, and language acquisition. Remind them that they won’t want to return to school and feel behind. Add in opportunities to read, write and use their new language in authentic situations.
- Learning doesn’t just happen at school. With a varied list of ideas, learning can take place all the time. On the day your child plans to bake cookies they will be reading a recipe, checking they have what they need, writing a shopping list, following instructions, learning through trial and error, and doing science!
- Make sure screen time or electronics are not the automatic go-to.
- Keep adding to the list as new ideas come up.
“I’m bored” can become a bit of a habit for children. Our normal response might come from a place of frustration. Remember it is ok for our kids to be bored sometimes, and that with some gentle redirection and some new tools they should start being able to cope with that uncomfortable feeling of not being entertained all the time and be quicker to discover new things to do.
References and further reading:
Richardson, Hannah. “Children Should Be Allowed to Get Bored, Expert Says.” BBC News. 22 Mar. 2013. http://www.bbc.com/news/education-21895704
Rosenthal, Lisa. “Stop Summer Brain Drain | Parenting.” Parenting. 11 Mar. 2016. http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/stop-brain-drain/
by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Dec 1, 2016
A principios de noviembre tuvo lugar ‘Cosecha’, la Conferencia sobre Lenguaje Dual, en Santa Fe, Nuevo México, Estados Unidos. Más de 2,500 educadores, investigadores y partidarios de la educación de lenguaje dual se reunieron y acudieron a numerosas charlas, talleres y eventos sociales con el propósito de aprender y compartir su experiencia. Después de que Futuro Verde fuera seleccionado para presentar ante este evento prestigioso, Lural Ramirez, Eileen Walschmidt, y Stuart Millar expusieron sobre “Futuro Verde – Oportunidades de Investigación y Capacitación de Docentes”.
Para Futuro Verde fue una oportunidad valiosa por varias razones. Conferencias tales como esa nos mantienen al día ya que nos brindan acceso a la investigación actual y los nuevos métodos de eneñanza que benefician directamente a maestros y estudiantes. Además, nos permitió promocionar a Futuro Verde y nuestro trabajo para que educadores y escuelas internacionales pueden aprender de nuestras experiencias, éxitos y desafíos. El trabajo en grupos pequeños y la colaboración son elementos esenciales para el tipo de enseñanza que ofrecemos en Futuro Verde. Esa fue nuestra oportunidad de colaborar a una escala considerablemente más amplia. Invitando a investigadores y educadores a visitar a Futuro Verde nos permite traer a expertos a nuestro centro educativo, posiblemente encontrar las respuestas a preguntas centrales que tenemos sobre nuestro programa de lenguaje dual y cómo seguir fomentándolo, y contribuir a la indagación y los conocimientos de terceros de tal manera que, en el porvenir, impactemos a profesores y estudiantes a nivel global.
Entre las numerosas ponencias, Stuart disfrutó particularmente de “Literatura comparativa: el camino hacia mayor consciencia bilingüe e intercultural”, mientras Lural se inspiró durante una ponencia sobre las habilidades translingüísticas a diseñar un futuro curso adicional de lenguaje en Futuro Verde.
Igualmente, tuvimos el agrado de reunirnos con la Dr. Kathy Escamilla, la principal oradora para nuestra conferencia BHS en el 2017. Estamos muy ansiosos por escuchar a esta pionera en el campo de la bialfabetización. Después de haberla conocido en persona, no nos queda duda de que su ponencia será divertida e informativa a la vez.
by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Dec 1, 2016
At the beginning of November, Santa Fe in New Mexico was taken over by La Cosecha Dual Language Conference. More than 2,500 educators, researchers, and advocates for dual language education gathered to attend a number of talks, workshops, and social events to learn and share their expertise. Futuro Verde was selected to present at this prestigious event, with Lural Ramirez, Eileen Walschmidt, and Stuart Millar delivering a presentation titled, “Futuro Verde – Research and Teacher Education Opportunities.”
This was a valuable opportunity for Futuro Verde in many different ways. Conferences such as these keep us current, giving us access to the latest research and new teaching methods that will directly benefit our teachers and students. Also, La Cosecha gave us an opportunity to promote our school and the work we do so that educators from other countries and schools can also learn and grow in some way from our experiences, successes, and challenges. Collaboration and working in groups is something we believe in for our students to be successful in class and for our teachers to be able to offer the best learning experience. This was our opportunity to collaborate on a much bigger scale. By inviting researchers and educators to come to Futuro Verde we can: bring experts to our school; perhaps answer some big questions we have about our dual language program and how to advance it further; and contribute to the research and knowledge of others, impacting teachers and students globally and in the future.
There were numerous sessions available to the attendees. Stuart particularly enjoyed “Comparative literature: a path to enhance biliteracy and intercultural awareness” to learn more ways to connect our English and Spanish literacy classes, while Lural was inspired by a presentation on translanguaging to mold and design a future additional language course at Futuro Verde.
La Cosecha also provided us with a valuable opportunity to have a meeting with Dr. Kathy Escamilla, the keynote speaker for our BHS conference in 2017. We cannot wait to hear what this pioneer in the field of biliteracy has to tell us, and we know after our meeting that it will certainly be entertaining as well as hugely informative!
