Author Archives: marycollins21

About marycollins21

Mother of three daughters and one son; grandmother of one. PYP teacher at Xiamen International School, China. I am a member of IBEN (IB Educator Network) and love my role as PYP workshop leader. As well as being passionate about inquiry and all things that enhance student learning, I enjoy reading, salsa and swimming.

A School’s Guiding Statements – who and what are they for?

Posted on August 28, 2016 by marycollins21

One thing that we want to focus on this year at Bandung Independent School is our new Guiding Statements, approved by the School Board in May 2016 after a lengthy process of review involving all community members, including a Vision … Continue reading →

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PYP exhibition part one

Posted on February 12, 2015 by marycollins21

I’m back in the classroom (Grade 5 half way through the school year) after a few years of only teaching a few single-subject classes  every week, and have been struck by the need to maintain a balance – of learning … Continue reading →

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A reflection on learning: educators as risk-takers

Posted on October 14, 2013 by marycollins21

My first feeling at around 9pm on Saturday 12th October was one of relief – I’d just taken part in my first online conference and had delivered a one-hour presentation on the need for collaboration to ensure that teaching and … Continue reading →

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English Language Support programmes in international schools

Posted on July 14, 2013 by marycollins21

After reading Edna’s thought-provoking article about a language inquiry I started thinking about the complexity involved in setting up English language support programmes in international schools.  As educators in an IB school we are all expected to be Communicators: “We … Continue reading →

Posted in Inquiry | Tagged , | 6 Comments

PYP Exhibition: Freedom, Creativity, Beliefs and Passion

Posted on May 14, 2013 by marycollins21

This year at Bandung International School, West Java, Indonesia,            our PYP exhibition came under the transdisciplinary theme ‘How we express ourselves’ and the central idea, written by the Grade 5 students, was: ‘People’s beliefs, passions … Continue reading →

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