17.10.2022

Pedagogical Commission participates in the IB Global Conference

By Lais Carvalho

Beacon’s Pedagogical Committee, formed by the pedagogical director Audrey Peverelli, the IB program coordinators Felipe Pregnolatto, Karine Vairo and Maiara Terra, the Professional Development coordinator Lais Carvalho, and the coordinator of the Elementary School II, Américo dos Santos, went to Holland to participate in the IB Global Conference.

During the conference, whose theme was “Embracing Innovation and Inspiring Action”, the group was able to participate in several sessions, bringing with them new materials, ideas, and resources to be shared with the teaching team in this year’s training meetings and in those of 2023. Throughout the sessions, which specifically addressed the International Baccalaureate programs, the team was able to deepen their understanding of the upcoming enhancements, delve into the interdisciplinary projects of the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP), and understand in detail about learning through play in the Primary Years Programme (PYP).

The coordinators also had the opportunity to attend a number of talks on educator training, ways of promoting collaborative planning, ways of assessing the essential elements of professional development, as well as sessions on engagement, valuing teams, and the relationship with families of IB students.

“The pandemic brought along the need to think more effectively about social-emotional issues. Therefore, topics such as welcoming, differentiation, empathy, and well-being – for both students and educators – were very relevant during the conference,” reports Lais.

The Beacon IB coordinators, in partnership with the Professional Development coordinator, presented a session with the theme “Diversity in action: a journey towards developing a culture of equity”.

In a conference that included over 1600 people and 86 countries represented, the exchange of experiences, informal conversations, and connections during the proposed activities enriched and strengthened our teaching practice, as well as inspired us for future actions at Beacon.