Week 1 at Malmö International School.

We have offically completed one full week at Malmö International School (MIS) and needless to say we are fascinated by this new educational opportunity (and exhausted). Each night we sit around the dinner table and update eachother on the happenings of the day, funny moments, stories, realizations and reflections. MIS is about a 20 minute walk from our appartment each way, but its a nice opportunity to strech our legs and wake up in the morning, popping into various shops along the way. And of course, I never turn down an opportunity to stop for coffee.

At school, I have been placed in Primary Year Program 1 also know as PYP 1, with 6/7 year old students, similar to 1st grade in the states. MIS follows the International Baccalaureate (IB) Curriculum with students hailing from all over the world to come to school. The principal mentioned that the IB curriculum is important because provides a common thread for students and their families when moving around the world. Its comforting to all knowing that they can move and still have a school based on the same values and mission. The IB mission strives for mindful and inquiry based learning. We have loved getting to know our new students and their stories from their unique and diverse backgrounds. Marissa, Anna, Eliza and I spend each night reflecting on our days at school what we have learned, recognizing similarities and differences between the Texas and the IB curriculum. Each day the students have a different schedule. Some classes mirror typical American subjects, such as Language (like English or Language Arts) and Maths (like Math). All lessons are tied to a “unit of inquiry” where students focus on a certain topic. My students are currently learning about homes and shelters within the unit of inquiry titled "Where we are in time and space". The units are interesting because the titles/umbrella structures are the exact same in all primary year programs 1-6 (1st-6th grade). The themes/expectations within each unit intesify and are more diverse as they age. The students spend a majority of their day working with the unit and its theme, tying it into all of the other compentencies. There are also alot of buzz words within the IB program for learning standards/structure and behavior. Which is interesting when observing the teacher and her practice/lesson plan creation/structure. In addition to these basic subjects, my students engage in Drama, Art, Music, Physical Education and Swedish. Also, the students also have a 30-minute period each day called “Mindfulness” where they learn about social skills. The school also gives the students a full hour of outdoor recess each day (even been its below freezing and raining!). But, don't worry the students are well prepared with hats, gloves, heavy jackets and snow/rain pants. It is quite the adventure learning the new ropes, terminology and methods of this new school. Another, learning curve is getting called by my first name, rather than Ms. Hogan. All of the teachers at the school go by their first names. The school's primary language is English, but the students in my classroom hail from all over the globe. Including my teacher who is from the UK and who has only lived in Sweden for two years. My teacher, Anna, is wonderful and I am having a great time getting to know her and teaching with her. I joked with Mar, Anna and Eliza that I was going to make a venn diagram with the differences between my experiences in schools at home and my experiences here. Who knows maybe, I will!

Love,

Hail