PYP Attitude: Appreciation

I'm often looking for resources that I can use with students to reinforce the PYP attitudes.  Attitudes are one of the five essential elements of the programme, along with knowledge, skills, concepts and action.  The development of personal attitudes towards people and the environment and towards learning are seen as important elements in developing international mindedness and vital to the well-being of individuals and groups.

Appreciation is one of the PYP attitudes.  It's defined as appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people.  As I was looking at the above TEDx talk this morning I was thinking about how I could use it with students to discuss appreciation.

Appreciation can be brought into a number of units of inquiry.  For example one of the units studied by students every year is How We Express Ourselves which involves students in an inquiry into the ways we discover and express our ideas, feelings, beliefs and values.  It also includes how we appreciate the aesthetic.  With our Grade 4s over the past 2 years I've done a photography course during this unit and have always been amazed at the wonderful images the students create. I'm thinking I could definitely use this movie at some point with these students.

Louis Schwartzberg, the creator of this movie, explains that the message he wants to convey is that we should be grateful and also that we should give back to those less fortunate than ourselves.  I think this involves empathy - the ability to imagine oneself in another's situation so as to be open-minded and reflective about the perspectives of others.  Open-mindedness and being reflective are important attributes of the IB Learner Profile.

Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director, and producer whose notable career spans more than three decades providing breathtaking imagery for feature films, television shows, documentaries and commercials.