2023 Nov Newsletter

General Information

Note: if you detect a mistake in this newsletter, please report to krista.baker@educ.goteborg.se

You might notice I like to do surveys. One survey I did was about who was reading the newsletter. I got some responses and I got a few more via email telling me they couldn't access the survey. Sorry about that! Thank you, all of you, who took a minute to respond. I think it's good to keep up the newsletter, so here we go again for another round!

As a student you may have seen me (Krista) out on class visits. You might have been wondering, "What's that about?", "Is someone in trouble?" (I heard someone asked that....) Have you ever seen a principal out visiting classes before? As pedagogical leader of the program, I see it as crucial for me to experience as much of the program as I can myself. I like to try to put myself in your (student) shoes. And I like to remember what it was like to be a teacher. (I taught for 18 years!). You probably saw me vigorously taking notes, for example. That's because I was actually interested in what I was learning. Do you think I've ever had an Economics course in my life? The closest I've come to "studying" Economics is reading the book Freakonomics and that book has been hilariously debunked by Michael Hobbs and Peter Shamshiri in their podcast If Books Could Kill. By the way, I actually think some of you might enjoy that podcast. You may be asking yourself "Who are any of these people?" and then I know you are a true IB student because you're trying to critically evaluate if I have mentioned any trustworthy sources at all right now. My point is that I haven't studied Economics.

I've studied other stuff and most of my years of study have been happening AFTER I got a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. I spent many many hours learning, producing, performing, reflecting, analysing, updating, evaluating and make meaning with everything to do with teaching and learning at various levels. Despite having a Master's Degree in Education and thinking I know a thing or two about learning, I also know learning isn't something that you finish. So I'm out there to see what's going on and start conversations with students and teachers about it so we, together, can keep learning.

I obviously saw the best IB students ever. Students were present. They were engaged. They were consulting their textbook or other online resources, they were taking notes, they were asking and responding to questions, they were collaborating with other students, they were listening. I occassionally saw some other things too, like things that aren't quite as conducive to learning. I talk about that with the teachers and we share ideas about what might be going on and to what degree we feel concern about it. And your teachers! They are prepared, knowledgeable, clear communicators. There was variation in modalities and teaching strategies. When there wasn't, we discussed why it can't always be varied and how there will be other opportunities for variation in future lessons.

I'm grateful for the very good communication climate in our team and how we are open and honest with one another. It's one of the things I love most about our school and this program. I suppose that it's this time of year for me when I start to feel Thankful.....even if I don't live in the United States anymore, the spirit of Thanksgiving tends to permeate at this time of year for me.

So thanks for welcoming me into the classroom and I look forward to the next time I can visit.

Kudos

Engagement in the wider community is undoubtably important in our students' education and we have very engaged and inspired teachers who create time and space to do just that. Here are some field trip highlights from the past month.

Cooperation with Chalmers

Our Physics teacher Simon Gebrhiwot regularly reaches out to his contacts at Chalmers to open up possibilities for individual students to conduct investigations for their internal assessments there using their specialized equipment and/or having access to experts in the field.

Additionally, he coordinates visits for his entire class so they may partake in special laborations. Pictured left is a measurement lab from a recent visit in October.

A Trip to the Free Market: Towards Authentic Learning Design in Higher Level Economics for high school students

By Dr. Freitas and her students

To contextualize some challenging economics topics, the writer and her HL economics students follow the adage: When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. The topic of understudy is titled ‘The role of Price Mechanism and Market Efficiency. Saluhallen management allocated us 14:30 pm as this was described to be a better time for a teacher and the group of students to visit and learn about their economics concepts. On arrival, the team leader for each student group mobilized themselves and began working on their tasks. Each group of students had a strategic business that they had chosen to study. The students studied inte alia: the time it took for customers waiting in queques before being attended to by service personnel. The students looked at menu prices, staff numbers, factors of production used in the restuarant, and they also observed the location of the restaurant.

Once the students had gathered their data, they returned to school to process the data and turned the data into valuable information. The following Monday the teacher ran a lesson based on the students visit to Saluhallen and the free market concept of the role of the price mechanism. As the lesson progressed to scaffold onto the students visit, observations and experiences of the free market, the students were able to contextualize Adams Smiths theory of ‘the invisible hand’. Students were also able to demonstrate their acquired knowledge in the topic that focused on “The role of The Price Mechanism and Market Efficiency” through class discussion. A picture of the entire class can be seen in the next page.

Lyon!

Some students share what they have gained from their exchange trip to Lyon, France:

The opportunity to engage in a cultural exchange with Lyon is one I will never forget. Exploring Lyon's rich culture and art scene was an absolutely amazing experience. The city's artistry and cultural wonders left me in awe, providing a unique perspective that textbooks could never capture. Living the local life was eye-opening, and my host family was not only adorable but also incredibly helpful in improving my French skills. What made this trip even more special was the opportunity to connect with students from the Swedish systems, which we in the IB do not have a lot of opportunities to cross paths with. I not only got to strengthen existing friendships with them but also formed new bonds over our shared experience in Lyon. However, the most significant takeaway for me was the friendships I formed with the wonderful French people I met. I am genuinely looking forward to maintaining these connections in the future.

-Roxanne

I really enjoyed the trip to Lyon! It was my first trip without my parents which was exciting at the same time. I loved the whole experience, from a really welcoming family to amazing views in the city. My favourite thing was probably the area of Vieux-Lyon since it had the most history in the city and I also liked experiencing a different culture and mindset. It was a really nice opportunity and I hope to come back to Lyon someday :)

-Paola

Our exchange trip to France is a trip I will never forget. Being able to live a local French life with a French family was truly an amazing experience and a fantastic opportunity for me to improve my french. I really enjoyed walking around the city and exploring the history of the city, the narrow streets and the cafes. It was also an amazing opportunity to create stronger bonds with friends but also make new friends both from France and Sweden. I hope to return to Lyon very soon and hopefully with a fluent french:)

-Saga

This trip didn't really give me a week off school... I was stimulated at all times. Noticing how exhausted I was only brought me a sense of joy though; it meant that I was learning. And I did learn a lot! This trip brought me out of my comfort zone, both socially (being from the class under everyone else) but also language-wise. I can dare talk now, and I'm so grateful for every french person with patience along the way. I also got a well-needed week of sun, beautiful surroundings and new friends!

-Mira

Year 1 specific information

November 6th students had a "study hall" at home or they could be at school if they wanted. We hope the day allowed you to feel like you could recharge a little longer after week 44 while still getting back into the study mode.

November 14th is the next "homeroom", our Study and Career Counselor, Maria Janmark will visit you with me (Krista). Maria will give you some information about what to think about when starting to look into university studies and entry requirements. This kicks off a series of meetings we will have that are gearing up to you making a final subject request at the end of January.

The subject selection and request process looks like this:

Nov 14: General University information

Nov 21: Assignment: "University Task": (during the "homeroom") and to be completed on your own if you don't finish during the time.

Nov 28: No meeting, use the time to keep researching University programs and/or talking to teachers about subjects.

Dec 5: Psychology and Vis Arts/Design teacher visit and inform about their subjects

Dec 12: Presentation by Krista and Renée and Maria J, Subject selection info

Dec 14: Parent meeting with same content as students received

by Dec 21: All subjects in the DP have technically been introduced, even if briefly. (i.e. Language and Literature vs Literature, Economics, History, etc).

Jan 16: Quiz about subject selection/DP model and 1st Draft Subject Request

Jan 30: Final formal subject Request deadline

Week 7 (Feb 11.16) we analyze the requests, numbers of requests for subjects, and determine what subject combinations can be possible or impossible. If/where we have any issues, we come back to students to try to work out.

By the end of the school year, each student's study plan is confirmed (by default unless there was a problem to be worked out). More will be explained in our meetings!

Please note we have University Resources here: https://sites.google.com/educ.goteborg.se/internal-ib-at-hvitfeldtska/university-resources and you can already start to study about the subject selection process here: https://sites.google.com/educ.goteborg.se/ib-hvitfeldtska/subject-selection-for-diploma-program

Other information

November 23 Year 1 Development Talks from 0800-1200. Students and parents will be given a time by the mentor teacher via Vklass. Talks are held in S403 a and S403 b.

Dec 21: IB Assembly. We have 5 student acts and 1 teacher act on the lineup. Looking forward to seeing you all and having a laugh on the last day of school for this term.

Year 2 specific information

Guess what? You are going to love this. I want to ask you to take a survey! 😀 I think it's finally time to evaluate the subject selection/request process so that we can make improvement on the next iteration. Please take 3 minutes to complete this survey to evaluate the process and how things are now with your subjects.

What's been or will be happening:

November 6th students had a "study hall" at home or some were at school. We hope the day allowed you to feel like you could recharge a little longer after week 44 while still getting back into the study mode.

Nov 14 and 21: The counselor and the school psychologist will meet you in half groups during "homeroom" to follow up with you about the survey you took about stress, and, tips for handling it.

Nov23 is a day off due to development and subject talks for Year 1 and Year 3.

Nov 24 Field Trip to Denmark for Theory of Knowledge. Your TOK teacher has given you a permission slip. If you are under 18, your parent needs to sign it. Remember, you need to ensure you have the documentation needed to travel internationally. If you do not, there will be a local varient of the assignment to do in Gothenburg.

Dec 5 up until the break: CAS interviews happening. Your mentor will book time with you and/or in a small group.

Dec 21: IB Assembly. We have 5 student acts and 1 teacher act on the lineup. Looking forward to seeing you all and having a laugh on the last day of school for this term.

Year 3 specific information

Nov 5: Your final EE is submitted! If it wasn't submitted, you are not yet registered for DP Exams (which happened Nov 7 during "homeroom".) See the DP Coordinator for more details. To register for exams, you must sign off on a piece of paper verifying your exam registration. Have you?

Nov 14: DPC meets you in "homeroom"

Nov23 Year 3 subject talks. I explained how they work here under "Year 3"

Nov 24 Field Trip to Denmark for Visual Arts students. Your teacher has given you a permission slip. If you are under 18, your parent needs to sign it. Remember, you need to ensure you have the documentation needed to travel internationally. If you do not, there will be a local varient of the assignment to do in Gothenburg.

Nov 28: SYV meets you in "homeroom". Options reviewed about what to do after graduation and includes Sweden specific information.

Dec 4-8 or thereabouts, Viva Voce for Extended Essay. See your supervisor for details.

Dec 21: IB Assembly. We have 5 student acts and 1 teacher act on the lineup. Looking forward to seeing you all and having a laugh on the last day of school for this term.

Other

Thanks for those of you who took time to complete the "survey about a survey". The one I mean is the one to follow up why we had certain results on the survey done by the city about discrimination and offensive behavior. There were 3 responses to my follow up and those 3 responses were very important. Even if it was only one person who responded, it would be of utmost importance. The thing about the results is that I cannot take any clear action. In part, it's because I didn't design the survey well enough to get more detailed information and in part because even if I had, I understand that students do not feel comfortable to give more information.

I encourage you to please complete an anonymous announcement if you have experienced offensive treatment. From there we will take on any actions we possibly can to rectify it. Thank you.

About warning messages. A day might come or perhaps already did when you get a warning message from me or Renée. I'd like to emphasize that I don't send warning messages to be mean, threatening or punative. Warnings are a reminder whichis meant to support for you: it should remind you why you are here and what our purpose here together is. If warnings aren't heeded, there will be a consequence. Consequences are in place to ensure everyone has an equitable opportunity to the quality education we offer, and, consequences are a quality control for academic integrity in the program.

You are now approximately 5 months away until it's time to revise and prepare for your final exams. You've got this, we're rooting for you and want you to succeed on all the exams you are registered to attempt. Hang in there, soon it's winter break!

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