Thinkers!

“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” –Voltaire

The IB Learner Profile for the month of May is Thinkers. The IB defines a Thinker as someone who “…exercises initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions. (IBO 2009)

ISP students will be exploring this attribute through discussion, stories and activities in the classroom, the library and during assemblies. Students will learn that Thinkers actively pursue more complex problem solving in conjunction with independence, creativity and empathy to make informed, reasoned judgments and decisions which can add value to issues locally and globally.

Parents can help develop Thinkers by encouraging children to solve problems independently, by posing real-life questions that do not have a “right” answer but multiple answers depending on your viewpoint or skills. Catch your child being a Thinker!

Recommended reading:

K-2:  Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobadkina; Swimmy by Leo Lionni; It’s a Spoon, Not a Shovel by Caralyn Buehner; The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

3-5: The Story of Rachel Carson by Leila M. Foster; Weslandia by Paul Fleischman; Leonardo and the Flying Boy by Laurence Anholt; Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo

Tamara Beecroft-Fornell, Librarian, library@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 ext. 102