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November14
TEACHINGWITH
Marathon runner and teacher,
Canadian RANDY MALLORY has
clocked up 10 years in Singapore,
and just taken on a new role at
a new international school. He
told us a little about himself, and
how children can benefit from a
top-notch IB education.
What does a PYP coordinator do?
I focus on curriculum development for the school, ensure
it is well understood, and find ways that home and school
can help each other. I’m a member of the PYP coordinator
network that helps to provide professional development for
all PYP teachers in Singapore; this is my eighth year working
with the Programme.
What do you think children who study PYP gain in
relation to those following other curriculums?
The PYP framework allows students to see the links between
all forms of learning. They’re not tied down to thinking that
a subject is “science” or “social studies” or “language”, but
instead are taught to see how the subjects are interlinked,
and their relationships to everything else.
Collaboration is at the heart of many things we do. Students
work to build the skills they need to work successfully with
others, learning to know when they are the leaders and when
they are the followers, and how to present their ideas.
All new knowledge starts by building connections to what
we previously knew. We use the students’ prior knowledge
as a resource to build on, so they are making connections to
what they already know and understand.
What are your interests outside of school?
I’m an avid long-distance runner. I’ve completed the Singapore
marathon five times and the 84km night run, as well as
marathons in Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Macau. Every year I
participate in the Run for Hope (Terry Fox Run) and I was part
of the enthusiastic group who helped organise the inaugural
Chinese events in Beijing and Shenzhen over a decade ago.
My dog Jaws takes up a lot of my time; he was a rescue
dog from the SPCA when I found him in 2008. I also love the
beach and the pool; I was born to live in the heat, and I don’t
miss Canada’s cold at all.
What makes OWIS special?
I have always chosen and loved to work in small schools. At
OWIS, like at the schools I’ve worked in before, the staff are
a part of the community. We know the parents, the students
know who we are, and we develop strong, lifelong bonds with
families. The dedication it takes to work in a school like OWIS
is enormous. There’s never a moment where one can say, “It’s
not my job”, because if it’s for the students, then
everything
is
our job. We’re not just a school, we’re a community.
What is the PYP?
Acurriculum framework designed for students aged three
to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child
as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world
outside. It’s defined by six trans-disciplinary themes of
global significance, explored using knowledge and skills
derived fromsix subject areas, with a strong emphasis on
inquiry-based learning. ibo.org/pyp
Tell us about your background.
Originally from a small farming town in New Brunswick on
the east coast of Canada, I completed my undergraduate
studies at St. Thomas University, Canada, and my Master of
Education at Monash University, Australia. I’ve lived here 10
years, and worked for Chatsworth International School for
nine years before taking on a new challenge and moving to
One World International School. Both are small, community
schools where, regardless of title, role or position, everyone
does everything, and the students come first.
696 Upper Changi Road
6542 2285 | owis.org