Design Inspiration Sparked Abroad

Truax and her parents in front of the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Upper Canada College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Summertime is known for beaches, family trips and relaxation, but for many teachers like Jamie Truax, it’s the perfect time to take professional development courses. Truax, a Virgin Islands Montessori School & Peter Gruber International Academy (VIMSIA) Mathematics and Design teacher, recently attended the Middle Years Programme Level 2 Training in Toronto, Canada. The training hosted over 200 attendees and was held at Upper Canada College, an all-boys boarding school.

The training led by John Sweetman, was broken up into three separate sessions over the course of two and a half days and touched upon various websites, resources, and ideas for teaching design in the Middle Years Programme. “Design can be broken into two different subject areas Tactile Design and Web Design which are both project based” Truax explained. “Sweetman provided great examples which has greatly inspired me and brought on some great ideas for design this year” she added. Truax noted how much emphasis Sweetman placed on the importance of being an IB learner and incorporating those traits into the design units. 

For many teachers like Truax, international professional development opportunities open the doors for collaboration, networking and an opportunity to take a more in-depth look at their program. Truax thanks VIMSIA for their dedication and support of their teachers.