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22 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Every Day

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Here are 22 simple assessment strategies and tips to help you become more frequent in your teaching, planning, and curriculum design.

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In this article you will read how grade 2 students incorporated action into the 'How we organize ourselves' unit of inquiry.
When teachers plan the order of the units at the beginning of an academic year, they consider certain aspects, such as the time of the year, the relevance to the school/global events, the possibilities of collaboration with single-subject teachers, etc, that may support student's inquiry into the unit.

Grade 2 at International School Ruhr had How we organize ourselves as their first unit, with the central idea Communities provide services and systems that people need. The students began with an inquiry into the class community. They shared their ideas on how to organize the classroom. They shared and discussed class essential agreements that would create an effective learning environment. As they continued inquiring into their community, I read a story 'Me on the Map' by Joan Sweeney to help students understand the concept of how we can be a part of different geographic communities. I planned that I would ask the students to explain about where they are on the map. However, my plan was interrupted as I read this part: " ...In rooms, in houses, on streets, in towns, in countries all over the world, everybody has their own special place on the map."

" No, they are not! Not everyone has a special place on the map. Refugees have lost their homes because of war ", commented a student.

She made the connection to the current situation of many refugees coming to Germany. This got the entire class thinking, asking questions and discussing what they already knew or had heard. One student mentioned that her family has started to think of ways to help refugees; other students had already begun collecting toys to donate.

'In the PYP it is believed that not only is it possible for students to identify appropriate action, but also that teachers have a responsibility to enable them to choose their action carefully, to facilitate this action, and to encourage them to reflect on the action they undertake.'
~ Making the PYP happen ( 2009) p. 26.

As their class teacher, I felt I had the responsibility to guide the class discussion towards the unit's final line of inquiry Our role and responsibility as part of a bigger community. I continued provoking thinking by asking questions until the class suddenly said We should help them! and that was a starting point for action: discussing why and how we could help the refugees.

I let the students know that their willingness was a great idea. However, they need to make this idea happen and become an action. I let them discuss in small groups and they drew posters to visualize their ideas. A lot of wonderful ideas were shared around possible action ideas. The students visited other classes and presented what they were working on during our PYP assembly.

However, they realized that they could not take action without support from others.

I shared this idea with my colleague, an ESL (English as a second language) teacher, who informed grade 2 students that he planned on visiting the handball center in Essen Frohnhausen where more than 60 refugees were currently living. The students created greeting cards and posters for the children there, welcoming them to Germany and expressing their wish to be friends. The ESL teacher delivered the items to the refugees and was discussing ways to further grade 2 action with the social workers responsible for supporting these victims of war.

Where will this inquiry lead? We can not say and it depends on our grade 2 students. Judging by their enthusiasm, empathy, inquisitive mindsets and future plans to develop a photo auction and donation event, we are sure their action will leave a lasting impact!

Taking action is one of the five essential elements of the PYP and an intricate part of the inquiry cycle which could be interpreted as a "conclusion" to learning. When taking action, students make connections to new knowledge they have acquired and apply their skills in everyday life. This shows that students have a deep and lasting understanding, which can also be used to make connections to existing knowledge or to new questions. These students learned that inquiry can lead to action and that even the smallest of us can make a difference.

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Yuniarti (Yuni) Santosa is currently an assistant PYP Coordinator and a grade 3 class teacher at International School Ruhr in Essen, Germany. She has worked at PYP schools in Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Norway and Germany. Yuni has found that teaching at PYP schools in different countries have enabled her to understand more about the PYP values. She is also an IB Online Facilitator. Vjekoslav Kovac is a former PYP teacher (ESL, Language Arts/ICT) and primary years librarian. He is now an IB DP English teacher, newsletter editor and Head of Secondary Years at International School Ruhr in Essen, Germany. Although International School Ruhr has been his first IB school, he has more than 12 years of teaching and writing experience in Croatia, Turkey, Georgia and Germany.

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How to initiate action in a PYP classroom

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In this article you will read how grade 2 students incorporated action into the 'How we organize ourselves' unit of inquiry. When teachers plan the order of the units at the beginning of an academic year, they consider certain aspects, such as the time of the year, the relevance to the school/global events, the possibilities of collaboration with single-subject teachers, etc, that may support student's inquiry into the unit.

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This article explores how Primary Years Programme (PYP) students took ownership of the Model United Nations (MUN) experience with their 'How we organize ourselves' unit. Inspired and empowered by the senior students and seeing their leadership in the MUN events, PYP students planned and hosted their first ever inter school MUN.
An exciting idea germinated in the PYP classroom through the discussions emerging from inquiries into the unit How we organize ourselves. Student leaders, who were actively engaged in participating in and hosting Model United Nations (MUN) conferences, gave birth to the first ever Primary Singapore International School (SIS) MUN at our school.

'MUN-ing' has been a part of our school character strengthening through the IDEALS* of Internationalism, Democracy, Leadership and Service, and the attributes of the IB learner profile. For their unit of inquiry with the central idea People create organizations to solve problems and support human endeavor, our grade 6 students had been taking part in our school MUNs as observers and conducting intra-class Mock MUN sessions over the last two years. They enjoyed their learning engagements thoroughly and though it was never a requirement or a norm, they decided to take this experience one notch higher and plan and implement an innovative event. Even though this would be their first experience with a primary MUN, they took on the challenge to be the organizer and host, and invited their peers from grade 5 to become the actual delegates. Thus, the culture of student leadership that was already a part of the school ethos enabled learners to take charge of their own learning and make important decisions about the same.

The primary SISMUN was planned as an inter-school conference. With the guidance of the senior school students and adult mentors, the students planned it modestly, keeping the spirit of the PYP at the core of the issues. The pedagogical leadership team helped them choose committees to ensure that the issues were from local (Lok Sabha) to regional (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) to global (UNICEF and UNHCR). Similarly, the issues would find resonance in their learning from the themes of Who we are (child labour), Sharing the planet and Where we are in place and time (migration due to war), How we organize ourselves (common currency) and How we express ourselves (arts education), thereby blending and synthesizing components of the PYP curriculum.

The Primary SISMUN was held in April 2017 with participation from 4 other primary IB World Schools from Mumbai and Pune. The conviction of the students, backed by the willingness of the pedagogical leadership team, inspired other schools from the network and beyond to participate in this event.

Our grade 6 students put on an impressive opening ceremony and more importantly displayed confidence and conviction as members of the Organizing Committee. We had a Skype interaction with a young CEO from India, selected as one of the top 50 youth initiative based solutions for sustainability by the UN for his startup company, Tyrelessly. Our delegates from grade 5 adeptly debated, discussed and resolved issues with professional ease and maturity. This also resulted in some exciting press coverage.

We were delighted to see our PYP students' achievement in terms of thinking and communication skills, confidence and enthusiasm and being open-minded and courageous, and we hope that they continue to apply their knowledge, conceptual understandings, skills, attitudes and attributes to take meaningful action that will make a difference to the world we live in. Above all, this experience created a domino effect of inspiration and agency in the school community, during the PYP exhibition, and in the planning of the coming year's edition of the Primary SISMUN.

In its mission statement, the IB aims to "develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." The Primary SIS Model United Nations became an effective platform for students to put this mission into practice.

*Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service
Abhimanyu Das Gupta has been an IB practitioner since the last 13 years and has had extensive experience in the PYP at the Pathways School, Aravali, as a home room teacher, grade level coordinator, PYP coordinator and as the Primary School Coordinator. He has been heading the primary division at the Singapore International School, Mumbai since 2014 , inspiring his colleagues to promote learner agency and thereby, empower students. His passion for teaching and learning is evident in the practices he inspires in the learning community. He strives to promote inquiry-based learning for the students and by the students. You can follow him on Twitter

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How a culture of student leadership can foster learner agency

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This article explores how Primary Years Programme (PYP) students took ownership of the Model United Nations (MUN) experience with their 'How we organize ourselves' unit. Inspired and empowered by the senior students and seeing their leadership in the MUN events, PYP students planned and hosted their first ever inter school MUN.

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Bringing Inquiry-Based Learning Into Your Class

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A four-step approach to using a powerful model that increases student agency in learning.

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Trevor MacKenzie is an author, educator, and speaker from Victoria, BC, Canada focused on inquiry and collaboration in the classroom.

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Here you can find some information all about the International Baccalaureate's PYP Approaches to Learning.

Download FREE resources to teach children about 'PYP Approaches to Learning'

PYP approaches to learning

As part of the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme (PYP), there are a set of strategies and attitudes that teachers are encouraged to help their pupils develop. These are known as the Approaches to Learning (ATL).

The approaches to learning are designed so pupils can learn how to learn. This is an important part of the PYP process, as learning how to learn with enthusiasm and an inquisitive, interdisciplinary nature is a key part of the IB.

The approaches are designed to apply to all topics across the curriculum, so students can develop and work on a range of transferable skills applicable to all their topics at school and life beyond it.

This is the overarching aim of the IB - to help children develop as learners and people who can effectively function in society with a range of admirable qualities.

What is the PYP?

The PYP is the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate, aimed at students aged 3 to 12. It aims to help students develop into inquisitive learners with a holistic and transdisciplinary approach to education.

It focuses on student's wellbeing (physical, emotional and spiritual), as well as many important skills to help them through education and beyond.

These include skills of critical thinking and an 'international-mindedness' whereby children grow up with a curiosity for the world around them and a hunger for knowledge and exploration, both geographically and academically.

Children are also encouraged to approach learning in an autonomous way, taking control of how they learn and engaging with topics as effectively and genuinely as they can.

What are the PYP approaches to learning?

The PYP states that learning how to learn is a really important part of education. It attempts to help students develop a series of skills to become autonomous, interdisciplinary learners.

The approaches aim to help students learn how to effectively ask questions, set realistic goals and pursue these goals effectively and successfully. Having a good approach to learning is a vital way of helping students reach their potential and aid their development across the board.

The approaches to learning encouraged by the PYP also help children develop a sense of independence and autonomy, where they can engage with learning as an active participant, as opposed to responding to teaching passively.

There are five skill categories to support students in the IB PYP. These categories apply to all IB programmes, and specific skills can be targeted to make them more relevant to specific topics being taught.

It's important to emphasise that each of the approaches is related to the others, and children should be encouraged to make appropriate links between them.

Similarly, as part of the PYP, children are encouraged to make interdisciplinary links between topics, subjects, and content they're studying. This is all part of the holistic approach to learning that the IB emphasises.

The five categories of the PYP Approaches to Learning are:

Thinking Skills. Students should be encouraged to develop a range of important thinking skills like creative thinking, critical thinking and ethical thinking. These are all linked to each other and should be developed across all subjects pupils study.

Research Skills. These include skills of research like the process of comparing, collecting, prioritising and contrasting information.

Communication Skills. This includes vital written and oral communication skills, the ability to listen effectively and patiently, and form arguments coherently and effectively. These skills apply to all subjects learnt at school and are also key in the workplace, so it's important to encourage children to effectively develop these.

Social Skills. This includes the skill of forming positive relationships, listening skills (relevant to the skills above) and the resolution of conflicts and arguments. Being able to function in broader society and the workplace relies on good social skills.

Self-management Skills. Children should be encouraged to develop their skills or organisation, time management, ability to multitask and also manage their emotions and state of mind.

These skills are vital for helping pupils develop into effective learners with a passion for learning that extends far beyond their school years.

The approaches to learning outlined here are designed to be applied across all topics, so teachers and learners can make sure they're learning in-line with the IB's curriculum and values.

These approaches are also hugely beneficial for children as they develop into young adults and find their feet in the world of work.

Having developed these skills effectively, learners are much more likely to succeed in adulthood and develop into well-rounded, autonomous, internationally-minded people.

Relevant Resources

Here are some useful resources for helping your students develop their approaches to learning for the PYP:
International Baccalaureate PYP Resources Approaches to Learning Display Posters PYP Inquiry Cycle Poster

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What are the PYP Approaches to Learning? - Answered - Twinkl Teaching Wiki

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Here you can find some information all about the International Baccalaureate's PYP Approaches to Learning. Download FREE resources to teach children about 'PYP Approaches to Learning' As part of the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme (PYP), there are a set of strategies and attitudes that teachers are encouraged to help their pupils develop.

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heating and cooling lesson plan

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