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How is my understanding of PYP principles and practices in the early years evolving?

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How is my understanding of PYP principles and practices in the early years evolving?

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Reading through the PYP principles and practice and collaborating with fellow participants, my understanding and critical thinking is evolving and I’m gaining more insight on how to implement the PYP in my practice.

_ I now understand that language provides an intellectual structure for conceptual and critical thinking.
- I used to think it was challenging for early learners to understand and portray the learner profile attributes. This workshop has taught me that the learner profiles are accessible by all ages through a variety of activities which includes reading stories as provocation to teach each LP attribute.
-I have also learnt that International minded learners understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open and empathetic to the perspectives, values, and traditions of other individuals and communities around the world.

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In what ways can I apply learning from this workshop in my own learning and teaching?

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In what ways can I apply learning from this workshop in my own learning and teaching?

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- I want to focus on explicitly teaching the ATL skills and develop strategies that will support students’ understanding. - I have started implementing some strategies I learnt from the workshop such as use of stories, and I look forward to seeing the impact these strategies will have on the students.
- I can support my students to become more open-minded and confident communicators by better understanding and then expressing their identity more readily.
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How is agency supported and nurtured through this workshop?

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How is agency supported and nurtured through this workshop?

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-         I think agency is supported through the use of different activities and giving the participants the freedom to choose a persona of choice to assist in response to the learning engagement. (CHOICE)

-         I also think agency is supported by allowing for the use of graphic organizer of choice in response to learning engagement

-         Agency is also supported in the flexibility to learn. Allowing participants to engage in each activity at their own speed.
- The opportunity to collaborate gives participants the freedom to express themselves (VOICE)
- Participants have ownership of their on-going reflection and how this is used to improve their practice (OWNERSHIP)

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SharingPYP Blog posts

“Listening to learning: Agency in the early years”

“Supporting learner agency in the early years”

“Agentic learning in kindergarten”

PYP resource hub

“Developing learner agency in the early years”

“What does action look like in the early years?”

“Learner agency in the early years” webinar

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How is my understanding of PYP principles and practices in the early years evolving?

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How is my understanding of PYP principles and practices in the early years evolving?

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I now understand that collaboration in the PYP is very important, intentional, planned and ongoing.

I am understanding that learning is organized around transdisciplinary themes in order to form authentic and meaningful connections.

I am also understanding that Students experience deeper learning and start thinking outside the box when presented with different aspects of the same subject across various disciplines.

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In what ways can I apply learning from this workshop in my own learning and teaching?

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In what ways can I apply learning from this workshop in my own learning and teaching?

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I now understand the importance of collaboratively planning and creating the central idea with colleagues and students.

I now have an understanding of what conceptual teaching is, and how to collaboratively plan conceptual units rather than topic-based units.

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How is agency supported and nurtured through this workshop?

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How is agency supported and nurtured through this workshop?

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I think agency is supported through the use of different activities and giving the participants the freedom to choose a persona of choice to assist in response to the learning engagement. (CHOICE)

-         I also think agency is supported by allowing for the use of graphic organizer of choice in response to learning engagement

-         Agency is also supported in the flexibility to learn. Allowing participants to engage in each activity at their own speed.
- The opportunity to collaborate gives participants the freedom to express themselves (VOICE)
- Participants have ownership of their on-going reflection and how this is used to improve their practice (OWNERSHIP)

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What are you learning about the key elements of the PYP framework that promote transdisciplinary learning and teaching in the early years?

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To engage students in transdisciplinary learning, schools create a programme of inquiry that maps the transdisciplinary themes students explore each year and throughout their time in the school.

There are six transdisciplinary themes that are developed through collaborative planning process that defines the starting point for student inquiries. The program of inquiry is dynamic and takes into account student interests

How are you applying your learning about transdisciplinarity in your school?

To introduce a new unit, we begin by scaffold students’ prior knowledge with a KWL chart, or a mind map. This helps to identify what the students' base knowledge is, what they want to learn, and something new they are learning. Through these graphic organizers, we are able to make connections between individual subject area.

How are you using concepts to help students make meanings and connections in their learning?

With our unit on the body, the central idea was "Knowing about how our body works helps us to take steps to keep healthy". The students made connections to this broad concept in art, when they needed to properly move to safely and purposefully use different materials, in P.E., when they saw how focusing on patiently exercising their bodies built up their balance and stamina, in music, when they had to focus on moving their bodies precisely to make music, etc.

With our ‘Sharing the Planet’ unit, we explore how people make choices that can change the environment using the Earth's resources. One of the lines of inquiry is ‘the impact of people's choices on the environment’ and the focus is on ‘Recycling and pollution’. A quick topic and one that children could relate to was ‘paper waste’.

Students were able to make connections when they started thinking about reducing paper waste. In Math, they did data handling by collecting and counting how many papers we used during the week, and this included drawing paper, toilet paper, and pages of our notebooks. they drew a chart of paper usage and determined the percentage. In English, they wrote about the different ways they could reduce paper waste in the classroom, and they made posters on how they can reduce, reuse and recycle which was posted across the grade level. In art they made their own paper using recycled paper waste they had collected.

students also began taking action. For example, during this topic, children were able to identify a common problem of paper waste which was a real-life situation that they are part of. They developed their critical thinking and understood that there is more than one way of solving a problem which in this case was to either reduce, recycle or reuse. They then took action by creating a poster which was posted around the school.

How are the ATL developing students’ skills to think, research, communicate, socialize and manage themselves effectively?

Throughout the units of inquiry, at least two ATL skills are chosen and taught explicitly to the students. At every center in the classroom, children are prompted to consider which skills they are applying and how these skills are growing.

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List which of the PYP teacher capabilities you have selected:

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List which of the PYP teacher capabilities you have selected:

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I will establish, engage and maintain collaborative relationships that support the well-being of the learning community.

I will select teaching approaches, resources, technologies, learning experiences and assessments that are inclusive and effective for early years students.

I will support early years students to initiate and engage in their own inquiries

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How has my understanding of PYP principles and practices in the early years evolved?

Reading through the PYP principles and practice and collaborating with fellow participants, my understanding and critical thinking has evolved, and I have gained more insight on how to implement the PYP in my practice. Before now, I have been learning on the Job as an IA and right now I can confidently say that I have gained a sound understanding of how to effectively implement the PYP as a homeroom teacher.

It has been exciting to learn about developing global citizens through the IBO learner profile and how to embed international mindedness in learning and teaching.  I have also gained insights on how to approach the planning of UOI. As well as understanding the Diverse ways of knowing, doing, and thinking are supported by a well-designed learning environment.

In what ways can I apply learning from this workshop in my own learning and teaching?

This workshop has offered practical ideas that I can use in the classroom. My major takeaway is creating an inclusive learning environment that promotes learner agency. I am also looking forward to collaborating with my colleagues, share ideas and understand what they are doing in their classrooms, inquire how collaboration is taking place amongst their students, the challenges they encounter and how they tackle these challenges.

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How has agency been supported and nurtured through this workshop?

I think agency is supported through the use of different activities and giving the participants the freedom to choose a persona of choice to assist in response to the learning engagement. (CHOICE)

-         I also think agency is supported by allowing for the use of graphic organizers of choice in response to learning engagement

-         Agency is also supported in the flexibility to learn. Allowing participants to engage in each activity at their own speed.
- The opportunity to collaborate gives participants the freedom to express themselves (VOICE)
- Participants have ownership of their on-going reflection and how this is used to improve their practice (OWNERSHIP)