I used to think it related to cultures, and how we are different.

Now I think it's more about how we are similar - our values. I think it's more about how as a community we need to make the earth our focus and help each other toward the same goals of peace and sustainability.

I used to think I needed to be the main role model for language in the class.

Now I think I will let the students teach each other and I will "bump" them back on track when they need it! Let them have agency for their learning and allow them to explore language and different ways of communicating (and what it's useful for/how to do it). 

I used to think this was something I had to actively plan for and stress over!

Now I think I can set a learner profile for the week that makes sense with the UOI and make connections through teachable moments, stories I read to my students, and through play-time.

I used to think it was really challenging for students to think beyond themselves at such a young age.

Now I think if I can teach them about the local environment they live in, then we can easily apply it to the world.

I’ve learned that international mindedness is much more than culture, differences, and thinking about people to people interactions. I really believe that international mindedness is working toward common sustainability goals (the UN ones are great), and that the way we can do this is by finding others with the same values, and instilling the same values in others. I’ve been able to connect how learner profiles can be used locally in the classroom, community, and now globally. I’m realising more and more that other IB schools with wildly different ways of life still use the learner profiles as their foundation to learning, and this is how we can connect, and make change. If we use the learner profiles, we can create humans who care, who are responsible, and who want to provoke change in the world by asking questions and working together to find solutions, and as I now think, the rest (academics) will come. See the picture below for a funny little thought.

Many of the other peers in the course have posted some new and interesting ways we can teach/guide our students. In other ways, it was nice to see similar thought processes and ideas emerge from the learning engagements because it reinforces my knowledge and confidence when returning to the classroom. I think visuals and posters would be helpful for students, but I plan to incorporate in the classroom by bringing the extra dimensions of: creating the poster together (taking pictures, their writing, their thoughts); role playing the different elements in small groups and performing every time we return from break. For instance, returning to the class promise we’ve made as a class and learning again how we can communicate. I really enjoyed reading the shared stories and how they connected to the learner profiles, although I didn’t comment on any of those posts, I did write down a selection of books and will be placing those into my orders for next academic year!

I believe this workshop is not only supporting student’s agency, but also our own as teachers. Throughout the workshop we are acting freely, making choices throughout (learning engagement 2 for example!). When we have a voice and we are able to choose how best to express ourselves, we feel more confident in the knowledge we have and we feel safe in the manner we choose to express it. 

Because of this we are learning how to develop agency within the classroom for our students and we are learning that even though we give choice we are still able to assess and see that our students can use their knowledge to help solve problems and find solutions - in and out of the classroom. The best way I see this is through play. In my classroom I set up different centres where some activities are more exploration, and some are more teacher-led. The students choose most times where they want to go (unless there is a certain friend or two that might not lead to good choices… we all have those moments where we need to intervene!). By allowing the students to choose, they feel empowered, smart, and capable. It’s also a great way for differentiating activities, too… but I’ll leave that for another time.

I mentioned this above: when deciding on key concepts and related concepts, we should have the list of trans-skills beside us to we can interlink both together. I think from here it would be easy to see which learning engagements would link to both aspects. We can also think about creating the whole student, rather than just an academic one. We can use the learner profiles to help enhance the trans-skills within the concept.

In the EY team this year our professional goals were linked to assessment and how we can assess certain aspects of IB in the EY. We have created a type of "checklist" (very loose interpretation) where the trans-skills are listed, within this, we write the learning engagements that fit under each one so we can make sure we are keeping the trans-skills in the fore-front while doing certain activities. It can get confusing when trying to keep a full day of planning in your head, along with the day to day classroom admin. This way, teachers can use the language of the trans-skills within the activities and discuss with the students the links between different unit's aspects.

I am using concepts to help students go deeper with their thinking. I've realised that open-ended learning/problems can speak to differentiation, different types of learners, and allow students to use different trans-skills/learner profiles while they are at it. It would be hard for students to see all the different layers to learning engagements, and I still find it hard at times to continually be using all of the different layers within concepts intentionally, but I think with practice of using the language of the IB, the layers will come together and it won't seem so hard and compartmented.

The ATL break down into different categories and subskills which allow teachers to link to different learning engagements. Once teachers can find how to assess the ATL in EY, we can help the students write "I Can" statements for different types of learning engagements. By helping our students do this with guideance, together as a team, and by themselves it even promotes the ATL.

Now understanding how transdisciplinary learning can take place within a unit of inquiry. I am learning that although there are many layers to IB they can all fit in so many different ways. Are there more common ways than others to incorporate in the classroom? Are there more popular pathways that teachers use?

Also, is it important to be assessing each trans-skill in every unit you teach? There are some that seem more prominent and easier to make a focus than others. The sub-skills make it difficult to assess each skill properly. My question is: Can I teach and assess some trans-skills, not all, in a given unit (making sure to teach and assess all in the year)? I find that trans-skills get "lost" when I try to focus on too many at a time.

I can use the transdisciplinary skills to help evolve and deepen the knowledge students have. I use concepts to find pathways, as I look at learning engagements to connect to my concept, I can look at trans-skills to deepen the concept further. For instance, many self-management skills can be used in "How we Express Ourselves" as states of mind, emotional management, perseverance, and resilience all relate to how we can express ourselves and our feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

I can create agency with students through the trans-skills: social, communication, self management, etc. are great trans-skills to combat agency in the classroom. If it is taught and practiced within the activities, it will be easy to highlight them in other areas such as unstructured play later on.

I now understand inquiry and trans-disciplinary themes for units. I think I understand how each connects to create a comprehensive holistic unit. I’ve been putting this into practice as much as possible and I am loving it so far. Inquiry has made things fun engaging and challenging for the students. 

I’ve been struggling with how to make this sustainable and relatable to the scope and sequence though. I have some questions as to how experienced teachers have set up the progression. I was informed by my boss that we should start inquiry by visiting somewhere that has an existing problem and to help lead the students down a path that is exciting and actionable. I think I might try this next year while doing my unit planners with the other teacher.

Well, when we support student agency through the unit planner, we can nurture this throughout because we’ve planned points at which we can allow for more agency. I also saw this amazing Inquiry blog that discussed the different types of inquiry and how we can guide our students in teacher-led inquiry first, then controlled, guided then free inquiry. Here is the link here: How To Ease Students Into Independent Inquiry Projects

The link discusses higher age groups and inquiry, but it was useful to see the progression of different inquiries and choose which ones apply to early years and do more research on the different types of inquiry.

By posing a situation with a problem at the beginning of inquiry, you are actively allowing the students to identify problems, voice concerns, choose different pathways for research, and act upon their solutions. Students are responsible for their learning because they are using the action cycle: choose, act, reflect (which hopefully brings them back to choosing a new pathway to take action).

By guiding student’s based on their interests we are using their voice in the classroom. By planning activities that have to do with what they have voiced (as well as some extension activities we have planned - allow for differentiation if needed), we are then allowing them to choose what activities they are doing, too. 

I am encouraging action by choosing topics related to their interests! If they are interested and they care about what’s going on in their world, they will want to take action. Students at this age are becoming aware of the world and want it to be “good” because that will make them happy. When we as a class think of how to make the world a good place, they almost always automatically take action! It’s organic!

We could start by using the planners for one. I think it will take time to adjust to the planners, and I think we will also need to incorporate with the online system we are using (but don’t like at all). I think this is more a discussion right now for the PYP coordinator and the incoming Head of Primary to have, before we begin to use and make adjustments too. No one at the school right now is changing over their unit of inquiry to these planners. But I know we are trying to make sure we have all the elements of the enhanced PYP in our units.