PYP Understanding Questionnaire
What are the underlying ideas of the
PYP?
– International mindedness
– Whole child
– Lifelong learner
– Inquiry
– Real life
What is your understanding of the
international dimensions of the
programme?
• The aim of all IB programmes is to develop
internationally minded people who, recognizing
their common humanity and shared guardianship
of the planet, help to create a better and more
peaceful world.
• An internationally minded person is a person
who demonstrates the attributes of the IB learner
profile.
How do we learn?
• By linking new knowledge with existing
knowledge
• Therefore:
– Uncovering learners’ prior knowledge and current
understanding is essential for effective facilitation
of learning.
– The experiences, interests and needs of individual
learners should inform planning, teaching and
assessment.
• This is Social Constructivism
What are the essential elements of
curriculum?
– Knowledge: what do we want students to know
about?
– Concepts: what do we want students to understand?*
– Skills: what do we want students to be able to do? **
– Attitudes: what do we want students to feel, value
and demonstrate?
– Action: how do we want students to act?
* The big ideas
**Think: What transdiciplinary skills does the pyp suggest? How are they different from
discipline skills?
What is at the heart of PYP curriculum
model?
• Learners Constructing Meaning
What are the features of PYP
curriculum model?
• Learner is at the center,
• prior knowledge is important,
• children are NOT empty vessels to be taught
“at”,
• curriculum is not only written,
• the cycle is iterative, etc.
The PYP curriculum is
concept-driven
trans-disciplinary
inquiry-based
What does concept-driven mean?
• We want to learn the concepts not ‘topics’.
• We use the Key Concept questions (p.18-20) to
formulate questions for exploring the concept.
• Then note what knowledge they will need to
acquire in order to answer those questions.
• The conceptual focus comes first in planning, and
the knowledge then informs the inquiry in an
authentic and meaningful manner – but it does
not drive the inquiry or the curriculum.
•
See pp. 98-101, and 108-110. Read pp. 15-17 to consolidate.
What does trans-disciplinary mean?
• Transdisciplinarity means the subjects are
used together as lenses for developing
thinking and learning, and Scope and
Sequences (disciplinary knowledge and skills)
and resources can then be mapped to the PoI
as is relevant to uncovering the central ideas
(concepts). (rather than the other way
around).
•
Refer to “Developing a TD PoI” as a resource. P. 9 Fig 3.
What does inquiry mean and why is it
important?
• Inquiry is the means by which self-motivated
learning takes place in real life. Inquiry directly
supports the personal construction of
meaning and active responsible learning:
effective learning is collaborative and social.
• An inquiry driven curriculum
facilitates/promotes the use of a range and
balance of teaching strategies to meet
specific individual learning needs.
What is Program of Inquiry? How is it
developed?
• It is the collection of all the units taught
throughout the school.
• It includes the central ideas, lines of inquiry,
subject focus, key concepts of each unit
• It is not the only component of PYP
• It is developed through collaborative meetings
by all the teachers
What is your school’s adopted Inquiry
Cycle?
How do you explain each of the
attributes of the learner profile to your
children?
• Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to
conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They
actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout
their lives.
• Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global
significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop
understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
• Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively
to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical
decisions.
• Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently
and creatively
in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication.
They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
• Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice
and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.
They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that
accompany them.
• Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories,
and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals
and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of
points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
• Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings
of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a
positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
• Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and
forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas
and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
• Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional
balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
• Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience.
They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in
order to support their learning and personal developmnt.
How do you explain each of the
Attitudes to your children?
Appreciation Appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people.
Commitment Being committed to their own learning, persevering and showing selfdiscipline
and responsibility.
Confidence Feeling confident in their ability as learners, having the courage to take
risks, applying what they have learned and making appropriate decisions
and choices.
Cooperation Cooperating, collaborating, and leading or following as the situation
demands.
Creativity Being creative and imaginative in their thinking and in their approach to
problems and dilemmas.
Curiosity Being curious about the nature of learning, about the world, its people and
cultures.
Empathy Imagining themselves in another’s situation in order to understand his or
her reasoning and emotions, so as to be open-minded and reflective about
the perspectives of others.
Enthusiasm Enjoying learning and willingly putting the effort into the process.
Independence Thinking and acting independently, making their own judgments based on
reasoned argument, and being able to defend their judgments.
Integrity Being honest and demonstrating a considered sense of fairness.
Respect Respecting themselves, others and the world around them.
Tolerance Being sensitive about differences and diversity in the world and being
responsive to the needs of others.
What is good PYP practice: the role of
teacher and student?
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Classroom:
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Students:
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Lively
Collaborative and purposeful activities
Reflective place
High expectations
With boundaries and structure
Respectful and supportive
Have resources
Actively engaged in planning and assessing their own learning
Supportive of each other
Moving from group work to individual work
Changing roles: partner, leader, member of the whole group
Asking questions
Teachers:
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Use variety of teaching and assessment strategies and use of resources
Responsive to the needs and interests of individual students
Facilitate connection between previous and new knowledge
Balance in attention given to knowledge, skills, attitudes, attributes
Encourage students to take responsibility
Ask good opne-ended questions
How do we differentiate?
• Method of teaching e.g. open ended tasks,
freedom of choice, evidence of reasoning
• Content e.g. complexity, variety
• Grouping e.g. paired tutoring, whole-class,
role-allocation (like literature circle), individual
work
What resources are available in the
school to facilitate inquiry-based
learning?
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Library
Resources room
Art room
ICT
Setting of the classes: tables and chairs, no
stage, displays, etc
What assessment structures are in
place at the school?
– Assessing: how do we discover what students
have learned?
– Recording: how do we collect and analyze the
data?
– Reporting: how do we choose to communicate
information about assessment?
What are some of the items in your
activity toolbox?
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Essential agreement
think, pair, share
KWL chart
Bus stop
Word sort
Clapping game
Mixer
Diamond ranking
Differentiation quadrants
Circle time (talk about the lesson of
the day, Calendar, etc)
Reader’s Theater
Literacy circle
Word maps
Mini lessons
Conferencing
Journal
Burke’s reading and writing interview
Novel Studies
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Story Plan; story settings
Book report
Concentric circles
Sentence starters
Wandering wall
Workshop Time
Popcorn pictures
Talk parachute
Models
The shout out box
Y chart
Centers in the classroom
Paper-pass
Presentations – more than showing
their work
Categorizing
Puppets
Job shadowing
Reading for children
What are some of the tenets of your school’s
essential agreement? When and how was it
developed? Is it based on PYP attitudes?
When and how was the essential agreement
of your class developed? Are they based on
PYP attitudes?
When and how was your school’s goal of the
year developed?
How has the programme impacted
upon the students, the teaching staff
and the administration?
• The school has turned into a community of learners
• There is the evidence, in classrooms and in records of student work, of
inquiry-based learning, and of both independent and collaborative work.
• the collaboration on the part of all the PYP teachers is high, and there is a
commitment to the transdisciplinary model
• students are encouraged to be curious, be inquisitive, ask questions,
explore and interact with the environment physically, socially and
intellectually
• students are supported in their struggle for mastery and control on their
journey to become independent, autonomous learners
• the learning experiences are differentiated to accommodate the range of
abilities and learning styles in the group
• Administrators are highly involved in teaching and learning
The things they wanted us to work on
in our teaching and learning
• Broader range of teaching strategies
• Strengthen understanding and use of assessment strategies and
tools
• Differentiation for stronger and weaker students
• Use inquiry across curriculum
• Facilitate groups and regrouping of students for a variety of learning
situations
• Allow students to become actively responsible for their own
learning, and to learn how to reflect on their experiences and make
more informed independent choices
• Deepen the understanding of students’ perspective on a global
level, extending their understanding beyond the context of Iran.
• Pastoral care