Enabling and supporting Self-Managed Learners

Introducing Self-Determined Learning

Transition Guide for the Primary Years Programme

PYP review process is nearly ready to publish all the enhancements, we should be getting the transition guidelines in June and the new digital platform ought to be available in October (possibly introduced at the Vienna Global Conference). We have already received several updates, webinars, and tweets about the changes, and also got a lot of clarification in the Singapore Global Conference. One of the main enhancements is indeed the shifted focus to a more flexible and adaptable programme. I really like the re-focus on the roots of constructivist learning as we are now urged to bring the Learner Profile as the main tool in our student-centered teaching model. In my opinion, this is a great opportunity for schools to re-prioritize and re-evaluate their professional development and seek understanding of how the school as an institution could through an agentic shift support self-managed learners.

In Socio-constructivist teaching we trust the learner to construct their own understandings by constructing their own version of reality using their past experience and knowledge, and their current experience. Thus, the learner is creative, actively involved in their learning and there is a dynamic rather than passive relationship between the facilitator and the learner. An example of the Self-determined approach that could be done in the classroom would be Genius Hour. The student determines what they want to learn and how they want to learn about it. The curriculum or facilitator does not determine the outcome.

How could this look like in a PYP school context? Where and when would students have time to engage in their personal inquiry?

One answer would be concurrent units of inquiry, this would allow for students to co-construct their central idea and lines of inquiry under the selected transdisciplinary theme.

Self Efficacy as a skill

Fortunately, self-regulation can be taught and educators can design specific activities to train students to become self-regulated learners.
Anastasia Kitsantas and Angela D. Miller

As Transdisciplinary Skills transition to Approaches to Learning it allows schools to examine the role of said skills and especially the roles of Self-Management and Social skills. We know that students with high self-efficacy enjoy challenges and tolerate failure, whereas those with low self-efficacy are more likely to avoid difficult tasks, and have a low commitment to goals. Students with higher self-efficacy may set higher goals and are able to invest more effort towards their achievement. These students persist longer and use more conceptual and higher-level thinking showing an understanding of learning processes. The most useful efficacy judgment for a student is slightly overestimating, but still in their ZPD, what they can actually achieve on a task — this motivates greater effort and results in greater learning.