This workshop, which is now superseded by Cat 1 – Building Your IB Programme: Primary Years, titled “Making the PYP happen: Implementing agency”, is a PYP professional development opportunity designed for all PYP teachers, regardless of their experience level. The aim of this workshop is to create and support a culture of teacher quality and growth within the PYP.
The central theme of the workshop is implementing agency within the Primary Years Programme. By exploring the PYP framework, participants will ascertain how voice, choice, and ownership are recognized and developed by members of the IB community. The workshop will support educators in their understanding of learning and teaching in a transdisciplinary, concept-driven curriculum and how to design this in their own school context.
Key aspects of the workshop include:
- Personal Inquiry and Reflection: Participants are expected to undertake a personal inquiry into their philosophy and practices and critically engage with professional literature. They will also support fellow participants in reflecting on and refining their learning and teaching. The workshop includes reflection prompts and reflective threads to guide this process.
- Collaborative Learning: The workshop is based on the belief that all participants bring a level of expertise, which should be valued and utilized. The aim is for participants to co-construct and create understanding of PYP principles and practices. Various learning engagements are designed to foster collaboration, such as group work, sharing strategies, and peer learning activities [see our previous conversation].
- Exploration of Key PYP Elements: The workshop delves into various lines of inquiry related to the PYP, including:
- An introduction to the PYP.
- Developing global citizens through the IB Learner Profile.
- Embedding international-mindedness into learning and teaching.
- Transdisciplinary learning and the design of such learning.
- Concept-driven curriculum.
- Approaches to Learning (ATL).
- Student agency reflected in student action.
- The inquiry process as a vehicle for learning and teaching.
- The collaborative planning process and the role of the Planner.
- Inclusive learning environments and spaces.
- How the elements of the PYP support holistic learning.
- Practical Application: The workshop encourages participants to bring their school’s programme of inquiry and other relevant examples of practice. It supports understanding how to design transdisciplinary and concept-driven learning in their own school context.
- Workshop Approach: To engage participants, the workshop utilizes case studies, scenarios, problem-based learning using personas, and elements of design thinking. The personas are a tool to add different perspectives, pose scenarios, support differentiation, and serve as a reflective tool for the Workshop Leader.
Ultimately, this workshop aims to empower PYP educators to deepen their understanding of the PYP framework, particularly in relation to fostering student agency, and to reflect on and refine their teaching practices through collaboration and personal inquiry.
