Implementing the PYP in a school is not the easiest thing to do but it certainly an excellent choice whoever has the idea and the possibly to do it.
Implementing the PYP needs a lot of work including everybody, collaboration, great communication skills and open minds.
A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to start working in a school where they were at the first phase of implementing the PYP. To be honest it wasn’t an easy ride. I have been travelling far since then. It had been a bumpy journey with a lot of challenges and the road is still so long that I need to discover. For example the IB has its own language which didn’t make much sense at the beginning. The planner was completely different from our daily planner that I used before. Our old curriculum was planned according to subjects that obviously was nothing to do with the transdisciplinary themes. We mainly taught subjects and contents instead of concepts and skills. So that was plenty of new things to discover and understand.
Although, I’m still not an expert and it’s always room to improve, I can confidently say, I’m starting to understand the gist of the PYP. Now, it feels like I’m on the right track. Recently, I’ve received an email from a friend of mine who is in the same situation where I was some years back. She wondered if I could tell her about my experience on PYP implementation. Quote: “… any input regarding the benefits for the students as well as the main efforts that teachers will have to make regarding lesson planning and vertical alignment of lesson plans. I was also wondering if you consider that any extra support from the principal/administrative team is required or if you are willing to share any tips regarding the programme itself…”
As PYP is quite complex, I tried to do my best to answer her questions. Obviously, there are always unanswered questions but hopefully I could help, at least a bit. This is what I wrote:
Implementing the IB Programme might seem complicated first but eventually everything will fall into places. In my point of view, it needs total cooperation from all the staff members including the principal, the administrative team and also the parents. As it is a different system, teachers, the principal and even the administrative team have to be prepared to be asked a lot of questions by parents about exams, resources, homework, textbooks… etc. As within the PYP we are not supposed to do any exams so parents are pretty unsure of the whole thing. We don’t have any textbooks either as they don’t really support inquiry due to having the answers already… In the vertical and the horizontal planner you have to make sure that all the skills, attitudes, IB learner profile and concepts are covered in both directions, including all content they need to know by the end of their primary years. So it’s a couple of summer holiday weeks collaborative work… You can’t really do it during school time when the kids are around as it requires hard work and full concentration from everybody who is involved in it. And obviously everybody should be involved who wants to teach the programme. Although, teachers are in the first line of the planning, you will need a principal who is open-minded and back up your ideas regarding assessment, resources, homework and evaluation policies.
You were also asking about the PYP regarding students. My experience is exploring, experimenting through inquiries is the best way for the kids to learn. They feel motivated and remember more through their real life experiences. Obviously, you need to learn to let the control out of your hands, trust them and only guide them with questions. You don’t really have to think of normal lesson plans as in daily planning instead you have to have the right key concept questions and you have to have a guideline what you want to achieve by the end of the unit. You need to think about activities to provoke them then lead them through the inquiry cycle. Also need to have continuous assessment (formative) and feedback that they are on the right way or they need to change something along their exploration journey. So basically you are there to help them, guide them… etc.
I suppose it will be quite strange not to follow an already written and set curriculum, you probably know what works with one class, most likely doesn’t work with the other. Let kids shape their own learning and you will learn with them every day.
This is not a lot but at least a start. Hopefully it helps a bit for whoever starts implementing the PYP and have a confused mind as I had not so long ago.
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thank you for your interesting blog please i would like to know how would you come up with ideas on how to provoke the students to get the class room looking interesting and also would the school provide you with the materials or did you ask the parents, do you have any pictures on class set up my school is new and in 3 months we have changed our class 5 times, the teachers are now ready to walk and we are not really enjoying pyp… any ideas how to get them back motivated would be amaze. thank you
Dear Elaine,
Thank you for your insightful questions. I will do my best to give you a short answer now and I will work on a blog post writing about classroom environment and decoration including photos to help as soon as I can.
First of all, the classroom has to be changed all the time as an organic part of the unit of inquiry. It doesn’t mean teachers need to think of creating new displays over and over again. Classroom display is mostly visible thinking, showing students understanding and the inquiry process on the topic. You normally have to change things over the year whenever starting a new unit as classroom environment reflects on what kids are inquiring on, it also help them to understand and reflect on the unit.
I usually start with an almost empty classroom, only put some thought provoking pictures, keywords or sentences related to the new unit of inquiry. Of course, we have the related central idea, key concepts, lines of inquiry, learner profile and attitudes kids need to improve during the unit but nothing else. Then as we work on the unit, more and more evidence appears on the walls. These evidences are all students’ work and thoughts.
I’ve got some material that our school provides, I also ask kids to bring in things, books, articles they find to share with their peers related to our current unit.
Provocation is a bit tricky. It always depends on the unit, the kids in the classroom, etc. I use videos, books, strange pictures that children want to know more about or that make them debate on some statements.
Hi Elaine, this is one of my previous blog post about how I tuned into or as you said provoked students on the unit on Energy: http://www.misstpyp.com/tuning-into-how-the-world-works/