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PYP Curriculum
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Curriculum Frameworks in the IB PYP
Firoozeh A. Koopaei
IB PYP Frameworks
International Baccalaureate Primary years Programme (IB PYP) is a programme in which it is believed that learning is done when it is authentic and relevant to the students’ real world (International Baccalaureate 2008). PYP framework is research based and represents a wide variety of evidence and experience to offer a coherent and inclusive programme of education in which students are engaged in good classroom practice. The overall purpose of International Baccalaureate (IB) is expressed in the IB mission statement. Additionally, the aims of the curriculum have been defined through a set of learner profile attributes by which the value of international-mindedness, embedded in the philosophy of IB, is promoted throughout all the IB programmes (International Baccalaureate 2008).
The IB programmes promote open communication based on understanding and respect and encourage students to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners. This type of education is holistic in nature, with the whole person in mind, concerned with cognitive development, along with concern for social, emotional and physical well-being. The interplay between asking (inquiry), thinking (reflective), and doing (action) components supports the development of International-mindedness (Webinar W5, 2019). In all IB programmes, the constructivist inquiry process which leads towards democratic classroom is the basis of design and implementation (International Baccalaureate 2009).
Making the PYP happen
Curriculum
Curriculum
The PYP curriculum framework is organised according to three main questions which address an iterative process of developing, implementing and accessing in which each component informs the other two.
- What do we want to learn? The written curriculum in which five essential elements and details of what students will learn are outlined. These five elements resonate throughout the entire PYP curriculum.
- How best will we learn? The taught curriculum in which how IB educators plan for the learning in the PYP is explained. Collaboration and being engaged in the process of planning are the main key parts of PYP curriculum.
- How will we know what we have learned? The assessed curriculum in which the purposes of assessment in the PYP, assessment strategies and the exhibition are identified and explained.
(International Baccalaureate 2008, 2019)
Written Curriculum
PYP prescribes a curriculum framework of five essential elements- knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and action, each of which is a reference point for framing a school curriculum. Learning is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant in PYP schools as it is committed to transdisciplinary approach. In PYP, students explore six transdisciplinary themes which promote an awareness of the human condition and core commonalities of human experience (Boyer 1995). In PYP curriculum, the learners and the learning community engage with the programme of inquiry to explore transdisciplinary themes and concepts that have relevance to them, approaches to learning and teaching that are crucial for exploring subjects and opportunities to reflect and take actions to enhance their learning (International Baccalaureate 2009).
Written
Curriculum
What do we want the students to know?
Knowledge
The importance of the traditional subject areas is acknowledged in the components of the PYP curriculum. The six bodies of knowledge in the PYP are:
- Language
- Mathematics
- Social studies
- Science
- Personal, social and physical education
- The arts
Information and communication technology (ICT) is not identified as a particular subject area, but is a tool that facilitates learning throughout the PYP curriculum.
(International Baccalaureate 2009)
What do we want students to understand?
Concepts
PYP is a concept-driven curriculum in which concepts, which have relevance and are transdisciplinary across and beyond subject areas, are used to support the inquiry-based learning in order to deepen students’ understanding of the concepts (International Baccalaureate 2009). The key concepts or questions in the PYP curriculum assist different ways of thinking and learning and are provocations to extend inquiries. The eight concepts are:
- form
- function
- causation
- change
- connection
- perspective
- responsibility
- reflection
What do we want students to be able to do?
Skills
The skills which are best developed in the PYP units of inquiry are transdisciplinary and are valuable for life-long learning. These skills are:
• Social skills
• Communication skills
• Thinking skills
• Research skills
• Self-management skills
(International Baccalaureate 2009)
What do we want students to feel, value
and demonstrate?
Attitudes
To promote international-mindedness, there is a focus on the development of personal attitudes and attributes across all IB programmes. This also contributes to the well-being of students while helping them to reflect and develop their own values. These attitudes are considered as ’habits of mind’ and are explicitly taught and assessed in the PYP classroom. There are 12 attitudes in the PYP curriculum:
- appreciation
- commitment
- confidence
- cooperation
- creativity
- curiosity
- empathy
- enthusiasm
- independence
- integrity
- respect
- tolerance
(International Baccalaureate 2009)
How do we want students to act?
Action
Successful inquiry in PYP curriculum explicitly results in responsible action which is initiated by the students to extend the students’ learning experience. Students are provided with opportunities to act and reflect on their learning and make a difference in and to the world (International Baccalaureate 2008). Action can be in form of individual or group exhibition or involve service in the community. Through action, students can use what they have learned and demonstrate their understanding of the attitudes and learner profile attributes.
Transdisciplinarity
in the PYP
Transdisciplinary approach to learning in PYP makes learning engaging, relevant, challenging and significant, as the global themes frame learning experience to promote an awareness of the human condition from multiple perspectives (International Baccalaureate 2009). Transdisciplinarity approach in the PYP is defined as learning that has relevance across the subject areas and more importantly transcends the "confines of the subject areas to connect to what is real in the world" (International Baccalaureate 2010, p1).
Ertas (2000 cited in International Baccalaureate 2010, p2) states that “A transdisciplinary education program is built around a core. This core is then surrounded by knowledge and skills selected from various disciplines.” In the PYP, the programme of inquiry which includes the features of the knowledge, the key concepts, the transdisciplinary skills, the attitudes and learning to take action all belong to the PYP transdisciplinary core as shown below (International Baccalaureate 2010, p9).
Transdisciplinary approach
Tranasdisciplinary themes
Transdisciplinary
in classroom
The PYP defines six globally significant transdisciplinary themes which are:
• Who we are
• Where we are in place and time
• How do we express ourselves
• How the world works
• How we organise ourselves
• Sharing the planet
These themes are significant because they contribute to the uniqueness of the PYP, they promote international-mindedness, provide opportunities for students to learn about what is real in the world and indicate the connectedness of human condition. In addition, these themes transcend the traditional subject areas as described by Beane (1995 cited in International Baccalaureate 2010) and are in line with the UNESCO definition of transdisciplinarity that “involves going between, across and beyond different disciplines to develop both a new vision and experience of learning.” (Leo 2006 cited in International Baccauleate 2009).
Student engagement with units of inquiry using the PYP template of transdisciplinary programme of inquiry, frame the learning in the classroom. The central idea in each unit of inquiry supports the conceptual development and extends the understanding of the theme. The key concepts embedded in the central ideas are transdisciplinary contributing to building up the knowledge component of the written curriculum supporting other subject areas (International Baccalaureate 2010).
The PYP framework's commitment to transdisciplinary model allows students to collaboratively formulate their learning through multiple perspectives. This is central to the PYP programme as contributes to the development of international perspective of each student considering and reflecting other point of views in the classroom.
Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education (International Baccalaureate 2009)
Appendix
Inquiry-based learning
Curriculum
as Inquiry
Inquiry-based learning promotes active participation and learner’s responsibility for discovering knowledge that is new to the learner (Short & Burke 2001). Success with inquiry-based learning often requires a change in school culture, which can result in the implementation of inquiry-based science education, inquiry-based literacy programmes and other inquiry-based educational innovations (Falk & Drayton, 2001; Kuhlthau, 2001). This culture can be promoted by improving the vision for inquiry, valuing problem-solving, enhancing investigative skills and meta-cognitive skills among the learning community including learners, staff and the wider community (Short & Burke 2001).
Our understanding of the world is always in process, therefore, as Short & Burke (2001) state, in inquiry-based curriculum, every unit of inquiry begins with what the learners already know, perceive and feel. Learners have to be involved in all parts of the inquiry and student agency is valued as all voices need to be heard and considered in different stages of a unit of inquiry (Barron & Darling-Hammond 2010). A true democratic classroom values each student's contribution and supports each student through differentiation of the activities. Collaboration and diversity are highly valued and embedded in a curriculum of inquiry (Short & Burke 2001; Barron & Darling-Hammond 2010).
Within the PYP framework and the PYP planner, it is evident that the student agency is promoted through negotiating curriculum with students from the beginning. Also, student's voice, choice and ownership are embedded in different stages of the planner. The PYP framework underpins the collaborative relationship between the learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community (International Baccalaureate 2010) aiming to integrate many forms of knowledge and perspectives.
However, the success of the inquiry-oriented curriculum is highly dependent on the knowledge and skills of the educators who design them. Also, it has been emphasised that well-designed assessments have a key role in implementation of a strong inquiry-based learning (Barron & Darling-Hammond 2010). Scaffolding , modelling and constant formative assessments tend to substantially improve the quality of the inquiry-based curriculum. Additionally, critical thinking skills and flexible problem solving abilities are necessary for success in inquiry-based learning in a fast changing world (Scott, Smith, Chu, & Friesen 2018).
Knowledge systems such as history, biology and economy are the systems to structure knowledge in order to make sense of the world, whereas, music, art and movement are sign systems which are used for thinking, communicating and creativity (Short & Burke 2001). The relationship between knowledge systems, sign systems, and transdicsiplinary inquiry is shown below.
Curriculum as inquiry
(Holmes 2019)
Short & Burke (2001), Curriculum as Inquiry
Appendix
The Thinking Classroom & Tools for teaching Conceptual understanding
Conceptual
Understanding
As Erickson and Lanning (2017) state synergistic thinking is interplay between factual and conceptual levels of thinking. In an inquiry-based curriculum which requires synergistic thinking, students’ deeper conceptual understanding is facilitated by providing central and supporting ideas (Erickson 2012). Students need to be given opportunities to think, process, synthesise, discuss and make mistakes in order to construct, reflect and transfer ideas. Thus, teachers need to be able to coach questioning, give meaningful feedback and design tasks in advance to facilitate conceptual understanding and promote value of thinking. Intellectual dispositions happen when creative, critical, reflective, and conceptual thinking are enhanced in the classroom (Stern 2018).
The PYP curriculum is a concept-driven framework to support inquiry-oriented learning (International Baccalaureate 2009). In an inquiry-based curriculum, students use their knowledge of facts taught in the subject areas and uncover and transfer their conceptual understanding in their own words. This ability to relate new learning to prior knowledge and transfer knowledge and skills across disciplines or to new or similar context is evidence of deeper understanding. This is promoted in the PYP planner in which a unit of inquiry is designed around a central idea which contributes to enduring understanding that promotes conceptual understanding and synergistic thinking. This understanding of the central idea and connections made throughout the unit of inquiry are assessed by gathering students’ pieces of work, oral response or observed action or application of the central idea (International Baccalaureate 2009).
However, a central idea which is more limited to the exploration of facts and not transferable across subject areas restricts the opportunities for the students to make connections beyond the inquiry and minimise their opportunities to explore contradictions (Webinar Week 4, 2019).
- The thinking classroom in concept-based curriculum and instructions for the thinking classroom (Erickson & Lanning 2017)
- Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding (Stern 2018)
Appendix
How do we plan for this kind of learning?
The PYP
Planner
To strengthen the link between the written, taught and assessed curriculums, the PYP planner has been provided for IB educators. This document is designed to be used collaboratively and reflectively and is structured around a central idea and lines of inquiry.
The IB PYP framework documents assist teachers to collaboratively design a programme of inquiry in which each transdisciplinary theme is explored in a unit of inquiry.
The PYP planner is divided into two sections of planning the inquiry
1) what is our purpose?
2) What do we want to learn?
3) How might we know what we have learned?
4) How best might we learn?
5) What resources need to be gathered?
and reflecting on the inquiry
6) To what extent did we achieve our purpose?
7) To what extent did we include the elements of the PYP?
8) What student-initiated inquiries arose from the learning?
9) Teacher notes
(International Baccalaureate 2009)
These four pages of the planner with a sample lesson are annotated and the areas of importance and some reflections are shown as follows.
PYP Planner Page 1
Planner P1
PYP Planner Page 2
Planner P2
PYP Planner Page 3
Planner P3
PYP Planner Page 4
Planner P4
Reference
Reference List
Barron, B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). Prospects and challenges for inquiry-based approaches to learning. In The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice (pp. 199–216). OECD Publishing. Retrieved from https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/the-nature-of-learning_9789264086487-en#page201
Boyer, E. L. (1995). The educated person. In J. Beane (Ed.), Towards a coherent curriculum. The ASCD Year Book. (pp. 16–25). Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Erickson, H. L. (2007). Concept-based curriculum and instruction for the thinking classroom (pp. 1–189). Corwin. Retrieved from http://cat.lib.unimelb.edu.au:80/record=b3076143~S30
Erickson, H. L., & Lanning, L., A., (2017). ‘The Thinking Classroom’ in Concept-based Curriculum and instruction for the thinking classroom (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:Cowen. Chapter 1.
Falk, J., & Drayton, B. (2001). Cultivating a culture of inquiry. Retrieved July
12, 2004, from http://www.terc.edu/TEMPLATE/feature/feature.cfm?
FeatureID=3
Holmes, C. (2018). Week 2: Inquiry – Turning philosophy into pedagogy, Webinar Recording Thursday 9 May 7:30pm, Retrieved from https://gomelb.unimelb.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_3025_1&content_id=_71318_1&mode=reset
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. (2009). Introduction - How best will we learn? The taught curriculum. Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education (pp. 1–43). International Baccalaureate Organization. Retrieved from https://resources.ibo.org/pyp?c=bbe621e4
Reference
Reference List
International Baccalaureate Organisation (2009). Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, Retrieved from https://resources.ibo.org/pyp/resource/ p_0_pypxx_mph_0912_2_e?c=7eaf37e6&lang=en
International Baccalaureate Organisation (2010). The Primary Years Programme as a model of transdisciplinary learning, Retrieved from https://resources.ibo.org/pyp/resource/11162-occ-file-p_0_pypxx_poi_1002_1_e/data/p_0_pypxx_poi_1002_1_e.pdf
International Baccalaureate Organisation (2019). Curriculum, Retrieved from https://www.ibo.org/programmes/primary-years-programme/curriculum/
International Baccalaureate Organisation (2018). Mission. Retrieved from https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/mission/
International Baccalaureate Organisation (2018). The IB Learner Profile. Retrieved from https://www.ibo.org/benefits/learner-profile/
International Baccalaureate (2018). How to use the PYP Planner. [Video Transcript] Retrieved from http://xmltwo.ibo.org/publications/PYP/p_0_pypxx_sup_1210_1/ibpublishing.ibo.org/test-exist/rest/app/pub.xql@doc=p_0_pypxx_sup_1210_1_e&part=1&chapter=2.html
Kuhlthau, C. C. (2001). Rethinking libraries for the Information Age school: Vital roles in inquiry learning. Retrieved from http://www.iasl-slo.org/keynote-kuhlthau2001.html
Melbourne University (2019). EDUC90261_2019_TM2: Curriculum Frameworks in the IB PYP, Week 4 & 5. Retrieved from https://gomelb.unimelb.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_3025_1&content_id=_71318_1&mode=reset
Scott, D., Smith, C., Chu, M.-W., S., & Friesen, S. (2018). Examining the Efficacy of Inquiry-based Approaches to Education. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 64(1), 35–54. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Scott45/publication/324968843_Examining_the Efficacy_of_Inquiry- based_Approaches_to_Education/links/5af113950f7e9ba366452ae7/Examining-the-Efficacy-of-Inquiry-based-Approaches-to-Education.pdf
Short, K. G., & Burke, C. L. (2001). Curriculum as inquiry. In S. Boran & B. Comber (Eds.), Critiquing whole language and classroom inquiry (pp. 18–41). National Council of Teachers of English.
Stern, J. (2018). What are the building blocks of concept-based instruction? In Tools for teaching conceptual understanding, elementary : harnessing natural curiosity for learning that transfers (pp. 65–89). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.