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The biggest question, when I’m planning an IB PYP unit of inquiry is, at what level is my class in terms of experience and initiative when it comes to inquiry? In other words, which level of student inquiry will I be planning around – structured inquiry, guided inquiry or open inquiry?

The biggest catastrophe that can happen to a teacher embarking on inquiry for the first time is to implement an open inquiry without fully understanding the level of her students’ independent inquiry skills. There aren’t many children who are new to the IB PYP that have been formally guided through the skills necessary for independent inquiry. This can result in confusion at best and frustration at the worst. Not to mention that moment when you just have to abandon the lesson and re-group. I know this, cos I’ve been there many a time! Haha!

We want to ensure that our inquiries are structured in such a way that will introduce strategies and guide and support the children as they experience and deve...

A brand new year is upon us once more! And a  new year is always a good time for self reflection. (I have spoken a lot about reflection within the IB PYP and offered multiple strategies that can be used in previous posts. You can read more about that further on.) But with this post, I’m focusing largely on self-reflection; developing reflective thinking skills within the children and ultimately bringing each child a greater awareness of their own Learner Profile and personal, social and emotional development.

With reflection having been removed from the IB key concepts and student agency being a key focus lately, I felt that there was a need for us to maintain this big idea of reflection throughout our learning environment and certainly within the process of inquiry based learning itself. I wanted my students to be able to understand the importance of reflective thinking and it’s role in self-assessment and the inquiry process, not to mention personal, social and emotional education...

Hello dear teachers! I’m excited to share this idea with you. It is really easy to implement and can be done with ANY age level. I call it the INQUIRY JAR. (I know, really imaginative, right?) Let’s get straight to it!

A few posts ago, I wrote about developing inquirers and the three stages that are CRUCIAL to this development; structured inquiry leading to guided inquiry before you finally have independent inquirers.  ( You can link to that article here if you like.) Well, this activity with the Inquiry Jar, is a great way to encourage the inquiry process and model what it looks like and sounds like as well as moving on to teaching higher level thinking skills through questioning and thought analysis. You can find this plus 9 more ideas for bringing inquiry into your classroom in my free guide. It also comes with another great, FREE activity.

Structured Inquiry: Model the Inquiry Process

• Simply, grab a jar or a bo
...

The IB PYP Exhibition is like learning to drive. You always remember that very first time you were in the driving seat and how daunting it all seemed. Well, dear friends, if you are about to embark on that journey through the PYP Exhibition, hold onto your hats! It is definitely one of those wild rides but so very worth it.  If you’re new or newish to the Exhibition (PYPX), then my hope is that this article will help to make your journey a bit more smooth. I’ll provide an outline that demonstrates the steps and timeline of the process that you can print and take away with you and I have a video to share from The PYP Traveller’s You Tube channel. Let’s dive in! 

 Form & Function: What is this Exhibition exactly?

It is a celebration of the children’s knowledge and skills throughout their PYP experience. It is a culmination of a substantial inquiry involving self reflection, collaboration, inquiry, action and  presentation to an audience. It is an opportunity for the pupils to share t...

We hear incredible stories of kids, from schools all around the world, taking action and using their knowledge from inquiry to make an impact for the better. But how much of that action is truly student-led? How big does action have to be? Does it even matter if it isn’t student led? And how do we inspire the children to independently take action? Are those some of the questions that pop into your head when you hear about such wow-factor action? 

Well, never fear…..I’m here to shed some light on the matter and to dispel some of the doubt (and dare I say cynicism?) that may be whispering in your ear. I have an action plan ( and some free tools) to develop and inspire your class of future heroes! Read on…… 
Action, ideally, is the voice of the children. It is student agency at its finest. Action promotes a connection to learning. It’s a transferrable process that, surprise, surprise, needs to be developed over time. Without structured modelling and guidance, your student-led action wil...

If you think about it; what do you do when you have a question that you have to know the answer to? You go about finding the answer by yourself and NOT because you’re being told to by someone else. You take ACTION towards finding out and, in turn, learning. This is ACTION through participation within your own learning. And this is WHY we applaud student led inquiry. We are empowering our students to take ownership of their learning by acknowledging their curiosity. 

Practising an inquiry based learning  approach in my classroom has been the most meaningful form of teaching I have ever implemented. The authenticity it brings to learning, along with the benefit of increased student agency and connections it makes to 21st century skills, are reasons in themselves for the power of the philosophy. Then, when we add in student engagement  and motivation for learning, it all adds up to a very powerful approach indeed.   Education, as you know, has many trends that come and go. Inquiry howe...

I recently attended an IB ARMS ( Rocky Mountain Association of IB World Schools) symposium in Denver and found myself in an interesting conversation regarding student agency.  I think that the current buzz word student agency must be recognised for its role of bringing greater awareness to our role of giving the children more pertinent opportunities to use their agency. In other words, providing the children with more authentic chances to use their voice, make choices for themselves, both collectively and as individuals, and to encourage ownership for their own learning. So, let’s look at the area of assessment and how we, as the facilitators, can increase the children’s’ involvement with this part of their learning cycle.

Since this is a lengthy subject, I’m going to break it down into 2 parts. I will also be including free samples of assessment tools. If you’d like to follow along, please add your e mail into the box on the right and you’ll receive the posts directly into your mai...

Hello again! If you’re following on from part 1 of this conversation, Assessment and Student Agency in the IB PYP, then welcome back. If you missed part 1, you can link to it above if you wish.

Assessment in the PYP classroom has so many different looks to it. Some schools where I have taught have to complete the standardised testing that is required by their school district but most IB PYP schools use a myriad of tools to assess the children, including teacher created tests, formative assessment tools and activities and,of course, the unit summative assessments.

I have listed some of my go-to favourite inclusive formative assessments that encourage self & peer assessment, promoting agency and, not only assess the children’s’ knowledge but also the ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills that they are developing on their journey to becoming avid, independent life long learners. Take a look and hopefully you’ll find something new to try out in your own classroom. I’ve created a FREE pri...

Well, let’s talk (again) about student agency and how to increase it within your classroom. Keeping in mind that it is far more than flexible seating and independently gathering resources, and more about giving the children voice, choice and action in their own learning, I’m heading straight to independent inquiry boards. And there’s a FREE sample for you too.

Form: What IS an independent inquiry board?

You may know them as choice boards, tic tac toe etc They are a collection of guided options to encourage the children to make their own selections and can be used within any subject area, theme or concept.

Function: Inquiry boards encourage the children to use their Approaches to Learning Skills(Research, Self Management, Thinking, Social & Communication) whilst showing their knowledge of skills that YOU as the facilitator, are directing. They act as a tool for formative assessment to integrate into any subject...

Tis the season…..Student Led Conferences! They are an incredibly reflective experience for all involved; the teacher, the students and their families. This post will walk you through what I’ve found to work well over the years and there are several freebies within this conversation.  You’ll  also find a FREE list of over 100 report cards comments that relate to the Learner Profile and ATL skills, found at the end. Simply copy and paste the comments that work for your group of kids, taking HOURS off of this task! Please read on, take what you like and enjoy.

 Form: what is it? 

The shift from a private, teacher led conference with parents to a student led conference is exactly as it states. The teacher takes a step back and is simply the facilitator of the students’ preparation prior to the conference and the child takes the lead on the day of the event, leading their family through a snap shot of what they have learned...