What do we want students to understand?

The following eight broad concepts act as the powerful ideas to drive the Units of Inquiry:

1. Form — What is it like? 
2. Function — How does it work? 
3. Causation — Why is it like it is? 
4. Change — How is it changing? 
5. Connection — How is it connected to other things? 
6. Perspective — What are the points of view? 
7. Responsibility — What is our responsibility? 
8. Reflection — How do we know?

The concepts, which can also be expressed as key questions, help to facilitate ways of thinking and learning about the world, and they also ’act as a provocation’ to extend student inquiries.  They help to launch other ways of teaching and learning.  The key concepts shape a unit of inquiry, making it meaningful, and learning purposeful.  Teachers use concepts to unwrap information, for example:

• Form — What is addition?  
• Function — What is addition used for? 
• Causation — When does addition produce patterns?  
• Connection —How is it connected?  When would you use addition? How are 5 + 2 and 2 + 5 connected?  How do people calculate – add – in different cultures?  
• Perspective — Are their different ways/methods to add numbers? 
• Reflection — How can you check your addition? 

Concepts can be considered as a key – a “way into a body of knowledge through structured and sustained inquiry” (Making it Happen 2007 p. 17). When the concepts are viewed as key questions, the concepts act as a research and inquiry tool.  The key concepts identified in the PYP help to design a transdisciplinary curriculum; however, they are not the only concepts worth exploring.  Many other related concepts are also considered in the PYP through the lens of concept-based curriculum and instruction.

What do we want students to know?

“To be truly educated, a student must also make connections across the disciplines, discover ways to integrate the separate subjects and ultimately relate what they learn to life”

Boyer 1995

The PYP uses a transdisciplinary approach to learning.  Themes of global significance are explored using knowledge and skills derived from different subject areas, allowing students to step up beyond the confines of learning within subject areas.  The content studied has significance for students of all cultures and is of genuine importance in understanding the human condition.  It has potential to engage students actively in their own learning, and gives them the opportunity to see and understand how things are interconnected.

Units of inquiry are developed around six transdisciplinary themes that are believed to be essential in the context of international education. The units are engaging, relevant, challenging and significant, and extend the prior knowledge and experience of the students.

The six transdisciplinary themes are:

Who we are
An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values;  personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.
         
Where we are in place and time
An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives. 
  
How we express ourselves
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

How the world works  
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

How we organise ourselves
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organisations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Sharing the planet
An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. 

What do we want students to be able to do? There are five sets of Transdisciplinary skills that are acquired throughout all disciplines of the Primary Years Programme:

Thinking skills

1. Acquisition of Knowledge: Gaining specific facts, ideas, vocabulary; remembering in a similar form. 
2. Comprehension: Grasping meaning from material learned; communicating and interpreting learning.
3. Application: Making use of previously acquired knowledge in practical or new ways.
4. Analysis: Taking knowledge or ideas apart; separating into component parts; seeing relationships; finding unique characteristics.
5. Synthesis: Combining parts to create wholes; creating, designing, developing and innovating.
6. Evaluation: Making judgments or decisions based on chosen criteria; standards and conditions. 
7. Dialectical thought: Thinking about two or more different points of view at the same      time; understanding both points of view; being able to construct an argument for either point of view based on knowledge of the other; realizing that others can also take one’s own point of view.
8. Metacognition: Analyzing one’s own and others’ thought processes; thinking about thinking and thinking about how one thinks and how one learns. 

Communication skills

1. Listening:  Listening to directions; listening to others; listening to information.
2. Speaking:  Speaking clearly; giving oral reports to small and large groups; expressing ideas clearly and logically; stating opinions.
3. Reading:  Reading a variety of sources for information and pleasure; comprehending what has been read; making inferences and drawing conclusions.
4. Writing:  Recording information and observations; taking notes and paraphrasing; writing summaries; writing reports; keeping a journal or record.
5. Viewing: Interpreting and analyzing visuals and multimedia: understanding the ways in which images and language interact to convey ideas, values and beliefs, making informed choices about personal viewing experiences.
6. Presenting:  Constructing visuals and multimedia for a range of purposes and audiences; communicating information and ideas through a variety of visual media; using appropriate technology for effective presentation and representation. 
7. Non-verbal communication:  Recognizing the meaning of visual and kinesthetic communication; recognizing and creating signs; interpreting and utilizing symbols. 

Social skills

1. Accepting responsibility: Taking on and completing tasks in an appropriate manner; being willing to assume a share of the responsibility.
2. Respecting others: Listening sensitively to others; making decisions based on fairness and equality; recognizing that others’ beliefs, view points, religions and ideas many differ from one’s own; stating one’s opinion without hurting others.
3. Cooperating Working cooperatively in a group; being courteous to others; sharing materials; taking turns.
4. Resolving conflict:  Listening carefully to others;  compromising; reacting reasoning to the situation;
   accepting responsibility appropriately; being fair.
5. Group decision making: listening to others; discussing ideas; asking questions; working towards and obtaining consensus.
6. Adopting a variety of group roles:  understanding what behavior is appropriate in a given situation and acting accordingly; being a leader in some circumstances, a follower in others.

Research skills

1. Formulating questions: Identifying something one wants or needs to know and asking compelling and relevant questions which can be researched.
2. Observing: Using all the senses to notice relevant details.
3. Planning: Developing a course of action; writing an outline; devising ways of finding out necessary information.
4. Collecting data: Gathering information from a variety of first and second hand sources such as maps, surveys, direct observation, books, films, people, museums and ICT.
5. Recording data: Describing and recording observations, by drawing, note taking, making charts, tallying, writing statements.
6. Organizing data: Sorting and categorizing information; arranging into understandable forms, such as narrative descriptions, tables, timelines, graphs and diagrams.
7. Interpreting data: Drawing conclusions from relationships and patterns which emerge from organized data.
8. Presenting research findings: Effectively communicating what has been learned;  choosing appropriate media.

Self-Management skills

1. Gross motor skills: Exhibiting skills in which groups of large muscles are used and the factor of strength is primary.
2. Fine motor skills: Exhibiting skills in which precision in delicate muscle systems is required.
3. Spatial awareness: Displays a sensitivity to the position of objects in relation to oneself or each other.
4. Organization: Planning and carrying out activities effectively.
5. Time management: Using time effectively and appropriately.
6. Safety: Engaging in personal behaviour which avoids placing oneself or others in danger or at risk.
7. Healthy lifestyle: Making informed choices to achieve a balance in nutrition, rest, relaxation and exercise; practising appropriate hygiene and self-care.
8. Codes of behaviour: Knowing and applying appropriate rules or operating procedures for groups of people.
9. Informed choices: Selecting an appropriate course of action or behaviour based on fact or opinion.

What do we want students to value?

The IB believes that in order to foster international-mindedness, we must focus on the development of personal attitudes with respect to people, the environment and to learning; attitudes that become ‘habits of mind,’ that promote  and enhance the  well-being of the individual and of the group.  The attitudes are to some degree congruent with the Learner Profile.

• Appreciation: appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people
• Commitment: being committed to their own learning, preserving and showing self-discipline and responsibility
• Confidence: feeling confident in their ability as learners, having the courage to take risks, applying what they have learned and making appropriate decisions and choices
• Cooperation: cooperating, collaborating, and leading or following as the situation demands
• Creativity: being creative and imaginative in their thinking and in their approach to problems and dilemmas
• Curiosity: being curious about the nature of learning, about the world, its people and cultures
• Empathy: imagining themselves in another’s situation in order to understand his or her reasoning and emotions, so as to be open-minded and reflective about the perspectives of others
• Enthusiasm: enjoying learning and willingly putting the effort into the process
• Independence: thinking and acting independently, making their own judgments based on reasoned argument, and being able to defend their judgments
• Integrity: being honest and demonstrating a considered sense of fairness
• Respect: respecting themselves, others and the world around them
• Tolerance: being sensitive about differences and diversity in the world and being responsive to the needs of others

The IB, through their international inquiry based programmes, encourages students to become more involved in their world.  The IB believes that all learners should have the opportunity to, and the power to choose to act in order to affect change in our world. 

At Mulgrave, appropriate student-initiated action is valued and promoted.  Students are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves; through their learning, they become aware of how each of them can make a difference, no matter how big or small. Action that is realistic, relevant and meaningful is encouraged, recognised and supported throughout our school community.

We provide models of action through our voluntary service groups, including Kid’s Care Club, Cypress Stars and Grade Six Leadership. Throughout our programmes within the classrooms, opportunities are provided for thoughtful and positive action. Students are given opportunities to ask appropriate questions, to choose to act, to decide on their actions, and to reflect on their actions.

Student action can be an independent act, or something that a group has worked on, and may occur well after the learning engagements or experiences.  It may be something as simple as bringing in a book or an artifact related to what is being studied at school, taking action about something that has been learned a result of a unit of inquiry or cutting the grass for an elderly neighbour. 

The PYP action cycle encourages thought, initiative and involvement that “provides learners with opportunities to engage in purposeful and beneficial action” (Making it Happen, 2007).