Primary Years Program

Agency: Through self-efficacy (the belief of being ‘capable’), students apply agency in their learning. They become agents of their own learning by using their voice, making choices, and taking ownership of their explorations and inquiries. “PYP students with agency use their own initiative and will, and take responsibility and ownership of their learning.” (IBO. The Learner Agency) Teachers aim to provide students with as many opportunities as possible to demonstrate the approaches to learning and attributes in order to support and sustain agency and self-efficacy.

Action is the culmination of the inquiry cycle. If learning is meaningful, the student will take action on their learning. Action is a way for students to show they have connected what they learned to real-life situations and making responsible decisions to the community in and beyond the school. This allows students to develop a sense of belonging to local and global communities. Through action, students understand the responsibility associated with what it means to be international minded. Action can be individual or collective. By taking action from their learning, students are preparing for community service in the Middle Years Program and creativity, activity, service in the Diploma Program.

Action can be individual or collective. Actions are student-initiated, yet these can be guided or prompted by adults. PYP action has to be authentic, meaningful, mindful, responsible and responsible. Action can be:

• a change in attitude

• a consideration or plan for action in the future

• a demonstration of responsibility, or of respect for self, others and the environment

• a commitment to leading or participating in a youth advocacy group

• an engagement in school decision-making or an expression of support in community, local and global decision-making

(IBO. Action)

The exhibition is the culmination of the Primary Years Program. It is the opportunity for students to take action in a guided or free inquiry and to demonstrate the acquisition of the attributes and approaches to learning skills developed throughout the 9 years in the program. The exhibition is an authentic process for students to explore, document and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance. All exhibitions are student-initiated, designed and collaborative (IBO. The Exhibition). Teachers and the learning community support and guide students in this inquiry process. As with all inquiries, the exhibition ends with sharing their learning with the community and reflecting on the process and learning.

Inquiry is the leading pedagogical approach of the Primary Years Program. Students are actively involved in their learning and take responsibility for this learning through action. Inquiry is drawn from the transdisciplinary themes and student interests. The American School of Quito, aligned to the IB body of research (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, Caspari 2015 and Bonnstetter 1998 in IBO. Inquiry) believes inquiry is the way in which students learn best.

Since inquiry encourages students to think, challenge and extend their ideas, it naturally prompts reflection and action.  To support agency, teachers use multiple strategies, tools, and resources to spark interest and create tension through provocation, collaboration, investigation, and reflection. Members of the learning community also play a meaningful role in the inquiry process by serving as experts, and mentors, and providing opportunities for taking action.

Parents and families are also a key element in this learning approach. Parents can support student inquiry by talking about the inquiry beyond the classroom, talking about learning goals, formulating questions, and guiding students in finding answers to their own (IBO. Inquiry).  The American School of Quito has two inquiry cycles, one for Early Years and one for Elementary. In each unit of inquiry, students go through this cycle while exploring one of the transdisciplinary themes.

The IB states that concept-based inquiry is a powerful vehicle for learning that promotes meaning and understanding, and challenges students to engage with significant ideas. This is aligned with the American School of Quito and IB’s mission and vision, as we seek to educate students to become world citizens who think critically and approach problems through a global perspective. Compared to knowledge that requires memory, concepts help students to organize the knowledge that now can be easily accessed through numerous technological tools. Concepts, on the other hand, help students build understanding across, between, and beyond subjects; making learning more authentic and lasting. Simply stated, knowledge is facts; concepts, however, are big ideas. (IBO. Concepts and Conceptual Understanding) The PYP has organized concepts into key and related concepts. These concepts guide student learning through the central idea and lines of inquiry of each unit.

This means that students learn from a real life situation, theme, or problem using the knowledge of several disciplines. One of the fundamental beliefs of PYP is that early and primary years learners need continuous integration of prior and new knowledge and experiences in order to broaden their understanding about the world in a meaningful way. This approach provides coherence to the curriculum, makes the American School of Quito a learning community, and promotes critical thinking, collaboration, and discovery based on issues. The Program of Inquiry (POI) is organized, from Nursery to 6th grade into six transdisciplinary themes that address globally significant issues that are universal regardless of the students’ age, nationality, ethnicity, culture, or background. However, these six themes are developmentally appropriate for young learners, focus on personal and social significance, and unify learning in all aspects (IBO. Transdisciplinary Learning).