Planning Through the IB PYP Approaches to Learning Skills
The IB PYP Approaches to Learning Skills are a BIG deal! We think of them as the tools that support independent learning, amplifying the journey as the children progress with their development of those 21st century skills. And it is so important to identify those skills and then acknowledge them. Transparency is key.The functional language or action words help us when planning through the ATL skills with the children, to assist with recognising the skills in use, being able to transfer those skills authentically and connect the purpose to their learning meaningfully. Read on for practical ideas and tools for assisting with co-planning through the IB PYP Approaches to Learning Skills and watch the video where I share practical strategies for including the children in the planning process.As you know, the PYP aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. Having the ability to see as others see and to communicate understanding through globalised technology, lends itself to a hopeful future for our children and our planet.Challenge for you😉: As you read that paragraph above, see if you can identify the Learner Profile attributes and the Approaches to Learning skills that might be required to accomplish this achievement that the IB PYP stands for. The ATL skills identified by the IB PYP include:Thinking skills - analysing, synthesising, evaluating, and applying information. Communication skills - listening, speaking, reading, writing, and presenting information effectively. Self-management skills - organisation, spatial awareness and personal reflection. Research skills - formulating questions, locating, evaluating, and using information. Social Skills - managing relationships, tolerance, perseverance etc. Identify the Actions Within the Sub-SkillsWhat we want to do when planning our programme of inquiry, is to be able to identify the actions within those sub- skills and then to cross-reference which skills we can cover throughout the programme of inquiry. We also want the children to know which skills we are focusing upon and what those skills look-sound-act and feel like in action. For example: Think about the actions involved within analysing skills that fall under Critical Thinking within the Thinking Skills but also within Information Literacy under Research Skills:
You get the picture? It's important also that our students do too.😊 If you'd like to explore more about agency in assessment, I offer a professional development workshop here that you can download today!
Agency in Assessment PD Workshop From my PD workshop - Agency in Assessment I also created a set of posters for easy reference of the actions that lead to progressive development of the sub-skills. These posters align with the enhancements and provide a substantial list of actions that fall within each of the sub-skills. What we want to do when planning our programme of inquiry, is to be able to identify the actions within those sub- skills and then to cross-reference which skills we can cover throughout the programme of inquiry and with single subjects too. We also want the children to know which skills we are focusing upon and what those skills look-sound-act and feel like in action. Really, really handy for collaborative team planning, co-planning and co-constructing success criteria. |
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I have an umbrella chart that shows how we work through Thinking Skills AND we use a cross reference chart to correlate how the ATL skills connect with our Learner Profile attributes too. All very useful for on-going reflection and underlining how these elements all connect. 
 You can read more about the above strategy as well as others I've implemented for developing the ATL skills in my blog below. |
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I hope that this short but sweet blog brought you some ideas to help with your planning through the ATL skills. Until next time,
P.S. Reach out to find out more about the professional development workshops I offer. I'd love to work with you and your team! |
