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The PYP curriculum model is committed to
using a constructivist approach. Learners have beliefs
about how the world works based on their experiences and
prior learning. Those beliefs are revisited and revised in
the light of new experiences and further learning.
When planning units of inquiry, teachers make
sure to ascertain students’ prior knowledge, and provide
experiences that give them opportunities to:
·
test and revise their models
make connections between their previous and current
perceptions
construct their own meaning
Inquiry as a pedagogical
approach
Inquiry, as the leading pedagogical approach
of the PYP, allows students to be actively involved in their
own learning and to take responsibility for that learning.
Inquiry allows students’ understanding of the world to
develop at their own rate.
Inquiry can be defined as the process
initiated by the student or the teacher that moves students
from their current level of understanding to a new and
deeper level of understanding.
Inquiry can take many forms, including:
exploring, wondering and questioning
experimenting and playing with possibilities
making connections between previous learning
and current learning
making predictions and acting purposefully to
see what happens
collecting data and reporting findings
clarifying existing ideas and reappraising
perceptions of events
deepening understanding through the
application of a concept
making and testing theories
researching and seeking information
taking and defending a position
solving problems in a variety of ways.
Many different forms of inquiry are
recognized, based on students’ curiosity and on their
wanting and needing to know more about the world. They are
most successful when students’ questions and inquiries are
genuine and have real significance in helping them progress
to new levels of knowledge and understanding.
An explicit expectation of the PYP is that
successful inquiry will lead to action, initiated by
the student as a result of the learning process. This action
may extend the student’s own learning, or it may have a
wider social impact.
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