Knowing our students as learners.

It doesn’t matter where you went to school, there is always a memory of the teacher/s who took a genuine interest in us as a person, someone with whom connection was strong.

Knowing our students means more than having social or administrative information—students’ names and ages, something about their friendship circles, a bit about their family backgrounds, a few statistics from their academic record. To maximize learning, we need to dig deeper than this superficial knowledge.

Coming to know our students as learners is too important to leave to chance. Not undertaking this in-depth inquiry can mean that we do not reach learners in our class. Developing this in-depth understanding of each learner enables teachers to:

• Create a safe environment for every learner

• Determine each student’s readiness for learning

• Increase engagement and success for every student

• Develop and demonstrate greater emotional intelligence in the classroom.

How does the PYP support this in-depth understanding of our learners?

1. Create a safe environment for every learner – promoting and modelling growth mindset, MindYeti and brain breaks, time and opportunity for students to speak about things of interest or concern to them. The environment is a positive place where students are confident to speak and ask questions without trepidation.
2. Determine each student’s readiness for learning – the assessment of student’s knowledge and understanding before learning, throughout learning and at the conclusion of learning during all disciplines. This assessment includes reflection by students and teachers of the five essential elements of PYP – knowledge, concepts, attitudes, skills and action.
3.  Increase engagement and success for every student – helping student to find connections with learning for our students which could be through passions, interests and issues of a global and local nature.
4.  Develop and demonstrate greater emotional intelligence in the classroom – greater flexibility in thought, empathy, patience, and taking into account all aspects that may impact learning for the students.

Our teachers encourage students to pursue a personal responsibility for learning and by including them in decision making allows them to buy into their learning. The students become proactive with their learning and allow teachers a window into their souls.

Sue Gough – PYP Co-ordinator