Having worked with the PYP for some time now, I think that the two linchpins holding the program together and also differentiating it from other educational frameworks are; the role of inquiry and the focus placed on conceptual learning. Sometimes it takes a bit of deep thinking to understand how it all fits together as a curriculum.

Last term we ran a parent information session helping parents to understand more about how and why we use an inquiry approach here at Lindfield. An ‘inquiry methodology’ is the active construction of meaning so that learning is purposeful. Inquiry learning allows students to build on current understandings through interesting provocations (often provided by the teachers), provides time and opportunity for reflection and consolidation of thinking and finally encourages students to form new and deeper levels of understanding.

Concepts (big ideas) are also central to our curriculum and are presented in the form of questions to guide the boys’ inquiries and shape their learning experiences. Since the main pedagogical stance of the PYP is inquiry, posing broad and open-ended questions for the boys to learn through seems a very natural approach. At the beginning of this term all our teaching staff enjoyed a wonderful two-day PD, which helped to deepen our understanding as educators as to the importance of conceptual learning.

Within the PYP there are eight main concepts, which were chosen by early developers of the program for their universal significance. The boys revisit these concepts time and time again in a variety of different ways and through different subject areas. This enables students to deepen their understanding and construct meaning through improved critical thinking and being able to transfer and applying knowledge into a large range of contexts.

FORM – What is it like?

FUNCTION – How does it work?

CAUSATION – Why is it like it is?

CHANGE – How is it changing?

CONNECTION – How is it connected to other things?

PERSPECTIVE – What are the points of view?

RESPONSIBILITY – What is our responsibility?

REFLECTION – How do we know?

At Newington Lindfield, all of our learning experiences for the boys are planned with the above in mind, which we think makes for a very engaging, challenging and enjoyable time at school.

Christina Lowe