Making PYP Happen - Module 2 - My Reflections

                                    Making PYP Happen - Module 2 - My Reflections

As we move ahead this amazing journey of learning, I realised that there is so much more to becoming a teacher - it needs a lot of patience, diligence, team work and perseverance.  A lot has happened on the work and personal front. As India, my beloved country, celebrated its 78th Independence Day, last week, it was a time for a lot of personal as well as professional reflections. The ongoing IB PYP training is moving smoothly, although, I did have to make certain changes to my schedule to be able to submit the modules on time. Here are some of my thoughts for the second module:

 - Transdisciplinary learning program

The first part of the second module was about transdisciplinary learning and I quite enjoyed doing it. Since being introduced in our school, the IB PYP program has laid significant importance in making and implementing transdisciplinary learning strategies. In my opinion, it starts beautifully with the teacher collaborations and aligning all the concepts to be taught in a particular theme. In the beginning it was a little difficult but over a period of time, it has become easier. The students were initially finding it difficult to understand and make connections but over a period of time, with practice, they are able to make connections across disciplines. It is wonderful to see the students collaborate with their peers, it underscores the importance of flexible, inquiry-based learning where students can explore, question, and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways, thus nurturing critical thinking, creativity, and international-mindedness.

- Concept Driven Curriculum Forum

This part of the training module was indeed a challenge for me. Developing the transdisciplinary theme, which key concepts to choose and how to build lesson plans around it can be a struggle for any beginner and one may feel totally at sea. However, engaging with this forum has deepened my understanding of how concepts like form, function, and systems can guide inquiries that are both broad and deep. It has also highlighted the importance of flexibility in teaching, where the focus is on the development of transferable thinking skills rather than just content delivery. This helps both the educators and the learners to think critically, ask questions and explore ideas in a way that is relevant to their lives and the world in which they live.

- Approaches to Learning Forum

Engaging in approaches to learning forum, I have learned to dwell deeper in the into how the skills like thinking, self management, communication, social engagement and research are the foundation stones of for the success of students. Reading through my cohort's opinions and viewpoints, I also understood, the various challenges that the educators' fraternity faces the world over. Shortage of time and lack of parental support at home are two aspects that stood out in almost every ladder diagram. Going through the discussions in the group, I also advanced my knowledge about how the various approached to learning help in fostering a life long love for learning, acquiring skills that will go with the students for the rest of their lives and help them navigate through the various challenges, with confidence and resilience.

As I was writing this blog and looking at the last week of learning on this forum, I smiled with the knowledge that I moved a step closer at understanding my profession and the commitment towards it.