PYP In-School Workshop

A workship titled “Concept-Based Learning in the PYP” was held at the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad on 7^­ and 8 January 2013.

This was the first official, IB-accredited, in-school PYP workshop held at the Academy. It was very timely as it served to validate and review the conceptual learning that is happening at the school.

Since conceptual understanding underpins the PYP curriculum, the workshop resonated well with the teachers. In particular, the academic articles they had to read helped the teachers affirm their own beliefs and practices. The workshop leader, Ruth Adams, from Australia, made the sessions engaging and relevant, and everyone benefited in many different ways.

Considering that there were several veteran PYP workshop participants and leaders in the group, Ruth was able to maintain a good pace and conduct a variety of differentiated activities that provided ample opportunities for all to learn and relearn, regardless of their existing level of experience and expertise.

There were several “Aha!” moments for those who were new to the programme and many opportunities for more experienced teachers to reflect on and consolidate their skills. As a result, the PYP teachers were all able to devise individual action plans that reinforced the inclusion of concepts in the three areas of the curriculum: written, taught and assessed.

In terms of technology, the social learning platform Edmodo was used as a forum to share reflections interactively in real time. Overall, it was a great way of tuning in to the new term.