Agency lies in the core of the PYP. It is not only a goal but a practice too. Our School’s learners are active co-decision makers and have “voice, choice and ownership” over every step of the educational process. They are consistently encouraged by their teachers to do so and their curriculum is designed to constantly provide them with such opportunities.

Why is it so important?

In our era, students are everyday bombarded with massive amounts of information! What they need most is to have the ability to make sense of, discern, judge and combine information so that they are in position to grasp the world around them.

And what are they taught?

Embracing the most up-to-date pedagogical views we teach them the four “C’s”:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Creativity

How is our students’ agency fostered and developed?

In our School, agency is encouraged daily in many different ways:

  1. We arrange the classroom along with the children.
  2. We make decisions together.
  3. We value their prior knowledge.
  4. We provide them with options.
  5. We provide them with opportunities for self-assessment.
  6. We give them the chance to take part in the planning.
  7. We encourage them to learn from each other.
  8. We support their initiatives and ideas.
  9. We develop their self-management skills.
  10. We support children to explore their interests and express their creativity by planning open-ended activities.
  11. We give them the chance to select between topics, exercises and activities.
  12. We give children chances to decide how to work (by studying, using multimedia tools, doing experiments, taking interviews, etc).

Action

Action is part of the concept of agency. Actions may be collective or individual and take place at any point in the process and are always supported by the school community.

Action contexts and aims:

  • Participation in the learning process
  • Support-advocacy for positive changes
  • Social justice
  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Lifestyle choices