My headline summary for this section:
PYP discovery: learning-time continuum exists
in various types; student and teacher agency
supported
Flexible time frame means...
What aspects of PYP does a flexible time
frame supports?
Uninterrupted opportunities for concept-
focussed, inquiry process/ playful inquiry in
the early years
Inclusion of all learners, their interests,
cultural diversity and variability in learning
Implementing a curriculum that suits the
school community context
FLEXIBLE TIMEFRAME in the PYP
STANDARDS and
PRACTICES
Leadership and governance
Coherent Curriculum
Students as lifelong learners
Approaches to Teaching
Units can be continually developed throughout the year
Units may be revisited once, or several times during the year
Units may have a discrete beginning and ending
An additional unit may be introduced alongside an ongoing unit
**Supporting
Principles and
Pedagogy **
The school implements a schedule that allows
for the requirements of the programme(s) to be
met. (0201-03-0100)
PYP: The school implements a schedule that
provides for the development of the required
number of transdisciplinary units of inquiry.
(0201-03-0111)
The school plans and implements a coherent
curriculum that organizes learning and teaching
within and across the years of its IB programme(s).
(0401-01)
Students identify and foster healthy relationships, an
understanding of shared responsibility, and the
ability to collaborate effectively. (0402-03)
Teachers promote effective relationships and
purposeful collaboration to create a positive and
dynamic learning community. (0403-04)
PYP Learning and Teaching (pp 61-62)
Length of an inquiry
Teaching teams have the discretion to decide an
appropriate starting point and time frame for the length of
each unit of inquiry in order to ensure they are age-
appropriate and fit for purpose. An inquiry into a central
idea considers the breadth and depth of the learning;
therefore, a minimum duration of 3–4 weeks is
recommended for each unit of inquiry.
PYP ENHANCEMENTS
The Learning Community (p 28)
PYP schools commit to and support
collaboration to improve the
PYP The Learner (p 11)
transdisciplinary learning experiences and
student outcomes.
What does learning look like in the PYP early
years? Teachers collaborate within and beyond
year-level teams, the school and the
Move away from: Predetermined time learning community about learning that
structures and routines takes place both inside and outside of the
Move towards: Flexible timeframes and programme of inquiry.
routines that are responsive
to the needs of the students Students demonstrate agency, and their
capacity to take action for their own
learning, by collaborating with teachers and
peers.
Collaborative teaching practices between
year-level and subject-specialist teachers
come in different forms, and include co-
constructed, supported and stand-alone
learning experiences.