Prior learning

As teachers consider their learners, it can be beneficial to think about how to best capture students' prior knowledge, existing theories, experiences, skills and interests. This may involve engaging with students prior to launching the unit of inquiry and while still planning future learning engagements.

At this point in the planning process, foundational building blocks of the unit have been determined, such as the related concepts, central idea and lines of inquiry. Using this information, consider posing mini-questions, discussions, or looking at related images to better understand students’ current stance with their future learning. The following questions support gathering information about students’ thinking to inform the planning of the unit of inquiry:

• What do we already think/feel/know about this idea?

  • This question allows for students to express the level of their conceptual understanding and knowledge

• Why might this be worth learning about?

  • This question plants seeds to promotes agency and potential action

• What do we need to do to get better as learners?

  • This question implies that students will grow in their skills and Approaches to learning throughout the inquiry

Posing these questions in the weeks prior to the unit will support the purposeful planning and trajectory of the learning. https://courses.minipd.com/courses/PYP-unit-planning-foundation

Educators may also consider student language profiles and how they may support opportunities for translanguaging within the context of the unit of inquiry.