Learning Theories in PYP

How do my beliefs and practices about teaching and learning align with the PYP?
 
For a long time I have been looking forward to joining a PYP school because from my basic understanding of PYP I connected my student-centered, choice based approach of learning and experiencing art with the PYP inquiry driven pedagogy. Through this learning theories investigation I was able to connect with a theory that aligned with my beliefs and experiences related to learning while investigating the core values of PYP.
 
Connect:
            I quickly connected to the paradigm of Cognitivism which is predomitally concerned with cognition or the act or process of knowing.  This is closely related to the Teaching for Artistic Behaviors pedagogy I follow.  In my classroom the most significant learning is acquisition based learning that it is going on all the time. We are continuiously trying to better ourselves as artists. Instead of teaching towards a product or a specific skill, students gain knowledge implicitly by following their natural curiosity. Although there is generally a specific task that they create for their end goal, the learning that happens in the process is often unconscious. In addition, it is stated that instruction should be clearly structured and well-organized. In this example I use the classroom as the learning tool. It is vital to TAB and myself to keep a room that is well organized so that the students can access the tools they need quickly and easily.
 
Extend:
            The idea of learning theories, although not foreign to me, was not very familiar to me either. It is amazing how much time we spend as educators focusing on the outcomes of the learning and the structure of the activities to promote learning, with little devotion to the act of learning itself. The idea of cognitivism made me realize how TAB or Choice Based art education are more ways of directing learning. I constantly say that I am not teaching students how to make art rather I am teaching them how to be artists which immediately came to mind when I read the Manifestations in Adult Learning cognitivism sections which states “Learning how to learn.”
 
Challenge:
            Perusing through the range of learning theories was fascinating and overwhelming. The phycology and philosophy of learning theories can be heavy at times and I’ll be interested to continue investigating these in the future. My questions now revolve around how exactly these learning theories connect with PYP.

• How does PYP recommend balancing constructivism with the other learning theories?
• Are any learning theories better than others?
• How do the social dynamics of the art classroom effect learning?
• How does constructivism compare with cognitivism?

 
 Conclusion:
I now realize what I most deeply connected with was the pedagogical approach of inquiry. Inquiry is at the heart of my teaching philosophy because I believe that when a student creates knowledge through learning independently or with others, rather than by being taught directly, the learning is sustained long term. I enjoyed connecting with the values of PYP, specifically I feel engaged in these learning principles from MPYPH:

• adults are sensitive facilitators of the process of empowering students to value their learning and to take responsibility for it  
• students are seen as competent and are listened to
• students are encouraged to be curious, be inquisitive, ask questions, explore and interact with the environment physically, socially and intellectually
• explicit learning outcomes and the learning process are made transparent to the students
• students are supported in their struggle for mastery and control on their journey to become independent, autonomous learners
• the learning experiences are differentiated to accommodate the range of abilities and learning styles in the group
• the collaboration on the part of all the PYP teachers is high, and there is a commitment to the transdisciplinary model at the core of this programme of international education.

In addition I feel strongly about this set of inquiry examples from A Basis for Practice all of which happens daily in my art classroom:

• exploring, wondering and questioning
• experimenting and playing with possibilities
• making connections between previous learning and current learning
• making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens
• collecting data and reporting findings
• clarifying existing ideas and reappraising perceptions of events
• deepening understanding through the application of a concept
• making and testing theories
• researching and seeking information
• taking and defending a position
• solving problems in a variety of ways

To wrap up I wanted to save this quote which beautifully states our connection with and need for inquiry (from A Basis for Practice):

​“Inquiry involves an active engagement with the environment in an effort to make sense of the world, and consequent reflection on the connections between the experiences encountered and the information gathered.”