Strategies to Support Reflection & Assessment in the IB PYP

approaches to learning skills assessment concept based inquiry concept based learning ib pyp

You know that way when your students' reflections are just regurgitated and not really giving us insight as to their conceptual understanding? When it comes to reflection and assessment in the IB PYP, fostering student voice and agency is at the forefront of creating engaged and lifelong learners. At the heart of this endeavour we want our students to truly understand what it means to BE reflective. Not only an attribute of the Learner Profile but being reflective is also a key Thinking Skill. The importance of this skill comes into play when we are assessing the concepts around which we plan and implement our inquiries. Concepts serve as the backbone of the IB PYP curriculum. Concepts not only deepen understanding but also empower students to take ownership of their learning experiences.

Easy Strategies to Develop Reflective Thinkers

I'm excited to introduce a powerful approach to enhance reflection and inclusive assessment in the IB PYP through the lens of conceptual awareness. Before I get to that part though, I'm going to suggest that you watch the video above with easy to implement strategies for developing reflective thinkers. (You can read more about developing conceptual thinkers and inquirers here. )

Conceptual Awareness: Empowering Student Voices

Concepts are the threads that connect all the transdisciplinary themes and disciplines within the IB PYP framework. They provide a unique platform for students to engage in meaningful conversations, provide constructive feedback, and transfer their understanding across various facets of their education. By nurturing conceptual awareness, we can help students develop critical thinking skills, interdisciplinary connections and a deep sense of agency in their learning. Concepts serve as the common language that allows students to articulate their thoughts, engage in rich discussions, and build bridges between different areas of knowledge. Introducing Concept-Based Reflection and Assessment Task Cards

An entire bundle of IB PYP concept reflection and assessment cards for the POI.

Reflect and Assess the IB PYP Concepts Agentically.

To support this, I am thrilled to introduce Concept-Based Reflection and Assessment Task Cards. These task cards are meticulously designed to align with the IB PYP transdisciplinary themes, offering a structured and adaptable framework for students in the upper grades.

I LOVE how these cards are designed around the related concepts within our themes and are open-ended enough to offer scope for multiple perspectives, target many of our ATL skills and can even be used to provoke questions, leading to students going further with their investigations.

Assess & reflect upon the related concepts within the IB PYP themes.

Key Features: 1. Conceptual Guidance: Each task card is centered around a specific concept, helping students grasp the essence of the topic and encouraging them to explore its various dimensions.

2. Self and Peer Assessment: These task cards empower students to take agency in their assessment process. By using the related concepts as a guide, they can self-assess and provide valuable feedback to their peers, fostering a culture of collaboration and reflection. Working collaboratively, the task cards act as prompts to guide the conversations through the concepts within your unit of inquiry and provide fodder for powerful discussions.

3. Transdisciplinary Themes Integration: The task cards seamlessly integrate with the IB PYP transdisciplinary themes, ensuring that students connect their learning across different subject areas through the related concepts within the theme of your inquiry.

4. Student-Centered Approach: The cards are designed to encourage students to express their thoughts, share their perspectives, and reflect on their learning experiences. By utilising these Concept-Based Reflection and Assessment Task Cards, you enable your students to engage with concepts more deeply, thereby enhancing their ability to transfer their understanding across their learning journey. Empowering Student Voices through Reflection and Assessment As teacher-facilitators, it is our responsibility to create environments that encourage students to embrace their roles as active learners. With the incorporation of conceptual awareness and the use of Concept-Based Reflection and Assessment Task Cards, we can instill a sense of ownership and agency in our students.

Please do explore these task cards and incorporate them into your teaching practices. By doing so, you will not only enhance reflection and inclusive assessment but also foster a community of learners who are confident, reflective, and capable of transferring their understanding across diverse contexts.

I would love to be a fly on the wall as those conversations between your students take place, using the cards as prompts to guide those discussions.

I have a TON of practical assessment and reflection tools that are supporting a practice of inclusive assessment and reflection. I've listed the most popular below, for you.

Additional Reflection & Assessment Tools:

Lower Grades:

Upper Grades

If you have any questions or would like further guidance on using these task cards effectively, please do not hesitate to reach out. I am here to support you in your journey toward nurturing student voices and fostering meaningful learning experiences.

More information for Developing Inclusive Assessment:

I have several articles that share strategies for assessment in the IB PYP. You can link to a few of those below.

Professional Development

And if you are looking to share more ideas for agency in assessment, take a look at my ready-to-go, professional development video workshop Essentials for Inquiry: Agency in Assessment, right here.

Thank you for your continued dedication to the IB PYP and for your commitment to empowering your students.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you're looking for more guidance with concept-based learning and student-led inquiry, you wont want to miss my online professional development course, Essentials for Inquiry - Getting Started with Student-Led Inquiry. You can find out more about it right here.