Reformation of the Math planner has started a year ago. In my previous post, “It’s Time to Make Connections…” I wrote about our planning process, and I intended to share a complete planner, including a unit web. However, the enhancements in the PYP altered our thoughts by presenting an explicit focus on agency, voice, choice, and ownership, which will lead learners to take responsibility for their own learning.

Knowing that the International Baccalaureate provided schools with a suggested PYP planner template customized for subject specialist teachers, yet planning remained challenging.

At HHHS, our scholastic year started by putting a huge emphasis on planning. All teachers were involved in the reflection phase by comparing and contrasting the old planner vs. the new template. “Connect – Extend – Challenge” was a good strategy to make our thinking visible. The following is an example from teachers’ work.

As for Mathematics, there were additional elements to take into consideration. In addition to believing that Math is the “marriage of processes and knowledge” that is indispensable addressing students’ agency, initiated inquiries, and action remain thought-provoking.

As a trial, the planner has been redesigned to include student agency through inquiry, action, and reflection. Following is the template:

Some notes regarding this template:

• A unit web inspired from Concept-based Mathematics presents the North-star of the planner. In addition to the main elements, such as strands, conceptual understandings, ATLs, and profile attributes, a section is specified to add the student-initiated inquiries as an alert to keep in mind that the unit question has to be open and broad in a way to allow students to go beyond the strands already planned by teachers.
• The reflection is divided into two sections: the ongoing reflection that guides next steps in the current learning and teaching, and the end unit reflection that guides the next steps for future learning and teaching.
• Students’ agency is there. There is no specific section for it, yet it is embedded in different parts.

 

Currently, and to move to the implementation phase, a sample planner is being developed on the different types of numbers for fifth graders. This sample will be shared with the team. Here, the reflection and questions posed will serve as a catalyst to create an enhanced version of our math planning.