4.5. DECISION MAKING

IMPLEMENTING THE PYP IN A SCHOOL

Case:

Your school is considering the option to become an IB school and you have ecided to start with your Early Years and Primary section. You are considering the implications of authorisation. The Guide to school authorization: Primary Years Programme explain the process. There are lots of implications and decisions to be made. We are going to consider implementing the programme in three years.

STEP 1 - PRIORITISE

What decisions will be taken the first, second and third year? Why?

YEAR 1	YEAR 2	YEAR 3
-          Choose a PYP coordinator and training him/her -          Choose the language of instructions -          Starting with professional development: bringing someone to the school. Teachers reading the PYP guides. -          Mission and vision of the school: IB Philosophy -          Working with PYP coordinators to communicate with parents	-          Workshops for homeroom teachers: then they can train others – inquiry, transdisciplinary programme -          Resources, fundraising and budget -          Planners and curriculum -          Students are informed about the programme, specially about the learner profile -          Language policy -          Leadership team	-          Assessment policy and special needs policy -          Workshops and online resources -          Infrastructures such as library and other facilities -          Schedule: teachers optimize time and collaborative planning -          Organizing the exhibition

Reflection:

We prioritised the coordinator's choice because his/her training determines the way this process is going to be developed. The PYP implementation cannot be successful without a coordinator.

The first trainings and workshops are about the IB philosophy and restablishing the mission and vision of the school, because without this general information, the rest of the process does not make sense.

Parents need to be aware because they will decide if they want their children to participate in the project of being an IB World learner or not.

Then, the second year we considered that workshops for homeroom teachers would be before the training of the rest, as they could go and then train their colleagues. The language policy is also essential and the leadership team must be established collaboratively. The first planners and curriculum issues have to be developed at this stage.

Regarding the last year, we would develop the other two key policies, which are the assessment and special need ones. We would send other teachers to workshops and think about the infrastructures and facilities that need to change or be rethought.

STEP 2 - THINK ABOUT IMPLICATIONS
What implications might each of the decisions have? Use the thinking hats to evaluate one of the decisions.

Decision: Parents are informed about the implementation of the PYP.

      

           White hat, facts:

o   Why the changes are being made?

o   What the changes are?

o   The benefits of the changes for the children

       Red hat, feelings:

o   Negative: worried, uncertain

o   Positive: curious, excited

       Yellow hat: benefits:

o   They need to feel included and aware of the changes, they know what to expect

o   You avoid conflict, future problems

      Black hat, cautions:

o   Being clear, making sure that it is being communicated well

o   Honesty: what we expect from them

o   Clear about difficulties

o   Space for parents to express their concerns and feelings

      Green hat, creativity:

o   Games, workshops

o   Create a pamphlet/informational paper before, so that they can reflect about it and make useful questions    

o   Inviting them to get involved and propose and share ideas

     Blue hat, process:

o   First: develop the pamphlet with the PYP Coordinator according to the school

o   Benefits of the PYP for their kids

o   Small groups: games, thinking routines: showing them what the IB is, mission, vision, philosophy.

o   Questions and concerns: implications, suggestions…

Reflection:

I think this strategy was really useful to think about all these aspects of decision making, because they are part of our thoughts but sometimes we don’t know how to organise them. They are not the tip of the iceberg and we must understand how to take everything into account. It helps us know the limitations, problems and benefits of doing something or making a decision, as well as how to organise the process and the results, being aware of the most challenging ideas that can be used in each of the steps. Moreover, doing it in groups is beneficial because it provides different perspectives of the same aspects in order to reflect about the same idea.

STEP 3 - TAKING ACTION 
Action plan for year two of the implementation of the PYP

OBJECTIVES	TASKS	SUCCESS CRITERIA	TIME FRAME	RESOURCES
Resources, fundraising and budget	Fees, holding events designed to raise money, contacting donors, appointing someone who is in charge of this task	Raising enough money for the PYP implementation	Before the workshops of second year	Events: pamphlets, invitations, advertisements…
Send homeroom teachers to workshops so that they can train other teachers afterwards	Contact the IB and organise the budget	Teachers go to the workshops and are able to communicate what they have learnt and use it	By the year	Money, meetings for the teachers to relate back what they’ve learnt
Students are informed about the programme, specially about the learner profile	Time for teachers to collaborate and do this in the classroom, aside from the content	Students are aware of the change and the impact of the PYP	After the workshops	Knowledge of what they’ve learnt in the workshops about the IB
Leadership team	Restructure the leadership team by introducing pedagogical leadership to the staff.	Putting into practices pedagogical leadership by knowing that the primary task should be the learning.	During the year, starting at the beginning with the principal and coordinator proposing changes and suggestions	The guides (Pedagogical leadership in the PYP) Videos, conferences…
Language policy	Establish curricular languages and second language learning, finding ways to give each children opportunities to develop mother tongue and other languages, find teachers and resources for languages	All students have the opportunity to develop their mother tongue in school as well as other languages	Starting in September and trying to finish it in the first term so that it can be put into practice	Teachers, information about students, analysis of the linguistic and cultural context

Reflection:

In my opinion, it was a very effective tool to learn how to plan the implementation of the PYP in a school, which may be something we will experience ourselves one day if we have the opportunity to work in IB schools. It helps organize the main aspects that should be covered in order to have a structure and better follow the steps. When we make important decisions such as this one, not using a written plan can have many negative implications, like forgetting some of the key aspects or not giving appropriate solutions to the most important issues.

Action plans can be used not only for this type of decisions but also in daily life, for example organising trips, weekly work, a project from the Masters, private classes etc.