Reflection on Module 1

I used to think that PYP is student driven and what distinguish it from other curriculum is that it teaches through units and these units tackles the different subjects according to the topic being discussed. Now I think that PYP is much broader than this and it is something more international and it serves a more worldwide view and tackles world problems in order to create a more peaceful world. Also it focuses on building lifelong learners who share certain characteristics through the Learner Profile.

I learned many things from this workshop. It got me one step closer into having a better idea of the IB program in general. Some of the ways that I can apply what I learned from this workshop is by:

• Having constant setups that enable the students to play together since through play the students develop many things (language, concepts, communication, cooperation) specially at a young age.
• Since PYP have an international focus and encourages students to accept other cultures and traditions, students from different backgrounds can share, more frequently, their culture and language with their peers.
• Observe the interests and needs of my students and make adjustments to the planning to meet those interests.

The workshop supports agency by letting us read articles and reflect on them individually and reflect on our peer's comments and assignments.

As it was shown in the workshop; developing international mindedness in early years is very important. International mindedness focuses inquiries on global human commonalities and this is at the heart of the IB PYP program. It also creates opportunities for meaningful cultural exchange.

Concerning language, the young leaners develop it through play. Guided play allows them to develop vocabulary and express themselves which enables them to develop their language. the teacher should always observe the students to see what they like and what interest them in order to build meaningful play experiences that allows the students to be engaged and take ownership of his learning. It is also very important to expose the learners to more than one language and make connections between the different languages. This will make them more open minded and expose them to the world around them with its differences and similarities. Furthermore, family plays an important role in developing their child's language. Each family has their own traditions and some families even have different cultures. these build unique experiences to the learner which they will bring with them to school. It will emphasize the importance of language and communication and the learners will be exposed to different traditions which will highlight open mindedness. this is one of the attributes of the learner profile.

The learner profile composes the pillar of PYP. The attributes aim to foster agency for the learners. It is not an easy task to embed the learner profile into learning and teaching. it requires a lot of planning and constantly revisiting and tweaking the plan to meet the interests of the learners. The learning profile works on different aspects of the learners not only on the academic aspect. Activities done with the learners must reflect that. Discussions and reflections are highly recommended when doing activities in order to have "thinkers" "communicators" "reflective" students. Teacher should always be observant since students can demonstrate these attributes outside the classroom.

It is important to encourage early years students to engage with local and global issues. We want students to become active members in their societies and in the world. We want them to create a more peaceful world. If the students were engaged, early on, with their communities and school they will grow up to be active members who have an impact on the world.