WWAIPAT CI: People’s perspectives and interpretation of artefacts inform the understandings held ...

1. THE LEARNER

1.1. The provocation relies on learners using ideas from the previous unit in a new way to activate prior knowledge related to the new inquiry, attempting new ways of looking at things in order to develop new understandings and perspectives.

1.2. The learners can choose to adopt one of four roles and undertake inquiry in the “shoes” of these roles. The roles, introduced in previous units are archaeologist, anthropologist, historian and curator. ) Risk-taking involves stepping out of their own ways of knowing and seeing, in order to make discoveries, form interpretations or develop hypothesis about a range of artefacts.

1.3. Learners will position themselves in new ways to develop hypothesis about unique artefacts and resources, using their new ‘role’ new perspective for analysing data, connecting their actions to the risk taker learner attribute “we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies” (IBO, 2018).

1.4. Learners and teachers will need to be “resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.” (IBO, 2018) taking on new roles and working together in new learning spaces. Learners have to “formulate and ask questions about the past, the future, places and society and use and analyse evidence from a variety of historical, geographical and societal sources” (IBO, PYP Social studies scope and sequence, 2018) while working independently and collaboratively with peers using a unique ‘role’ perspective inquire into ideas. Sharratt and Planche propose that this type of collaborative agentic inquiry enables teachers to “ “develop a clear focus for learning and inquiry through analysing evidence of student learning”. (Sharratt & Planche, 2016, p 33)

1.5. Learners will inquire into five elements that underpin historical understandings. Buchanan names these elements the “Ps” of history – people, processes, perspectives, products, proof. (Buchanan, 2013, p, 26). The scaffolded supports will help learners explore these elements, using visible thinking routines that will support learners to construct personally relevant and context significant ideas related to these “P” elements, thus extending learning from prior to potentially new knowledge. Learners will be encouraged to develop risk taking connected to being “resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change” by trying to apply these same “P” elements to other transdisciplinary areas in the inquiry to see what a difference it made using these scaffolds as a reflection or investigation tool.

1.6. Turner-Bisset states “If children can learn to interpret objects from their own society, they can make links between themselves and people in the past, who had the same human needs and problems.” (Turner-Bisset, 2005, p 31) This is mirrored in IBO beliefs Through relating content to significant and universal concepts common to all societies, times and places, the social studies component of the curriculum becomes international. (IBO, PYP Social studies scope and sequence, 2018, p, )

1.7. LEARNING Learners as lifelong learners (0402) Standard: Learning in IB schools aims to develop learners ready for further education and life beyond the classroom. The school implements and reviews processes that actively engage learners in their own learning. (0402-01-0200) (IBO, Standards and practices, 2018, p 14-15)

2. LEARNING AND TEACHING

2.1. This task requires teachers to use “...multiple sources and presenting multiple perspectives (global, social, cultural and gender)” (IBO, Social Studies Scope and Sequence, 2018, p,3) and use the learners’ prior knowledge to develop and plan “units of inquiry that lend themselves to transdisciplinary investigations across the areas of the curriculum” (IBO, Social Studies Scope and Sequence, 2018, p,3) As a result of this both homeroom and specialist teachers will work collaboratively with local historians and museum curators to innovate and create a significant, relevant, challenging and engaging transdisciplinary concept driven inquiry, (IBO, The Learner, 2018, p,43), using innovative teaching strategies, requiring teachers to model risk-taking.

2.2. A student ‘tool box’ of ideas and questioning scaffolds will help learners examine, analyse, classify and hypothesise about the various artefacts and resources thus supporting the belief that history learning and analysis requires “historical imagination” (Turner-Bisset, 2005, p,18). Learners will collaborate to analyse and hypothesise about artefacts, then use their ideas to start setting up classrooms as museums to be revisited throughout the inquiry.

2.3. The teaching and learning encourages all learning community members to be positioned learners as risk takers as their “understanding of human society, focusing on themselves and others within their own community as well as other communities that are distant in time and place” (IBO, PYP Social studies scope and sequence, 2018, p, 25) develops. Being a risk taker, as defined by the IBO, requires that learning and teaching should model strategies that aid in in being “resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges” (IBO, 2018) as well as using a transdisciplinary approach to concept driven inquiry, providing opportunities and scaffolds for learners to construct meaning.

2.4. Using a provocation requiring the analysis of artefacts from unique perspectives to form hypothesis, supports the constructivist approaches to learning, such as using the syntactic structures propertied byTurner-Bisset that are the 'processes by which new truths become established in a discipline" (Turner-Bisset, 2006, 18) pathes the way for students’ prior knowledge and understandings to guide future transdisciplinary planning, learning and teaching. If history is presented to children as definite facts about the past, recorded in history books as secondary evidence, then children will miss out on the essential nature of history. They have no understanding that history is about enquiry and the interpretation of evidence"(Turner-Bisset, 2006, 18)

2.5. Augsburg makes this point “As Klein (2008) pointed out, 'transdisciplinary competencies must be cultivated' Yet, personal experiences and culture are increasingly viewed as just as important as one’s educational background for success in doing transdisciplinary work, as are intellectual risk taking, a sense of transgressiveness, and creativity.” (Augsburg, 2014). This suggests that transdisciplinary learning alone, encourages thinkers to be risk takers.

2.6. Approaches to teaching (0403) Standard: IB programmes encourage approaches to teaching that create learning experiences that are shown to be meaningful to the school community. The school provides opportunities for learners to actively engage in interactive and exploratory earning environments and/or play in accordance with programme documentation. (0403-01-0300) (IBO, Standards and practices, 2018, p 26)

3. THE LEARNING COMMUNITY

3.1. Learners are in four grade 4 classes in an IB World school with a mix of national and international learners. This is the fourth UOI (WWAIPAT) of the year, piggybacking on ideas developed in the WWA unit about identity that involved a number of museum visits.

3.2. The classroom environments will be altered and set up as museum backrooms without the learners’ knowledge. Parents and other staff members will contribute a large range of artefacts from national and international contexts.

3.3. ENVIRONMENT Learning environments in IB World Schools support learner’s success; The school identifies and uses a variety of human, virtual and physical resources in the wider community that aid and extend learners learning. (0202-05-0100) (IBO, Standards and practices, 2018, p 14-15)

4. Risk Taker

4.1. Risk Taker “We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.” (IBO, 2018).