Action

Action: how do we want students to act? // Why include action as an essential element? //

In the PYP, it is believed that education must extend beyond the intellectual to include not only socially responsible attitudes but also thoughtful and appropriate action. An explicit expectation of the PYP is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student as a result of the learning process. This action will extend the student’s learning, or it may have a wider social impact, and will clearly look different within each age range. PYP schools can and should meet the challenge of offering all learners the opportunity and the power to choose to act; to decide on their actions; and to reflect on these actions in order to make a difference in and to the world (see figure 10).

The problems inherent in advocating action are recognized, particularly the role of the teacher in creating opportunities that will lend themselves to the possibilities of student-initiated action. Action should be seen as a voluntary demonstration of a student’s empowerment in the context of the expectations laid down in the programme. Voluntary action must remain precisely this if we truly believe in the values we advocate. Furthermore, we must remember that today’s complex issues do not often suggest simple or self-evident solutions, and that inaction is also a legitimate choice; indeed, sometimes, inaction may be the best choice. In the PYP, it is believed that every student, every year, has the right and should have the opportunity to be involved in such action. This action may be taken by an individual student or by a group of students working collaboratively. In order to make the action component of the curriculum as powerful as possible in terms of student learning, the PYP advocates a cycle of involvement that provides students with opportunities to engage in purposeful and beneficial action.

pp. 25-26