Primary Years Programme Making the PYP happen - ITARI

Making the PYP happen
How are science and technology practices changing
Decreased emphasis on:
instruction based on grade levels and
preparation for the next year level
the teacher telling students what to
understand (the way things are)
teacher demonstration and strict
adherence to teacher defined
activities and direction of process
the teacher as the sole authority for
the correct answer or for
disseminating information
an emphasis on finding pre-set
answers
written recording of data only,
collecting and recording data as the
sole purpose of an activity
instruction on the interpretation of
the results of demonstrations
simply learning facts and skills
confining science and/or technology
to a set topic
confining science and/or technology
to set times
the use of science and/or technology
textbooks
Increased emphasis on:
discovering students’ prior or existing
beliefs, questions and concerns
student problem solving and experimenting
as a means of developing a concept
hands-on activities to ensure that students
experience and learn science and
technology process skills
challenging students to answer open-ended
questions with investigations so that they
can abandon/modify their misconceptions
by observations, measurements or
experimentation
accepting uncertainty and ambiguity
discussion, dialogue and elaboration on
data gathered, with students proposing
explanations and conclusions
making predictions, suggesting hypotheses
challenging students to find applications
for, and take action on, what they have
learned
flexibility, so that students have the
freedom to follow their interests
providing students with the opportunities
to explore a science interest when it arises
a wide variety of materials and
manipulatives
Figure 28 PYP practices: science and technology
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