IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)-Agency, Self-Efficacy, and Action

By Alexander Mann

English Language Arts / Unit of Inquiry Teacher

As an IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) English teacher in Grade One, my primary responsibility is to foster Agency, Self-Efficacy, and Action (ASEA) among the students. I aim to equip my students with the skills and mindset necessary to become active and lifelong learners by promoting these three key elements.

Agency refers to the ability of individuals to make conscious choices and take responsible actions. As an IB PYP English language arts and unit of inquiry teacher, I empower my students by allowing them to express their thoughts and ideas, actively participate in classroom discussions, and make choices about their learning and engagement. By fostering agency, I encourage my students to actively participate in their learning journey and take ownership of their education.

Self-efficacy is the belief in one's abilities to succeed and overcome challenges. As an IB PYP English language arts and unit of inquiry teacher, I strive to create a supportive and empowering learning environment where my students feel valued, capable, and motivated to take risks in their learning. By building students' self-efficacy, I encourage them to believe in their abilities, set meaningful goals, and persist in the face of obstacles.

Action is the act of doing something to achieve a desired result. As an IB PYP English language arts and inquiry teacher, I encourage students to take purposeful action in their learning process. I provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world contexts, engage in practical activities, and reflect on their learning. By promoting action, I aim to develop students' problem-solving and critical thinking skills, as well as their ability to make informed decisions and take actions based on their learning.

In my Grade One classroom, I integrate ASEA elements into all aspects of the English curriculum. I encourage students to actively ask questions, engage in meaningful discussions, and take ownership of their learning by expressing their thoughts and ideas in English. I encourage them to take risks, challenge themselves, and celebrate their achievements. By fostering Agency, Self-Efficacy, and Action, I create an environment that nurtures students' strengths, stimulates their curiosity, and prepares them for future academic success.

One example is that my students worked diligently on writing different topics for their nonfiction chapter books during the first semester of a new school year. My goal was to encourage them to read as many nonfiction books as possible so they could come up with ideas for their nonfiction chapter books. Additionally, I made sure to add the elements of the unit of inquiry to their writing and reading. It is my observation that my students felt restless in writing and illustrating many pages of their nonfiction chapter books due to the amount of work they had to do. Despite their desire to give up, they endured and overcame this new and challenging obstacle they faced, not only through their self-efficacy, perseverance, resilience, and willpower. 

There are two students that I have to mention who both wrote seventeen nonfiction chapter books each. It is worth noting that they had spent many recesses writing nonfiction chapter books as much as they could and they had used their own time to work on them. The situation came to a point where I had to encourage them to stop and take breaks eventually, as they wrote so many words, pages, and nonfiction chapter books. According to my original plan, my students would write a maximum of ten nonfiction chapter books, however, these two students just persisted.

In conclusion, as an IB PYP English language arts and unit of inquiry teacher in Grade One, I am committed to fostering Agency, Self-Efficacy, and Action among my students. By promoting these three key elements, I empower my students to become active learners, believe in their abilities, and take purposeful action in their learning journey.