Research Skills in the PYP

Research skills are crucial for students as they can be applied in everyday life, interests, and hobbies, helping them become critical thinkers and lifelong learners.

This is the first post in a series focusing on research skills in the PYP. This post is about why research is important and how, in the PYP, we lay down the foundations of research by developing natural curiosity and wonderings about the world around us and gradually scaffold the many facets of research through inquiry-based learning.

The development of research skills can be supported through language instruction and visible thinking routines, and can be improved as learners advance in age and understanding. Teaching research skills to primary students is essential as it equips them to solve problems, think critically, and become independent researchers.

Teaching research skills in the Primary Years Programme (PYP) has several benefits. Here are five of them:

1. Developing critical thinking skills: Research skills help students learn how to analyse information, evaluate sources, and draw conclusions based on evidence.

2. Fostering inquiry-based learning: The PYP is an inquiry-based learning programme, and research skills are an essential part of this approach. By teaching research skills, teachers can help students develop a deeper understanding of the world around them.

3. Promoting transdisciplinary learning: Research skills are a key component of the PYP's transdisciplinary approach to learning. By teaching research skills, teachers can help students make connections between different subject areas and develop a more holistic understanding of the world.

4. Encouraging lifelong learning: Research skills are essential for lifelong learning. By teaching research skills in the PYP, teachers can help students develop the skills they need to continue learning throughout their lives. Learning should never stop and the natural curiosity and love of learning is present from an early age. The hardest part is keeping it going.

5. Preparing students for the future: In today's information-driven world, research skills are more important than ever. By teaching research skills in the PYP, teachers can help students develop the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. On the one hand, research is getting easier. Just type in a question to a chatbot or AI powered platform and the answer appear in seconds. How else can this knowledge base be utilised in the workplace of the future. In my mind constantly is the question, how can we teach the research skills required for the future?