Transdisciplinary Theme Central Idea Lines of Inquiry Conceptual Theory

Who we are Everyone is unique and An inquiry into: Differences are

An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and special in his/her own way.  Who I am (self- normal and they are
values; personal, physical, mental, social and awareness) what make each of
spiritual health; human relationships including  What makes one us special.
families, friends, communities, and cultures; unique and special
rights and responsibilities; what it means to be  Differences from and
human. similarities with friends
and classmates
(physical
appearances, cultures
and preferences)
 The family, friends
and other people
around me
Learner Profile Attributes Key Concepts Identify the Summative Processes

Thinkers—as they become aware of differences Responsibility — What is Describing one’s self and others
and similarities, children should be able to my responsibility when it  Recognizing and identifying one’s own
evaluate their own characteristics and comes to addressing and characteristics, attributes or features
differences; and their perceptions regarding treating diversity and  Recognizing and identifying differences
diversity will be tested differences? and/or similarities among other people
 Identifying talents/skills
Open-minded—the children must be open to Function — How do Understanding one’s role and the roles family
diversity as the class tackles the matter of identities work? What is members and friends play
similarities and differences the purpose of having an Comparing differences and similarities of families
identity? and friends among peers
Inquirers—the children are expected to ask
questions and wonder about differences Connection — How is my
between and among people identity connected to my
environment and to the
 people around me?

Perspective — How should

I view differences in
culture, identity,
appearance, and other
categories of differences?

Related Concepts

Differences & Similarities

Connections/Relationships
Personal Identity
Social Identity
Self-awareness

Curriculum Framework Objective/s:

This curriculum framework aims to help the child experience and achieve a sense of belongingness and identity despite
differences from other people in order to realize his/her role and value in the world. It seeks to promote the well-being of the child
by developing his/her confidence and imparting positive attitudes/concepts towards self (such as self-love and acceptance); and
towards others (such as respect and inclusivity).

Problem-solving Numeracy
On a particular date, and place/space, children will be Draw a self-portrait and a family portrait.
permitted to initiate their own socio-dramatic plays. Various Children will be tasked to describe the characters on the
props, toys, and things will be prepared and provided for them portraits using numbers.
to use however they want subject to very little supervision from Some examples:
their educator. They may encounter problems as they play their My mother is wearing two red bracelets.
roles and they are encouraged to assess the particular situation This is my brother. He has two small eyes and his eyes are
and find ways to resolve the problem, individually or together blue.
with their peers. Look at my sister. She has many moles on her arms. I can see
seven.

Some serious topics such as disabilities and the children’s

perceptions about it can also be excellent topics for discussion
which are still pertinent to the central idea/concept of the
curriculum.
Communication Identity
Draw a self-portrait and a family portrait. This is related to the “Communication” aspect where the
These portraits will be the starting point of the discussion. children are tasked to create portraits of themselves and their
Students are to explore, observe and discuss among family. Thus, this involves the participation of the family.
themselves the similarities and differences which can be seen Family members, not necessarily all of them, will be invited to
on the portraits. join a session where the posted portraits will be examined and
 They can talk about distinguishing/unique features. For everyone can discuss and compare compared the character/s
example, a child could have included in his drawing a on the portrait to the actual person being presented.
culturally significant item on the clothing of a family Differences and similarities are again highlighted. In addition to
member. this, some matters regarding culture and identity will also be
 They can point out differences regarding skin colour, tackled since the details on the portraits can be very diverse.
facial characteristics, and many more. Families are also encouraged to bring some props or things
 Some of the children may also draw family members in which are of significance to their respective culture/s.
accordance to the work that each member does. Roles of family members will also be a subject for discussion.
 Children can express creativity; and their works can be
collated and posted/displayed on a designated
wall/space

Specific Learning Engagements – Teacher Created Learning Experiences/Provocations

Role-Play Area (preferably a wide area outside the classroom) Provocation
Various things, toys and props are to be provided. Questions which will initiate group work, negotiation or
 The children can create various scenarios that they want such discussion may be asked by the educator during socio-
as a school, a bakery, an ice cream shop or a small dramatic play.
community. Culturally-inclusive props should also be included. Through questions, the educator may open up some areas for
The materials to be provided should be those that can be used problem solving which are to be resolved by the children.
for different purposes so that the children can decide the This strategy will provoke the children’s critical thinking, ability
manner in which they are going to utilize the provided to assess a situation, and eventually come up with a solution,
materials/tools. They are encouraged to be creative, on one’s own or with the help of his/her peers.
resourceful and imaginative.
The roles that they play can reflect their dreams, strengths and
weaknesses.

Books Corner
This corner is designated for children to choose the books that
they prefer. Books with varying topics will be provided so
children can choose from a wide range of topics. Differences
on their book preferences will be highlighted and their
respective choices could be a reflection of their identity,
experience, character or beliefs.

The chosen theme/central idea—

The unit of inquiry chosen for this plan is ‘Who We Are’ which is an inquiry to the nature of the self. The central idea is: ‘Everyone is
unique and special in his/her own way’. The plan has a focus on the individuality and uniqueness of every child and its impact on
his/her well-being, as well as the social and mental being. This curriculum framework is designed for children aged 3 to 5 years old.
At this early stage of learning and development, it is important that they begin to learn about the concept of identity. By looking at
themselves and others, and by reflecting based on their observations and experiences, the children are able to better understand
the uniqueness of each person and the importance of acknowledging and respecting various differences.

Early childhood is a crucial stage for the mental functions and development of the child in various areas including, but not limited to,
language, mathematics, sciences, social, and motor skills (Raburu 2015). Children’s earliest years is the period where they build
the foundations for their personal and cultural identities, mental health, physical health, emotional security and for developing
various skills and competencies. This is why introducing an abstract concept such as self and self-identity during the early years
(such as between 3 to 5 years of age) of life of a child can be advantageous to his/her development.

As stated by Mascall (1986) in her study, one of the factors that influence the product or outcome of the evolution of a child is his or
her concept of ‘self’. Understanding one’s self is vital to his or her general psychological wellbeing (Li et al. 2021). It permits the
person to take control of his/her life and to manage and overcome various challenges and experiences as the child grows. A child
who has a positive sense of self is more likely to be confident and flexible. On the other hand, if a child has a negative perception of
self, then it is likely that he/she will have problems overcoming life problems and difficulties. Allowing children to have a deeper
understanding of themselves, their uniqueness and respective individuality can contribute to their well-being. Knowing one’s self is
key to loving one’s self and realizing one’s true abilities and potential as well. Aside from this, the child also learns to acknowledge
and respect differences between and among people.

The learning environment and the play-learning activities—

Contrary to the common notion that teachers are the ones who play the primary role in childred’s education, based on the PYP
framework, the children themselves are “agents of their own learning” (International Baccalaureate Organization 2019). The
framework highlights the importance of encouraging and allowing the children to be independent and to take initiative in their
learning. It promotes the active participation of the students in the learning process and it highlights the significance of play as
means for learning. Various studies support the claim that play is an effective tool for learning (Parker, Thomsen & Berry 2022;
Alharbi & Alzahrani 2020; Tongson 2014). This is in consonance with Vygotsky’s (1978) social learning theory which gives
significance to the concept of learning through social interaction and socio-cultural activity. Indeed, children learn better when they
learn naturally through various play interactions and experiences.

The best way for a child to learn and understand his/her own identity is by comparing himself/herself to other children or to his/her
peers (Raburu 2015). It is more fun and effective for children to learn about the world when they are with their friends.
Sociodramatic play is an effective tool to see how the children choose the roles that they like to assume and the various
transformations that they can do. It focuses on social interaction among children (Korat, Bahar & Snapir 2002) and it promotes the
ability of the children to imagine situations and think of various ways in which they can transform things and situations (Fahey
2012). Also, it encourages discovery, play and exploration.The children are given the independence to negotiate with their peers
and to set their own rules. This type of play is fun and enjoyable but at the same time rule-governed (Fahey 2012). As such, the
children are free to create their own sociodramatic play scenarios and contexts instead of being merely instructed by the educator.
Moreover, sociodramatic play encourages socialization, cognitive and literacy development and problem solving skills.

By encouraging children to create their own scenarios, they are able to realize their preferences or make their choices. For
instance, the children may recreate a small community. In the community, a child may want to play the role of a town chief, in which
case, he will be able to show his leadership skills and his ability to solve some problems in the community; a child may want to be
the owner of a bake shop; or, a child may want to play the role of a doctor who cures babies and chidlren. In sociodramatic play,
the role of the educator is merely to guide the students and to further extend their curiosity and thinking by asking open-ended
questions, initiating discussions and possible problems, and other methods (Cooper & Dever 2001). In the scenarios mentioned,
the teacher may act as a member of the community who saw a robber enter his home and took his television and so he wants to
seek the help of the town chief. Or, the teacher may act as a customer and go to the bakery and ask the student (acting as the
baker) to customize a cake for him. Or, the teacher can act as a mother who wants to have her baby treated b y the student (acting
as a doctor). Examples of open-ended questions that the educator may ask in these scenarios are: “Why do you think the robber
stole my TV?”, “Why did you choose this particular cake design for me?”, and “Doctor, how do I know if my baby is sick or hungry?”.
The main duty of the educator is to create the appropriate scaffolding to further the learning and development. By allowing the
children to express their creativity and imagination through role playing and drawing activities, aside from learning the central theme
and idea of the plan, the children are able to realize as well their artistic abilities, capacities and competencies, and they develop
the ability to create healthy relationships and connections with other people.

The play should be done outdoors and as close to nature as possible. Studies have found that outdoor environment promotes
healthy development and effective and quality learning (Sandseter, Storli & Sando 2020; Bento & Dias 2017; Cooper 2015). I want
to emphasize the need to set up a wide and open place where children can freely move. It must be spacious enough for the
children to run around and explore, but at the same time, it should still be possible for the educator to supervise the children, and
assist them when necessary. In addition to this, to make the play activity more fun, exciting and unpredictable, and to stimulate the
children’s creativity and imagination, it is important that the materials and tools to be provided for the children are those that can
serve multiple purposes and which do not have specific and limited purpose/s or use/s.

Transdisciplinary learning is incorporated as well in this framework. While the children learn about the concepts of self-identity and
self-awareness, they learn numeracy, literacy and communication as well. On the matter of numeracy, the children are able to
practice using numbers as they participate in classroom activities such as the one where they will describe differences and
similarities of the characters on the portrait on the characteristics that involve numbers such as two long legs, three small moles or
two round eyes. Here, they learn numbers as they develop their communication skills insomuch as they will be tasked to talk and
discuss with the whole class, toghteher with their respective family members.
Assessment—

In evaluating the learnings of the children in the unit of inquiry, both formative and summative assessments will be utilized.
Formative assessements will be done through observing the actions, attitudes, behaviors and statements of the children as they
are engaged in play activities and/or group activities. This will enable the educator to see how the children understand the concepts
that they learned and how they are to apply such concepts in actual situations. Communicating with the parents is another way of
assessing. The educator shall discuss with the parents regarding some observations that the parents may have on their children’s
behavior at home thay may have relevance on the unit of inquiry. Similarly, this is a way for the educator to know how the children
are utilizing the lessons that they have learned when they are not in the classroom and when they are not supervised or monitored
by the educator. On the other hand, summative assessments will be done in the form of end-of-unit tests. Simply put, there will be
more formative assessments than summative.

Reflection—

Creating a curriculum framework is challenging and complicated as it needs careful consideration of all the pertinent factors such
as the materials, tools, environment, time, age and character of the children, their various learning styles and the respective levels
of development. The diverse characteristics of the students must all be considered, including their abilities and home background
(Ntumi 2016). All these factors need to be studied first so that the plan will be suitable and appropriate for the children to yield
positive outcomes. It is challenging because every child is different, and it is difficult to come up with a strategy that will be
compatible to all children in the class. Some students might not want to participate in the planned activity which is why the educator
as well as the plan must be flexible. In addition to this, resources for the tools and materials and the availability of a learning space
may require funding. The play activity is supposed to be done in a wide and open space. Looking for such place can be a problem
since kindergartens usually only have playgrounds with very limited open spaces. Another challenge is finding balance between the
structured and the unstructured activities. Otherwise, there is the possibility that the desired learning outcomes might not be met. I
have learned that curriculum planning is not easy and simple as it takes a lot of planning, studying and revision in order to develop
a good and effective curriculum.

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