“You cannot educate the mind without educating the heart.” — Aristotle
When students feel safe, seen, and valued, they’re more capable of taking risks, reflecting deeply, and making meaning of their learning. Creating a school culture that supports well-being, connection, and emotional growth isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s foundational.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐘𝐏 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠:
🔹 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Students thrive when they feel part of a learning community. When teachers collaborate with each other and with students, it models healthy relationships and shared purpose. Learning together, negotiating meaning, and solving problems as a team builds empathy and strengthens social-emotional skills.
🔹 𝐈𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐲-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
Inquiry invites curiosity and voice. It creates space for students to ask questions that matter to them, which supports agency and emotional investment.
🔹 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
When students deeply understand what they’re learning, they feel respected as thinkers. It helps them connect learning to the real world and their own lives.
🔹 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬
Well-being includes cultural safety. Centering students’ identities and contexts affirms their sense of belonging and value.
🔹 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
The IB assessment philosophy supports wellbeing as it encourages transparency and the involvement of the student on an ongoing basis. When students understand what they’re learning, how they’re doing, and what comes next, they gain clarity, confidence, and ownership.
🔹 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
Intentional differentiation, scaffolding, and inclusion aren’t just academic supports, they are well-being strategies. They say to each student: you are capable, and we will support you to succeed.
The Approaches to Teaching isn’t just a framework for teaching, it’s a framework for care.
🟦 Students learn best when their environment says: You belong here. You matter here. You can grow here.
When learners trust that their classroom is a place of care, they begin to see their voices as worthy of being heard. That sense of psychological safety is the springboard from feeling valued to acting with purpose, it turns reflection into resolve and belonging into brave contribution.
The updated PYP subject overviews don’t just ask “What do students do?” they ask …
👉 How do they express themselves?
👉 How do they influence their world?
👉 How do they grow through action?
Across every discipline, the overviews spotlight five complementary types of action; participation, advocacy, social justice, entrepreneurship and lifestyle choices, and remind us that inclusion, voice and purpose look different in each subject.
Arts: Agency is more than self-expression; it’s “taking a stand, sharing a story, or sparking change.” Whether through community murals or reflective installations, learners explore perspective and impact.
Science: Curiosity gains a purpose when citizen-scientists turn data into sustainability campaigns, showing that knowledge can, and should, drive ethical action.
Mathematics: Fairness, modelling and real-world reasoning reveal that numeracy is a language for justice as much as for accuracy.
Language & Social Studies: Dialogue and critique equip students to advocate, connect and re-imagine better futures, while multilingual classrooms ensure every voice is heard.
The 2025 overviews therefore act less like prescriptions and more like invitations:
They invite us to design experiences where students move from question-askers to change-makers, where assessment is transparent, and where action is not an “add-on” at the end of a unit but an ongoing element throughout daily learning.
Looking to go deeper with this in your school? I offer coaching and workshops for teams and curriculum leaders. [Learn more here.]
The Organized Chaos In The PYP Classroom 
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