Never Too Young to be Independent

Written by Poonam Patnaik – ACS Egham Grade 4 Teacher.

As the impact of COVID-19 continues, the importance of developing children to be independent thinkers who genuinely want to learn is crystal clear. This is something that is important at any time, of course. The pandemic has, however, brought this into a sharper perspective.

True independent study is something that many young people don’t experience until they get to the university level. But, why is this? The careers of today, and undoubtedly of the future, rarely involve 100% instruction in what you need to do – instead, you are required to take initiative and be a self-starter. 

This independence should start in the classroom but can be continued at home through parental encouragement. Our early years teachers aim to put students in the driving seat of their learning right from day one. The PYP develops well-rounded, resilient and independent young people.

But what do we mean by agency? Agency is the ability for young learners to have more direction over their learning; they are encouraged to reflect on what they have learnt and the actions they have taken to develop a better understanding of why, how and what they learn.