🧩 Coordinating with specialists in the PYP
Sometimes, as IB educators, we find ourselves in the challenging situation of trying to coordinate our Units of Inquiry with specialist teachers such as PE, Music, or Art.
My understanding of the IB curriculum, particularly in the PYP, is that specialists do not always need to be integrated into every transdisciplinary unit. They also need space for their own stand-alone units.
However, I do believe that out of the six units we teach during the year, it is reasonable for specialists to collaborate in at least a couple of them.
🤔 When collaboration becomes difficult, I often think the problem comes from a misunderstanding of what transdisciplinary units actually are.
They are not thematic units.
They are conceptual units.
📚 For example, a few years ago I taught a unit under How We Organize Ourselves where students explored ideas such as:
• Types of governance
• Principles of human rights and social justice
• The effects of institutional behaviors and attitudes on social justice
Conceptually, the unit revolved around the idea of leadership.
Now imagine discussing this unit with a specialist teacher. A common response might be:
❓“How am I supposed to talk about governments in PE?”
❓ “What does this have to do with music?”
That response comes from a thematic interpretation of the unit, but the real opportunity lies in conceptual transdisciplinarity.
For example:
🏀 Exploring leadership in sports teams in PE
🎵 Exploring leadership in musical ensembles or bands in Music
🎨 Exploring leadership and influence in artistic movements in Art
The concept becomes the bridge.
Of course, this can also connect with ATL skills or elements of the Learner Profile, but that’s another conversation.
🌱 When it works well, it creates something powerful: Students start to see how concepts travel across disciplines, instead of living inside isolated subjects.
Fortunately, I’ve had the chance to work with educators like Korab Maloku, a fantastic PE teacher who truly understood this approach.
💬 I’m curious to hear from other PYP educators:
Do you encounter similar challenges when coordinating with specialists?
💬And for the PYP Coordinators out there:
What strategies have you found effective to create real transdisciplinary connections between homeroom and specialist classes?
