Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

 Primary Years Programme
Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Published April 2025

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Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Purpose and scope of this document

This document introduces the inquiry learning progressions. It shows how they might support learning and
teaching, and offers guidance on how they could be introduced into schools. The material in this document
works in conjunction with:
• Primary Years Programme (PYP) subject continuums
◦ Subject continuums: Arts
◦ Subject continuums: Language
◦ Subject continuums: Mathematics
◦ Subject continuums: Personal, social and physical education
◦ Subject continuums: Science
◦ Subject continuums: Social studies
• Inquiry learning progressions website
• Inquiry learning progressions
• Guidance on introducing the inquiry learning progressions to the school community (PPT).

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction 1

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Learning progressions: An overview

Learning progressions describe how skills develop or how subject content develops in sophistication over
time. They are tools which educators and learners can use to make decisions about the learning taking
place, and about how to move that learning forward.
There are two main characteristics of inquiry learning progressions.
1. The indicators at each level address the skills and knowledge of learners at a particular stage of their
intellectual, emotional, social and physical development.
2. The indicators reflect a clearly articulated sequence, in which each stage builds upon what has come
before, preparing learners for more challenging concepts and more complex learning.
Learning progressions support a social constructivist approach to learning and assessment, providing a tool
for educators and learners to make decisions about where learners are in their learning. This social
constructivist approach aligns with the philosophical and pedagogical foundations of learning and
teaching in the PYP, and with the approaches to teaching.

Inquiry learning progressions

The inquiry learning progressions are skills-based progressions developed for learners from 5 to 16 years of
age. They make visible what it means to be a PYP and Middle Years Programme inquiry learner, describing
what inquiry skills look like within and across subjects and how those skills develop over time.
The inquiry learning progressions:
• make a selection of effective inquirers’ skills visible and explicit
• support the learning community’s understanding of learner growth in those selected skills over time
• provide a model for educators and learners that balances the learning and assessment of both surface
and deep cognitive processing
• support the monitoring and documenting of learning, and the giving of feedback
• focus on growth, rather than on a deficit model of what learners are not able to do
• respect that each inquiry learner is on their own personal learning journey
• recognize and support learner agency
• emphasize inquiry as a learning process.

Purpose of inquiry learning progressions

Connecting curriculum, assessment and pedagogy, the inquiry learning progressions support schools to:
• intentionally plan for inquiry
• show evidence of learner growth
• have inquiry conversations using a shared language
• make decisions for future learning.

2 Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Components of inquiry learning progressions

Figure 1: Components of the learning progressions

Inquiry skill
• Describes the inquiry skill being developed
• Describes the relationship between the skill and inquiry
Path of progression
• Shows the start and end points in the development of a given skill
Note that a path of progression is not a complete description of how a skill develops. Rather, it is a
snapshot, showing a section of the overall skill development. The skill described in the learning progression
has both pre- and post- points of development that are not included.
Progression point
• Shows when a skill changes or becomes more sophisticated
The gaps between progression points are not equal, nor are progression points based on grade levels. The
gaps between progression points reflect the length of time that a given skill takes to be consolidated
before it changes and progresses, and the number of progression points for a given skill varies according to
the nature of that skill.

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction 3

Components of inquiry learning progressions

Figure 2: Comparison of progression points in different learning progressions

Indicator
• Describes a learner’s use of a skill at a particular moment in time
• Shows how the skill changes and develops over time
Developmental growth description
• Describes the general cognitive and social characteristics that might be observed in learners at a
particular point in their development
Sample learning opportunities
• Provide examples of learning opportunities which support the development of a particular skill at a
given progression point
• Provide opportunities to observe the indicators in action

4 Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Inquiry learning progressions and approaches to

learning

Inquiry is the main pedagogical approach to learning and teaching in the PYP. The inquiry learning
progressions act as a bridge between the approaches to learning and the approaches to teaching. They
complement the approaches to learning, describing certain skills with a greater volume of specific
information, which supports student learning.
Table 1 shows examples of how inquiry learning progressions connect with approaches to learning.

Table 1: Connections between inquiry learning progressions and approaches to learning

Learning progression Example approaches to learning connections

Questioning to explore and play with ideas Research skills—information literacy

Communication skills—exchanging information
Observation Thinking skills—creative thinking (considering
perspectives)
Communication skills—representation (verbal and
non-verbal)
Self-management skills—states of mind (habits of
attention, self-motivation)
Decision-making Thinking skills—critical thinking, creative thinking,
reflection and metacognition
Self-management skills—organization skills
(managing time and tasks effectively)
Role- and turn-taking Communication skills—exchanging information
(listening, interpreting, speaking)
Social skills—collaboration skills
Self-management skills—emotional management

Inquiry learning progressions and subject

continuums
While subject continuums provide examples of what to learn—including overall expectations, conceptual
understandings and learning outcomes—inquiry learning progressions can support educators to plan for,
to monitor and to document inquiry skills within and across subjects. PYP subject continuums are provided
for the following subject areas.
• Subject continuums: Arts
• Subject continuums: Language
• Subject continuums: Mathematics
• Subject continuums: Personal, social and physical education
• Subject continuums: Science
• Subject continuums: Social studies

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction 5

Inquiry learning progressions and approaches to learning

Monitoring and documenting

Inquiry learning progressions are not based on age or grade levels, and are not time bound, unlike
curriculum standards or achievement objectives. A learner can work within multiple progression points at a
time, or spend several years working within a single progression point. Furthermore, a group of learners will
be at different points on the progression at different times.
Monitoring and documenting the learning progressions can build a portrait of an inquirer. This portrait
might show where the learner has been, where they are now and where they are going next. It can support
goal-setting and build assessment capability in learners and educators.

6 Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Getting started with inquiry learning progressions

Inquiry learning progressions support schools to develop their understanding of inquiry in their own
context. Schools may choose to use only one progression, or they may choose to use several progressions.
Whatever decision is made, it is important that schools explore what the learning progressions are, as well
as how they fit with the other components of the PYP and any school-based requirements.
Before engaging with the inquiry learning progressions, schools can consider the following questions.
• For what purpose are you going to use the inquiry learning progressions?
• Which progression(s) will you use and why?
• How will you decide which inquiry learning progression(s) to engage with? Who will be involved in
making the decision?
• How will you ensure enough time to engage with the inquiry learning progression(s)?
• Will engagement be mandatory or voluntary?
• Will a particular inquiry learning progression be a whole-school focus, or left to individual year/grade
levels?
• How will you document the work being undertaken with the inquiry learning progression(s)?
For support and ideas on how to introduce the inquiry learning progressions to the school community,
please refer to the following resource.
Guidance on introducing learning progressions to the school community (PPT)

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction 7

Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction

Further resources

The learning progressions are published in two versions: one with sample learning opportunities and one
with space for educator notes. The inquiry learning progressions are available as downloadable PDF files.
Inquiry learning progressions

8 Inquiry learning progressions: Introduction