Our school is in a process to become a Candidate School for the Primary Years Program (PYP). This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that BSI believes is important for our students.
The IB is recognized globally with over 5000 International Schools in the IB network and is frequently seen as a prestigious form of education. The IB Primary Year Programme (PYP) is designed for students age 3-12 and provides the knowledge, concepts, skills, personal attributes and the capacity to take reflective and responsible action, all of which younger students need for successful lives both now and in the future.
Learning through inquiry, a child’s investigations across and beyond subject areas will strengthen knowledge and understanding as they explore global, topical and relevant ‘big picture’ questions, or transdisciplinary themes.
Student-center learning
The PYP provides an ideal foundation for children to become successful, lifelong learners by developing the following:
– social and emotional well-being
independence, as they take responsibility for their own learning
-international mindedness and learning to cross lines of difference
-understanding of the world and their ability to function effectively within it
-attitudes and dispositions for learning
ability to take mindful, appropriate and responsible student-initiated action.
Learning in the PYP is underpinned by six transdisciplinary themes, each selected for their relevance to the real world. Young learners explore the commonalities of human experience by investigating these themes through a programme of inquiry, or the body of concepts that students will study from kindergarten through fifth-grade:
Who we are
Inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; person, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; and human relationships.
Where we are in place and time
Inquiry into our orientation in place and time; personal histories; the discoveries and explorations of humankind; and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations.
How we express ourselves
Inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values.
How the world works
Inquiry into the natural world and its laws, the interaction between the natural world and human societies; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
How we organize ourselves
Inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; and their impact on humankind and the environment.
Sharing the planet
Inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and other living things; access to equal opportunities; and peace and conflict resolution.
Success with the PYP
A recent study asked parents and educators how they defined success with the PYP. Educators cited enhanced student learning outcomes, a shared vision of learning within their school, focused decision making, and increased international mindedness in the school community.
In another recent study, PYP educators showed a commitment to using inquiry methods as a key pedagogical approach, and understood how to promote transdisciplinary themes and their exploration. To do this, these PYP schools adopted a variety of thinking tools in their classroom to engage students.
