Primary Years Programme (PYP)

IB PYP OVERVIEW

The IB Primary Years Programme, for students aged 3 to 11, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The programme:

Encourages international‐mindedness in IB students.

Encourages a positive attitude to learning by engaging students in inquiries and developing their awareness of the process of learning so that they become lifelong learners.

Reflects real life by encouraging learning beyond traditional subjects with meaningful, in‐depth inquiries into real issues.

Emphasizes, through the learner profile, the development of the whole student – physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.

IBPYP VIDEO:

IB PYP CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

The Written Curriculum

 The most significant and distinctive feature of the IB Primary Years Programme is the six trans disciplinary

themes. These themes are about issues that have meaning for, and are important to, all of us. They offer a balance between learning about or through the subject areas and learning beyond them. The six

themes of global significance create a trans disciplinary framework that allows

students to “step up” beyond the confines of learning within subject areas.

They are:

Who we are:

An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; and what it means to be human.

Where we are in time and place:

An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; and the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.

How we express ourselves:

An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

How the world works:

An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; and the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

How we organize ourselves:

An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human‐made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision‐making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Sharing the planet:

An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

The programme puts great emphasis on learning through these trans disciplinary themes. All students, with the exception of students aged 3 to 5, who engage explicitly with four of the themes each year, address each theme each year. The themes, also importantly, provide the opportunity to incorporate local and global issues into the curriculum.

In addition to the trans disciplinary themes, the traditional subject disciplines retain a role in the IB Primary Years Programme. The specified subjects include languages, mathematics, social studies, arts, science, personal, social and physical education. The overall expectations for each subject area are defined for each year of the programme.

 The Taught Curriculum

 The six trans disciplinary themes help teachers to develop units of inquiry which are in-depth investigations into important ideas that require a high level of involvement on the part of the students. These inquiries are substantial, in‐depth and usually last for several weeks.

For example, in an inquiry about ‘Sharing the planet’, we might look at ‘finite resources and infinite demands’. In order to understand better the central idea that ‘our planet has limited resources that are unevenly distributed and needs to be conserved’ and using water as an example, we would inquire into where water comes from, how different people and countries use water, how much water we use, what happens after we have used it, the distribution of usable water around the world, how human activity has affected the availability of water, and our responsibility for water conservation. To support this inquiry, students would gain knowledge and acquire skills derived from science and social studies. In addition, they would develop trans disciplinary skills such as critical thinking, communication and time management.

Since these ideas are related to the world beyond the school but are also an important part of their lives, the students see the relevance of the content and connect with it in ways that are engaging and challenging. Students who learn in this way begin to reflect on their roles and responsibilities as learners and become actively involved with their learning.

Students discover that a unit of inquiry will involve them in exploration of an important idea, and that the teacher will be supporting their inquiries and collecting evidence of how well they understand that idea. They will expect to be able to work in a variety of ways, including on their own and in groups, to allow them to learn to their best advantage.

The IB PYP Curriculum Model

Concepts: What do we want students to understand?

The following key concepts are used to support and structure the inquiries. The

exploration of concepts leads to a deeper understanding and allows students to transfer

knowledge learned in one area of the curriculum to another.

The concepts are: form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective and responsibility.

Approaches to Learning and Teaching:

What do we want students to be able to do and to feel, value and demonstrate?

 Throughout their learning in the Elementary School, students acquire and apply a set of skills which are valuable not only for the learning that goes on within a classroom but also for life outside school. The five sets of trans disciplinary skills we particularly focus upon and seek to develop with our students are thinking, social, communication, self-management and research skills.

 Thinking Skills

What do you think about …… ? Do you agree with …… ?

Sample of activities: working on problem-solving, using some thinking tools and strategies learnt at school to solve their daily life problems, making decisions, creating or designing something, and doing self-reflection regularly.

 Social Skills

How do you work with your friends in making the presentation/report/conclusion/etc.

about …… ?

 Sample of activities: sharing roles and responsibility with other family members, sharing facilities, taking turns, being involved positively in a discussion.

Communication Skills

How will you share what you know about …?

Sample of activities: creating presentation for school work, practising speech with family

members to improve public speaking skills, keeping a journal or record of their study, reading

a variety of resources (newspaper, Internet articles, non-fiction books, etc).

 Self- Management

Are you being organized when learning about …?

Sample of activities: doing balanced outdoor (e.g. sports) and indoor (e.g. arts) activity, making

a schedule to plan daily activities, practising a healthy lifestyle (balanced nutrition, rest,

relaxation, hygiene, self- care), following rules.

 Research Skills

What have you found out from the books/articles/news/the internet / etc. …?

Sample of activities: practising to make good questions, finding information from various

resources, taking notes, recording and analyzing data with various graphic organizer or

thinking tools (T-chart, Y-chart, PMI, SWOT analysis, thinking hats, thinker keys, etc).

The Elementary School encourages attitudes that contribute to the well‐being of the individual and of the group. We help students to develop positive personal attitudes towards people, the environment and learning. At KAS we encourage appreciation, commitment, confidence, cooperation, creativity, curiosity, empathy, enthusiasm, independence, integrity, respect and tolerance.

 How do you feel about and value your study?

 Here are some sample of questions and topics that you can use to prompt discussion about

the attitudes. You may use real-life experience to help your child achieve these attitudes:

 Appreciation

How do you appreciate ….? (environment, other people, nature, themselves)

Commitment

What is your commitment toward ….? (self discipline, responsibility, making goals)

Confidence

What do you feel about learning ….? / How confident are you to …….? (taking responsibilities,

courage to take risks, performing)

Cooperation

How are you going to involve others in this …..? (working together, collaborating and cooperating, making decision)

Creativity

How do you use your thinking in ……..? (problem solving, daily dilemmas, designing)

Curiosity

What do you want to know more about ….? (questions about the world, people and themselves)

 Empathy

What do you feel about others…? (open-minded, reflective, imagining themselves in another’s

situation.

Enthusiasm

What is your motivation to ….? (learning preferences, learning difficulties and challenges)

Independence

Could you do it/ ……. independently? (active, compassionate, independent learning)

Integrity

Are you being true and fair? (honesty, principles of life, fairness)

Respect

What do you think about others’….? (opinion, perspectives, point of view)

Tolerance

What do you think about different….? (religion, ethnic, race and nationality, international

mindedness)

How do you apply your study?

 ▪ What will you do to apply what you’ve learnt at school?

▪ How are you going to plan your action?

▪ How do you know that your action is successful?

▪ How do you make sure that your action is sustainable?

Sample of Actions

1. Purposeful fund-raising, initiated by students or modelled by adults
2. Finding resources for their own study independently
3. Saving energy practises at home
4. Environmentally friendly actions of saving water, papers, etc to contribute to reducing the

effect of environmental problems

5. Involving in community service: educating other people, promoting positive actions, etc
6. Creating or producing a work/project based on the experience they learnt at school
7. Showing positive attitudes toward differences; respect, tolerance and appreciating others

8. More responsible and independent in doing projects

Approaches to Teaching:

 The 3 components of the PYP curriculum cycle:

The three components of the PYP curriculum cycle (written, taught and assessed) are embodied in Approaches to Teaching. The design of the Programme of Inquiry allows students to learn in authentic ways, with emphasis on inquiry and experiences. It reinforces the PYP pedagogy of authentic learning that is inquiry‐based and conceptually driven.

The PYP supports students’ efforts to construct meaning from the world around them by:

• Drawing on their prior knowledge.
• Providing provocation through new experiences.
• Providing time and opportunity for reflection and consolidation.

The PYP holds its view of the teaching and learning,

• As a commitment to structured, purposeful inquiry that engages students actively in their

own learning

• Inquiry … is recognized as allowing students to be actively involved in their own learning and to take responsibility for that learning. Inquiry allows each student’s understanding of the world to develop in a manner and at a rate that is unique to that student.

Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, 2009, pg. 23

IQ: A Practical Guide to Inquiry-Based Learning Jennifer Watt and Jill Colyer

The Assessed Curriculum: ASSESSMENT

  How do we assess our students?

 PYP students are assessed every time in any learning opportunity. The formal assessment

may happen during the learning both formative (throughout the learning process) and

summative (end of a unit or a course).

• A wide range of assessment strategies, tasks and tools are used to measure student

progress.

• Clear and meaningful feedback (formal or informal, depending on the type and purpose of

assessment) is provided for all assessment items.

How do we document our students’ learning?

 Teachers use a range of methods for documentation of students learning evidence

such as video, audio, photographs, graphic representations, written records of students’

conversations, comments, explanations.

• KAS has a plan to use digital platforms to record students’ learning journey,

products and working progress toward goal.

How do we report our students’ learning?

 We share assessment information between teachers, students and parents through 3-way

conferences.

• We also have student-led conferences which involve the student and parents; where

students take responsibility for their learning by sharing their process with their parents.

• Written report – as a summative report for students’ learning for parents is distributed

Every term through ManageBac.

Parents’ Role

• Be a role model.
• Guide and assist your child.
• Facilitate your child’s questions and actions.
• Encourage active and independent learning.
• Give feedback and suggestion (PYP Action Page in the communication book).

Who is responsible for assessment?

 Assessment reflects the teaching learning; therefore, it is student centered. Teachers will

facilitate the documentation, recording and reporting. Parents are involved in celebrating

and giving feedback on students’ learning.

Further information about the programme can be had from the PYP Coordinator [email protected]

IB website – ibo.org