Primary Years Programme (PYP) Introduction

What is PYP?

• An International, trans-disciplinary program designed to foster the

development of the whole child, not just in the classroom but

through other means of learning.

• PYP focuses on the total growth of the developing child,

encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in

addition to academic welfare.

• PYP combines best research and practice from a range of national

systems with a wealth of knowledge and experience from

international schools to create a relevant and engaging educational

framework for all children.

IB Primary Years Programme

• Provides an opportunity for learners to construct

meaning, principally through concept-driven inquiry.

• Traditional academic subjects are part of the PYP but it

emphasizes the interrelatedness of knowledge and skills

through a trans-disciplinary programme of inquiry.

• The PYP focuses on the heart as well as the mind and

addresses social, physical, emotional and cultural needs

as well as academic ones.

The PYP aims to develop in students:

 

• Sensitivity to the experiences of others through the

curriculum 

• The characteristics listed in the student profile 

• The attitudes that are an explicit element of the

programme 

• The expectation of socially responsible action as a

result of the learning experience.

What is trans-disciplinary inquiry?• Focus on big ideas/issues/CONCEPTS

• Essential KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS,

ATTITUDES are necessary and must be taught

• Focus on taking socially responsible ACTION

• Emphasis: inquiry, problem solving, critical

thinking

• Integrates where appropriate key learning areas

Internationalism: The PYP Perspective

• The PYP says that a school should be proud to send out into

the world a person we could call an internationalist.

• A PYP school regardless of location, size or constitution

strives towards developing an international person.

What is an international person?• From PYP perspective it is a person with attributes and

dispositions described in the student profile.

What is the PYP learner profile?

The goal of the Primary Years Program is to create internationally minded students.

IBO believes that students should be:

• Principled

• Caring

• Open-minded

• Well-balanced

• Reflective

• Inquirers

• Thinkers

• Communicators

• Risk-takers

• Knowledgeable

What do we want to learn? The Written Curriculum• The PYP strives for balance between search for

understanding, acquisition of knowledge and skills, the

development of positive attitudes and positive action.

• There are 5 essential elements of the curriculum:

Concepts

Knowledge

Skills

Attitudes

Action

PYP Curriculum Model

The Curriculum Model• Commitment to structured inquiry as the leading vehicle

for learning. • Six transdisciplinary themes provide the framework for the

exploration of knowledge.• Students develop an understanding of important concepts,

acquire essential skills and knowledge, develop particular attitudes and learn to take socially responsible action.

ORGANIZING THEMES- The IB - PYP curriculum is built around six organizing themes.

Who we are

- An exploration of the nature of the self; our beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social, and spiritual health; of our families, friends, communities, and cultures; our rights and responsibilities; of what it means to be

human.

Where we are in place and time

An exploration of our orientation in place and time; our personal histories; history and geography from local and global perspectives; of our homes and journeys; of the discoveries, explorations and migrations of human kind; of the contributions of individuals and civilizations .

How we express ourselves

An exploration of the ways in which we discover and express our nature, ideas, feelings, beliefs and values through language and the arts.

How the world works

An exploration of the physical and material world; natural and human-made phenomena; of the world of science and technology.

How we organize ourselves

An exploration of human systems and communities; of the world of work, its nature and its value; of employment and unemployment and their impact on us and the world around us.

Sharing the planet

An exploration of our rights and responsibilities as we strive to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; of communities and of the relationships within and between them.

The process of inquiry

Students learn to ask questions. They are encouraged to develop their own questions related to the materials being studied. Through questioning, students learn there are a broad range of "right" answers for a given question and they begin to appreciate the enormous, complex world in which they live.

KEY QUESTIONS The IB - PYP's fundamental concepts are articulated as key questions and they drive the inquiry process. Each question is comprehensive and integrates many ideas. The key questions students should ask are:

• FORM - What is it like? • FUNCTION - How does it work? • CAUSATION - Why is it like it is? • CHANGE - How is it changing? • CONNECTION - How is it connected to other

things? • PERSPECTIVE - What are the points of view? • RESPONSIBILITY - What is our responsibility? • REFLECTION - How do we know?

Attitudes

In addition to the concepts, content and skills that are imbedded in the curriculum, students are taught and they practise the attitudes outlined by IBO. These attitudes are descriptive of a person who is a responsible citizen of his/her local and world wide community.

Students should demonstrate the following:• Appreciation - Appreciating the wonder and beauty of the

world and its people • Commitment - Being committed to their learning,

persevering, and showing self discipline and responsibility • Confidence - Feeling confident in their ability as learners,

having the courage to take risks, applying what they have learned and making appropriate decisions • Cooperation - Cooperating, collaborating, and leading or

following as the situation demands • Creativity - Being creative and imaginative in their thinking

and in their approach to problems and dilemmas

Students should demonstrate the following:• Curiosity - Being curious about the nature of learning and of the

world, its people and cultures • Empathy - Imaginatively projecting themselves into another's

situation, in order to understand his/her thoughts, reasoning and emotions

• Enthusiasm - Enjoying learning • Independence - Thinking and acting independently, making their

own judgments based on reasoned principles and being able to defend their judgments

• Integrity - Having integrity and a firm sense of fairness and honesty • Respect - Respecting themselves, others, and the world around them • Tolerance - Feeling sensitivity towards differences and diversity in

the world and being responsive to the needs of others