Background
Our School has chosen the Primary Years Programme from the IB for our curriculum and framework. The International Baccalaureate is a globally recognized organization that seeks to prepare students for the level next of their education through an inquiry-based program in the PYP & MYP and through a rigorous two year program in grades 11 and 12, the DP. The below background information is retrieved from the International Baccalaureate website. To read more please click here.
About the International BaccalaureateThe International Baccalaureate® (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation, motivated by its mission, focused on the student.Founded in 1968, we currently work with 3,717 schools in 147 countries to develop and offer four challenging programmes to over 1,161,000 students aged 3 to 19 years. We encourage international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, we believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. All IB students learn a second language and the skills to live and work with others internationally—essential for life in the 21st century.
IB Mission: The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. |
About the PYPWhat is the Primary Years Programme?The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum framework designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is defined by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry-based learning.
The PYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the IB Middle Years Programme.
The IB Primary Years Programme
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Adoption
Our School became an IB World School in 1998, offering two of the three programs from the IB, the Primary Years Programme and Diploma Programme. We chose this curriculum framework for many reasons. The first is the operational context of the school itself. We are an American school operating in India with constituents from over 50 different countries. We found it very important to keep the international-mindedness of our constituents. A second attribute that led us to pick the IB was a dedication to inquiry and life-long long learning, both found in the IB's mission statement. A third reason we chose the IB for Our School is the framework that it gives us the opportunity to deliver challenging and grade level appropriate content. Included in the framework is the IB Learner Profile, the six Units of Inquiry and the PYP planner which helps our educators plan and prepare.
We have found because of the adoption of the PYP our curriculum has become more focused yet flexible, promoting greater collaboration from our teachers. It has also helped Our School make learning more meaningful for our students, easily connecting the Units of Inquiry to real-life scenarios. Lastly we have found due to the transient nature of our community this curriculum and framework is valuable as it is easily transferable to other international school and can align well with national standards.
We have found because of the adoption of the PYP our curriculum has become more focused yet flexible, promoting greater collaboration from our teachers. It has also helped Our School make learning more meaningful for our students, easily connecting the Units of Inquiry to real-life scenarios. Lastly we have found due to the transient nature of our community this curriculum and framework is valuable as it is easily transferable to other international school and can align well with national standards.
AERO STANDARDS & BENCHMARKS
To make sure that Our School is consistent in our benchmarking and assessments we have adopted the AERO Standards not only in Literacy and Math, but also in Science and Social Studies. The AERO Standards and Benchmarks are critical in guiding the taught curriculum at Our School. Teachers continually build upon their understanding and application of the strategies, skills, and developmental understandings embedded in each standard and benchmark.
An example of this may be a grade four team co-planning what organism or material they will look at under a microscope or magnifying glass as they prepare students to describe features of an object or material only visible under some type of magnifier.
The following is an example of an overarching Standard, and the Benchmarks addressed in each grade level for Science (Gr. 1-5):
An example of this may be a grade four team co-planning what organism or material they will look at under a microscope or magnifying glass as they prepare students to describe features of an object or material only visible under some type of magnifier.
The following is an example of an overarching Standard, and the Benchmarks addressed in each grade level for Science (Gr. 1-5):
You will notice the overall standard is : For students to develop and understanding of the concepts, models, theories, universal principles and facts that explain the physical world.
Correspondingly you can see the benchmarks for students in grade one through grade five. These again are the concepts that students should have a strong understanding of as they exit that grade level. Alternatively, these benchmarks allow for our educators to collaborate and use as guidelines as they structure lessons. In addition, this ensures that students in the same grade but different classes are focusing and learning the same skills and principles.
Correspondingly you can see the benchmarks for students in grade one through grade five. These again are the concepts that students should have a strong understanding of as they exit that grade level. Alternatively, these benchmarks allow for our educators to collaborate and use as guidelines as they structure lessons. In addition, this ensures that students in the same grade but different classes are focusing and learning the same skills and principles.
Day in the Life
Debra Williams is a second grade teacher at Our School and she is at the beginning of a new Unit of Inquiry "How the World Works". She starts her day by reflecting on the central idea that her team and she had come up with, the Earth's surface is constantly changing by a combination of processes. She continues by reviewing the grade two AERO Standards science benchmark, describing objects and what they are made out of and their physical properties. She then consults her other grade two colleagues and the PYP coordinator to decide on the remaining lines of inquiry that the students will explore. They eventually agree on the following three.
Debra left school very excited about the learning her students would engage in over the next six weeks.
- Composition of the Earth (core,mantle,crust).
- The Earth's materials are used all around us.
- Slow and rapid processes change the Earth's surface (weathering and erosion).
Debra left school very excited about the learning her students would engage in over the next six weeks.
References
AERO Science Performance Standards. (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.projectaero.org/aero_standards/science-standards/AERO- ScienceK-12Framework.pdf
International Baccalaureate Organization (2014). Who We Are. Retrieved from: http://www.ibo.org/who
International Baccalaureate Organization (2014). Who We Are. Retrieved from: http://www.ibo.org/who