International Baccalaureate pYP Candidate School
Click for the Program of Inquiry. The 2022-23 program overview is available here, and information about our Student Experiences is here.
About the primary years program (PYP)
The IBPYP is an international curriculum framework designed for children between the ages of 3 and 12 years. This program is based on the latest educational research and believes that each child has their own personality, learning style and combination of intelligence types. Opportunity is given, within a structured framework, for students to explore their own interests and questions.
Importantly for our youngest learners, the IBPYP focuses on their social, physical, emotional, and cultural needs as part of a strong academic ethos.
IB MISSION STATEMENT
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 programs of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
Internationally-minded
International mindedness is a key aspect of the PYP curriculum. The students are exposed to alternative perspectives and examples of working methods and data from around the world. Teachers use tried and tested techniques from many countries and search for new ideas from different cultures. The goal of the program is to develop students that display the attributes of the IB Learner Profile.
Inquiry Based Learning
Teaching methods build on students’ individual knowledge and interests. Inquiry, is the leading but not exclusive pedagogical approach of the PYP. It is recognized as being intimately connected with the development of children’s comprehension of the world. Inquiry is the process initiated by the learner or the teacher which moves the learner from his or her current level of understanding to a new and deeper level of understanding.
This can mean:
Exploring, wondering, and questioning
Experimenting and playing with possibilities
Researching and seeking information
Collecting data and reporting findings
Clarifying existing ideas and reappraising events
Making and testing theories
Making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens
Elaborating on solutions to problems