Programmes

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

"In his teaching the wise man guides his students but does not pull them along; he urges them to go forward and does not suppress them; he opens the way but does not take them to the place; ...if his students are encouraged to think for themselves we may call the man a good teacher."

Confucius c. 500BC

The Lower School at CDNIS was authorized to implement the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) in April 2009. The PYP is the curriculum framework used from Pre Reception to Grade 6 and focuses on the development of the whole child.

Students in the 21st century are faced with the challenge of learning about an interconnected world where knowledge is constantly developing. The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Primary Years Programme prepares students to be active participants in a lifelong journey of learning.

Recognizing that knowledge is not static, the PYP seeks to uncover enduring understandings through a concept driven, inquiry-based curriculum framework. Important features of this framework are the explicit teaching of transdisciplinary skills, the development of personal attitudes and student engagement in self-initiated, responsible action.

The written curriculum
A distinctive feature of the IB PYP is the six transdisciplinary themes focussing on issues that have meaning for, and are important to, all of us:
• Who we are
• Where we are in place and time
• How we express ourselves
• How the world works
• How we organize ourselves
• Sharing the planet

The programme offers a balance between learning about or through the subject areas, and learning beyond them. These six themes of global significance create a transdisciplinary framework that allows students to go beyond the confines of learning within subject areas.

The taught curriculum
The transdisciplinary themes provide the framework for developing rigorous investigations into important ideas that require a high level of involvement on the part of students. These inquiries are substantial, in-depth and usually last for several weeks.

The assessed curriculum
Assessment is an integral part of the PYP, enhancing learning and providing opportunities for students to reflect on what they know, understand and can do. Teacher feedback provides the guidance, the tools and the incentive for students to become more competent, more skillful and better at understanding how to learn.

(Adapted from the IB public website)

Programme of Inquiry
It is a requirement of the IB that all PYP schools have a coherent, articulated Programme of Inquiry (POI) providing an overview of the Units of Inquiry taught in each grade level. Prep to Grade 6 implement six Units of Inquiry each year whereas PreReception and Reception implement four. Such a programme allows for a balanced inclusion of the subject areas: languages, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts and personal social and physical education (PSPE), while highlighting the transdisciplinary nature of the PYP. Download the current year's POI below.

For more information about the PYP, please visit the following websites:
International Baccalaureate Organisation
Lower School website