Coming to a PYP school can be a very different experience for some students and for some parents. The learning is organized into six important themes, rather than subjects, and students are expected to develop the skills, attitudes and knowledge to think for themselves, ask questions and to become life-long learners.
The IB PYP aims to help students become aware that we are all part of the global community and all have our role to play in making the world a better place. The attributes of the learner profile filter through every aspect of school life, and students are constantly urged to reflect on how they can live up to them as they go through life.
The more parents and guardians know and understand about the PYP, the better able they are to support their child's learning. We would urge you to come along to our monthly information sessions. See our newsletter for details. If that is not possible and you would like more information on what and how students learn in our school, please feel free to make an appointment with our PYP co-ordinator. For general information about the programme, and about the IB Middle Years Programme and Diploma courses, please visit the IB website at www.ibo.org
The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) is 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. At the heart of the programme's philosophy is a commitment to structured, purposeful inquiry as the leading vehicle for learning.
The curriculum is expressed in three connected ways:
The most significant and distinctive feature of the PYP is the way the learning experiences are organized into six transdisciplinary themes.
These themes are about issues that have meaning for, and are important to, all of us. The six themes of global significance create a transdisciplinary framework that allows students to think beyond the confines of learning within traditional subject areas. These themes are:
The six transdisciplinary themes help teachers to develop a series of investigations into important ideas, identified by the teachers, and requiring a high level of involvement on the part of the students. These units of inquiry are substantial, in-depth and usually last for several weeks. Students will inquire into each of the six themes over the course of the year. The exception is the very youngest students, who inquire into four of the themes. All of these inquiries form our Programme of Inquiry which you will find on this website, or on display in the primary school. In our school we have a two-year programme (Year A and Year B), with two grade levels investigating the same units of inquiry.
Assessment is an important part of each unit of inquiry as it both enhances learning and provides opportunities for students to reflect on what they know, understand and can do. The teacher's feedback to the students provides the guidance, the tools and the incentive for them to become more competent, more skillful and better at understanding how to learn. Students and peers are also involved at times in assessing their work.
The programme can be illustrated by a hexagon with the six transdisciplinary themes surrounding six subject areas:
The transdisciplinary themes and subject areas outlined above form the knowledge element of the programme. Teachers in our school use the PYP scope and sequence documents for each of these subject areas to set learning targets and to help measure student progress. Sometimes it is necessary for students to learn specific skills (for example, in language or maths) outside of the units of inquiry. These skills can then be put into practice within the units of inquiry.
The five essential elements—concepts, knowledge, skills, attitudes, action—are incorporated into this framework, so that students are given the opportunity to:
GENERAL REGULATIONS
PYP-PROGRAMME
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©Utahloy International School Day & Boarding - Zengcheng, Sanjiang Town, Zengcheng Guangdong, PRC 511325
Admissions and General Parental Enquiries:
Tel: +86 20 8291 3201 uiszc@utahloy.com
Primary Parent Handbook