IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students between the ages of 3 and 12 years - or at JIMS: from Pre-School to Year 6. It is an international, transdisciplinary programme designed to foster the development of the whole child, not just in the classroom but also through other means of learning.
JIMS, by using PYP, focuses on the total growth of the developing child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic excellence.
Advancing Creativity and Excellence Through Knowledge
The Primary Years Programme identifies a body of significant knowledge for all students in all cultures, in six principal subject areas:
- Language
- Social studies
- Mathematics, science and technology
- The arts
- Personal and social education
- Physical education
As an authorised PYP school, JIMS provides for the teaching of an additional language other than the school’s language of instruction in order to support the international perspective of the curriculum.
JIMS also integrates subject knowledge by using the six transdisciplinary themes of the curriculum model, which are the following:
- Who we are
- Where we are in place and time
- How we express ourselves
- How the world works
- How we organise ourselves
- Sharing the planet
Advancing Creativity and Excellence Through Inquiry
The IBO provides a structured approach to collaborative planning in the form of a Units of Inquiry (UOI) planner designed to assist teachers in planning effectively for inquiry. The UOI planner is designed around seven open ended questions:
- What is our purpose?
- What resources will we use?
- What do we want to learn?
- How best will we learn?
- How will we know what we have learned?
- How will we take action?
- To what extent did we achieve our purpose?
Through inquiry we encourage students to wonder ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ by:
- Tapping into their interests, while still covering significant content
- Finding out what they know and want to find out
- Using appropriate tuning in activities
- Posing challenging and exciting questions to ignite their interest
- Not answering all of their questions, but still being interested and encouraging them to find out the answers
- Placing questions around the room and captivating their imagination and challenging them to find out
- Helping them to plan achievable ways of finding things out for themselves
- Modelling how to think about and form questions
- Jointly constructing lists of great questions
- Encouraging risk-taking in learning - praising independent attempts at finding out, forming good questions, thinking about things in a variety of ways
- Asking them to hypothesise, test and modify these
- Involving them in planning data collection and providing direct experiences
- Giving them time to present their findings
PYP Will Make Students to Become Communicators
They receive and express ideas and information confidently in more than one language, including the language of mathematical symbols.
Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations without anxiety and have the confidence and independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are courageous and articulate in defending those things in which they believe.
Inquirers
Their natural curiosity has been nurtured. They have acquired the skills necessary to conduct purposeful, constructive research. They actively enjoy learning, and their love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Thinkers
They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to make sound decisions and to solve complex problems.
Knowledgeable
They have spent time in our schools exploring themes which have global relevance and importance. In doing so, they have acquired a critical mass of significant knowledge.
Principled
They have a sound grasp of the principles of moral reasoning. They have integrity, honesty and a sense of fairness and justice.
Caring
They show sensitivity towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a sense of personal commitment to action and service.
Open-minded
They respect the views, values and traditions of other individuals and cultures, and are accustomed to seeking and considering a range of points of view.
Well-balanced
They understand the importance of physical and mental balance and personal well-being.
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and analyse their personal strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner. 
|
