Ardingly College Zhongshan(Kindergarten) will follow the IB PYP framework, combining the essence of Chinese and Western pedagogies. The aim of the IB PYP is to provide students with an inquiry-based transdisciplinary framework incorporating 6 Units of Inquiry.
The IB PYP programme, one of the four programmes offered by the IBO, focuses on more than just single subjects on their own; but adventures and inquiry beyond the subject and beyond the classroom are at the very heart of the PYP. Through this article, you will learn that a great education is one that helps your child to excel in the ever-changing world of tomorrow.
The History of
IB and IB PYP
More than 50 years ago, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) was first formed in Switzerland, offering it’s first programme, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP, or IB collectively). It was first conceived as a programme to serve the children of diplomats, helping to provide a quality education for those serving in foreign countries. In order to guarantee the quality of the programme, those schools were and continue to this day to be subject to strict annual monitoring by the IBO in terms of hardware, teachers, implementation and philosophy, through a rigorous standards and practices framework.
The IB curriculum has continued to be optimised and improved as it has gained further recognition as a rigorous and competitive programme offered in schools all around the world. In addition to the IBDP for children 17-18 year old, the IBO launched the IB PYP (IB Primary Years Programme) for children 3-12 years old and the IB MYP (IB Middle Years Programme) for Children 11-16 years old in 1997 and 1992 respectively.
In the years since, IBO has reached an unprecedented level of success in the intellectual, emotional, personal, social, and physical skills education of students enrolled in the IB. It has not only become one of the most mature and well-respected providers of international quality education in the world but is one of the few programmes offering a course of study that covers pupils from 3 to 19 years of age and is favoured by some of top schools and universities around the world. As of October 2022, there were over 7,500 programmes being offered worldwide, across over 5,500 schools in 160 countries offering educational programmes to more than 1.95 million students aged 3 to 19 across the globe.
Given the diversity and uncertainty of the world, the IBO has designed the PYP programme for students aged 3-12 to meet children’s long-term educational needs. Educators will help students develop a range of future skills including the Learner Profiles: Inquirers, Thinkers, Communicators, Risk-takers, Knowledgeable, Principled, Caring, Open-minded, Reflective and Balanced.
The PYP covers six transdisciplinary themes: ‘Who We Are’, ‘How The World Works’, ‘How We Express Ourselves’, ‘Where We Are In Place And Time’, ‘Sharing The Planet’, and ‘How We Organize Ourselves’. The transdisciplinary approach to learning breaks down the traditional boundaries between disciplines and covers language, social studies, personal/social/physical education, mathematics, arts and science & technology. Students develop an understanding of important concepts, develop positive attitudes, acquire essential knowledge and skills and take responsible action in the process of inquiry-based learning.
Transdisciplinary inquiry begins and ends with a question, an issue or what we call the ‘Central Idea’ that is essentially a way of organising the unit and lines of inquiry students will explore. This approach allows students to be able access tools and instruments for exploring questions and connecting them to the real world.
Take the theme of the sea as an example. At the beginning of the class, the teacher collects the students' knowledge about the sea and how they see the underwater world. This is where content that is not part of the textbook becomes part of the children's classroom.
The teachers guide the children in exploring topics outside the classroom as well as enhancing children's knowledge through stories. For example, searching for unknown underwater creatures, or analysing the basic structure of the ocean floor, the children gain a better understanding of the world through knowledge that is closely related to the topic but goes beyond the classroom. This knowledge will also be used in real-life situations to help them develop the ability to apply their knowledge to solve problems in the future.
Take the National Studies class as another example. The study of classic ancient poems such as 'The Spring Dawn' and 'A River in Snow' are all here to stimulate the children's interest and potential. Exploration beyond the subject and beyond the classroom is the best way to fully encourage children to venture into nature and find answers and grow.
By allowing children to carefully collected scenes and materials not only help to bring the ancient poems to life, they are also the medium through which they can express their seasonal knowledge and express themselves. Novel expressions such as Chinese characters, symbols, maths and even art are a great way to extend the knowledge from the classroom and books and continue to stimulate the children's imaginative and creative abilities.
For younger children, The IB PYP's transdisciplinary exploration pathway is magical. The real-life learning situations and play based approach to activities break down barriers between subjects, create links to the real world and empower children with diverse problem-solving skills and creative & critical thinking patterns.
The IB PYP also has a multi-dimensional support assessment system that assists Beyond Learning, which is the secret weapon to help children reach their milestones and complete their individual development. Four dimensions of continuous assessment reflect the children's recent learning, growth and development.
Examination is carried out on a daily basis through a variety of strategies such as observation, questioning, reflection and discussion of learning with peers and teachers. The feedback that is acquired is carefully considered and informs future planning and learning. Tools for conducting examinations include open-ended assignments, written or oral assessments and learning portfolios.
Students can record objectives, questions, reflections and evidence of learning in different formats, such as a learning journal or diary, stories about learning, homework folders, etc.
The purpose of measuring learning is to capture what students have learned at a particular 'point in time' and not all learning can or needs to be measured.
Reporting on learning can inform the learning community and the IB does not specify the best form that reporting should take, hence our use of multiple reporting mechanisms with emphasis on our use of the managebac system allowing teachers, students, and parents to easily see what and how children are learning and provide interactive communication. we also have used parent/teacher/student conferences at the beginning middle, and end of the semester, our student-led learning conference held the last week of the semester, learning achievement reports provided at the end of each unit, and our student portfolios.
With the rapid changes throughout the world, educational reform and enhancement has never slowed. Despite the emergence of more and more educational models, there are still very few that are committed to working from the disciplines themselves yet going beyond them and working withing the framework of National Requirements.
We believe that the IB PYP helps children develop the ability to apply knowledge to solve problems, and that critical thinking will be the key to their future global competency.
