What You Need to Know about PYP

IB Classroom: What does it look like?

One of our goals at GIS this year is to increase awareness amongst our families and our greater community about how the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme is implemented in our classrooms and how it aligns with our mission.

Our mission statement states that we want our children to grow into bilingual world citizens. Being an international citizen, being internationally-minded, according to the IB organization, is to embody the Learner Profile, ten attributes valued by IB World Schools like GIS. We believe these attributes, and others like them, can help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities.

IB learners strive to be: Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-minded, Caring, Risk-takers, Balanced, Reflective

This, in essence, means an internationally minded student is aware of, curious about, is open minded to, reflective of their own, and cares about different cultures, or multiculturalism. In addition the student has the courage to act in order to make the world a better place. Being internationally minded is also not only being aware of the differences but also the commonalities amongst people around the world.

How is this promoted in the classroom?

During each IB unit there is a focus on one or two Learner Profile Attributes.

Each IB unit falls under a transdisciplinary theme, meaning that no matter where one is in the world, the theme is relevant.

Unit Themes: 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

As students gain knowledge within a specific unit, they consider a central idea that is also timeless and globally relevant. For example, during “How We Organize Ourselves,” our kindergarten students explore homes. All humans around the globe share the same basic need for shelter. Depending on where you live, this can look different. There are also other factors that can influence one's ability to have a home.

Units are generally timeless and globally relevant. For the younger students it might feel closer to home, like exploring why we see geese fly to the south in fall during our unit on “How the World Works.” Later, in our upper grades, they will look at human migration. All living things share a need to have basic necessities met, like food, shelter, and safety. When children now learn about human migration they are able to connect what they have learned about migration and shelter in the early years.

How are students taking what they learned and sharing that with others or doing something as a result of their learning?

This could be small, like sharing their new knowledge with their families or getting more books about specific topics or it could be on a larger scale - like a class or students organizing fundraisers or a park cleanup day. Action can come in many forms, you might see it at home, we might see it at school, each student might do it the way it feels right to them, or they might do it in a group. We always remember that even small actions can make a big difference. Like your child asking you to no longer pack their sandwich in a ziploc bag after learning about the effects of garbage on the environment:) during “Sharing the Planet”.

We want all of our community members to be on this journey with us. Over the coming weeks we will share more information with you on the Learner Profile Attributes and how you extend what we are learning at school to your home. We also want to share some of the amazing things with you the children are doing on their journey to global citizenship. So, stay tuned and always feel free to reach out with any questions.