How IB Schools Develop Students through the Primary Year Programme

More than 5000 schools across the world have chosen to adopt the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum for their students. The top international schools in Delhi and NCR also offer the IB programmes for different grades.

The IB primary year programme (PYP) for students in the age group of 3 to 12 years is a key curriculum in these global schools. It focuses on development of children as inquirers, both in the classroom and in the complex environment outside their institution. In addition to building knowledge for them, teachers enable their students to be better thinkers, communicators and reflective, open-minded individuals.

Why is the PYP important?

What children learn and understand till the age of 12 years has a critical impact on their behaviour in teenage period. The PYP has been planned to help them recognise their humanity and shared responsibilities towards the planet. They must appreciate the importance of balancing different aspects of lives – physical, intellectual and emotional – to achieve the well-being of all sentient beings.

In conducting the PYP course teachers of best international school in Noida put a strong emphasis on ethics and moral principles. Students learn to take responsibility for their actions and related consequences. They are trained to act with integrity and honesty with a sense of fairness and justice.

To make children better thinkers, the PYP syllabus also emphasizes on developing critical thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on intricate issues. Students are encouraged to take initiatives for making well-reasoned decisions.

As they are taught to become better communicators, students comprehend the art of expressing themselves confidently and creatively in multiple languages. They participate in group discussions and activities to collaborate efficiently while listening to other students’ perspectives.

In accordance with such objectives, the five fundamental elements of PYP at an IB school are:

Knowledge – It comprises both disciplinary and trans-disciplinary knowledge that comes from primary subject areas including language, mathematics, science, social studies, arts and personal, social & physical education.Skills – These are the distinct abilities that children develop and apply during learning and in their personal life beyond the classrooms.Concepts – Learners taking the PYP course explore concepts through structured inquiries to develop coherent and detailed understanding of languages, science, maths, social science and arts. They imbibe knowledge that is relevant within and beyond traditional subject areas.

Attitudes – Teachers imparting education under the PYP curriculum help their students to build global minded attitude so that they can evaluate different points-of-view and learn to grow from experience.

Action – There is a belief in PYP that proper inquiry leads to responsible, considerate and suitable action.

PYP students learn by doing and this is why they are given multiple opportunities to explore, inspect and find out the answers to their questions. Schools arrange for excursions and virtual trips to make their learning experiences more engaging and resourceful.

These international schools also acknowledge that parent involvement in their children’s studies is critical to their achievements in PYP and other IB programmes. It helps to enhance their morale, attitude and success across all subject areas. What’s more, it promotes better behaviour and interaction with peers.

Author bio - The Noida based campus of Amity Global School was established in the 2010 and has been helping young scholars imbibe the virtues of holistic education year after year. A disciplined approach to academics, sports and extra-curricular activities is the hallmark of the institution.

Michael harley is a writer at Search Engine.