IB Primary Year Programme (PYP) at RBIS

(Note that the IB organization uses British spelling for ‘Programme’.  RBIS uses American spelling except when giving the formal titles used by the IB organization)

At RBIS, our mission is to inspire life-long learners to be responsible global citizens who have respect for themselves, the earth, and diverse cultures.  The RBIS community including our Board of Directors, faculty, staff, students, and parents, recognize that the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Primary Years Programme (PYP) aligns with our school’s guiding principles and fully supports the development and implementation of the PYP Program.

IB Mission Statement:   
•    The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young

      people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural

      understanding and respect.

•    To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to

      develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.

•    These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and

      lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

PYP Curriculum:
The PYP strives towards developing an internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help create a better and more peaceful world. 

The PYP curriculum fully supports core subject areas including language and mathematics as well as science, social studies, the arts and physical education.

The curriculum is expressed in three interrelated ways:
•    the written curriculum—what do we want to learn?
•    the taught curriculum—how best will we learn?
•    the assessed curriculum—how will we know what we have learned?

Central to the PYP curriculum is the Learner Profile, a set of value-laden attributes upon which international-mindedness develops and grows.  Students strive to be:

Inquirers                               Developing their natural curiosity and a love of learning.

Knowledgeable                   Exploring concepts, ideas and issues in their home, school, local and

                                                    global community.

Thinkers                                Exercising critical and creative thinking skills in solving problems.

Communicators                 Understanding and expressing thoughts and ideas through many modes

                                                    of communication and collaborating with others.

Principled                             Taking responsibility for their actions and acting with integrity and

                                                   honesty with a strong sense of fairness and justice and respect for

                                                   others.

Open-minded                      Understanding and appreciating personal histories and cultures and

                                                   being open to new perspectives, values and traditions of others.

Caring                                     Showing empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and

                                                   feelings of others.  Making a personal commitment to service and

                                                   taking action to make positive difference in the lives of others and the

                                                   planet.

Risk-takers                           Approaching unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage, being

                                                   independent to explore new roles and ideas while being brave and

                                                   defending their beliefs.

Balanced                               Understanding the importance intellectual, physical and emotional

                                                   balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective                              Giving thoughtful consideration to their personal learning style and

                                                   experience.  Taking a close look at their own strengths and

                                                   limitations and understanding how they learn best.

Written Curriculum
RBIS has developed a Programme of Inquiry (POI) with the guidance of the six transdisciplinary themes.  The POI identifies investigations into important ideas, identified by the teachers, and requiring a high level of involvement on the part of the students. These inquiries are substantial, in-depth and usually last for several weeks.

The program has five essential elements—concepts, knowledge, skills, attitudes, action—are incorporated into this framework, so that students are given the opportunity to:

•    gain knowledge that is relevant and of global significance.
•    develop an understanding of concepts, which allows them to make connections throughout

      their learning.
•    acquire transdisciplinary and disciplinary skills.
•    develop attitudes that will lead to international-mindedness.
•    take action as a consequence of their learning.
•    Curriculum model.

1. The Knowledge that students learn is based on six transdisciplinary themes of global significance provides the framework for exploration and study.

Who we are
An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.


Where we are in place and time
An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.


How we express ourselves
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.


How the world works
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.


How we organize ourselves
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.


Sharing the planet
An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

2. Our curriculum is driven by Concepts.  Students learn through these concepts and explore open-ended questions which guide learning experiences as well as guide the focus of each unit of inquiry.

Form – What is it?
Function – How does it work?
Causation – Why is it like it is?
Change – How is it changing?
Connection – How is it connected to other things?
Perspective – What are the points of view?
Responsibility – What is our responsibility?
Reflection – How do we know?

3. Students’ learning experiences focus further developing Skills in the area of research, thinking, communication, social and self-management.

Research skills Formulating questions Observing Planning Collecting data Recording data Organizing data Interpreting data Presenting research findings	Social Skills Accepting responsibility Respecting others Cooperating Resolving conflict Group decision making Adopting a variety of group roles.
Thinking skills Acquisition of knowledge Comprehension. Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Dialectical thought Metacognition	Self-management skills Gross motor skills Fine motor skills Spatial awareness Organization Time management Safety Healthy lifestyle Codes of behavior Informed choices
Communication Skills Listening Speaking Reading Writing Non-verbal communication

4. Throughout the program, students develop a greater sense of self and begin to develop positive attitudes which promote healthy relationships with others and good citizenship.
 
Appreciation                        Appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people.

Commitment                       Being committed to my own learning, preserving and showing self-

                                                   discipline and responsibility.

Confidence                            Feeling confident in my ability as a learner, having the courage to take

                                                    risks, apply what I have learned and make appropriate decisions

                                                    and choices.

Cooperation                         Cooperating, collaborating, and leading or following as the situation

                                                    demands.

Creativity                               Being creative and imaginative in my thinking and in the way I

                                                    approach problems and dilemmas.
 
Curiosity                                Being curious about the nature of learning, about the world, its people

                                                    and cultures.
 
Empathy                                 Imagining myself in another’s situation in order to understand my

                                                    reasoning and emotions, so as to be open-minded and reflective

                                                    about the perspectives of others.
 
Enthusiasm                          Enjoying learning and willingly putting the effort into the process.
 
Independence                     Thinking and acting independently, making my own judgements

                                                    based on reasoned argument, and being able to defend my judgement.

Integrity                                 Being honest and demonstrating a considered sense of fairness.

Respect                                   Respecting myself, others and the world around me.

Tolerance                               Being sensitive about differences and diversity in the world and being

                                                    responsive to the needs of others.

5. Student initiated Action can be a powerful result of the learning process and successful inquiry.  Action extends student learning and may have a wider social impact which may look different at each grade level.

•      Should be modeled by the adults in the school community—the action in which schools
       may engage.
•      Will be based on the needs of the school community and the local community.
•      Should be voluntary and involve students in exercising their own initiative.
•      Is best grounded in the students’ concrete experiences.
•      Is most beneficial to the students when they are able to witness the outcomes.
•      Usually begins in a small way and arises from genuine concern and commitment.
•      Should include anticipation of consequences, and accepting of responsibility.
•      May require appropriate adult support in order to facilitate students’ efforts and to provide them
       with alternatives and choices.

The Taught Curriculum
Units of Inquiry (UOI) are developed to support the investigation of these six transdisciplinary themes.  Each UOI is developed through a science and/or social studies focus and identified skills and learning outcomes linked to the RBIS Language, Mathematics, Arts, Information Literacy and Technology, and Personal Social and Physical scope and sequences.  The UOI is also a collaboration of head teachers, single subject teachers and student services specialists.

Inquiry-based Instruction
Instruction at RBIS follows an inquiry-based model allowing students to explore and engage in learning through many ways.  The early childhood curriculum is a play and inquiry based program, providing developmentally appropriate activities that foster creativity, positive self-image, independence, and respect.  Kindergarten program utilizes classroom structured learning centers that are structured meaningful, hands-on experiences which encourage exploratory learning and prepare children for their elementary school years.  The elementary program further develops academic and self-management skills and supports conceptual based learning that extends beyond the walls of the classroom.  Students construct, apply and transfer knowledge to real-world problem solving.

The Assessed Curriculum
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.

Rainbow Bridge International School is a candidate school* for the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education—that RBIS believes is important for our students.

* Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.
For further information about the IB and its programmes visit http://www.ibo.org.