The International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme (the PYP) is a curriculum framework that was created for international primary education. It focuses on the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of children ages 3-12 and promotes learning experiences that are authentic and transdisciplinary.
Pillars of the PYP:
1) The IB's mission statement
2) International-mindedness
3) The Learner Profile
4) Curriculum
5) Taking Action
1) The IB's mission statement: the PYP 's philosophy
All of the 4 IB programmes, including the PYP, focus on developing internationally-minded global citizens. This is evident in the IB's 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 programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people with their differences can also be right.
Pillars of the PYP:
1) The IB's mission statement
2) International-mindedness
3) The Learner Profile
4) Curriculum
5) Taking Action
1) The IB's mission statement: the PYP 's philosophy
All of the 4 IB programmes, including the PYP, focus on developing internationally-minded global citizens. This is evident in the IB's 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 programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people with their differences can also be right.
2) International-mindedness: the PYP's purpose and perspective
Perhaps it's 'raison d'etre', the PYP is focused on developing learners who are internationally-minded. This task is as complex as the concept of what it means to be internationally-minded itself and the PYP recognizes that this definition might look different in various countries, schools and to individuals. There are a wide variety of factors that contribute to this idea of being internationally-minded and it impossible to create a simple definition. However, the IB does highlight a set of personal values and attributes that will create a solid foundation for international-mindedness to flourish within the individual. This set of attributes is called the Learner Profile and it is integral to the IB's definition of what it means to be internationally-minded.
Perhaps it's 'raison d'etre', the PYP is focused on developing learners who are internationally-minded. This task is as complex as the concept of what it means to be internationally-minded itself and the PYP recognizes that this definition might look different in various countries, schools and to individuals. There are a wide variety of factors that contribute to this idea of being internationally-minded and it impossible to create a simple definition. However, the IB does highlight a set of personal values and attributes that will create a solid foundation for international-mindedness to flourish within the individual. This set of attributes is called the Learner Profile and it is integral to the IB's definition of what it means to be internationally-minded.
3) The Learner Profile: the PYP goal
In order to develop people who are internationally-minded the IB encourages learners to constantly strive for the following 10 attributes in all they do:
4) Curriculum: the PYP belief about how we learn
The PYP's definition of curriculum is broad and inclusive. All learners should be included and supported in all aspects of the programme. All activities that take place within the school are part of the curriculum since they impact student learning. The PYP highlights the need for curriculum to be transdisciplinary (cross-curricular) and must be engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. The PYP also believes that as a community of learners everyone (not just students) is involved in the process of constructing meaning and learning about the world around them. The PYP considers there to be 3 interconnected parts that help learners construct meaning -the written, taught and assessed curriculum.
The PYP's definition of curriculum is broad and inclusive. All learners should be included and supported in all aspects of the programme. All activities that take place within the school are part of the curriculum since they impact student learning. The PYP highlights the need for curriculum to be transdisciplinary (cross-curricular) and must be engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. The PYP also believes that as a community of learners everyone (not just students) is involved in the process of constructing meaning and learning about the world around them. The PYP considers there to be 3 interconnected parts that help learners construct meaning -the written, taught and assessed curriculum.
The written curriculum in every PYP school, although varying in content since each school develops their own programme, is structured into 6 transdisciplinary themes. These 6 themes, that students will revisit every year in their PYP journey, are considered to have global significance and allows for exploration of the commonalities of human experience. These themes transcend traditional subjects and lead to a transdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning. The 6 themes are:
5) Taking Action: the PYP's hope
As a result of their learning, it is the hope of the PYP, that meaningful and responsible student-initiated action takes place. This action might help students extend their learning or it might have a wider social impact. Either way, the idea is that action will make some kind of positive difference in the world. PYP schools need to offer opportunities for students to take action. Learner should be given the chance and power to choose to act; to decide on their actions; and to reflect on their actions. The PYP represents this process in a simple Action Cycle:
As a result of their learning, it is the hope of the PYP, that meaningful and responsible student-initiated action takes place. This action might help students extend their learning or it might have a wider social impact. Either way, the idea is that action will make some kind of positive difference in the world. PYP schools need to offer opportunities for students to take action. Learner should be given the chance and power to choose to act; to decide on their actions; and to reflect on their actions. The PYP represents this process in a simple Action Cycle: