The IB PYP program strives to develop an internationally minded individual. The mission of IBO is to raise inquisitive, knowledgeable, caring young people. In addition, we can note that this mission includes the desire to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
Working with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment is one of the primary challenges for the IB PYP.
Encouraging students all over the world to be active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people can be justified in their differences is an important factor for PU PYP.
CONCEPTS—there are eight fundamental concepts. These are phrased as key questions to encourage the inquiry process. These universal concepts govern the units of study – called Units of Inquiry – but they also have transdisciplinary relevance within all disciplines and across all topics.
SKILLS — There are 5 interdisciplinary skill sets acquired through a structured inquiry process:
Thinking
Communication
Social
Research
Self-management
ATTITUDES – The PYP promotes the attitudes we want students to feel, value and demonstrate.
ACTIVITY- At Cognitive High School, students are encouraged to think, make informed choices, and take action to help their peers, school staff, and the wider community. They demonstrate a deeper sense of learning by applying their knowledge to service and positive action.
KNOWLEDGE – Rather than providing a fixed program or curriculum, the PYP has identified themes or areas of knowledge that are used to organize 6 Units of Inquiry taught from early childhood to 4th grade. These Units of Inquiry provide a framework, distinct from the textbook curriculum, for the various resources to be explored to achieve the objectives within each Unit of Inquiry.
Written Curriculum – The most important and distinctive feature of the IB Primary Education Program is the six interdisciplinary subjects. These topics are about issues that are meaningful to all of us and important to us. The program offers a balance between learning about subject areas and learning beyond them. Six themes of global relevance create a transdisciplinary framework that allows students to "step up" beyond the boundaries of their subject areas of learning. The transdisciplinary nature of the curriculum allows students to experience how subject knowledge and understanding work together in the real world, while also carrying individual components. In grades PreK through 4th grade, students actively participate in six units of inquiry for approximately six weeks each year.
The topics are:
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 duties; what it means to be human.
Where we are at the time and place – Inquiry about orientation in space and time; personal histories; homes and travels; discoveries, discoveries and migrations of mankind; relationships and interactions between 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 think, expand, and enjoy our creativity; aesthetics is our price.
How the world works – an inquiry into the natural world and its laws; interactions between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how people use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological achievements on society and the environment.
How we organize ourselves – a study of the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; structure and function of organizations; public decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humanity and the environment.
Sharing the Planet – Exploring rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share limited resources with other people and other creatures; communities and relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
