The IB Curriculum
The IB Continuum
Primary Years Programme (PYP)
The Primary Years Programme aims to create a curriculum that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant for learners in the 3–12 age range. The curriculum is transdisciplinary, meaning that it focuses on issues that go across subject areas. The PYP is organised according to:
- The written curriculum, which explains what PYP students will learn
- The taught curriculum, which sets out how educators teach the PYP
- The assessed curriculum, which details the principles and practice of effective assessment in the PYP.
The PYP prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both within and beyond the classroom. For more information, please visit the official IBO website.
The Five Essential Elements of the PYP Curriculum
Knowledge
The PYP identifies a body of knowledge for all students in all cultures, in six principal subject areas: language, humanities, mathematics, science and technology, the arts, personal, social and physical education. Wherever possible they are taught within the context of the six trans-disciplinary themes, which are:
Who we are: an exploration of the nature of the self; of our beliefs and values; of personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; and of our families.
Where we are in place and time: an exploration of our orientation in place and time; of our personal histories; of the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind.
How we express ourselves: an exploration of the way the way we discover and express our nature, ideas, feelings, beliefs and values through language and the arts.
How we organise ourselves: an exploration of human systems and communities; of the structure and function of organisations; of societal decision-making; and of economic activities and their impacts.
How the world works: an exploration of the physical and material world; of natural and human-made phenomena; and of the world of science and technology
Sharing the planet: an exploration of rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people; and of access to equal opportunities, peace and conflict resolution.
Concepts
The PYP curriculum is structured around eight key concepts which enable students to inquire and explore powerful ideas:
| Form: | What is it like? |
| Function: | How does it work? |
| Causation: | Why is it like this? |
| 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? |
Skills
The construction of meaning is complemented by students acquiring and applying a range of trans-disciplinary skills (Thinking Skills, Social Skills, Communication Skills, Self-management Skills, Research Skills), which are valuable not only in the units of inquiry but also for any teaching and learning that goes on within the classroom and in life outside the school.
Attitudes
While recognising the importance of knowledge, concepts and skills, these alone do not make a well-rounded, internationally-minded person. It is vital that there is also focus on the development of attitudes towards people, towards the environment and towards learning — attitudes that contribute to the well-being of the individual and of the group.
Action
An explicit expectation of the PYP is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student as a result of the learning process. This action will extend the student’s learning, or it may have a wider social impact, and will vary within each age range. PYP schools can and should meet the challenge of offering all learners the opportunity and the power to choose to act, to decide on their actions and to reflect on these actions in order to make a difference in and to the world.
Middle Years Programme (MYP)
The Middle Years Programme is a challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathise with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning.
The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The above information is taken from the official IBO website. For more information, please visit the official IBO website.
Diploma Programme (DP)
The Diploma Programme curriculum is made up of six subject groups and the DP core, comprising Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) and the Extended Essay. Through the DP core, students reflect on the nature of knowledge, complete independent research and undertake a project that often involves community service.
Research suggests that there are many benefits to choosing the DP. The programme aims to develop students who have excellent breadth and depth of knowledge – students who flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically. For more information please visit the official IBO website.
The IB Learner Profile
Each of the IB's programmes is committed to the development of students according to the IB learner profile. The profile aims to develop learners who are:
- Inquirers
- Knowledgeable
- Thinkers
- Communicators
- Principled
- Open-minded
- Caring
- Risk-takers
- Balanced
- Reflective