IDS
Primary Years Programme

Primary Years Programme (PYP)

Curriculum overview:

Beyond providing a framework for our curriculum, our Programme strives to develop learning profile attributes in students that contribute to their overall success academically and socially.

As an IB Candidate School that offers a Primary Years Programme (PYP), IDS delivers its rigorous and dynamic curricula (French, German, and English) through the PYP’s framework of Units of Inquiry. The six Units of Inquiry are based on global themes that provide conceptual connections across subject areas, such as Who We Are, How the World Works, and Where We Are in Place and Time.

Inquiry-based learning brings students to be fully engaged by asking questions, reaching for answers, making bigger-picture connections, reflecting on learning, and taking action.

IB Learner Profile Attributes:

Inquirers

We nurture curiosity and skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.

Knowledgeable

We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.

Thinkers

We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators

We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.

Principled

We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

Open-minded

We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring

We show empathy, compassion, and respect. We commit to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and the world around us.

Risk-takers

We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.

Balanced

We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.

Reflective

We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experiences. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses to support our learning and personal development.

ASSESSMENT PHILOSOPHY

Assessment is a term used to cover all of the various methods by which student achievement can be evaluated. Assessment instruments may include, but are not limited to quizzes, examinations, extended practical work, projects, portfolios, cooperative tasks, presentations, laboratory experiments,discussion, oral interaction with peers and/or teacher, essays, and research papers.
Assessment is an integral part of the planning,teaching, and learning process. Fair and diversified assessment is needed to support curricular goals and to encourage student learning. Research shows that the most effective grading practicesprovide valuable feedback designed to enhance student growth and performance.

The purpose of assessment is to inform learning and teaching. It involves the gathering and analysis of information about student learning to inform teaching practice. It identifies what students know, understand, and can do at different stages in the learning process. Effective assessment that achieves this purpose provides valuable information to understand what constitutes learning and how to support it and is meaningful to all members of the learning community.

Evaluate instructional practices that reflect student inquiry
Provide feedback for student learning
Determine how to differentiate instruction
Determine appropriate accommodations and modifications

Aims of assessment :

To provide information to identify and support the next steps in learning and inform planning for improvement or progression.
To track individual progress.
To gather information about the attainment of individual children, groups, and cohorts so that it can be used to inform target-setting
To analyze the performance of groups and cohorts of pupils to identify priorities for school development.

THE DIFFERENT ROLES OF THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Role of Teachers:

Teachers learn about what students know and can do. They reflect

on their practice, adjust their teaching based on data, and offer timely, specific, and well-considered feedback to better support learning.

The role of the IDS school teacher is to:

Inform every stage of the teaching and learning process.
Plan in response to student and teacher inquiries.
Develop criteria for producing a quality product or performance.
Provide evidence that can be effectively reported and understood by the whole school community.
Review and reflect on student performance and progress.- to take into account a variety of learning styles, multiple intelligences, and abilities including different cultural contexts.

Role of Parents:

Parents extend their child's understanding and development of skills when they support learning. They contribute to their child’s joy of learning and growth as a successful learner through sharing insights with the learning community. See evidence of student learning and development. Develop an understanding of the student’s progress. Provide opportunities to support and celebrate student learning.

Role of Students:

To share their learning and understanding with others.
To demonstrate a range of knowledge, conceptual understanding, and skills.
To use a variety of learning styles and abilities to express their understanding.
To participate in reflection, self- and peer-assessment
To base their learning on real-life experiences that can lead to further inquiries.
To express different points of view and interpretation
To analyze their learning and understand what needs to be improved

Role of the School:

To communicate its assessment philosophy, policy, and procedures to the school community
To use a range of strategies and tools to assess student learning.
To provide students with feedback to inform and improve their learning.
To record student progress aligned with the assessment philosophy of the program.
To analyze assessment data to inform teaching and learning

Review Process:

The teachers' coordinators will ensure this policy is implemented consistently throughout the school. This policy will be evaluated and reviewed yearly. Any implications relating to issues for the whole school will be considered for inclusion in the school development plan.