PYP: International Baccalaureate
Ned E. Williams Elementary has applied for candidacy status with the International Baccalaureate Organization and is working towards becoming an authorized I.B. Primary Years Program campus.
IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.
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 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.
Ned E. Williams Enrollment
Learner Profile Attributes
PYP in Action: Food for Others
PYP in Action: Veteran's Day
What is the PYP?
The PYP (Primary Years Programme) is an inquiry-based educational framework that seeks to develop the whole child, in that it recognizes the importance of the academic, social, emotional, cultural and physical development of children from ages 3-12. The curriculum sets high standards and has high expectations of students. While the learning of information is still a major part of the PYP program, an emphasis is placed on the process of learning and students’ awareness and understanding of how to learn. As they develop into lifelong learners, students realize that learning is about being curious, asking questions and finding answers that lead to further questions.
The framework contains five essential elements: concepts, knowledge, skills, attitudes and action. These elements are developed through six themes that are applied across all subjects. The themes are: Who we are, Where we are in place and time, How we express ourselves, How the world works, How we organize ourselves, and How we share the planet. Knowledge is explored from local and global perspectives within these units of study. The IB standards are aligned with best practice in education and are supported by effective teaching practices. PYP teachers collaborate in the planning of units of inquiry both as grade level teams and as a whole faculty.
The IB maintains a learner profile of specific skills that schools must develop in students at every level of IB which has a positive impact on school culture. The IB Learner Profile seeks to develop students into individuals who are inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded, balanced and reflective. The goal of PYP and all IB programmes, according to the International Baccalaureate Organization, is to “develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.” Developing lifelong learners who are positive contributors to society is something many schools strive to achieve.
We are excited to begin this journey as an IB Candidate School! If you want to learn more check out their website at http://www.ibo.org/ or contact me with specific questions.
Christina Eagan
PYP Coordinator
PYP Transdisciplinary Themes:
Who we are: 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: Inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationship between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.
How we express ourselves: 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: 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: 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: Inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and relationship within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
IB PYP, which stands for International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, is a platform that specifically focuses on a child’s learning through active inquiry. Furthermore, the program provides a set of organizing themes to help schools incorporate state and district standards into systems of knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and actions that focus on the needs of the child.
The acronym STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Instead of teaching the four subjects separately, STEM incorporates each one into a learning system that is based on real-world standards. The main purpose of STEM is to use innovative techniques in the classroom that are fueled by problem solving, discovery, and exploratory learning requiring students to engage in a situation actively to find its solution.
IB: Creating a better world through education
Imagine a worldwide community of schools, educators and students with a shared mission to empower young people with the values, knowledge and skills to create a better and more peaceful world. This is the International Baccalaureate (IB).
To do so, it explores four foundational and interrelated elements that are central to all IB PYP programs.
International-mindedness
The IB learner profile
A broad, balanced, conceptual and connected curriculum
Approaches to teaching and learning