Programme Of Inquiry

The Programme of Inquiry is a matrix made up of six transdisciplinary themes running vertically, and the age groups running horizontally. Organizing the curriculum around the six transdisciplinary themes contextualizes the learning for students. It enables them to experience a balance of subject-specific knowledge, concepts and skills in order to develop an understanding of the transdisciplinary themes. The Programme of Inquiry matrix is used as a tool to ensure a balance of Units of Inquiry under each theme. Click the links below to view the Programme of Inquiry. The terms used within the POI are outlined below.

Central Ideas

Each of the units of inquiry has a Central Idea. The Central Idea expresses concisely an enduring understanding. Each Central Idea will support understanding of the particular transdisciplinary theme it is connected to, and challenges and extends prior knowledge. The Central Idea is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant and is designed to promote conceptual development. The concepts help the students to develop their conceptual understanding and to extend their critical thinking capacity.

Key Concepts

One of the five essential elements of the PYP curriculum is conceptual understanding. Rather than focusing on learning and remembering a range of content knowledge, we aim to use the knowledge we choose to cover as a vehicle for developing understanding of concepts. In the PYP curriculum framework, eight key concepts have been identified, along with an open-ended question for each, to promote focus and deeper thinking about the enduring understandings that we hope will develop from the study of each unit of inquiry.

Form: What is it like?

Function: How does it work?

Causation: Why is it the way it is?

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?

These are used as questions for deepening thinking. Using them with your children will help them develop their thinking and give you an opportunity to discover what they understand.

Lines of inquiry

Each unit will contain three or four lines of inquiry. The lines of inquiry clarify the Central Idea and define the scope of the inquiry. These contributing aspects of the Central Idea extend the inquiry, give focus to research, and deepen students’ understanding. Connections are made, as appropriate, between the lines of inquiry as well as with the Central Idea.

Learning Outcomes

Accompanying each unit of inquiry are subject specific Scope and Sequence documents that enable teachers to plan, assess and report on age-appropriate outcomes which outline expected skills, knowledge and understandings at each year level. You can find the outcomes for specific outcomes by clicking the subject tabs at the top of this page.

POI for BTSN

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