New academic year

Welcome to KIS new  teachers!

INQUIRY-BASED Learning underpins our approach to learning and teaching.
The IB Primary Years Program is a guided–inquiry approach to learning and teaching. Its trandisciplinary inquiry based units of study, known as Units of Inquiry, are the focus for learning in homeroom classes and they are integrated into other curriculum areas. Students experience what it is like to think and act like a historian, scientist, engineer or a mathematician.

Within each Unit of Inquiry students and teachers identify together what they want to know, what they already know, what they need to know and how best they might find that out. In the inquiry-based classroom there is increased emphasis on hands-on real life situations, decision making, problem solving, research, questioning, and action. PYP students are actively:

• exploring, wondering and questioning
• identifying what it is they want to know and do
• experimenting and playing with possibilities
• researching and seeking appropriate information
• collecting data and reporting findings
• clarifying existing ideas and reappraising events
• deepening understanding through the application of a concept or rule
• making and testing theories
• making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens
• elaborating on solutions to problems
• thinking about ways of applying their newly gained knowledge to other situations.

There are five essential elements of the Primary Years Programme:

PYP Curriculum Model

Knowledge: Significant and relevant content we wish the students to explore and know about, taking into consideration prior experience and understanding. Knowledge in the PYP is developed through six Units of Inquiry in each grade KG-G5, (Four UoIs in EY) under the headings of six Transdisciplinary Themes. These themes are used to integrate subject knowledge across the main curriculum areas of: Languages, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and Technology, The Arts, Personal, Physical And Social Education (PSPE).

Units of Inquiry:

• Are significant for all students
• Give students opportunities to explore challenging, relevant and engaging knowledge.
• Encourages knowledge to be looked at in a transdisciplinary way.
• Can be revisited throughout the student’s years of schooling.

Concepts: Students explore through structured inquiry in order to develop coherent, in-depth understanding, and which have relevance both within and beyond subject areas. The key concepts are:

Form What is it like?

Function How does it work?

Causation Why is it like 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?

Reflection How do we know?

Skills: The skills are those things that students need to be able to do to succeed in a changing, challenging world. Students need to master a range of skills to prepare themselves for their future education and for life in general. A comprehensive set of Social Skills, Research Skills, Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and Self-Management Skills are taught through structured inquiry experiences in the Units of Inquiry.

Attitudes: Dispositions that are expression of fundamental values, beliefs and feelings about learning, environment and people. It is important that we recognize the importance of Attitudes alongside Concepts, Knowledge and Skills as being an integral part of the curriculum. The PYP promotes tolerance, respect, integrity, independence, enthusiasm, empathy, curiosity, creativity, cooperation, confidence, commitment and appreciation. There are many opportunities throughout the curriculum to develop and promote positive attitudes ,  and connect directly to the IB learner profile

Action: So what? We have learnt about all of this stuff, but how am I going to apply this knowledge, these skills or these understandings? Action brings all of the elements together through demonstrations of deeper learning in responsible behavior through responsible action.