Primary Years Programme

In these early years, every day is an opportunity for astounding growth

PYP at DPS

DPS is an authorised school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP), and a candidate school for Middle Years Programme (MYP). This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. * Only schools authorised by the IB Organisation can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.

It follows the IB Primary Years Programme from KG1 to Grade 6. The programme focuses on helping students to become problem solvers and inquirers by letting them take ownership of their own learning. We strive to help every student think independently and come up with their own answers.

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Curriculum Model

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum framework for young learners aged 3–12 designed by the International Baccalaureate (IB). Founded on a philosophy that recognises a child’s natural curiosity, creativity and ability to reflect, the PYP generates a stimulating, challenging learning environment to nurture those assets and foster a lifelong love of learning in every child. The PYP, like all IB programmes, is transdisciplinary, meaning students learn across subject areas while investigating big ideas.

Learning through inquiry, a child’s investigations across and beyond subject areas will strengthen knowledge and understanding as they explore global, topical and relevant ‘big picture’ questions, or transdisciplinary themes. Young learners explore the commonalities of human experience by investigating these themes through a programme of inquiry.

The six transdisciplinary themes that guide units of inquiry and compose a year of study are:

  • Who we are
  • Where we are in place and time
  • How we express ourselves
  • How the world works
  • How we organise ourselves
  • Sharing the planet

The PYP provides an ideal foundation for children to become successful, lifelong learners by developing their:

  • social and emotional well-being
  • independence, as they take responsibility for their own learning
  • international mindedness
  • understanding of the world and their ability to function effectively within it
  • attitudes and dispositions for learning
  • ability to take mindful, appropriate and sustainable student-initiated action
  • language skills; all students study an additional language in addition to their mother tongue

Units of inquiry interweave subject areas such as mathematics, language arts, science and social studies. This approach encourages students to make their own connections between what they learn in core subject areas and how it relates to the world around them.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2018

Technology in learning

During learning and play, students are supported and encouraged to find out and explore, play with what they know, be willing to ‘have a go’, be involved, to focus on the task, keep trying, collaborate, enjoy achieving what they set out to do, have their own ideas, make links and choose different ways to do things. The use of technology is embedded in all areas of learning and used to enhance and reinforce the various learning opportunities.

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Inquiry based learning

Inquiry-based learning is an approach to education in which students are fully engaged by asking questions, reaching for answers, making bigger-picture connections, reflecting on learning, and taking action. Students don’t just memorise facts provided by the teacher, they are encouraged to investigate problems and develop their own understanding of concepts through exploration and discovery.

Key features of Inquiry Based Learning

Questioning: Students are encouraged to ask questions that guide their learning process. These questions may arise from their own curiosity or be prompted by the teacher to stimulate critical thinking.

Investigation: Students engage in hands-on activities, research, experiments, or discussions to explore answers to their questions and solve problems.

Critical Thinking: Inquiry-based learning promotes critical thinking skills by requiring students to analyse information, evaluate evidence, make connections, and draw conclusions based on their findings.

Active Participation: Students take an active role in their learning process, rather than being passive recipients of information. They are encouraged to collaborate with peers, share ideas, and construct knowledge collectively.

Authentic Learning Experiences: Inquiry-based learning often involves real-world contexts or scenarios, making the learning experiences more relevant and meaningful to students.

To learn more, please visit 

https://www.inspiringinquiry.com/learningteaching/inquiry-based-learning

Open-mindedness

We encourage our students to understand and appreciate their own cultures and histories, and to be open to the perspectives, values, and traditions of other individuals and communities. Our students are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, before forming their opinion about a particular topic. We encourage them to approach uncertainty with courage and forethought and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas, and strategies.