Primary
What is PEP?
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum model designed by the International Baccalaureate (IB). It places the child at the center of learning and harnesses their natural curiosity to develop the knowledge, concepts and skills they need to be successful and active lifelong learners.
What do students learn in the PYP?
The Elementary School Program focuses on the development of the student as an inquirer in the classroom and beyond. It is a framework guided by six transdisciplinary themes, explored using knowledge and skills from the core areas and approaches to learning. It also promotes the International Baccalaureate student profile and seeks to empower students to take action from their learning.
Among its objectives is to form students with high academic, social and emotional expectations, to develop independent learners who are responsible for their learning. The PYP is flexible enough for schools around the world to accommodate and meet national and local curricular demands. Each school develops a program of inquiry related to ideas relevant to local and global contexts.
How does learning through a unit of inquiry take place in the primary years at Albania College?
Inquiry is the engine of learning for our students. Starting with six transdisciplinary themes that correspond to the six units of inquiry in each grade (four for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten), children embark on the development of central ideas that allow them to build meaningful concepts:
- Who we are
- How we are organized
- Where we are in time and space
- How we express ourselves
- How the world works
- Sharing the planet
PYP units begin with a launching activity (Tuning in) that engages students in the new topic and awakens their curiosity. During the discovery (Find), students work individually or in small groups and through various forms, such as: readings, videos, interviews, pedagogical outings, demonstrations, among others. Right after that, students choose among their preferred styles how to share their findings (Organize).
At this point, the unit is extended (Go Beyond) for teachers to review whether the questions posed at the beginning of the unit have been answered or if new questions arise; opportunities to make real-life connections are noted. At the same time, students reflect (Drawing Conclusions) on what they have learned; they make connections to the central idea and make decisions (Taking Action) to apply their learning. To close the unit, a culminating event is organized, in which students celebrate what they have learned by sharing their learning experiences with parents or other members of the community, such as another class or group of
teachers.
How can parents support the inquiry process of their children's transdisciplinary units?
- Help make the Student Profile a part of their lives.
- Read communications sent by teachers.
- Maintain regular contact with the school and your teachers.
- Attend school conferences and culmination events.
- Encourage your child to take action.
- Encourage your child to ask questions and help him or her find the answers.
- Use the language of inquiry: How do you know that…? Maybe… Help me understand.
- Read with your child.
Primary Years Program Exhibition:
The Exhibition of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a significant event in the life of the school and its students, as it synthesizes the core elements of the program and allows them to be shared with the community as a whole.
The PYP Exhibition aims to:
- Encourage inquiry-based teamwork.
- Promote student autonomy and responsibility.
- Explore diverse perspectives.
- Apply and reflect on prior learning.
- Assess student understanding.
- Demonstrate how learning influences action.
- Connect the educational community around the principles of the PYP.
- Celebrate the transition from primary to secondary education.
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