IB PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME

Within the elementary school, we offer a balanced programme of academic studies and extracurricular activities which aim at helping all students of all nationalities develop self-awareness and enthusiasm for lifelong learning. We administer the Turkish Ministry National Curriculum alongside the Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework, which has at its heart a commitment to structured inquiry as a vehicle to learning.

IB Learner Profile

The IB learner profile is a set of attributes that express the values inherent of IB learners and international education. The learner profile is a set of ideals that inspires, motivates and focuses students and teachers, uniting them in a common purpose.

IB learners strive to be:

• Inquirers We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.
• Knowledgeable We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global signi cance.
• Thinkers We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
• Communicators We express ourselves con dently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate e ectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
• Principled We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
• Open-minded We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
• Caring We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive di erence in the lives of others and in the world around us
• Risk-takers We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
• Balanced We understand the importance of balancing di erent aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
• Reflective We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

Units of Inquiry

During the school year, students are engaged with six units of inquiry, except in the pre-kindergarten whereby four units are inquired upon. These units revolve around core transdisciplinary themes that are revisited annually and integrate all subject areas. The transdisciplinary themes are:

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

Key Concepts

A concept-driven curriculum helps students to construct meaning through improved critical thinking and the transfer of knowledge. By identifying concepts that have relevance within each subject area, and across and beyond all subject areas, the PYP has defined an essential element for supporting its transdisciplinary model of teaching and learning. The concepts identified are form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective, responsibility and reflection.

Transdisciplinary Skills

Throughout a student’s learning experiences, they use a set of skills across all curricular areas. These trans-disciplinary skills include:

• Thinking skills: acquisition of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, dialectical thought and meta-cognition.
• Social skills: accepting responsibility, respecting others, cooperating, resolving conflict, group decision-making, and adopting a variety of group roles.
• Communication skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, presenting and non-verbal communication.
• Self-management skills: gross motor skills, fine motor skills, spatial awareness, organization, time management, safety, healthy lifestyle, codes of behavior, and informed choices.
• Research skills: formulating questions, observing, planning, collecting data, recording, data, organizing data, interpreting data, and presenting research findings.

Attitudes

It is vital that there is focus on the development of personal attitudes toward people, the environment and learning. The student should demonstrate appreciation, commitment, confidence, cooperation, creativity, curiosity, empathy, enthusiasm, independence, integrity, respect and tolerance.