The daily programme at the Pre-School – Kindergarten offers students plenty of time for free and organised play inside and outside the classroom. Each classroom includes appropriately-designed learning centres with targeted activities and rich pedagogical material that contribute to the social-emotional and cognitive development of all students.
The philosophy of the programme is to foster in students a global awareness and help them to become global citizens.
IB Learner Profile
The IB PYP aims to educate people using the IB Learner Profile Attributes.
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.
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.
Thinkers
We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
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 signicance.
Communicators
We express ourselves condently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, 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.
Caring
We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.
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.
Βalanced
We understand the importance of balancing different 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.
Risk-takers, Courageous
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.
How the programme is implemented
The IB PYP offers six major transdisciplinary themes of global relevance, which are open-ended and can provide continuity and progression in the learning process for all students, regardless of their age.
The six transdisciplinary themes are:
An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human
An inquiry into orientation in place and time, personal histories, homes and journeys, the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind, the relationships between, and the interconnectedness of, individuals and civilizations from local and global perspectives.
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
The school programme stems from the six transdisciplinary themes in combination with the subjects areas of the National Curriculum (Maths, Science, Language, Social sciences, Arts), creating the units of inquiry.
Each year’s Programme of Inquiry is designed by the entire teaching staff, horizontally for the whole year as well as vertically for all the grades of the PYP.
Each Unit of Inquiry is a significant and challenging learning experience. The Units of Inquiry follow students’ age and learning objectives, are redesigned, evolving and adapted based on educational needs and requirements.
Young learners are encouraged to investigate, ask questions, make use of resources, manage information, develop skills, cultivate attitudes and behaviours, gain experience and discover knowledge.
Students learn through their senses as they see, hear, smell, taste, move around, identify objects, understand concepts, explore the environment, experiment with materials, compare and identify similarities, differences and changes.
Teaching is based on cooperative group learning. Students are divided into working groups. Within the group, they become aware of their roles and aptitudes, develop relationships and interact with each other. The group working style promotes the development of logical thinking and the child’s social identity. It promotes cooperation and is an important motivation for learning, as students exchange roles and responsibilities.
The role of the PYP teacher is differentiated from that of the traditional teacher. Today, the teacher’s aim is not to transmit knowledge, but to create an environment which encourages the student’s active participation in the group’s activities, as he or she has a role as a facilitator in the learning process.
The teacher therefore assumes the role of assistant, facilitator, partner, guide in the discovery and acquisition of knowledge.
He/she is a co-inquirer, actively listening to the student, asking open-ended questions and focusing on the process of approaching the answer.
All teachers need to be involved in continuous professional development, participating in international IB workshops and in-school workshops.
A school-family interaction is fostered, where parents and teachers share the responsibility of educating children through:
- School-to-family information exchange
- Parental involvement in educational activities
- Parents volunteer to help in the school and participate in the Parents’ Association.
