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Teachers Embark on a Fantastic IB Learning Experience
Recently, seven Junior School teachers attended an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) Conference in Vancouver offered through the … Continued
Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5
Glenlyon Norfolk School is proud to be authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) from Junior Kindergarten (3/4 year olds) to Grade 5 (10/11 year olds).
The PYP takes a student-centred approach to teaching and learning that:
Students take responsibility and ownership of their learning allowing them to develop the ability to direct their learning with a strong sense of identity and self-belief.
Students actively construct meaning by gathering and analyzing information, reviewing it against existing knowledge and find connections and patterns to develop deep understandings about the world around them.
Teachers use an integrated approach to teaching and learning that allows knowledge to go across, between and beyond traditional subjects boundaries.
Concepts add depth to student learning allowing students to acquire powerful understandings that are broad, abstract, timeless and universal.
Students develop a way of thinking, being and acting that reflects a commitment to understanding the diverse range of peoples, cultures and societies in the world. The attributes of the GNS IB Learner Profile represent a broad range of skills and dispositions that support this growth and are the foundation for developing international-mindedness.
Students gain essential skills that help them develop an understanding of how they learn in order for them to become self-regulated learners. ATL skills help learners to think, research, communicate, socialize and manage themselves effectively.
Recently, seven Junior School teachers attended an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) Conference in Vancouver offered through the … Continued
The International Baccalaureate (IB), with its rigorous and comprehensive programs, demands a continuous commitment to professional development on the part … Continued
In a recent IB PYP Unit of Inquiry, ‘How We Express Ourselves,’ third-grade students delved into the world of signs … Continued
Inquiry-based learning is a powerful approach to education because it places the responsibility for learning in the hands of the learner. Rather than being passive recipients of information, your child will actively engage in the process of constructing their own knowledge and understanding.
Inquiry teachers prioritize student learning and view their students as active contributors to the learning experience. They facilitate a two-way learning process by engaging students to explore questions, challenges, and opportunities, while fostering high-order transferable skills such as critical and creative thinking, evaluating, analyzing, synthesizing, and applying.
Students are more motivated to learn because they actively—through direct, hands-on experiences—tackle real world challenges and opportunities through authentic local and global contexts.
Students take ownership of their learning and develop a sense of confidence in their abilities and the motivation to achieve their objectives. They demonstrate initiative by expressing their interests, asking questions, making choices, and evaluating their progress towards achieving their learning goals.
In the PYP, learning is organized across six Transdisciplinary Themes. These themes are authentic and engaging and capture universal human experiences that are meaningful and applicalbe across cultures and geographic regions, regardless of the age of the learner. At GNS, the British Columbia provincial curriculum is taught through the Transdisciplinary Themes by engaging the students through units of inquiry.
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 the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.
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.