The PYP curriculum framework centers around the key concept of agency, which is interwoven across the three pillars of the curriculum: the learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community.
In the PYP, everyone involved in the school community has the opportunity to influence learning and teaching through their voice, choice, and ownership. These elements work together to create a cohesive whole, reinforcing one another. The PYP emphasizes authentic inquiry-based learning and teaching that is both engaging and meaningful, as well as challenging and relevant. By embracing the PYP’s educational principles and practices, learners are positioned to become agents of their own learning, placing themselves at the center of their educational experience.
The Learner:
In the PYP, students are active participants in their own learning and collaborate with educators as partners in the learning process. They explore, question, and contemplate their own identity, others, and the world around them. The programme of inquiry guides students towards acquiring knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills, and the attributes of the learner profile that equip them to take meaningful action in their lives, communities, and beyond.
Learning & Teaching:
At the heart of the PYP lies a focus on collaborative inquiry, specifically through six transdisciplinary themes. This approach seeks to deepen students’ appreciation of universal concepts and issues that have relevance both locally and globally. Through active engagement in this process, students integrate their prior knowledge with new perspectives to expand their understanding of the world. A culture of collaboration underpins learning and teaching, which is accompanied by ongoing assessment practices that provide valuable feedback to students, informing their next steps in learning.
The Learning Community:
In the PYP, members of the learning community are seen as vital connectors between learning and teaching. This community includes everyone who contributes to the school environment, as well as other significant adults in students’ lives. Its reach extends beyond the school and into the broader IB community and the world, serving as the widest context for learning. Everyone within this community possesses the agency to impact and transform learning, ultimately supporting students and the wider community in becoming internationally-minded. By working together, all stakeholders sustain a positive school culture, prioritizing continuous school improvement, well-being, and a safe and engaging environment that fosters resilient, optimistic, and lifelong learners.
If you have any questions about the programme, please ask.
Best regards,
Matthew Richmond
PYP Coordinator