PYP
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme at Murrumbeena Primary School
Murrumbeena Primary School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school implementing the Primary Years Programme (PYP). We are one of many worldwide schools who share the IB vision and mission ‘to
empower young people with the skills, values and knowledge to create a better and more peaceful world.’
The IB PYP aims to develop internationally minded students.
Students become internationally minded by:
- Recognising, accepting and appreciating similarities and differences between themselves and others.
- Understanding and appreciating the world and feeling a responsibility and motivation to care for it.
- Recognising their interconnectedness and being open minded to others locally, nationally and internationally.
- Inquiring into a range of local and global issues.
- Reflecting on their own and other’s perspective, culture and identities.
- Appreciating different beliefs, values and experiences.
- Studying another language (Japanese) and developing intercultural understanding and respect.
- Taking action in order to change the thinking, behaviour or attitudes of themselves or others.
- Developing the10 Learner Profile attributes of being: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, caring, open minded, principled, communicators, risk takers, balanced and reflective.
The IB Primary Years Program (PYP) programme supports the cognitive development, and social, emotional and physical wellbeing of students. Through units of inquiry, students explore six transdisciplinary themes of global significance: who we are, where we are in place and time, how we express ourselves, how the world works, how we organize ourselves, and sharing the planet. All units are thoughtfully planned to address the Victorian Curriculum learning areas and capabilities. Most units of inquiry run for a set number of weeks, with the average time being 6 weeks. This year all Year levels will be running their ‘who we are’ units of inquiry throughout out the year.
The PYP Program of Inquiry is available on the Murrumbeena Primary School website. This is an active document which is updated throughout the year. Please be mindful that timing of units and unit goals may change as a result of ongoing reflections from students and teachers and unforeseen circumstances such as remote learning.
Units of inquiry are transdisciplinary, they require skills from and beyond subject areas. Subject specific skills required to become numerate and literate, are taught within units of inquiry and explicitly outside of units of units of inquiry.
Throughout the units of inquiry, students develop interrelated skills or Approaches to Learning, which support inquiring life long learners:
- thinking skills
- research skills
- communication skills
- social skills
- self-management skill
Unit of inquiry overviews are sent home as students begin a new unit of inquiry. The overview outlines the unit goals, while the choice and achievement of goals varies between students.
A full copy of ‘What is an IB education?’ will be emailed to all parents via compass for further reading.
What is an IB Education?, International Baccalaureate Organization (UK) Ltd, United Kingdom, ©International Baccalaureate Organization 2017.
Angela Houghton
PYP Coordinator