PYP @ AIS

AIS is a recognised IB World School and is the only school in the world to follow the IB Primary Years Program till grade 7. The program focuses on helping students become problem solvers and inquirers by letting them take ownership of their own learning. We strive to help every student think independently and come up with their own answers. The learning benchmarks adopted by the school are in line with those defined by the NCERT.

The PYP curriculum

The Primary Years Program (PYP) is an international curriculum that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. In the primary school, AIS uses a Scope and Sequence of learning expectations aligned with the National Curriculum Framework i.e. the NCERT standards. These standards also align with the Common Core curriculum used in the U.S. and many international schools. In this way, we offer a consolidated curriculum that ensures all students are able to adapt quickly to the multiple school system changes that are a part of living in a transient world.

At AIS, we are committed to structured inquiry as the vehicle for learning. Six transdisciplinary themes provide the framework for exploration and construction of knowledge. Teachers and students are guided by these transdisciplinary themes—as they design units of inquiry for exploration and study. Through this process, students develop an understanding of important concepts, acquire essential skills and knowledge, develop particular attitudes and learn to take socially responsible action.

The IB PYP Curriculum Framework

The IBO curriculum framework consists of 5 essential elements that are all transdisciplinary.

Transdisciplinary is the word that IB uses to describe a discipline that applies across all disciplines—it is interconnected and can be applied across all subjects and applied to real life. A transdisciplinary concept stretches across math, science, English, geography and ties it all together; it is not isolated to one subject. For example, the idea of change affects math, science, English, geography—the IB PYP strives to demonstrate this through learning, giving understanding to a real life world.

KNOWLEDGE

The PYP recognizes that it is inappropriate to dictate what every child should know in an international community. The PYP has identified themes, or areas of knowledge, which are used to organize the 6 Units of Inquiry, taught from early childhood through grade 7. These Units of Inquiry provide the framework (as opposed to a text book curriculum) for a wide variety of resources to be explored in order to accomplish the objectives within each Unit of Inquiry:

• Who we 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.
• Where We Are in Place and Time: 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.
• How We Express Ourselves: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.
• How the World Works: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.
• How We Organize Ourselves: 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.
• Sharing the Planet: 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.

A Unit of Inquiry usually lasts for 4-6 weeks. The objective is to cover all 6 themes throughout the year. For example, during the Unit of Inquiry “Sharing the Planet” students may spend 6 weeks looking at the resources we have in the world and how various countries use, share and dispose of these resources. Students will answer questions like: How do these resources connect people around the world? Or, how are these resources changing and what does that mean for people? These concepts and questions move across all school subjects (i.e. math, English, geography, etc.) and apply to real life and the world around us.

CONCEPTS

There are 8 fundamental concepts expressed as key questions, to propel the process of inquiry. These universal concepts drive the Units of Inquiry but they also have relevance within and across all subject areas (transdisciplinary).

The 8 fundamental concepts are

• Form: What is it like?
• Function: How does it work?
• Causation: Why is it like it is?
• Change: How is it changing?
• Connection: How is it connected to other things?
• Perspective: What are the points of view? Reflection: How do we know?
• Responsibility: What is our responsibility?
• Reflection: How do we know?

SKILLS

There are 5 sets of transdisciplinary skills acquired in the process of structured inquiry. These are:

• Thinking
• Communication
• Social
• Research
• Self-Management

ATTITUDES

The PYP promotes 12 attitudes that we want our AIS students to feel, value, and demonstrate. They are the daily expressions of the “Learner Profile” used by teachers in teaching and by students in their learning. We feel that these are the keys to happiness and success as a person.

• Appreciation:Seeing and being thankful for the wonder and beauty of our world.
• Commitment:Being responsible for my learning, showing self-discipline, and perseverance. Sticking with a difficult task until it is completed.
• Confidence:Knowing I can do it! Having courage to take risks, using what I have learned, and making good choices.
• Cooperation:Working with others and being willing to lead or follow as needed.
• Creativity:Using my imagination while thinking and doing things.
• Curiosity:Being curious about the nature of learning, about the world, its people and cultures.
• Empathy:Being able to put myself in someone else’s place in order to understand her or him.
• Enthusiasm:Being excited about learning and life.
• Independence:Thinking and acting on my own.
• Integrity:Being fair and honest.
• Respect:Showing that I can for others, our world, and myself.
• Tolerance:Understanding, appreciating, and celebrating differences in each other.

ACTION

AIS students are encouraged to reflect, to make informed choices and to take action that will help their peers, school staff, and the wider community. This is how our students demonstrate a deeper sense of learning, by applying their knowledge to service and positive action.

PROGRAMME OF INQUIRY

To view Programme of Inquiry 2017-18: Click here

POLICIES

To view Assessment Policy: Click here

To view Language Policy: Click here

To view Special Educational Needs Policy: Click here

SCOPES & SEQUENCES

To view Science Scope & Sequences: Click here

To view Mathematics Scope & Sequence: Click here

To view Language Scope and Sequence: Click here

To view Arts Scope & Sequence: Click here

To view Social Studies Scope & Sequence: Click here

To view Role of ICT in PYP: Click here

To view Personal, Social and Physical Education Scope and Sequence: Click here

To view Exhibition Guidelines: Click here

RULES & REGULATIONS

To view Rules for IB World Schools : Primary Years Programme: Click here

IBDP curriculum

IB Diploma Programme students study six courses at higher level or standard level. Students must choose one subject from each of groups 1 to 5, thus ensuring breadth of experience in languages, social studies, the experimental sciences and mathematics. The sixth subject may be an arts subject chosen from group 6, or the student may choose another subject from groups 1 to 5.

In addition the programme has three core requirements that are included to broaden the educational experience and challenge students to apply their knowledge and understanding.

The extended essay is a requirement for students to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of the subjects they are studying.

Theory of knowledge is a course designed to encourage each student to reflect on the nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical and historical).

Creativity, action, service requires that students actively learn from the experience of doing real tasks beyond the classroom. Students can combine all three components or do activities related to each one of them separately.

Programme Model

The curriculum is modelled by a hexagon with six academic areas surrounding the three core requirements.

Program outline

Over the course of the two-year programme, students

• Study six subjects chosen from the six subject groups
• Complete an extended essay
• Follow a theory of knowledge course (TOK)
• Participate in creativity, action, service (CAS).
• Three of the six subjects are studied at higher level (courses representing 240 teaching hours)
• The remaining three subjects are studied at standard level (courses representing 150 teaching hours).
• Subjects, other than languages, may be taught and examined in English, French, Spanish

Theory of knowledge

The theory of knowledge (TOK) requirement is central to the educational philosophy of the Diploma Programme.

It offers students and their teachers the opportunity to

• Reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing and on areas of knowledge
• Consider the role and nature of knowledge in their own culture, in the cultures of others and in the wider world.
• Be aware of themselves as thinkers, encouraging them to become more acquainted with the complexity of knowledge
• Recognize the need to act responsibly in an increasingly interconnected but uncertain world.

As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing, and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions. The most central of these is "How do we know?"

It is a stated aim of TOK that students should become aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including personal ideological biases, regardless of whether, ultimately, these biases are retained, revised or rejected.

TOK also has an important role to play in providing coherence for the student as it transcends and links academic subject areas, thus demonstrating the ways in which they can apply their knowledge with greater awareness and credibility.

Extended Essay

The extended essay is an independent, self-directed piece of research, culminating in a 4,000-word paper. As a required component, it provides:

• Practical preparation for the kinds of undergraduate research required at tertiary level
• An opportunity for students to engage in an in-depth study of a topic of interest within a chosen subject.

Emphasis is placed on the research process

• Formulating an appropriate research question
• Engaging in a personal exploration of the topic
• Communicating ideas
• Developing an argument.

Participation in this process develops the capacity to

• Analyse
• Synthesize, and
• Evaluate knowledge.

At AIS, the students are supported throughout the process with advice and guidance from a supervisor (usually a teacher at the school).

• Handbook
• Introduction to EE

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)

The CAS requirement is a fundamental part of the programme and takes seriously the importance of life outside the world of scholarship, providing a refreshing counterbalance to academic studies.

• Creativity is interpreted broadly to include a wide range of arts activities as well as the creativity students demonstrate in designing and implementing service projects.
• Action can include not only participation in individual and team sports but also taking part in expeditions and in local or international projects.
• Service encompasses a host of community and social service activities. Some examples include helping children with special needs, visiting hospitals and working with refugees or homeless people.

Students are expected to be involved in CAS activities for the equivalent of at least three hours each week during the two years of the programme.

A system of self-evaluation encourages students to reflect on the benefits of CAS participation to themselves and to others, and to evaluate the understanding and insights acquired.

• CAS Orientation
• CAS Handbook
• CAS Sample Portfolio

Explore@AIS

“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone.” - John F Kennedy

At AIS, we believe that meaningful extracurricular opportunities are imperative for children to lead truly rewarding and enjoyable lives. That’s why we’ve partnered with experts in their fields to offer an after-school program that provides children with extended opportunities for holistic growth and development.

We offer a range of activities across five different development areas - Fitness, Cognitive, Visual Arts, Performing Arts and Language Development.

The program is open for students of Grades 1 - 4.

Parents can sign up for the Explore Program by choosing one of the two options:

• Explore Enrichment: Children attend activities on all 5 days of the week. Activities are across all the five development areas.
• Explore Select: Parents select activities of their choice conducted on specific days of the week.

In both program choices, we work with small group sizes and experienced instructors to provide every child with a deeply valuable and rewarding experience that best suits their aptitude and interest.

Technology

At AIS, technology is not a tool, it is an environment. We believe that technology, if used in the right way, can transform the school experience. We embrace technology with enthusiasm always bearing in mind that technology can never replace human relationships or experiential, in-person learning.