Alpine Elementary IB-Primary Years Program
IB-PYP Alpine Elementary is proud to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. The IB-PYP program uses student interest to study topics that are of importance in the world in which we live. Through the PYP program at Alpine Elementary School, children:
- Develop an understanding of important concepts
- Conduct research and develop knowledge that has local and global significance
- Acquire and practice a range of essential skills
- Are encouraged to develop positive attitudes towards learning, the environment and other people
- Have the opportunity for involvement in responsible action
Program of Inquiry:
Inquiry is the main teaching and learning approach used in a PYP school. In inquiry-based classrooms, students are actively involved in their own learning, take responsibility for that learning, and are prompted to take action. Inquiry can surface in many ways including:
- exploring, wondering, and questioning
- experimenting and playing with possibilities
- making connections between previous learning and current learning
- making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens
- Collecting data and reporting findings
- clarifying existing ideas and reappraising perceptions of events
- deepening understanding through the application of a concept
- making and testing theories
- researching and seeking information
- taking and defending a position
- solving problems in a variety of ways
PYP schools develop a transdisciplinary program of inquiry organized by 6 transdisciplinary themes. In this program of inquiry, each grade level explores 6 units of inquiry a year to learn about globally significant issues. The transdisciplinary themes are:
- Who we are
- Where we are in place and time
- How we express ourselves
- How the world works
- How we organize ourselves
- Sharing the planet
View Alpine’s 2020-2021 Program of Inquiry Here (some units still in development)
IB Learner Profile:
The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet help to create a better and more peaceful world.
As IB learners, we strive to be:
- Balanced: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives – intellectual, physical, spiritual 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.
- Caring: 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.
- Communicators: We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
- Inquirers: 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.
- 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 significance.
- 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.
- Open-minded: 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.
- 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.
- Thinkers: We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
IBO mission statement:
The International Baccalaureate Organization aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the IBO works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
