Five Essential Elements

In the Primary Years Programme, there are six transdisciplinary themes students will investigate throughout the school year. These themes are globally significant and cover concepts that are interconnected, can be addressed in all disciplines (subjects), and can be applied to real life.

• Who we are:  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:  Inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationship between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.
• How we express ourselves:  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:  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:  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:  Inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and relationship within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

In the Middle Years Programme, there are six global contexts through which students investigate their subject matter content. These contexts are globally significant and cover concepts that are interconnected, can be addressed in all disciplines (subjects), and can be applied to real life.

• Identities and Relationships:  Who am I? Who are we? -- Students will explore identity; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures; what it means to be human.
• Orientation in Space and Time:  What is the meaning of “where” and “when”? -- Students will explore personal histories; homes and journeys; turning points in humankind; discoveries; explorations and
  migrations of humankind; the relationships between, and the interconnectedness of, individuals and civilizations, from personal, local and global perspectives. 
• Personal and Cultural Expression: What is the nature and purpose of creative expression? -- Students will explore 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.
• Scientific and Technical Innovation:  How do we understand the world in which we live? -- Students will explore the natural world and its laws; the interaction between people and the natural world; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on communities and environments; the impact of environments on human activity; how humans adapt environments to their needs.
• Globalization and Sustainability:  How is everything connected? -- Students will explore the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the relationship between local and global processes; how local experiences mediate the global; the opportunities and tensions provided by world interconnectedness; the impact of decision-making on humankind and the environment. 
• Fairness and Development:  What are the consequences of our common humanity? -- Students will explore rights and responsibilities; the relationship between communities; sharing finite resources with other people and with other living things; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. 

 

 

 

For the Primary Years Programme, there are 7 key concepts that drive instructions through inquiry, questions, and investigation.

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?

Responsibility – What is our responsibility?

 

For the MIddle Years Programme, IB identifies 16 key concepts to be explored across the curriculum. These key concepts represent understandings that reach beyond the eight MYP subject groups from which they are drawn.

Aesthetics deals with the characteristics, creation, meaning and perception of beauty and taste. The study of aesthetics develops skills for the critical appreciation and analysis of art, culture and nature.

 

Change is a conversion, transformation or movement from one form, state or value to another. Inquiry into the concept of change involves understanding and evaluating causes, processes and consequences.

 

Communication is the exchange or transfer of signals, facts, ideas and symbols. It requires a sender, a message and an intended receiver. Communication involves the activity of conveying information or meaning. Effective communication requires a common “language” (which may be written, spoken or non-verbal).

 

Communities are groups that exist in proximity defined by space, time or relationship. Communities include, for example, groups of people sharing particular characteristics, beliefs or values as well as groups of interdependent organisms living together in a specific habitat.

 

Connections are links, bonds and relationships among people, objects, organisms or ideas.

 

Creativity is the process of generating novel ideas and considering existing ideas from new perspectives. Creativity includes the ability to recognize the value of ideas when developing innovative responses to problems; it may be evident in process as well as outcomes, products or solutions.

 

Culture encompasses a range of learned and shared beliefs, values, interests, attitudes, products, ways of knowing and patterns of behaviour created by human communities. The concept of culture is dynamic and organic.

 

Development is the act or process of growth, progress or evolution, sometimes through iterative improvements.

 

Form is the shape and underlying structure of an entity or piece of work, including its organization, essential nature and external appearance.

 

Global interactions, as a concept, focuses on the connections among individuals and communities, as well as their relationships with built and natural environments, from the perspective of the world as a whole.

 

Identity is the state or fact of being the same. It refers to the particular features that define individuals, groups, things, eras, places, symbols and styles. Identity can be observed, or it can be constructed, asserted and shaped by external and internal influences.

 

Logic is a method of reasoning and a system of principles used to build arguments and reach conclusions.

 

Perspective is the position from which we observe situations, objects, facts, ideas and opinions. Perspective may be associated with individuals, groups, cultures or disciplines. Different perspectives often lead to multiple representations and interpretations.

 

Relationships are the connections and associations between properties, objects, people and ideas— including the human community’s connections with the world in which we live. Any change in relationship brings consequences—some of which may occur on a small scale, while others may be far-reaching, affecting large networks and systems such as human societies and the planetary ecosystem.

 

The intrinsically linked concept of time, space and place refers to the absolute or relative position of people, objects and ideas. Time, place and space focuses on how we construct and use our understanding of location (“where” and “when”).

 

Systems are sets of interacting or interdependent components. Systems provide structure and order in human, natural and built environments. Systems can be static or dynamic, simple or complex.

 

 

 

There are five categories of approaches to learning skills students develop as they involve themselves in the learning environment.

Thinking Skills

Research Skills

Self-management Skills

Communication Skills

Social Skills

 

 

Students are encouraged to reflect, to make informed choices and to take action that will help their peers, school staff, and the wider community.

These are student initiated responses to what they are understanding and learning about themselves and the world in which they live.