IB Primary Years Program
(Ages 3 – 11, Early Years – Grade 6)
The Primary School has been authorised to deliver the PYP since August 1999, making it the first school in Turkey and one of the oldest schools in Europe to run this program. This program focuses on the total growth of the developing child, addressing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic welfare. The PYP is a relevant and engaging program that offers a comprehensive, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning.
It provides an internationally-designed model for concurrence in learning and incorporates guidelines on student learning styles, teaching methodologies and assessment strategies. Through both the curriculum and teaching we aim to develop the intellectual, emotional and physical potential of each child, in a secure and stimulating environment. PYP, for students aged 3 to 11, focuses on the development of the whole child, in the classroom but also in the world outside, through other environments where children learn.
It offers a framework that meets children’s several needs: academic, social, physical, emotional and cultural. The PYP serves as an excellent introduction to the Middle Years Program (MYP), but it is not a prerequisite for MYP or for the Diploma Program (DP).
At the heart of the PYP is a commitment to inquiry as a vehicle for learning. Six transdisciplinary themes help teachers and children explore knowledge in the broadest sense of the word. Teachers and students use key questions that are concept-based to structure the units of inquiry. PYP students acquire specific approaches to learning (ATLs) that support their emotional and cognitive development across academic disciplines and beyond. The development of student agency and the expectation of socially responsible behavior are also essential elements of the program.
PYP IS:
– an educational philosophy that aims to create a culture within the learning community where students co-construct and self-adjust their learning experiences, building self-efficacy, a greater sense of learning ownership, and contributing to their social, emotional, and cognitive growth
– an international curriculum model that provides guidelines for significant, engaging, relevant, and challenging content
Please contact Emily Hays (Primary Years Program Coordinator – ehays@iics.k12.tr) if you have further questions.