The Early Years
Early Years is where children begin a lifetime of learning. It is a year for learning, growing, making friends and lots of fun too! Our days are filled with explorations, reflections and representing ideas through a variety of mediums.
Introduction
We are exceptionally proud of our curriculum at the International School of Hout Bay. We embrace the principles, values and guidelines of the IBO, International Baccalaureate Organization and the PYP, The Primary Years Programme. Our teachers are committed to engaging with the this programme, providing comprehensive holistic inquiry based education for all the pupils in order for them each to achieve the very best they can in all areas and to be prepared for High School and a full and successful life thereafter.
We have originally used the British National Curriculum, Numeracy and Literacy Strategies as a foundation for the benchmarking of these subject areas and have now drawn parallel lines to the local South African Curriculum in order to ensure that our pupils receive an education that is relevant and in line with the best practice in the country, based on the PYP Scope and Sequence.
The Learner Profile is the thread that consistently weaves its way through our daily teaching and the children use and understand the terminology and concepts, using this knowledge to self evaluate and to set goals for themselves along with learning and planning strategies to make these happen. The children play an active role in the reporting on their progress and are encouraged to give positive critical criticism and feedback to their peers and teacher in order to help all the individuals in the class to have a balance view of their work and behaviour.
We have found that our curriculum and style of learning encourages and results in the child taking responsibility for their learning and personal growth and as a result have seen more focused and diligent children, enjoying their learning experience and making the most of their talents and potential to become Internationally minded people who will go out and help to make the world we live in a better place.
The Early Years Programme reflects the belief that children are active learners. They build meaning and understanding through inquiry and expressing ideas through different experiences.
Our age appropriate curriculum allows children to explore and discover new concepts.
Our aim is to provide a caring and stimulating environment for all children. We offer a wide range of balanced learning and social opportunities, to help them grow into confident, independent and responsible young people.
Learning through play
Play has an important role in the social and educational development of your children. Different types of play offer different learning experiences. These include construction, role-play, Outdoor play, Board games andjigsaws.
Reading
Every child brings a lot of reading experiences to school. At the International School of Hout Bay we recognize these early experiences and match your child’s early reading skills with the appropriate materials.
Maths
Maths is fun! It is easy to introduce Maths into everyday activities. and we expose the children to a range of counting and math opportunities in the daily activities. These include counting, ordering and sorting, using money and being aware of time. The International School of Hout Bay is an IB World School for the Primary Years Programme. IB World Schools are schools that share a common philosophycommitment to high quality, challenging, international education that the International School of Hout Bay believes is important for our students.
The International Baccalaureate ( IB) and the Early Years Programme
The Early Years Programme embraces the basic foundation principles of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in the form of the Learner Profile. They are introduced to the 10 characteristics in the informal setting of every day life. The characteristics of the IB Learner Profile are:
• An inquirer: when he or she shows interest in the world. Asks questions and actively enjoys learning
• A thinker: When he or she develops theories of cause and effect, sorts and classifies and shows interest in big ideas
• A communicator: when he or she engages in discourse, manages social interactions and expresses thoughts through verbal and graphic languages
• A risk-taker: when he or she tries new ways of doing things
• Knowledgeable: when he or she knows and understands significant content
• Principled: he or she begins to see another child’s point of view. Is honest and begins to show a sense of fairness
• Caring: when he or she shows sensitivity towards the needs and feelings of others and is able to be part of a community of learners
• Open-minded: when he or she is open to new experiences and to the beliefs and ideas of other children
• Reflective: when he or she is able to think about behaviour and if necessary work, work on some strategies for change
• Well-balanced: when he or she works alone and in groups showing control of feelings in dealing with others and engages in a balance of quiet and dynamic activities and gross-motor and fine-motor skills.
Are our teachers trained to teach the programme?
Teachers receive training before and after a school become authorized to teach the programme.
Before a school becomes authorized to teach the programme, the principal, coordinator and teachers involved are required to undergo training; either by attending IB workshops or by participating in school-based training organized by the IB.
Our staff has regular training workshops run by the PYP Coordinator and have had in house training by qualified IB trainers. The staff has risen to the challenge of the PYP, and totally believes in its principles and methodology.
What is the Primary Years Programme (PYP)?
It is a transdisciplinary programme of international education designed to foster the development of the whole child.
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the total growth of the developing child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development.
The PYP draws on research and best practice from a range of national systems with a wealth of knowledge and experience from international schools to create a relevant, engaging, challenging and significant educational framework for all children.
The PYP is one of three programmes offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB).
Curriculum model
The curriculum is expressed in three interrelated ways:
• the written curriculum—what do we want to learn?
• the taught curriculum—how best will we learn?
• the learned curriculum—how will we know what we have learned?
What is the curriculum framework?
The curriculum framework consists of five essential elements: concepts, knowledge, skills, attitude and action. The knowledge component is developed through inquiries into six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, supported and balanced by six subject areas.
At the heart of the programme’s philosophy is a commitment to structured, purposeful inquiry as the leading vehicle for learning.
Six transdisciplinary themes.
Six transdisciplinary themes of global significance provide the framework for exploration and study:
• 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.
Teachers are guided by these six transdisciplinary themes as they design units of inquiry that both transcend and articulate conventional subject boundaries.
The programme can be illustrated by six transdisciplinary themes surrounding six subject areas:
• language
• social studies
• mathematics
• arts
• science and technology
• personal, social and physical education.
The themes and subject areas outlined above form the knowledge element of the programme.