Jardín de Niños Elementary Overview
Introduction
Jardín de Niños Interlingua is proud to announce its involvement in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) accreditation process for ages three to 12 years. The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child in the classroom and in the world outside. The IB program develops in young minds the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. There are more than 861,000 IB students at 3,050 schools in 139 countries.
Our school provides a low student-to-teacher ratio providing the benefits of child-focused learning -- highly interactive and at your child's pace versus the pace of a larger classroom.
Six Transdisciplinary Themes
It is recognized that educating students in a set of isolated subject areas, while necessary, is not sufficient. Of equal importance is the need to acquire skills in context, and to explore content that is relevant to students, and transcends the boundaries of the traditional subjects. "To be truly educated, a student must also make connections across the disciplines, discover ways to integrate the separate subjects, and ultimately relate what they learn to life" (Boyer 1995). Boyer proposed that students explore a set of themes that represent shared human experiences referred to as "core commonalities." Boyer's work has been seminal to the development of the PYP. The following six transdisciplinary themes are considered essential to a programme of international education.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. How We Express OurselvesAn 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
You also can check www.ibo.com
Curriculum Integration With AISD Standards
When possible, each of the six themes will integrate basic AISD standards all children in a given grade must be exposed to. The difference between an IB PYP program and a public school program is the level of depth with which a subject/theme is covered. In a PYP program, a theme is covered in depth over the course of six to eight weeks. In a regular public school, a particular standard may be covered in just one lesson which does not allow for deeper conceptual inquiry and learning around that subject.
