THE TRANSFORMATIVE NATURE OF INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PYP

Share this article with a friend.

October 8, 2022

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Students in Notre Dame’s lower school have access to one of the world’s most innovative methods of learning. Currently, Notre Dame is the only Catholic school in Michigan to offer all three levels of the International Baccalaureate program.

Taking on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP) is a road of discovery for schools, its teachers and most importantly, its students and their parents.

Children in Notre Dame’s lower school, which signed on to the IB-PYP in September of 2010, will be checking out their lockers when the first full day of this new school year begins on Wednesday, August 17. For these students, it will be an exciting journey with PYP, one that has invigorated learning and teaching, and truly transformed the school’s community and culture. 

Notre Dame Lower School's PYP focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in school and in the world beyond. The PYP offers a transformative experience for students, teachers and whole school communities and delivers excellent outcomes by providing an education that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant.

According to the International Baccalaureate, PYP learners "know how to take ownership of their learning, collaborating with teachers to deepen understanding and increase their confidence and self-motivation. Through actively engaging in integrated ongoing assessment they become effective, self-regulated learners who can act on constructive feedback."

Guided by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, PYP students broaden their learning by developing their conceptual understandings, strengthening their knowledge and skills across, between and beyond subject areas.

On the 25th anniversary of the advent of the PYP, in the video below, educators from around the world share what they consider the most valuable aspects of the program. . .

A quick primer on IB-PYP follows. . .

What is the PYP?

The PYP prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both within and beyond the classroom.

Key facts about the PYP

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) was introduced in 1997.

It followed the introduction of the Middle Years Program (MYP) and the Diploma Program (DP) – established in 1994 and 1968, respectively.  

The PYP is taught to students aged 3-12.

Today in 2022, the program is being taught in 2,107 authorized IB schools across 110 countries and is an essential contribution to the global IB community.

Origin of the PYP

The PYP was developed through the vision and effort, sustained over ten years, of the former International Schools Curriculum Project (ISCP).

Their goal was to produce a common curriculum, for students in the 3-12 age range, which would provide continuity of learning within each school and ensure that the curriculum developed international-mindedness on the part of learners.

Since being introduced by the IB, the PYP continues to meet these initial aims of providing a curriculum that brings international-mindedness to the school community.

How the PYP works

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) is underpinned by six transdisciplinary themes around which learning is planned.

These 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

These themes are selected for their relevance to the real world. They are described as transdisciplinary because they focus on issues that go across subject areas.

The transdisciplinary themes help teachers to develop a program of inquiry. Teachers work together to develop investigations into important ideas, which require a substantial and high level of involvement on the part of students.

Through the PYP curriculum framework, schools ensure that students examine each theme.

Curriculum

The Primary Years Program (PYP) presents schools with a comprehensive plan for high quality, international education.

It provides schools with a curriculum framework of essential elements — the knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and action that young students need to equip them for successful lives, both now and in the future.

Schools work with the five elements to construct a rigorous and challenging primary curriculum for international education.

The PYP aims to create a curriculum that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant for learners in the 3–12 age range. The curriculum is transdisciplinary, meaning that it focuses on issues that go across subject areas.

The PYP is organized according to:

The written curriculum, which explains what PYP students will learn
The taught curriculum, which sets out how educators teach the PYP
The assessed curriculum, which details the principles and practice of effective assessment in the PYP

More information on the IB-PYP at Notre Dame is here.

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.