International Baccalaureate
Primary Years Program
The Smart City Primary School is an IB World School and implements the Primary Years Programme (PYP).
Welcome to our school
Jacki Hafellner
First PYP Exhibition
News
This year, we will present our first PYP exhibition. This project is the most important and exciting part of the IB PYP journey. It is a 9-week research project that culminates the students’ learning journey over the past four years. Students are tasked with researching something that excites them in relation to our unit ‘Sharing the Planet’, namely:
An investigation into the interdependence of humans and nature through:
•Rights, duties and dignity of all
•Paths to a just, peaceful and newly designed future
•Nature, complexity, coexistence and wisdom.
Students will work on their projects in each subject for 9 weeks. They will need their mathematical skills to interpret the data they have collected and found, they will need their German or English writing skills to formulate interview questions for primary sources, and they will need their craft and music skills to add a creative element to their presentation. Each student will be assigned a mentor from our teaching staff or from the GIBS IB DP students who are joining us. They will be responsible for creating a schedule and plan before each mentor meeting, with guidance from teachers and mentors, of course. On 30 April, Year 4 students will present their exhibition projects to the entire community. We will set up an exhibition hall in our auditorium where students will be present throughout the day to present their projects as visitors come and go (with breaks, of course!).
We are still very new to this area, but we receive a lot of support and have many contacts with other IB schools around the world, and we are grateful for our strong network.
Many thanks to the VSC community for all your support. We couldn’t have done it without you.
International Baccalaureate at Smart City Primary School
Our Goal
The Smart City Primary School is an officially recognised IB World School and operates according to the principles of the Primary Years Program (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB).
Our teaching is organized in a transdisciplinary way and is guided by the Programme of Inquiry. Students’ questions, interests and curiosity are at the center of the learning process. Through inquiry-based and reflective learning, students develop academic, social and personal skills that prepare them for an increasingly interconnected world.
As an IB World School, we view learning as an active and collaborative process and promote openness, responsibility and lifelong learning.
Milestones
Our development towards becoming an IB World School
Looking back: The authorization process to becoming an IB World School
We successfully completed the consultation phase and were visited by representatives of the IB organization as part of the authorization process. During this visit, discussions were held with parents, students, teachers and members of the school team.
The visit focused on reviewing whether the Primary Years Programme was implemented in accordance with the requirements of the International Baccalaureate and whether the school concept is sustainable in the long term.
Looking back: Our candidate phase
Our journey began in March 2022 with the start of the candidate phase. These three years were characterized by intensive training, changing mindsets, the courage to learn new things and also by moments of failure and improvement.
This phase laid the foundation for our work today as an officially authorized IB World School.
Would you like to find out more about the International Baccalaureate?
Learn more about the vision, goals and structure of the international education program on the official website of the IB program.
Program of Inquiry
Learning in the IB program: The building blocks of transdisciplinary teaching
The IB Primary Years Program (PYP) is based on six transdisciplinary themes that form the basis for teaching:
Who we are
How we express ourselves
How we organize ourselves
Sharing the planet
How the world works
Where we are in place and time
Each subject – from mathematics, science and social studies to German, English, art, textile design, religion, music and sport – is embedded in the context of one of these topics.
Central ideas: The focus of learning
For each topic, there is a central idea that is intensively researched, understood and presented by the pupils through the various subjects. The central idea serves as a guideline that structures and deepens the learning process.
Approaches to learning: Developing important skills
How do I learn?
In addition to the central ideas, students work on their “Approaches to Learning”. These include:
- Research skills
- Thinking skills
- Communication skills
- Self-management skills
- Social skills
These skills not only promote learning, but also support the children’s personal, social and emotional development.
My key concepts
Another key component of the IB program is the Learner Profile, which promotes the qualities students need to succeed in today’s world:
- Balanced, Caring, Communicator
- Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Open-minded
- Principled, Reflective, Risk-takers
- Thinkers
These attributes form the basis for sustainable, holistic education.
The learning profile: Characteristics for success
1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grade Program of Inquiry
Thinking in large contexts
Children also learn the six key concepts that sharpen thinking and perspective:
Shape, Perspective, Cause, Connection, Change, and Responsibility. These key concepts are complemented by “related concepts” – big ideas that are linked to the central themes and further stimulate children’s curiosity.
Inquiry-based learning
The combination of central ideas, approaches to learning, learning profiles and concepts provides the perfect foundation for inquiry-based learning. This transdisciplinary model enables our students to think for themselves, recognize connections and act successfully in a complex world.
Would you like to find out more about the PYP and the transdisciplinary learning method?
Discover the basics of the IB Primary Years Program on the official website
and find out how this method is shaping the future of learning.