The GESM – International Section has been an accredited IB World School since 2011. It follows the Primary Years Programme, (PYP) an internationally devised programme for students aged 3-11 that focuses on the development of the whole child, both in the classroom and the world outside.

The International Baccalaureate Organization IBO was set up in the mid 60s by the International Schools Association in order to develop a truly independent international curriculum and philosophy for international schools. It is a non-profit organization with its head office in Geneva in neutral Switzerland to demonstrate it has no allegiance to any one country or national curriculum. Since its origins it has grown around the world becoming recognized as one of the leading systems of education and as an excellent qualification for University entrance.

The International Section made the decision that it was going to implement the Primary Years Programme because students engaged in the PYP will develop international-mindedness through a comprehensive, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning thereby encouraging the development of the whole child by addressing their academic, social, physical, emotional and ethical needs. It reflects real-life by encouraging learning beyond traditional subjects to make the learning more meaningful. It aims to equip students with the skills to succeed in a challenging world and to develop a positive attitude to life-long learning.

The PYP Curriculum
The PYP offers a balance between learning about or through different subject areas and learning beyond them. Students study six units of inquiry each year which are framed by six global themes:

• 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

Each unit of inquiry taught is planned collaboratively by the teachers and is significant, relevant, engaging and challenging for students.

Global themes as illustrated below.

The curriculum framework is further structured around three interrelated questions.

• What do we want to learn? The written curriculum
• How best will we learn? The taught curriculum
• How will we know what we have learned? The learned curriculum

Teachers assess students by selecting or designing methods of assessment appropriate to the learning outcomes they intend to capture.

Teachers also take into account the diverse, complicated and sophisticated ways that individual students use to develop and demonstrate their understanding.

The prime objective of assessing students' learning and performance is to give feedback to:

• students – to encourage the start of lifelong learning
• teachers – to support their reflection on what to teach and how to teach it
• parents – to highlight their child's learning and development

PYP Classrooms
The PYP classrooms are active in many ways. Students take initiative, assist each other, get their own resources and may work in different areas in the classroom. Different groups of students may be working on different projects at the same time. Students will often be involved in whole class discussions while the teacher will visibly record the content of the discussions, or may work individually and in smaller groups doing research or collecting information or working towards a performance or presentation. This discussion will be on display during the rest of the unit and will be referred to at a later stage. The Learner Profile as well as the central idea, lines of inquiry, and student questions of each unit will be visible in each classroom.

Exhibition
In their final yeas of the Primary Years Program (Grade 5) students  are expected to carry out an extended, collaborative inquiry project, known as the exhibition, under the guidance of their teachers. The exhibition represents a significant event in the life of both the school and student, synthesizing the essential elements of the programme and sharing them with the whole school community. It is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the learner profile that have been developing throughout their engagement with the programme.

Assessment in PYP
Students studying the PYP at GESM – International Section are continually assessed using a variety of methods including written reports, student-led conferences, portfolios and presentations. Assessment is integral to learning as it provides opportunities for the students to reflect on what they know, understand and can do. The teacher's feedback to the students provides the guidance, tools and incentive to help them become more competent and skilful learners who are better able to understand how to learn. Assessment focuses on the quality of student learning during the process of learning as well as the result.

http://www.ibo.org/pyp/