Elementary School
Learning in the Elementary School is focused on developing international mindedness. Our diversity is a strength that enriches the community, and our learning program fosters intercultural understanding and appreciation. We place a strong emphasis on how students learn as well as what they learn. We value the development of the whole child in all areas of learning. Through Inquiry learning, we aim for students to develop confidence in their own abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. Students are supported and nurtured in their social, emotional and physical development, as well as in their creativity, linguistic knowledge and skills within and across the subjects. We encourage students to take ownership of their learning, become critical thinkers and believe they can take action to make a difference in the world. Learning is designed to prepare them to become active, caring and thinking participants within a peaceful and sustainable future.
Transdisciplinary Units
Learning is organized around six transdisciplinary themes, listed below, within our Program of Inquiry. These are considered essential in the context of an international education. The themes have global significance for all students in all cultures and offer them the opportunity to explore the commonalities of human experience.
Who we are | Where we are in place and time | How we express ourselves |
How we organize ourselves | How the world works | Sharing the planet |
The themes connect multiple subject areas and encourage students to explore concepts through research using unit related texts, online resources and community experts as well as in hands-on, experiential ways. Inquiry learning encourages students to think critically and creatively, and collaborate with others. In order to conduct purposeful inquiry and to be well prepared and open to continually learning in their future lives, students need to master a range of transferable skills beyond those that are subject specific. These skills - communication, social, thinking and research and self-management - are valuable, not only in learning that goes on within the classroom, but also in life outside the school.
The IB Learner Profile
The IB learner profile represents a broad range of human capacities and dispositions that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. The learner profile attributes are embedded in all learning and school life and underpin the commitment to supporting students in developing international mindedness.