The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) at Westlink
The PYP marks the start of a lifelong journey. It develops caring and culturally aware children aged 6 – 12 to become active participants in their own learning. All classes have highly qualified and experienced teachers. Each class has an overseas qualified teacher and is supported by a locally qualified Vietnamese assistant teacher.
The PYP ensures that learning is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. A transdisciplinary and conceptual inquiry approach encapsulates these aspects of learning, underpinned by authentic integrated assessment.
Units of Inquiry
The PYP is based on transdisciplinary units of inquiry. Students undertake 6 units of inquiry each year which encourage them to inquire, think and learn. These units incorporate traditional subjects such as History, Geography, Science, and English.
Subjects
The vast majority of learning in elementary school takes place in the classroom, with the class teacher and assistant. Specialist teachers of Music, Drama, Art, Physical Education and Vietnamese work with the class teachers to provide a broad, balanced and rigorous program.
Both the traditional subject areas and the units of inquiry allow students to acquire and apply a set of transdisciplinary skills: social skills, communication skills, thinking skills, research skills, and self-management skills. These skills are relevant not just to learning whether formal and informal but more importantly to our ability to dream, strive and succeed.
PYP Gallery Walk
The PYP Gallery Walk is an engaging and interactive educational activity designed to showcase students’ learning journey and accomplishments within the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme framework. During a Gallery Walk, students proudly present their projects, artworks, inquiries, and reflections to their peers, teachers, and parents. The Gallery Walk not only highlights students’ academic achievements but also promotes essential skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. It serves as a platform for students to demonstrate their understanding, creativity, and growth as lifelong learners within the PYP framework.
PYP Exhibition
Students who are in Grade 5 (the final year of the Primary Year Program) are expected to carry out an extended, collaborative inquiry project, called the PYP Exhibition, under the guidance of their teacher and a mentor. This major assessment piece has a strong emphasis on synthesizing all the elements of the program. The Exhibition is the main event in the academic life of each student, as at the Exhibition, the students present the findings of their extended inquiry to family, friends and the wider community, and so demonstrate the attributes of the learner profile. It is an event not to be missed and marks the transition from elementary education to middle years.
Learner Profile in the PYP
The IB learner profile represents a broad range of human dispositions, capacities and traits that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. Developing and demonstrating the attributes of the learner profile is an expression of what the IB means by international-mindedness.
The IB learner profile permeates all facets of school life in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). All members of the learning community from the youngest learners to school leaders to parents, educators and beyond, have a responsibility to be guided by and demonstrate a commitment to the development of the IB learner profile attributes.
Find more about the IB Learner Profile here.
