Since the enhanced Primary Years Programme documentation was released in October 2018 (PYP: From principles into practice), I have been updating the PYP placemat I previously created for teachers and students at Kaposia Education Center, an IB World School to support their implementation of the PYP. Some changes were easy to make. I took out reflection as a key concept. I removed the action cycle and replaced it with the five different forms of action articulated in the new documentation. However, the back of the placemat proved more difficult to bring up-to-date. I was able to easily replace the new ATL sub-skills, but defining them in student-friendly language seemed like a difficult task to do alone. So, I waited until yesterday when I was able to work with the amazing Kaposia educators to create definitions of all the ATL sub-skills (and sub-sub-skills) that even our youngest learners will be able to understand. The following is the product of our work together. My hope is that the teachers and students at Kaposia, along with others at authorized or candidate PYP schools, are able to use this PYP Placemat to help them more deeply implement the robust international Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate. Click the images below to be linked to the PDF version of the placemat that can be printed and copied.
Central to the mission of the International Baccalaureate Organization is to "develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." In order to accomplish this goal, authorized IB programs use the IB Learner Profile, a set of "10 attributes valued by IB World Schools. We believe these attributes, and others like
them, can help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities."
In our PYP, we introduce the IB Learner Profile to our kindergarten students right away when they start the year with us and throughout the next subsequent six years, continue to provide students with opportunities to further develop their understanding of these 10 attributes. Our students collaboratively create classroom displays, highlight particular attributes when reading and recognize when those around them demonstrate attributes of an internationally-minded person.
In addition to these and the many other ways we bring the IB Learner Profile to the center of our life at our PYP, we also sing about it as a way to remember, understand and celebrate the IB Learner Profile. Check out these second graders singing "We're Internationally-Minded!", an original song we created at our school about the IB Learner Profile. Can you figure out which learner profile attributes they're singing about in the verses? All 10 are mentioned! If you want to sing this song with your students, check out the lyrics below. If you want to play along, here is a copy of the lyrics with the guitar chords. Note: The second graders in the video are chanting "K-A-P-O-S-I-A" to celebrate our school, but you can easily change the lyric to fit your Primary Years Program.
We’re Internationally-Minded!
Verse 1 We’re curious and we love to learn. Knowing the big idea is our concern. We are responsible and act with honesty.
We show compassion to all our friends. We truly care for them, it's not pretend. We can express ourselves and listen carefully.
Chorus We know, inquire, and care and we are thinkers. We’re principled and balanced and risk-takers. We communicate, reflect, we’re open-minded. (chant school name): We’re internationally-minded! (x2)
Verse 2 We use our thinking skills to make decisions. We value other cultures and traditions. We think about the world and ourselves thoughtfully.
We balance different aspects of our lives. Take care of mind and body, to survive. We’re brave and take risks when faced with uncertainty.
Chorus
Bridge We’re all in this together. There’s just one human race. We want to make Earth better, to bring peace to this place. If not now, then when? If not us, then who? It’s all up to me and you, you, you!
