Primary Years Programme: A concept-driven curriculum

Central to the philosophy of the PYP is the principle that purposeful, structured inquiry is a powerful vehicle for learning that promotes meaning and understanding, and challenges students to engage with significant ideas.

A concept-driven curriculum supports inquiry. In the Junior School we actively use the eight key concepts, as set by the PYP framework, to help guide and drive our units of inquiry. These concepts are expressed as open-ended questions and provide the initial momentum and the underlying structure for the exploration of the content of our units.

Form: What is it like?

Function: How does it work?

Causation: Why is it like it is?

Change: How is it changing?

Connection: How is it connected to other things?

Perspective: What are the points of view?

Responsibility: What is our responsibility?

Reflection: How do we know?

By identifying concepts that have relevance within each subject area, and across and beyond the subject areas, the PYP has defined an essential element for supporting its transdisciplinary model of teaching and learning.

Mr Warwick Norman

Junior School Dean of Teaching & Learning