PYP

As of January 2024, James B. McPherson Elementary School has achieved authorization as a Primary Years Programme (PYP) school. Aligned with the International Baccalaureate (IB) philosophy, we are committed to providing high-quality, challenging, and internationally focused education, which we consider essential for the development of our students.

Since its inception, the Primary Years Programme has left a profound impact on students aged 3–12 and their school communities globally, influencing the trajectory of international education. Grounded in transdisciplinary, inquiry-based, and student-centered approaches with responsible action at its core, the PYP has maintained its reputation as a trusted, timeless, and transformative educational model.

In response to the evolving challenges and opportunities in our rapidly changing world and in alignment with global education movements towards fostering lifelong learners, the PYP has undergone a future-focused evolution. The PYP curriculum framework places a significant emphasis on the central principle of agency, interwoven throughout the three pillars of the curriculum: the learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community. By enhancing the "written, taught, and assessed" curriculum with human elements—the learner and the learning community—it underscores that everyone in the school community possesses a voice, choice, and ownership to influence learning and teaching. These holistic components complement and reinforce each other, creating a cohesive and comprehensive educational experience.

 

The learner pillar delineates the outcomes for individual students and the goals they set for themselves, answering the question: "What is learning?" The learning and teaching pillar articulates the distinctive features of learning and teaching, addressing the query: "How best to support learners?" Lastly, the learning community pillar underscores the importance of the social outcomes of learning and the role that IB communities play in achieving these outcomes, exploring the question: "Who facilitates learning and teaching?"