Our Curriculum
Introduction to the Curriculum at Kowloon Junior School
Kowloon Junior School is a candidate school for the IBO Primary Years Program. Over the next 18 months we will be working towards becoming an accredited IB PYP school. The curriculum follows the Primary Years Program (PYP) which emphasis “the importance of children making connections between their experience and the incremental pieces of new information they encounter. The programme supports the child’s struggle to gain understanding of the world and to learn to function comfortably within it, to move from not knowing to knowing, to identifying what is real and what is not real, to acknowledging what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. To do this the child must integrate a great deal of information and apply this accumulation of knowledge in a cohesive and effective way” (IBO, 2007).
The IB Primary Years Program is a curriculum framework that aims to achieve a balance between the search for meaning and understanding and the acquisition of essential skills and knowledge. In addition to the academic program PYP offers encourages nonacademic learning that supports the development of the whole child including social, physical, emotional and cultural awareness by teaching the PYP attitudes and student profile attributes.
The PYP uses six themes at each grade level that transcend the traditional subject disciplines to create “big ideas” that are universally relevant and therefore could be studied in any school around the globe. The ISL curriculum content fits naturally into the units of inquiry, although the instructional approach changes dramatically. The instructional approach for these units is inquiry-based which extends the students prior knowledge and provokes further inquiry on the part of the student.
Click here to view our current POI for 2008 / 2009
Six Organizing Themes
The six units of inquiry (four units for R3 and R4) are developed around six organizing themes that provide the Reception 3 to Year 6 scope and sequence of the international program and are organized to reflect global concepts.
Who We Are: An exploration of the nature of the self; or our beliefs and values, of personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health, of our families, friends, communities and cultures, of our rights and responsibilities, of what it means to be human.
Where We Are in Place and Time: An exploration of our orientation in place and time, of our personal histories, of history and geography from local and global perspectives, of our homes and journeys, of the discoveries, exploration and migrations of humankind, of the contributions of individuals and civilizations.
How We Express Ourselves: An exploration of the ways in which we discover and express our nature, ideas, feelings, beliefs and values through language and the arts.
How The World Works: An exploration of the physical and material work, of natural and man-made phenomena, of the world of science and technology.
How We Organize Ourselves: An exploration of human systems and communities, of the world of work, its nature and its value, of employment and unemployment and their impact on us and the world around us.
Sharing the Planet: An exploration of our rights and responsibilities as we strive to share finite resources with other people and with other living things, of communities and of the relationships within and between them.
In an effort to enter the ‘global’ community our students study:
Issues related to world history and human conflict and the impact this has had on their world.
- Issues related to the quality of life on our planet such as pollution, global warming, de-forestation, habitats and conservation are introduced to develop skills of empathy and pro-active thinking.
- Issues related to geographical topics of economic development and human population, its cultural diversity and movement.
We aim to inspire our students to be active members of their environment and challenge them to think, create and develop the world around them.
Learners at KJS will strive to be:
Inquirers
They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives. (IBO,2007)
Knowledgeable
They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines. Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions. (IBO,2007)
Communicators
They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others. (IBO,2007)
Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them. (IBO,2007)
Open-minded
They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience. (IBO,2007)
Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others.They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. (IBO,2007)
Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs. (IBO,2007)
Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others. (IBO,2007)
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development. (IBO,2007)
The 5 essential elements of the program are:
Concepts - What do we want students to understand?
Eight fundamental concepts, expressed as key questions, propel the process of inquiry and help to encourage a transdisciplinary perspective. These concepts drive the research units called units of inquiry which teachers and students design and which lie at the heart of the curriculum model.
The concepts are the following:
- 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?
Skills:
What do we want students to be able to do?
The five sets of transdisciplinary skills acquired in the process of structured inquiry are: thinking, communication, social, research and self management skills.
Attitudes:
What do we want students to feel, value and demonstrate?
The programme promotes and fosters a set of attitudes that include tolerance, respect, integrity, independence, enthusiasm, empathy, curiosity, creativity, cooperation, confidence, commitment and appreciation.
Action:
How do we want students to act?
Students are encouraged to reflect, to make informed choices and to take action that will help their peers, school staff and the wider community.
Knowledge:
The Primary Years Programme identifies a body of significant knowledge for all students in all cultures, in six principal subject areas: language; social studies; mathematics, science and technology; the arts; personal, social and physical education.
A PYP school is expected to provide for the teaching of an additional language other than the school’s language of instruction in order to support the international perspective of the curriculum. The additional language offered at Kowloon Junior School is Mandarin.
