IB PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME
The IB mission statement is “to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”
Mission Statement
The mission of International School Maximilian with the implementation of International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program is to develop lifelong learners who seek to improve the world through knowledge, inquiry, and reflection. OurSchool is committed to promoting a respectful community of independent and passionate lifelong learners who are aware of their roles and responsibilities in an ever-changing world. To this end, we offer a variety of learning experiences within a supportive and challenging environment of rigorous academic programs.
Vision Statement
International Baccalaureate learners embrace a holistic education that engages them intellectually to become creative problem solvers and socially to become empathetic global citizens. The learners participate in an internationally accredited curriculum to become confident lifelong learners. Moreover, they create a more caring environment. The learners are principled team members and leaders who display integrity, responsibility, and respect for the values of others in our international community.
The aim of our Primary School is to balance the acquisition of essential knowledge and skills with the cultivation of the spirit of creativity and curiosity. In order to attain this balance, students experience a well-rounded curriculum that promotes inquiry, critical thinking, communication, open-mindedness, and reflection. Pupils at this stage are encouraged to be independent thinkers and gain responsibility for their actions and choices. Our program is made up of the same core and foundation subjects covered in Preschool program. During the latter part, subject teaching becomes more defined especially in the core subjects of English, Maths, and Science. As students enter Year 6, they are prepared for the subject-oriented approach of the Secondary School and are expected to become more independent in planning and investing in their studies.
At International School Maximilian we strongly believe in the ideal that all teachers are language teachers and should promote the concept of communication in its variety of forms throughout the school community. Many of the students at the International School Maximilian are multilingual and are learning in a language that is not their mother tongue. Many students have two or three languages in their language profile. We recognize these identities and therefore ISM promotes a multicultural and multilingual learning environment, thus encouraging internationally minded individuals.
Effective learning depends on student engagement with the inquiry cycle: understanding → taking action → reflection → understanding. This life-long learning process is the focus of all aspects of our curriculum. Students are encouraged to question, challenge, think and rethink texts and their meanings. They are not only exposed to different forms of communication, but they study the languages by applying inquiry techniques to their own work. Through opportunities to collaborate with others, students develop their communication skills, which we believe will strengthen them as communicators.
ISM is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Candidate School for the PYP. At ISM we create a challenging and motivating multilingual environment where the language of instruction is English. We view language as a tool for making meaning in the world. We believe that every student has an individual and a cultural set of experiences, skills and interests, which must be considered in the teaching and learning process. For ISM, multilingualism and the development of critical literacy are considered important factors in fostering international-mindedness through the promotion of cultural identity, intercultural awareness and global citizenship.
At ISM, all teachers are language teachers as language transcends curriculum areas. Through the IB language programmes, we aim to develop confident, curious, highly proficient and enthusiastic readers, writers, viewers, presenters, speakers and listeners. Language is always taught meaningfully and in context . These contexts vary, but often involve the use of real-life scenarios, native speakers, the local area and a wide variety of text types. We advocate the learning of language through inquiry, allowing students to make connections with context, to explore and investigate. The learning of any language is developmental by nature, building constructively on what each individual student knows to help move them forward.
