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IB PYP FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS


Key Concepts

Concepts are like the building blocks that help us make sense of the world, allowing us to see how everything is connected. In the PYP, they play a vital role in shaping a rich, well-rounded curriculum, moving us beyond memorising facts to truly understanding and exploring ideas.

In a concept-driven classroom at DPSGV, learning becomes an active process. Rather than just absorbing information, learners develop lasting insights. These insights come from revisiting big ideas that are timeless, universal and abstract, offering a framework for creative thinking. This approach is essential to the IB PYP program, as it promotes exploring complex ideas through a transdisciplinary lens.


Central Ideas

Units of inquiry start with a central idea, which serves as the overarching theme from which the inquiry develops. This central idea is timeless and relevant to the lives of learners, providing a foundation for exploring transdisciplinary themes.

Well-crafted central ideas invite learners to:

Think critically about local and global opportunities and challenges.

Recognize patterns.

Generalise, predict and make connections across their learning.

Transfer their understanding to different contexts.


Approaches to Learning

When learning about and through various subjects, students acquire skills that best facilitate their understanding of those subjects. For instance, in language, students develop literacy skills, while in mathematics, they enhance their numeracy. The acquisition of these foundational skills is essential, as they equip students with the tools necessary for inquiry.

In addition to literacy and numeracy, there is a range of interrelated approaches to learning (ATLs) that are transferable across different contexts. These skills support purposeful inquiry and lay the groundwork for lifelong learning.

Together, these ATLs enable students to think critically, conduct research, communicate effectively, socialize, and manage themselves successfully.

Embedded within the ATLs are digital literacy skills, which serve as invaluable resources for gathering and processing information, as well as for fostering critical and creative thinking, communication, and collaboration.


Lines of Inquiry

The purpose of the lines of inquiry is to clarify and develop an understanding of the central idea. Through the inquiry process, students move from current understandings to new and deeper understandings. This process involves exploring, wondering, questioning; experimenting and playing with possibilities; making connections between previous learning and current learning; making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens; collecting data and reporting findings; clarifying existing ideas and reappraising perceptions of events whilst applying concepts to deepen conceptual understandings.


Action in PYP

Initiated by our IB learners, PYP action is authentic, meaningful, mindful, responsible and responsive. Action can take various forms, including:

A change in attitude.

A consideration or plan for future action.

A demonstration of responsibility or respect for oneself, others, and the environment.

A commitment to leading or participating in a youth advocacy group.

Engagement in school decision-making or expressing support for community and global decision-making.


Put graphic of 5 types of action-


Language Learning

At DPSG Vasundhara, language learning goes beyond vocabulary and grammar; it empowers learners with essential linguistic, analytical, and communication skills, fostering a deeper, transdisciplinary understanding of the world. Language educators work closely with homeroom mentors to create seamless connections between the central idea and key concepts of each unit.

Starting at the age of 5, learners have the opportunity to study more than one language, supporting the development of multilingualism and promoting intercultural understanding.

NOTE: We offer Hindi as an additional language alongside English, the language of instruction. Starting from Class 4, the school also provides opportunities to learn Sanskrit, French, and Japanese, exposing learners to the diverse benefits of language acquisition.


Reading Program (UNIQUE AT DPSG VASUNDHARA) – PUT PHOTOGRAPHS

The DPSG Vasundhara reading program adds significant value to classroom activities. It is well-designed to enhance primary education, laying a strong foundation for future learning and personal growth. The program focuses on pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading activities. By prioritising reading, we aim to cultivate knowledgeable, thoughtful and well-rounded individuals.

What Makes the Program Stand Out:

1. Develops essential literacy skills, including phonics, vocabulary and comprehension.

2. Stimulates cognitive development, enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving.

3. Improves language proficiency.

4. Fuels creativity and imagination.

5. Builds attention and concentration.

6. Fosters empathy and social understanding.

7. Instils a lifelong love for reading.


Power of Play in Early Years

The PYP transdisciplinary framework is designed to support the development of key cognitive and social-emotional abilities. This approach reflects how early learners learn - through questions and curiosity that extend across and beyond subjects (Gardner and Boix Mansilla, 1999). Play in children's development underscores the importance of providing a developmentally appropriate environment where young children can learn at their own pace (Rushton, Juola-Rushton, and Larkin, 2010).

Inquiring through play in the early years supports the notion that learning is an active process. Healthy learning environments and supportive relationships, created and demonstrated by the learning community, further support this learning process. When these elements are in place, children respond with curiosity, imagination, creativity and agency. Through this active inquiry process, they naturally develop language ability, practise symbolic exploration and expression, and become self-regulated learners.


{Admissions are now open for the session 2025-2026! We’re excited to welcome new students to DPSG Vasundhara, where a holistic and inclusive learning experience awaits through both the CBSE and IB PYP curriculums. Register today!}


Citations:

https://resources.ibo.org/pyp/works/pyp_11162-51465?root=1.6.2.6.5.3

https://misp.org/primary-years-programme/