Making parents partners in education

It takes a little while to fully understand the IB Primary Years Programme and how we approach teaching and learning in the Academy Junior School. We strive to familiarise our parents with the programme through a series of orientation sessions spread across the year. These have proved to be hugely successful, with parents attending each session, eager to learn and take part in the varied activities we prepare. Our aim is for parents to get a taste of what their children get in terms of learning engagements, so we set up all sorts of activities for them to experience. 

The fundamental philosophy behind the PYP is constructivism -  the learner constructing their own understanding of the world. Through the hands-on activities and supporting lectures, parents too learn about the programme in this way. Usually the activities are collaborative in nature, giving a chance for everyone to mingle and get to know each other. Parents come to understand the curriculum framework and how the learning engagements are structured and planned. 

Following the initial introductory orientation and a session on parenting in August 2017 at the start of the academic year, this month we have held two sessions giving further insight into what happens in the classroom. One session on November 11^th, Learning through Inquiry, and one on November 25^th, Language and Maths in the PYP were both incredibly well-received by parents. 

The most common feedback we get is, “Why didn’t we get to learn like this when we were at school?”

Written by Chloe Hill, IB PYP Coordinator