IB Program
What is International Baccalaureate (IB)?
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is a nonprofit educational foundation established in 1968 that is a global leader in international education. IB currently works with over 6,200 schools in 163 countries to develop and offer three challenging programs to over 1,950,000 students aged 3 to 19 years. IB helps develop programs that empower school-aged students to take ownership in their own learning and help them develop future-ready skills to make a difference and thrive in a world that changes fast.
Cook's IB Primary Years Program (PYP)
The Primary Year's Program is for students ages 3-12. Students are provided with a rigorous transdisciplinary curriculum that challenges students to deepen their conceptual understanding and knowledge across subject areas. Students explore topics with global significance as they are guided to deepen their learning through collaboration and questioning.
Inquiry-Based Learning
Under the IB PYP program, learning is organized around guided inquiry rather than rote memorization.
Students:
- Ask meaningful questions
- Investigate real-world problems
- Construct understanding
Cook's IB PYP, helps develop critical thinkers who are curious, independent, while helping students make long lasting connections to concepts, content, and standards of learning.
Conceptual Understanding
Under the IB PYP program, learning is planned and designed around central ideas and inquiry.
Students:
- Learn through six interdisciplinary themes
- Reflect on their learning and actions
- Transfer learning from year to year
Cook's IB PYP, builds reflection into the learning process. Students explain their thinking, consider multiple perspectives, and refine their understanding over time leading to deeper learning.
Action and Agency
The IB PYP program encourages action and student agency by deliberately designing learning so that students own their learning, make meaningful choices, and apply understanding in authentic ways.
Students:
- Have a voice, choice, and ownership
- Advocate, innovate, and create change
- Are empowered to take meaningful action
Reflection
As a part of the IB PYP program, reflection is a core practice for both students and teachers, and is embedded structurally, pedagogically, and culturally across the programs.
Students:
- Reflect during learning
- Reflect after learning
- Reflect after action
Teachers:
- Reflect during planning and prep
- Reflect during and after teaching learning
IB Learner Profiles
| Profile Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Inquirers | Curious! They get the skills to learn things for themselves. They like to learn. |
| Knowledgable | They explore concepts and ideas that are important to them and to the whole world. They learn lots of things in lots of areas. |
| Thinkers | They think for themselves to make decisions and be creative when solving problems. |
| Communicators | They understand and express ideas and information confidently, creatively, and in more than one language. They work well with others. |
| Principled | They are honest, fair and show respect to all others. They take responsibility for their own actions. |
| Open-minded | They understand their own culture and history and are willing to learn from others who are different. They listen to different points of view and learn from them. |
| Caring | They are kind and respectful and try not to hurt others' feelings. They try to make a good difference in other people's lives and in the world. |
| Risk-takers | They think about new things and then bravely try them out. They stand up for what they believe. |
| Balanced | They understand that they need to use their body, brain, and feelings. |
| Reflective |
They think about what they have learned and done. They know what they are good at and what they need to get better at. |
