Tag: Primary

Is your school new to implementing the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and its Seven Foundations?

Like all curricula offered by the International Curriculum Association, the IPC is driven by seven underpinning foundations that ensure the framework remains learning-focused and puts the goal of Improving Learning at the centre of what we do.

The Seven Foundations also form part of the comprehensive criteria and rubrics for the curriculum, which enables schools and ICA to evaluate whether a school is meeting the quality expectations of implementing the IPC and achieving Recognition and Accreditation. Below is a brief summary of each Foundation:

Foundation 1 – Learner-focused Personal, International and Subject Learning Goals

Learning should be at the core of what every good school does, and the overarching question the International Curriculum asks is: ‘How does this improve learning?’. The Learning Goals are organised into three distinct but connected sections: Subject, Personal and International Learning Goals and emphasise the holistic development of children. The clearly sequenced Learning Goals help schools, teachers and leaders to identify what children have learned before they talk about what children have done.

Foundation 2 – A Progressive Pedagogy

The design of the IPC is informed by a variety of learning theories which promote progressive pedagogy in schools, to improve learning for children all around the world. The four distinct pedagogies include:

– Brain-based learning – transferring information and knowledge from working memory into  long-term memory to improve learning

– Constructivist pedagogy – connecting new knowledge to prior knowledge and actively constructing meaning

– Experiential and active learning – hands on (doing) and minds on (reflecting) activities leading to deeper and more complex levels of engagement

– Metacognition – improving learning through reflection on what they are learning, how they are learning, and how learning might be improved

Foundation 3 – A Process to Facilitate Learning for All

All IPC units follow the researched-informed Process to Facilitate Learning, with the learner at the centre. This is structured to ensure that children’s learning experiences are stimulating and effective:

Foundation 4 – Globally Competent Learners

All schools have the potential to develop globally competent students. It is crucial for learners to develop not only a strong interest in their own and other cultures and a deep understanding of multiple perspectives, but also a keen desire to help shape local and global communities through actions that impact positively on society.

Foundation 5 – Knowledge, Skills and Understanding are taught, learned and assessed differently

Across the IPC, Knowledge, Skills and Understanding are all considered valuable and are sufficiently distinct to be taught, learned and assessed differently. Our Learning Goals always make it explicit whether Knowledge, Skills or Understanding is being learned. Teachers are encouraged to ask children to consider what they are learning, what type of learning it is and how they are learning it.

Foundation 6 – Connected Learning

Connected learning enables students to see the wider context of their learning and to make connections both through and across different subjects. For example, in the IPC, subjects are integrated both independently and interdependently into different thematic units of learning so that learners can engage in dialogue from different viewpoints. Children should harness the power of connections and be able to answer the question: How is this learning relevant to me now and in the future?

Foundation 7 – Assessment for Improving Learning

In the IPC, assessment serves the purpose of improving learning. Formative assessment should take place regularly to allow for instructional adaptations, revised goal setting, feedback or even curriculum compacting. One of the greatest benefits of Assessment for Improving Learning is that it helps to develop metacognition which enables children to become more independent and committed learners.

Do you want to learn more about how to effectively implement the IPC?

Would you like to receive guidance to ensure your school’s curriculum is underpinned by the Seven Foundations? Get in touch to learn more about our new service, Coaching for Implementation, which offers personalised 1-1 support from one of our specialists throughout your first year of implementation.

To mark the United Nations (UN) International Equal Pay Day on 18 September, we have introduced a new optional gender equality unit for our International Primary Curriculum (IPC).

The unit forms part of its ‘SDG Challenge Series’, which gives primary school students the opportunity to develop global competence through learning linked to each of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Gender equality is the focus of SDG 5, and IPC learners at participating schools will learn how to improve the lives and treatment of women and girls around the world through its new multidisciplinary unit.

According to research conducted by the Fawcett Society, 45% of young people experience gender stereotyping that expects them to behave in a certain way. This highlights the importance of learning about gender equality from a young age.

Jacqueline Harmer, Head of the International Primary Curriculum, said: “The international education community has a responsibility to improve students’ capacities to positively impact the world, and I am absolutely delighted to announce the launch of our new IPC unit which focuses on gender equality. It is clear that experiences during childhood have a significant impact on people’s outlook with regards to gender equality, and we have a real opportunity to shift the dial on creating a more equal society through education.”

The new unit will explore gender equality primarily through Creative Arts and Drama. Students will use Drama and Art as tools for research and will be encouraged to explore female representation in both disciplines and how it has changed throughout history, as well as learning about historical figures who have campaigned for gender equality. Teachers will also be empowered to analyse whether there is equal gender representation within their own curriculum.   

Jacqueline Harmer added: “By utilising our framework of research influenced and culturally responsive curriculum materials, educators are able to deliver learning experiences that not only improve learners’ opportunities to succeed in later life, but to positively influence the world in the present. I am pleased that IPC learners will now be able to benefit from a learning unit which has been designed to empower girls and women, develop empathy and, importantly, encourage children to use their skills and understanding to positively impact their communities.”

The IPC is delivered to students aged 5 – 11 years old and it supports their Academic, Personal, and International development.