Primary Years Programme It has been another hugely exciting and energetic year as we have embraced and celebrated more and more events in the Primary School that demonstrate our commitment to, and growth of, the PYP. Underpinning the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a commitment to developing lifelong learners who thrive and make a difference. As 2022 has unfurled, it has been evident that Primary School is rich with opportunities for students to grow in knowledge, skills and abilities that equip them to take action and make the world a better place. This year has seen significant progress with our PYP Action Plan, PYP events, and a deeper understanding of Transdisciplinary learning. Since our 2020 PYP IB Evaluation, we have addressed many of the recommendations set by the IB. Working in small collaborative focus groups, we have reflected on and identified ways to improve each. One such area has been establishing an agreed definition and understanding of what transdisciplinary learning means at CGS. Transdisciplinary learning explores a relevant concept, issue or problem that integrates the perspectives of multiple disciplines to connect new knowledge and deeper understanding to real-life experiences. What this has meant on a more practical level is that in our planning meetings, we are more confident to talk about learning from a holistic perspective. We have initiated ‘anchor’ meetings where all teachers and the academic team discuss the UOI from a literacy, mathematics, science, HaSS, health, and arts perspective. We have seen how we can embed some of these subject areas more authentically and teach through the lens of the PYP concepts (form, function, change, causation, connection, perspective, responsibility). These anchor meetings have helped us establish clear understandings and directions for each unit. Our significant PYP events this year were the PYP walk, Showcases and Year 6 Exhibition. The PYP walk focus of 2022 was to highlight the six PYP Transdisciplinary Themes. These themes are globally and socially driven and provide a starting point for how we structure our units of inquiry: • Who We Are • Sharing The Planet • How We Express Ourselves • How The World Works • How We Organise Ourselves • Where We Are In Place And Time Our PYP walk displays demonstrated how students think critically, creatively and problem-solve. Across both our Campbell and Red Hill campuses, each display resulted from learning from one of our examples of transdisciplinary learning. Whether art and mathematics, engineering and technology, literacy and geography, the interrelated dynamics of disciplines were evident. A diverse range of student work on display showed student voice, choice, and agency. An interactive Science and Technology exhibit in the Library and Music Performances at both campuses was highlighted throughout the afternoon.
11 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
