TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016 • 12
BACK TO SCHOOL International Baccalaureate Program (IB) Presents Rigorous Academic Challenges Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It offers four highly respected programs of international education. Schools, including primary and high schools, must be authorized by the IB organization to offer the programs, which are designed “to develop the intellectual, personal, emotional, and social skills to live, learn, and work in a rapidly changing world.” Today, the IB Program includes 2,399 schools in 129 countries. The program has a well-earned reputation for high standards of teaching, pedagogical leadership, and student achievement. From the time of its founding, IB has emphasized a focus on world understanding. It is designed with the hope of helping students improve the world through knowledge and respect. Students who participate in the IB Program are challenged by its rigorous academic standards, and they are often rewarded by receiving advanced placement in college as well as having
experienced the opportunity to deepen their understanding and broaden their horizons. Forum for Educators Princeton Junior School (PJS) in Lawrence Township is the first independent school in New Jersey to receive the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) World School Authorization. The school serves students from pre-school through fifth grade, and all students from age three can participate in the program, says Susan Weintraub, Princeton Junior School IB PYP Coordinator. As she explains, “Our IB PYP ‘journey’ began in the spring of 2013 when we applied for candidacy. Just last month, Silvana Clark, Head of School, and I attended our first IB Conference of the Americas. The conference provided a forum for educators from all four programs in the IB continuum to discuss pedagogical leadership, educational quality, and international-mindedness. It was a powerful experience to see how the IB Primary Years Program philosophy and curricular framework connected our small New Jersey school
to a larger, global network.” The curriculum at PJS is closely tied to the 5 Essential Elements of the PYP, adds Ms. Weintraub. “These are Knowledge, Concepts, Skills, Attitudes, and Action. Students explore the following subjects: language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, spanish, performing arts (music and drama), visual arts, learning through landscapes, and PSPE (personal, social and physical education). “An important point to note is that these subject areas are not presented as isolated subjects. The IB PYP framework emphasizes concept-based learning, with focus on big ideas that are relevant within and across subject areas. “Having a shared philosophy and framework allows individual PYP schools worldwide to create curriculum designed to meet the needs of their students in different local and global contexts as they explore central ideas through the six overarching transdisciplinary themes (Who we are, Where we are in place and time, How we express ourselves, How the World works, How we
organize ourselves and Sharing the planet) that are universal, significant, timeless, and relevant to learners everywhere,” she continues. “While IB schools do not work from one identical curriculum, they operate from a shared curricular framework and approach to teaching and learning. These commonalities allow for collaboration across cultures and contexts.” Life-long Learning Ms. Weintraub explains that all IB World Schools are required to participate in an ongoing process of review and development guided by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) standards and practices. “This ensures that as educators, we are also committed to life-long learning, self-reflection, and growth in our professional lives” In addition, she notes, “The IB PYP emphasizes inquiry across disciplines and from multiple perspectives while providing learners with opportunities for collaboration and student-initiated investigations. IB PYP is committed to purposeful inquiry-based learning that actively engages children in their own learning by challenging students to pose questions, solve Continued on Next Page
A D M I S S I O N O P E N H O U S E : S U N D A Y, O C T O B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 A T 1 : 3 0 P. M . A Quaker, coeducational, boarding and
George School Admission Office
day school for students in grades nine
1690 Newtown Langhorne Road
through twelve. Located in historic Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Newtown PA 18940 215.579.6547 admission@georgeschool.org