Academics

Primary Years Programme (6-12 years)

CIS has designed a transdisciplinary curriculum based on the IB programme that draws together individual subject disciplines into a coherent whole. Our teaching aims to bring together research, knowledge, and experiences to create a curriculum that is relevant, challenging, engaging, and internationally minded. Instruction is in English and Norwegian with support for mother tongue students.

Throughout the Primary Years Programme students will be educated through transdisciplinary units of inquiry. Each year, students will work within six different themes that are universally important. This approach gives students the opportunity to learn important concepts without the restriction of subject boundaries.

The six themes for the Units of Inquiry

Who we are
An inquiry into the nature of self including beliefs and values, health, human relationships, and our rights and responsibilities as humans.
Where we are in place and time
An inquiry into orientation in place and time including personal histories, homes, journeys, and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations.
How we express ourselves
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express our ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values, and creativity.
How the world works
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws, the interaction between the natural world and human societies, and the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
How we organise ourselves
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities.
Sharing the planet
An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and other living things.

The Learner Profile

Incorporated in these transdisciplinary themes are six further specific areas: language, mathematics, science, social studies, art and personal, social and physical education.

While emphasis on subject disciplines will vary depending on individual units, the coverage of concepts, knowledge, skills, and attitudes is ensured through comprehensive curriculum mapping.

Students at an IBO-school learn through investigation (inquiry). The programme is a student based system that tries to educate children as a whole. The programme focuses on social participation and responsibility, as well as academic skills. The goals of the IBO programme are reflected in The Learner Profile. The Learner Profile is a set of ten attributes that the programme strives to develop in all students.

Want to learn more about PYP?

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The Learner Profile attributes

Inquirers
We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.
Knowledgeable
We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
Thinkers
We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators
We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
Principled
We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
Open-minded
We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring
We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.
Risk-takers
We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
Balanced
We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
Reflective
We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development

Middle Years Programme (11-16 years)

The programme recognises the student as an active learner, and aims to make the curriculum student-driven through inquiry based teaching and learning. The inquiry cycle, consisting of three phases, follows the individual learner’s active engagement in thinking (inquiry), doing (action) and critical cognition (reflection). Concepts are big ideas that have relevance within specific disciplines and across subject areas. MYP students use concepts to inquire into issues and ideas of personal, local and global significance.

Approaches to learning (ATL skills) is essential for the MYP programme; research skills, communication skills, social skills, thinking skills, and self-management skills. These skills work together to provide the students with tools that they will continue to use as lifelong learners and as global citizens of the world.

Community Project

Service as Action is important in all years of the MYP. The goal is for students to take action by applying what they are learning both in the classroom and beyond to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. In MYP year 4, the students complete a long-term community project, encouraging students to explore their right and responsibility to carry out service as action in the community. This project is student-centered and enables the students to engage in practical explorations through the inquiry cycle.

Want to learn more about MYP?

Visit ibo.org

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