What is an IB Education?
An IB education complements the Beacon Academy philosophy of imagination, creativity and innovation by focusing on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and the outside world. Students are encouraged to develop independence, take responsibility for their own learning, establish personal values and become internationally-minded. As the PYP has evolved, the framework now accomodates support through three pillars of the curriculum: the learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community. At Beacon, we believe learning is a transformational experience, and the PYP is the best framework to facilitate this experience.
Student Agency
PYP students with agency take responsibility for their own learning. Students are encouraged to take initiative and to direct their own learning with confidence, courage and a strong sense of self-awareness, while working coorperatively with their peers. This helps build a strong sense of community and awareness of the opinions, values and needs of others
Social and Emotional Learning
In addition to academic excellence, students at Beacon Academy are expected to be socially and emotionally adept to deal with this ever-changing world. Our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum alons with the PYP learner profile attribute and attitude ensures that students cultivate the necessary skills to live a of success and contentment. Our curriculum covers the areas of: Self-awareness Self-management Social awareness Responsible decision making, and Relation skills
PYP Framework
Transdisciplinary learning in the PYP refers to learning that is not confined within the boundaries of traditional subjects but is supported and enriched by them. The PYP framework consists of six transdisciplinary themes: Who we are, Where we are in place and time, Where we express ourselves, How the world works, How we organise ourselves, Sharing the planet.
What does inquiry look like at Beacon Academy?
Inquiry is the process that recognizes students who are actively involved in their own learning and taking responsibility for that learning. At Beacon, students are:
• engaged in purposeful and authentic learning
• learning through experiences that involve discovery, collaboration, experimentation, problem-based learning and explicit teaching
• making connections between previous learning and current learning
• building student agency where voice, choice and ownership are emphasized
• encouraged to think, challenge and extend their ideas to deepen conceptual understandings
• Reflective and take action
ATL (Approaches to Learning)
Approaches to learning are skills which complement the other areas of the PYP programme. They consist of 5 interrelated skills; thinking skills, research skills, communication skills, social skills and self-management skills. These skills are based in the belief that learning how to learn is fundamental to a student’s academic and personal growth. At Beacon, these skills are integrated as part of the units of inquiry and as part of the classroom culture.