Introduction

The initial aim of the Early Childhood Centre programme is to provide the children with a happy and secure atmosphere within the school framework.  There is a sympathetic approach to, and awareness of, the very diverse learning needs of each individual. The ECC makes provision for the different starting points from which children develop their learning, building on what they can already do. Planned activities relate specifically to the developmental characteristics of the pre-school child.  The relevant and appropriate content of these activities match the different levels of young children’s needs.  They are designed to promote:

• The use and comprehension of the language of instruction
• Early concepts of number
• Gross and fine motor skills
• Spatial and environment awareness
• Acceptable social and work habits
• Confidence and independence

For many children these years also mark the first transition from the home to group experience outside of the family and to the new physical environment.  It is important to give the children in the Early Childhood Centre and those new to the school, time to adjust to their new environment and feel secure. The ECC values the partnership between staff and parents in supporting each individual child.  

At the International School of Lausanne, The Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) has been adopted as the primary philosophy and curriculum framework of our school. The PYP “emphasizes the importance of children making connections between their experience and the incremental pieces of new information they encounter. The programme supports the child’s struggle to gain understanding of the world and to learn to function comfortably within it, to move from not knowing to knowing, to identifying what is real and what is not real, to acknowledging what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. To do this the child must integrate a great deal of information and apply this accumulation of knowledge in a cohesive and effective way” (IBO, 2001).

Through structured units that cover global themes and skill acquisition, instruction is delivered using an inquiry-based approach. Inquiry encourages children to bring their previous knowledge and understanding to actively engage in exploring new areas of knowledge. As the basis of instruction, “inquiry involves the synthesis, analysis and manipulation of knowledge, whether through play for younger children or through more formally structured learning in the primary years” (IBO, 2001). Teaching is thoroughly planned and structured in such a way as to allow students to make connections, gain knowledge and skills, collaborate, research and form new conceptual understandings of their world and how it works. The children’s natural curiosity is strongly encouraged.

The International School of Lausanne has developed a set of units to be taught each year appropriate for each year level. It is intended that the units build upon the knowledge gained in the previous school year. We believe that together with subject-specific curriculum, the programme of inquiry provides “a comprehensive, well-balanced curriculum that requires children to reflect on their roles and responsibilities and to participate fully in the learning process. The concepts help the teacher to make the classroom a stimulating and provocative place, where the child’s point of view, supported by knowledge, skill, reflection and understanding is both valued and made useful” (IBO, 2001).

References

Primary Years Programme Monograph, International Baccalaureate Organization.

Young children need extended periods of time and as much space as possible to explore, investigate and play, both in and out of doors.  ECC provides spaces for reading, writing, art, construction, imaginative play, science and technology, with a wide variety of appropriate resources in each. Children’s interactions in and with these spaces stimulates them to become active learners, by providing ongoing opportunities for them to:

• make choices and decisions
• use materials in flexible and imaginative ways
• initiate inquiry and ask questions
• work collaboratively with others
• sustain their interests and extend their knowledge
• develop understanding

Assessment

Information about what children have done and said is gathered through observation and recorded.  Talking to children, assessing outcomes such as models, paintings, designs, drawings or ‘writing’ gives insights into what children know, understand and can do.  Assessment gives insight into children’s interests, achievements and possible difficulties in their learning or particular abilities from which next steps in learning and teaching can be planned. 

Staff share with and receive from parents, information about children’s achievements and targets.  Parents have important information that supports staff planning for, and work with children.

Assessment at ISL Primary School

Assessment is an integral part of all teaching and learning. The purposes of assessment are to provide information about student learning, to inform teachers about the needs of students in order to plan accordingly, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. As ISL Primary School moves forward with the PYP curriculum we will review and refine our assessment practices. Good assessment practices insure that the assessments are linked very clearly to the expected outcomes of a unit of study. Assessment is an ongoing process which provides valuable insight into student understanding, knowledge, skills and attitudes. It also allows teachers to differentiate instruction based on the individual needs of each student. Feedback from assessment allows for improvement of the overall program that is offered at ISL.

• helps to diagnose and demonstrate an individual student’s strengths, weaknesses, styles of learning and progress,
• helps teachers to plan the next stage of learning for individual students and groups,
• assists teachers in the evaluation of their teaching strategies,
• provides information for parents about their child’s ability and progress,
• allows for the analysis of the effectiveness of the curriculum.

Assessment will:

• be an integral part of teaching and learning
• be an open process with purpose and procedure clearly articulated,
• be firmly grounded in objective criteria,
• make use of formative, summative and diagnostic approaches and utilise multiple sources of information.

Records of progress will be maintained.

Please note

For a student to be accepted into Reception 3, he/she must be:

• toilet trained and be able to ask to go to the toilet
• able to feed him/herself and use a cup or beaker
• able to put on his/her own shoes, not necessarily be able to fasten them
• able to take off and put on clothing which has been unfastened
• able to walk up and down stairs unaided
• able to empathise, to some degree, with other children
• able to follow simple instructions given by an adult