International Primary Curriculum

VIBGYOR High* is the first school in India to implement the International Primary Curriculum. The curriculum created by Fieldwork Education, which manages Shell International schools all round the world, is based on the latest brain research.

Research suggests that 90% of what we know about how brain works has been learned in the last ten years. Curriculum programmes that set out to help children learn must take this information into account.

Each IPC curriculum unit focuses on four key elements:

Learning is about making connections: Interdependence of subjects in each unit helps children whilst history, geography and science are separate subjects they also connect in a number of important ways.

Children have a variety of learning styles: Every IPC research activity is designed to make sure that children can access information in a way that is appropriate to them.

Children have multiple intelligences: IPC has carefully planned the use of multiple intelligences throughout every unit.

Learning takes place best in a state of ‘relaxed alertness’: The work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has shown that there are optimum conditions for learning – a state of ‘relaxed alertness’ or ‘high challenge, low stress’. IPC is set out to help teachers create ‘relaxed’ but ‘alert’ classrooms. Children’s engagement is helped by choosing themes which interest children and activities within those themes that are interesting, enjoyable and fun.

Memory is about hooks: One of the key discoveries about memory is that it seems to be about ‘hooking’ what wehave learned so that we can retrieve it more easily. When children learn through IPC programme they develop a range of hooks to help memory become active.

International Primary Curriculum is recommeded by University of Cambridge International Examination (CIE) for primary school program along with Cambridge International Primary Program.

For additional information on International Primary Curriculum visit the IPC website: www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com

* Currently available at VIBGYOR High, Mumbai, starting June 2008

ISA membership

VIBGYOR High is a member of International Schools Association, Geneva . ISA, the senior most organization in the world of international education, aimed at promoting a curriculum framework for Peace Education and Sustainable Development decided on VIBGYOR High as their Member School . As a member of one of the oldest such organizations, VIBGYOR High will integrate ISA's highly acclaimed curriculum for peace and sustainability as part of its curriculum. Through this membership, VIBGYOR High will identify opportunities for all the communities of the school, especially the students and teachers to experience and learn from the various services and projects of ISA.

To nourish excellence in education, VIBGYOR HIGH will implement various services of ISA, which will comprise of ISA Oral English Examinations , Education for Peace resources- Education for Sustainability.

The ISA offers Oral English Examinations on a one to one basis with a visiting examiner. This series of examinations offers Elementary (8 year olds), Primary (10 year olds), Intermediate (13 year olds) and Advanced (15 - 16 year olds) levels. They are intended for students who are not fully bilingual in English but who have a reasonably good level of fluency and understanding.

Education for Peace - is a conceptual framework from which schools may devise a program comprising the transmission of universal values and enduring attitudes, and the development of skills, which will enable our students to become active global citizens.

Education for Sustainability - this curriculum framework describes those elements, which we feel are fundamental to teaching and learning in the ISA schools in the area education for sustainability.

All schools follow a common curriculum and ideology. While being culturally sensitive to the vast geography of the nation, all policies are based on the underlying values that are common across the world and aim to give every child a holistic education.

ISA encourages their Member Schools to become active Members of ISA by participating in its annual international Events, particularly its Youth Leadership Seminars and Conferences. ISA's annual bulletin called "ISA News" invites articles, news items and examples of the student's work of its Member Schools.