Greenfield Community School – Teaching & Learning

Learning

We, at GCS, strongly believe that by choosing the appropriate approach to teaching we will enable our

students to take responsibility for their own learning experience. By doing that we will be assisting them

in growing into knowledgeable human beings always eager to improve and learn new things.

At the centre of this particular approach is the concept of “lear i g how to learn" and developing a

students' awareness of how they learn best. This is done through different strategies and processes that

are developed throughout the students GCS IB World Continuum learning experience.

Why the International Baccalaureate Curriculum?

Founded in 1968, The IB currently works with 3,698 schools in 147 countries to offer the four IB

programmes to approximately 1,151,000 students aged 3 to 19 years.

The International Baccalaureate “ai s to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people

who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to

develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These

programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong

learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right."

The IB is currently the fastest growing curriculum in the world and the reason for that is because the

curriculum itself is always updating to keep up with the changing way students learn and how

technology can help support that learning.

The philosophy, however, has remained the same – how can education help to create a more peaceful

world? The answers start with the IB Learner Profile.

Inquirers - Knowledgeable - Thinkers - Communicators - Open-minded - Caring - Risk-takers - Balanced -

Reflective

By developing the above character traits during a stude t’s 12 years of school, the IB creates a life-long

love of learning and intercultural acceptance and respect.

Integrated subject learning occurs through Units of Inquiry. These units come together across the main

curriculum areas of Languages; Mathematics; Social Studies; Science and Technology; The Arts; Physical

and Social Education.

Themes centre on the following questions – Who are we, Where are we in place and time, How can we

best express ourselves, How does the world work, How do we organize ourselves, How can we best

share our planet.

Our students explore and question. They make predictions and play with possibilities. They question

existing norms and act with purpose. They begin to understand that there are many ways to solve

problems. IB students do ’t memorize, but they do internalize.

They begin to evaluate at an early age how they learn best. Each student then takes a close look at

Approaches to Learning and tests various approaches that work best for them, thereby developing

strong study habits and organizational skills.

Both parents and educators all over the world are turning to the IB as a way not just to give students a

quality international education, but to better equip them to cope with the ever changing and transient

world we live in.

IB Programmes:

The IB offers four programmes for students aged 3 to 19. The programmes can be offered individually or

as a continuum by IB World Schools.

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) for students aged 3 to 12 started in 1997 and is now

offered by 1,115 IB World Schools. Primary Years Programme at a glance

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students aged 11 to 16 started in 1994 and is now

offered by 1,041 IB World Schools. Middle Years Programme at a glance

The Diploma Programme for students aged 16 to 19 started in 1968 with first examinations in

1970 and is now offered by 2,462 IB World Schools. Diploma Programme at a glance

The Career-related Certificate (IBCC) for students aged 16 to 19 is a new programme within the

IB.

What Makes the IB Program so Unique?

IB offers a continuum of education, consisting of four programmes for students aged 3 to 19.

IB Ensures high quality education sustained for over 35 years.

IB encourages international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, students must first develop

an understanding of their own cultural and national identity.

IB encourages a positive attitude to learning by boosting students to ask challenging questions,

to critically reflect, to develop research skills, to learn how to learn and to participate in

community service.

IB ensures that their programmes are accessible to students in a wide variety of schools—

national, international, public and private—through their unique relationship with IB World

Schools worldwide.

Please visit the ibo.org website to get more detail information.

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www.gcschool.ae