At İSTEK Barış Kindergarten and İSTEK Barış Primary School, the national curriculum provided by the Ministry of National Education is enriched and implemented through the methods and techniques offered by the IB PYP – International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.
The IB PYP (Primary Years Programme) aims to support the academic, social, physical, emotional, and cultural development of students aged 3–12. PYP is an educational approach based on an international curriculum model that guides what students should learn, how teaching should be carried out, and which assessment strategies should be used.
The goal of the PYP is to help students become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective individuals. All these qualities form the "IB Learner Profile", which is at the core of the program. Throughout the program, students show development in demonstrating these attributes.
With its curriculum framework and educational approach, the program not only enables students to gain knowledge in various subjects but also helps them develop conceptual understanding, make connections between what they learn, understand the purpose behind their learning, develop positive attitudes, and strengthen their thinking, social, communication, research, and self-management skills through the activities they participate in. One of the fundamental goals of the program is to ensure that students turn their learning into action and take responsible steps. True learning happens when this is achieved.
Within our program, students work on six transdisciplinary units of inquiry throughout the year. These units are collaboratively taught by classroom teachers and branch teachers. In this way, students have the opportunity to see the connections between subjects. Rather than learning isolated pieces of information from different lessons, they notice how concepts are reflected across multiple disciplines and make connections, allowing them to see the bigger picture. This makes the learning process more meaningful for them. In their units, students also explore how the topics apply both in our country and around the world, helping them grow as individuals with international awareness.
As an inquiry-based program, the PYP aims to keep students’ natural curiosity active at all times. At our school, we view students not as passive receivers but as individuals who construct meaning at the center of the learning process. We do not assume that students learn only by listening to their teachers or that they come to class without any prior knowledge. At the beginning of each unit, we identify what students already know, and throughout the unit, we encourage them to share their questions and curiosities. When planning our lessons, we take into account both their prior knowledge and interests. This makes the lessons more engaging and meaningful.
Through group work and collaborative activities, our students learn both with and from one another. During this process, our teachers’ most important role is to create suitable learning environments, guide students in their learning journeys, and present the curriculum using student-centered, inquiry-based methods while considering their interests and curiosities. We believe that with the education they receive at our school, our students will continue to be lifelong learners both inside and outside the classroom.
At İSTEK Schools, social and emotional skills are supported through the Second Step Program. Developed by the Committee for Children and reaching 30 million children in 70 countries, the Second Step Program has been implemented at İSTEK Schools since the 2017–2018 academic year.
The Second Step Program, which supports social and emotional development in school settings, aims to reach every student from preschool through 4th grade with age-appropriate content. While the program helps improve social skills such as empathy, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and cooperation, it has also been observed to enhance academic achievement and contribute positively to school climate and student behavior.
