Vision 2024 – Lifelong Learning

What is IB Education?

The International Baccalaureate ® (IB) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968 as a non-profit educational foundation. It offers high-quality and challenging educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools, aiming for better, more peaceful world.

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who recognise their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet.

Currently, IB programme is being offered in over 5,000 schools internationally with more than 85,000 teachers trained annually. In Pakistan only 32 schools are IB certified.

Primary Years Programme (PYP)

The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), for students aged 3-12, focuses on the development of whole child as an inquirer, both in classroom and in world outside. The PYP is transdisciplinary and flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national curriculums including Pakistan's national curriculum.

IB's international and widely recognised research-based approach develops internationally minded peoples which makes it a unique educational programme to follow.

AIS IB PYP

AIS plans to become the only medium cost school to offer IB inspired education to its learners. IB PYP has been proven to be academically more successful and the transdisciplinary approach helps students develop skills and values which are necessary for a globalised world.

In Phase I, starting March 2020 we will start implementing IB themes (PG-2) with a focus inquiry and conceptual learning.

In Phase II, starting (2021 onwards) this programme will be expanded to other primary years classes.

IB certified trainers and consultants will be working closely with the school for developing curriculum, pedagogy and teacher training and professional development.

Inclusion
Inclusion, diversity and community service is one the important components of AIS's educational philosophy. Since its inception in 2012, AIS has been catering to learners from diverse backgrounds Under this new Vision 2024 AIS will stay true and committed to its philosophy of inclusion.

STEAM

STEM-based education teaches children more than science and mathematics concepts. The focus on hands-on st learning with real-world applications helps develop a variety of skill sets, including creativity and 21 -century skills.

Robotics & Software Programming (Coding)

Understanding computers and learning the basics of coding will help children to develop an appreciation of how things work. It will also teach them how various professionals use the knowledge in order to solve problems in a logical and creative way

Synthetic Phonics Programme

Synthetic Phonics is a method of teaching children to read and write. The children are taught how the English alphabetic code works before they are expected to do the harder tasks of reading books and writing independently.

AIS will be using Jolly Phonics programme to make children independent readers and writers. It is clear from the research findings, as well as school test results (UK), that Jolly Phonics can be used to overcome many of the problems experienced by non-English-speaking children. Below are some of the principles that must be adhered to for programme's effectiveness.

The children should:

• Be taught letter sounds, and how to blend those sounds together for reading, before they are expected to read books
• Always use blending (synthesising) as the first strategy for reading unknown words
• Be taught to form the alphabet letters correctly, and should be able to say the letter's (or letters') corresponding sound
• Be taught to identify the individual sounds in spoken words and to write the letter(s) for each sound (this is key to independent writing).
• Learn the tricky words
• Only progress to a free choice of books when blending is the automatic response to unknown words and when there is fluency in their reading

PARP: Parents as Reading Partners

PARP is a program that asks a partner (parent, grandparent, older sibling, cousin, friend, etc.) to read with a child for at least 20 minutes daily, stressing the fact that reading can be fun as well as informative. The aim of to build a reading partnership between the home and the school.

Details will be shared with Parents in March.

Library and Reading Corners
In-class mini libraries and reading corners will be developed to support the inquiry and concept based learning. This will be in addition to Raz-Kids and E-Library.

Arts-'Every Child is an artist'- Pablo Picasso.

Arts will also be at the centre of our aim to teach lifelong skills. A new arts curriculum has been designed in consultation with external consultants. Art instruction not only helps children with the development of motor, language and social skills but it teaches students decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness.

Parnership and Collaborations

On Wednesday, 6th November 2019 Al-Beruni International School (AIS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LUMS School of Education (SOE), to facilitate outreach efforts and research by both organisations.

MoU were signed by Mian Muhammad Rashid, Chairman Al-Beruni International School (AIS) and Dr. Marriam Chugtai, Associate Dean LUMS School of Education (SOE)

This collaboration will foster research and learning for both organizations as they embark on answering some of the most pressing issues faced by the education sector of Pakistan.

Ali Institute forEducation and Oxford University Press

|Professional Development of Teachers is integral part of our school culture. In-service need base teacher trainings are conducted throughout the year for continuous professional development.

Assessment Policy

At AlS, we believe that exams are not the only indicator of a child's learning. Therefore, less emphasis is placed on numbers/marks, i.e. the conventional way of testing. Instead, informal learning assessments are taken throughout the year, and every child's progress is documented through portfolios.

In Phase I of Vision 2024, there will be no formal exams for up to Class 2. Informal assessments during school hours will be taken. Parents will be notified of the assessment s but no formal schedule will go out.

Class 3 and above will appear for formal terminal exams at the end of the school year. For this a detailed schedule will be sent to the parents.

Student Progress

The school year is divided into two terms. There will be two formal parent-teacher meetings during the school year (mid-term and end of the school year). Students portfolio will be reflection of their self-directed learning (PG-2). Portfolios will also be maintained for Class 3 onwards along with summative assessment reports.

In Phase II Grade 5 will have PYPexhibition following IB standards and guidelines.

Teaching

Teachers will be going under continuous professional development, guiding their pedagogical skills and bringing them up to international standards. Training will be conducted by IB certified trainers and consultants.

Student Support

We aim to systematically identify student needs in the area of support for student development. It is done making good use of information obtained from various means such as in-class teacher observations, in-formal assessment and exams.

Once identified, students will be provided with extra support through mentorship, additional worksheets and after school lessons.

School Parent Body

The school values home-school cooperation and maintains a close link with parents and other school systems. The School Parent Body (SPB) plays an important role in representing parents' views and facilitating communication with the school management. Communication and cooperation with parents are well fostered, not only through the regular SPB meetings, Parent-Teacher meetings, informal contact between parents and the school, but also through parents' involvement in various school functions.

Language Policy

AIS is presently delivering its curriculum mostly in English. All students learn the national language of Pakistan Urdu.

An additional international language may be introduced for students age 7+ in Phase II of vision 2024.