Mission Statement

 

IB mission statement

The International Baccalaureate aims 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. 

 

Mission Statement of Wickham Kindergarten

We are committed to creating a multicultural community that encourages children to explore through curiosity and innovation thusproducing international lifelong learners.

Language plays a central role in learning. Language learning is the core of Wickham kindergarten. We believe that all teachers are language teachers. They are all responsible for promoting students' language acquisition and for strengthening students' communication abilities. Language is the basis of learning, communication and thinking. Students' language ability is developed through the process of communication and practical application. Early years is an important period of language development which has a profound impact on a child’s learning and development in other fields. At Wickham Kindergarten, we strive to create a free and relaxed language environment for young children, which encourages and supports the development of a child's communication abilities. Everyone in the school community (which includes the teachers, parents and students) is responsible for developing an optimal language learning environment. We believe that language learning can not only promote one's cognitive development, but also play a key role in enhancing one's sense of identity with one's own culture and promoting the development of emotional health. Learning one's mother tongue is crucial to the development of students. Learning multiple languages broadens one’s global horizon, connects students with other cultures, stimulates students' empathy, and promotes them to be open-minded people. We believe that language learning is crucial to the development of communicators and thinkers with an international perspective. Language is a very important learning tool and is a significant factor in a student’s ability to become a lifelong learner.

 

Through the application of the IB Programme, Wickham kindergarten promotes student acquisition of knowledge and of skills and attitudes that will enable them to be：

Inquirers	Students use language to acquire information and explore the world around them.
Thinkers	Students use words to express their ideas and interpret other’s message.
Communicators	Students use different language expressions in various situations, such as spoken language, visual language, and written language. They get information from language, such as the thoughts, values, and beliefs of others.
Risk-takers	Students dare to try to listen, speak, read, write, try to learn and improve areas that they are not totally confident.
Knowledgeable	Students continuously strengthen their mastery of language and support a wider range of learning through language.
Principled	Students respect the power of language and use it appropriately.
Caring	Students use the appropriate language in different situations and realize that how to use the language will affect others.
Open-minded	Students respect differences in language and communication，they use language to explore culture and history of both familiar and unfamiliar places..
Balanced	Students show balance in both receptive and productive communication, balanced learning of oral, visual and written language. They are able to explore a variety of listening, speaking, reading and writing methods.
Reflective	Students reflect on their use of language, the importance of their mother tongue(s), and their own strengths and weaknesses in language learning.

Language teaching overview

In the Primary Years Programme, language is at the center of all learning, because language is critical to inquiry and the construction of meaning. The teaching philosophy of Wickham Kindergarten is that all teachers are responsible for the language development of the students. Teachers use a variety of methods to provide different students with the appropriate opportunities to learn language. In the Primary Years Programme, the development of language learning is integrated into various fields. This is because students can use context to learn the structure of language, how to implement language, and so on. The language learning of the Wickham Kindergarten is consistent with the language structure and language scope and sequence from IB. Throughout the Primary Years Programme, students learn language from a variety of cultures and perspectives which helps them to develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.

Students will be exposed to a rich Chinese learning environment at Wickham kindergarten, and our curriculum ensures the learning activities support student’s continual improvement in Chinese. We recognize the importance of both acquisition and expression in language learning, so teachers plan and develop balanced lesson plans for students. We believe that learning a language needs a development process. According to the IB publication “Making the PYP Happen” and the “Language Scope and Sequence of”, combined by the “3-6 years Old Children's Learning and Development Guide” which is issued by the Chinese ministry of education, Wickham kindergarten has developed its own language scope and sequence. Our teachers use and apply the language scope and sequence to develop language learning plans and assess the language development of the students.

For students whose first language is not Chinese or who is not proficient in Chinese, teachers will support their learning in different ways:

50. Use visual language and tools such as images, videos, and manipulatives, etc.
50. Use body language and gestures 
50. Simplify the instructions by speaking slowly, using simple language, etc.
50. Provide demonstrations and show examples
50. Conduct small group activities and learning opportunities
50. More one-on-one communication to confirm students' understanding
50. Individual tutoring
50. Provide alternative options when giving out assignments and homework
50. Send home a “Most Commonly Used Classroom Language List” to parents and ask them to help their children to practice.

Essential Agreements for teaching language

We consider all Wickham Kindergarten teachers to be responsible for the language acquisition of their students. We also believe that all members of the learning community (such as teachers, parents, and the students themselves) play a vital role in their education. 

All students at Wickham kindergarten are:

50. Learning language in a free and safe learning environment.
50. Encouraged to speak more than one language.
50. Encouraged to communicate and express their opinions in multiple languages.
50.  Provided with opportunities to use their language skills inside and outside of school.
50.  Encouraged to use a variety of methods to learn the language and to try new ways of learning.
50. Provided with time and opportunities to reflect on their own language learning and choose the appropriate method to improve.
50. Encouraged to explore language in transdisciplinary units and other disciplines
50. Will receive guidance, support and feedback from all teachers.
50. Will develop a love of language and literature in different languages

Language Teaching and Curriculum

1.Mother Tongue

One’s mother tongue is the language that links all individuals to their culture. Recognizing and appreciating one’s mother tongue is essential to helping students identify with their cultural identity. Wickham Kindergarten faculty understands the importance of a student’s native language. Chinese is the mother language for more than 98% of our students. In keeping with the educational philosophy of the kindergarten, we strive to provide Chinese instruction through play and inquiry-based learning that are both relevant and engaging to the children. Chinese language learning is fully integrated into the units of inquiry.

For students whose native language is not Chinese, Wickham Kindergarten actively provides corresponding support strategies and resources. We recommend that parents create a rich native language environment for them at home. Class teachers will maintain close communication with parents and actively provide help and support. Wickham Kindergarten strives to create an open language environment for students of different mother tongues, providing opportunities and resources for using and learning one’s native language. We regularly organize activities which allow students to read and communicate in their mother tongue; add books in different languages in libraries and resource centers, etc.

2. Second language learning

We believe that learning many other languages enables students to learn about the cultures of other countries, enhances students' cross-cultural understanding, and fosters a global perspective.

At Wickham, students learn English as a second language. All students, from K1 to K3 classes, learn and experience English with the Macmillan’s Doodle Town textbook, and 30 minutes of English class every day. International and bilingual teachers are in each class and use English to give classroom instructions, to communicate with students, and to encourage students to try to use English. In transdisciplinary inquiry activities, international teachers try to carry out part of the inquiry activities in English. The school library provides various English books, open to all students for reading and borrowing. Each class has an English learning corner, and a class reading area which provides English books for students to read independently.

For students whose mother tongue is not Chinese, they will learn Chinese as an additional language. We support them to learn Chinese by: Chinese classes that are combined with UOI once a week; most UOI activities in practiced Chinese; in daily life, teachers use Chinese to give classroom instructions; Teachers will make Chinese and English labels for centers and items in the classrooms. Many Chinese books will be placed in the class reading area. At the same time, the class teachers will provide individual guidance, regular feedback about the students' language learning with the parents, discuss strategies and measures that can help students to learn Chinese, and ensure students' continuous improvement.

Support for language teaching and learning

1.Library and resource center

A sufficient number of suitable resources have important tasks for language teaching，our goal to increase language resources has been forefront. 

Wickham Kindergarten has a resource center that contains books that can guide the professional development of teachers, be used to help prepare lesson plans, guided reading books, teaching aids, and fifteen iPads. These resources are available to all teachers to borrow to the classroom.

Wickham kindergarten has a library, which is open to every student, with a collection of about 5000 books, including books on six transdisciplinary themes related to the kindergarten's POI. These books are suitable for children of all ages. The kindergarten has established a book recommendation system to collect suggestions from students, parents and teachers. This is designed to help expand and update books, and provide sufficient language learning support for students. At the same time, a variety of Chinese language resources are provided in the classroom. In addition to giving students access to the school library's extensive library resources, we encourage students to bring their own resources to school, especially books and reading materials. 

2. ICT Center

We provide students with online resources to support language learning, including e-books, audio books, etc. In the process of inquiry, teachers will teach students how to use computers and iPads to search and collect information, so as to improve students' ability to search for and collect information. The iPads are pre-loaded with apps and software which are designed for language learning, which makes language teaching more diversified interesting.

3.Learning Environment

The public environment and classroom layout of the kindergarten should promote the learning of Chinese and English to create a rich language acquisition environment. Signs, posters and other publicity related to children are displayed bilingually. Open reading areas are provided in the corridors of the kindergarten and other public spaces, providing both Chinese and English books. Each class has a reading corner where students can exchange and share books.

Language policy implementation, sharing and updating

The language policy will be shared by various ways to the learning community, including staff meetings, collaborative planning meeting, grade meetings, parent conferences, etc. The PYP pedagogical Leadership Team accept the responsibility for ensuring the language policy is put into practice. The pedagogical Leadership Team and teachers will communicate language policy to parents. The pedagogical leadership team will regularly evaluate the implementation of the language policy by classroom observations and in other ways.

This policy will be reviewed and updated annually based on the implementation of the school curriculum, as well as the international baccalaureate philosophy and related requirements. This policy will be updated by all members of the learning community.