CURRICULUM AT WIS

4 Elements of the WIS Learning Programme - A Common Understanding

Reaching a Common Understanding and addressing Parent Questions

MAP Growth Testing - indicates a learner's readiness to engage and understand the content and skills in the WIS Curriculum (scope and sequence).
What is Taught @ WIS - Australian Curriculum (Grades 1 to 8), Cambridge IGCSE (Grades 9 & 10) and IBDP (Grades 11 & 12) - provides WIS with clear measurable expectations of what knowledge and skills a WIS learner should acquire at a given grade level.
How - IB Philosophy - WIS Unit Planning - gives learners the conceptual understanding to apply and transfer learned knowledge and skills to be creative and innovative when seeking solutions to both familiar and unfamiliar situations. (please see Course Overview section)
Formative and Summative Assessments guide teaching and learning as WIS strives to ensure each learner achieves to his/her potential. (please see Subject Criteria section)

Map Growth Testing - WIS Grades 1 to 6

https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/

Learning made visible

MAP® Growth™ measures what students know and informs what they’re ready to learn next. By dynamically adjusting to each student’s responses, MAP Growth creates a personalized assessment experience that accurately measures performance. Timely, easy-to-use reports help teachers teach, students learn, and administrators lead.

What is taught at WIS?

Grades 1 to 8: Australian National Curriculum

WIS is using the Australian National Curriculum to align our “Scope” and “Sequence” of content and skills. This curriculum prepares the students well for entering Grade 9 when students begin the IGCSE journey. We adapt it to make the units of study more applicable to our students here in Namibia. Unit design is based on UbD principles and students are provided feedback through criterion assessments throughout the year.

Scope refers to the breadth and depth of content and skills to be covered.

Sequence refers to how these skills and content are ordered and presented to learners over time.

Structure

The Australian Curriculum is designed to develop successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens. It is presented as a progression of learning from Foundation - Grade10 that makes clear to teachers, parents, students and others in the wider community what is to be taught, and the quality of learning expected of young people as they progress through school.

The primary audience for the Australian Curriculum is teachers. The curriculum is concise and is expressed in plain language while preserving a complexity appropriate for professional practitioners. Consistency in terms of language and broad structure supports teachers in and across learning areas. For Year level to Grade level comparison: Year 1 = Grade 1.

How does the Australian Curriculum compare to other internationally recognized curricula?

Middle School unit design is based on UbD principles and students are provided feedback through criterion assessments throughout the year.

WIS offers the following subjects in Grades 6 to 8:

Mathematics - Grade 6
Advanced Mathematics Grades 7 and 8
Standard Mathematics Grades 7 and 8
Sciences (Integrated - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth & Space and Lab Skills)
Languages (French, German, Portuguese)
Social Studies (Integrated - History and Geography)
Visual Arts
Drama
Approaches to Learning (Thinking, Social, Self-Management, Communication and Research Skills)
English
Physical Education - Participation Based
Homeroom (Mentoring, Planning, Team Building)
Self-Directed Learning

Grades 9 to 10 - Cambridge IGCSE

At WIS we use the Cambridge Curriculum as the scope and sequence of content for Grades 9 & 10. At the end of Grade 10, the students will write the IGCSE exams. Unit design is based on UbD principles and students are provided feedback through criterion assessments throughout the year.

WIS offers the following subjects in Grades 9 and 10:

Mathematics
Sciences - Biology, Chemistry and Physics
English and Literature
Physical Education
History
Geography
Business Studies
Foreign Languages - French, German and Portuguese
Art
Drama

Grades 11 to 12 - International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

What the DP offers students

Through the DP, schools are able to develop students who:

have excellent breadth and depth of knowledge
flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically
study at least two languages
excel in traditional academic subjects
explore the nature of knowledge through the programme’s unique Theory of Knowledge course.

Why offer the DP?

International research shows that there are many benefits to choosing the DP over other 16-19 curricula. For example:

DP students are better able than their peers to cope with demanding workloads, manage their time and meet the expectations placed on them, according to one study
Analysis of DP students in Canada, the UK and the USA found that the DP’s Extended Essay improves students’ approach to learning in higher education
72% of students taking the DP in China attend one of the world’s top 500 universities, according to a 2013 study.

You can read more key facts about the DP on the IBO website.

How do we teach at WIS?

Primary School EY to Grade 5 - Primary Years Programme (PYP)

The PYP benefits both learners and educators, and strengthens learning and international mindedness throughout the entire school community.

The PYP for Students

In the PYP, students learn how to think for themselves and take responsibility for their own learning through an inquiry-led approach.

By developing the attributes of the IB Learner Profile, students also learn how to demonstrate respect for themselves and others, developing international-mindedness by working with others for a shared purpose and taking positive action for change.

Secondary School - Grades 6 to 12

In Grades 6 to 10 at WIS we use IB principles of unit design and assessment, Understanding by Design and the NEASC (ACE) Learning Principles to guide students on their learning journey.

Criterion Based Assessments are used to assess student understanding and provide targeted feedback to allow students to take more ownership of their learning. Assessments FOR, OF and AS Learning are used to help teachers, students and parents understand where students are in the process of learning. Bloom’s Taxonomy and Depth of Knowledge are major driving forces in the teaching and learning here at WIS.