The Early Years Programme at CIS
Welcome to Early Years
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Sandy Mackenzie Director of CIS
PYP In the Early Years The PYP is designed for students aged 3-12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and the world outside. It combines play, exploration, the learning environment and social relationships to contribute to a well-rounded, confident and inquisitive students.
Our Philosophy Play as learning Children play to learn and they learn to play. They have the opportunity to construct their understandings by asking questions, exploring and reflecting on authentic, real life experiences. By having a balance of structured, guided and free inquiry, children are able to develop and practice thinking skills such as recognising and solving problems; social skills such as being respectful, making friends, collaborating and selfregulation; literacy skills such as using new vocabulary, telling stories, imaginative dialogue, questioning and negotiating. Children also experiment with mathematical and scientific concepts as they play. Children help to design, develop and guide learning their experiences. Developing a sense of autonomy and self-direction allows for meaningful learning to take place.
Our Philosophy Nurturing a lifelong love of learning The CIS early years program is designed to nurture a love of learning. Our program develops children's social, emotional, physical and cognitive abilities as well as fostering creativity and problem solving skills. Children are natural inquirers and make sense of their world through play. Our indoor and outdoor spaces are carefully designed to be open-ended, engaging and fun. Learning is a social experience. As such, our children build an understanding of the world and a sense of belonging with each other and the wider community.
Our intentionally designed program cultivates joyful learning experiences which leads to the development of lifelong learners.
Our Philosophy Learning that is inspired by our environment At CIS, we have indoor and outdoor spaces that allow children to engage in learning. Our learning environment acts as the third teacher. We have well equipped early years classrooms, shared open spaces, a rooftop playground and a greenhouse which serves as an outdoor classroom. Our learning spaces are developmentally appropriate and we design them to be open ended, inviting and to pose learning challenges. Creating such learning spaces is fundamental to the play-based approach to learning here at CIS.
Our Philosophy An Early Years Programme that reflects our international community We form a partnership with parents and teachers to care for and support children’s learning. We build community through our daily interactions and collaborative learning activities with parents and across grade levels. These shared relationships and experiences help promote a sense of belonging and community, which is at the heart of our programme. At CIS our Reggio-inspired programme is research based, following current practices to support children’s learning through play. As our teachers observe and document children’s play and conversations, they are able to respond to their inquiries and interests.
Alongside this, teachers connect inquiries to developmentally appropriate curriculum expectations in all areas of learning. Teachers co-construct ideas and learning alongside the children and use these to scaffold further learning experiences through provocations with open ended and natural materials. These carefully planned provocations inspire, encourage and provoke children’s curiosity, deeper thinking and build upon what they already know. With the whole child in mind, we also support the learning and development of social emotional, self management and communication skills during play, leading to a greater sense of confidence and self-esteem from a very early age.
I can't even describe how amazing it's been. He has enjoyed every single day being there. Even on the weekend, he wanted to come to school. It's just been incredible and he's learnt so much. At the beginning of the year, Rachel told us that by the end of the year our children would be reading. To be honest with you, I really didn't believe it because he couldn't write his name. The way they phrased it at the beginning was, ‘Your child will come home and tell you they played all day, but rest assured: They are actually learning.’ And it could not have been more accurate, they have such a blast. It's been an amazing experience and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Shirin is American and works for the UN, her husband is Danish, and their son Parsa is 6
Would you like to find out more? Our admissions team would be delighted to talk you through any further questions you may have about our Early Years Programme. Contact the team on admissions@cis.dk , and let's start this exciting journey together.
"At CIS our Reggioinspired programme is research based, following current practices to support children’s learning through play" – Paula Turco, Early Years Teacher