Taylor’s International School (TIS) recognises that the first five years of a child's life is the optimal development phase of a child’s health, personality, social behaviour, and learning achievement.
As part of our commitment to excellence, the school is embracing the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC). It is based on the latest research about the Early Years brain development and includes the best practices internationally, covering all curriculum areas including personal, academic and international development. The curriculum provides a child with the best learning and a seamless transition into the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) - a thematic, creative curriculum for our primary school children.
The importance of the IEYC in a child’s Early Years education can be first understood by understanding the Process of Learning. It provides a strong implementation structure that captures a child’s natural curiosity as a starting point, all within an enabling environment while balancing child-initiated and teacher-led activities.
The IEYC Process of Learning
IEYC starts with an Entry Point, an exciting event that encourages children to become motivated about learning. During this stage, they learn to analyse their environment and make observations. From this, children become curious thinkers and are ready to explore. Ms Nienke De Jong, Assistant Head of Key Stage 1 and Early Years shares about the current Unit of learning “This is Me”. “During entry point, children come to school wearing an outfit that they find best represents themselves. They observe what their peers are wearing and ask each other questions about their outfits, teaching them to be curious and to respect each other's choices,” she said.
Next, Capturing Curiosity is the process of learning that supports child-initiated enquiry. Our teachers maximise learning by tailoring lessons based on children’s developmental needs and curiosity, allowing them to learn at their own unique pace.
In The Big Picture, the teacher discusses the overview of what the learning journey will look like. “TIS aims to create a learning community between parents, teachers and students. We encourage parents and teachers to share about the child’s curiosity at home and in school,” Miss Nienke elaborates.
Fun reading session with Ms Nienke De Jong
We also encourage children to Explore and Express all within an Enabled Environment. We do this by allowing them to follow their curiosity while exploring the environment and to express what they’ve learned through drama, speaking, reading, writing, and numbers.
The philosophies of Elizabeth Jarman, the Founder of the Communication Friendly Spaces Approach, are implemented into the design of our classrooms. Ms Nienke believes in shaping the environment that promotes a homelike feeling. “We painted the colours of our classrooms to be different so children can identify with ‘their’ classroom. In class, we create cosy corners, exploration stations, and quiet spaces for children as if they are in their own home.”
Every Unit of Learning ends with an Exit Point, which provides an opportunity for children to reflect, share and celebrate what they’ve learned in school. In TIS, excellence starts with the young and is the platform for fostering independent and confident learners. We believe that every learning journey does not come to an end, but it is merely the beginning of something new. With the child’s best interest in mind, our teachers are constantly evaluating the child’s progress and are dedicated to preparing them for the next steps in their learning journey.
We want you to be a part of our family of excellence. Join us every Friday in March or during our Open Week on 26th-30th March to catch a glimpse of our excellent teaching and learning methods. For more information, call 03-9200-9898 (TIS Kuala Lumpur) or 03-5879-5000 (TIS Puchong).
