At BCIS, we want all children to be empowered and inspired learners. As such, our teachers provide opportunities to differentiate and personalize according to a child’s readiness, interests and learning styles. Using a transdisciplinary approach, grade levels follow BCIS’ curriculum outcomes for Mathematics, Language and Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts, Music, and Physical Education.

The play-based approach to learning seen at the ECC provides a motivational context for students to learn and allows them to develop and follow their own passions. When students join the Elementary School, they continue inquiry-based learning by continuing to learn through play-based learning in Grade 1. Teachers build on individual student interests and these are linked to all areas of the curriculum with provocations, allowing them to connect with and build upon previous learning experiences. Students continue to develop these inquiry skills in Grade 2 and beyond by starting with shared Central Ideas and finding an aspect of the learning which excites them. The students are taught explicitly how to ask questions, research, and investigate, allowing them to develop these lifelong learning skills by following their own passions.

In the Elementary School, we recognize that student proficiency to speak, understand content, and share learning in their mother language is extremely important. Therefore, as a staff we embrace their ability to code switch between their mother language and English and use this as a starting point to allow them to further develop their understanding. Students are assisted in their language development through teacher support, the EAL and Chinese programs as well as collaboration between home and school.