IB Key Concepts

Which concepts were chosen and why?

A set of eight concepts was drawn up, each of which, it is felt, is of major importance in the design of a transdisciplinary curriculum. These concepts are:

Each of these key concepts is presented together with:

A key concept question - The key question that arises from this concept, presented in the form most useful for supporting inquiry. Each key question is presented here in its most basic, generic form, for example, “What is it like?” When working on a unit of inquiry focused on a central idea linked to a particular subject area strand, the question may be more specific, for example, “What is this place like?”

A definition - A generic explanation, provided so that everyone using the curriculum is working with a common understanding of terms.

A rationale - The reasons for the selection of the concept as an important structural component for working with students in an international programme of education.

Examples of related concepts - Some examples of concepts derived from the subject areas that relate to the key concept, provided as a springboard for the generation of further lines of inquiry. The related concepts deepen an understanding of the subject areas while providing further opportunities to make connections throughout the learning, from one subject to another, and between disciplinary and transdisciplinary learning.

Why include concepts as an essential element?

entral to the philosophy of the PYP is the principle that purposeful, structured inquiry is a powerful vehicle for learning that promotes meaning and understanding, and challenges students to engage with significant ideas. Hence in the PYP there is also a commitment to a concept-driven curriculum as a means of supporting that inquiry. The decision to structure the PYP curriculum around important concepts is driven by the following beliefs.

• Education for the understanding of significant ideas has often been sacrificed for the memorization of isolated facts and the mastery of skills out of context. The expansion of the curriculum and the pressure to cover the syllabus have resulted in many students leaving school with superficial levels of understanding.

• By starting with the students’ prior knowledge, and by confronting and developing their earlier conceptions and constructs, teachers can begin to promote real understanding.

• The exploration and re-exploration of concepts lead students towards an appreciation of ideas that transcend disciplinary boundaries, as well as towards a sense of the essence of each subject area. Students gradually work towards a deepening of their conceptual understanding as they approach those concepts from a range of perspectives.

• Transdisciplinary units, where concepts are used to support and structure the inquiries, provide a context in which students can understand and, at the same time, acquire essential knowledge, skills and attitudes.

• A concept-driven curriculum helps the learner to construct meaning through improved critical thinking and the transfer of knowledge.

• Transdisciplinary concepts increase coherence across the curriculum.

By identifying concepts that have relevance within each subject area, and across and beyond all subject areas, the PYP has defined an essential element for supporting its transdisciplinary model of teaching and learning. These concepts provide a structure for the exploration of significant and authentic content. In the course of this exploration, students deepen their understanding of the concepts.

Is it possible to identify a set of concepts around which to structure a curriculum? 

The early developers of the programme analysed curriculum models used in different national systems and in international schools. This analysis focused, firstly, on whether there was a consensus on a set of concepts in which each has universal significance, and secondly, on the role given to concepts in the various curriculum models. The developers concluded that there are clusters of important ideas that can be grouped usefully under a set of overarching or key concepts, each of which has major significance, regardless of time or place, within and across disciplines.

Consequently, the PYP provides a framework for the curriculum, including key concepts as one of the essential elements. It is accepted that these are not, in any sense, the only concepts worth exploring. Taken together, they form a powerful curriculum component that drives the teacher- and/or student-constructed inquiries that lie at the heart of the PYP curriculum.

The key concepts, also expressed as key questions, help teachers and students to consider ways of thinking and learning about the world, and act as a provocation to extend and deepen student inquiries.

In what sense do these concepts drive the curriculum?

The concepts that are central to the curriculum are presented in the form of key questions. It is these questions, used flexibly by teachers and students when planning an inquiry-based unit, that shape that unit, giving it direction and purpose. It is in this sense that the key questions, and the concepts to which they relate, are said to drive the PYP curriculum.


Since inquiry is a vehicle for learning in the PYP, the natural way to present the key concepts is in the form of broad, open-ended questions.

Presented in this way, the concepts liberate the thinking of teachers and students, suggesting a range of further questions, each one leading to productive lines of inquiry.When viewed as a set of questions, the concepts form a research tool that is both manageable and open-ended. The concepts are not only key in the sense of important; they also provide a key—a way into a body of knowledge through structured and sustained inquiry. They place no limits on breadth of knowledge or on depths of understanding, and therefore provide access to every student, regardless of particular aptitudes.These questions should not be interpreted in any restrictive sense as the only questions, to be used in strict order, or to be given equal weight in every inquiry. Rather, they represent an approach, a springboard, an introduction to a way of thinking about teaching and learning. The most relevant key concepts should be identified and documented in every unit of inquiry.

In summary, the PYP concepts underpin student inquiries throughout the planned and unplanned curriculum. It is also recognised that these concepts have different interpretations and applications as students develop and deepen their understanding, in the context of transdisciplinary units, and across each subject area. The concepts, with their generic perceptions, together with the subject-specific perceptions, can be found in the annex at the end of this document.

Source: Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education (2009)