British vs American Curriculum | ExpatWoman.com
 

British vs American Curriculum

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 07:31

Hi all - Just wondering if anyone has had their kids go to both curricula and tell me which they prefer and why? Also is IB curriculum a good added benefit or not (I understand IB is over and above the regular British/American curriculum, right)?

I am in the process of applying to a few schools and not sure at this point which curriculum I want to focus on. My kids are Canadian - so either could be ok I guess in terms of transition back to Canadian curriculum once we get back. I suppose the Canadian curriculum is closer to American - not sure though (I was not born or raised in Canada). Also they are young (3 and 6) so feel could start in either British or American curriculum as long as their preschool/primary school years lay a solid foundation.

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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 27 January 2013 - 18:59
I don't know of any. Doha British School used to have a Montessori approach in early years, but not sure if that's still the case. But no stand-alone Montessori nursery schools as far as I know.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2013 - 12:21
So I called around a few places (kidnaroundkg,etc) and they said he is not eligible for kindy (per american I think it is KG1 and 2, per Britsh it is preschool and reception). He has to be 3 the year of September start. Since he will turn 3 next month - he has to go to nursery until September when he can go to kindy. Another question - are there any good montessori schools? Grandma's nursery claims to be (they do have montessori material) but it is a far cry from the montessori he used to go to in Toronto.
83
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2013 - 12:21
So I called around a few places (kidnaroundkg,etc) and they said he is not eligible for kindy (per american I think it is KG1 and 2, per Britsh it is preschool and reception). He has to be 3 the year of September start. Since he will turn 3 next month - he has to go to nursery until September when he can go to kindy. Another question - are there any good montessori schools? Grandma's nursery claims to be (they do have montessori material) but it is a far cry from the montessori he used to go to in Toronto.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 27 January 2013 - 06:38
There is also Kid'n Around Kindergarten. You can find information at http://www.kidnaroundkg.com
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 January 2013 - 22:47
Hi Cal_Hob Thanks for your reply. Yes I believe kindergarten is a school or from what I have been reading. I am from the UK and my little one currently attends a Montessori. I believe the kindergarten set up is the same as preschool and it prepares the child in the environment prior to starting school i.e reception…..I think…. Take a look at the education section of this website and there is CESK and The English kindergarten to name a couple.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 January 2013 - 07:40
Thanks ami0802. I was not aware there was an option to put him in a kindergarten instead of a school. I thought kindergarten is school - is it not? Yes - he is starting in September at ACS and I am in the process of finalizing a nursery for him as a stop gap arrangement. Can he go to kindergarten instead? Where would I look?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 January 2013 - 22:58
Hi Cal-Hob. Congrats in getting your little one in ACS. I believe your little one will start at ACS in Sept and you are looking at preschool for him to go from now to Sept? is that right? Have you considered any of the kindergardens or are you only looking at pre-schools within the school environment? my son is 3 years old and on waiting lists as most schools. we applied a while ago but my husband only arrived few weeks ago. he is looking at kindergardens while on the waiting list for a good school.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2013 - 13:22
Sure thing OZ4 - how old are your kids?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2013 - 06:22
Cal_Hob it would be fantastic if you could share your insights following your school visits. I am not there yet but need to apply to various schools now if I have any hope of getting them into a school for Sept.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2013 - 04:37
Yes I am here. My school visits start tomorrow. All good questions to ask - thank you ! I would not have thought of it the same way.
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 21:56
DebK, I really do find (and I say this as a seasoned educator and school leader who has worked in both American and British schools) that the differences you are describing are about the particular school rather than whether they use US or UK curriculum. There are many American schools that promote play and project work over desk-work and paper/pencil in the primary or elementary grades. And there are British schools which promote a high degree of desk-based learning. There are no hard and fast rules about this. Cal_Hob the best thing to do (are you already here?) is to visit the different schools and see which ones feel the most comfortable to you.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 16:10
Schools that follow the British Curriculum teach phonics as a method of decoding words when learning which is also a key part of early primary years in Ontario. American schools tend to use more of a whole language type approach. American schools also tend to be more "paper & pencil" work while British schools i the primary years are more learning through play and activities. Essentially it all comes down to what type of learner your child is. If I was choosing a school for my child, I would probably lean more towards a British Curriuculum. I don't think a child's learning should all be done sitting at a desk for hours, and I think that knowledge means more to a child when it is acquired through the things they do then by reading something or having someone just tell them about it.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 12:28
Thank you ladies. Would you say the American curriculum offers more breadth and less depth and the British the other way round? I heard this somewhere (or maybe read it on this forum) - would you agree or disagree?
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 09:15
My kids started in British curriculum, then when we moved to Abu Dhabi I had to put them into an IB school, doing the PYP (primary years program). I found the IB extremely disappointing - my 5yo son, who was reading, regressed in the first 6 months of IB. I eventually started homeschooling them in the afternoons before transferring them to a British curriculum school after a year. Having said that - it may just have been a particularly useless IB school. I know of other parents who prefer the IB system. I think it is a personal choice, also influenced by where you'll be moving next.
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 08:17
IB isn't always "over and above." While at some schools this is the case (ASD for example) at other schools there is an an IB curriculum which isn't taught in conjunction with any national curriculum (ISL being such a case). My son (now in High School) has actually been in all 3 at different times. The move between them wasn't a big deal in Primary school, where I find the most similarities. He moved from IB to American in 9th grade and while for most subjects it was not an issue, the one challenge was in math. In his former IB school (and this is also the case in British schools I think) they teach high school math integrated -- meaning each year covers elements from various math subjects (algebra, geometry, etc). So he had not done a full year of pre-algebra or algebra 1, so had to take pre-algebra in 9th grade, which is late for this in most American schools, and is now taking Algebra 1 in 10th grade. He's not the only one -- but it means that unless he doubles up in math one year he will only complete Algebra 1 and 2 and Geometry by the time he graduates. For some people this would be an problem depending on what they intend to study in University. Given your kids ages it probably isn't as important as other aspects of the school (quality of teaching staff, open communications with parents, support for various learning styles) but depending on how long before you plan to return to Canada, this is a potential area to consider in the future.