A curriculum describes what students should be learning through the grades. It should give clear statements of goals and objectives and should leave to teachers the decisions about how to realize them. Our faculty is high professional, knowledgeable, caring and committed to the individualized development of the whole child, therefore each teacher must decide how best to deliver the academic concepts in his/her curriculum.
A good curriculum should be organized clearly and structured logically within and between subjects and from grade to grade. It must be standards based, student focused, and goal oriented to build the foundation for future learning. It should gradually become more complex and difficult in terms of skills and objectives.
While IAS is structured to assure that all students who attend can, go on to higher education, its primary aim is to develop all aspects of the individual student. We want our students to know and respect themselves and others, and to develop their individual strengths. IAS seeks to stimulate and develop intellectual curiosity, critical and analytical thinking, as well as develop a foundation for information processing at higher levels. It is our goal that our students would be life long learners and constructively question the world around them. We want them gain the ability to analyze critically and objectively. We encourage them to seek to change, to challenge themselves to make a difference
IAS expects its students to work hard and to meet these challenges. It is only through continued maintenance of its standards and of the full partnership of the IAS learning community that our students can fulfill these goals.
ART
The art program aims to reinforce each student’s innate creative abilities by offering opportunities for visual awareness and self-expression. Skills are developed through exposure to art fundamentals encouraging children to develop sensory perception, a means for nonverbal communication, and a means for enjoyment, while learning to think creatively. In the primary grades, concepts and skills are introduced; lessons are foundational throughout the elementary years. The emphasis is on building self-esteem and self confidence through encouraging the development of eye-hand coordination and motor skills through manipulation of art tools. Children explore art fundamentals (design, shape, color, texture, balance, etc.) by using a variety of media: paints, crayons, colored pencils, markers, printmaking supplies, a variety of papers, fabrics, and yarns. This enables students to communicate personal experiences, images, and feelings in visual form. Time is also devoted to viewing, discussing, and analyzing artwork of the past and present. This exposure encourages awareness of the world around us and provides a foundation for making judgments related to form, content, technique, and purpose. Students are exposed to artistic accomplishments of children in various world cultures. Experimentation is encouraged throughout the years, helping each child explore and develop artistic awareness and satisfaction. The importance of the final visual product is minimized; the emphasis is on the learning experience.