What Are Transdisciplinary Themes?
At the heart of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum framework built around six transdisciplinary themes. Unlike subject-specific topics, these themes are designed to connect learning across disciplines — helping students see knowledge as interconnected rather than siloed. Each theme provides a broad, real-world context through which units of inquiry are explored.
Understanding these themes helps educators plan cohesive units and helps parents make sense of what their child is studying at any given time.
The Six Transdisciplinary Themes
1. Who We Are
This theme explores the nature of the self — identity, beliefs, values, physical, mental, social, and spiritual health, and human relationships. Students might investigate questions like: What makes me, me? How do our choices affect our wellbeing?
2. Where We Are in Place and Time
Focused on orientation in place and time, this theme covers personal histories, homes and journeys, explorations and migrations, and the relationships between individuals and civilisations. It encourages students to reflect on their place in the world — both geographically and historically.
3. How We Express Ourselves
This theme investigates the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs, and values. It encompasses creative expression through art, language, music, and more — asking how and why humans communicate meaning.
4. How the World Works
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws, including how humans use their understanding of scientific principles to interact with and affect the world. Units under this theme often blend science, mathematics, and technology in authentic contexts.
5. How We Organise Ourselves
This theme examines the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities — how organisations and institutions function, and society's decision-making processes. Students investigate topics like economics, governance, and social structures.
6. Sharing the Planet
Perhaps the most globally urgent theme, this one focuses on rights and responsibilities as we try to share finite resources with other people and other living things. It frequently connects to environmental education, sustainability, and global citizenship.
How Themes Are Used in Practice
Each year level engages with all six themes, though the depth and focus of inquiry shifts with age. Teachers collaborate to build Units of Inquiry around each theme, drawing on multiple subject areas to make learning meaningful and authentic.
- Each unit runs for approximately 6 weeks
- Units are driven by open-ended central ideas and lines of inquiry
- Students are encouraged to pose their own questions within the inquiry
- Assessment is ongoing and reflects the learner profile
Why This Approach Matters
The transdisciplinary framework is not simply an organisational tool — it reflects the PYP's philosophical commitment to holistic education. By framing learning through broad human experiences, the curriculum helps students develop conceptual understanding rather than just factual recall.
Students who engage deeply with these themes leave primary school with a vocabulary for thinking about the world, not just knowledge about it — which is precisely the goal of the IB's approach to education.
A Quick Reference Table
| Theme | Core Focus | Common Subject Links |
|---|---|---|
| Who We Are | Identity, health, relationships | PSHE, science, language |
| Where We Are in Place and Time | History, geography, migration | Social studies, humanities |
| How We Express Ourselves | Creativity, communication | Arts, language, drama |
| How the World Works | Science, systems, technology | Science, mathematics, ICT |
| How We Organise Ourselves | Systems, society, institutions | Social studies, economics |
| Sharing the Planet | Environment, rights, sustainability | Science, geography, ethics |