Learner Profile and Approaches to Learning
Growing as learners and people across OIA
Across OIA, the IB learner profile and Approaches to Learning help students grow not only academically, but also as thoughtful, reflective and internationally minded people.
The learner profile describes the kind of people we hope students become throughout their learning journey: inquirers, thinkers, communicators, principled, caring and reflective learners who are able to contribute positively to the world around them.
Alongside this, Approaches to Learning (ATL) help students gradually develop the skills they need to learn independently and effectively. These include communication, collaboration, research, self-management and critical thinking skills, which are developed continuously from Primary into Secondary.
At OIA, these qualities and skills are not taught separately from learning, but through everyday classroom experiences, relationships, inquiry and reflection across the school community.
Our Guiding Values for Learning
These guiding values shape learning across OIA and connect our students from Early Years through Secondary. They reflect how we think about learning, relationships, identity and growth within our international community.
1. The learner at the centre of learning
Developing mind, heart and character
At OIA, learning begins with curiosity. We want students to ask questions, think for themselves and make sense of the world around them.
We educate the whole child — academically, socially and emotionally. Students are supported and challenged to grow in knowledge, confidence and responsibility, while teachers respond carefully to each child’s stage of development, needs and potential.
2. Inquiry, agency and action
Curiosity over compliance
We want students to learn how to think, not simply what to think. Through questioning, discussion, reflection and real-world application, they build understanding that is deep and lasting.
Students are encouraged to take an active role in their learning. They reflect, make informed choices and respond to feedback, developing a growing sense of ownership over their learning and their actions.
Learning matters most when it leads somewhere. We want students not only to understand more, but also to act with purpose in relation to others and the world around them.
3. Assessment and feedback in learning
Assessment moves learning forward
Assessment is part of learning, not simply the end of it. We use evidence-informed approaches and provide clear, actionable feedback so students understand their progress, know their next steps and can act on them.
In this way, assessment supports improvement, self-belief and a growing sense of agency. Rather than defining students, it helps them recognise progress and understand that their effort and choices can make a real difference.
4. Language, identity and inclusion
Difference as strength, language as bridge
Rooted in the Haarlemmermeer community with an internationally orientated outlook, our school brings together a diverse range of cultures, languages, perspectives and learning needs. We believe children learn to understand others by listening, engaging and interacting with each other. This diversity strengthens both learning and the community.
Language is at the heart of learning. English is our main language of instruction, while Dutch is offered as an additional language and students’ home languages are valued and supported throughout their academic journey. In secondary, students also have the opportunity to develop more additional languages. In this way, students strengthen their sense of identity, grow in confidence across cultures, and learn to see languages not as barriers, but as bridges.
5. Learning in connection
With families, community and the wider world
We learn in connection — with each other, our families and the world around us. Strong partnerships with parents and the wider community help students feel known, recognized, supported and ready to learn.
At OIA, these relationships matter because they help create the conditions in which children can thrive. When students feel safe, connected and engaged, they are better able to grow, participate and contribute.
Students also learn to connect ideas across subjects, apply their understanding in authentic contexts and see how learning relates to life beyond the classroom.
6. One continuous learning journey
From Early Years through Secondary
OIA is one learning community with one shared vision from Early Years through Secondary. This creates a coherent learning journey in which approaches, routines and expectations build naturally over time.
As students move from Primary into Secondary, the environment remains familiar, while challenge and independence gradually increase.
7. Why the IB fits OIA
Developing towards an IB continuum
At Optimist International Academy, we are developing our learning programmes in line with internationally recognised best practice in inquiry-based and concept-driven education within an international school context. The IB is a natural fit for our school because it reflects and strengthens the kind of learning we believe in: thoughtful, challenging and internationally minded.
It supports students in developing a strong sense of self, while also learning to listen to others, value different perspectives and contribute meaningfully to their community.
OIA Primary is a Candidate School for the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), and OIA Secondary is a Candidate School for the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), with future development towards the Diploma Programme envisaged.
Only schools authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organization can offer IB programmes. Candidate status does not guarantee that authorisation will be granted.
Next steps
Explore how this approach takes shape in practice: