The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is a great way to grow and learn in middle school. Students: Study a range of different subjects in interesting ways Are assessed with a wide range of methods, not just tests! Learn to make connections between your subjects. Make connections with the real world. Grow into a global citizen – someone who cares more for the world around you. Are prepared for the world beyond school and success in the future.

The MYP looks a lot like this: Subjects are around the outside. The circles on the inside show the ‘Areas of Interaction.’ During the final year of MYP, students will complete a ‘Personal Project’.

These concepts are based on: intercultural awareness holistic learning communication. The overall philosophy of the programme is expressed through three fundamental concepts that support and strengthen all areas of the curriculum.

The IB MYP programme is designed to help students develop into excellent young adults in many different ways. It will develop thinking skills and subject knowledge, gives personal confidence and motivation and helps students become responsible and caring global citizens and leaders within the community. The LEARNER PROFILE is a list of characteristics students continue developing as they move through high school. Inquirer · Risk-Taker · Knowledgeable · Thinker · Communicator · Reflective ·Balanced · Caring · Principled · Open Minded Click below to play video

Think of these as a slightly different way of looking at school subjects and the world around you. The Areas of Interaction (AoI) show how subjects are linked together and how things studied at school are relevant in the real world. Each unit of study in each subject will focus on one or more AoI.

One of the necessary evils of being a student is that teachers will always have to assess students to make sure they are progressing and improving. The good news is that the MYP allows teachers to assess students in many different ways – so it’s not all tests and stress! Some of the assessment activities students might take part in could be: Giving presentations or speeches using multimedia Building models or projects that show what you have learned Writing articles or essays that discuss how your subject relates to the news Performing a play, musical demonstration or making a movie Taking part in school sporting events

One of the most important parts of being assessed in the MYP is that students are compared against themselves, not to other people. This means … Students are being assessed for personal improvement Students are not being put in rank order or compared to other people Everyone has an equal opportunity to get the best grades With a range of different assessment activities, students are given more chances to prove how good they really are, and to improve on their grades if they’re not happy with them.

Another essential part of the MYP is the CRITERION- BASED MARKING SYSTEM. The IBO produce descriptions of what students should be able to do in each subject to get a certain grade. Teachers look at these descriptions and make assessment tasks that will allow students to get good grades. They will then give students the RUBRIC (a grid with the descriptions written on) for the assessment task. This lets students see - before they do the task – exactly what they need to do to complete the assessment and get the grade they deserve.

THE OVERALL MYP GRADE WILL BE ON A SCALE FROM 1-7. Different subjects have different marking criteria and some of the marking criteria for each aspect have different maximum scores.

One of the great things about the MYP is that it encourages teachers to work together on topics and assessments. These links are called INTERDISCIPLINARY LINKS and they should make learning more enjoyable and more relevant to real life. They should also make assessments less stressful. For example: Jimmy and Sharon were studying Earth Science and Geography at school. They were practicing Powerpoint in Technology and giving speeches in English. Their teachers decided to work together for their assessment, so that one big task could count for all four subjects. They made a working model volcano and gave a presentation about how it works and how volcanoes affect those who live around them. Science assessed the project for their understanding of how it works Technology assessed their Powerpoint skills Humanities (Social Studies) assessed their description of the impacts on human populations English assessed their oral presentation skills

The ‘Approaches to Learning’ really mean all the aspects of studying and learning that help develop a good student: an inquisitive, open-minded, efficient and reflective independent learner and communicator. The Approaches to Learning break into 7 different Approaches: ‘Work Well’, ‘Collaborate’, ‘Communicate’, ‘Use Information’, ‘Reflect’, ‘Think’ and ‘Connect Ideas’.

For example: WORK WELL Students start from the middle (Level 1: Establishing) and work their way outwards.

A big part of being an independent learner and a successful student in the MYP is RESEARCH. This means finding information for yourself and using it in a way that is appropriate and honest. Students will develop three basic skills: FINDING INFORMATION USING INFORMATION ACADEMIC HONESTY

Community and Service (CAS) is an essential part of the Middle Years Programme. It teaches us to be caring, compassionate individuals who can work together to try to make a positive difference to the world around us. Students keep a journal of the connections, contributions, and reflections they make. Understand the contributions of others in my local community. Be able to describe what it means to be part of a community. Take part in at least one CAS activity organised by a teacher, related to a unit of study. Give a short presentation about how someone in our local community has been affected by recent events. Identify aspects of my units of study in action in the community around me. Understand that I can make a positive difference in the local and global communities For example: A student will…

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.