What is the MYP?

 

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students aged 11-16 started in 1994 and is now offered by 850 IB World Schools. It is a curriculum framework that may be adapted to national programmes.

 

What are the benefits of the MYP?

 

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme has three Fundamental Concepts:

 

Holistic Learning
While maintaining excellent standards of teaching and learning in across a wide and balanced range of traditional subjects, the MYP also has an extra emphasis on the interrelatedness of the subjects. This encourages the student to consider issues and problems from a variety of points of view. The students learn to combine relevant knowledge, experience and critical thinking to solve real problems.

 

Intercultural Awareness
The MYP develops students’ attitudes, knowledge and skills as they learn about their own and others’ cultures. MYP teaching and learning encourages tolerance, respect and empathy. This is an essential part of education to create a better and more peaceful world in the future.

 

Communication
Good command of one’s own language enables clear expression of ideas, attitudes and feelings. The learning of other languages extends the student’s ability to communicate and it teaches appreciation of different cultures and ways of thinking. Good communication is also about listening to others and understanding variations and nuance. The MYP also encourages students to explore various of modes of expression.

 

Further benefits of the MYP are:

  • The curriculum is academically rigorous and challenging
  • It fosters in students a positive attitude to learning through its focus on problem solving, creativity, ingenuity and active community involvement
  • Through the Areas of Interaction, students can experience more clearly the connections between academic subjects and real world issues
  • It encourages critical thinking in the student as well as personal and academic reflection
  • It develops strong research and investigative skills in the student
  • Students are taught how to learn independently and effectively
  • There is a strong focus on assessment for learning

 

Overall, the MYP is especially designed to help adolescents adjust to life in the 21st century. It is a difficult time for these young people as they learn to cope with a constantly changing and increasingly interconnected world. The MYP provides them with the knowledge and skills they need as they grow, helping the students to find a sense of belonging. The MYP emphasizes, through the Learner Profile, the physical, intellectual, social, emotional and ethical development of the whole person.

 

Quality assurance and professional development

 

Any school wishing to offer the Middle Years Programme and become an official IB World School must first go through the authorization process. The requirements for authorization are the same for all schools and the process is designed to ensure that the school meets the IB standards and is ready to successfully implement the programme. After authorization, a team from the IBO will regularly visit the school in order to support the process of continuous improvement of the school’s practices.

 

As part of this continuous improvement, MYP teachers and administrators are required to regularly attend official IB MYP professional development workshops and conferences to receive up-to-date information about best-practice and curriculum developments. Please refer to the “Professional Development” section of this website for more details.

 

As an official candidate school, the 1st ISO MYP teachers already have access to the official IB Online Curriculum Centre which provides examples of student work and programme documentation. Through the OCC, teachers can talk to other teachers in IB World Schools around the world, give and receive advice, and post their own example resources for other teachers to share.