IB Middle Years Programme
Encyclopedia
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an education
al programme intended for students aged approximately 11 to 16 (grades 6–10 in International Schools, the United States
, Canada
and Australia
). Thus, in the United States
the programme is often taught throughout the middle school
years and the first two years of high school
. Typically, middle schools and high schools work in coordination with each other when the programme can not be entirely hosted within one combined school. The full programme lasts 5 years although more limited programmes can be adopted with permission from the International Baccalaureate Organization
(IB). Official MYP documentation is available from the IB in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese.
Schools can choose the subjects they teach within each subject group. However, each subject group must receive a minimum of 50 hours of curriculum time each academic year. A student could take two or more "Language A" courses if they have sufficient proficiency in both. Schools are given much flexibility to allow them to introduce subjects which they consider important, and to organize their own student assessment and reporting procedures. However, the MYP gives clear exit criteria for each subject group for MYP 5 (grade 10).
The programme is based around five 'areas of interaction': approaches to learning (related to study skills
), community and service, human ingenuity, environments, and health and social education. The areas of interaction are considered a key feature of the MYP. They are not generally taught as separate courses, but rather as themes that are reflected in all subjects through unit questions. The community and service area requires students to study and perform community studies and service throughout the programme.
In addition, in MYP 5, students complete a personal project on a topic of their choice, with teacher supervision.
Schools can opt for external moderation so that students may receive an IB MYP Certificate.
The Areas of Interaction are as follows:
in the IB Diploma Programme
, students are required to choose an academic or non-academic topic or subject for their project, which they are expected to complete over the course of the school year. Students are required to keep a personal journal while working on the process, and schedule regular meetings with an MYP teacher who will serve as their advisor throughout the year; in addition, a final reflection must be written upon the completion of the project which explains how it ties in with at least one of the Areas of Interaction.
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al programme intended for students aged approximately 11 to 16 (grades 6–10 in International Schools, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
). Thus, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the programme is often taught throughout the middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
years and the first two years of high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Typically, middle schools and high schools work in coordination with each other when the programme can not be entirely hosted within one combined school. The full programme lasts 5 years although more limited programmes can be adopted with permission from the International Baccalaureate Organization
International Baccalaureate Organization
The International Baccalaureate , formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization , is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1968. IB offers three educational programmes for children ages 3–19.The organization's name and logo were changed...
(IB). Official MYP documentation is available from the IB in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese.
Curriculum framework
The subjects taught in the MYP are divided into eight subject groups:- language A (the student's best languageLanguageLanguage may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
or the language of instruction in the school) - language B (a non-native language for the student)
- humanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
- sciences
- mathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
- artsARtsaRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
- physical educationPhysical educationPhysical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
- technology
Schools can choose the subjects they teach within each subject group. However, each subject group must receive a minimum of 50 hours of curriculum time each academic year. A student could take two or more "Language A" courses if they have sufficient proficiency in both. Schools are given much flexibility to allow them to introduce subjects which they consider important, and to organize their own student assessment and reporting procedures. However, the MYP gives clear exit criteria for each subject group for MYP 5 (grade 10).
The programme is based around five 'areas of interaction': approaches to learning (related to study skills
Study Skills
Study skills or study strategies are approaches applied to learning. They are generally critical to success in school, are considered essential for acquiring good grades, and are useful for learning throughout one's life....
), community and service, human ingenuity, environments, and health and social education. The areas of interaction are considered a key feature of the MYP. They are not generally taught as separate courses, but rather as themes that are reflected in all subjects through unit questions. The community and service area requires students to study and perform community studies and service throughout the programme.
In addition, in MYP 5, students complete a personal project on a topic of their choice, with teacher supervision.
Schools can opt for external moderation so that students may receive an IB MYP Certificate.
Learner Profile
At the center of the MYP is the Learner Profile, which defines the type of students all the IB programs (PYP, MYP, and DP) are intended to develop.- Thinkers
- Caring
- Balanced
- Open-minded
- Knowledgeable
- Communicators
- Risk-takers
- Principled
- Reflective
- Inquirers
- Intelligent
Areas of Interaction
There are five Areas of Interaction (AOIs) which are applied to every course the student takes. They are designed to help students recognize the connection between what they learn in the classroom and the world around them, to tie the various subject areas together, and eventually to help students "see knowledge as an interrelated, coherent whole."The Areas of Interaction are as follows:
- Approaches to Learning -- (how we learn and communicate information)
- Community and Service -- (our relationship with and responsibility to other people)
- Human Ingenuity -- (how and what we create, and its effect)
- Environments -- (our relationship with and responsibility to the world around us)
- Health and Social Education -- (our physical, social, and emotional well being)
Personal project
The personal project is seen as a culmination of student learning and a focus of the areas of interaction. Just as with the Extended EssayExtended Essay
The extended essay is a mandatory core component of the IB Diploma Programme. It is a research paper of up to 4,000 words giving students an opportunity to conduct independent research or investigation on a topic that interests them...
in the IB Diploma Programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
, students are required to choose an academic or non-academic topic or subject for their project, which they are expected to complete over the course of the school year. Students are required to keep a personal journal while working on the process, and schedule regular meetings with an MYP teacher who will serve as their advisor throughout the year; in addition, a final reflection must be written upon the completion of the project which explains how it ties in with at least one of the Areas of Interaction.