The IB Middle Years Programme at AICS

 

The IBO mission statement

 

The International Baccalaureate Organization 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 IBO 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.

 

 

Introduction to the Middle Years Programme

 

I’m sure we all realize that the young people who are in MYP 3 at the moment will be adults in the year 2018 but I wonder how many of us realize that they will be adults for a long time after that. Our students can reasonably expect to welcome the New Year 2068! What will that world be like? I suggest that the only reliable estimate we can make about the world of 2068 is that it will be very different to the world of 2008. Under these circumstances, how can we prepare our children for the future?

 

When I asked parents this question at my last school, I received some very perceptive replies. Clearly, many of our parents had been giving this question a great deal of thought. One idea seemed common to all answers: We need to prepare our children to cope with change. I quoted the American philosopher Eric Hofer, who said:

 

In times of change, learners will inherit the earth. The learned will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

 

There was general agreement with Hofer’s idea. We need to prepare our children to learn.They need to become lifelong learners. How do we help them to do this?

 

Knowledge is at the basis of education. Knowledge is how we see the world. Skills allow us to access and order the knowledge. When knowledge and skills are combined,understanding is the result. If we wish our students to continue to understand the world around them, we need to make sure that they can access the most up-to-date knowledge by using the latest skills.

 

At AICS, we believe that the three programmes of education developed by the International Baccalaureate give our children the best chance of becoming lifelong learners. These programmes are the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme. Between them, they offer the prospect of a continuous international educational experience from adolescence to pre-university age.

 

The learner profile is at the heart of this common framework. It provides a long-term vision of education. It is a set of ideals that can inspire, motivate and focus the work of schools and teachers, uniting them in a common purpose. The IB learner profile is a clear and concise statement of the aims and values of the IBO andan embodiment of what the IBO means by “international-mindedness”.  (IBO Learner Profile, IBO, Geneva, 2005, p1).

 

 

THE LEARNER PROFILE

IB learners strive to be:

Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable They explore concepts,ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness,justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring They show empathy,compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles,ideas and strategies.

They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

 

HOW DOES THE MYP WORK?

At the heart of the MYP are three Fundamental Concepts:

 

Intercultural Awareness.

This is a central idea in all IB programmes. Students study their own and others’ cultures. They learn not only to tolerate but to celebrate the extraordinary richness of the world’s cultural experience. The understanding and acceptance of this concept is vital to anyone living in our global society.

 

Communication.

Communication is a vital part of the MYP, whether it is reading, writing, speaking, film, theatre, graphic images, the internet, music or any of the other ways we have to pass on our ideas and emotions. The MYP emphasises language acquisition in particular. This emphasis runs through all the subject areas and the Areas of Interaction.

 

Holistic Education

The disciplined study of the traditional subject groups is at the core of the MYP.However the subjects do not exist in isolation. They are linked by the fact that they are all part of our search for understanding of the world and our place in it. The subjects are linked in practical terms by the Areas of Interaction.

 

 

THE AREAS OF INTERACTION

The five Areas of Interaction are the themes common to all the subjects. They are:

approaches to learning – learning how to learn.

community and service – contributing to the communities of which we are part

health and social education – developing a sense of well-being and responsibility

environment – developing awareness of our interdependence with the environment.

homo faber – appreciating and understanding the human capacity to enhance our lives.

The Areas of Interaction are the practical links between the subject groups. They help ensure that the three fundamental concepts of the MYP are part of all learning experiences.

 

THE SUBJECT GROUPS

There are eight subject groups in the MYP. At AICS, they are represented in the following way:

Language A – the student’s best language, which at AICS is English and/or Dutch.

Language B – other languages offered for study. At AICS these consist of Dutch B Spanish B, French B and English B.

Physical Education.

Sciences – Integrated Science in MYP1&2; Biology, Chemistry and Physics in MYP  3-5.

Arts – AICS offers Visual Arts,Drama and Music.

Mathematics – standard and extended(MYP 4).

Technology – including Design Technologyand Computer Technology.

Humanities –Geography and Historyand Religion (MYP 1-5); Business and Economics (MYP 3-5).

 

OBJECTIVES AND ASSESSMENT

The MYP identifies two types of assessment:

formative assessment assists in the learning process by providing students and teachers with regular feedback. Short written tests, oral quizzes, note-taking,reflections etc, are examples of such assessment tasks.

summative assessment assists in the learning process and records a grade. Essays, exams, written assignments, power-point presentations etc, are examples of this type of assessment.

           

Each subject has clearly identified objectives and the course of study followed by each grade at ISS is based on these objectives, which are set out in the MYP subject guides. Student achievement of the objectives is measured by the assessment criteria of each subject, which are also set out in the MYP subject guides. All subjects, therefore, are taught and assessed according to the relevant MYP subject guidelines. Common areas between the subjects are identified and links are made clear to students through the Areas of Interaction.       

 

Criteria and descriptors

Assessment within the MYP is criterion referenced. All summative assessment within the MYP derives from the assessment criteria and level descriptors in each subject area. The grade of one student doesn’t affect the grade of another.

All assessment tasks derive from the aims and objectives set out in each subject guide.

These criteria and descriptors for the final year of the programme, MYP5, are set out in each subject guide. They have been modified for MYP 1-4.

As the program guides stipulate, we use a variety of assessment tasks in each subject.

Allassessment tasks give students the opportunity to achieve the maximum grade awarded for each criterion.

 

The ‘fullest and best’ scheme:

 

MYP assessment is outcomes-based. MYP grades reflect the level of achievement reached by the student at the time the grade is awarded. They don’t reflect the student’s complete assessment history within the course. Consequently, MYP grades aren’t based on averages but on the fullest and best grades achieved by each student.

For example:

If a student achieved scores of 4, 5, 4, 6, 4in a series of tasks, the final mark should be a 5 because the student has reached that level in two assignments. The final marks in all the criteria are added and the sum of those marks will indicate the grade as shown in the MYP grade boundaries.

 

Moderation - an introduction.

Since the MYP does not use external examinations for final assessment, samples of internally assessed students’ work must be submitted for moderation by IBO moderators. Samples of work in each subject area must be sent to the IBO office for moderation, in order to ensure that our assessment practices meet the MYP requirements.

 

Qualifications awarded

At the end of the Middle Years Programme, a grade 10 student will receive either an MYP Record of Achievement or the MYP Certificate plus an MYP Record of Achievement.AICS has not yet been authorised to offer the MYP and so our students are not yet eligible for the award of MYP qualifications.

 

Please feel free to contact me for any further information.

 

Yours Sincerely,

Andrew McManus,

Secondary Leader for Learning (MYP)

amcmanus@aics.eu