The Middle Years Programme

ISD is an authorised IB World school*, offering the IB PYP at the primary school and the IB Middle Years Programme and the IB Diploma Programme at the secondary school. IB World Schools share a common philosophy — a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that we believe is important for our students.

*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme, or the Career-related Programme (CP).  For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit http://www.ibo.org

The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is a five year programme, designed for students aged 11 to 16. It provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement—essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders.

The MYP is a challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. The MYP is flexible enough to accommodate most national or local curriculum requirements. It builds upon the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and prepares students to meet future academic challenges, including the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and the IB Career-related Programme (CP).

IB students and teachers from  schools all over the world explain the MYP in this great film.

An MYP student will work towards acquiring the learner qualities outlined in the IB Learner Profile. The programme is built upon the framework of the MYP programme model.
Distinctive features of the MYP are:

  • Teaching and learning are based on inquiry, action and reflection.
  • Learning is centred on the understanding of key concepts or big ideas in global contexts. The key and related concepts provide breadth and depth, within and across, the different disciplines, while the global contexts support international mindedness and global awareness. The 12 Approaches to Learning (ATL), is a set of skills that are developed across all subjects. The aim is to acquire relevant skills that support learning across the curriculum and for the student to be better able to manage his/her own learning, both independently and with others.
  • Service as Action is a required component of each year of the MYP. Students engage in activities that build connections between what they learn in the classroom and the communities outside. The students are guided in their service activities to ensure that the activities are age appropriate and offer a challenging learning experience.

The MYP curriculum

The MYP curriculum framework comprises eight subject groups, providing a broad and balanced education for early adolescents.

The MYP:

  • provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need in order to manage complexity and take responsible action for the future
  • ensures breadth and depth of understanding through study in eight subject groups
  • requires the study of at least two languages (language of instruction and additional language of choice) to support students in understanding their own cultures and those of others
  • empowers students to participate in service within the community

The MYP requires at least 50 hours of teaching time for each subject group, in each year of the programme. In the final two years of the programme, carefully-defined subject group flexibility allows students to meet local requirements and personal learning goals.

IB Learner Profile

An MYP student will work towards acquiring the learner qualities outlined in the IB Learner Profile. The profile aims to develop learners who are:

Not only does the MYP foster the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement, it also provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need in order to manage complexity and take responsible action for the future. All of this is developed through the MYP global contexts.

Global contexts

Students learn best when their learning experiences have context and are connected to their lives and their experience of the world that they have experienced.

All units are developed with the global contexts to create learning communities where students can increase their understanding of language and culture, which will help them to become more globally engaged.

  • identities and relationships
  • personal and cultural expression
  • orientations in space and time
  • scientific and technical innovation
  • fairness and development
  • globalization and sustainability

Approaches To Learning (ATL)

The focus of Approaches to Learning is on helping students to develop the foundation for independent learning self-knowledge and skills they need to enjoy a lifetime of learning.

  1. Thinking skills
  2. Communication skills
  3. Social skills
  4. Self-management skills
  5. Research skills

 

A day at ISD Secondary