Osaka International School |
International Baccalaureate (IB) Progammes at OIS |
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MYP Overview Introduction to
the Middle Years Programme Curricular Framework The MYP is a course of study
designed to meet the educational requirements of students
aged between 11 and 16 years. Early and present
curriculum developers of the Middle Years Programme have
shared a common concern to prepare young people for the
changing demands of life in the twenty-first century. MYP students are at an age when they
are making the transition from early puberty to
mid-adolescence: this is a crucial period of personal,
social, physical and intellectual development, of
uncertainty and of questioning. The MYP has been devised
to guide students in their search for a sense of
belonging in the world around them. It also aims to help
students to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills
they need to participate actively and responsibly in a
changing and increasingly interrelated world. This means
teaching them to become independent learners who can
recognize relationships between school subjects and the
world outside, and learn to combine relevant knowledge,
experience and critical thinking to solve authentic
problems. The eight subject groups provide
a broad, traditional foundation of knowledge, while the
pedagogical devices used to transmit this knowledge aim
to increase the students’ awareness of the
relationships between subjects. Students are encouraged
to question and evaluate information critically, to seek
out and explore the links between subjects, and to
develop an awareness of their own place in the world. The MYP aims to develop in students: ·
the disposition and capacity to be lifelong learners ·
the capacity to adapt to a rapidly changing reality ·
problem-solving and practical skills and intellectual
rigour ·
the capacity and self-confidence to act individually and
collaboratively ·
an awareness of global issues and the willingness to act
responsibly ·
the ability to engage in effective communication across
frontiers ·
respect for others and an appreciation of similarities
and differences. Adolescents are confronted with a
vast and often bewildering array of choices. The MYP is
designed to provide students with the values and
opportunities that will enable them to develop sound
judgment. Learning how to learn and how to evaluate
information critically is as important as the content of
the disciplines themselves. From its beginning, the MYP has been
guided by three fundamental concepts that underpin its
development, both internationally and in individual
schools: ·
holistic learning ·
intercultural awareness ·
communication. Holistic Learning
Holistic learning emphasizes the
links between the disciplines, providing a global view of
situations and issues. Students should become more aware
of the relevance of their learning, and come to see
knowledge as an interrelated whole. Students should see
the cohesion and the complementarity of various fields of
study, but this must not be done to the detriment of
learning within each of the disciplines, which retain
their own objectives and methodology. Intercultural Awareness
Intercultural awareness is concerned
with developing students’ attitudes, knowledge and
skills as they learn about their own and others’
social and national cultures. By encouraging students to
consider multiple perspectives, intercultural awareness
not only fosters tolerance and respect, but may also lead
to empathy. Communication
Communication is fundamental to
learning, as it supports inquiry and understanding, and
allows student reflection and expression. The MYP places
particular emphasis on language acquisition and allows
students to explore multiple forms of expression. Students are required to experience
and explore each of the five areas of interaction in
every year of the programme: ·
approaches to learning (ATL), in which students
take increasing responsibility for their learning ·
community and service, through which students
become aware of their roles and their responsibilities as
members of communities ·
homo faber, environment, health
and social education, broad areas of student inquiry
where personal as well as societal and global issues are
investigated and debated. The areas of interaction give the
MYP its distinctive core. These areas are common to all
disciplines and are incorporated into the MYP so that
students will become increasingly aware of the
connections between subject content and the real world,
rather than considering subjects as isolated areas
unrelated to each other and to the world. The MYP
presents knowledge as an integrated whole, emphasizing
the acquisition of skills and self-awareness, and the
development of personal values. As a result, students are
expected to develop an awareness of broader and more
complex global issues. The areas of interaction are
explored through the subjects, thereby fulfilling their
integrative function. Some aspects, however, may also be
approached as separate modules and interdisciplinary
projects throughout the MYP. Student participation in the
areas of interaction culminates in the personal project. Aims and Objectives
The objectives of each subject group
are skills-based and broad enough to allow a variety of
teaching and learning approaches. The precise choice and
organization of content is left to schools in order to
preserve flexibility. In some subjects the content is not
specified while in others a framework of concepts or
topics is prescribed for all students to address over the
five years. Such prescription is kept to a minimum and
schools expand their scope of topics and depth of
treatment according to their individual needs and
preferences. The aims and objectives of the
subject groups address all aspects of learning including
knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes. • Knowledge
The facts that the student should be able to recall to
ensure competence in the subject. • Understanding
How the student will be able to interpret, apply or
predict aspects of the subject. • Skills
How the student will be able to apply what has been
learned in new situations. • Attitudes
How the student is changed by the learning experience. Assessment
The IBO provide assessment criteria
to assess students’ work internally (refer to
assessment criteria provided with course descriptions). This diagram represents the
curriculum model of the MYP. The five areas of
interaction connect the development of the individual (at
the centre) with the educational experience in all
subject groups (at the outer points of the octagon). ©
IBO 2004 Reprinted with permission from the IBO These interactive areas are common
to all disciplines with each subject developing general
and specific aspects of the areas. In this way, the
subject groups are also linked by the areas of
interaction, demonstrating the interdisciplinary
potential of the MYP. The five areas of interaction have
no clear boundaries, but merge to form a context for
learning that contributes to the student’s
experience of the curriculum. |
