Overview
The International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Program (MYP) is offered to students in Grades 6 – 10. The overall framework of the program is designed to provide students with an academic challenge that encourages them to understand the connection between traditional subjects and conceptual knowledge in the real world.
Students are encouraged to become critical and reflective thinkers who understand themselves as learners. The MYP also places a strong emphasis on the development of life skills that will support learning in the classroom and beyond. Conceptual understandings are developed through the use of Global Contexts for teaching and learning, allowing students to explore units in a specific, focused way.
Foundation
The overall philosophy of the MYP is expressed through three fundamental guiding principles that support and strengthen all areas of the curriculum:
- Intercultural Awareness – understanding the interconnectedness between ourselves and others and acknowledging our shared humanity;
- Holistic Learning – educating the academic, social, physical, emotional and ethical aspects of each student;
- Communication – communicating in more than one language and through written, graphic, spoken, physical and digital means.
Core Subjects
The MYP curriculum framework offers eight subject groups across the five years of the program, allowing for a balance of disciplines.
The subjects offered in the MYP are as follows:
- Language and Literature – English and Mandarin
- Language Acquisition – Second Language (French at the Standard or Advanced Levels and Standard Mandarin)
- Individuals & Societies – Humanities
- Sciences
- Mathematics
- Design
- Arts (Music, Visual Art or Drama)
- Physical and Health Education
Personalized Learning
In the final year of the MYP Program, each student completes a Personal Project, which is a significant piece of work that is the product of the student’s own initiative and creativity. Each project must reflect a personal understanding of a Global Context. Students are expected to develop their project fully, which can take many forms, under the supervision of a teacher in the school. The Personal Project involves planning, research and a high degree of personal reflection.
Program Highlights
Lifelong Learning
MYP students build on their natural curiosity in each of their subjects and in the connected co-curricular and athletics programs. Students become critical thinkers who are able to analyze and evaluate situations and issues, come up with new ideas and consider different perspectives. As they move through the MYP they acquire the skills of self-management, reflection and collaboration that will be essential to them as they become lifelong learners.
Breadth and Depth Of Learning
Our students explore different subjects separately from each other and in combined inter-disciplenary units. They use an inquiry based approach to move from existing knowledge and ideas to new integrated and deeper understandings of how to connect their conceptual knowledge to real world situations and problems. In this way, our students see the direct and indirect links between subject areas and gain critical insights which help them succeed in the Diploma Programme and at university.
Exploration Of Talents
Throughout the MYP, students are given opportunities to explore what interests them. This culminates in Grade 10 with the MYP Personal Project, where students spend the year honing and developing new skills and interests that are then shared with the wider school and local community.
Development of Skills
MYP students develop the skills that will see them succeed beyond high school; at university, in professions and in life outside of academics. They learn the skills to organize, plan, meet deadlines, concentrate, bounce back, persist and think positively about themselves, friends, family and work. Students are guided to cultivate these ‘approaches to learning’ skills by their teachers as they move through the MYP.
Creating The Well-Rounded Student
Through their eight subject areas, athletic and co-curricular activities and their service projects, students are guided in all areas of their development to become balanced and well-rounded individuals.
