International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program

IB MYP

• An educational program which originated in Geneva, Switzerland, to provide an internationally recognized course of study
• Teaches curriculum from a global perspective incorporating the best educational elements from around the world
• Meets the needs of the highly motivated and academically talented students, but by design meets the needs of all students
• Provides a comprehensive curriculum taught by faculty trained by the International Baccalaureate Organization based in Geneva, Switzerland
•  Provides students with preparation for high school
• Provides an academic environment of similarly motivated students

Philosophy

The IB MYP philosophy is based on three fundamental concepts.

• Intercultural Awareness
• Develops students’ attitudes, knowledge, and skills as they learn about their own and others’ cultures
• Students consider the concept of culture and experience and reflect on its various contexts
• Students discover a cultural heritage that is influenced and transformed by a globalized world
• Fosters tolerance and respect through multiple perspectives and aims to develop empathy and understanding
• Provides students and staff with an understanding and awareness of cultural diversity so that people develop an acceptance of others’ rights in being different
• Promotes responsible global citizenship while preparing students for their future as members of a global society
• Communication
• Verbal and non-verbal communication is discussed and emphasized as an integral part of learning
• Develops language acquisition
• Explores the development of the students’ understanding an appreciation of different modes of thinking and expressing
• Examines technological communication
• Holistic Learning
  • Develops an understanding of how to learn and links new knowledge with existing knowledge
  • Promotes thematic learning
  • Lends to the discovery of relationships between areas of knowledge and between the individual, communities, and the world
  • Supports and encourages students to question and explore knowledge so that they challenge themselves and the world around them
  • Students develop higher level thinking skills by understanding that all knowledge is interrelated

The Areas of Interaction

The IB MYP framework, designed to awaken the intelligence of students and teach them to connect school subjects with the world outside, centers on five overarching themes called the “Areas of Interaction.”

• Approaches to Learning
• How do I learn best?
• How do I know?
• How do I communicate my understanding?
• Environment
• Where do we live?
• What resources do we have or need?
• What are my responsibilities?
• Homo Faber

(Homo Faber, from Latin, can be translated as man who controls his environment through his abilities and tools, or tool-worker and man - maker of things.)
• Why and how do we create?
• What are the consequences?
• Health and Social Education
• How do I think and act?
• How am I changing?
• How can I look after myself and others?
• Community and Service
• How do we live in relation to each other?
• How can I contribute to the community?
• How can I help others?

IB MYP Subjects

Language A - English

• Language A provides basic communication enabling one to understand, be understood, and to establish one’s own identity. 
• It presents a gateway to literature and the cultural treasury of civilization by focusing on reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

Language B - A Second Language

• The instruction of a second language focuses on the ability to speak, comprehend, and appreciate that language.
• Currently at CDS we teach Spanish as Language B.

Mathematics

• Instruction honors the awareness that math is a universal language with diverse applications.
• The understanding of mathematical reasoning and processes, the ability to apply mathematics and to evaluate the significance of the results, the ability to develop flexible strategies for problems in which the solutions are not obvious and the acquisition of mathematical intuition.
• Currently our course of study in the middle school includes general math, pre-Algebra, and Algebra.

Humanities - History and Geography

• History - within an international forum, history stresses the ability to
• Analyze evidence
• Use historical sources in a critical way
• Detect bias and argue empathetically
• Think and write historically
• Value the past for its own sake and as a means for understanding and appreciating the present, while planning for the future
• Geography
  • Leads students from an understanding of the immediate environment to an appreciation of spatial phenomena at regional, national, and global levels

Science

• Designed to promote science as constantly evolving and influenced by social, economical, technological, political, ethical, and cultural characteristics
• Provides students with a foundation that will make them scientifically literate so that they can make informed decisions and problem solve
• In grades 6 - 8 this currently includes earth, physical, and life sciences

Technology

• The foundation for technological literacy and communication
• The ability to see material objects in society as products of skillful human activity
• Focus on practical solutions human beings have found over time, making and using things that work to support or enhance various facets of life
• Critical inspection of technology for social and environmental appropriateness
• Benefits, as well as moral issues, raised by innovative developments
• The notion of democratic decision-making as a component in an increasingly technological world.
• Middle School students spend 90 minutes per week in the computer lab.

Arts

• Organized into two areas: visual and performing arts
• Students utilize a variety of techniques and media which help develop their understanding of observational, creative, and interpretative works
• Beyond the barrier of languages, the discovery of cultural values of civilizations through their artistic production is undoubtedly one of the best ways to promote international understanding

Physical Education

• Facilitate physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development
• Cultivate a healthy and active lifestyle for students
• Acquisition of skill, as well as personal health and hygiene

Where we are in the process?

At this point in time, CDS is an authorized IB PYP school and a prospective IB MYP school. By December, most Middle School teachers will have gone for outside training, and we will be applying for candidate status in the near future.

Questions

If you have questions about the IB MYP at CDS, please contact Jennifer Dosher, MYP Coordinator jdosher@carrollwooddayschool.org