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What is the Middle Years Programme?
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is a course of study designed to meet the educational requirements of students aged between 11 and 16 years. Eyüboğlu Schools began implementing the MYP with grade 6 students in the 1999-2000 academic year and have built on the programme annually. The first group to complete the five years of the MYP was the grade 10 class of 2003-2004.
What follows is a combination of information taken from official IBO-MYP documentation and examples of the MYP in practice at Eyüboğlu Schools.
Why MYP?
We have found in the MYP a suitable framework within which we can meet the requirements of the Turkish National Curriculm and develop our students' understanding of the interdisciplinarity of subjects and critically examine their place and role in the world at large.
From its beginning, the MYP has been guided by three fundamental concepts that underpin its development, both internationally and in individual schools:
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holistic learning
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intercultural awareness
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communication
These concepts form the basis for the MYP's curriculum framework and complement both the Turkish National Curriculum and the educational philosophy of Eyüboğlu Schools.
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.
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 fosters tolerance and respect.
Communication in a variety of forms and in at least two languages is given particular emphasis in the MYP. There is a clearly recognized link between the knowledge of language and the knowledge of culture for both the student's native language and the second (and at Eyüboğlu Schools, third) language acquired.
The Curriculum Model
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 eight subject groups (at the outer points of the polygon). These interactive areas are common to all disciplines with each subject developing general and specific aspects of the areas.
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.
It is in the context of this model that the MYP aims to develop in students
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the disposition and capacity to be lifelong learners
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the capacity to adapt to a rapidly changing reality
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problem-solving and practical skills and intellectual rigour
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the capacity and self-confidence to act individually and collaboratively
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an awareness of global issues and the willingness to act responsibly
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the ability to engage in effective communication across frontiers
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respect for others and an appreciation of similarities and differences.
What are the subject groups?
While some of the subjects appearing on the outer points of the curriculum model are self-explanatory, the following clarification may be needed for the others:
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For the majority of students at Eyüboğlu, Language A is Turkish Language and Literature.
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Language B is English, German, French, Italian or Spanish.
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Humanities includes both Geography and History courses taught throughout the middle school.
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Technology is a course of study which requires students to deveop and continually apply the skills involved in inventing, creating, constructing, testing, modifying and evaluating. Students develop knowledge of various technologies in addition to practical, analytical, organizational and social skills.
The aims and objectives of the subject groups address all aspects of learning including knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes. They are broad enough to allow a variety of teaching and learning approaches and to allow us to meet the specific requirements of the Turkish Ministry of Education.
What are the Areas of Interaction?
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 world beyond the classroom, rather than considering subjects as isolated areas unrelated to each other and to the world.
Approaches to Learning
How do I learn best?
How do I know?
How do I communicate my understanding?
Approaches to learning (ATL) is central to the programme, as it is concerned with developing the intellectual discipline, attitudes, strategies and skills which will result in critical, coherent and independent thought and the capacity for problem solving and decision making. It goes far beyond study skills, having to do with "learning how to learn" and with developing an awareness of thought processes and their strategic use. Teachers at each level and within subject groups along with the guidance department work closely together in order to ensure that the aims of this area are met.
Community and Service
How do we live in relation to each other?
How can I contribute to the communities in which I live?
How can I help others?
Community and service starts in the classroom and extends beyond it, requiring students to participate in the communities in which they live. The emphasis is on developing community awareness and concern, a sense of responsibility, and the skills and attitudes needed to make an effective contribution to society. Students at Eyüboğlu have been involved in a variety of activities, a few of which are listed below:
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All Grade 6 students participate in an annual Sponsored Walk where money is raised and donated to an organization helping children in need.
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In the wake of the attacks on New York City and The Pentagon on September 11, 2001, grades 6, 7 and 8 students initiated a relationship with a sister school in the United States.
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All middle school students have been active in raising awareness of the need for recycling at school and at home.
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Students have recorded stories in both English and Turkish for students at a school for the blind.
Homo faber
Why and how do we create?
What are the consequences?
Homo faber allows students to focus on the evolution, processes and products of human creativity. It considers their impact on society and on the mind. Students learn to appreciate and to put into practice the human capacity to influence, transform, enjoy and improve the quality of life. This area of interaction encourages students to explore the relationships between science, aesthetics, technology and ethics. It is at the core of student-centred learning, where the students themselves are placed in the position of homo faber: solving problems and showing creativity and resourcefulness in a variety of contexts throughout the curriculum and school life.
Environment
Where do we live? What resources do we have or need?
What are my responsibilities?
Environment aims to make students aware of their interdependence with the environment so that they accept their responsibility for maintaining an environment fit for the future. Students are confronted with global environmental issues which require balanced understanding in the context of sustainable development. Students also face environmental situations at home and at school which require decision making. This area of interaction places the students in a position where they take positive, responsible action for the future.
Health and Social Education
How do I think and act?
How am I changing?
How can I look after myself and others?
Health and social education prepares students for a physically and mentally healthy life, aware of potential hazards and able to make informed choices. It develops in students a sense of responsibility for their own well-being and for the physical and social environment. This area encourages students to examine themselves in order to develop healthy relationships with others.
What is the Personal Project?
The Areas of Interaction are central to the Personal Project which is intended to be the culmination of each student's involvement in the five years of the MYP. Completed over an extended period of time-from the end of Grade 9 to the beginning of the second term in Grade 10-the Personal Project provides an excellent opportunity for students to produce a truly creative piece of work on a subject entirely of their own choosing. Students are not restricted to prescribed topics within specific subject areas. The project may take the form of
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an original work of art
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a written piece of work in essay format
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a piece of creative writing
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an original science experiment
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an invention
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an original business or organizational plan.
Each student is assigned a supervisor from among the teachers at the school. The supervisor's job it is to guide students in the research, planning and completion of the project and to vouch for the authenticity of the student's work.
How does the IBO oversee the workings of the MYP at Eyüboğlu?
Assessment of Student Work
In the fifth year of the MYP (Grade 10), teachers are required to assess student work using IBO-published criteria for each of the eight subject areas and the Personal Project. Samples of assessed student work in each subject area and the Personal Project are sent to the International Baccalaureate to be checked for consistency with IBO-MYP specifications.
MYP Authorization and Evaluation
Following a period of preparation and training, any school wishing to officially offer the MYP is visited by a team of at least three experienced MYP practitioners for the purposes of determining the school's preparedness to fully offer the programme. The school is then re-evaluated every three to five years subsequent to formal authorization. The evaluation visits are a means of ensuring quality of programmes in participating schools, while assisting schools in their self-evaluation and curriculum development procedures.
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