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IB Middle Years
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The IB diploma has been growing in popularity in recent years and schools offering other IB curricula for younger students report a knock-on effect.
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Although less well-known than the International Baccalaureate Diploma, which is aimed at 16-18 year olds, the IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) for 11-to-16-year-olds is just as highly esteemed by those schools that offer it.
At ACS International Schools in Egham and Hillingdon in the UK, Emma Dunlop says that the IBMYP has been offered at Egham for 14 years and at Hillingdon for two years. “We believe that the IBMYP suits our students better than any other national curricula because it offers academic rigour, flexibility for teachers and the opportunity for students to think independently and creatively.”
The wider breadth of the curriculum and international outlook of the course are just two of the reasons why some schools have decided to give up a national curriculum altogether and solely offer an IB curriculum throughout the school. Lori Fritz from the Southbank International School in the UK says that the IB programme fits “very well with our school philosophy and mission statement”.
The IBMYP provides a curriculum for eight different subject groups requiring students to study their mother tongue, a second language, humanities, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical education and technology. John Osborne from Kristin School in New Zealand says that a big bonus of the programme is its flexibility. “It is a curriculum framework which does not prescribe any content,” he says. “[It is] not as focused on state/national curriculums which can be myopic and focuses more on international issues, stressing the importance of communication, intercultural awareness and holistic learning.”
The international outlook of the MYP means that it is particularly attractive to international students. Christopher Sluice from Mowbray College in Australia says that the course is “instantly recognisable and well known overseas”, while Fritz adds, “We have more than 40 different countries in our school. The programme is attractive to international students because of the values of international mindedness that runs through the programme.”
The international content of the course means that it is easier for students to change schools around the world, while the flexible nature of the programme means that it can be adapted for all types of learner. Ian Grieve from Dartford Grammar School in the UK says that all students at their school undertake a seven-year international curriculum. “I have found that all students are suited to this programme,” he says. “The fact that the curriculum is personalised allows all to flourish.”
Tony Shillitoe from Concordia College in Australia, adds that the IBMYP grades students according to their achievement rather than failure. “There is fundamentally no pass/fail correlation with learning when schools correctly implement the IBMYP. While the grade result of seven represents exceptional achievement in a course and one represents very limited achievement, failure is not part of the learning vocabulary.” |
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