The IB Middle Years Programme (IB MYP)

What is the IBMYP?  The MYP is the IB programme that provides a framework for education of young people between ages 11-16 i.e. grades 6-10. As with all IB programmes, the MYP is a holistic programme which develops not only the academic abilities of a students but also requires them to explore and develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes to learning and life.  Coming at a critical time in the lives of young people, the MYP provides a framework that allows them to become inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, knowledgeable, principled, open-minded, caring, balanced and reflective.

Students are not only prepared for success in academic assignments but learn to relate their learning to real-life issues and, the aim is such that they leave grade ten as adept learners, prepared for the IB Diploma Programme and a lifetime of learning.

Special features

The curriculum model: The MYP is a holistic and balanced programme in which students study their best language, second or third other languages, humanities, sciences, mathematics, technology, arts and physical education.  Learning opportunities occur in each subject and are set in real-life contexts where possible.  These contexts are called the Areas of Interaction: Approaches to Learning (ATL), Environments (ENV), Health and Social Education (HSE), Community and Service (C&S) and Human Ingenuity (HI).  The drive is to help students relate what they learn in each subject to life and to make links between subjects and other areas of interest.

Service: Students are encouraged to develop compassion and use their learning to help others be it in school, locally or globally. 

Grade 10 personal project – this project introduced and started at the end of grade 9 lasts for around six months.  Students choose a product to create and analyse the process of creation within the context of their own learning development and one other of the contexts (AoIs) mentioned above.  They are thus prepared for the Extended Essay research paper in DP.

The methodology used is based on constructivist principles where teachers help children build on current knowledge through inquiry.  Thus, topics are led by questions with the goal being to have students identify issues and ask and answer their own questions independently.

Assessment is criterion - and rubric-based with students understanding what is required of them and how grades are obtained. Assessment is also varied to allow a wide range of expression and encourage development of a diverse set of communication skills.

The IBMYP at European School - International Section

As the IB provides the MYP framework, schools are able to develop their curriculum to suit the needs of the students.  Thus, at the European School – International Section, Georgian language, culture, history, etc. feature strongly but are set in a global context allowing Georgian students to develop a robust and personal identity As Georgians in an interrelated world.  For non-Georgian students, the experience is a unique chance to develop and share their own identity in the context of their host's culture.

Learning: Where some schools become specialist schools for sciences or sports, ES-IS will focus on becoming a specialist school for learning where students of all three IB programmes will develop into the best learners they can be developing them as robust, proactive, independent/collaborative, lifelong learners with highly developed learner attributes. 

Creativity, Action, Service: An emphasis developing the ability to learn from all situations leads to European Academy students and staff developing a programme rich with extra-curricular activity in the fields of creativity, action and service which reflects one of the demands of the Diploma Programme.  ES-IS students are active in school, locally and globally. Due to the holistic and context-based nature of the programme, we encourage connection to the world outside school and so people we can learn from will visit the school, students will be encouraged to join national and international student organisations and learn to become constructive members of their national and global societies.

Through our MYP, we have the chance to develop an institution that can serve not only generations of Georgian and international students but will act as a centre of excellence in education for students and educators at home and abroad.

Further Reading:

Further information about the IBO: www.ibo.org 

MYP at ES-IS: Contact: Anna Sakharova, MYP Coordinator,
European School – International Section at European School,
Al. Kazbegi St 34g, 0177 Tbilisi, Georgia. 
Tel:+995 77 437 080; 
email: a.sakharova@europeanschool.ge