ISHR Middle Years Programme
Our Middle Years students are taught and encouraged to be responsible citizens with an awareness of global political, social, and environmental issues who can: work independently as well as in a team; make informed choices and debate critically; communicate in more than one language; and above all, who are open to new ideas and cultures. They are creative and critical thinkers who are innovative producers as well as conscientious consumers. They take part in a wide range of sporting activities, clubs, and creative productions in theatre and music. They participate willingly in the ‘Service as Action’ programme and are active in the Student Council.
GRADE 10 STUDENT
In Grade 6, our students take a modified course to help them transition into the MYP, allowing them to build crucial project-based learning skills and develop a self-awareness that will help them throughout their secondary education. From Grades 7 to 10, students learn through the full IB Middle Years Programme, developing their skills, understanding, knowledge and character to become successful lifelong learners.
General Information
We currently have approximately 200 students from Grade 6 to Grade 10 in our middle school programme. There are two to three classes in each grade with a maximum of 25 students in each homeroom class. The students in the Secondary School follow the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP) of the IB Organisation because we believe that the framework provided by the IB Organisation:
- Guides learners to be problem-solvers through critical and creative thinking
- Encourages life-long learning and curiosity
- Makes learning meaningful through action in the real-world
- Promotes internationalism
- Offers a flexibility to learning without compromising on rigour
GRADE 7 STUDENT
Curriculum
Subjects
The MYP curriculum organizes student learning around eight main subject groups as shown in the outer band of the MYP diagram to the right. Students often have the option to take more than one course within each group. Each course is assessed through a variety of tasks allowing students to show understanding in a variety of ways.
Service as Action
B learners strive to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a personal commitment to service and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Service activities should evolve beyond doing for others to engaging with others in a shared commitment towards the common good. Meaningful service requires understanding of an underlying issue such as poverty, literacy or pollution, and authenticating the need for this service. Meaningful service includes interaction, such as building links with individuals or groups in the community.
With appropriate guidance and support, MYP students should, through their engagement with service as action:
- become more aware of their own strengths and areas for growth
- undertake challenges that develop new skills
- discuss, evaluate and plan student-initiated activities
- persevere in action
- work collaboratively with others
- develop international-mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism and intercultural understanding
- consider the ethical implications of their actions.
These learning outcomes identify the substance of students’ self-reflection on service as action. All of these learning outcomes are closely associated with IB learner profile attributes and ATL skills. Through their participation in service, students can become more confident, self-regulated learners.
The Personal Project in Grade 10
The Personal Project is a culminating project that is completed by all Grade 10 students in their final year of the MYP. It gives the students a chance to demonstrate what they know and have learned about a particular topic that they are interested in.
MYP projects are student-centered and age-appropriate, and they enable students to engage in practical explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. MYP projects help students to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile; provide students with an essential opportunity to demonstrate ATL skills developed through the MYP; and foster the development of independent, lifelong learners.
Students receive guidance, “workshop” style meetings and a Personal Project digital portfolio, which includes all the information needed to develop their project. A Personal Project Supervisor is assigned to each student at the beginning of Grade 10. Students are required to plan their project from the start with help from the general guidelines and their supervisor.
The personal project is assessed using the personal project criteria provided by the IBO. The Personal Project Supervisor assesses the final project report with at least one cross-marking teacher and grades are finalized through the IB external moderation process.
Further information can be obtained on the International Baccalaureate’s official website or through ISHR’s Personal Project Coordinator.
Approaches to Learning (ATL)
Through approaches to learning (ATL) in IB programmes, students develop skills that have relevance across the curriculum that help them “learn how to learn”. ATL skills can be learned and taught, improved with practice and developed incrementally. They provide a solid foundation for learning independently and with others. ATL skills help students prepare for, and demonstrate learning through, a variety of activities. They provide a common language that students and teachers can use to reflect on, and articulate on, the process of learning.
IB programmes identify five ATL skill categories:
- Communication skills
- Social skills
- Self-management skills
- Research skills
- Thinking skills
The focus of ATL in the MYP is on helping students to develop the self-knowledge and skills they need to enjoy a lifetime of learning. ATL skills empower students to succeed in meeting the challenging objectives of MYP subject groups and prepare them for further success in rigorous academic programmes like the DP.
German Recognition of the IB Middle Years Programme
The IB Middle Years Programme is officially recognised as a means equivalent certification to the German Realschulabschluss, given certain conditions. For instance, students must complete a set number of MYP courses, including the Personal Project and an Interdisciplinary assessment. For full details about the equivalency agreement, please visit the Kultusministerkonferenzen (KMK) website for full details.
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Creativity. Activity. Service.
IB learners strive to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a personal commitment to service and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Immersive Learning
From our on-campus garden and outdoor learning centre to field trips, learning beyond the classroom is an essential component of an ISHR education.
