Further Guidance - MYP Flashcards
MYP requirements for written and taught curriculum
offered for each year of the programme. (C2.1c)
Unit plans are documented according to the MYP unit planning process. (C2.1d)
The written curriculum includes the prescribed key concepts and related concepts in each subject group. (C2.4a)
Teaching and learning at the school uses global contexts as contexts for inquiry. (C3.1a)
Planning a coherent curriculum
The written curriculum is a formal, comprehensive, school-wide set of documents written by the school that describes what will be taught in each subject to each age group.
Curriculum development centres on four major elements.
- Key and related concepts
- Global contexts
- ATL skills
- Subject-group objectives
Vertical planning
The goal of vertical planning is to sequence learning to ensure continuity and progression from year 1 to year 5 of the programme and beyond.
Horizontal planning
Planning horizontally will involve teachers of the same year level working together between and within subject areas to plan the scope of learning in a particular year.
Subject-group overviews
-provides evidence of vertical and horizontal planning
-documenting the written curriculum in each subject group across all years of the programme.
Subject Group Overview components
The overview includes the unit title, key and related concepts, global context, statement of inquiry, objectives, and ATL skills and content.
Through collaborative planning, schools can, over the years of the programme, ensure that the curriculum has:
- addressed all required key concepts
- addressed all related concepts
- explored the complete range of MYP global contexts
- appropriately developed all ATL skill categories
- offered students opportunities to meet all subject-group objectives in a balanced way. This reflection can lead to action in terms of modifying units and ATL planning.
Subject-group overviews can also provide a horizontal view, allowing teachers to reflect upon:
- common concepts or contexts among subject groups of a particular year level that could provide the basis for interdisciplinary learning
- the scope and variety of key concepts, global contexts and ATL skills in a particular year level.
ATL planning
develop a progression of ATL skills to be taught and formatively assessed at different stages of the programme.
MYP key concepts
Teachers use key concepts from their own subject group(s)—as well as key concepts from other subject groups— to plan disciplinary and interdisciplinary units of work. Teachers identify one key concept that drives the unit’s development.
Using key and related concepts
- Students need multiple opportunities to explore the concepts defined for each subject or discipline.
In a 5-year programme, students should have meaningful inquiry into all of the key and related concepts for each relevant subject group at least once over the course of the MYP. - Over the course of the programme, students need to develop an understanding of the key and related concepts at increasing levels of sophistication and abstraction.
- Summative assessments should offer students opportunities to reach the highest
MYP global contexts
Teaching and learning in the MYP involves understanding concepts in context. Global contexts provide a common language for powerful contextual learning, identifying specific settings, events or circumstances that provide more concrete perspectives for teaching and learning
MYP Key Concepts
Over the course of an academic year, it would be reasonable for teachers to engage most, if not all, of the identified key concepts for their respective subjects. However, this is not a programme requirement and, over the course of students’ experience in the MYP, they should encounter a range of key concepts in each subject group, including concepts contributed by other subject groups.
