1. Introduction to the MYP
Monday September 26, 2016
6:30pm – 7:00pm
GWA Auditorium

2. Objectives:
To understand how your child learns in each subject area at GWA: IB Learner Profile, Approaches to Teaching and Learning, and Criterion-Based assessment.
To understand our academic goals at GWA in regards to the Middle Years Programme (MYP).

3. What is the IB?
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. The organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

4. The IB Learner Profile

5. IB MYP Programme Model

6. The MYP Journey Grades 6-10 (Years 1-5) Approaches to Learning (ATL)
Learning how to learn, explicit teaching and learning in the development 21st Century Skills
Approach to Teaching (Global Contexts, Concepts)
Teaching and learning to ensure meaningful life long learning
Understanding how to apply and transfer knowledge in real-world situations
Teaching beyond facts to develop creative and critical thinkers
Service as Action (Elena Aldridge)
Grade 10 Personal Project (Melodee Peters)

7. Teaching and Learning in the IB
Inquiry uses knowledge and experience along with student curiosity to find what is relevant, engaging, challenging and significant. Developing purpose through questioning.
Action represents the IB’s commitment to teaching and learning through real-life experiences. Learning experiences develop understandings, which are reflected through purposeful and meaningful formative and summative assessments.
Reflection is required to identify the impact of learning. It supports students in becoming critical thinkers, and creative problem solvers, in a way to support their own self-management and development of the ATL skills.

8. Assessment is… Formative and Summative Criterion-related
Different criteria for each subject
IB assessment criteria are used to assess both formative and summative work and must address all objectives within the criterion.
Level of Achievement (not a percentage)
Ongoing and process-oriented (part of the learning experience).

9. A B C D Subject Groups Criterion
Language and Literature (Language A: English and Arabic)
Analysing
Organizing
Producing Text
Using Language
Language Acquisition (Language B – French, Spanish and Arabic
Comprehending spoken and visual text
Comprehending written and visual text
Communicating
Using language
Individuals and Societies (Humanities)
Knowing and Understanding
Investigating
Thinking critically
Sciences
Inquiring and Designing
Processing and evaluating
Reflecting on the impacts of science
Mathematics
Investigating Patterns
Applying mathematics in real-world contexts
Arts
Developing skills
Thinking Creatively
Responding
Physical and Health Education
Planning for performance
Applying and Performing
Reflecting and improving performance
Design
Inquiring and Analysing
Developing ideas
Creating the solution
Evaluating
MYP Projects
Planning
Taking action
Reflecting

10. Rubrics are… A communication/teaching tool with students
Used in every subject, for summative and formative tasks
Contain criteria, descriptors, levels of achievement

11. Assessment tasks should:
Assess the application of knowledge, rather than the recall of facts.
Be varied in the type of activities in order to address different objectives
Inform student, parent and teacher about the student’s achievement against the criteria
Allow students the opportunity to reach the highest band of the rubric
Support the students in demonstrating his/her abilities and achievement level

12. MYP GRADES 1-7
Grade
Boundary Guidelines
Descriptor 1
1-5
Produces work of very limited quality. Conveys many significant misunderstandings or lacks understanding of most concepts and contexts. Very rarely demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Very inflexible, rarely using knowledge or skills. 2
6-9
Produces work of limited quality. Expresses misunderstandings or significant gaps in understanding for many concepts and contexts. Infrequently demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Generally inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, infrequently applying knowledge and skills. 3
10-14
Produces work of an acceptable quality. Communicates basic understanding of many concepts and contexts, with occasionally significant misunderstandings or gaps. Begins to demonstrate some basic critical and creative thinking. Is often inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, requiring support even in familiar classroom situations. 4
15-18
Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations. 5
19-23
Produces generally high-quality work. Communicates secure understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, sometimes with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar classroom and real-world situations and, with support, some unfamiliar real-world situations. 6
24-27
Produces high-quality, occasionally innovative work. Communicates extensive understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, frequently with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar and unfamiliar classroom and real-world situations, often with independence. 7
28-32
Produces high-quality, frequently innovative work. Communicates comprehensive, nuanced understanding of concepts and contexts. Consistently demonstrates sophisticated critical and creative thinking. Frequently transfers knowledge and skills with independence and expertise in a variety of complex classroom and real-world situations.

13. How do I support my child through the IB journey?
Develop the IB Learner Profile attributes:
Balanced, Open-minded, Reflective, Inquirers, Thinkers, Knowledgeable, Communicators, Principled, Caring, Risk-takers.
Encourage Inquiry both in and out of the classroom.
Engage in meaningful action to promote lifelong learning and become active and responsible members of the communities in which they live.

14. Thank you for coming! (Education for a Better World – 2015)
“The IB Experience is not just a way to learn, it’s a way of life and, for more than 1,250,000 students each year, the way to a better, more peaceful world.”
(Education for a Better World – 2015)
Contact details:
Rhonda Wiens Zaharko (MYP Coordinator)