The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP), designed for students aged 11-16 provides students with a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers and allows them to continuously make meaningful connections between their learning and the world outside the classroom.
The MYP challenges the students academically and develops their ability to ‘think outside of the box’, preparing them for the Diploma Programme and ultimately university placement. A group of our grade 9 students made this video to show you what a day in the MYP looks like.
Subjects
At the International School Utrecht MYP students study the following subject areas: Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, Arts and Design. For more detailed information, please view the ISUtrecht MYP subject areas document, which includes the IB Subject briefs. Grade 10 students are given a choice of more individualised pathways to help students prepare for the IB Diploma Programme, as part of their continuum of learning.
- First pathway (the arts) – students choose one of the following: music, drama and visual arts.
- Second pathway (e-portfolio) – students choose one of the following subjects: Physical Health Education (PHE), visual arts and design.
External moderation (e-assement) in grade 10 of the Middle Years Programme is mandatory in three areas:
- Personal Project
- Interdisciplinary Assessment
- A second pathway subject (PHE, visual arts or design)
After consultations and agreement with the Leader of Middle Years, students are encouraged to register for further externally moderated subjects leading either to the award of MYP courses or the full internationally recognised MYP certificate.
MYP teacher articles and Instagram accounts
If you want to get a feel for what MYP teaching and learning looks like at the ISUtrecht, please read articles by: the Spanish team about starting to learn Spanish in grade 6, Poyee Li-Sumpton about the grade 8’s becoming character designers or by Liam Moody about the creativity and culture days in which all MYP students participated. Of course, you could also follow many of our MYP teachers on Instagram: @msjenna_isutrecht; @msoyarzo_isutrecht; @mrsmanni_isutrecht; @mrmoody_isutrecht; visualart_isutrecht; performance_isutrecht; design_isutrecht; or the whole school account: @international_school_utrecht.
A day in the MYP at ISUtrecht -> student film
Programme Concepts
The MYP fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement. That’s why the MYP is underpinned by the following concepts: Global Contexts, Approaches To Learning and Service As Action.
Global Contexts
Using global contexts, MYP students develop an understanding of their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet. Everything they learn is linked to one or more of the following global contexts:
- identities and relationships
- personal and cultural expression
- orientations in space and time
- scientific and technical innovation
- fairness and development
- globalization and sustainability
Approaches To Learning
The focus of Approaches to Learning is on helping students to develop the self-knowledge and skills they need to enjoy a lifetime of learning. At ISUtrecht we teach our students practical and self-knowledge skills, which will help them with the challenges posed by the IB MYP as well as the Diploma Programme and higher education.
Service As Action
Every school around the world that teaches the MYP expects its students to become involved with their communities – an involvement that benefits both parties. Action is learning by doing and experiencing. Service is part of action and it is where IB learners strive to be caring members of the local and global community, by demonstrating personal commitment to services that make a difference to the lives of others and the environment.
Academic and behavioral expectations for students can be found in the secondary student guide.