IB-MYP:

Therefore an educational system cannot offer the same thing in the same way to every student. At International Montessori we know every child’s strengths and weaknesses and put different ‘ingredients’ into the learning and working environment so that each child can benefit from it.

These ingredients are related to the student’s academic level, social and emotional development, the necessary boundaries and appropriate freedoms for each specific child. These factors, in a balanced combination, help students to become harmonious human beings.

At an academic level, children can attend lessons in the different subjects at different levels. The levels and subjects are discussed with the students and decided by the different subject teachers and the MYP coordinator. Occasionally, when all subject matter is covered and understanding comes easily, exceptional students with an eager study attitude can enter the DP earlier.

Individualised education does not mean ‘Follow the Child’ wherever he/she goes. It sometimes means to make it ‘difficult’ by means of appropriate limits, if this is needed to get back to the healthy track of development. It also means to give opportunities so that the student feels the trust and lives up to that.

The aim of individualised education is to help students feel good about themselves and to assist them in becoming flexible and adaptable in different situations. Additionally it assists in the development of respect for others, since this ability is immediately linked to the feeling of self worth. The development of responsibility towards self and others starts at a very young age and can make important leaps during the teenage years. It is a necessary ingredient in becoming an active and positive member of the group and society at large.

In order to work towards this goal, the school environment has very specific ingredients. These global aims can only be put into practice by teachers who can ‘think out of the box’.

This process does not happen automatically by role modeling, nor by dividing students in age related groups who are basically all at the same level and have common age related developmental challenges. ‘Thinking out of the box’ is followed by ‘teaching out of the box’. Students find themselves in an open classroom setting where:

• Students can interact and learn from other students who are at different levels in their development
• The process of interaction is guided by the teachers • Students receive individual social and emotional assistance when required
• Conflicts are seen as opportunities for thinking and decision making and are discussed and worked through
• Appropriate limits are set • Students are helped to learn from their own actions
• Responsibility develops through actions and logical consequences.

This type of flexible and interactive learning environment assists in the development of respect for self, others and the world at large.

The function of the contexts is to:

• Provide a framework for cross-curricular work
• Encourage teaching of concepts, illustrated by content
• Raise awareness on the integrated subjects
• Provide appropriate learning experiences across all subjects
• Focus thinking, like a lens
• Give a structure for exploration
• Enable teachers and students to strive for depth and richness
• Provide links to issues outside the classrooms.

Source image: blogs.ibo.org

The six IB Global Contexts are:

• Identities and Relationships: Students will explore identity, beliefs and values, personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health, human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures, what it means to be human.
• Orientation in space and time: Students will explore personal histories, homes and journeys, turning points in humankind, discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind, the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations from personal, local and global perspectives
• Personal and cultural expression: Students will explore the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values, the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity, our appreciation of the aesthetic
• Scientific and technical innovation: Students will explore the natural world and its laws, the interaction between people and the natural world, how humans use their understanding of scientific principles, the impact of scientific and technological advances on communities and environments, the impact of environments on human activity, how humans adapt environments to their needs
• Globalization and sustainability: Students will explore the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities, the relationship between local and global processes, how local experiences mediate the global, the opportunities and tensions provided by world- interconnectedness, the impact of decision-making on humankind and the environment
• Fairness and development: Students will explore rights and responsibilities, the relationship between communities, sharing finite resources with other people and with other living things, access to equal opportunities, peace and conflict resolution.

Approaches to learning are focused on:

• Communication skills
• Social skills
• Research skills
• Self-management skills
• Thinking skills

In order to create:

• Intellectual discipline
• Attitudes
• Strategies
• Critical, coherent thought
• Independent ideas
• Problem solving skills
• Decision-making power
• Learning how to learn
• Understanding and managing emotions
• Awareness of thought processes
• Strategic use of thought processes

Approaches to learning are a consistent part of the learning process. All the MYP teachers put these in place. The students are continuously encouraged to grow in their awareness of developing skills. These skills can be used in increasingly complex combinations and applications.

Assessment provides:

For students:

• Clear learning expectations
• Prompt feedback
• Reflection on own learning style and attitude
• Self and peer evaluation
• Conscious learning process

For teachers:

• A framework for planning, teaching and learning
• A balance of formative and summative assessment
• Data indicating individual needs of students
• Data for evaluating teaching and learning strategies
• A continuous process to address the objectives for all subjects
• A balanced focus on product and process

For parents:

• Base for Progress meetings with parents
• Indication on child’s learning style, attitude and level

The following procedure helps the student to structure the work:

• Students are briefed on the nature, objectives and assessment criteria of this project
• The different approaches to learning in previous years, allows the student to complete a multi-skill tasks
• The students choose a topic they are passionate about
• Students receive mentoring from an assigned teacher
• Students keep a process journal
• Resources of school can be used
• The final project is presented in written format
• The project will be presented to an audience

By means of reciprocal interaction with adults, learning to make decisions and taking initiative, students have the opportunity in becoming life-long learners.

Source image: blogs.ibo.org

The six IB Global Contexts are:

• Identities and Relationships: Students will explore identity, beliefs and values, personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health, human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures, what it means to be human.
• Orientation in space and time: Students will explore personal histories, homes and journeys, turning points in humankind, discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind, the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations from personal, local and global perspectives
• Personal and cultural expression: Students will explore the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values, the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity, our appreciation of the aesthetic
• Scientific and technical innovation: Students will explore the natural world and its laws, the interaction between people and the natural world, how humans use their understanding of scientific principles, the impact of scientific and technological advances on communities and environments, the impact of environments on human activity, how humans adapt environments to their needs
• Globalization and sustainability: Students will explore the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities, the relationship between local and global processes, how local experiences mediate the global, the opportunities and tensions provided by world- interconnectedness, the impact of decision-making on humankind and the environment
• Fairness and development: Students will explore rights and responsibilities, the relationship between communities, sharing finite resources with other people and with other living things, access to equal opportunities, peace and conflict resolution.