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Global Research Findings on the Diploma Programme: A Levels vs. DP

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Global Research Findings on the Diploma Programme: A Levels vs. DP

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The slides provide a variety of information on research conducted about the DP, but I will focus on how the DP compares to the A Levels in the UK.

When it comes to encouraging independent inquiry, nurturing an open mind, developing self-management skills and encouraging a global outlook, learners who undergo the DP easily outperform their A-Level counterparts in all aspects.

Similarly, DP alumni in the UK outperform their A-Level peers in achieving first- or second-class honours upon graduation at university.

The results show that learners who have been through the Diploma Programme develop critical thinking as well as a wider scope of thinking. Also, the IB programme prepares them well for life at university.

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The PYP playlist is a great resource for not only teachers, but students and parents as well. As a teacher that is often challenged to explain what may be seemingly unorthodox methods to traditionally educated parents, I wish I had something like this to post on my class website the next time a parent got confused that a project or test had an open ended solution.

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Learning from the Latest Developments in IB Programmes

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Learning from the Latest Developments in IB Programmes

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Although the slides were quite extensive, they provided a well-organised update on all IB programmes. What I found particularly striking was learning about the curriculum revisions and new subject introductions in the DP, the establishment of the first CP-authorised school in Japan, and examples of Japanese high schools and universities deepening their collaboration through the IB. I felt that this was not only a valuable review of what I have learned so far, but also a useful resource for my ongoing studies and future reference in the IBEC course.

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This video offers a concise summary of the core of the IB and how it aims to achieve it. It is great for a quick personal review after the term break..

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Having read this, I was reminded of the fact that students depend on their teachers not only for their teaching content but also for the habits and mindset they instill in them. Most students aspire to succeed in their learning, however, a lot of them don't know how to. Many of us might think being present, participative and diligent in class is easy,yet many students struggle on this aspect. What stood out for me was the reminder that foundational skills are necessary without having to lower our expectations. In order to make these foundational skills achievable, teachers need to help students set clear goals and build effective study habits. Educators need to realize that foundational skills are not common-sense skills. When students are taught explicitly and practiced repeatedly these become second nature to them.

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Helping Middle and High School Students Cultivate Habits That Support Learning

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Through explicit instruction, teachers can help students develop the skills necessary to do well in school.

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The IB Career-related Programme (CP): a Flexible Frameowrk for a Personalized Education

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The IB Career-related Programme (CP): a Flexible Frameowrk for a Personalized Education

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I'd always been curious about the IB CP, so I took the opportunity to watch the Vimeo video about it. Through the video and some research, I found that the essential features of the CP are:

service learning

personal and professional skills (PPS)

reflective project, and

language development

These features are in addition to students having to do career-related study and taking up at least two DP courses.

My interest in the CP stemmed from observing my friend's daughter excel in the IB CP at Singapore Sports School to become a police officer upon graduation.

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Some thoughts about Essential features of IB programmes

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Some thoughts about Essential features of IB programmes

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I believe the essential features of he IB programmes were established as a holistic education approach and based on internationally minded educational system. Its emphasis on developing well rounded learners through the IB learner profile, critical thinking via theory of knowledge and real world engagement through creativity, activity, service fosters. It is not just about academics but about personal growth. The students need to use the knowledge that they learnt to solve the actual issues or problems in life, and they are encouraged to think deeper and dive deeper for the bigger picture of the problem. The global focus help our students become open minded and culturally aware individuals. In my view, the IB prepares our students not only for university but for life in a complex, interconnected world.

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What is the IB and why it should be chosen?

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What is the IB and why it should be chosen?

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An IB education is more than fostering an individual with good problem-solving skills, but an open-minded individual with skills capable of engaging on a global scale. Additionally, an IB student has the opportunity to experience an international education that goes much beyond a peripheral culture exchange. Usually, the IB students undergo experiential learning, but this experience is not limited to just academic-related subjects, but also includes politics, conflict, and international cooperation and relations.

A very well-rounded individual with compassion is often the result of an IB education.

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学校において、学習習慣を身につけるための指導、特に勉強法や時間管理といった具体的な方法を教えること自体が新鮮に感じました。個人的な経験では、教師は単元計画に沿って授業を進め、テストで高得点を取ることに重点が置かれており、学習習慣の形成や学習方略の獲得は、基本的に生徒個人の裁量に任されていました。 学習への動機づけを含め、こうしたスキルや姿勢は、学習環境や過去の成功体験など、個人の背景によって大きく左右されるものと思いますが、学習目標が生徒自身の価値観や将来の生き方と結びつけられるような支援が重要だと感じます。さらに、クラス内で安心して自己開示できるような心理的安全性のある環境を教師が意識的に整えることも、生徒が主体的に学習に向かううえで不可欠だと思います。

At school, I found it refreshing that guidance on developing learning habits—especially concrete methods like study techniques and time management—was being provided. In my personal experience, teachers mainly followed the unit plan and focused on ensuring students scored high on tests, while the formation of learning habits and strategies was largely left to individual students.

Although skills and attitudes such as motivation to learn are greatly influenced by a student’s environment and prior experiences of success, I believe it is important to support students in connecting their learning goals to their own values and future aspirations. Additionally, I think it is essential for teachers to intentionally create a psychologically safe classroom environment where students feel comfortable sharing themselves, as this plays a vital role in fostering self-directed learning.

Prompt: Translate this into English without changing the tone or intent or adding any information.

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Helping Middle and High School Students Cultivate Habits That Support Learning

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Through explicit instruction, teachers can help students develop the skills necessary to do well in school.

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正直に言うと、IB programmesについてまだ十分な知識がなく、まずは自分が知るべきことの多さに圧倒されました。枠組み、価値観、教育哲学、指導アプローチ、評価の考え方など、IBプログラムについて表面的には少し理解できてきた気もします。ただ、資料を読めば読むほど、実際にIB導入校の現場で教える経験がないと、なるほど感にたどりつけなさそうだなと思いました。知識としてインプットはできるけれど、それが実感を伴って定着していかない感じです（記号接地しない感じ）。

To be honest, I still don’t have enough knowledge about IB programmes, and I’m feeling overwhelmed by just how much there is that I need to understand. I feel like I’m starting to grasp the surface-level ideas—such as the framework, values, educational philosophy, teaching approaches, and assessment principles. However, the more I read, the more I realise that without actual experience teaching in an IB school, it’s hard to reach that deeper sense of understanding. I can take in the knowledge, but it doesn’t seem to settle with a sense of conviction or real understanding—it feels unanchored, as if the knowledge isn’t grounded in lived experience.

Prompt: “Translate this into English without changing the tone or intent or adding any information.” – ChatGPT-4, 1 May 2025

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The PYP Exhibition mentioned here has had a positive influence at my school over the last few years. Inspired by a local IB school's Exhibition, we have started holding a Celebration of Learning event at the end of every semester. We focus a lot on PBL, and part of that process is to present the results of the work. This event gives the students a chance to share the knowledge they have obtained with our "learning community", as well as make their own choices for how to present that information.

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process.

The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

When learning communities recognize children's emergent identities and competencies, they create an educational context that values children both for who they were, who they are in the present and who they will become in the future. In building from prior learning and experiences, PYP learners are uniquely placed to co-create their current learning needs.

This understanding of how students learn is foundational to the inquiry-based and concept-driven transdisciplinary model of learning and teaching.

As a result, PYP students demonstrate the agility and imagination to respond to new and unexpected challenges and opportunities, and to take action for a better and more peaceful world.

Fostering self-efficacy to enable agency

The stronger the sense of self-efficacy in students, the greater the likelihood that they will exercise agency. Self-efficacy influences the choices students are confident in making, which, in turn, influences the degree of ownership and impact they have in their lives.

When teachers acknowledge learner agency and the importance of self-efficacy, students become partners in the learning process. In this partnership, teachers work alongside students, meet with small groups and individuals as needed, and monitor learning and provide feedback.

The PYP exhibition

In the final year of the PYP, students take part in the PYP exhibition. The exhibition is an authentic process for students to explore, document and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance. The whole learning community shares and celebrates this culminating event in the journey students have experienced through their PYP years.
Learn more about the PYP exhibition here
The early learner

The PYP acknowledges the unique needs of early learners, aged 3 to 6 years. It is a distinguishing feature of the programme which recognizes that learners in this age range require approaches to learning and to teaching that honor their developmental stage, and the importance of play as the vehicle for inquiry. Since experiences during the early years lay the foundation for all future learning, the PYP framework allows educators to make choices to best enable learners to flourish.

Early learning in the PYP is a holistic learning experience that integrates socio-emotional, physical and cognitive development. In the PYP classroom, it takes place in dynamic environments that promote play, discovery and exploration.

The IB learner profile in the PYP

The IB learner profile represents a broad range of human dispositions, capacities and traits that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. Developing and demonstrating the attributes of the learner profile is an expression of what the IB means by international-mindedness.

The IB learner profile permeates all facets of school life in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). All members of the learning community from the youngest learners to school leaders to parents, educators and beyond, have a responsibility to be guided by and demonstrate a commitment to the development of the IB learner profile attributes.

Find out more about the IB learner profile [1.4 MB]

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process. The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

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In the IBDP, taking at least one subject in Language and Literature is mandatory. The aim is to cultivate personal understanding and critical thinking skills regarding language and literature by engaging with a wide range of materials and developing writing and oral expression abilities. There is also Language Acquisition as a subject that deals with language, but if students take Language and Literature in two different languages, they can obtain a bilingual diploma.

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Learn more about what the language and literature (SL/HL) module entails, as part of the International Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme.

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This is a great intro to the PYP program. It is an overview. One father likens it to a toolbox, saying that everything a child learns or experiences provides them with another tool for their toolbox. The program takes a holistic approach to learning, promoting play, discovery and exploration, especially in the early years. I learned of the focus on self-efficacy ,so that students will have confidence in making choices in life. There is an intro to the PYP exhibition, a culminating project in which the whole learning community takes part, including parents. Lastly we learn of the learner profile, which encompasses intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. It is said to express what IB means by international-mindedness.

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process.

The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

When learning communities recognize children's emergent identities and competencies, they create an educational context that values children both for who they were, who they are in the present and who they will become in the future. In building from prior learning and experiences, PYP learners are uniquely placed to co-create their current learning needs.

This understanding of how students learn is foundational to the inquiry-based and concept-driven transdisciplinary model of learning and teaching.

As a result, PYP students demonstrate the agility and imagination to respond to new and unexpected challenges and opportunities, and to take action for a better and more peaceful world.

Fostering self-efficacy to enable agency

The stronger the sense of self-efficacy in students, the greater the likelihood that they will exercise agency. Self-efficacy influences the choices students are confident in making, which, in turn, influences the degree of ownership and impact they have in their lives.

When teachers acknowledge learner agency and the importance of self-efficacy, students become partners in the learning process. In this partnership, teachers work alongside students, meet with small groups and individuals as needed, and monitor learning and provide feedback.

The PYP exhibition

In the final year of the PYP, students take part in the PYP exhibition. The exhibition is an authentic process for students to explore, document and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance. The whole learning community shares and celebrates this culminating event in the journey students have experienced through their PYP years.
Learn more about the PYP exhibition here
The early learner

The PYP acknowledges the unique needs of early learners, aged 3 to 6 years. It is a distinguishing feature of the programme which recognizes that learners in this age range require approaches to learning and to teaching that honor their developmental stage, and the importance of play as the vehicle for inquiry. Since experiences during the early years lay the foundation for all future learning, the PYP framework allows educators to make choices to best enable learners to flourish.

Early learning in the PYP is a holistic learning experience that integrates socio-emotional, physical and cognitive development. In the PYP classroom, it takes place in dynamic environments that promote play, discovery and exploration.

The IB learner profile in the PYP

The IB learner profile represents a broad range of human dispositions, capacities and traits that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. Developing and demonstrating the attributes of the learner profile is an expression of what the IB means by international-mindedness.

The IB learner profile permeates all facets of school life in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). All members of the learning community from the youngest learners to school leaders to parents, educators and beyond, have a responsibility to be guided by and demonstrate a commitment to the development of the IB learner profile attributes.

Find out more about the IB learner profile [1.4 MB]

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process. The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

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This article says that PYP brings a shared commitment to the IB’s mission through the learning community. From my teaching experiences, I feel that it will be hard to students to change learning approach or ways from own county's education system during primary and junior school periods. They are expected to building up knowledge without experiences. So I think they do not know how to use what they learnt. They seem to face to the situation where expected them become positive independent learners. It mush be tough if they have not build learning experience how to learn in IB course. Therefore, I agree with the concept of starting PYP and continue to MYP to enable students can be good learners.

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The IB unites a worldwide community of learners who believe that education can help to connect and build a better, more peaceful world. Schools offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP) bring a shared commitment to the IB's mission through the learning community.

The IB learning community views the world as the broadest context for learning, where everyone involved in the life of the school is recognized: students and their families, all school staff members, other important adults in the students' lives and the community at large.

Learning communities build shared understandings and agreements for highest quality learning and teaching, and for the well-being of their members. In PYP schools, these understandings and agreements encourage critical and creative thinking through continual inquiry, action and reflection, which places students at the heart of learning. A clear purpose and shared understandings lead to the outcome of an IB education. PYP schools support children to:

develop knowledge, conceptual understandings and approaches to learning

become internationally-minded individuals

develop the attributes of the IB learner profile.

Learn more about the IB learner profile
VIDEO: Agnieszka Chojnacka, PYP Coordinator, Malaysia, explains how the PYP is implemented at her school

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The IB unites a worldwide community of learners who believe that education can help to connect and build a better, more peaceful world. Schools offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP) bring a shared commitment to the IB's mission through the learning community.

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I read the following article, which explains the steps to support secondary school students' learning. I definitely agree with the following extract of the article: "Help define for them the areas in which they need to improve". When I was a DP student, my English teacher told me to include more idioms in my writings to add on nuance in order to reach grade 7 in English. This advice help me to understand exactly what I have to do in order to improve my writing. After receiving advice, I made a list of idioms and held a goal to use at least 3 idioms in each writing.

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Helping Middle and High School Students Cultivate Habits That Support Learning

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Through explicit instruction, teachers can help students develop the skills necessary to do well in school.

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I read this in detail and went into the individual syllabi / course description for the six required areas of study.

One input, whilst there are some pedagogical approaches that connect the subjects, the opportunity for outlining the transdisciplinary connections between the different subjects or subject areas feels like a missed opportunity.

I think it would be of great value if the curricular frameworks made explicit connections between seemingly disperate (or even obviously connected) subject areas and themes.

For example, I would have loved to seen the interconnections drawn out between DIGITAL SOCIETY and COMPUTER SCIENCE and MATH for that matter (for example, the study algorithms from multiple disciplinary perspectives) . Or maybe BUSINESS MANAGEMENT and COMPUTER SCIENCE (for instance digital innovation as both entpreneurship and engineering, etc). Or LANGUAGE & LITERATURE with DIGITAL SOCIETY (for example digital media literacy).

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The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum sets out the requirements for study of the DP.

The curriculum is made up of the DP core and six subject groups.

Made up of the three required components, the DP core aims to broaden students' educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.

The three core elements are:

The six subject groups are:

There are different courses within each subject group.

Choosing subjects in the Diploma Programme

Students choose courses from the following subject groups: studies in language and literature; language acquisition; individuals and societies; sciences; mathematics; and the arts.

Students may opt to study an additional sciences, individuals and societies, or languages course, instead of a course in the arts.

Students will take some subjects at higher level (HL) and some at standard level (SL). HL and SL courses differ in scope but are measured according to the same grade descriptors, with students expected to demonstrate a greater body of knowledge, understanding and skills at higher level.

Each student takes at least three (but not more than four) subjects at higher level, and the remaining at standard level.

Standard level subjects take up 150 teaching hours. Higher level comprises 240 teaching hours.

Hear from our DP community

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The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum sets out the requirements for study of the DP. The curriculum is made up of the DP core and six subject groups. Made up of the three required components, the DP core aims to broaden students' educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.

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The PYP Coordinators in this video had a great deal of insight to share about the values and positive features of the PYP. Yan Julius (PYP Coordinator, Indonesia) pointed out that the “ATL are the key elements or missing link for all the essential elements in the program” (Vimeo IBPYP). He goes on to note that the Enhanced PYP is geared at helping students be more successful. Another Coordinator in Indonesia discussed how the Learner Profile can empower students to become more active citizens (Agusman Armansyah). After watching this video, I feel compelled to investigate how the new Enhanced PYP programs are faring in IB schools worldwide. Do they promote collaboration and continuous learning? What struggle have various schools had in realizing the goals of the program?

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IB educators share what they consider as the most valuable aspect of the Primary Years Programme (PYP)

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The IB DP: A broad and balanced education

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The IB DP: A broad and balanced education

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This video introduces what DP is and its significance to all the members of learning communities. All the comments made by the students and the teachers interviewed reflect the IB learner profile. It touches upon all three cores of the DP: EE, CAS, and TOK. "Seeing is Believing" and this is what this videoclip is all about. I truly hope that I can create such a classroom for myself and my students one day.

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The IB Diploma Programme: A broad and balanced education

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Integrating the subjects in the UOI is a difficult task. You have to make sure that you mix and match it with the Transdisciplinary Themes and check if it is vertically and horizontally aligned in the curriculum.

Right now, teachers in our school would integrate the subjects in each inquiry based on the themes key concepts/related concepts. The difficult part actually is trying to implement it. There are times when making the connection of the UOI to the subject is almost forgotten in the lesson. One thing is to make sure that you also have a lesson plan that you create solely for that subject to not miss out the in the unit.

Planning is still very important and understanding the concept of transdisciplinary and conceptual based learning will really make things easier both for teachers and students. Of course it will take an expert to also make sure to train teachers in looking at the subjects using the IB lens.

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Primary Years Program (PYP) Math at Westlake Academy

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In this video explain that the PYP program has a possibility, because ideas are a lifelong process with no end in learning. I felt that when teachers approach the IB curriculum with a common understanding, student-centered learning progresses and students themselves become more proactive and responsible for their own learning. I thought that there are no answers to conceptual understanding and the creation of new ideas, and that reflection refines these ideas. It is important that students need to engage in learning with each other and among teachers, and be aware that we are IB learners before IB teachers. Azusa

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Primary Years Program (PYP) Math at Westlake Academy

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Primary Years Program (PYP) Math at Westlake Academy

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At Westlake Academy, they teach prescribed math curriculum by the state, but they teach in the IB approaches. They teach learning from a concept-based, inquiry-based, and the process allows students to make connections across subjects within transdisciplinary programme. Also, it gives students opportunity to be able to transfer and apply what they learn to different learnings by understanding from the concepts. The teacher believes that it's important for students to see themselves as "mathematicians" and understand the importance of what they learn. I believe that it's crucial especially for young students to be curious in learning, and I thought that transdisciplinary programme helps them love what they learn and become autonomous learners. Mai

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Primary Years Program (PYP) Math at Westlake Academy

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Since one of the PYP's underpinning pedagogical approaches is constructivism, it is understandable that learners are responsible of their own learning (student agency).

I would say that the curriculum is very ideal and is a necessity in the field of education. Communication and collaboration are always seen inside PYP classrooms. These interactions are ways that enrich their learning and skills.

I think it would be best if International Schools would have strict hiring process when it comes to teacher recruitment. Of course teachers don't need to have a PYP teaching background but they should be educators. I mean it is very difficult to achieve the goals of the PYP curriculum when the teachers/facilitators are not from the educational field. The quality of teaching is very much affected which is why parents need to double check the educational/professional background of the teachers before enrolling in an International School.

There are times when the school would compromise and just choose a native speaker even without having professional teaching experience. Although there are workshops for teachers once they get into an IB school, but it will take more time, experience, effort etc. to be able to understand the different pedagogical approaches.

I am not sure if the IB organization is strict enough when it comes to the IB Schools' hiring process. Because the quality of teachers they get will give them the quality of students they produce.

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process.

The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

When learning communities recognize children's emergent identities and competencies, they create an educational context that values children both for who they were, who they are in the present and who they will become in the future. In building from prior learning and experiences, PYP learners are uniquely placed to co-create their current learning needs.

This understanding of how students learn is foundational to the inquiry-based and concept-driven transdisciplinary model of learning and teaching.

As a result, PYP students demonstrate the agility and imagination to respond to new and unexpected challenges and opportunities, and to take action for a better and more peaceful world.

Fostering self-efficacy to enable agency

The stronger the sense of self-efficacy in students, the greater the likelihood that they will exercise agency. Self-efficacy influences the choices students are confident in making, which, in turn, influences the degree of ownership and impact they have in their lives.

When teachers acknowledge learner agency and the importance of self-efficacy, students become partners in the learning process. In this partnership, teachers work alongside students, meet with small groups and individuals as needed, and monitor learning and provide feedback.

The PYP exhibition

In the final year of the PYP, students take part in the PYP exhibition. The exhibition is an authentic process for students to explore, document and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance. The whole learning community shares and celebrates this culminating event in the journey students have experienced through their PYP years.
Learn more about the PYP exhibition here
The early learner

The PYP acknowledges the unique needs of early learners, aged 3 to 6 years. It is a distinguishing feature of the programme which recognizes that learners in this age range require approaches to learning and to teaching that honor their developmental stage, and the importance of play as the vehicle for inquiry. Since experiences during the early years lay the foundation for all future learning, the PYP framework allows educators to make choices to best enable learners to flourish.

Early learning in the PYP is a holistic learning experience that integrates socio-emotional, physical and cognitive development. In the PYP classroom, it takes place in dynamic environments that promote play, discovery and exploration.

The IB learner profile in the PYP

The IB learner profile represents a broad range of human dispositions, capacities and traits that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. Developing and demonstrating the attributes of the learner profile is an expression of what the IB means by international-mindedness.

The IB learner profile permeates all facets of school life in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). All members of the learning community from the youngest learners to school leaders to parents, educators and beyond, have a responsibility to be guided by and demonstrate a commitment to the development of the IB learner profile attributes.

Find out more about the IB learner profile [1.4 MB]

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process. The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

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There is a sentence here that impressed me deeply, "We understand what we are learning, we don't memorize it." I think this sentence distinguishes IB education from traditional education very well. In the MYP, students ask and solve problems by thenselves and they can also choose the courses waht they want to take. Moreover, in MPY's teaching, teachers pay more attention to the process rather than the results, which can promote students' learning enthusiasm and allow students to enjoy learning itself. During the middle school stage,it is a critical period for the establish students' values. A suitable teaching system can bring positive effect.

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This article and video clip tell us about the MYP and how it changes the classroom for students and teachers alike. It is engaging and encourages students to "learn by doing" instead of just taking in what they are told. A teacher said she is as much of a learner in the classroom as her students. Another teacher applauded the MYP for bringing "cohesion to the classroom." She said it gives teachers opportunities to grow by sharing ideas and look things differently.

A student commended how she grew beyond academics, by learning how to learn. She says she has encountered many new ideas because of the curriculum design.

I think the MYP has many great qualities that enable students to find their own way of learning by sharing ideas and critiquing together. Through the five years of the program, I imagine that students will grow immensely and be better prepared for the rigorous DP and further higher education.

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The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) emphasizes intellectual challenge.

It encourages students aged 11 to 16 to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, preparing them for success in further study and in life.

What the MYP offers students

The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning.

The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers.

Why offer the MYP?

Research shows that students participating in the MYP:

The MYP was revised in September 2014 to provide a more rigorous and highly flexible framework that powerfully integrates with local educational requirements. New industry-leading onscreen examinations and ePortfolios offer exciting opportunities for reliable, robust digital assessment of student achievement.

Becoming an IB World School

If you're interested in becoming an IB World School, you can find out more about how the IB can benefit your school, and about how the application process works.

Linking the MYP to other IB programmes

The MYP builds on the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed by the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), and prepares students for the demanding requirements of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and IB Career-related Programme (CP).

Find out how to become an IB World School and offer one or more of the IB programmes of education.

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The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) emphasizes intellectual challenge. It encourages students aged 11 to 16 to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, preparing them for success in further study and in life.

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This video clip tells us what skills the DP equips its learners with. The professor from the DePaul University states that DP graduates bring with them the following skills in addition to their academic strength: Enthusiasm and curiosity, organization skills, adaptability and engagement, accepting differences, and willingness to take on challenges. These are reflective of the IB learner profile and what we as educators seek in our students. They are indeed the essential features of IB programs.

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Concept learning helps students develop critical thinking skills and deep understanding. However, for teachers, this approach can be confusing as it differs from traditional lesson plans. Additionally, assessing students' understanding of concepts can be time-consuming and challenging. Teachers may feel uncertain about whether their lessons are effectively helping students grasp these concepts. Erina

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The Primary Years Programme (PYP) ensures that learning is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. A transdisciplinary and conceptual inquiry approach encapsulates these aspects of learning, underpinned by authentic integrated assessment.

The PYP is a transformative learning and teaching experience and represents a commitment to student learning in an authentic and transdisciplinary context.

Transdisciplinarity transcends subjects

Transdisciplinary learning in the PYP conveys learning that has relevance between, across and beyond subjects and transcends borders connecting to what is real in the world.

PYP students learn to appreciate knowledge, conceptual understandings, skills and personal attributes as a connected whole. They can reflect on the significance of their learning to take meaningful action in their community and beyond.

Through this process of learning in the PYP, students become competent learners, self-driven to have the cognitive, affective and social tools to engage in lifelong learning.

Concept driven inquiry

A conceptual inquiry approach is a powerful vehicle for learning that values concepts and promotes meaning and understanding. It challenges students to engage critically and creatively with significant ideas beyond the surface level of knowing. PYP teachers use powerful, broad and abstract concepts as a lens to organize learning within units of inquiry and subject-specific learning.

Inquiry is a process that can be framed and represented in many ways. In a PYP context the process can involve:

Approaches to learning skills

The IB approaches to learning skills (ATL) are grounded in the belief that learning how to learn is fundamental to a student's life in and out of a school context. In broad terms, IB programmes support learners in developing:

Thinking skills

Communication skills

Research skills

Self-management skills

Social skills

The approaches to learning and associated sub-skills support students of all ages in being agentic and self-regulated learners. Through a variety of strategies, PYP teachers collaboratively plan for implicit and explicit opportunities to develop ATL both inside and outside the programme of inquiry.

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The Primary Years Programme (PYP) ensures that learning is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. A transdisciplinary and conceptual inquiry approach encapsulates these aspects of learning, underpinned by authentic integrated assessment. The PYP is a transformative learning and teaching experience and represents a commitment to student learning in an authentic and transdisciplinary context.

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This video describing what it means to be a PYP learner put the IB’s definition of being international-minded into perspective. The students, teachers and parents interviewed here point to the importance of agency, inquiry, curiosity and open mindedness in the PYP. Elements of the Learner Profile shape even the youngest learners in the EYP. As the learner progresses through the PYP into the MYP, the positive impact of these key attributes developed through the transdisciplinary themes is visible. As the article mentions, “developing and demonstrating the attributes of the learner profile is an expression of what the IB means by international-mindedness.” (ibo.org)

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process.

The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

When learning communities recognize children's emergent identities and competencies, they create an educational context that values children both for who they were, who they are in the present and who they will become in the future. In building from prior learning and experiences, PYP learners are uniquely placed to co-create their current learning needs.

This understanding of how students learn is foundational to the inquiry-based and concept-driven transdisciplinary model of learning and teaching.

As a result, PYP students demonstrate the agility and imagination to respond to new and unexpected challenges and opportunities, and to take action for a better and more peaceful world.

Fostering self-efficacy to enable agency

The stronger the sense of self-efficacy in students, the greater the likelihood that they will exercise agency. Self-efficacy influences the choices students are confident in making, which, in turn, influences the degree of ownership and impact they have in their lives.

When teachers acknowledge learner agency and the importance of self-efficacy, students become partners in the learning process. In this partnership, teachers work alongside students, meet with small groups and individuals as needed, and monitor learning and provide feedback.

The PYP exhibition

In the final year of the PYP, students take part in the PYP exhibition. The exhibition is an authentic process for students to explore, document and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance. The whole learning community shares and celebrates this culminating event in the journey students have experienced through their PYP years.
Learn more about the PYP exhibition here
The early learner

The PYP acknowledges the unique needs of early learners, aged 3 to 6 years. It is a distinguishing feature of the programme which recognizes that learners in this age range require approaches to learning and to teaching that honor their developmental stage, and the importance of play as the vehicle for inquiry. Since experiences during the early years lay the foundation for all future learning, the PYP framework allows educators to make choices to best enable learners to flourish.

Early learning in the PYP is a holistic learning experience that integrates socio-emotional, physical and cognitive development. In the PYP classroom, it takes place in dynamic environments that promote play, discovery and exploration.

The IB learner profile in the PYP

The IB learner profile represents a broad range of human dispositions, capacities and traits that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. Developing and demonstrating the attributes of the learner profile is an expression of what the IB means by international-mindedness.

The IB learner profile permeates all facets of school life in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). All members of the learning community from the youngest learners to school leaders to parents, educators and beyond, have a responsibility to be guided by and demonstrate a commitment to the development of the IB learner profile attributes.

Find out more about the IB learner profile [1.4 MB]

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process. The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

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Theories of Knowledge: Knowledge and Technology

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Theories of Knowledge: Knowledge and Technology

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While I have more questions than answers after going through this eLearning Resource, I think adding this component on technology to the TOK’s in the DP is essential as our understanding, dependence and relationship to tech in most aspects of our lives are evolving constantly.

Questions that come up for me are how can teachers equip learners to effective address the topic of technology?

The tech aspect of the 5 themes, in addition to knowledge and the knower, is a relevant and dynamic theme. I wonder if students can link the TOK ‘knowledge and technology’ to the other core themes of politics, language, religion, or indigenous societies?

How specifically do DP students link the TOK’s to the areas of knowledge like Math, Human Science, Natural Science, the Arts, and History?

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This quick document answers some questions about the Diploma Programme, with more notice paid to selling the idea to parents, from what I can tell. They also give a bit more info about the DP core components of ToK (an "analysis of knowledge across disciplines), CAS ("a wide variety of extracurricular, community service and athletic options"), and the extended essay ("a 4,000-word essay in an area of personal interest").

Of special interest, not having shown up in our materials so far, this page notes how IB students tend to be highly motivated achievers who take part in a wide range of activities, but that these programmes are not necessarily for "gifted" students, the individual schools dictate how they will be chosen. Studies also show that graduates of the IB programme are more likely to attend college, as well as persist in college for more than two years. Which doesn't sound so exciting, but a link to furthur research on their website states that IB students were three times more likely to attend a top-twenty higher education institute, and 7% more likely to gain a first-class degree (which is the highest grade you can attain in the UK).

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In this IB community blog, three PYP teachers share their learning experience and tell us how they support their students in their own learning.  I found their important points in teaching is the student ownership, and the teachers are the supporters for students to plan themselves and do what they want to do.  These approaches allow the students to develop their thinking and communicating skills, and as a results of student ownership, students become more confident about themselves.  I thought this is ideal way of education for the students, because they will be capable of thinking and collaborating with others, and these skills helps them to manage their own life in the future as well.  However, I thought that it’s not easy for teachers to really inquire the students and put their thoughts together.  I like to know deeper about specific ways to support student ownership. Mai

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Student Voice and Choice – Student Ownership | The PYP Classroom

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PYP students take the lead | SharingPYP Blog

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The IB Primary Years Programme encourages students to identify and choose the areas of learning they wish to explore. IB World magazine speaks to three PYP teachers about how they support their students in directing their own learning.

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Since the PYP and MYP are more of a curriculum framework, I was curious of how the DPs curriculum functioned, so I chose the IBs website about the TOK. Exploring this site, I learned the different parts and theme of the TOK. I particularly liked the how different themes can raise discussion in the classroom and can be relatable to the students. I was a little shocked at that the theme "knowledge and technology" was recently added to the optional themes. I feel this aspect should had been included much earlier.

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The webpage mentions, "Students who have taken the PYP and MYP will therefore be well prepared for the challenges of the DP." However, the public high school in my hometown consists mainly of students who have graduated from nearby public middle schools, and of course, they have not received PYP or MYP education. I have doubts about whether such students can adapt to the DP course all of a sudden. Last year, I attended a DP class at this high school, and the students at that time said they were still confused because DP classes were significantly different from the teacher-led classes they had been receiving. I would like to inquire whether there is a difference in the level of abilities and skills acquired between students who have gone through PYP or MYP before taking the DP course and students who start with the DP course.

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I watched this video because I am currently applying for work in an early years position at a couple of IB and non-IB schools.

I was impressed by how the teachers and administrators shown stated that the students in the IB program are self-directed, inquirers/problem solvers and not machines.

The flexibility of the PYP allows for children to feel more a part of a learning community and they are given the skills they need to be problem solvers and thinkers.

I liked how one of the teachers said that the PYP allows students to have many different opportunities to express themselves and be life long learners.

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The Flexibility of the MYP: Seven Common Questions

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The Flexibility of the MYP: Seven Common Questions

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This article answers seven commonly asked questions about the MYP. The answers show how flexible the MYP is when combining with other state or national curricula and in the planning process. Some points that I found interesting were:
- schools have the flexibility to add concepts and contexts that are relevant in local circumstances
-  schools can have flexibility in the MYP programme structure opting for the length of programme that suits their needs
- schools are free to adapt the unit planners to their context
- teachers can use key concepts from their own subject group as well as key concepts from other subject groups to plan disciplinary and interdisciplinary units of work

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This provides the learning opportunity(resources) for the whole PYP learning community. I think this represents how IB honors all the teachers and parents, or sometimes even students to have the common understanding and knowledge to make the education better.
From the categories they have, we can see that the essential features of IB programs that is expected to be shared with the learning community are;
-Agency
-Inquiry
-Assessment
-Learning through play
-Leadership
-Learning environment(Diversity and inclusion)
-The PYP enhancement
-Roadmap (Purpose and goals)

However PYP playlist is still developing, according to this;
"The resources here do not currently represent all areas of the Enhanced PYP.

This playlist will continue to be developed over time. More areas will be included as well as different resources for other stakeholders in your learning community. "

-Asuka

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This video shares the outline and structure of the IB program as whole.
They mention that the core value is the learner profile, which leads to be a passionate lifelong learners who can create the better and peaceful world (IB mission).
They mention that the IB is student centered and will develop internationally minded people. IB education means an opportunity for healthy relationship, imagination and ethical reasoning to gain confidence and persistence to achieve challenging goals in the rapidly changing complexed world.
By learning how to learn, IB education is to turn the experience into understanding and connects to different context, locally and globally to the world beyond.
To do that, stringent assessment is necessary. Also they work through Inquiry, Action and Reflection.
They also mention about the learning community to support those, with well thought broad, balanced and connected programs.

All of this elements are expressed in the figure attached by the end of video. I think this presents the essential features of IB at a glance.
-Asuka

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The link provided leads to, specifically, the page that discusses the learner profile of the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The page highlights the ten attributes of the IB learner profile, which are integral to the PYP curriculum. These attributes include being inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective. It explains how these attributes are nurtured through the PYP's approach to learning and teaching.

The PYP promotes inquiry-based learning, where students are encouraged to raise queries, exercise critical thought, and look for solutions. It also emphasizes how authentic, real-world contexts may help students develop transversal abilities like communication and investigation. In order to build effective cooperation and communication skills, it also highlights the value of collaboration by encouraging students to work in groups. Inspiring pupils to reflect critically on their own knowledge and deeds, the page also emphasizes the value of reflection.

To summarize,, the link provides information about the IB learner profile and how it is integrated into the Primary Years Programme curriculum. It shows how the PYP's approach to learning and teaching aligns with the attributes of the learner profile, fostering inquiry-based learning, transdisciplinary skills, collaboration, and reflection, to develop students as globally-minded, responsible individuals.

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process.

The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

When learning communities recognize children's emergent identities and competencies, they create an educational context that values children both for who they were, who they are in the present and who they will become in the future. In building from prior learning and experiences, PYP learners are uniquely placed to co-create their current learning needs.

This understanding of how students learn is foundational to the inquiry-based and concept-driven transdisciplinary model of learning and teaching.

As a result, PYP students demonstrate the agility and imagination to respond to new and unexpected challenges and opportunities, and to take action for a better and more peaceful world.

Fostering self-efficacy to enable agency

The stronger the sense of self-efficacy in students, the greater the likelihood that they will exercise agency. Self-efficacy influences the choices students are confident in making, which, in turn, influences the degree of ownership and impact they have in their lives.

When teachers acknowledge learner agency and the importance of self-efficacy, students become partners in the learning process. In this partnership, teachers work alongside students, meet with small groups and individuals as needed, and monitor learning and provide feedback.

The PYP exhibition

In the final year of the PYP, students take part in the PYP exhibition. The exhibition is an authentic process for students to explore, document and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance. The whole learning community shares and celebrates this culminating event in the journey students have experienced through their PYP years.
Learn more about the PYP exhibition here
The early learner

The PYP acknowledges the unique needs of early learners, aged 3 to 6 years. It is a distinguishing feature of the programme which recognizes that learners in this age range require approaches to learning and to teaching that honor their developmental stage, and the importance of play as the vehicle for inquiry. Since experiences during the early years lay the foundation for all future learning, the PYP framework allows educators to make choices to best enable learners to flourish.

Early learning in the PYP is a holistic learning experience that integrates socio-emotional, physical and cognitive development. In the PYP classroom, it takes place in dynamic environments that promote play, discovery and exploration.

The IB learner profile in the PYP

The IB learner profile represents a broad range of human dispositions, capacities and traits that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. Developing and demonstrating the attributes of the learner profile is an expression of what the IB means by international-mindedness.

The IB learner profile permeates all facets of school life in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). All members of the learning community from the youngest learners to school leaders to parents, educators and beyond, have a responsibility to be guided by and demonstrate a commitment to the development of the IB learner profile attributes.

Find out more about the IB learner profile [1.4 MB]

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The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that PYP students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process. The PYP curriculum recognizes learners' innate potential to inquire, question, wonder and theorize about themselves, others, and the world around them.

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The link provided leads to the International Baccalaureate website, specifically to the page that discusses the learning and teaching approach of the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The PYP is a curriculum designed for students aged 3 to 12 years old, focusing on developing their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being.

The page provides a bite sized yet detailed overview of the PYP's approach to learning and teaching. It emphasizes the value of inquiry-based instruction, where students are encouraged to investigate, query, and develop their own conceptual understanding. The PYP also places a strong emphasis on the development of transdisciplinary abilities through authentic, real-world contexts, including communication, investigation, and critical thinking.

The page also explains the PYP instructors' role as facilitators and co-learners who support each student's unique learning needs while assisting with their enquiries. It highlights the PYP's emphasis on collaborative learning, where students are encouraged to work in groups to develop strong collaboration and communication skills.

The page also emphasizes the value of the IB learner profile characteristics, which are essential to the PYP curriculum. These qualities, which include reflection, compassion, and morality, are meant to help pupils become mature, responsible, and worldly adults.

In conclusion, the link offers a thorough review of the learning and teaching methodology used in the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate, emphasizing its emphasis on inquiry-based learning, transdisciplinary abilities, cooperation, and the growth of learner profile qualities.

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The Primary Years Programme (PYP) ensures that learning is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. A transdisciplinary and conceptual inquiry approach encapsulates these aspects of learning, underpinned by authentic integrated assessment.

The PYP is a transformative learning and teaching experience and represents a commitment to student learning in an authentic and transdisciplinary context.

Transdisciplinarity transcends subjects

Transdisciplinary learning in the PYP conveys learning that has relevance between, across and beyond subjects and transcends borders connecting to what is real in the world.

PYP students learn to appreciate knowledge, conceptual understandings, skills and personal attributes as a connected whole. They can reflect on the significance of their learning to take meaningful action in their community and beyond.

Through this process of learning in the PYP, students become competent learners, self-driven to have the cognitive, affective and social tools to engage in lifelong learning.

Concept driven inquiry

A conceptual inquiry approach is a powerful vehicle for learning that values concepts and promotes meaning and understanding. It challenges students to engage critically and creatively with significant ideas beyond the surface level of knowing. PYP teachers use powerful, broad and abstract concepts as a lens to organize learning within units of inquiry and subject-specific learning.

Inquiry is a process that can be framed and represented in many ways. In a PYP context the process can involve:

Approaches to learning skills

The IB approaches to learning skills (ATL) are grounded in the belief that learning how to learn is fundamental to a student's life in and out of a school context. In broad terms, IB programmes support learners in developing:

Thinking skills

Communication skills

Research skills

Self-management skills

Social skills

The approaches to learning and associated sub-skills support students of all ages in being agentic and self-regulated learners. Through a variety of strategies, PYP teachers collaboratively plan for implicit and explicit opportunities to develop ATL both inside and outside the programme of inquiry.

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The Primary Years Programme (PYP) ensures that learning is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. A transdisciplinary and conceptual inquiry approach encapsulates these aspects of learning, underpinned by authentic integrated assessment. The PYP is a transformative learning and teaching experience and represents a commitment to student learning in an authentic and transdisciplinary context.

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What really caught my attention was the line that learning is not suppose to placed in boxes but presented as a whole. Students in the PYP are suppose to make connections through their experiences and learning.

There is a promotion of cross curriculum learning and teaching by teachers and students.

Learning does not stop and that questions can lead to new learning experiences for students.

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These are the guidelines for the PYP's online exhibition. The exhibition will take place from May 1st to July 15th, 2023.

Schools wishing to participate can post clips or compliations to the IB's Instagram or Twitter pages.

This is open to IB schools from all around the world and a world map displaying the countries where each contributing school is located will be posted on Twitter.

Schools can contribute a virtual exhibition made of photos, videos, charts, diagrams, images and sound clips.

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Frequently asked questions about the Middle Years Programme

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Frequently asked questions about the Middle Years Programme

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This document provides a list of the most frequently asked questions about the MYP.  It gives a very nice overview about what the MYP is and the advantages of the programme.

It was interesting for me to learn that the MYP has an optional eAssessment that schools can use in the final year of the MYP to assess students understanding and skills. And that students who undertake external assessment are eligible for IB Course Results and the IB MYP Certificate. For some reason I thought there were only exams in the DP.

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From what I saw in the video the students were constantly in discussion and were engaged in the hands on approach to learning by doing. I really like that the IB curriculum allows for community service as it gives the students the opportunity to take what they've learned and put it into action. I feel like here in Japan. The students do a lot of watch the teacher, memorize and take tests. They rarely get the chance to think critically, explore or take their learning beyond the classroom. It is ridiculously hard to get approval for an excursion during school time.

I like when the girl said "there's no restrictions in the MYP, it's just a stage where you discover and learn about yourself." I think this is not only true for the students but also the teachers. The IB allows for teachers to always bring new and innovative ideas to the classroom and with the implementation of routine PD, they're always improving upon themselves. It seems as though you would never get bored or stagnate teaching the MYP.

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This short video is a brief introduction to the career-related program. It seems like unlike in the DP, where the students focus very much on theory and ideas, the CP focuses on practical learning. I like the idea of learning through doing, I think it lines up very well with a lot of the IB philosophy and is a very student centred approach. Though I do wonder what kind of careers this can prepare one for and what universities accept this qualification, as I know one of the big draws of the DP is that students who go through the program then have many choices open to them.

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Since teaching/learning and evaluation are inextricably linked, I am very interested to know how evaluation is conducted in the IB. I am overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material. It will take me some time to process all the information.

However, what I think is important at this point is the principle of evaluation: 1. construct relevance and authenticity 2. manageability, 3. fairness and bias, 4. compatibility, and 5. reliability are essential.

This elaborate evaluation method cannot be created overnight and should take a great deal of time and effort to create and implement. As a result, it is not difficult to imagine how much planning and preparation was required, and I look forward to gaining a better understanding of evaluation in the IB.

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The IB uses both internal and optional external assessment (eAssessment) in the MYP.

School-based assessment

MYP assessment focuses on tasks created and marked by classroom teachers who are well-equipped to make judgments about student achievement. These tasks are rigorous and embrace a variety of assessment strategies.

MYP teachers assess the prescribed subject-group objectives using the assessment criteria for each subject group in each year of the programme.

External assessment

In the final year of the programme, each MYP student must develop a personal project independently, which is externally validated by the IB. Producing a truly personal and creative piece of work over an extended period stands as a summative review of their ability to conduct independent work.

At the same time, schools can register for optional external assessment (eAssessment) in all other elements of the programme. It offers students the chance to earn a formal, internationally recognised certificate if they meet the success criteria.

Once a school registers for eAssessment in the MYP, students can participate in any of these two types of examinations:

The graphic below outlines how the two types of assessment - on-screen examinations and ePortfolios - are divided across the MYP's various subject groups. The Language acquisition assessment comprises one on-screen examination and one internally assessed individual speaking assessment.

The mandatory personal project and the optional ePortfolio course works are subject to external moderation of teacher's internal marking. On-screen examinations are externally marked by trained IB examiners.

IB assessment principles and practices

The IB takes great care in ensuring assessment of candidates is meaningful and fair.

The following guides provide an overview of the assessment process across our programmes. Read assessment guide for:

Learn more about the principles of MYP assessment here.

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Learn about the assessment and exams involved during the International Baccalaureate® Middle Years Programme.

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IB educators share what they consider as the most valuable aspect of the Primary Years Programme (PYP)

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IB educators share what they consider as the most valuable aspect of the Primary Years Programme (PYP)

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I understand that the primary level is a very important time to build a foundation for learning. And the profile of the ideal learner we are aiming for is also clear. The question, however, is how to get there. Without knowing the methodology, there will be no results. How many would-be program coordinators have concrete ideas on how to make that happen? After watching a few videos, I feel that proper professional development is inevitable. I would like to see more examples of practices in the future to see what kind of training teachers regularly do before they teach their classes.

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IB educators share what they consider as the most valuable aspect of the Primary Years Programme (PYP)

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While reading about the DP's Language and Literature and Language Acquisition studies, I noticed that classes were offered at Higher Level (HL), Standard Level (SL), or both HL and SL. The main difference between these two levels is the amount of coursework completed and the assessment requirements for each course. What I find most interesting about these two levels in relation to the DP curriculum requirements is that DP students have to take 3-4 HL classes during their time in the IB. I find this interesting because it seems to require students to challenge themselves in subjects they like or plan to study in the future. This reminds me of the "Risk-Taking" part of the IB learner profile. Students might be nervous to take more demanding classes, but the curriculum requires them to take that risk in at least three classes. I wonder how a requirement like this feels from the students' perspective. When I was in high school, a history teacher once encouraged me to take an AP history course, but I didn't. I don't remember my exact reasons for not taking the class, but I think it had something to do with not being able to picture myself in an AP class. Later, my mom basically forced me to take AP English, and while I hated that I was required to do it, I ended up loving the class. The HL requirement in the DP curriculum seems to think that a push to challenge oneself is ultimately beneficial.

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I hope to teach IB language or language arts classes in the future, so I started my readings this week with the overview of DP's Language and Literature studies. One of the first things I noticed about these courses was that many of the aims were the same as non-IB courses I've taken and taught (appreciate language and literature, critical thinking, clear written/oral communication, etc.), but two aims that stood out as unique to the IB were understanding how language challenges/supports different ways of thinking and an emphasis on cultural perspectives. It seems one of the main ways the L&L courses teach students about cultural perspectives is by analyzing translated works and how cultural interpretations can affect translations. This is a point that particularly excites me, because translation is so much more difficult than it appears. An article in the Japan Times (if I remember correctly), referred to translation as "the fifth language skill." Some friends of mine have read books translated from Japanese before and thought of them as "kind of weird." To me, however, my time living in Japan and learning Japanese language informs my reading of translated texts and tells me that "weird" parts of the story are attempts at translating culturally or linguistically specific concepts. So much can be gained from studying translated works, and I hope that wherever I work in the future I can incorporate this study into lesson plans.

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I quickly read the overview of the PYP article (https://ibo.org/programmes/primary-years-programme/) because I intend to focus on the PYP.
The article contains a lot of information that I've previously seen, but it offers a bird's eye view of the PYP program's key features that appealed the most to me.
The article mentions that learners take an active approach to collaborate with their teachers.  This reflects my own practice of implementing Canada's BC curriculum, which has recently undergone a major overhaul in terms of the role of the teacher in the classroom. Presently, teachers in BC are focusing much more on how to be a facilitator who can help students become active learners rather than being a transmitter of subject content.

For instance, I try my best to make projects for my students that encourage them to engage and apply with the learning topic. Many countries across the world (not just Canada) have begun to move away from the old-fashioned idea of a teacher-centred to a student-centred classroom, which I'm very glad to see.

As I move forward in this IBEC program, I would like to think, engage, and reflect on  how I can negotiate the core concepts of the PYP in relation to my preexisting teaching philosophy.

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The International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) for children aged 3 - 12, develops active, self-regulated learners in a transdisciplinary curriculum framework.

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Transdisciplinary Learning and Concept Driven Inquiry

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I read the article titled "Learning and Teaching" in the IBO website in regards to the PYP curriculum. What drew me the most to this article is the two central concepts of transdisciplinary learning and concept-driven inquiry to ensure maximum subject relevance and student engagement.
The article provided me limited insight to how teachers facilitate transdisciplinary learning, so I researched more beyond this article and found the above diagram used by a Catholic IB school, in which all of the different school subjects revolve around a singular central topic/idea. I think this approach is meant to convey to students that learning isn't meant to be arbitrary, and that what they learn in class will almost always carry real-life significance. Instead of going through subjects in a traditional, compartmentalized manner, students see that each subject is meant to meaningfully expand his/her understanding regarding one particular topic.
Concept-driven inquiry took me a while to understand, but after much research beyond the IBO website I understand it to be a principle essentially revolving around the 8 IB core concepts (Form, Function, Causation, Change, Connection, Perspective, Responsibility and Reflection) that are meant to encourage students to connect to their learning beyond a superficial level of knowing.

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Essential features of IB programmes & the programme models

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Essential features of IB programmes & the programme models

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This is a place to discuss and review the resources from the Wakelet collection.