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Standard C2: Unit planning

Key points

What

An MYP unit defines a period of study that concludes with a summative assessment.

MYP units organize and document teaching and learning in schools offering the programme. The units represent the essential structure of educational experience in an MYP school.

Who

Teachers, librarians, other educational professionals, subject leaders (department chairs), curriculum managers and administrators all need to understand how to create, use and evaluate MYP unit plans.

MYP units represent a key expression of MYP philosophy in practice. They bring many elements of the programme together in ways that affect students on a daily basis.

When

At the start: schools typically begin their implementation of the MYP by learning how to develop MYP units.

Collaborative unit planning remains at the centre of programme development throughout a school's IB journey.

Reference: Programme standards and practices

Standard C2: Written curriculum

1. The written curriculum is comprehensive and aligns with the requirements of the programme(s).

d. Unit plans are documented according to the MYP unit planning process.

f. There is a system for the regular review of individual unit plans and of the planning of approaches to learning skills.

4. The written curriculum identifies the knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes to be developed over time.

a. The written curriculum includes the prescribed key concepts and related concepts in each subject group.

Practical guidance

Unit plans are usually better when teachers work together to develop and teach them.

Unit plans are an essential component of the MYP written curriculum and must include the following elements.

Inquiry: Establishing the purpose of the unit

Key and related concepts

Global contexts

Statement of inquiry

Inquiry questions

Subject-group objectives

Summative assessment

Approaches to learning (ATL)

Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry

Content (selected or required)

Description of the learning process

Learning experiences and teaching strategies

Formative assessment

Differentiation

Resources

Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry

Prior to teaching the unit

During teaching

After teaching the unit

MYP: From principles into practice (2014), "MYP unit planner"

Schools must use the MYP unit-planning process. However, they can adapt the format to meet the needs of their particular context. Other formats and digital presentations of essential elements can facilitate collaborative planning, documentation and publication of the school's written curriculum.

The MYP unit planning process mirrors a cycle of inquiry that stands at the heart of the IB's understanding of how people learn.

The inquiry section identifies the purpose of the unit to ensure its alignment with MYP philosophy and requirements. In other words, this section establishes the unit's basic framework. It outlines it in large pieces that are put together as in the framing edges of a puzzle. The inner pieces of the puzzle are not found here, but are found in the more detailed action section of the unit planner.

The action section of the MYP unit planner identifies the taught curriculum. The goal of teaching and learning in the MYP is the active construction of meaning. Students build connections between their prior understanding and the new information and experience that they gain through inquiry.

Teachers use this section to focus on how students will learn, and it is often more detailed. Teachers use the concepts, context and ATL skills to inform and create meaningful learning experiences that are formatively assessed and differentiated. At the same time they are also building the knowledge and skills necessary for students to perform the summative task.

The inclusion of all students requires a school to address differentiation within the written and taught curriculum. This is demonstrated in the action section of the unit planner and in the teaching environment. The environment is reviewed during programme authorization and evaluation.

The reflection section provides teachers with an invitation to record their reflections at three important periods in the unit's development and implementation. The section serves three purposes, providing: (1) a starting point for collaborative planning; (2) a reminder for reflective practice throughout the teaching process; (3) a means to evaluate teaching strategies and learning outcomes.

Going deeper

Participants

Teachers (and subject group leaders).

Objectives

To review MYP unit planners as a critical friend of one's own work and the work of others.

To build competence and confidence in making judgments about the quality of MYP unit plans.

Inquiry focus

Procedures

Teachers use the descriptors from Evaluating MYP unit planners to identify levels of development, asking questions and sharing evidence to reach a consensus.

For elements that have not yet been developed to the exemplary level, participants can ask questions and share ideas for specific improvements.

A closing exercise might look for common strengths and areas open to development, highlighting areas of expertise and experience that can be shared across subject groups.

Examples from IB World Schools

FAQs

When using the MYP unit planner, does the key concept used for a unit have to be one of the key concepts specifically contributed by the subject group, or can it be another key concept from the larger MYP list in MYP: From principles into practice?

Teachers can use alternative key concepts that are not highlighted in the subject group guide for a unit. The MYP identifies 16 key concepts to be explored across the curriculum. These key concepts represent understandings that reach beyond the eight MYP subject groups from which they are drawn, and thus teachers use key concepts from their own subject group(s), as well as key concepts from other subject groups, to plan their units.

Teachers can also develop additional concepts to meet the needs of their students or local requirements.

However, the key concepts outlined in the subject group guides should be addressed across the years of the programme offered at the school. It is important to note that these required concepts also form the basis of the (optional) MYP eAssessments, which can lead to MYP course results and contribute to the awarding of MYP certificates.

Do schools have to use the MYP unit-planning process for all teaching and learning in their courses, or can there be MYP and non-MYP parts of the curriculum?

Schools must use the MYP unit-planning process, but they can adapt the specific format of unit planning to meet their needs and to promote effective teaching and learning in a variety of circumstances.

How many units should schools teach in each subject group each year?

The MYP does not prescribe a fixed number of units. The number of units taught each year depends on the total number of guided learning hours, local curriculum requirements and school-based curriculum planning decisions. In practice, MYP units often encompass 10-20 hours of classroom learning.

A school's local or national curriculum contains required content or learning standards. Does each topic or standard need to have its own MYP unit?

The MYP is a curriculum framework that can incorporate many local, state or national curriculum requirements. Through careful collaborative planning, teachers can often combine standards and organize required content into meaningful inquiry-based units that focus on concepts and global contexts.

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What An MYP unit defines a period of study that concludes with a summative assessment. MYP units organize and document teaching and learning in schools offering the programme. The units represent the essential structure of educational experience in an MYP school.