MYP at ICS: Student-driven Learning, Real World Results

It's a personalized journey that connects student learning to issues which transcend the classroom walls.

International Community School of Addis Ababa is launching the International Baccalaureate's Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) in the Middle School, which means, as Grade 8 student Cormack explained, "students being able to choose a more defined path in their learning."

"We want to create a student-driven and student-centered curriculum that meets the unique needs of our community," MYP Coordinator Monique Palmer said. "We're going to be thinking about issues of global citizenship and also developing our service program so students can think more deeply about how they can give back to their communities."

Students in the MYP are able to apply the learning in their disciplinary subjects like science, math, design, and art to real-world issues -- both locally and globally.

"I'm really into caring about my environment, like global warming and climate change, and I'm really looking forward to studying them," Grade 8 student Reena said.

"Right now we';re looking into histories and revolutions," Grade 8 student Sayat said. "That is our real world. We're connecting those ideas to the past and to our present."

The MYP features a rigorous assessment model, challenging students through case studies and hands-on learning to apply their new knowledge and skills in unfamiliar situations. The grading system requires students to examine themselves as learners at the beginning of units and then reflect and measure their own growth in a given area with the guidance of their teachers.

Students dig more deeply into the attributes of the IB Learner Profile, refining the communication, organization, collaboration, and critical thinking skills that will help them understand who they are as learners and prepare them for learning in high school, university, and beyond.

To learn more about the MYP at ICS, and to see the learning in action as our school year continues, stay tuned to the ICS News page.