WHAT IS THE IB MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME?

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Bearden Middle has been an IB world school since 2017.  We offer the Middle Years Programme.  The Middle Years Programme is a programme dedicated to the needs of students in grades 6-10.  We work in partnership with West High School, which offers the MYP for all students, grades 9-10. Likewise, at Bearden Middle School ALL 6th, 7th and 8th graders will participate in the IB MYP.

The majority of parents are not yet aware about what is IB and what makes the education in IB schools different. International Baccalaureate (IB) was established and designed with an aim to educate children in the truest sense of development towards sustainable ‘Human excellence’. The pedagogy of teaching & learning and differentiated curriculum focuses specifically on definite areas of moral development towards attributes which are recognised, world-wide, as essential IB Learner Profile. These are characteristics which are instilled through the IB curriculum designed to benefit a child’s holistic education, with an awareness of ‘Every Child Matters’. 

The pedagogy of International Baccalaureate (IB) was thus established and designed with goal of expanding human abilities, character, and moral development. Such an education has been gaining grounds in the recent years because of its practical orientation to face the rapidly changing technical scenarios, advancement of human thoughts, mind-set and hands-on approach towards practical, application-orientated learning.

These approaches to learning (ATL) develop a different frame of mind and in turn, students become not just untiring learners, but also the discoverers of the power of ‘Self’ and productive citizens of the world.

IB is a world leading curriculum. It fosters creativity, encourages inquiry, action and collaborative reflection-based learning to develop a range of competencies. This curriculum encourages active, compassionate, lifelong learners to better themselves and their world. With a more worldly frame of mind, IB students will help to generate harmony and understanding in a world that is desperately in need of open-mindedness.

Below are ways in which your child may benefit from an IB education:

• Teaching methods and curriculums of IB are research-based and drawn from the best educational practices from around the world, including those of Vedanta of ancient India, China, Japan, Europe and so forth. It is a world-leading curricular framework that encourages students to become active and compassionate lifelong learners. Students who graduate from IB schools have a considerably higher chance of getting enrolled at top colleges and universities.
• The IB programme is more practical and application-based with a concept-driven curriculum. It believes in developing skills that lead to all-round development. It’s a learner-centric approach that includes research and problem-solving skills. The focus is more on applied knowledge instead of rote learning. Students are encouraged to think independently and drive their own learning through ‘inquiry,' a.k.a. skillful questioning.
• The IB curriculum is more rigorous with application of mind, as compared to other educational boards like CBSE and ICSE.  However, the challenge remains in the quality of assignments, not in the quantity of work assigned or memory alone. And children too, do not feel the ‘stress’ of examinations. The approach is based more on students' potential discovery, practical, challenging and concept-driven, rather than an examination centric approach from other boards.
• IB pedagogy focuses on guiding students in "how to learn" through their own hidden strengths.  IB assessments and criterion grading test students' knowledge and skills, not just their memory recall and speed.  
• IB has a broader spectrum of subjects for students to pursue and focus.
• The purpose of IB is to produce Global citizens. IB World School students have international awareness and develop strong academic, social and emotional characteristics. The IB curriculum helps them understand various global issues of significance and makes them ready to pursue higher education anywhere in the world.
• IB teachers are required to frequently participate in many professional development opportunities to continually promote their awareness of current educational practices and new thinking, creating a sense of belongingness in the student, enabling the student to act ethically and become academically motivated. The curriculum of IB is also updated regularly to keep pace with the new developments in various subjects.

  
  The MYP focuses on supporting student academic and personal growth through the following components:
   

  • 8 subject areas that focus on TN State and KCS local curriculum through a challenging IB MYP framework, which encourages students to make connections between their studies and the real world.

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  • Areas of Interaction to tie learning to both the real world and other subject areas.  These include: Health and Social Education, Community and Service, Environments, Approaches to Learning, and Human Ingenuity.

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  • Approaches to Learning help students to develop skills that have relevance across the curriculum that help them to "learn how to learn".  They help to provide our students with a solid foundation for learning independently and with others.

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  • Learner Profile attributes are characteristics that all West High faculty encourage our students to embody in all aspects of their lives.  IB learners are: Thinkers, Communicators, Risk Takers, Knowledgeable, Inquirers, Balanced, Reflective, Principled, Open-Minded, and Caring.

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IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.

MYP Global Contexts

Identities and relationships

Who we are: an inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.

Orientation in space and time

Where we are in place and time: an inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between, and the interconnectedness of, individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.

Personal and cultural expression

How we express ourselves: an inquiry into 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

How the world works: an inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

Globalization and sustainability

How we organize ourselves: an inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Fairness and development

Sharing the planet: an inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

IB MYP Leaders at BMS 

• Michael Toth, Executive Principal

• michael.toth@knoxschools.org

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  Bahar Hill, IB Coordinator and 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher

• bahar.hill@knoxschools.org
  
   

KCS IB POLICIES

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  INCLUSION POLICY
  This policy is in the process of being revised and will be uploaded at a future date.

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  IB LANGUAGE POLICY
  This policy is in the process of being revised and will be uploaded at a future date.

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  IB ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
  This policy is in the process of being revised and will be uploaded at a future date.

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  IB ASSESSMENT POLICY

• This policy is in the process of being revised and will be uploaded at a future date.