The origins, philosophy and

fundamental principles of the IB Diploma

and MYP
IB Latin America annual conference, June 2008
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page 2
The Diploma Programme: Historical Overvie
The !eague of "ations [establisment of te first international
scool in !ene"a# $%2&' (irst call for an international scool
lea"ing certificate
#onference of Internationally minded schools [from $%&%#
International $chools %ssociation [establise) $%*$#

+ncourage coo,eration bet-een international scools

(acilitate researc -or. on e)ucational issues

Promote international un)erstan)ing an) -orl) ,eace

+stablis a curriculum tat -oul) facilitate uni"ersit/ entrance

$%012 grant from 3'4' base) 20
t
centur/ fun) to establis te
International $chools &'amination $yndicate
$%072 International Baccalaureate
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page 1
(orces )ehind the Diploma
Practical

5i)el/ recognize) uni"ersit/ entrance 6ualification

I)eological2

Promote international ,ers,ecti"es, un)erstan)ing,

communication an) intercultural com,etence
[com,assion an) -orl) ,eace#

7ritical tin.ing an) ,roblem sol"ing s.ills [learning

o- to learn#
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page &
&ducational Philosophy underpinning the Diploma
Alec Peterson [first 8irector !eneral in $%00#

What is of paramount importance in the pre-university

stage is not what is learnt but learning how to learn.

What matters is not the absorption and regurgitation

either of fact or of predigested interpretations of facts,
but the development of powers of the mind or ways of
thinking which can be applied to new situations and
new presentations of facts as they arise.
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Diploma: &ducational Philosophy

Advanced academic work will demand five qualities.

hese are the capacity for conceptuali!ation and
analysis, a memory good enough to enable the
student to hold a number of facts or concepts in the
mind simultaneously, an unslaked curiosity, a capacity
for recogni!ing and in rare cases formulating new
interpretations of available information and a
commitment to the intellectual formulation and solution
of problems. [Alec Peterson#
Page *
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Diploma: &ducational Philosophy
+)ucating te -ole ,erson2
o develop to their fullest the powers of each individual
to understand, to modify and to en"oy his or her
environment, both inner and outer , in its physical,
social, moral, aesthetic and spiritual aspects.
[Alec Peterson#
7all to action2
9Plus est en "ous: [;urt <an#
Page 0
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
%pproach
$%00=s an) $%70=s ,re)ominance of classical,
rationalist [content > ,ro)uct base)# a,,roaces to
curriculum
IB 8i,loma influence) b/ [ten# ne- ,rocess
a,,roaces [earl/ constructi"ist#2

Peni? [$%0&# ,rimar/ goal of e)ucation is to anal/se

te nature of meaning

<irst an) Peters [$%70# 7urriculum selection aroun)

fun)amental forms of tougt consi)ere) central to
un)erstan)ing an) structuring te -orl)'
Page 7
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page 8
%ssessment in the Diploma

A )eliberate com,romise bet-een te earl/

s,ecialization ,referre) in some national s/stems an)
te greater brea)t foun) in oters

4tu)ents nee) to ,ro)uce an) criti6ue [not @ust

re,ro)uce# .no-le)ge

Im,ortance of autentic assessment ma)e ,ossible

b/ internal scool base) assessment

Im,ortance of recognizing e?,eriential learning an)

selfAe"aluation
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
TH& DIP!OM% P*O+*%MM&
#urriculum Model
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
The MYP: Historical Overvie

International 4cools Association [$%82# )ecision to

-or. on a curriculum for te mi))le /ears

International 4cools Association 7urriculum

)e"elo,e) an) ,ilote) in $2 scools [$%88A2001#

$%%& International Baccalaureate ta.e o"er te

,rogramme an) it becomes IBBCP
Page $0
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page $$
(orces )ehind the MYP
Dee) for a ,rogramme tat2

Promote international ,ers,ecti"es, un)erstan)ing,

communication an) intercultural com,etence
[com,assion an) -orl) ,eace#

Lifelong learners able to a)a,t to cange an) )ifferent

em,lo/ment o,,ortunities [uncertaint/ about future#

Pre,are) stu)ents for te 8i,loma

De- -orl) or)er )eman)ing ne- a,,roaces

Better un)erstan)ing of te learning ,rocess

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
&ducational Philosophy underpinning the MYP

#earning how to learn and the development of the

whole person are the guiding principles of this
programme. he overall curriculum is designed to
encourage moral development in our children and a
sense of responsibility to the world community and its
environment.
[Part of te general statement a)o,te) b/ I4A in $%82#
Page $2
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
&ducational Philosophy underpinning the MYP
9Ee res,onsibilit/ of e)ucators is no longer @ust to ,re,are goo)
matematicians, goo) biologists or goo) istorians' Ee mission
of scools is to ,re,are /oung ,eo,le F te )ecision ma.ers of
tomorro- F to li"e in a com,le? multicultural societ/ un)ergoing
a ,rocess of ra,i) cange an) o,ening u, a ne- -orl)' Of
course te cogniti"e com,onent of an e)ucational s/stem is
fun)amental for te ac6uisition of intellectual an) ,rofessional
s.ills' +"en more im,ortant is te ac6uisition of attitu)es in te
learning ,rocess in a conte?t of cultural e?canges':
!' Genau) $%%$
Page $1
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Three guiding Principles
$' Intercultural a-areness
2' 7ommunication
1' <olistic > inte)isci,linar/ learning
$nterdisciplinarity is e%cellent if it is firmly rooted in
disciplinarity. &ach sub"ect is not an end in itself but it
must be an efficient tool. We must keep its identity
and especially its own methodology. 'nly on that
basis will we be able to construct a serious
interdisciplinarity. 'ther wise we will lead our students
to mental confusion and superficial surveys.
[Genau) $%8%#
Page $&
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
%ssessment in the MYP

7riterion base), autentic

4cool course-or. not e?ternal e?amination

At the $( )iploma level, the constraints of the forthcoming

e%amination, depending in turn on university requirements,
impose serious limitations on the implementation of the
curriculum which would rally correspond to the philosophy of an
international system of education. he age group for which the
$*A curriculum has been developed is certainly more appropriate
to that purpose since the perspective of an e%amination is
remote enough to allow more freedom to schools and teachers.
+,. -enaud .//.0
Page $*
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
#onstructivism
5i)el/ acce,te) b/ late $%80=s tat stu)ents= construct
.no-le)ge base) on teir e?isting mental mo)els'
H3n)erstan)ing= e"ol"es' Im,ortance of in6uir/'
influence) b/ ne- teories2

Bulti,le intelligences [Gobert 4ternberg=s triarcic

teor/, <o-ar) !ar)ner#

Gole of Language as instrumental to learning an)

constructing meaning [reinforce)#
7onse6uence2
Eeacer nee)s to be an e?,ert e)ucational ,s/cologist
Page $0
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page $7
Philosophy: Programme model
Middle Years Programme
Ee uni6ue benefits of te BCP
IBLA 7onference, 7osta Gica, 8 June 2008
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page $%
Definition: Ho is the Middle Years Programme defined,
Ee BCP is2

for stu)ents age) $$ to $0

a frame-or. of aca)emic callenge

8 sub@ect grou,s, ,lus ,ersonal ,ro@ect in te final /ear

taugt in an/ language

Ee BCP encourages stu)ents to2

un)erstan) te connections bet-een sub@ects troug

inter)isci,linar/ learning
un)erstan) te connections bet-een sub@ects an) te real -orl)

become critical an) reflecti"e tin.ers

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page 20
Philosophy: Programme model
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
-hat are the areas of interaction,
A,,roaces to learning
7ommunit/ an) ser"ice
<ealt an) social e)ucation
+n"ironments
<uman ingenuit/ I1omo faberJ
Page 2$
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
%reas of interaction: %pproaches to learning
Eroug a,,roaces to learning, teacers
,ro"i)e stu)ents -it tools to2
Ea.e res,onsibilit/ for teir o-n learning
8e"elo, a-areness of o- te/ learn
best
8e"elo, ,roblem sol"ing an) )ecision
ma.ing s.ills
8e"elo, a-areness of tougt ,rocesses
an) learning strategies
8e"elo, critical, coerent an)
in)e,en)ent tougt
Page 22
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
%reas of interaction: #ommunity . service
Eis area of interaction e?ten)s learning
be/on) te classroom an) re6uires stu)ents
to2
8e"elo, communit/ a-areness an)
concern
8e"elo, a sense of res,onsibilit/
Ea.e an acti"e ,art in te communities in
-ic te/ li"e, tereb/ encouraging
res,onsible citizensi,
8e"elo, s.ills an) attitu)es tat -ill
enable effecti"e contributions to societ/
Page 21
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
%reas of interaction: Health . social education
Page 2&
8eals -it a "ariet/ of uman issues
inclu)ing ,/sical, social an) emotional
ealt an) intelligence' 4tu)ents -ill2
be a-are of te relationsi, bet-een te
in)i"i)ual an) societ/
ta.e res,onsibilit/ for teir o-n -ellAbeing
an) for tat of oters
ta.e res,onsibilit/ for teir social
en"ironment
be able to ma.e informe) coices for
temsel"es -it consi)eration for te
-i)er societ/
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
%reas of interaction: &nvironments
Page 2*
Aims to )e"elo, a-areness of umanit/=s
inter)e,en)ence -it a range of en"ironments
so tat stu)ents2
3n)erstan) issues -itin natural, built
an) "irtual en"ironments
Ea.e res,onsibilit/ for maintaining an)
im,ro"ing en"ironments tat are fit for te
future
Ea.e action on issues e?,lore) troug
tis area of interaction
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
%reas of interaction: Human ingenuity /Homo faber0
4tu)ents e?,lore te -a/s tat uman min)s
a"e influence) our li"es' 4tu)ents -ill2
become a-are of te nature of ingenuit/
reflect on te im,act of inno"ations an)
creations, i)eologies an) -a/s of
tin.ing,
a,,reciate te conse6uences of actions
Page 20
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
%ssessment: Ho do e assess student learning in the MYP,

In"ol"es a range of tas. t/,es

Assessment of .no-le)ge,
conce,ts, s.ills an) attitu)es

7riterion relate)

Internall/ assesse) Ib/

teacersJ

+?ternall/ mo)erate) for global

stan)ar)ization
Page 27
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Overvie
International Baccalaureate Bi))le Cears Programme

A ,rogramme for $$A$0 /ear ol)s

4tu)entAcentere) ,rogramme

Gange of aca)emic )isci,lines

Aca)emicall/ rigorous

Areas of interaction connect )isci,lines to te real -orl)

7an be taugt in an/ language

(le?ible enoug to be use) -it local re6uirements

8esigne) an) re"ie-e) b/ e?,erience), ,racticing e)ucators

Page 28
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Page 2%
Ho do e provide coherence )eteen programmes,

<ea)s of ,rogramme meet eac mont, -ilst a ea) of

continuum )e"elo,ment starts -or. in August

Ee aca)emic )irector is -riting a )ocument )escribing teacing

an) learning across te continuum

7urriculum re"ie- c/cles a"e been aligne)

One assessment )irector is res,onsible for bot ,rogrammes

A common 6ualit/ assurance frame-or. for curriculum

)e"elo,ment incor,orates te same stan)ar)s an) ,ractices

Loo.ing to-ar)s armonising terminolog/ inclu)ing comman)

an) assessment termsK a common un)erstan)ing of language

IBDA Access Pro@ect F ,ro"i)ing materials to el, scools

,re,are BCP stu)ents for te 8i,loma