The next steps
Welcome to the MYP
The Middle Years Programme has been designed as a coherent and comprehensive curriculum framework that provides academic challenge and develops the life skills of students from the ages of 11 to 16. These years are a critical period in the development of young people.
Success in school is closely related to personal, social and emotional well-being. At a time when students are establishing their identity and building their self-esteem, the Middle Years Programme can motivate students and help them to achieve success in school and in life beyond the classroom.
The programme allows students to build on their personal strengths and to embrace challenges in subjects in which they might not excel. The MYP offers students opportunities to develop their potential, to explore their own learning preferences, to take appropriate risks, and to reflect on, and develop, a strong sense of personal identity, while “learning how to learn”.
Why choose us?
Research on the MYP
A Recent Study by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in 2021, shows that Middle Years Programme students performed significantly better than students from non-IB schools in the ISA focus areas at several grade levels and finds that there is strong evidence that MYP students perform well academically.
MYP students performed particularly well across many grades in Narrative writing, Expository writing and Scientific literacy, and had a notable result for Scientific literacy at grade 10.
In addition, an independent comparative analysis of Middle Years Programme and GCSE assessments found that the two qualifications are comparable in terms of cognitive demand and the level and range of skills assessed.
LEarning to learn
Approaches to Learning in the Middle Years
The Middle Years Programme’s Approaches to Learning (ATL) foster essential skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and self-management, empowering students to become effective, independent learners equipped for lifelong success.
The IB Methodology
The MYP Global Contexts
Contexts for learning in the Middle Years Programme are chosen from global contexts to encourage international-mindedness and global engagement within the programme. They encourage students to be critical thinkers and global citizens, helping them apply their knowledge in an ever-changing world.
“I find it important that we focus on critical thinking and understanding different cultures, which makes a positive impact in the world.”
As someone who loves sports and thrives on resilience and confidence, I appreciate what the MYP program has to offer. It provides a well-rounded education that allows students to explore their interests while also embracing their individuality. At ISS, I connect with the school’s focus on teamwork, communication, and shared experiences. Working collaboratively and having discussions helps us to teach and learn and enriches our personal and academic lives.
The program’s emphasis on social and emotional growth prepares students well for future challenges. It ensures that they’re not just gaining academic knowledge but also becoming well-rounded individuals ready to contribute to society. At ISS, I feel motivated to grow alongside my colleagues and students as we support each other through this journey.
– Afonso Franco, Coordinator of Middle Years Programme (MYP) in Madeira
Subject Information
Subjects offered in the MYP
Our Middle Years Programme offers a diverse range of subjects, from sciences to arts, fostering holistic growth. Each subject encourages critical thinking, creativity, and intercultural understanding.
Learning through experience
Service as Action
Service as a subject to action, has always been a shared value of the IB community. The IB Framework strives to turn students into caring members of the community who demonstrate a personal commitment to service and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
The MYP aims to help students develop their personal understanding, their emerging sense of self and their developmentally appropriate responsibility in their community.
As students become more aware and acquire a better understanding of the context, and of their responsibilities, they become empowered to make choices about how to take thoughtful and positive action. This action will be different from student to student and from context to context.
CULMINATING EXPERIENCE
Personal Project
The MYP Personal Project is a mandatory component of MYP5 and serves as the culminating project of the Middle Years Programme. Through the Personal Project, students enhance their agency and develop various approaches to learning, preparing them to become lifelong learners and agents of change in the world.
As the name suggests. the Personal Project allows each student to choose an area that motivates and interest them. They set a learning and product goal, including a success criteria to evaluate their work. Students undergo a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection, which consolidates their learning throughout the program. This long-term project, designed as an independent learning experience of approximately 25 hours, helps students develop the attributes of the IB learner profile.
The MYP Personal Project provides an essential opportunity for students to practice and strengthen the Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills developed throughout the Middle Years Programme. It fosters their development as independent, lifelong learners.
“In the MYP, we connect new learning with students’ prior knowledge and real-world experiences, making the content relevant to their daily lives.”
Our Middle Years Programme builds on our Primary Years Programme and thoroughly prepares our students for our Diploma Programme, making ISS an IB continuum school. Through our multicultural environment, we develop intercultural awareness, which is fundamental to social, emotional, and cognitive development and crucial for exploring and sustaining cultural identity and intercultural understanding.
With a unique educational space specifically developed to embrace the MYP curriculum, Learning through Sharing is at the heart of everything we do! Our flexible, creative, and motivational educational spaces foster a stimulating environment, allowing for differentiated, interactive, and creative lessons where teachers promote collaboration, human development, and multiple perspectives. This flexibility empowers learners to become more creative, self-directed, and adaptable—prepared to face unexpected challenges as global citizens of the future.
– Viviana Serralha, Coordinator of Middle Years Programme (MYP) in Oeiras Valley
