Middle Years Programme 

Our Middle Year Programme (MYP)  in the Bilingual IB Pogramme follows the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework and the Swedish National Curriculum (Lgr22). These classes are taught  both in English and Swedish, providing an invaluable opportunity for pupils to learn in  a bilingual context. 
The Middle Year Programme was authorized by the IB organization in 2017. 

Teaching and learning in the MYP

Being an IB world school means that it is our  aim to educate for life. Our ambition is to  create internationally minded and  knowledgeable citizens. We know that our  students get a good start for higher  education, whether it be a Swedish  gymnasium, the IB Diploma program or a  college/high school somewhere else in the  world. Many come back to visit providing us  with positive feedback regarding the success  of our goals. 

MYP  at  Vasa  International  caters  for  students  aged  from  12  to  16,  and  encourages  pupils  to  make  practical  connections  between  their  studies  and  the  real  world.  It includes  eight  primary  subject  areas:  language  acquisition,  language  and  literature,  individuals  and  societies,  sciences,  maths,  arts,  physical  and  health  education,  and design. 

Students  in  years  four  and  five  select  six  of  these  eight  subject  areas.  In  addition,  students  also  complete  one interdisciplinary unit, which involves at least two subject areas,  every year. All MYP students are also required to submit a course work project  on a topic of their choice. 

According  to  IB,  the  “MYP  aims  to  help  students  develop  understanding,  their  emerging sense of self and responsibility in their community.” 

The  MYP  is  taught  according  to  guiding  principles  such  as  teaching  and  learning  in  context;  conceptual  understanding;  approaches  to  learning,  (ATL);  and  service  as action, through community service. 

 

Teaching and learning in context 
Learning is provided context, and connected to students’ own lives and their experience of the world. With the application of global contexts, MYP students are encouraged to develop an understanding of “their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet” by exploring the following areas: 

●    Identities and relationships
●    Personal and cultural identity
●    Orientations in space and time
●    Scientific and technical innovation
●    Fairness and development
●    Globalisation and sustainability

Conceptual understanding 
MYP students use concepts to explore issues and ideas of personal, local and global significance, and examine knowledge holistically. The MYP prescribes 16 key interdisciplinary concepts, along with related concepts for each discipline. 

Approaches to learning (ATL) 
ATL helps students to “learn how to learn”. A common theme to all MYP subject groups, ATL provides a basis for independent learning, and encourages the application of knowledge and skills in previously unfamiliar contexts, thereby encouraging the development and application of students’ social, thinking, research, communication and self-management skills. 

Service as action 
All IB students are encouraged to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a commitment to service: a desire to positively impact the lives of others and the environment. Students “take action” when they apply what they learn in the classroom – and elsewhere – to everyday life. 

Learn more about the MYP on the IB website ​here.