The IPC Middle Years – Introducing IMYC

1. The IPC Middle Years – Introducing IMYC

2. Here’s the Session Outline • Before we said ‘Yes’! • The Challenges • The Solutions • Looking at an IMYC Mind Map • Summary of Curriculum • Comments and Reflection

3. The Birth of the IMYC

4. Here’s the Session Outline • Before we said ‘Yes’! • The Challenges • The Solutions • Looking at an IMYC Mind Map • Summary of Curriculum • Comments and Reflection

5. The 3 Challenges Can you help us provide our middle school students with the kinds of learning children have when their schools use the IPC? Can you help us do interesting stuff, please? Can you help us keep learning interesting for our middle school students? Can you do this in a way that doesn’t make us change the entire structure of our school or the way we organise ourselves?

6. Challenge 1 Can you help us provide our middle school students with the kinds of learning children have when their schools use the IPC?

7. Challenge 1:What is IPC Learning? • Clearly articulated learning goals • Learning-focused • Subjects/Themes • International Mindedness • Rigorous • Comprehensive • Inclusive • Assessment for Learning

8. Challenge 2 Can you help us do interesting stuff, please? Can you help us keep learning interesting for our middle school students? Can you help us provide our middle school students with the kinds of learning children have when their schools use the IPC?

9. Challenge 2: What are 11-14 year olds experiencing? • Hormonal, puberty, growth spurts • Focused on relationships with peers • Concrete to abstract thinking • Want to know how things are connected • Want to find the relevance to their own lives • Expressing independence • Prefrontal Cortex in a dynamic state • Developing brain for improve executive function

10. 3 Challenges Can you do this in a way that doesn’t make us change the entire structure of our school or the way we organise ourselves?

11. Challenge 3: What are the issues for secondary schools? • Emphasis on subject specialists • Greater number of teachers who must buy in • More fragmented timetable • Teachers who are specialists rather than generalists

12. Here’s the Session Outline • Before we said ‘Yes’! • The Challenges • The Solutions • Looking at an IMYC Mind Map • Summary of Curriculum • Comments and Reflection

13. The 3 Solutions Learning- focused curriculum Meets needs of 11-14 year-olds Responds to secondary structure of schools

14. Solution 1: IMYC is a learning-focused curriculum • Knowledge, Skills and Understanding • Personal Skills • International Mindset • Subjects and Themes • Units based on most recent brain research

15. Solution 2: Responds to needs of 11-14 year-olds • Emphasis on students being actively involved in their own learning • Makes learning relevant to their lives • Units in which subjects contribute independently giving students a more coherent experience (look at next slide) • Journaling which making learning purposeful and personal • Organisational pattern to each unit to provide consistent and supportive learning experience • End of unit media presentations based on serious reflections

16. Themes and Big Ideas

17. Solution 3: Supports Secondary Structures

18. Solution 3: StructuresHere’s the deal WHAT STAYS THE SAME: • Subject-based organisational nature • Opportunity to choose specific content • Time-table stays mostly the same WHERE WE’D LIKE YOU TO BEND: • Significant part of teaching relates to theme and Big Idea • Use mindmaps be aware of what other teachers are doing and make reference to it in your own class • Come together to support students for a period of time for the reflective thinking

19. Help us with your thoughts and comments so far

20. Here’s the Session Outline • Before we said ‘Yes’! • The Challenges • The Solutions • Looking at an IMYC Mind Map • Summary of Curriculum • Comments and Reflection

22. Big Ideas, Learning Goals and Activities

23. The Structure of an IMYC units 30 units of work

24. Here’s the Session Outline • Before we said ‘Yes’! • The Challenges • The Solutions • Looking at an IMYC Mind Map • Summary of Curriculum • Comments and Reflection

25. Summary of Curriculum

26. The FullCurriculum Offers: • A significant amount of flexibility of content • Freedom to facilitate learning in appropriate and enjoyable ways • An Assessment for Learning programme that allows the assessment and improvement of key skills and the recording of student improvement through an on-line secure database • A Teacher’s File filled with supportive information and explanations • Online Route Planner to ensure that learning goals are covered as the school makes its choice of units • A Membership Programme that links schools to other IMYC schools and teachers and provides professional development and web-based support • Explicit learning targets for each subject area , internationalism; personal development • Big ideas that link the work in different subjects • Explicit articulation of the links between the big ideas, the classroom activities and the learning goals • A wealth of practical activities for work in the classroom • A choice of thematic units based on Big Ideas which encourage higher ordered thinking and multiple perspectival learning throughout subjects and international mindset • Opportunities for students to reflect and develop greater understanding