The Middle Years Programme at Codrington
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) at The Codrington School is for students aged 11-16 and equivalent to Form 1-5 in Barbados, Year 7-11 in the UK, Grade 6-10 in the USA & Canada.
The MYP is a challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. The MYP is a five-year programme. Students who complete the MYP are well-prepared to undertake the IB Diploma Programme (DP) or Career-related Programme (CP). The MYP curriculum framework comprises eight subject groups, providing a broad and balanced education for early adolescents. In the final year of the programme, optional MYP eAssessment provides IB-validated grades based on examinations and course work. Students who undertake external assessment are eligible for MYP course results and the IB MYP Certificate. At present Codrington does not offer MYP eAssessment. The MYP is inclusive by design; students of all interests and academic abilities can benefit from their participation.
Subject group courses in our MYP
| LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE | LANGUAGE ACQUISITION |
|---|---|
| English MYP 1-5 |
Learned language of French, Spanish* or English as an Additional Language* also Spanish AB Initio (Beginner) in MYP 4-5 |
| MATHEMATICS | SCIENCES |
| MYP 1-5 Offered at Core and Extended levels from MYP 3 onwards |
Integrated Science in MYP 1-5 |
| INDIVIDUALS & SOCIETIES | PHYSICAL & HEALTH EDUCATION |
| Humanities in MYP 1-3, History & Business Management in MYP 4 & 5 |
MYP 1-5 Inculdes swimming for MYP 1 & 2 Students |
| THE ARTS | DESIGN |
| Visual Arts, Performing Arts MYP1-5 | MYP 1-5 |
The Learner Profile
Like all IB programmes the learner profile is at the very core of the MYP. The MYP is committed to the development of students according to the IB learner profile.
The profile’s aims to develop learners who are:
You can read about the IB learner profile in more detail, and watch a video about it below.
http://www.ibo.org/benefits/learner-profile/
What makes the MYP different from other secondary education programmes in Barbados?
- Our Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills:
These skills are woven in our units of study by our teachers, affording many opportunities for our students to develop across these invaluable and wide-ranging skills. These skills are not only vital to the development of the whole child but also to prepare our young people for further tertiary study and/or paid employment.
2 Our Approaches To Teaching, in that:
We have an inquiry-based curriculum:
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- which involves asking open-ended questions
- that is concept-driven
- that is contextualized
- that is collaborative
- that is informed by assessment, of & for, learning
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We seek to create a learning environment, rather than a teaching one:
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- promoting education beyond the classroom
- and defining the role of the teacher as more of a learning facilitator
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We teach and espouse academic honesty.
3 Service & Action:
All of our 11-16 year olds are engaged in meaningful service and action within their local, national and international communities. Student involvement is mandatory.
4 Projects:
Our students in the final year of the MYP engage in the Personal Project, this is very exciting culmination to the MYP which develops the student’s personal interests and allows students to apply the skills, which are developed through the MYP’s Approaches to Learning. This project is based on the student’s interests and talents, resulting in a product or outcome. Codrington registers all MYP Year 5 students for external moderation of the personal project promoting a global standard of quality.
Examples of Personal Projects from Codrington students include:
- Designing & building a go kart
- Lobbying national government to ban plastics
- Writing & publishing a book about religion
- Designing, producing & selling recyclable shopping bags to the grocery customers & national retailers
- Creating a public website expanding views of race & ethnicity
We will also soon be introducing a Community-based Project in MYP 3 (the mid-point of the MYP). The Community Project provides an important opportunity for students ages 13-14 to collaborate and pursue service learning.
5 Emphasis on Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning:
The MYP helps students develop both subject-specific and interdisciplinary understanding. This trait emerges as a consequence of the challenges and opportunities of educating students in, and for, a complex and highly interconnected world. Younger learners often make connections naturally between knowledge domains in order to understand the world around them—in some cases, because they have not yet been socialized into the disciplinary perspectives that organize the academic world. Even though secondary education usefully organizes learning into disciplinary compartments (as a response to increasing specialization), an ever-changing world also demands education that empowers people to integrate disciplines in novel and creative ways. As knowledge and information multiply, critical thinkers must successfully integrate disciplinary perspectives to understand complex issues and ideas. As such we often offer interdisciplinary units where two or more subjects work together to bring about new interconnected learning. Once a year, we also hold a very special week solely dedicated to interdisciplinary learning in cross-age student groups within a thematic setting.
MYP Administration
Codrington’s MYP is managed by the Head of Secondary School, Victoria Mayers and the MYP Coordinator, Nicola Leedham.
Curriculum
The Subjects that students take are based upon the idea of a broad and balanced curriculum.
Language & Literature: English MYP 1-5
Language Acquisition: Learned language of French, Spanish* or English as an Additional Language (*also Spanish Ab Initio in MYP 4-5)
Mathematics: MYP 1-5, offered at Core and Extended levels from MYP 3 onwards
Sciences: Integrated Science in MYP 1-2, Discrete Biology & Chemistry in MYP 3-5
Individuals & Societies: Humanities in MYP 1-3, History & Business Management in MYP 4 & 5
Physical & Health Education: MYP 1-5, includes swimming for MYP 1 & 2 students
The Arts: Visual Art, Music, & Drama in MYP 1-3, Visual Art or Music in MYP 4-5
Design Technology: MYP 1-5
In MYP1 and 2 students also take PSHE (Personal and Social Health Education) classes to assist in the transition from the Primary, whereas in MYP 4 and 5 students follow a slightly changed curriculum offering choices which will lead on to the Diploma Programme.
Students also participate in:
- MYP5 Personal Project
- Community and Service
- Interdisciplinary Week
Further Information about the MYP programme can be found by downloading the MYP Handbook. This can be viewed in conjunction with this presentation.
Assessment in the MYP
Students are continually assessed through both formative and summative assessment in the MYP programme. All assessment is criteria referenced i.e. students are assessed against criteria and not against one another. Each subject area has its own criteria which can be seen by clicking here. The rubrics shown are for MYP4/5 level and these are simplified in earlier years.
The types of assessment tools available to teachers include all forms of oral, written and practical work.
The Personal Project
Our students in the final year of the MYP engage in the Personal Project, this is very exciting culmination to the MYP which develops the student’s personal interests and allows students to apply the skills, which are developed through the MYP’s Approaches to Learning. This project is based on the student’s interests and talents, resulting in a product or outcome. Codrington registers all MYP Year 5 students for external moderation of the personal project promoting a global standard of quality.
Examples of Personal Projects from Codrington students include:
- Designing & building a go kart
- Lobbying national government to ban plastics
- Writing & publishing a book about religion
- Designing, producing & selling recyclable shopping bags to the grocery customers & national retailers
- Creating a public website expanding views of race & ethnicity
Community and Service at Codrington
The community service programme is part of both the MYP and the DP curriculum and, at Codrington, we also ensure that the PYP students participate in such Programmes. The community service programme requires students to take an active part in the communities in which they live. The emphasis is on developing community awareness and concerns and acquiring the skills to make an effective contribution to society.
This enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. At the same time, it provides an important counterbalance to the pressures of the rest of the academic programme.
A good community service programme should be both challenging, enjoyable, and a personal journey of self-discovery. Each individual student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, and for many their activities include experiences that are profound and life changing.
Below are some examples of community programs:
- Interact Club
- Recycling
- Yearwood Project
- Student Newspaper
- Football Enrichment
We will also soon be introducing a Community-based Project in MYP 3 (the mid-point of the MYP). The Community Project provides an important opportunity for students ages 13-14 to collaborate and pursue service learning.
Interdisciplinary Week
Once a year, the students engage in an interdisciplinary week. This is a chance for students to work together in vertically aligned groups (members from all MYP year groups), on a topic which incorporates aspects of all disciplines.
A Recent Challenge
In a recent interdisciplinary week, students began the week being set their challenge which was to plan for Life on Mars, whereby they would build a sustainable community. Monday morning Dr. Pascal Lee from NASA (for more information about him please click here) called the whole of MYP via Skype to challenge the students to explore and decide: who would go there with them, how they would get there and how they planned to build a community once they got there.
Students worked in vertical groups for the whole week (i.e. mixed MYP 1 to 5) delving into these vast questions. To achieve their common goal of becoming a new colony, the students had to work collaboratively and use skills, experience and expertise from all of their subject disciplines that they usually study. This process also led to the development of new skills and knowledge being acquired! This deep and challenging project led to some of the most amazing work that I have ever seen presented by young people. Students shared all of their ideas and outcomes with the community in a culminating event on Friday afternoon.
Examples of Student Work
Presentations
Our finale was attended by parents, some PYP and all of our DP 1 students, faculty and staff along with Dr. Palmer (United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean), Mr. Ricardo Small (The President of the Barbados Astronomical Society) and Dr. Pascal (who joined us via Skype again from Northern California). The afternoon kicked off with the audience being able to see some of the tangible results of the week via display stands; these stands will be in the main foyer for a few more days, so if you would like to have a look please pop in. The formal proceedings were ‘top and tailed’ by formal quotes from various individuals from all around the world delivered by various MYP students. The newly-created colonies: Planeta Vermillo, The New Horizon and Project Astro, marched in with their self-designed and manufactured flags and performed their national anthems that they wrote the lyrics for themselves. Students then showcased their other work via presentations, websites, videos, animated software packages and much, much more. We will share all of the students’ work on our website soon so that you will all get a chance to see what they achieved. We then went to our top field and all of the MYP students released a red balloon into the atmosphere with a message from each of them that will hopefully reach someone they may very well end up on Mars with! I am so proud of all the students, so well done to them all. I must make a special mention of all the group leaders – Saskia Rock-Williams, Joie-Anne Christie-Veitch, Katie Cothran, Mia Cothran, Natusha Thill, Shahana Black & Amber McKenzie (MYP 5) and Emanuelle Mottley & Julia Musselwhite (MYP 4) who did an AMAZING job.
Assessment in the MYP
Students are continually assessed through both formative and summative assessment in the MYP programme. All assessment is criteria referenced i.e. students are assessed against criteria and not against one another. Each subject area has its own criteria which can be seen by clicking here. The rubrics shown are for MYP4/5 level and these are simplified in earlier years.
The types of assessment tools available to teachers include all forms of oral, written and practical work.
Changes in the Assessment
| Increased emphasis on: | Decreased emphasis on: |
|---|---|
| Viewing planning, teaching and assessing as integrated processes | Viewing planning, teaching and assessing as isolated processes |
| Using a range and balance of assessment strategies | Over-reliance on one assessment strategy or tool |
| Involving students in self- and peer-assessment | Viewing assessment as the sole prerogative of the teacher |
| Using a range and balance of recording tools and reporting strategies | Reliance on one strategy of recording and reporting |
| Giving students regular and ongoing feedback throughout MYP units of work | Concluding an MYP unit of work with testing |
| Enabling students to see assessment as a means of describing learning and improving learning | Assessing for the sole purpose of assigning grades |
| Assessing the levels of students’ current knowledge and experience before embarking on new learning | Embarking on new learning before assessing the levels of students’ current knowledge and experience. |
HAPPY PARENTS
We chose The Codrington School for our children’s education because Codrington pursues and embodies the very ethos of excellence through the International Baccalaureate program. We, as a family, are privileged to be part of this stimulating environment of dedicated teachers who encourage and assist our children to be the best that they can be. Seeking and attaining excellence is the root codon of the DNA of The Codrington School.
We specifically chose this school based on the strength of its programmes, the quality of its teachers and its administrative staff and also the nurturing and enriching learning environment provided by its beautiful campus. After our first week, we are very pleased with our initial interactions with the teachers, administrative staff and parents as they all have been extremely welcoming, professional and helpful. However, the greatest confirmation that we made the right choice, has been in the smiles and excitement of our children at the end of each day so far!
