Welcome

Dear Team Lanier Teachers, 
Welcome to our IBMYP blog! As you may or may not know, Lanier is an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme World School (what a mouth full!).  I have created some activities that will help introduce you to the history, mission, main concepts and framework of  the Lanier Middle Years Programme. Completing these activities will help you to understand the language, philosophy and expectations of Lanier teachers when we finally meet in August! Please read the blog posts below and respond to the reflection questions as blog comments. Please feel free to post any questions or doubts that you may have as you read the documents and I will be more than happy to clarify for you. Thank you for investing your time and effort in these activities. I am looking forward to a fantastic 2012-2013 school year!


Aurora Terry
IBMYP Coordinator

Lanier Middle School 

The History and Philosophy Behind IB

The History and Philosophy Behind IB

There is a rich and impressive history behind the development of the IB as it exists today, one that goes a long way toward explaining why the programme is so respected around the world. Created with a goal of providing a top‐tier education to young men and women who will, in turn, make positive changes in their own communities as well as on a global scale, the IB Diploma Programme started in 1968 and grows stronger in both its mission and its results with every passing year. A brief overview of the history of the IB can be found here, with a timeline of significant events here. The "fast facts" page located heregives an excellent snapshot of the IB as a whole. The Middle Years Programme was started in 1994 to give younger students access to an IB education. Please read the history of the Middle Years Programmehere.

History of IB at Lanier

Sidney Lanier Middle School was established in 1926 and is part of the Houston Independent School District. We are the proud home of the Purple Pups. Lanier has been an IB World School since 2003. It was authorized in partnership with Mirabeau B Lamar High School. In 2007, the schools ended their partnership, allowing Sidney Lanier to offer a three year Middle Years Programme. Lanier had their first evaluation visit in October of 2007. The International Baccalaureate Organization will be returning to Lanier in Spring 2012 for the next Evaluation visit. You can read more about the history of Lanier here.  In addition to being a Middle Years International Baccalaureate World School, Lanier is a Vanguard Magnet School for the Gifted. Lanier has a student population of approximately 1350 students. Nearly one third of the students are neighborhood students residing in the zoned boundary. Two thirds of Lanier students participate in the Magnet program for gifted students. Students in this program are selected by lottery. To enter the lottery, students must meet a minimum score of sixty two out of one hundred based on HISD defined criteria. You can read more about HISD’s gifted and talented program here.

Questions for Reflection:

1.             List 3 things that surprised you while reading the history of the MYP. List 2 things that excited you when reading the history of the MYP. List 1 thing you would like to know more about after reading the history of the MYP. 

The IB Mission Statement

The IB Mission Statement

Like all organizations designed to impact the lives of individuals around the globe through education, the International Baccalaureate has a mission statement that encapsulates its goals and hopes for the future. The IB mission statement, found here, reads as follows:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

One of the many things to notice about this statement is that it not only highlights the importance of the academic component of the programme (something which you are probably very familiar—or will be after completing your workshop), but it also emphasizes the goals of intercultural understanding, compassion, and lifelong curiosity. All IB MYP courses—not just those dealing with languages or the humanities—are expected to integrate these concerns into the normal day‐to‐day conduct of the courses; there is no separation between the intellectual goals of the class and the broader humanistic goals of the class.

Mission Statement of Lanier:

At Lanier Middle School, we provide a relevant rigorous academic curriculum in order to encourage students to become self-directed lifelong learners who are innovative problem solvers, effective communicators, open minded thinkers, and caring participants in their local and global communities.

Questions for Reflection:

1.                   In what ways does Lanier's mission statement or underlying philosophy overlap with that of the IB?

2.                   Are there ways in which an understanding of the IB mission statement could enhance your own classroom practices or those of your colleagues? How could it enhance the performance of your students?

3.                   What are some ways in which you currently integrate (or could integrate) the multiple goals of the IB as outlined in the mission statement? 

The Learner Profile

The Learner Profile

One of the most useful documents for IB teachers and students is the IB learner profile. Simply put, this is the IB mission statement translated into learning outcomes that can clarify the goals of the programme for students and teachers alike. The learner profile provides a set of common terms for students and teachers as they discuss the desired outcomes of any IB Middle Years Programme course, and they can be related to not only academic goals but also personal goals. Read about the IB Learner Profile here.  The ten characteristics that all IB students should strive to embody are as follows:

.Inquirers

.Knowledgeable

.Thinkers

.Communicators

.Principled

.Open Minded

.Caring

.Risk Takers

.Balanced

.Reflective

Few would argue that these are qualities worth possessing at any stage of personal and intellectual growth; the IB curriculum is designed to explicitly foster and strengthen them. The learner profile also provides a framework for the students to know and discuss their own experiences as learners in the IB classroom. The full list, with elaboration on each descriptor, can be found on page 5 of the Learner Profile Guide available from the Online Curriculum Centre. There is also a short video illustrating the learner profile here.

Questions for Reflection:

1.       How can the IB learner profile enhance your own understanding of your place in the IB classroom? How can it inform your teaching?

2.       In what ways do the assignments in your classroom encourage students to develop one or more of the characteristics named on the learner profile?

3.       How can your students benefit from studying the IB learner profile?

4.       In what ways can an understanding of the IB learner profile help clarify the goals of the IB Middle Years Programme to someone who is not familiar with IB?

The MYP Programme Model and Fundamental Concepts

The MYP ProgrammeModel  and Fundamental Concepts

The IB Middle Years Programme Model is a very useful way to understand how the curriculum works.The MYP is a framework that is designed to help students find a sense of belonging in an ever changing and increasingly interrelated world.

A further explanation of the parts which make up the MYP can be found here. Notice that the center of the programme is the learner—something to keep in mind each and every day in the IB classroom! The fundamental concepts form the basis of the whole Middle Years Programme. They should infuse:

•           teaching and learning

•           the ethos of a school

•           the activities of a school

•          The relationships of a school with the wider community.

The three fundamental concepts form the basis for the MYP’s curriculum framework, which is shared by different types of schools in all parts of the world. They should be the guiding principles in designing the curriculum and school activities.These three fundamental concepts overlap. None of them should be considered as “alternative areas of interaction”.

Questions for Reflection:

1.       Write your own definitions of each fundamental concept.

2.       What does each fundamental concept imply for education in general?

3.       What can you do in your classroom to facilitate each concept?

The International Dimension

The International Dimension

Because of the rigorous nature of the academic components of the IB Middle Years Program, it is often easy to forget about the "international" component of the International Baccalaureate. However, the idea of international understanding and global thinking should inform every course in the IB MYP. After all, the mission statement calls for the creation of "a better and more peaceful world." The IB enjoys a reputation as a leader and innovator in the field of international education. To that end, the most recent IB strategic plan (which you can read more about here) calls for continued efforts to improve and strengthen the IB's leadership in global education. This emphasis on international education does not stop on the global level, however. It is also a crucial element of the IB classroom. Students should always be encouraged to view texts, ideas, and discussions from a perspective which extends beyond local and national borders. The ways in which all nationalities and cultures influence and benefit from other global communities should be a part of the continuing conversation in each and every IB classroom.

Questions for Reflection:

1.                   What are the ways in which the texts, topics, or ideas in your classroom have benefited from contributions from other communities, cultures, and nationalities?

2.                   How does your particular course address the issue of the international dimension of an education within the IB MYP? Is it explicitly addressed or how can it be "woven" into the content?

3.                   How can you help your students understand the importance of international understanding as it relates to your course?

4.                   Internationalism can also be reflected as incorporating multiple perspectives. What are some ways you can provide students with multiple perspectives in your classroom?

Lanier IBMYP Teacher Expectations:

Lanier IBMYP Teacher Expectations:

1. Teachers incorporate the IB learner profiles into their lesson plans and classrooms.
2. Teachers organize their curriculum with the IBMYP unit planner.
3. Each unit has at least one IB rubric for criteria based assessments which include subject interim objectives.
4. By the end of the year, each subject criterion should be assessed at least twice per student.
5. Unit questions are posted in the classroom.
6. We create student-centered activities/lessons that encourage international mindedness.
7. Teachers must provide a piece for IBO Monitoring of assessment. This includes a unit planner, lesson plans, description of task assigned, sample rubric, class activities, graded rubrics, and student samples.
8. Teachers participate in at least one interdisciplinary task/unit/assignment per year.
9.  Clusters facilitate at least one student run community service project per year.
10. Every nine weeks clusters or houses will submit the names of 10 students that embody the IB Learner profile traits for school-wide recognition. 

Online Curriculum Center

The Online Curriculum Center (OCC) is a password-protected IB website designed to support teachers of the three IB programmes. In the OCC you can find:

• IB publications for the MYP (curriculum guides, coordinator notes, and teacher support materials)
• news items and important information
• discussion forums for IB teachers to communicate freely with other IB teachers
• teacher-generated resources—share your own resources with other IB teachers
• support areas for special educational needs, librarians, academic honesty and calculators
• online subject specialists (online faculty members) to answer curriculum and assessment queries
• a real-time chat facility (in the discussion forums).

Please log in to the OCC here and download or print the following documents from the OCC:

1.                   Subject Guide

2.                   MYP: From principles into practice

3.                   Programme standards and practices

 If you do not have your OCC log in information, please contact the Lanier IB Coordinator, Aurora Terry at aterry@houstonisd.org