Characteristics of the subject - The 3 Branches of Technology

Technology exists as a single subject in the MYP in terms of its aims, objectives and assessment criteria. Inquiry and problem solving are at the heart of the MYP technology course.

During the five-year course, students are expected to solve problems through the creation of technological products/solutions. Students investigate problems and use the technology design cycle as a tool to design, plan, create and evaluate products/solutions. A product/solution can be defined as a model, prototype, product or system that students have generated independently.

MYP technology is structured into three main branches: information, materials and systems. Over the five years of the course, the range of outcomes that students design and create should contain a balance of information-, materials- and systems-based products/solutions.

Information

MYP technology enables students to identify, access, evaluate and acknowledge a wide range of information sources. Information-based products/solutions use and/or communicate information to perform a task, achieve a purpose, meet a need or solve a problem. Information-based products/solutions often involve computer technology, for example, desktop publishing (DTP), multimedia packages and web pages. Students are expected to select and handle media and software that are appropriate to the problem being solved.

This aspect of the course should not be confused with the simple use of information as part of the design cycle.

Materials

In many cases creating a product/solution involves using materials. These may be natural or synthetic, and will differ according to geographical location, culture and available resources. Students should be able to identify, combine, experiment with, shape and handle different types of materials, and safely dispose of, or recycle, waste products. Students must select processing techniques that are appropriate to both the chosen material(s) and the product/solution to be created.

Systems

Systems-based products/solutions involve a group of interdependent items that interact regularly to perform a task or achieve a purpose. These items are materials, components or information that have been incorporated into a system in order to provide a solution to a problem. Systems in our environment are very diverse: from a microchip to an aircraft flight-control system; from a ballpoint pen to a plotter; from fire-drill procedures to crowd control; from simple electrical circuits to sophisticated alarm systems. Students need to recognize the parts of a system (input, processing and control, and output) as well as the crucial role each component plays as part of the whole.

Fundamental concepts

Teaching and learning MYP technology is underpinned by the fundamental concepts of the MYP:

holistic learning

intercultural awareness

communication.

Holistic learning

Holistic learning breaks down the artificial barriers of the different subjects commonly found on a school timetable, enabling students to discover the relationships between different areas of knowledge and between the subject’s content and the real world. The areas of interaction encourage dialogue between different subjects and contribute to enhancing students’ understanding of concepts and issues.

This holistic approach implies the need for MYP teachers to:

work closely with their colleagues, both within the technology department and in other departments

provide opportunities for the coordination and integration of subject matter within and across subject groups.

MYP technology can contribute to the development of holistic learning by providing opportunities for students to:

reflect upon the interdependence between technology and other areas of knowledge in the development of products and solutions

help students to appreciate how technology and technological developments have shaped everyday life and society.

Intercultural awareness

The opportunity to develop intercultural awareness through technology can only be fully achieved with the collaboration of the whole school community and by building on relations with the outside world. As students learn about their own and others’ social and national cultures they develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and values such as tolerance, respect and empathy.

Schools are encouraged to explore local and global issues from similar and contrasting cultures to their own in developing and implementing their courses. This will help students to broaden their understanding of themselves as individuals and as members of society.

MYP technology can contribute to the development of intercultural awareness by providing opportunities for students to:

use local and global examples to examine the influence and the use of technology in different societies and cultures

reflect upon their role and responsibilities as consumers and developers of technology in both local and global settings

promote understanding of and respect for alternative viewpoints from different societies when solving technology problems.

Communication

Communication is fundamental to learning as it supports inquiry and understanding. A good command of both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication is essential to learning, understanding and expression. Technology has dramatically changed the way we access information, communicate with others and solve problems.

MYP technology can contribute to the development of communication by providing opportunities for students to:

become competent in the use of ICT when accessing, processing and communicating information

respond to technology challenges and communicate their ideas creatively through design

explore and assess the effectiveness of different forms of communication

evaluate information and acknowledge sources appropriately.

Curricular framework - How our curriculum is developed

The MYP offers a five-year curricular framework that allows school-specific requirements to be met while maintaining the mission and philosophy of the IBO. To ensure this, the IBO prescribes the aims and objectives of all subject groups and the personal project. Schools are responsible for developing and structuring their technology courses so that they provide opportunities for students to meet the final aims and objectives effectively by the end of the programme (five years).

Teachers are expected to integrate aspects of technology and technology transferable skills across the curriculum and to encourage interdisciplinary work across the subject areas. However, MYP technology must be part of every student’s experience each year of the programme and should exist, whenever possible, as a distinct course within the MYP curriculum.

Aims and objectives

The objectives of each subject group are skills based and broad enough to allow a variety of teaching and learning approaches. The precise choice and organization of content is left to schools in order to preserve flexibility. In some subjects the content is not specified while in others a framework of concepts or topics is prescribed for all students to address over the five years. Such prescription is kept to a minimum and schools are asked to expand their scope of topics and depth of treatment according to their individual needs and preferences.

The aims and objectives of the subject groups address all aspects of learning including knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes.

Knowledge: the facts that the student should be able to recall to ensure competence in the subject

Understanding: how the student will be able to interpret, apply or predict aspects of the subject

Skills: shown through tasks that allow the student to apply what has been learned to new situations

Attitudes: the ways in which the student is changed by the learning experience

Technology Aims

The aims state in a general way what the teacher may expect to teach or do, and what the student may expect to experience or learn. In addition they suggest how the student may be changed by the learning experience.

The aims of the teaching and study of technology are to encourage and enable students to:

develop an appreciation of the significance of technology for life, society and the environment

use knowledge, skills and techniques to create products/solutions of appropriate quality

develop problem-solving, critical- and creative-thinking skills through the application of the design cycle

develop respect for others’ viewpoints and appreciate alternative solutions to problems

use and apply ICT effectively as a means to access, process and communicate information, and to solve problems.

Technology Objectives

The objectives of any MYP subject and of the personal project state the specific targets set for learning in the subject. They define what the learner will be able to do, or do better, as a result of studying the subject.

The design cycle is a model and it is intended to be the central tool to help students to create and evaluate products/solutions in response to challenges. The MYP technology design cycle consists of four major stages and these relate to the objectives of the course.

This set of prescribed objectives forms the basis for the assessment criteria which must be used for the final assessment of students’
work during year 5

Investigate

Students identify the problem to be solved. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

evaluate the importance of the problem for life, society and the environment

outline the design brief

Students should develop the design brief. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

formulate and discuss appropriate questions that guide the investigation

identify and acknowledge a range of appropriate sources of information

collect, analyse, select, organize and evaluate information

evaluate the sources of information.

Students formulate a design specification. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

list the specific requirements that must be met by the product/solution

design tests to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification.

IBO Definitions;

analyse: To identify parts and relationships, and interpret information to reach a conclusion.

Evaluate: To assess the implications and limitations; make judgments about the value of
ideas, works, solutions or methods in relation to selected criteria.

Design brief: The student’s response to the challenge, showing how they intend to solve the
problem they have been presented with. This will guide their investigation as
they work to develop a more detailed design specification.

Design Specification: A detailed description of the conditions, requirements and restrictions with
which a design must comply. This is a precise and accurate list of facts such as
conditions, dimensions, materials, process and methods that are important for
the designer and for the user. All appropriate solutions will need to comply
with the design specification.

Explain: To give a clear account including causes and reasons or mechanisms.

Describe: To give a detailed account.

Discuss: To give an account including, where possible, a range of arguments for and
against, the relative importance of various factors and comparisons of alternative
hypotheses.

Design

Students design the product/solution. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

generate several feasible designs that meet the design specification

evaluate the designs against the design specification

select one design and justify its choice.

Plan

Students plan the product/solution. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

construct a plan to create the product/solution that has a series of logical steps

construct a plan to create the product/solution that makes effective use of resources and time

evaluate the plan and justify any modifications to the design.

Create

Students use appropriate techniques and equipment. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

use a range of appropriate techniques and equipment competently

ensure a safe working environment for themselves and others.

Students follow the plan. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

follow the plan to produce the product/solution

evaluate the plan and justify any changes to the plan (when necessary).

Students create the product/solution. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

create a product/solution of appropriate quality.

Evaluate

Students evaluate the product/solution. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

carry out tests to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification

evaluate the success of the product/solution in an objective manner based on testing, their own views and the views of the intended user

evaluate the impact of the product/solution on individuals and on society

explain how the product/solution could be improved.

Students evaluate their use of the design cycle. At the end of the course, they should be able to:

evaluate their performance at each stage of the design cycle

suggest ways in which their performance could be improved.

Attitudes in technology

This objective goes beyond technology and refers to encouraging attitudes and dispositions that will contribute to students’ development as caring and responsible individuals and members of society.

This objective is set in the context of the technology class (and it is also present in MYP sciences as “Attitudes in science”) but will pervade other subjects and life outside school. It includes notions of safety and responsibility when working in technology as well as respect for and collaboration with others and their shared environment.

During the course, students should:

carry out units of work in technology using materials and techniques safely and responsibly

work effectively as members of a team, collaborating, acknowledging and supporting the views of others

provide evidence of personal engagement with the subject (motivation, independence, general positive attitude) when working in technology.

The IBO provides final objectives for students completing the fifth year of the programme, and examples of interim objectives that describe what a student may be able to achieve after earlier years of the programme while aiming for the final objectives. The final objectives for students completing the fifth year of the programme form the basis for the assessment criteria that are intended for use in the final assessment of students’ work at the end of year 5. Whether or not schools request IBO-validated grades for their students, they are all required to organize learning and assessment in a way that is consistent with the prescribed objectives.

Interim Objectives

Interim objectives for years 1 and 3 of the MYP have been developed by the IBO in order to:

promote articulation between the MYP and the Primary Years Programme (PYP)

support individual schools in developing a coherent curriculum across the five years of the programme (or however many years a school is authorized to offer)

emphasize the need to introduce students to the required knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes from the first year of the programme

provide examples of possible learning experiences and assessment tasks that will allow students to work towards meeting the final objectives for year 5

support schools that are authorized to offer the first three years of the MYP in designing appropriate assessment tasks for the end of the third year.

Our school has also created interim objectives for MYP 2. We follow the final MYP 5 objectives in grades 8 to 9.

Grade 6 interim objectives available here
Grade 7 interim objectives available here
Grade 8 interim objectives available here

Grade 9-10 objectives here

Table showing the vertical planning of the objectives from MYP1 - MYP5 here

Technology courses

All MYP technology courses should ensure that students:

are exposed to and address through their projects the three branches of technology: information, materials and systems
use the design cycle for generating ideas and creating products/solutions
work towards meeting the final aims and objectives of MYP technology
are assessed against the published technology assessment criteria for final assessment in year 5.

Schemes of work

It is each school’s responsibility to produce schemes of work that enable students to reach the objectives of each subject.

Whichever schemes of work schools adopt, the final MYP objectives are prescribed. The areas of interaction should remain an integral part of the subject teaching and learning process, and must be at the core of the personal project.

When planning a unit of work in MYP technology, teachers should ensure that:

whenever possible at least one area of interaction is a major focus
interdisciplinary teaching is explored and used where appropriate
the challenge is framed as a problem-solving situation described within a realistic context, preferably a real-life one, or is a real need that can be solved through technology
the design cycle is used throughout the unit of work
the design folder is used by all students to document their evidence of all stages in the design cycle
local and/or global issues are used to promote discussion about the effect of technology on society and the environment
assessment tools with clear descriptions of assessment outcomes (for example, assessment rubrics) are shared with all students
student achievement of the objectives is measured against the assessment criteria (see “Technology assessment criteria”); please note that the use of assessment criteria may be modified outside the context of external moderation, and particularly in years 1–4
health and safety issues are addressed and provide a framework for informed decision making
- differentiated teaching and learning methods are encouraged when working in technology.
- There are five areas of interaction:
approaches to learning (ATL)
community and service
homo faber
environment
health and social education.

These areas provide a means of broadening student experience, placing learning in context and helping students to develop attitudes and values based on knowledge and skills. They form the basis of the MYP and contribute to an education resulting in global awareness, international understanding and an appreciation of cultural diversity. They should be at the core of the teaching of all subject groups and the primary approach to the areas of interaction must be through the curriculum.

The areas of interaction should be used as “lenses” through which to view the curriculum, and to provide a base for teachers upon which they can encourage student reflection on the issues at hand. Teachers should consult the MYP Areas of Interaction guide to become familiar with the aims, objectives and dimensions of each area. This will help them to identify links to relevant topics and issues, and base units of work on these areas.

It is important to note that some of the examples that follow could easily fit into more than one category. The areas of interaction should be seen as overlapping throughout the programme.

Significant Concepts and the MYP Unit Question

Within each unit of work, the context for learning, significant concept(s) and assessment tasks are defined in relation to the MYP unit question. The areas of interaction provide the context for learning while the significant concepts refer to the underlying concepts that define the principal goal of the unit.

Assessment tasks are designed to address the levels of students’ engagement with the MYP unit question and the aligned objectives.

Assessment tasks

One of the first stages in planning a unit of work is to design summative assessment tasks, linked to the MYP unit question, which provide varied opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes. It is also important to include ongoing formative assessment tasks within a unit of work as these provide valuable insights into the extent of student learning as the unit of work progresses. Some examples of possible assessment tasks are described in the table that follows. Each assessment task is intended to be integrated into a unit of work and may therefore be regarded as a formative or summative assessment task depending on the MYP unit question being explored.

Assessment

The MYP uses a criterion-referenced model of assessment. Teachers should ensure that both formative and summative assessment processes are used.

Teachers may modify the assessment criteria published in this guide to suit years 1–4 of the MYP; for example, they may create task-specific rubrics to assess student work. In schools that do not request IBO-validated grades, the assessment criteria may also be modified in the final year of the programme, as long as thepublished standards are not compromised.

Examples of student work that have been assessed against MYP criteria are found in the corresponding teacher support material publications for each subject.

Academic honesty

Academic honesty is a set of values that promotes personal integrity and good practice in learning and assessment, and in the MYP is part of approaches to learning. The IBO recognizes that academic honesty is influenced by factors that include peer pressure, culture, parental expectations, role modelling and taught skills. Academic honesty can be demonstrated through the dynamic relationship between personal, social and technical skills.

Teachers are encouraged to contribute to the development of their own academic-honesty policies that show encouragement of honesty, guidelines on teaching students how to use all forms of resources adequately—including information and communication technologies (ICT)—and that also include information on procedures for when dishonesty is discovered. Academic honesty is the responsibility of schools, teachers and students in the MYP.

Specific areas of academic honesty that can be focused on in technology include:

personal skills—discussions on integrity, confidence in one’s own work, willingness to work independently, self-evaluation skills
social skills—discussions on how to work collaboratively, how to contribute to a team, how to acknowledge work by other team members, peer-evaluation skills
technical skills—recognition of when others’ ideas should be acknowledged, which sources of information should be acknowledged, understanding plagiarism, how to construct a bibliography, how to reference correctly, familiarity with academic conventions.

Special educational needs

As the MYP is an inclusive curriculum framework, teachers will find that students in their classrooms have a range of backgrounds and academic abilities. Some of the students may have a recognized, diagnosed special educational need (SEN); other students may have special needs that have not yet been diagnosed. Examples of these special needs include:

specific learning difficulties (dyslexia, dyscalculia)
language and communication disorders (aphasia, dysphasia, articulation problems)
emotional and behavioural difficulties
physical disabilities affecting mobility
sensory impairments (visual, hearing)
medical conditions (asthma, epilepsy, diabetes)
mental health conditions (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, eating disorders, anxiety)
gifted and talented students.

In the MYP, it is expected that students who have special educational needs will aim to achieve the objectives of each subject group, and aim to achieve the highest levels in each. In the case of gifted and talented students, they may aim to exceed the final objectives before the end of year 5. Teachers therefore need to develop teaching practices so that all students in their classrooms have the opportunity to achieve these goals. Teachers will need to differentiate their teaching so that students’ potentials are maximized, and may need to allow students to demonstrate their understanding in different ways.

In particular, in technology, teachers may wish to receive information and/or training on how to cater for students undertaking units of work in technology both individually and in groups (workshop skills, safety, manipulative and observational skills, teamwork), research projects (research skills, note taking, time management, planning, organizing information, self-motivation), written tasks and presentations (organization, articulation of ideas) or may want advice on how to create alternative learning and assessment opportunities for students.

For information and support on how to create a classroom that is inclusive of students with special educational needs, please refer to the SEN page, SEN resources and forums on the online curriculum centre (OCC).

This diagram represents the programme model of the MYP. The five areas of interaction connect the development of the individual (at the centre) with the educational experience in all subject groups (at the outer points of the octagon). These interactive areas are common to all disciplines with each subject developing general and specific aspects of the areas. In this way, the subject groups are also linked by the areas of interaction, demonstrating the interdisciplinary potential of the MYP. The five areas of interaction have no clear boundaries, but merge to form a context for learning that contributes to the student’s experience of the curriculum.

Technology and technological developments have given rise to profound changes in society, transforming how we access and process information, how we communicate with others and how we work and solve problems.

The MYP holistic approach to teaching and learning acknowledges that inquiry and problem solving contribute to students’ development of thinking skills and strategies that will equip them to face the rapidly changing demands of the twenty-first century.

MYP technology aims to provide the means and the context to help students become skillful problem solvers, who can appreciate the role of technology in everyday life and society and who can respond critically and resourcefully to real-life challenges.

The MYP technology course aims to:

challenge all students by providing opportunities for different needs and learning styles

encourage students to explore the role of technology in both historical and contemporary contexts

contribute to raising students’ awareness of their responsibilities as world citizens when making decisions and taking action on technology issues.

This guide will give both teachers and students clear aims and objectives for MYP technology as well as details of final assessment requirements. IBO-produced teacher support material will complement this guide and will aid in implementing the course in schools.

Planning the curriculum Vertical planning

Vertical planning occurs when teachers map and plan the learning experiences that students will encounter as they move from one year to the next in the programme.

In planning the technology course teachers should develop a set of outcomes to achieve the final aims and objectives.

Student learning should be carefully sequenced to develop students’ ideas, skills and personal attitudes over the five years of the programme.

Schools are expected to plan the curriculum to ensure that all students are exposed to and work towards meeting the final aims and objectives of MYP technology every year of the programme. Schools can map their technology curriculum using the tools they consider most appropriate: scope and sequences, school syllabuses, curriculum maps, or other documented charts that communicate the objectives and expected achievement levels for each year of the programme. The breadth and depth of the curriculum and the expectations for students will vary considerably from one year to the next and for different groups, according to specific learning styles and needs. However, all students should be given the opportunity gradually to build their knowledge and develop their skills and attitudes as they progress through the programme.

The following table illustrates continuity in the structure of the curriculum, and the progression of learning as students move through the years of the programme.

Horizontal articulation and interdisciplinary approaches

Holistic learning for the MYP implies that the teaching and learning should contribute to developing in students the awareness that knowledge is interrelated and that the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in one subject can also be successfully transferred, applied or adapted to others.

Horizontal articulation, which occurs when teachers of the same year group work together planning the curriculum, is crucial to help students identify the connections between subjects and also to help them reflect upon their own learning. The areas of interaction offer teachers the opportunity to plan interdisciplinary activities. This helps students to explore issues from various angles and perspectives and to achieve a deeper and enduring understanding of concepts and issues.

The use of the design cycle as well as the problem-solving approach that is characteristic of MYP technology contribute to the development and reinforcement of important transferable thinking skills and learning processes.

Contact hours

It is essential that schools allow teachers the number of contact hours necessary to meet the requirements of the technology course in their particular school. Although the prescribed minimum teaching time in any given year for each subject group is 50 teaching hours, the IBO recognizes that, in practice, more than 50 teaching hours per year will be necessary not only to meet the programme requirements over the five years, but also to allow for the sustained, concurrent teaching of disciplines that enables interdisciplinary study.

In addition, schools must ensure that students are given sufficient time and tuition to allow them the opportunity to meet the final aims and objectives for technology.

Requirements

Language of instruction

In those schools where the language of instruction of technology is not the mother tongue of some of the students taking the course, measures must be implemented to ensure that these students are not disadvantaged and have the full opportunity to demonstrate the highest achievement level in the final objectives. These measures may include teacher training, modification of language in materials, and advice and parallel resources in students’ mother tongues. For further information, please refer to the MYP document Second-language Acquisition and Mother-tongue Development: a guide for schools.

Group work

In many circumstances students will want to, or need to, work in groups for their technology units of work. However, it is important to ensure that every member of the group benefits from the dynamics of the social interaction and the group learning experience. Teachers should identify each student’s role and responsibility within the group to ensure they make a contribution, and to support their work and assess their learning at each stage of the design cycle.

Design folder

As students progress through the different stages of the design cycle, they are constantly experimenting with ideas, researching topics, compiling sources, brainstorming issues, sketching possible solutions, making changes, rejecting proposals and critically evaluating their work. All relevant activities and outcomes should be recorded, and dated, in the design folder.

The design folder is a compilation of evidence that accompanies the final product/solution for a unit of work. Students formally record the results of their research, their various plans and designs and the evaluation of their finished products/solutions in the design folder.

The design folder must be clearly divided into its constituent parts according to the stages of the design cycle: investigate, design, plan, create, evaluate. The design folder must begin with the student’s investigation and end with the evaluation.

Resources Technology facilities

MYP technology encourages the use of practical work to develop problem-solving and technology-specific skills. However, schools are responsible for ensuring the conditions for a safe and healthy environment for teaching and learning technology. Technology facilities and workspace areas should be well equipped and maintained. Risk assessment of potential health hazards should be carried out. Good teaching and learning practice should be encouraged when dealing with equipment, information, materials and systems. Class size and supervision of practical work should be considered to minimize risk and hazards. Schools have a responsibility to design and implement health and safety codes and procedures in accordance with risk assessment and to meet their local or national requirements.

Effective use of information and communication technologies

Information and communication technologies (ICT) should be used whenever possible as an important means of expanding students’ knowledge of the world in which they live, and as a new channel for developing skills in accessing, processing and communicating information.

To achieve a successful implementation of ICT across the curriculum, schools must ensure a whole-school approach is in place that provides not only adequate resources but also appropriate teacher training and allocates time for teachers to plan effective and relevant uses of ICT in their lessons.

ICT can be used to achieve subject-specific outcomes. In technology, some uses of ICT will contribute to the development of the specific product/solution, or they may be outcomes in themselves.

Some of the possible uses of ICT in technology might include:

databases and spreadsheets for analysing data as part of the investigation or evaluation stages of the design cycle

Internet search engines for accessing information

spreadsheets for creating time lines during planning

CAD/CAM software for creating and manufacturing design ideas or final designs

digital photographs/videos for documenting the creation stage of the design cycle

word processing or desktop publishing for creating reports

graphic organizers for brainstorming and generating ideas (for example, Mind Maps®, concept maps).

Library

Schools should provide teachers and students with a good variety of resources to support teaching and learning in technology. A well-resourced and up-to-date library equipped with books, magazines and multimedia can contribute to sustaining students’ curiosity and stimulating their interest.

OCC

The online curriculum centre (OCC) is a valuable resource for teachers in the MYP. It contains discussion forums and resource banks, as well as official IBO publications that can be downloaded. Please see your MYP coordinator for a school code and password.

Areas of interaction

Students are required to experience and explore each of the five areas of interaction in every year of the programme:

The areas of interaction provide the MYP with its unique core. Teaching subject areas through these contexts allows teaching and learning to focus on attitudes, values and skills.

Approaches to learning (ATL) represents general and subject-specific learning skills that the student will develop and apply during the programme and beyond. The focus of this area is on teaching students how to learn and on helping students find out about themselves as learners so that they can develop learning skills. To see how the areas of interaction relate specifically to technology, please see here

Community and service considers how a student engages with his or her immediate family, classmates and friends in the outside world as a member of these communities. Through effective planning and teaching, students can learn about their place within communities and be motivated to act in a new context. To see how the areas of interaction relate specifically to technology, please see here

Health and social education delves into the range of human issues that exists in human societies, such as social structures, relationships and health. The area can be used by students to find out how these issues affect societies, communities and individuals, including students themselves. Through the area of health and social education, students can identify and develop skills that will enable them to function as effective members of societies, as well as learning about how they are changing and how to make informed decisions that may relate to their welfare. To see how the areas of interaction relate specifically to technology, please see here

Environments considers how humans interact with the world at large and the parts we play in our environments. It extends into areas beyond human issues and asks students to examine the interrelationships of different environments. This area can lead students to consider both their immediate classroom environments and global environments. To see how the areas of interaction relate specifically to technology, please see here

Human ingenuity (formerly homo faber) deals with the way in which human minds have influenced the world, for example, the way we are, think, interact with each other, create, find solutions to and cause problems, transform ideas and rationalize thought. It also considers the consequences of human thought and action. To see how the areas of interaction relate specifically to technology, please see here

The areas of interaction give the MYP its distinctive core. These areas are common to all disciplines and are incorporated into the MYP so that students will become increasingly aware of the connections between subject content and the real world, rather than considering subjects as isolated areas unrelated to each other and to the world. The MYP presents knowledge as an integrated whole, emphasizing the acquisition of skills and self-awareness, and the development of personal values. As a result, students are expected to develop an awareness of broader and more complex global issues.

The areas of interaction are explored through the subjects, thereby fulfilling their integrative function. For more a more detailed explanation and to see how the areas of interaction relate specifically to technology, please see here

Moderation

Teachers should note that there are three distinct phases to the moderation process.

Phase 1—submission of moderation samples

Phase 2—submission of criterion levels totals

Phase 3—award of MYP grades

Purpose of moderation

The external moderation procedure in all MYP subjects and the personal project exists to ensure that students from different schools and different countries receive comparable grades for comparable work, and that the same standards apply from year to year.

To ensure this comparability and conformity, moderation samples submitted to IBCA must be assessed using the assessment criteria and achievement levels listed in this guide.

Phase 1: submission of moderation samples

Each moderation sample must include:

A. Eight folders of students’ work with each folder representing the work of a single student. In each folder teachers must include:

a completed coversheet Form F3.1.

Two completed units of work Each of which:

includes all the stages of the design cycle

is organized in a design folder made up of five sections, one for each assessment criterion A–E (investigate, design, plan, create, evaluate)

includes the product itself, or a visual representation (photographs or videos) if the product cannot be sent

includes information about the student’s attitudes in technology throughout the unit of work (criterion F).

B. Descriptions of the units of work and background information - compiled into a ninth folder.

Students are expected to document the process of making their product/solution (with a series of photographs or a video and a dated record), including when and how they use tools, materials and techniques. For advice on the preferred format for the submission of electronic files, please refer to the MYP coordinator’s handbook.

The same units of work for all students in the sample should be included wherever possible. Units of work should be submitted in English, French, Spanish or Chinese.

Important notes

Units of work for final assessment and moderation must be devised to give students the opportunity to reach the highest achievement level of each criterion.

For the purpose of moderation, teachers can begin selecting evidence of student work and performance for one unit of work during the penultimate year of the programme (year 4). This is only advisable provided the students can meet the final objectives of MYP technology.

In the moderation sample, teachers’ assessments of students’ work must be based entirely on the criteria published in this guide.

Student work submitted should reflect the types of units of work used by the teacher for final assessment.

Teachers should ensure that two judgments are recorded for each criterion on the coversheet Form F3.1. The reverse of the coversheet Form F3.1 may contain information on extenuating circumstances for individual students if it is not already contained in the background information.

Descriptions of the units of work and background information should be compiled into a ninth folder. This information does not need to be added into each of the eight student folders. The additional ninth folder may be submitted in the working language of the school (English, French, Spanish or Chinese).

Background information should document details that may be useful to the moderators, such as a comprehensive description of the units of work, the conditions under which the units of work were completed, time allocation, degree of teacher support, and availability and range of resources.

In the background information, evidence illustrating the teacher’s application of the assessment criteria and how the teacher awarded the achievement levels should also be documented.

A response to feedback from moderation or monitoring of assessment reports should be included in the background information if appropriate.

When the product/solution itself cannot be sent, evidence of the process of creation should be submitted. This should consist of a visual representation in the form of a series of photographs, screenshots, ongoing sketches or a video.

Although group work is encouraged in practice, it should not be submitted for moderation purposes. It is sometimes difficult for moderators to ascertain a student’s actual contribution to a piece of work that was undertaken in a group situation.

Anything in the moderation sample that differs from the stated requirements should be explained in the background information.

In law, students retain copyright in work they create themselves, and the school probably retains copyright in the tasks created by teachers. However, when the school submits this work to the IBO, students and schools are deemed to be granting the IBO a non-exclusive worldwide licence to use the work. Please see the MYP coordinator’s handbook sections F1 and F3 for further information on how this work may be used and section F4 for the Student claim of exclusive copyright form if needed.

The MYP coordinator’s handbook provides the coversheet Form F3.1 and further guidance on submitting moderation samples in each subject.

Phase 2: submission of criterion levels totals

Phase 1 of the moderation process takes place before the end of most schools’ academic year. After submitting moderation samples teachers should continue to assess students’ work until final assessment.

After final assessment, teachers should use the procedure described in “Determining the final grade” to arrive at a criterion levels total for each student registered for certification.

The MYP coordinator will then enter each registered student’s criterion levels total on IBIS, and submit this to IBCA.

Phase 3: award of MYP grades

Following moderation in each subject, IBCA may, where appropriate, apply a moderation factor to the criterion levels totals submitted by a school. Final grades will then be determined by applying grade boundaries to these moderated totals.

Schools will receive notification of the final grades for their students and IBCA will also provide a general and a school-specific moderation report for each subject in which students were registered.

The MYP coordinator’s handbook provides further guidelines on submitting criterion levels totals in each subject.

Definition

Monitoring of assessment is a service available to authorized MYP schools whereby schools can send samples of assessed student work to IBCA to receive feedback from an experienced MYP assessor in the form of a report. This service is subject to a fee.

Monitoring of assessment is aimed at providing support and guidance in the implementation and development of the programme with regard to internal assessment procedures and practices. To achieve this it calls on the expertise of trained assessors. Monitoring of assessment has been developed to help schools apply MYP assessment principles to their own local circumstances, without requiring them to follow every detail of the IBO system of grading.

Monitoring of assessment is not linked to validation of students’ grades, and therefore differs from the process of external moderation. Monitoring of assessment is currently limited to assessment conducted in the final three years of the programme.

Details on registering for monitoring of assessment and fees are available in the MYP coordinator’s handbook.

Programme evaluation visit

If a school is due to receive its programme evaluation visit and has not registered students for moderation, it is a requirement that the school sends in a sample of work from each subject group and the personal project before the visit (usually spread over the two years before the due date of the visit). The regional office will provide the school with information and time lines for this requirement. Following the evaluation visit, a school may be required to send in further samples in some subjects as part of the recommended action in the evaluation report.

Moderation pre-check

If a school plans to register students for moderation in the future, the school can use the monitoring of assessment service to receive feedback on its assessment in some or all subjects and/or the personal project before sending in samples for moderation.

Guidance on a particular subject

This would not be linked with the school’s programme evaluation or plans for moderation. A school may simply require advice on the assessment of a particular subject.

Nature of schools’ samples

Please note that the samples sent for monitoring of assessment are not returned to the school.

The content of the samples will vary depending on the reasons why the school is sending the sample for monitoring of assessment. Therefore, this section is split into three:

samples that are being submitted for the purposes of the evaluation visit

samples that are being submitted prior to moderation

samples that are being submitted for general advice/guidance.

Samples for the evaluation visit

The sample for each subject must include the components listed below.

An outline of the subject coursework for the year, including background information on the organization of the course (time allocation, possible integration with other subjects, involvement in multidisciplinary projects).

Assessed student work addressing the subject’s assessment criteria and objectives. Teachers must: -choose different kinds of units of work that reflect clearly the application of the criteria: teachers are advised to use the minimum requirements for a moderation sample for guidance as those give an even spread over the criteria (see “Technology: moderation”) -use only units of work reflecting all the criteria -favour units of work reflecting the areas of interaction -include work from four students for each unit of work; the work of the same students does not have to be used for both units of work.

Each unit of work in the sample must include:

all the stages of the design cycle

a design folder made up of five sections, one for each assessment criterion A–E (investigate, design, plan, create, evaluate)

the product itself, or a visual representation (photographs or videos) if the product cannot be sent

information about the student’s attitudes in technology throughout the unit of work (criterion F).

In the background information teachers should include:

instructions, worksheets and any guidance notes given to the students

information on the application of criteria to the unit of work

descriptions of any individual criteria and amended descriptors of achievement levels used in the summative assessment of students in that year. This should take the form of an assessment scheme showing the relative importance of the MYP criteria in the assessment of students.

Each unit of work must be accompanied by the coversheet Form F4.4.

Important note

Schools submitting samples as part of their evaluation visit are expected to use the MYP assessment criteria to assess students’ progress against the MYP objectives. However, schools can adapt/amend the level descriptors of the published assessment criteria. For example, schools must still use “Criterion A: investigate” to assess the relevant objectives as published in this guide, but they can amend the levels and the level descriptors of this criterion if they wish. These amendments must be appropriate and in the spirit of MYP criterion-referenced assessment. If the assessor feels the amendments are not appropriate, for example they may not assess some of the objectives, then this will be mentioned in the report. The schools are not required to use the IBO’s 1–7 grading system.

Samples prior to moderation

The samples should follow the requirements for a moderation sample (but should include work from four students rather than eight) and should include the components listed below.

The samples should comprise folders of work from four students (two around the average level of ability within the school, one comparatively good student, one comparatively weak student).

Each folder of technology work must:

represent two complete units of work, each of which addresses assessment criteria A–E

represent two judgments against each criterion as set out in “Technology: moderation”

include the same units of work as other students represented in the sample wherever possible

include information about the student’s attitudes in technology throughout the unit of work (criterion F).

Other documents that are essential for the assessment of student performance are:

worksheets or instructions/guidance notes given to students

a description of the conditions under which the work was completed (in class, preparation allowed, familiarity with topic, range and availability of resources, etc).

The work of each student must be in a separate folder and include a completed coversheet Form F4.2. This will facilitate treatment by assessors in conditions matching those of a true moderation sample where feedback on the criterion levels awarded is essential.

Samples for general advice/guidance

The content of the samples sent for general advice/guidance is at the discretion of the school. Schools may wish to send in a complete sample, similar to that for the evaluation visit or prior to moderation. Alternatively, schools may wish to send in a single unit of work for feedback, and this is also acceptable.

Schools must understand that the reports received will vary in length and detail depending on the nature of the sample sent.

Samples sent for general advice/guidance may or may not be accompanied by coversheets depending on the nature of the sample. If coversheets are to be used, then those designed for the evaluation visit are likely to be the most appropriate.

For evaluation visit/general advice

The units of work listed in “Technology: moderation” require students to use the design cycle and are suitable to be assessed by the assessment criteria of MYP technology.

Prior to moderation

If the school is requesting monitoring of assessment in preparation for future moderation, the tasks in the following list must be included in the sample. These are the required minimum tasks listed in the section, “Technology: moderation”.