INTRODUCING MYP INTO THE ARTS

By Liz Furman Assistant Head of Department (Music) – Senior School

The MYP Arts course (Category 2) enhanced my understanding of the principles underpinning the IB Middle Years Programme and deepened my knowledge of the MYP Arts framework. As we implement the MYP at CGS for Years 7 and 8, I was keenly interested in attending this workshop to share my learning with the CGS Senior School Music Department and, more broadly, with colleagues in the CGS Arts departments.

Delivered online, this course provided a truly international experience. My workshop leader was based in Canada, and fellow participants came from around the world, currently teaching in Japan, China, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand, and Azerbaijan. The four-week course was divided into weekly modules: “From Principles into Practice,” “Developing an MYP Unit,” “Assessment,” and “Putting It All Together through Inquiry.” We completed our reading, research, and learning engagement tasks individually, then posted them online for appraisal by our workshop leader. Receiving and providing feedback to peers was a course requirement and proved particularly insightful.

Some course highlights included expanding my understanding of “International Mindedness.” I now recognise it as having a global perspective, acknowledging current world and local issues, and providing inclusive education accessible to all students. Learning how to write an “authentic” assessment was another highlight. The importance of creating “real-life situations” for students was emphasised. For example, the educational benefits of setting a task where students act as “professional composers” assigned a “specific brief” for evaluation by an “artistic panel” were encouraged, rather than simply assigning a generic creative task.

While the workload of this course was more time-consuming than expected, and navigating the online learning platform presented some challenges, I highly encourage others to complete MYP courses presented online in this format. The four-week timeframe allowed me to process information more thoroughly. I valued sharing ideas with Arts educators from around the globe and observing how other participants approached various learning engagement tasks within their specific disciplines. I look