IB MTS flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

IB learner profile attributes

Ten attributes: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, reflective. They describe the IB's aspirational outcomes for all students across the continuum.

IB mission statement

Aims to develop internationally minded people who recognize shared humanity and guardianship of the planet, creating a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

MYP age range

The MYP is designed for students aged 11 to 16, typically a five-year programme, though schools may offer a shortened two- or three-year version with IB approval.

MYP subject groups

Eight groups: language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical and health education, and design.

MYP key concepts

Sixteen key concepts, including aesthetics, change, communication, communities, connections, creativity, culture, development, form, global interactions, identity, logic, perspective, relationships, systems, and time/place/space.

MYP core components

Approaches to learning, service as action (or community project in years 3 or 5), and the personal project in the final year. Service and community project are non-credit requirements.

MYP global contexts

Six contexts: identities and relationships; orientation in space and time; personal and cultural expression; scientific and technical innovation; fairness and development; globalization and sustainability.

MYP unit minimum hours

Schools must allocate at least 50 teaching hours per subject group per year and teach at least one unit per subject group per year.

Inquiry cycle stages

Tuning in, finding out, sorting out, going further, making conclusions, and taking action, with reflection woven throughout the process.

Types of inquiry

Structured inquiry (teacher-directed with clear steps), guided inquiry (teacher scaffolds student investigation), and open inquiry (students design and direct their own investigation).

Statement of inquiry

A single coherent claim that integrates a key concept, related concepts, and a global context, framing the conceptual understanding students develop in a unit.

Interdisciplinary unit criteria

Three criteria assess interdisciplinary work: A disciplinarity (grounding in disciplines), B synthesis (integrating disciplines), and C communication (communicating understanding).

Vertical and horizontal planning

Vertical planning ensures progression across years; horizontal planning aligns units and assessment across subject groups within the same year. Both are required.

MYP assessment criteria

Each subject group has four criteria (A-D), each scored 0-8, giving a maximum total of 32 per subject per year. Final grades use IB boundary tables.

Criterion-referenced assessment

Students are judged against published criteria and descriptors, not against the performance of other students. This is the basis of MYP assessment.

Formative vs summative

Formative assessment is ongoing and informs teaching and learning; summative assessment occurs at the end of a unit or period and determines achievement against criteria.

Personal project criteria

Four criteria: A investigating, B planning, C taking action, D reflecting, each out of 8, total 32. The personal project is completed in the final MYP year.

Community project

Completed in MYP years 3 or 5, assessed on four criteria (investigating, planning, taking action, reflecting) and reported separately from subject grades.

ATL skill categories

Five categories: communication, social, self-management, research, and thinking. Each contains clusters taught explicitly and applied across the curriculum.

Thinking skills clusters

Critical thinking (analyzing and evaluating), creative thinking (generating and designing), and transfer (applying skills and understanding across contexts).

Research skills clusters

Information literacy (accessing, evaluating, and using sources ethically) and media literacy (interacting with media critically and responsibly).

Self-management skills

Organization (time and materials), affective skills (mindfulness, resilience, emotional management), and reflection on learning.

MYP coordinator role

Leads programme implementation, manages the personal project and service as action, coordinates collaborative planning, and ensures IB standards and practices are met.

Programme evaluation cycle

Schools undergo programme evaluation every five years, submitting a self-study and receiving an IB visit or verification against standards and practices.

IB standards and practices

Organized into philosophy, organization, curriculum, and assessment sections. Schools are evaluated against them during authorization and programme evaluation.

Collaborative planning requirement

MYP requires documented collaborative planning time for teachers, including shared unit planning, moderation of assessment, and joint reflection on student learning.

PYP and DP ages

PYP serves ages 3-12; DP and CP serve ages 16-19. MYP (11-16) bridges the primary and post-16 programmes in the continuum.

Continuum shared elements

All IB programmes share the learner profile, approaches to learning, and conceptual inquiry, while retaining distinct curriculum frameworks and assessment models.

Debatable inquiry questions

Open questions inviting judgment and opinion, used alongside factual and conceptual questions to drive inquiry and discussion in MYP units.

Action in inquiry

The outcome of inquiry where students apply learning to real-world contexts and take informed, principled action, including service as action.

Related concepts

Subject-specific concepts (e.g., audience, purpose, structure in language and literature) that connect disciplinary knowledge to the key concept and global context.

ATL progression

ATL skills are planned vertically so they are revisited and deepened across programme years, and taught explicitly rather than assumed to develop implicitly.