Sciences
With inquiry at the core, the MYP sciences framework aims to guide students to independently and collaboratively investigate issues through research, observation and experimentation. The MYP sciences curriculum must explore the connections between science and everyday life. As they investigate real examples of science applications, students will discover the tensions and dependencies between science and morality, ethics, culture, economics, politics, and the environment.
Scientific inquiry also fosters critical and creative thinking about research and design, as well as the identification of assumptions and alternative explanations. Students should learn to appreciate and respect the ideas of others, gain good ethical-reasoning skills and further develop their sense of responsibility as members of local and global communities.
Learning science involves more than simply learning technical terminology. The MYP considers all teachers to be language teachers and, thus, MYP sciences should enable students to access, use and communicate scientific knowledge correctly and confidently in oral, written and visual modes.
The aims of MYP sciences are to encourage and enable students to:
understand and appreciate science and its implications consider science as a human endeavour with benefits and limitations cultivate analytical, inquiring and flexible minds that pose questions, solve problems, construct explanations and judge arguments develop skills to design and perform investigations, evaluate evidence and reach conclusions build an awareness of the need to effectively collaborate and communicate apply language skills and knowledge in a variety of real-life contexts develop sensitivity towards the living and non-living environments reflect on learning experiences and make informed choices.
Objectives and Assessment:
The objectives of MYP sciences encompass the factual, conceptual, procedural and metacognitive dimensions of knowledge.
Together these objectives reflect the holistic nature of science and the real-world work of scientists. They enable students to engage with all aspects of science, either through individual objectives or connected processes.
The four assessment criteria in science are:
A) Knowing and understanding: Where Students develop scientific knowledge (facts, ideas, concepts, processes, laws, principles, models and theories) and apply it to solve problems and express scientifically supported judgments.
B) Inquiring and designing: Intellectual and practical skills are developed through designing, analysing and performing scientific investigations. Although the scientific method involves a wide variety of approaches, the MYP emphasizes experimental work and scientific inquiry.
C) Processing and evaluating: Students collect, process and interpret qualitative and/or quantitative data, and explain conclusions that have been appropriately reached. MYP sciences helps students to develop analytical thinking skills, which they can use to evaluate the method and discuss possible improvements or extensions.
D) Reflecting on the impacts of science: Students gain global understanding of science by evaluating the implications of scientific developments and their applications to a specific problem or issue. Varied scientific language will be applied in order to demonstrate understanding. Students are expected to become aware of the importance of documenting the work of others when communicating in science.
Students must reflect on the implications of using science, interacting with one of the following factors: moral, ethical, social, economic, political, cultural or environmental, as appropriate to the task. The student’s chosen factor may be interrelated with other factors.