The Luanda International School was authorized to teach the Middle Years Programme (MYP) of the IB Organization in June 2007 and is now in its fourth year as an official MYP school. We operate a five year MYP, encompassing years 7 through 11.

In December 2010 some 855 schools worldwide were authorized to offer the MYP. 131 of these schools are in the Africa/Europe/Middle East region while 558 of them can be found in the North American & Caribbean region. There is increasing interest and growth worldwide in the number of schools deciding to implement IB programmes. LIS is authorized for all three IB programmes and is therefore one of 157 schools globally that fall in to this category.

The educational aim of the International Baccalaureate Organization is to awaken the intelligence of students and teach them to relate the content of the classroom to the realities of the world outside of school. By emphasising the dynamic contribution of knowledge, skills, experience and critical thinking, the International Baccalaureate promotes academic achievement coupled with responsible citizenship.

HOMEROOM: Each year has a Homeroom teacher who is responsible for pastoral care, together with the Secondary and Deputy Principals. This year a Homeroom Programme is being implemented which includes not only pastoral care, but also participation in assemblies and forums.

SCHEDULE: Year 7-11 students have a full schedule covering the 8 MYP subject groups: Arts (Visual Arts, Drama and Music), Humanities, Language A (English, Spanish and Portuguese), Language B (Spanish or Portuguese), Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, and Technology (Computer Technology and Design Technology).

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS:
The MYP is guided by three fundamental concepts.

• Holistic Learning: this emphasizes the links between subject disciplines enabling students to see knowledge as an integrated whole.
• Intercultural Awareness: this is concerned with developing students’ attitudes, knowledge and skills as they learn about national cultures of other students as well as their own.
• Communication: this fundamental concept is vital to learning, allowing students to express themselves and to reflect on their learning. Language acquisition is a key area of the MYP.

AREAS OF INTERACTION: 
The whole approach of the MYP is through the lenses of Areas of Interaction. These five organizing elements are: Approaches to Learning, Community and Service, Human Ingenuity, Environments and Health & Social Education.

• Approaches to Learning: this area of action goes beyond study skills, developing an awareness of thought processes and their strategic use. Students should develop an understanding that true learning is more than the acquisition of knowledge: it involves its thoughtful application, as well as critical thinking and problem solving, both individually and collaboratively.
• Community and Service: the emphasis is on developing community awareness and concern, a sense of responsibility and the skills and attitudes necessary to make an effective contribution to society. In keeping with the LIS philosophy of finding sustainable opportunities to develop community and service projects year groups engage in various activities. Projects that students are currently engaged in or are considering include: visits and activities at local orphanages; landmine awareness and raising funds to help clear landmines; involvement with organizations helping polio victims as well as other service-oriented projects within the school community.
• Human Ingenuity: this area of interaction allows students to focus on the evolution, processes and products of human creativity. Students learn to appreciate and put into practice the human capacity to influence, transform, enjoy and improve the quality of life – it explores the relationships between science, aesthetics, technology and ethics.
• Environments: students can take positive, responsible action for the future by examining global environmental issues that require balanced understanding in the context of sustainable development as well as the many ways in which they interact with many kinds of environments.
• Health and Social Education: this develops in students a sense of responsibility for their own well-being and for the physical and social environment, and in helping them to make informed healthy choices.

Information about the different subjects being offered at LIS as part of the MYP can be found by accessing the section: Subject Guides.
Personal Project in Year 11:
Each student in Year 11 is expected to complete a Personal Project. The preparation and organization for the project is done in consultation with a teacher-mentor and is completed outside of school time. The project should be a product of the student’s own creativity and initiative. The personal project is marked on a set of criteria, and is a requirement. Time for this project will be above and beyond the homework time guidelines.

MYP Homework

Expectations for Teachers

• Homework should be directly relevant to the learning in school.
• Teachers should clearly outline the expectations for the homework, the objectives of the work assigned, and the timeframe. Verbal explanations are not sufficient.
• Homework should be able to be completed independently.
• Homework should be carefully coordinated and assigned so that the overall time for each year level is not exceeded.
• Teachers will give some homework assignments with the purpose of increasing their background knowledge of the subject area or topics being studied. (Watching TV programmes, non-fiction reading, periodical reading, and Internet research, watching the news).
• Teachers should coordinate tests so that there is no more than one on any given day.
• Homework should be assigned on a weekly basis. Teachers should coordinate the assignments with other teachers so that the overall time is not exceeded.

Expectations for Parents

• To support and provide an environment conducive to learning and working, by talking and discussing the topics and books being studied.
• To help develop the study skills and commitment required for sustained application to work.
• To provide a computer and Internet facilities for independent research and word processing.
• To make provisions for a dedicated area set aside for concentrated study.
• To communicate with the teachers concerned if there is any homework issues.

Expectations for Students

• The responsibility of students is to manage their time so that homework assigned for the week is completed within the time guidelines.
• In their individual work at home, students should develop organizational skills, study practices, intellectual discipline, attitudes and strategies leading to critical, coherent and independent thinking and the capacity for problem-solving and decision-making.
• Students will need to develop study habits that will help them prepare for tests and exams.
• Students should develop metacognitive abilities by focusing on the 3 questions: 1)  “How do I learn best?”   2)  “How do I know?” and 3)  “How do I communicate my understanding?”
• Students will be expected to check the homework and assessment schedule and to budget their time to be prepared for the work or tests to be done at school.
• Students will be expected to touch type. If proficiency is less than our expectations per year level, then a typing programme should be worked on at home to increase speed and accuracy. This work is considered to be above and beyond the normal homework assignments.
• Students must have a flash-drive.

Estimation of time:

• Time set aside for homework, including reading, would be expected to increase as students move through the MYP programme, and in preparation for the demands of the IB Diploma Programme.

• Times below are a general range only. It is expected that students use their time well, and are efficient and productive during their study times. Under normal circumstances, in each of the MYP years, time per day is allocated as follows:

• Year 7 - 60 minutes
• Year 8 – 90 minutes
• Year 9 – 90 minutes
• Year 10 – 120 minutes
• Year 11 – 150 minutes