A Case Study on the Application of International Baccalaureate MYP Program to Kyungpook National University Middle School in Korea

Abstract

Kyungpook National University Middle School received a verification visit from December 16 to 17, 2020, after two years of running a candidate school after obtaining IB MYP candidate school qualification in March 2019. On January 22, 2021, the school became the first national public school in the country as an authorized IB school. As a result, the IB MYP program will be operated as a member of IB World School from March 2. In this paper, the introduction process of IB MYP program and the success factors of Kyungpook National University Middle School and the opinions of the school members on the operation of IB program are examined. Through this, three proposals that can help other middle schools in Korea which introduce the IB MYP program in the future will be presented. First, schools preparing to introduce the IB MYP program should pay attention to the IB framework. The IB framework is the basis for the application of IB program. Therefore, it is wise to prepare for the introduction of the IB MYP program in accordance with the situation facing each school, focusing on the IB framework. Second, the decisive factor in the introduction of the IB MYP program is teaching and learning. Therefore, how schools can support teachers to design and guide the understanding-based curriculum and concept/inquiry-based classes is a very important question. Some examples of Kyungpook National University Middle School provide a good answer to this question. Schools considering the introduction of the IB MYP program should think about what systems should be designed to foster teachers’ professional development in teaching and assessment based on the unique context of each school. Third, the International Baccalaureate Organization(IBO) provides only a guide for the school to apply the program, and all practical application can be flexibly operated according to the situation of the country and the context of the school. Therefore, if the school is ready to introduce the IB MYP program, the school members need to think deeply about how to flexibly operate the IB MYP program in consideration of each school’s educational philosophy and context rather than trying to find the right answer.