Global Contexts

Learning in context provides students with opportunities to explore multiple dimensions of

global challenges and encourages them to develop creative solutions. A significant intent of
the MYP is for teachers to design units of inquiry around important global issues. The MYPs
Global Contexts include a range of ideas and issues that can be personally, locally,
nationally and internationally significant. As the MYP transitions to the Next Chapter, what
weve known as the Areas of Interaction will be eliminated in favor of the Global Contexts
(GCs). Similar to AOIs, the GCs are a common point of entry for inquiries that inspire
explorations of our common humanity and shared explorations of the planet. Going forward,
the GCs will play a more substantial role in framing the real-world contexts.
For each MYP unit, teachers identify one GC that establishes a focus for meaningful teaching
and learning. Over the course of study, students should encounter all six GC. The selected
GC informs questions that teachers and students ask throughout a unit. However, many
explorations of GCs are related, and in the course of the unit, questions that relate to other
GCs may also be encouraged, developed and considered. The selected GC should be deeply
embedded in a units specific Learning Experiences, part of assessment, and both student
and teacher reflection.
Inquiry into subject content through a GC enables students to develop a deeper
understanding of both the subject and its real-world application. Repeated cycles of inquiry,
action and reflection can lead students from academic knowledge to practical
understanding, development of positive attitudes toward learning, as well as a sense of
personal and social responsibility.

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Focus Questions and

Description
Who am I? Who are we?
Exploration of:
Identity

Example Explorations
Competition and cooperation;
teams, affiliation and
leadership
Identity formation, self-

Focus Questions and

Description
What is the meaning of
where and when?
Exploration of:
Personal histories
Focus Questions and
Description
What is the nature and
purpose of creative
expression?

Learning Experience
from Your Subject
Area
Example: Humanities
Students engage in a
debate about the benefits
and challenges
encountered during the

Example Explorations

Learning Experiences
from Your Subject
Area

Civilizations and social

histories, heritage, pilgrimage,
migration displacement and
exchange

Arts Students explore art

and/or architectural styles
representative of a
specific era. In considering
the cultural significance,

Example Explorations

Learning Experiences
from Your Subject
Area

Artistry, craft, creation, beauty

Products, systems and
institutions

Exploration of:

Sciences A reflective,
long-answer question
(new Criterion D) to
accompany a lab or exam
that prompts students to

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ation
l
c and

Globa
l
Conte
xt

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xt

DevelopFairness
ment
and

Globa
l
Conte
xt

Focus Questions and

Description
How do we understand the
world in which we live?
Exploration of:
The natural world and its
Focus Questions and
Description
How is everything
connected?
Exploration of:
The interconnectedness of
Focus Questions and
Description

Example Explorations
Systems, models, methods;
products, processes and
solutions
Adaptation, ingenuity and
Example Explorations
Markets, commodities and
commercialization
Human impact on the
environment
Example Explorations

What are the consequences

of our common humanity?

Democracy, politics,
government and civil society

Exploration of:
Rights and responsibilities

Inequality, difference, and

inclusion

Learning Experiences
from Your Subject
Area
Technology: Develop a
FAQ about one form of
social media meant to
inform and help guide
parents and teachers on

Learning Experiences
from Your Subject
Area
Mathematics: Find the
current global population
based on the following: if
the growth rate in 2009
was 1.13% (r=0.0113),

Learning Experiences
from Your Subject
Area
Language and Literature
or Language Acquisition:
Write a scene for a play
that includes a bullying
situation and resolution.