Areas of InteractionWhat do They Mean?The Areas of Interaction are the heart of the MYP.

This handbook is designed to explain the learning expectations for each of the Areas of Interaction. To be a successful learner in the MYP you should be very familiar with the AOIs and how to create links with them.

The Areas of Interaction (AOIs) help to achieve one of the fundamental goals of the MYP which is holistic learning. Even though you

are taking eight different classes, they are all connected through these five ways of understanding things.

The five AOIs are Environments, Human Ingenuity, Health and Social Education, Community and Service and Approaches to Learning.

Your teachers spend time planning a unit of study using one of these Areas of Interaction as a focus. You should be able to see that you can study

areas of Human Ingenuity, for example, in any of your eight subject areas.

In Year 5 of the MYP (Grade 10) you put your understanding of the AOIs to the test through the Personal Project (P2)

The purpose of the Areas of Interaction is for you, the student, to think about the things you learn in a particular context - a way for you to make connections not just between different classes, but between your classes and the real world.

What is an AOI anyway?

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“We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence is not an act – it is a habit.”

- Aristotle

If any single Area of Interaction stands out, it is Approaches to Learning (ATL). The education you are receiving is very different than the kind of education your parents, or even your teachers, received.

Learning how to learn effectively is the ultimate goal of all schools. Being ‘good’ at school is not something that you are born with. Successful learners develop specific habits and constantly reflect on the way they access, remember and use information.

There are seven categories to be aware of in the MYP Approaches to Learning: Organization, Collaboration, Communication,

Information Literacy, Reflection, Thinking and Transfer.

These seven areas are explained fully in the chart on the next page. They run across all of your subjects and you will be assessed on all seven of the approaches to learning. You will see that your Approaches to Learning skills are measured for each subject on your report card.

You should be able to discuss your growth in these areas in portfolio reflections and at conferences.

Approaches to LearningDeveloping Habits of Mind

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ATLskillarea HowdoIdemonstrateskillsinthisarea?FocusquestionsthatrelatetothisareaofApproachesto

Learning.

Organization

Taskmanagement• Iamabletoindependentlyanalyseandprioritizethenecessarystepstocompletingacomplextask.

Self‐management• Ieffectivelyprioritizeandbalancepersonalinterestsandschoolcommitments.• Iunderstandthecorrelationbetweenmyorganizationalskillsandmysuccess.

Timemanagement• Ischedulemytimeefficientlyanddevelopmaturemethodsofmeetingallcommitments.

• Whatarethehabitsofanorganizedperson?

• WhataspectsofmyorganizationdoIneedtodevelop?

• HowdoIbestorganizetasks?

Collaboration

Workingingroups• Iassigngrouprolesresponsiblyandacceptrolesgiventome.• Iamaresponsibleandreliablememberofateam.

Acceptingothers• Icangiveandreceivepositiveandconstructivefeedback.

Personalchallenges• Iamabletonegotiategoalsandlimitationswithmypeersandteachers.

• HowcanIbearesponsiblegroupmember?

• HowcanIimprovethedynamicsofagroup?

• HowdoIshowmaturitywhenworkingwithothers?

Communication

Literacy• Ihavedevelopedandusedeffectivereadingandwritingtechniquesthatallowmetomeettherequirementsofmy

subjects.• Ihavemasteredawiderangeofsubjectspecificvocabulary.

PresentationSkills• Iusenewanddynamicwaystopresentinformationinanengagingmanner.

InterpersonalSkills• Iamaresponsibleandeffectivecommunicatorwhoisawareofthedifferencesinthewaypeoplecommunicate.

• HowdoIeffectivelyhelpothersunderstand?

• HowdothewaysinwhichIcommunicatewithothersreflectonme?

InformationLiteracy

AccessingInformation• Iusesourcestosupportmyoriginalideas.• Iknowhowtouseavarietyofacademicresources.

SelectingandOrganizingInformation• Iunderstandthefoundationsofbiasininformation.• Irecognizethepervasiveimpactthevariousmediahaveonmylifeandwayofthinking.

Referencing• IuseMLAformatinlinereferencingcorrectlyforallquotes,paraphrasesandsummaries.

.

• HowcanIuseinformationtoenhancemyownideas?

• Whyarewebiased?• HowcanIavoid

plagiarism?

Reflection

Self‐awareness• Iamawareofmypersonalstrengthsandweaknesses.• Idemonstrateadesiretoovercomemylimitationsandmaximizemypotential.

Self‐evaluation• Ireflectupon,analyzeandrecordmyachievementsandprogress.

• WhatdoIreflectabout?• WhatdoIdowithmy

reflections?• HowdoIcontinueto

improve?

Thinking

InvestigatingandPlanning• Icreateplanstogatherinformationandfindsolutions.• Ichallengeinformationandcommonperspectivesusingtheinquirycycle.

Application• Icanidentifypatternsandtrendsininformation.• Ianalyzeinformationcriticallytoselectthemostrelevantideasthatwillhelpmeforminsightfulandpersuasive

arguments.• Itrytoconsiderallperspectivesonissues,analyzetheeffectivenessofproposedsolutions,andidentifythemost

favourableandbeneficialoutcomes.

• HowcanIdevelopan

effectiveplan?• HowdoIfindthebest

solutions?

Transfer

MakingConnections• Iamabletoidentifycommonskillsthatareusedindifferentsubjects.• Icanrecognizeanddiscusssimilarthemesthatshowupindifferentsubjects.

RealWorldApplication• Iusemyskillsandknowledgetoeffectpositivechangeinmylifeanddevelopeffectivesolutionstomychallenges.

• HowcanIusemyknowledge,understandingandskillsacrosssubjects?

• Howdoesmylearningimprovemylife?

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Community and ServiceReaching In, Reaching Out

Much of what we learn in school should be focused on our place in the world. You belong to many different groups from families, peers, school, neighbourhood, city, country and planet. What are your responsibilities to the communities of which you are a member?

The goal of this Area of Interaction is for you to reflect about your role in making your communities better. Is raising money for a

charity enough? Are some causes more worthy than others? Can one person really change the world?

Looking at community and world issues within the framework of this AOI, you should be able to make

responsible choices about how to serve your communities. The goal is to move from participation to leadership.

“Most people think of it (success) in terms of

getting.Success, however, begins in terms of

giving.”- Henry Ford

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.

- Edmund Burke

CommunityandServiceskillarea

HowdoIdemonstrateskillsinthisarea?FocusquestionsthatrelatetothisareaofCommunity

andService.

AwarenessandUnderstandingof:Community

• IamabletolistanddefineseveraluniquecommunitygroupstowhichIbelong.

• Iunderstandhowvariouscommunitygroupsidentifythemselvesandremainavitalpartofalargercommunity.

• Irecognizetheeffectcommunitygroupshaveonmylife.

• HowdoeswhatIlearninschoolhelpmetounderstandtheexistenceofgroupswithinacommunity?

• Howmightdifferentcommunitygroupshaveanimpacton,beaffectedby,orrelatetothematerialwearestudying?

• Howdoesthisunithelpmetobetterunderstandmycommunityasawhole?

Reflectionon:Attitudes

• Icanexplainthewaysandreasonsacommunitymightneedhelpfromothers.

• Icandescribethebenefitsthatmaybegainedbyparticipatingincommunityaction.

• Howcanmylearninghelpmetoidentifyareasofneedinvariouscommunities?

Reflectionon:Responsibilities

• Iamabletobrainstormpossibleactionsthatmayleadtosolvingcommunityproblems.

• Idemonstrateamatureunderstandingofandcompassionforglobalconcerns.

• HowcanIbeofservice?

Actionon:Involvement

throughService

• Iactivelyandindependentlyseekoutandparticipateinvariouscommunityserviceendeavours.

• Itrytobearolemodelforcommunityserviceandinvolvement.

.

• WhatwillIdo?• HowdoIencourageother

peopletohelp?• Whatdifferencesdomy

contributionsmake?• Howdoesmyinvolvement

contributetomypersonalgrowth?

This Area of Interaction covers a broad spectrum of ideas. It concerns you as an individual and your own healthy development, as well as issues that face whole groups of people around the world.

Health and Social Education (HSE) really asks us questions about how we choose to take care of ourselves and others. This could run the gamut from why eating breakfast is important to how to prevent malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa, and why either of those things should matter to us.

In many respects, this AOI is about choices and caring. Every choice we make has an immediate impact. Sometimes this is a personal impact or sometimes our choices have unforeseen impacts on others.

Why should we care about people who have problems on the other side of the world? What does it have to do with us? The ultimate goal of learning much of the knowledge we acquire in school is to put it to use in innovative ways to make people’s lives better. This AOI lets us focus in on why such things should matter.

“Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained.”Helen Keller

Health and Social EducationLiving a Healthy and Rich Life

AOIHANDBOOK

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world

-Nelson Mandela

“Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained.”- Helen Keller

HealthandSocial

Educationskillarea

HowdoIdemonstrateskillsinthisarea?FocusquestionsthatrelatetothisareaofHealthand

SocialEducation

AwarenessandUnderstandingof:OurselvesandSociety

• Icanrecognizethecausesandlongtermimplicationsofglobalhealthcrises,globalsocialissuesandmyownpersonal

developmentchallenges.

• Icanidentifymeasurestoalleviatehealthandsocialproblemsaroundtheworld.

• Icanoutlinethestepsneededforpeopletoaddresstheirownpersonaldevelopmentissues.

• Whataresomeofthefactorsthatcreateglobalhealthandsocialissues?

• WhyshouldIpayattentiontomypersonaldevelopment?

Reflectionon:Our

Responsibilities

• IcandemonstratewaysIcaninfluencethechoicesofothers.

• Ishowawarenessofmydutiesasaresponsible(global)citizen.

• WhatskillsdoIneedtobearesponsible(global)citizen?

Actionon:OurChoices

• Icangiveexamplesofthewaymychoicesareinterconnectedwiththechoicesofothers.

• Icanexplainhowmylifestyle,andthelifestylesofothers,havebeenformedbymychoices.

• HowdoIpromotechange?• Wherecanmychoices

takeothers?

This AOI is not as straightforward as it may seem at first. Although traditional environmental or ‘green’ thinking plays a central role, it is not the only aspect of this area.

We live and function in a variety of different environments. How do they affect us? How do we affect them? What are our responsibilities to our environments?

Over the course of the MYP, you will be asked to examine these questions and others. You will need to discover just how interconnected we are with our places. How can we help to promote sustainability in our environments? How do we take care of the places in our lives?

EnvironmentsThe Places We Live

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“Environments are not just containers, but are processes

that change the content totally”

- Marshall McLuhan

Environmentsskillarea

HowdoIdemonstrateskillsinthisarea?FocusquestionsthatrelatetothisareaofEnvironments

AwarenessandUnderstandingof:aVarietyofEnvironments

• Icandescribethepositiveandnegativeimpactsoforganizationsontheenvironment.

• Icangiveexamplesofhowoneenvironmentcanbenefitorharmanother.

• Ishowinsightfulawarenessofpeople’sabilitytocreateanddestroyenvironments.

• Iamabletoidentifyorganizationsthathaveanimpactonvariousenvironments.

• Howdovariousenvironmentsaffectpeople?

• Howdoorganizationsinteractwiththeirenvironments?

• Howdovariousdifferentenvironmentsinteract?

Reflectionon:Responsibilities

• Irecognizeestablishedorganizationsthatpromotechangewithinenvironments.

• Iamabletoexplain,withspecificexamples,waysthatorganizationshavehelpedorharmedenvironments.

• WhataffiliationsdoIhavewithorganizationsthatpromotechangewithinenvironments?

• Whatarethedifferencesbetweencollectiveandindividualaction?

Actionon:Issues

• Icontributetoorganizedeffortstoimproveenvironments.

• IamabletoevaluatetheusefulnessandvalidityofdifferentendeavoursinwhichIhaveparticipated.

• HowcanIbeinvolvedonalargerscale?

How have we changed our world and our lives? What makes us create and change things? What kind of impact have ‘man-made’ things had on us?

This AOI looks at the reasons for change and the effect that changes have on us. Humans as a species have radically changed their environment for the better and sometimes with less than desirable results. When we study Human Ingenuity, we look at how we use our thinking skills to solve problems creatively and efficiently.

Human Ingenuity does not look merely at ‘inventions’ but a wide range of human creations such as systems (laws, government, networks etc), philosophical thinking, art, technology, culture and communication. All of these are a function of human creativity.

How does your understanding of the history and future of human innovation help to connect what you learn to the real world?

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when

we created them”

- Albert Einstein

Human IngenuityHow do We Actually Change Things?

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“The world is but a canvas to the

imagination.” — Henry David

Thoreau

HumanIngenuityArea

HowdoIdemonstrateskillsinthisarea?Focusquestionsthatrelate

tothisareaofHumanIngenuity

AwarenessandUnderstandingof:InnovationandChange

• Icanidentifyvarioussystemsandprocesses,notjustproducts,asexamplesofinnovation.

• Iamabletorecognizethedifferentvaluemankindplacesonvariousformsofcreation.

• Howdoweplacevalueoncreations?

• Whatarethevariousexamplesofhumaningenuityinourlives?

Reflectionon:Ingenuity

• Iunderstandtheeffectthataninnovationmayhaveonreligion,society,politics,environmentsand/orculture.

• Icandiscussthevarietyofwaysaproblemcanbeinvestigatedandsolved.

• Whataresomepossibleconsequencesofhumaninnovations?

• Howdoesusingdifferentperspectivesmakemyproblemsolvingmoreeffective?

TakingActionby:CreatingSolutions

• Idemonstrateawillingnesstotakeactiontowardsolvingtheproblemsofothersaswellasmyownproblems.

• Idevelopandapplyinnovativetechniquesformakingchangesandcreatingsolutions.

• Icollaboratetosolveproblems.

• HowcanIusemythinkinginonesubjecttohelpmeinanother?

• Howcanwebenefitbysharingandcomparingideasaboutaproblem?

• WhyshouldIcare?