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.
Global
Context

Focus Questions and Description

Example Explorations

Who am I? Who are we?

Competition and cooperation; teams,

affiliation and leadership

Exploration of:
Identity

Identity formation, self-esteem,

status, role and role models

Identities and Relationships

Beliefs and values

Personal, physical, mental, social,
and spiritual health

Personal efficacy and agency;

attitudes, motivations, independence;
happiness and the good life

Human relationships, including

families friends, communities and
cultures

Physical, psychological and social

development; transitions; health and
well-being; lifestyle choices

What it means to be human

Human nature and human dignity;

moral reasoning and ethical
judgment; consciousness and mind

Learning Experience from

Your Subject Area
Example: Humanities Students
engage in a debate about the
benefits and challenges
encountered during the Industrial
Revolution, considering the
strengths of mass-production
and the evolution of capitalism
versus the hardships of working
conditions and pay, as well as the
monopolies placed on some
industries.

1.

Global
Context

Focus Questions and Description

Orientation in Time and Space

What is the meaning of where

and when?
Exploration of:
Personal histories

Civilizations and social histories,

heritage, pilgrimage, migration
displacement and exchange
Epochs, eras, turning points and big
histories

Homes and journeys

Turning points in humankind
Discoveries
Explorations and migrations of
humankind
Relationships between, and the
interconnectedness of, individuals
and civilizations from personal,
local and global perspectives

Global
Context

Example Explorations

Scale, duration, frequency and

variability

Evolution, constraints and adaptation

What is the nature and purpose of

creative expression?

Artistry, craft, creation, beauty

Products, systems and institutions

Exploration of:

Personal and Cultural Expression

1.

Natural and human landscapes and

resources

Example Explorations

Ways in which we reflect on,

extend and enjoy our creativity

Arts Students explore art

and/or architectural styles
representative of a specific era.
In considering the cultural
significance, students interpret
and adapt or create original
works of art inspired by a past
era.

Peoples, boundaries, exchange and

interaction

Focus Questions and Description

Ways in which we discover and

express ideas, feelings, nature
culture, beliefs and values

Learning Experiences from

Your Subject Area

Social constructions of reality;

philosophies and ways of life; belief
systems; ritual and play
Critical literacy, languages and
linguistic systems; histories of ideas,
fields, and disciplines; analysis and
argument

Our appreciation of the aesthetic.

Metacognition and abstract thinking
Entrepreneurship, practice and
competency

Learning Experiences from

Your Subject Area
Sciences A reflective, longanswer question (new Criterion
D) to accompany a lab or exam
that prompts students to
consider how a societys or
groups value and beliefs of
scientific advancement have led
to or hindered development of
solving a sustainability or healthrelated issue.

1.

Global
Context

Focus Questions and Description

Example Explorations

How do we understand the world

in which we live?

Systems, models, methods; products,

processes and solutions

Scientific and Technical Innovation

Exploration of:
The natural world and its laws
The interaction between people
and the natural world
How humans use their
understanding of scientific
principles
The impact of scientific and
technological advances on
communities and environments
The impact of environments on
human activity

Adaptation, ingenuity and progress

Opportunity, risk, consequences and
responsibility

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 how to
use it.

1.

Modernization, industrialization and

engineering
Digital life, virtual environments and
the Information Age
The biological revolution
Mathematical puzzles, principles and
discoveries

How humans adapt environments

to their needs
Global
Context

Focus Questions and Description

Globalization and Sustainability

How is everything connected?

Exploration of:
The interconnectedness of humanmade systems and communities
The relationship between local and
global processes
How local experiences mediate the
global

Example Explorations
Markets, commodities and
commercialization
Human impact on the environment
Commonality, diversity and
interconnection
Consumption, conservation, natural
resources and public goods
Population and demography

The opportunities and tensions

provided by worldinterconnectedness

Urban planning, strategy and

infrastructure

The impact of decision-making on

humankind and the environment

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),
calculate the projected human
population in 2015, 2030, and
2050- complete a table of the
information.

1.

Fairness and Development

Global
Context

Focus Questions and Description

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

The relationship between

communities
Sharing finite resources with other
people and with other living things

Human capability and development;

social entrepreneurs
Rights, law, civic responsibility and
the public sphere

Access to equal opportunities

Justice, peace and conflict

management

Peace and conflict resolution

Power and privilege

Authority, security and freedom
Imagining a hopeful future

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.

1.