A Year of Service as Action with MYP
One thing that sets the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) apart from others is its Service as Action. It is a core component of the program that commits to taking meaningful action beyond the classroom. This school year, MYP students pursued their Service as Action across different subjects and year levels in their own remarkable way.
Individuals & Societies in Action
Working toward the subject’s course aims of developing concern for communities and acting as responsible citizens, MYP students carried out their Service as Action through direct service.
Year 4 students set an example in what direct service is all about: firsthand community engagement. Their lessons on needs and wants equipped them to initiate their own donation drive for the pupils of Hope Learning Center (HLC) on August 15 last year. Their class discussions helped them identify that the lack of school supplies was an issue in their chosen community. By collecting funds from classmates and families, the Grade 9 students were able to deliver 25 packs of essential school supplies to HLC. The benefits of this community engagement were not exclusive to the HLC learners; the students who organized the drive also gained valuable takeaways. In their reflections, Year 4 students realized that rational choices for better allocation of the limited resources can make a difference for the underprivileged.
Albeit new to the MYP, it did not hinder the Year 1 students from leading an outreach activity last January 27. Taking the role of community leaders, they explained neocolonialism and its effects on communities in the present. While there was a challenge in explaining such a complex concept to much younger HLC pupils, the informative posters they prepared beforehand bridged this gap. They also donated groceries and additional school supplies to HLC, embodying meaningful civic action.
Year 1 Individuals & Societies
Service Learning with Math and Science
“If you want to master something, teach it.” Years 2, 3, and 4 students took this mindset to heart in their Service as Action. Sharing the concepts they learned did not just benefit others, but it also sharpened their understanding of those lessons. Paying forward, they shared such learning in the most engaging ways possible.
On February 26, Year 2 students became the Math teachers of HLC pupils. They introduced basic two-dimensional shapes to the young learners and guided them in building three-dimensional models. Together, they created objects like treasure chests, pencil cases, drums, tumblers, and ice cream cones using cardboard and colored paper. Through these activities, HLC pupils learned the names of three-dimensional shapes and their real-life applications, while Year 2 students came to better understand the connection between the nets of three-dimensional shapes and their total surface area and volume.
Meanwhile, Year 3 students turned Mathematics learning into an arcade experience. Stepping up as game masters in their service learning last March 2, they taught probability concepts to Year 1 students through the stations of carnival games they prepared. Through these, Year 1 students came to understand the mathematics behind claw, slot and spinning machines, and ball toss, color and duck games. Aside from the game prizes they won, participants also discovered the practical application of mathematical concepts.
Service learning took the form of a symposium as Year 4 students became the resource speakers for their Service as Action in Science. From March 9 to 10, they took over the Science classes of Year 3 students and discussed how science solves real-life problems. They specifically talked about genetic mutations, their effects on humans, and the impact of science on the early diagnosis and treatments of diseases linked to these mutations. Year 4 students also opened Q&A and reflection portions, which left their audience with a better understanding of the value of scientific progress and its effect on society.
Year 2 Mathematics
Year 3 Mathematics
Year 4 Science
Advocacy Meets Arts and Literature
Service as action is not limited to direct service, like community engagement. It can also be in the form of advocacy. Year 2 students ventured into their advocacy but took it to the next level on December 5 last year. With the aim of spreading awareness and appreciation for folklore and literature, they performed storytelling of their self-written myths and legends. HLC pupils enjoyed the storytelling of “How Thunder was Born” and “Waves from Amanikadole Sky,” as they brought them to life with simple props like hats and expressive gestures and movements. They also gave the pupils time to reflect on their thoughts and feelings about the stories they heard.
Further committing to their advocacy, Year 2 students organized another artistic performance last March 27. They presented a shadow puppet show that captured the fusion of visual art forms and Philippine literature. With real-time voiceovers, singing, and the silhouettes of their shadow puppets, they narrated Ibong Adarna to Year 1 students. Through the puppet show, Year 2 students were able to merge their Wayang Kulit and Ibong Adarna lessons in Arts and Filipino, respectively.
Year 2 Language & Literature (English)
Year 2 Visual Arts and Language Acquisition (Filipino)
This year, our MYP students proved that service can take many forms: donation drives, peer-teaching, cultural presentations, etc. They also showed that Service as Action is more than just a requirement. It is a good opportunity for students like them to take charge of the issues they can help resolve. “Start them young,” we say, and here at Hope, we take on that challenge through Service as Action.