Is MYP better than PYP (IB related)

[menopausalmadam]

Both children are in an International/ IB school and it now look like they will finish their education in said school. We live outside the UK and had always planned to return at some point in their education. Things have changed and will will be staying on here.
They are both in PYP and in all honesty I have found it really hard to understand how or what they are learning. The eldest has had good teachers but the youngest is on her 3rd this term. I have found in really all depends on the teacher.
I do a lot of work with them at home ,covering the basics that they simply don't address in PYP.
Is MYP different in the learning approach?, do they actually teach the children or do they continue to be 'learning facilitators' opposed to actual teachers.....
MYP parents all seem to say that they get lots and lots of homework , but not much on the actual work they do in school.
Any insights, experience with IB schools would be very much appreciated.

[Cwandry]

PYP seems to be a great program mine have done it. They come out of primary able to formulate argument, research well, structure essays, prepare and make presentations all great skills that most kids learn at an older age. OUr International school does not then do MYP they do iGCSE's. Then they do IB which is perilously challenging and not for the faint hearted or anyone not willing to work hard. The kids coming out of that though are very prepared for University. I fact in the US they get so many credits for the IB they often get to skip a whole year. US degrees are 4 years not three though.

I think with international school ps it just totally depends in the school. Some are amazing. Some are crap.

[menopausalmadam]

Thanks for the feedback. I think IB works for a lot of children as it encourages them to think outside the box. Some most, in my opinion need structure and direction in the early years, PYP. I know that my 2 would still be struggling with the basics if we hadn't spent countless hours at home doing what they missed in school.
I have already accepted that once they move to MYP then we have to stay the course in IB as moving to a different system would be really unfair on them.

[Genevieva]

I haven't taught either, but have heard criticism of it and the IBO literature I have read on it has come across as a bit wishy-washy. I can see that it leaves a lot in the hands of the schools and teachers delivering the programme. This reflects a cultural difference - the UK is unusually obsessed with testing children, measuring progress and producing graphs that map attainment expectations. Teachers from other parts of Europe genuinely find our system rather extraordinary.

I have taught the IB Diploma, which is simply amazing in my subject. The required breadth is not for everyone as it prevents the specialisation that is possible with A Levels and Pre-U as you can't do 3 MFL or 3 Sciences. However, the fact that students who do the PYP and MYP go on to succeed in the academically demanding Diploma means they must surely be receiving suitable preparation for it.

[Bashstreetmum]

The experience for my family a few years ago was dreadful. Wasn't the school either as they went to different ones. Awful system but I do like the IB Diploma better which the eldest completed. He only did well I believe because I managed to switch him to the igcse system beforehand which gave him two good years. PYP and MYP taught them nothing in my opinion maybe someone else has had a better experience. The younger ones were so far behind by the time we got back to the UK that everything was a struggle.