Welcome to the Upper School
Welcome to the Upper School at Dwight School Hanoi, where possibilities for academic growth and personal development abound. Our mission is to inspire and equip students in Grades 9-12 to reach their full potential and become innovative, versatile individuals.
At Dwight School Hanoi, we take pride in being an International Baccalaureate (IB) candidate school, offering the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for Grades 9-10 and the Diploma Programme (DP) for Grades 11-12. The IB framework emphasizes inquiry-based learning, global perspectives, and the development of well-rounded individuals who are ready to tackle the challenges of our interconnected world.
As students continue to navigate through the MYP in Grades 9-10, they will engage in a curriculum that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and holistic understanding. The MYP not only fosters academic excellence but also promotes the development of essential skills and attributes that will serve them well in the DP.
Moving into the DP in Grades 11-12, students will have the opportunity to delve deeper into subjects of personal interest while cultivating a strong foundation for university and beyond. The DP is designed to challenge and inspire, encouraging students to become independent learners, critical thinkers, and responsible global citizens.
Our school community is built on the values of respect, integrity, and intercultural understanding. We encourage our students to embrace the IB Learner Profile attributes – inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective – as they navigate their high school journey.
As students embark on this exciting academic adventure, our dedicated faculty and staff are here to support them every step of the way. Their success in the MYP and DP is not just our goal; it is our commitment.
Here's to a transformative and enriching school year, where the Dwight philosophy propels you towards a future of endless possibilities.
Kind regards,
Marika Farrell
Head of Middle & Upper School
Our Upper School experience extends beyond academics, giving students opportunities to explore their passions, whether it is joining athletic teams, participating in theater productions, nurturing entrepreneurial ideas in Dwight's Spark Tank incubator, or engaging in a diverse range of daily after-school activities and service opportunities. These activities provide opportunities for students to explore their passions, collaborate with peers, and develop leadership skills that extend beyond the classroom.
As students progress through the Upper School years, our primary goal is to ensure they are well-prepared for graduation and their future career pathways, be it in higher education or entering the workforce. We are dedicated to providing a supportive and enriching environment that encourages students to explore, discover, and take intellectual risks.
Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP)
Our Upper School journey is a continuation of the MYP in Grades 9-10, and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) in Grades 11-12. In Grade 10, students complete the MYP Personal Project, which is a pivotal, end-of-program experience. It allows them to delve into a self-selected project, demonstrating their abilities in research, creativity, and problem-solving. This project helps them connect their classroom learning to real-world challenges, preparing them for the demands of the DP and their future career pathways. The DP is a rigorous two-year comprehensive education program designed for students in Grades 11 and 12.
The DP curriculum aims to develop in students the ability to reason for themselves, rather than merely accumulate facts. It aims to enhance awareness of our common humanity, to encourage a sense of social responsibility, and to prepare students for life-long learning. The DP is both a structured program that offers a strong general foundation and also a flexible program that acknowledges the particular interests of individual students, allowing the freedom to pursue their own interests within an internationally recognized curricular framework.
Students take written examinations at the end of their two-year course of study, which are marked by external IB examiners, and also complete in-school assessments that are either initially marked by teachers and then moderated by external moderators or sent directly to external examiners.
The DP curriculum is based on six subject groups surrounding three core requirements. All courses are studied for two years and students must choose one course each from the first five groups (Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, and Mathematics). The sixth course may be an arts subject chosen from group 6, or the student may choose another subject from groups 1-4. At a minimum, three of the six subjects are studied at “higher level” (around 240 teaching hours). The remaining three subjects are studied at “standard level” (around 150 teaching hours).
In addition to the six subject groups, students must fulfill three additional core requirements:
- The Extended Essay (EE) is an essay that must be submitted early in grade 12 and allows students to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of the subjects they are studying, usually one of their higher level courses.
- Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a course designed to encourage each student to reflect on the nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language, and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical, and historical).
- Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) requires that students actively learn from the experience of regularly doing real tasks beyond the classroom. Students can combine all three components or do activities related to each one of them separately. CAS is an important way for students to nurture leadership skills and the ability to reflect on their actions.
