How to Teach Transferable Skills Through MYP Units

One of the greatest strengths of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is its emphasis on transferable skills — the ability to apply knowledge and strategies learned in one context to another. These skills prepare students not just for academic success but for lifelong adaptability in an ever-changing world.

Teaching transferable skills requires intentional design. Through Approaches to Learning (ATL) integration, interdisciplinary connections, and reflective practice, MYP teachers can help students build skills that transcend individual subjects and empower them to thrive beyond school.

Quick Start Checklist

Identify key ATL skills in each unit
Design activities that connect knowledge to real-world contexts
Encourage students to make cross-disciplinary connections
Use reflection to strengthen awareness of skill transfer
Assess process as well as product

Understanding Transferable Skills in the MYP

Transferable skills are the cognitive, social, and self-management abilities that allow students to apply what they know to new situations. In the MYP, these skills are developed through the Approaches to Learning (ATL) framework, which includes:

Thinking skills: critical, creative, and reflective thinking
Communication skills: expressing ideas clearly across media and contexts
Social skills: collaboration, empathy, and leadership
Research skills: finding, evaluating, and synthesizing information
Self-management skills: organization, time management, and emotional regulation

Teaching for transfer ensures that students see learning as connected, purposeful, and dynamic.

Designing MYP Units That Foster Transfer

1. Identify Target Skills Early

During unit planning, determine which ATL skills align with your Statement of Inquiry (SOI) and key concepts. For example, a Science unit on ecosystems might target research and critical thinking skills, while a Language and Literature unit could emphasize communication and reflection.

2. Connect Skills to Real-World Contexts

Use the MYP global contexts to help students apply learning beyond the classroom. For instance:

Globalization and Sustainability: analyzing how resource management affects global communities.
Identities and Relationships: exploring teamwork and communication through literature or design.

Authentic contexts make skill transfer meaningful and relevant.

3. Use Inquiry-Based Projects

Inquiry-driven tasks naturally build transferable skills. Students who ask questions, design investigations, and evaluate findings learn how to adapt thinking processes across subjects. Encourage open-ended inquiry where multiple solutions are possible.

4. Model and Scaffold Skill Application

Teachers should model how to apply a skill in different situations. For example:

Demonstrate how the same research process applies to historical investigation and scientific experimentation.
Highlight how organizational tools used in Design can support planning in Personal Project work.

Scaffolding helps students see patterns in thinking and behavior that transcend content areas.

5. Include Reflection and Metacognition

Reflection turns experiences into transferable learning. After completing a task, ask students:

“Where else could you apply this skill?”
“What strategies helped you succeed?”
“How did this connect to what you learned in another subject?”

Encourage students to document these insights in journals or portfolios, reinforcing awareness of transfer.

Examples of Transferable Skills in Action

Mathematics to Design: Applying measurement and data analysis when constructing prototypes.
Sciences to Individuals and Societies: Using the concept of systems to study both ecosystems and economies.
Language and Literature to Arts: Exploring symbolism and storytelling through text and visual expression.
Physical Education to Self-Management: Applying goal-setting and reflection techniques to academic performance.

Each example highlights how one skill or concept can move fluidly across disciplines — a key MYP outcome.

Assessing Transferable Skills

Assessment should focus on process as much as product. Teachers can evaluate how students plan, adapt, and apply skills through:

Process journals
Self- and peer-assessments
Reflection essays or oral explanations
Observation of collaborative and problem-solving behaviors

Using ATL skill descriptors helps make expectations clear and encourages students to take ownership of their progress.

Building a School-Wide Culture of Transfer

Transferable learning is most effective when supported across the curriculum. Schools can promote it by:

Mapping ATL skills across all subjects and year levels
Using consistent language for skills development
Providing interdisciplinary opportunities such as the Personal Project or Service as Action initiatives
Encouraging teachers to share strategies for reinforcing transfer during staff meetings

When all teachers emphasize transfer, students begin to internalize that skills are not isolated but interconnected tools for life.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I know if students are transferring skills effectively?
Look for signs of independent application — when students use a strategy unprompted in a different subject or situation. Reflection tasks can also reveal awareness of transfer.

2. Should every unit teach multiple ATL skills?
Focus on depth over quantity. It’s better to target a few key skills per unit and ensure they are practiced, reflected upon, and assessed meaningfully.

3. How do transferable skills support the Personal Project?
The Personal Project is the culmination of ATL development. Research, time management, reflection, and communication skills all come together, demonstrating years of transfer in action.

Conclusion

Teaching transferable skills through MYP units helps students see learning as a connected, lifelong process. By embedding ATL skills into conceptual inquiry, educators prepare learners not just to succeed academically but to thrive in complex, real-world environments.

When students understand how to learn — and that learning can travel across subjects and situations — they become confident, reflective thinkers capable of adapting to any challenge. This is the true power of the MYP: developing learners who can transfer knowledge to action and understanding to purpose.