EXPLORING INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
...The International Baccalaureate
United World Colleges (UWC) is an educational movement with 17 campuses across the globe. Its Pearson College campus was one of the first schools in North America to offer the IB programme.
UWC places a strong emphasis on bringing students together regardless of their background or nationality and its mission is to make education a force for peace and sustainability. Students study the IB programme and the school has developed some of its own courses in order to pursue its ethos: such as Marine Science, which has been adopted by the IB and used around the world. Currently the school is implementing a Global Politics course and developing an Anthropology course on Indigenous Nations and Settler States.
The DP is known for encouraging students to develop independent study and critical thought, but can be quite challenging for students who are not all-rounders. Some consider it too broad for students who wish to specialise. However, the DP is highly regarded by university admissions officers and is one of the few international curricula that are truly globally transferable.
PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME The PYP is for pupils aged from three to 12. It focuses on encouraging children to be interested and motivated in their own learning by helping them to investigate subjects that they are curious about. It inspires them to make connections between different pieces of information and, in so doing, increase their understanding of how the world works. This enquiry-based approach enables pupils to build on their knowledge through an emphasis on learning how to learn and how to find out. The PYP curriculum is designed to ensure that children also receive a grounding in the traditional basics of literacy and numeracy, while placing emphasis on broad communication skills, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and the ability to apply learning to new situations. Most schools offering the PYP will be able to provide details of the programme, and should be able to supply a PYP curriculum guide on request.
“A recent study of PYP and MYP student performance on the International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) examined the performance of IB students in maths and literacy tasks compare to their non-IB peers,” says a spokesperson for ICS Inter-Community School – the only school in Zurich offering all three IB programmes. “The ISA assesses maths, literacy, reading and expository writing among international students in Grades three to 10. The study showed that IB students tended to outperform their non-IB peers across all domains in the majority of grade levels.
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“The PYP is also transferable. Whilst its implementation may differ from school to school, the central structure and ethos of the programme remain constant. This provides parents and children with a vital continuity of learning when changing countries.”
MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME
The MYP is for students aged 11–16. It lasts for approximately five years and classes are divided into eight subject groups:
• • • • • • • •
Language acquisition Language and literature Individuals and societies Sciences
Mathematics Arts
Physical and health education Design
In their final year of study, students also engage in a personal project, which allows them to demonstrate the understanding and skills they have developed throughout the programme. They are expected to lead the process, with supervision from their teacher. Students can opt to take MYP eAssessment, which provides them with IB-validated grades based on their exams and coursework, and ultimately receive an MYP Certificate.
DIPLOMA PROGRAMME
In 1968, the IBO sought to create a programme that would be recognised by universities around the world. Today, the DP provides learning over a very broad base of disciplines, preparing students for further learning and a future career. It has proved itself to be the success story in secondary education over the past 30 years, and is now recognised as an entrance qualification to universities in nearly 90 countries. Amal Hirani, deputy principal of Southbank International School in London, which offers all three IB programmes, believes that one of the major benefits of choosing the DP is that it enables students to keep their options open. “Students take up to six subjects and can choose from a broad range of subjects,” she says. “The age of 16 is too early for most students to narrow down their course options and the path they want to take in life. The IB Diploma gives them a breadth of subjects and keeps them open to learning languages and humanities as well as learning sciences and maths, so they have more choices open to them compared to A Level students who are restricted to taking three or four subjects.”
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