READY FOR THE WORLD

By Sarah Field Head of Department (English) – Senior School

One way Canberra Grammar School ensures its students are ‘Ready for the World’ is by providing staff with multiple professional learning opportunities. These opportunities allow staff to continually grow their classroom pedagogy, reflect on their leadership and management styles, and network with schools from diverse settings and backgrounds. One recent opportunity that my colleagues, Mr Graham Maltby, Ms Lindsay Reid, and I participated in was the IB Global Conference, “Inspiring Learners, Realising Potential,” in Daegu, South Korea. This choice of location reflects Daegu’s status as “Korea’s leading future education destination with 24 IB World Schools” (IB, 2024).

Arriving first in Seoul before heading south to Daegu, we toured Seoul Foreign School with a handful of our fellow conference delegates, exploring what an international education in Korea can look like. We networked with teachers and educational company representatives to gain a broader perspective on how the IB is administered in different contexts.

Attending the conference was humbling; being part of a group of over 1,000 educators striving to provide the best education possible for the students in their care was a privilege. Keynote speakers emphasised the need for continuous educational innovation while fostering empathy in students to help them understand and value the global relationships that connect us all.

Most importantly, the conference allowed attendees to develop their professional knowledge and practice. The numerous workshops and sessions were led by educators highly experienced in facilitating the IB’s programmes within their schools, and their passion, enthusiasm, and joy for teaching in an ever-changing educational landscape were palpable.

As Head of the Department – of English, I curated my selection of workshops around managing educational change and expanding leadership capacity. In my sessions, IBEN Associate Manager Thomas Kang spoke on the required flexibility of educational leadership in the 21st century, emphasising the importance of adapting quickly to the needs of the teams you are leading. Stephanie Hanamura, Head of Lower School at Marist Brothers International School in Japan, discussed managing change when implementing a new facet of the IB, in her case, the Primary Years Programme. Ms Hanamura shared anecdotes and resources from her school demonstrating practical applications of the best ways to manage change and create positive momentum within teams. As CGS is in the implementation stages of the Middle Years Programme, observing another school’s experience with change was encouraging and highlighted our progress.

The final workshop I attended was titled “The Happiness Unit – Nurturing Student Wellbeing through Self-Inquiry,” facilitated by Chile Le, Head of Interdisciplinary Learning at South Island School, Hong Kong. Ms Le demonstrated how simple and practical strategies can boost student wellbeing and engagement within the classroom. She provided a clear roadmap of best practices for developing Middle Years Programme interdisciplinary units that assist students in connecting the classroom with the real world. Ms Le’s aptly titled “Happiness Project” was developed by her school’s Science and Psychology departments to help students understand and measure what brings happiness to their lives and how to implement positive changes to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Alongside these workshops, the conference included many sessions that explained how the underpinning IB educational philosophy translates into upcoming programme updates and the development of the exams. One such session was titled “Why You Can Trust IB Examinations.” Before my departure, I had informed my Year 12 Language and Literature class that I would attend this session. Naturally, I was met with scepticism, as exam boards can seem like large, faceless entities that challenge students and teachers alike. In this session, the IB team aimed to dispel concerns and guided all attendees through how students’ final exams are written, generated, and published. The exam-writing process is thorough and rigorous, ensuring that all IB candidates are given the best opportunity to succeed. This session provided me with a sense of calm confidence and reassurance that I could then share with my students. I enjoyed reporting back to them about how the creation of their exams is in knowledgeable hands and that we can indeed trust the IB.

Reflecting on the conference experience, I am reminded that the IB seeks to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through education that builds intercultural understanding and respect” (IB, 2023). Through this mission, all who engage with the programme see the immense value of exploring global ideas through local contexts.

Participating in the conference clarified the IB’s core messages while providing a sense of camaraderie among a global staff. We seek to ensure that all learners realise their immense potential and are “Ready for the World.”