IB World March 2015

March 2015 | Issue 71 ÂŁ6 US$12 Free to IB World Schools

www.ibo.org @IBWorldmag

The magazine of the International Baccalaureate

The power of education Alice Albright explains why access to schools is vital to resolving global conflict

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NEW PATHWAYS The Career-related Programme extends access to the IB

SERVICE LEARNING Students can benefit in unexpected ways

Welcome to the world of the IB Welcome to the March 2015 issue of IB World, the official magazine of the International Baccalaureate

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he programmes of the International Baccalaureate have a long-standing reputation for their academic and personal rigour, challenging students to excel in their studies and in their personal growth, and develop a lifelong thirst for learning.

The IB aspires to help schools develop well-rounded students who respond to challenges with optimism and open minds, are confident in their own identities, make ethical decisions, join with others in celebrating our common humanity and are prepared to apply what they learn in realworld, complex situations.

We now work with 4,000 schools (both state and privately funded) that share our commitment to international education. More than one million

Do you know...

students in 147 countries study our four programmes, which are designed to: • help students develop the attitudes and skills they need for both academic and personal success • be student-centred, promoting personal challenge • offer a broad curriculum with significant content • explore globally significant ideas and issues The Primary Years Programme (PYP) For students aged three to 12 years, the PYP focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) For pupils aged 11 to 16, the MYP provides a framework of academic

challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world.

The IB Diploma Programme (DP) For students aged 16 to 19, this is an academically challenging programme with final examinations that prepare students for success at university and beyond.

The IB Career-related Programme (CP) For students aged 16 to 19, the CP consists of DP courses studied alongside a unique CP core.

The CP is designed to increase access to an IB education and provides a flexible learning framework tailored by the school to meet the needs of their students and the wider community.

how IB programmes impact students in the long-term?

Dr Katie Wright from the University of Melbourne conducted in-depth interviews with IB alumni to explore perceptions of their professional pathways and attitudes towards lifelong learning, as well as the ways in which the IB may have shaped personal values and beliefs. The findings suggest a multiplicity of influences for the majority of former IB students interviewed, including profound and long-lasting effects for some that impact: ● Academic and career trajectories ● The development of international mindedness and critical thinking, analytical and writing skills ● Positive dispositions towards lifelong learning ● The ease of transition to university and preparedness for studies

IB World Editor Sophie-Marie Odum IB Editors Jenan Al-haddad, Freddie Oomkens Contributing Editor Cathryn Newbery Staff Writer Hayley Kirton Production Editors Sarah Dyson, Stephanie Wilkinson Designers Chris Barker, Richard Walker, Angela Busuttil Picture Editor Dominique Campbell Senior Account Manager Steph Allister Account Director Justine Loehry Group Art Director Martin Tullett Senior Production Controller Jade Pickard Production Manager Trevor Simpson Senior Editor Robert Jeffery Editorial Director Simon Kanter Managing Director, Haymarket Network Andrew Taplin Reproduction Haymarket Pre-press Printed by Wyndeham Southernprint, UK Published on behalf of IB by Haymarket Network, Teddington Studios, Broom Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 9BE, UK Tel +44 (0)208 267 5000 Fax +44 (0)208 267 5194 Cover photography Duncan Kendall © International Baccalaureate Organization 2015. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced without prior permission of the publisher. Every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, but neither Haymarket Network nor the International Baccalaureate can be held responsible for the accuracy of the information therein, or any consequence arising from it. Views expressed by contributors may not reflect the views of Haymarket Network or the International Baccalaureate. The advertisement of products and services does not imply endorsement by either Haymarket Network or the IB. Prices and offers are correct at time of going to press and subject to change. All offers are subject to manufacturer’s terms and conditions.

PEFC Certified This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources www.pefc.co.uk

Find the research summary at: www.ibo.org/globalassets/publications/ib-research/continuum/longer-term-outcomes-summary-en.pdf Haymarket is certified by BSI to environmental standard ISO14001

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Contents March 2015

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“The challenge of education in poor, developing countries is14 enormous and one that exceeds the wingspan of any single organization alone”

7 Also in this issue

Features

10 COVER STORY ALICE ALBRIGHT The CEO of the Global Partnership for Education shares her hopes for improved access to schooling, particularly for some of the world’s most vulnerable children

4 NEWS MYP eAssessment live pilot; lessons in indigenous culture; and how one student overcame adversity

14 NEW STRATEGY Director General Dr Siva Kumari discusses the IB’s recently released strategic vision and what it means for the whole community

30 OPINIONS Three students discuss what international mindedness means to them, and their teachers reveal their reactions

17 BECOMING AN IB WORLD SCHOOL Four schools share their authorization experiences, while the IB School Services team explain how they offer support

33 INSIGHT An in-depth look at what it means to make learning authentic

22 CP: THE NEXT PHASE The new IB Career-related Programme is almost ready for lift-off 24 SERVICE LEARNING Educators and experts explain how to make the best use of this valuable teaching method to add more meaning to learning

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Mathilda Holmqvist, Duncan Kendall, Jeroen Boumen

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IB World Schools from 24 countries feature in this issue of IB World. To appear in the next issue...

34 COMMUNITY Zooming ahead with F1; climbing to new heights; starting in business young; and teachers on a mission in Kenya 38 ALUMNA Stanford University student – and now Rhodes Scholar – Maya Krishnan on the link between philosophy and technology

email editor@ibo.org, Tweet @IBWorldmag or write to IB World, Haymarket Network, Teddington Studios, Broom Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 9BE, UK IBWorld 3

Editor’s letter “In this 21st century we must be able to give every child a quality education,” said 17-year-old activist Malala Yousafzai during her Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 2014.

It’s a topic that remains high on the agenda for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

And although the organization has almost halved the number of out-of-school children, there is still more to be done, as GPE CEO Alice Albright explains on page 10.

Dominic Robeau shares how the next phase of the IB Careerrelated Programme will increase access to an IB education on page 22, as schools around the world can now apply for candidacy, while IB Director General Dr Siva Kumari gives details of the new IB strategy and how it impacts the community (page 14).

Recognizing needs on a local level, we explore various ways service-learning activities have encouraged students of all ages to make positive differences in their communities and beyond (page 24).

Sophie-Marie Odum, Editor

How to subscribe You can save 75% on the cover price of IB World with a bulk subscription of 50 copies – or 16% with a single subscription costing UK£15 or US$30. To find out more, visit www.ibo.org/ibworld or call +44 (0)1795 592 981. To advertise in IB World, contact communications@ibo.org.

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news

New dawn for MYP assessment

The new eAssessment will be more consistent with 21st-century learning

A live pilot for MYP eAssessment will soon take place after a successful trial shows that students love the format, while teachers praise its ability to test modern-day skills

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he live pilot of MYP eAssessment begins this May, following a trial in 2013, which saw students from 80 schools sit a mock examination in one of five different subjects.

The mocks lasted half the time of real assessments, and feedback was positive.

“We’ve seen greater engagement in the examination because students enjoy using the on-screen format,” says Robert Harrison, Head of MYP Development. “Also, it allows us to assess students on deeper levels of thinking and use different ways of testing, such as video and interactive data, which aren’t available in paper examinations.”

The next stage will see about 70 schools and nearly 2,000 students take part in the live pilot. The path-breaking schools will help refine the new on-screen examinations.

From 2016, the eAssessment can contribute toward the IB MYP certificate.

The IB feels electronic exams are more relevant for students of the 21st century, who rely on technology. Nearly 98 per cent of students involved in a survey indicated they had used a computer or mobile device for schoolwork in the past week.

“For example, to create a diagram in an exam, instead of hand-drawing a graph, students enter data and the computer can plot it for them,” says Harrison. “Thanks to this capability, we can focus on testing higher order analysis and interpretation skills. Those competencies are relevant in a technologically literate society.”

Angela Brassington, MYP Coordinator at the Munich International School, Germany, whose school took part in the trial, agrees.

She says her students rarely produce handwritten work these days, which causes problems in written exams. “They struggle to write for extended periods of time because they just never do it. The new format allows students to manipulate data in a way you just can’t with a paper exam,” adds Brassington.

The eAssessment pilot will give the IB a greater understanding of how students perform on the assessment before its live launch in 2016, believes Harrison. “It will allow us to develop a more rigorous and consistent academic programme, as well as provide a balanced way of looking at assessment,” he says.

See eAssessment in action: bit.ly/1Gk1qgy

Students unlock the next level in education School demonstrates that technology is more than just light entertainment

From the humblest computer games to the most elaborate apps, technology in the classroom is entertaining, but not always viewed as educational.

However, one IB World School has found a way to use technology to help students become more employable in the future.

At the Canadian International School in Singapore, students use MacBooks, iPads, drones and even 3D printers from the moment they arrive. Principal Glen Radojkovich believes this helps students nurture a different side to their learning.

“Technology encourages creativity,” he says. “And we know that creativity is one of the most in-demand skills in various industries. Helping students understand how to use technology creatively will be beneficial to them, irrespective of the field they work in.”

The teachers believe the technology complements the IB Learner Profile too. “It’s transformed students into independent workers and responsible learners,” adds Dion Norman, Educational Technology Coordinator.

“It’s about good communication and collaboration,” comments Radojkovich.

“Technology aids collaboration and that’s one of the IB’s fundamental aims.”

CIS Singapore students get creative

The school didn’t transform overnight.

Technology has been gradually incorporated into teaching over the last eight years. They’ve now reached a stage where technology can be used to help the students learn faster and achieve a deeper understanding.

The school has also held Skype calls with astronauts, which is something that all schools can do, encouraging students to have broader conversations that may aid their learning.

“Now students can see and even feel their learning because it’s happening right in front of their eyes,” adds Mike Pelletier, Head of Educational Technology.

Project is out of this world Student creates a multi-axis NASA anti-gravity chair as part of her personal project

It wasn’t enough for Crystal Lenegan-Dry to build a 2.7 tonne, multi-axis NASA module chair for her personal project: she also sold it and donated all the proceeds to charity.

MYP student Crystal, from Good Shepherd Lutheran College, North Australia, spent a considerable amount of time doing her groundwork when it came to building the chair, which successfully simulates antigravity when used. She took an online course where she learned how to use an auto computer-aided design (CAD) program to design 3D structures, and

her parents, who own a local welding and fabrication company, taught her how to use the machinery and weld large projects. She also independently researched how to solve any technical problems she encountered.

Crystal has learned a great deal about herself. “Completing the project gave me a clear insight into how I learn best, and gave me greater definition of what I wish to pursue as a career,” she says.

“Rather than training to become a dentist, I now wish to make a living in the field of structural engineering and design.

I hope to be instrumental in creating designs that benefit many communities.”

Several universities that wanted to purchase the chair for research were left disappointed as Crystal chose to sell it to a local research company. She then donated the funds to local charities.

School report

Colegio Gimnasio del Norte, Bogotá, Colombia Founded 1977 Programmes PYP, MYP and IB Diploma Programme Age range of students 3-19 Motto “Aprender a vivir” (“Learn to live”) Website gimnasiodelnorte.edu.co Colegio Gimnasio del Norte is one of only seven schools in Colombia that offer three IB programmes. Taking on the continuum has caused remarkable, positive changes in its teachers, students and even parents.

Mauricio Romero Figueroa, Head of the Communication Department, says:“Thanks to the IB programmes, we have endeavoured to change the traditional form of education, allowing us to offer a comprehensive learning environment in which we believe people will be better prepared for a more globalized world.”

The school’s annual one-day event,‘The Communication Encounter’, brings together students from public and private schools all over the world who are interested in media – especially radio. In previous years, the school has addressed children’s rights, the importance of a greener planet and set students a task to promote only positive news for 24 hours.

The 2014 theme aimed to encourage intercultural awareness and international maturity through a tour of different continents, countries and cultures.

Colegio Gimnasio del Norte partnered with various schools around the world to produce a 24-hour online radio show. MYP year four students were responsible for the live broadcast and were assigned a range of different responsibilities, from creating visual productions to social networking.

The production transmission team comprised 70 students and 10 faculty members from the MYP and the IB Diploma Programme.

“We‘travelled’through the five continents by sharing our news and interviewing people in over 20 countries,” says Romero.

“Students had the opportunity to speak with their peers about mutually interesting topics despite their nationality. We were able to achieve one of our mottos, which says: ‘Tuning the world’.”

Gimnasio del Norte live on air

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news GLOBAL ENGAGE

How the IB community engages with global issues through inquiry, action, and critical reflection. Find resources and share your school’s story at

Group grabs global attention Human trafficking is a fast-growing international crime but many are oblivious to how massive the issue is. However, CAS group Atlanta International School Against Human Trafficking, hopes to change this.

Since its formation three years ago, the group has grabbed huge media attention, created a global student movement and took part in lobbying to change the law in Georgia, USA, which previously punished victims.

One of the group’s leaders Madeleine Howell explains how they are spreading awareness and making a difference to the lives of those affected.“Through social media, we’ve welcomed students around the world to join in one big movement, called International Students Against Human Trafficking. CNN reported on our work as part of its Freedom Project, which is devoted to ending modern-day slavery.

“We’ve held bake sales and a fashion show where all proceeds went to charity.

State officials and trafficking survivors have spoken at our school too, sharing how trafficking can affect us all.”

CAS supervisor Veronica McDaniel adds: “Students have quickly matured. They recognize that the majority of victims are the same age, or younger, and feel passionate about stopping the problem spreading into the next generation.”

In brief New inclusion guide launched The IB guide to inclusive education: a resource for whole school development (2015) is designed to facilitate inclusive school

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Beating odds to complete the DP Being awarded the IB diploma has a deeper meaning for one student as he proves to himself and others that having a disability shouldn't hold you back Studying for any IB programme is a challenge.

But for some students it can mean overcoming even bigger hurdles.

One such student is Kyoung Jun Lee, also known as Paul. Despite having several major disabilities, including mild cerebral palsy and dyslexia, he beat all odds and has been awarded the IB diploma, following the May 2014 examination session.

Paul, who is from South Korea, studied the IB Diploma Programme at Garden International School (GIS) in Thailand.

He wanted to take the programme to challenge himself, and to prove to others that having a physical disability does not make him “stupid”.

Throughout his school career and during his examinations, Paul was given extra support by teachers and several mentors, for which he is very grateful.

He says: “I had a series of excellent scribes who wrote for me and helped me in reading, too. I thank all the staff, individually and collectively, for their support and encouragement.”

Dr Stuart Tasker, GIS Principal, says: “Paul demonstrates what can be achieved if you really want something.”

Paul, who was also voted student council president, now has a new goal

“I want to train as a counsellor so I can help others deal with the problems, pressures and prejudices they may face”

development by provoking effective discussions within school teams through reflection and inquiry.

Consisting of 43 statements, which reflect the ideals of inclusion and are accompanied by reflective questions, the guide looks at ways to increase access to an IB education and highlights barriers to learning.

Paul was“excited and delighted” about his grades

– to help others who face similar challenges. “I want to train as a counsellor so I can help others deal with the problems, pressures and prejudices they may face because of their physical disabilities,” he says.

In a first step towards his goal, Paul will attend Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and major in psychology.

“I also want to be an advocate for disability rights,” adds Paul.

IB Coordinator Mark Beales commends Paul’s tremendous efforts. He says: “At GIS, we promote the IB Learner Profile attributes fully, and Paul is a shining example of someone who is a risk-taker, open-minded and principled.”

Designed to help IB World Schools on their inclusion journeys, the guide takes into account the IB's programme standards and practices and the IB Learner Profile, which focuses on the importance of empowering students.

Jayne Pletser, Curriculum Manager for Inclusive Education, says: “The guide does not tell schools how to address

barriers to inclusive education, but asks ‘how will you remove these barriers?’

“But it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Inclusion will look very different in different schools.”

Register for 2015 IBWSC Registration is now open for the 2015 IB World Student Conferences, which

Q&A

Enrique shows students the garments of Ecuador

Nick Storm IB English literature and history teacher, Cobourg Collegiate Institute, Canada

How did you get to where you are now?

I’ve taught English in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, my entire career. For the last 17 years, I’ve been in Cobourg. But about nine years ago, one of my colleagues got a number of us interested in teaching the IB Diploma Programme. I found this to be a really exciting opportunity to extend my own learning and teach different – and exotic – works. From there, I trained to teach both IB English and history, and have been doing this ever since.

What are your main teaching challenges?

With history, there are two: the endless reading that I need to complete to keep my own knowledge up-to-date and trying to illustrate how everything we study is relevant to our understanding of society. With English, the main challenge is always about getting the students to see the range of possibilities for interpretating a work of literature. I love it when students become adventurous in their thinking and apply it to their work.

How do you inspire and challenge students?

I’m very interested in what I teach and I love posing questions, playing with new interpretations, and encouraging students to keep thinking.

What’s the best part of your job?

I love it when students get the confidence to challenge my interpretation of a reading or a historical event, and we get into a good debate.

It’s great to see them effectively supporting their arguments with evidence.

What was your biggest teaching disaster?

It’s hard to narrow it down to one. But what sticks in my mind is my complete failure to convince a student, in a geography class, not to place Ottawa, which is Canada’s capital, in the middle of Lake Ontario on a blank map of Canada.

What would you still like to achieve?

I want to enjoy my last years of teaching.

Continuing to work with my excellent colleagues, I would like to see the IB Diploma Programme remain an integral part of Cobourg Collegiate Institute.

“Students were able to jump head first into a new topic” Teachers look at different ways of presenting Indigenous Knowledge Systems

New topics are often introduced by textbooks, worksheets and lectures – but three IB teachers in Ecuador had some more unusual ideas.

Students at Colegio Americano of Quito, Ecuador, were recently treated to a lively presentation about Indigenous Knowledge Systems, which was introduced to the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) curriculum in 2014. The new topic examines how learning occurs in indigenous cultures.

Yacuruna Yachark, a musician and cultural educator, opened the presentation, delighting the students with stories about the role of folklore and rituals in Ecuador.

Wain Collen, the creator and director of the sustainable systems association, PlanJunto, addressed the ways in which local knowledge could solve societal issues, on a local and global stage.

Finally, Enrique Tasiguano, an applied anthropologist and Kichwa language (an indigenous language of Ecuador) professor,

will take place in Barcelona, Spain, on 5-11 July, and in New York, USA, on 2-8 August (IBWSC 2014 at McGill University, Canada, pictured left).

The conferences bring students together to collaborate and develop innovative solutions to global issues.

Registration and scholarship opportunities are welcomed from

introduced the students to the traditional herbs, garments and calendars used by the indigenous people of their country.

The idea for the energetic presentation came from TOK Area Head Siri Berman, and teachers Greg Webster and David Noftsger who, with the help of social media, found three passionate individuals.

The impact of the presentation on the students, who previously knew very little about Ecuadorian indigenous cultures, has been remarkable.

“The students were able to jump head first into a new topic, and analyse knowledge through the lens of the local indigenous people,” says Siri.

Teachers benefited from the session too.“The authenticity of the knowledge gained was taken to new levels by the passion and experience of the guest speakers,” says Siri. “We are thankful to live in a place so full of indigenous culture and knowledge.”

IB Diploma Programme and Careerrelated Programme students. For more information, please visit www.ibo.org.

IB World expands online Readers of IB World will be able to enjoy more exclusive content on our new website, coming soon.

A 2014 survey, conducted by the magazine, found that 71 per cent of readers would like to receive additional digital content, as well as the printed issues.

To meet these demands, IB World magazine online will offer additional IB World stories for readers to enjoy between each issue.

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Selected materials for forward-thinking educators

Global Home Cooking (amazon.co.uk)

From Australia to Venezuela, and many countries in between, Global Home Cooking is a compilation of recipes from the International School of Lausanne’s annual International Day. In celebrating different cultures, parents shared 140 family-favourite recipes from 41 countries after the event and combined them into one cookbook. Proceeds from sales of Global Home Cooking go towards the International School of Lausanne’s IB scholarship programme, which sponsors students to attend the school if they do not have the means to do so. Thanks to the scholarship programme, two students from Tanzania are currently studying the IB Diploma Programme.

The Imitation Game (FilmNation Entertainment)

Hailed as the man who significantly shortened World War II, this film, directed by Morten Tyldum, provides an insight into

the life and work of Alan Turing, the genius British mathematician and computer scientist who cracked the Enigma code. Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is recruited

by MI6 to join Britain’s top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. He and his team race against time to crack the German Enigma machine, which was used to encrypt Nazi messages during the war.

If You Build It (Long Shot Factory)

Following designer, Emily Pilloton and architect, Matthew Miller to Bertie County, one of the poorest areas in North Carolina, this film explores a radical and innovative approach to education. The pair lead students through a year-long, fullscale design and build project that teaches basic construction skills, and also shows 10 teenagers how they can rebuild their own futures.

Kahoot!

that allows educators to create quizzes, discussions or surveys and project them onto a screen.

Students are encouraged to join in via their personal devices and answer questions in real time. Not only does this allow educators to get an overview of the current knowledge levels of their students, it creates a fun, sociable and game-like environment.

Kodable (www.kodable.com)

Making coding fun, Kodable is a game for students aged five and over, which teaches the basics of any programming language. Available as a free app, it helps students code with confidence, as well as develop their problem-solving and critical thinking – essential skills for life beyond the classroom.

You don’t need to be a coding genius to use the game as the learning guides and class organization tools make teaching with Kodable easy.

(www.getkahoot.com)

Described as easy-touse, inclusive and highly engaging, Kahoot! is a free app

GeoGebra (www.geogebra.org)

Ideal for all levels of education, GeoGebra

is free, dynamic mathematics software that collates geometry, algebra, spreadsheets, graphing, statistics and calculus into one easy-to-use, visual package.

Enabling teachers to customize interactive learning materials as web pages, they can create lessons that they know students will find interesting with GeoGebra. What’s more, teachers can download the software to their tablet or computer instantly.

Fierce Conversations (www.amazon.co.uk)

Can a single conversation really change your life?

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott reveals how to have highly effective discussions that can do just that. Offering tips and techniques to confidently approach a difficult or sensitive situation, this book promises to revolutionize the way you communicate with people. Packed with exercises and questionnaires to help you have the best dialogues possible, Fierce Conversations can help you achieve success at school and at home, one conversation at a time.

Proud performance in Perm The great work of classic Russian playwrights re-enacted by students Students had the rare opportunity to perform with professional opera singers and musicians for the premiere of their theatrical project, Children on the Opera Stage.

At the 12th IB Schools Association of Commonwealth Independent States’ outdoor theatre festival, also known as the ‘Prikamskaya miracle’ in Perm, Russia, students interpreted classic and contemporary works by the Russian composer Mussorgsky and the poet Pushkin.

Students from the International School of Almaty in Kazakhstan, Moscow Economic School (MES), XXI Century Integration International Secondary School and Perm (School

7, School 9 and Lyceum 10), in Russia, performed songs from the opera Boris Godunov, including TheWalls of the Novodevichy Convent and At St. Basil’s Cathedral.

Students were proud to be part of the production, which attracted hundreds of people. MES MYP student Denisova Elizabeth, says, “The premiere was great.We were overwhelmed with great joy and pride, excitement and true happiness.”

Months of preparation and hard work went into the project.Teachers and students organized meetings with the production cast, and the music teachers attended a training course entitled To the Heights of Musical Art.

Students take to the stage

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cover story

“ You can’t just wave a magic wand” Alice Albright tells Cathryn Newbery how the Global Partnership for Education is leading the charge to get millions of children into school

Portraits Duncan Kendall

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lobally, there are 58 million children out of school, 50 per cent of whom are in fragile or conflict-affected countries – those where citizens are affected by poverty and a vulnerable leadership. There are also 250 million children who have learned very little after four years of school and 27 developing countries who pledged to raise their education budgets, which amounted to US$26 billion.

These are the numbers that prey on the mind of Alice Albright, CEO of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), which is the only multilateral organization focused on supporting countries’ efforts to educate children from early primary age through to secondary school.

For Albright, taking the helm at the GPE was the culmination of a professional quest to improve the lives of impoverished people in developing countries.

Raised in Washington DC, she is the daughter of famed US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. Since college, she’s been “absolutely fascinated” with the issues surrounding economic, political and social progress in developing countries. After working on mobilizing capital to enable 10 IBWorld March 2015

growth in developing markets for much of her career, Albright joined the fledgling Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) in 2001 to explore the developmental issues that fascinated her.

From 2009, until joining the GPE in 2013, Albright served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which she says “has a huge role to play in providing technology through the availability of finance to emerging countries.”

IBWorld speaks to Albright in Washington DC about the GPE’s evolving role in the global community, the challenges that face educators and governments all over the world, and the prospects for education systems to reshape minds for the future.

What attracted you to the challenge of leading the GPE? When I started looking at the issue of education, I became absolutely captivated by its transformational power. And I quickly realized that it’s not one single problem, but a collection of very complicated – but hopefully solvable – issues.

What’s distinctive about GPE is the interaction between the global and the

local. The GPE is a partnership that brings together every major player in the education space: developing countries, donors, civil society organizations, teachers, UN organizations and the private sector – everybody who has a contribution to make.

This gives us a valuable global platform for advocacy, as well as enormous reach into every possible area of the world – we are able to draw on the global enthusiasm for education to create the will and ‘the art of the possible’ in the countries we work in.

We have to act together to tackle this problem. The challenge of education in poor, developing countries is enormous and one that exceeds the wingspan of any single organization alone.

What is education’s role in improving living standards in fragile states?

Its role in advancing a society is profound but, in some ways, very basic. Education is at the heart of building essential skills – from taking care of children, to starting businesses and participating in democracy – not to mention contending with climate change and political extremism.

Schooling is vital for enabling people in fragile countries (50 per cent of its funding

“The role of education in advancing a society is both profound and basic�

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cover story

“When a crisis erupts, schooling stops very quickly – it can be years before education gets back on track” support goes to fragile and conflictaffected countries) to live in a settled, stable society. Many current conflicts have been caused by people rising up against their governments and each other because of a lack of hope, or because they lack the ability to get along with one another. Much of this can be tackled through education.

Often a lack of education provision is not considered to be a humanitarian emergency.

A very tiny fraction of the money that gets deployed in humanitarian emergencies – less than two per cent – is designated for education. But when a crisis erupts, schooling stops very quickly, and it can be years before education gets back on track. By then, you’ve lost a whole generation of kids.You can’t recover that.

If you look at places like Syria and Lebanon, you can see the devastating effects of conflict and displacement on education. We’re also worried about Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia – how do we help those countries recover once the Ebola virus has been contained?

Is there a trade-off between universal access to education and access to quality education?

It’s not a choice.You wouldn’t choose quality over availability, and you wouldn’t choose availability over quality.You want there to be availability for everybody, and quality for everybody.

All the countries we’re working with are at different stages. There are some that have made great progress on availability and are now beginning to work on quality.

But you have other countries that are just beginning to figure out how to get started again.You need to have a set of policy tools that enable you to address both things.

How should teaching and learning be assessed in developing countries?

Teachers at conferences around the world have told me that if testing is used as a punishment, it’s not going to be well received. But, for school systems, families and government ministers to know if their children are getting educated, you have to have some way of assessing that.

The challenge in the developing countries is that there is a patchwork quilt of tests – some are not available, some are not comparable, some measure the wrong things. A new international group called the Learning Metrics Task Force will help us make progress in addressing these issues.

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Global Partnership for Education

“Every visit inspires me to make a difference.“ From left: Alice in Sudan; in Senegal; with Malala Yousafzai

What’s your assessment of the progress made towards the Millennium Development Goal of primary school education for all?

Enormous progress has been made in the past 15 years. The number of children that are not in school has almost been halved since 2000: 108 million down to 58 million. That is terrific, but we shouldn’t feel complacent about it because reaching the remaining 58 million will be much more difficult. Many are girls, many are in fragile states, and many are in countries that have a very serious lack of schooling capacity such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Why is educating girls vital, and how much work is there still to do?

Girls account for around 31 million of the 58 million children that we know aren’t in education, and for a large proportion of the 250 million who haven’t learned very much after four years at school.

There are a number of intertwining reasons why this happens, ranging from security concerns to sanitation issues.

Childhood marriage is also a big concern, and one that is often a reflection of poverty.

Families with limited means often choose to educate their son but not their daughter, and marry their daughter early.

But it’s a very complex knot of issues.

Does lack of education opportunities for girls cause early childhood marriage, or does early childhood marriage cause families to keep their girls away from school?

If you educate girls there are enormous positive knock-on effects. They send their own kids to school, they make better financial decisions, they have a settling impact on communities – the list goes on.

It’s terrific that the issue is getting so much attention. And we are thrilled that Malala [Yousafzai] was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, given her bravery and her courageous focus

on this issue. But lots more local advocacy work is needed.

What lessons and inspirations do you draw from the people you meet?

I’ve come away with so many impressions from the countries I’ve visited. First of all, how complicated this is. Anybody who thinks you can wave a magic wand and make it all happen is completely wrong.

But when I meet government ministers and teachers, I get this overwhelming sense of will: of their determination to really make progress. I remember meeting teachers and the Principal at a school in Addis Ababa [Ethiopia], and it was remarkably impressive what they were able to do in difficult circumstances.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, I travelled to a small town a few hours’ flight out of Kinshasa, where we were starting construction of a school.The town was so remote, it was surrounded by jungle.

The look on the kids’ faces that they were able to have a school was so exciting.

Every visit, every experience leaves me feeling so inspired to make a difference.

What do you want the GPE to achieve during your tenure as CEO? The GPE has achieved so much since it was founded in 2002. For many of our achievements we have to thank Carol Bellamy, who was the GPE’s Board Chair for many years and is now the Board Chair of the International Baccalaureate.

Looking forward, I’d like to see us make real progress in chipping away at the 58 million children who aren’t in school; in introducing a really robust learning outcome agenda at the country level so we begin to tackle the quality issues. I’d also like us to continue to shore up the funding from partner countries and donors.

What are your views on education systems such as the International Baccalaureate, and their role in improving access?

When I think about IB programmes, the two words that come to mind are ‘international’ and ‘excellence’.

Any programme that is able to foster good understanding between people of different backgrounds is absolutely essential right now. If you think of all the major problems we’re facing, understanding the world and being able to work with other people is a basic requirement. But I also love the idea that the IB drives for excellence at a time when you hear so much about declining standards.

What I think the IB needs to do next is to continue to make its programmes accessible to people of all walks of life.

Globally, we have a duty to ensure that education is not just a privilege of the elite.

How can IB World Schools support the GPE’s work?

It’s never too early in a child’s education to remind them of the challenges around them.

Not in a way to depress or stress them, but to make them aware of the world and that there are kids who have nothing and don’t even know what a school is, and that it’s good to become a global citizen.The IB has a huge role to play in this area, as it does in giving children the confidence and empowerment to go out there and try to fix the big global problems we’re facing today, and in the future.

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strategic vision

Education for today’s world The new IB strategy is focused on students, teachers and schools, but with an element of excitement, Dr Siva Kumari tells Sophie-Marie Odum

Portrait Jeroen Bouman

W

ith the ongoing pressure of targets and deadlines, many educators might place “fun” relatively low on their list of priorities, but IB Director General Dr Siva Kumari believes a sense of excitement is just what classrooms need – and the new IB strategy is just what is needed to effectively deliver it.

The IB launched its new strategic vision for 2015-19 earlier this year, and from the outset, IB staff at all levels, regardless of job titles, were integral to its formation. Consultation took place across IB offices producing “very rich and real” conversations among staff, says Kumari, who became IB Director General in January 2014.

The IB community was consulted throughout the year too, and the result was a “realistic” strategy that places the IB on a firm foundation and on an exciting trajectory following significant structural changes over the past five years.

While the plan was to deliver a strategy to the Board in April 2015, Kumari felt that she, the staff and the IB community were ready to seek approval for the strategy in the November 2014 Board meeting.

14 IBWorld March 2015

“Using this strategy, the IB will continue to deliver curricula that ensures schools and teachers are key players in designing meaningful learning, and that the IB has a role in creating the best in international education for schools to deliver,” explains Kumari.

“The major themes are about creating

“We will continue to ensure schools and teachers are key players in designing meaningful learning” an IB that is closer to and deeply respectful of the value and needs of its community of educators,” she adds.

“This includes a strong focus on infusing research into our curriculum development process and an outside-in view when delivering our services, ensuring that the value of an IB student and an IB education is better understood by parents, employers and universities.

We also have a passion for creating an

organization that can fully employ current technologies to think in new ways.”

Focusing on quality not growth The IB has set its sights on maintaining quality. “We didn’t specifically talk about targets, or that we need to grow by ‘x%’,” says Kumari. “Our current rate of growth is reasonable. We are more focused on how we keep improving the quality.

This is most important in the long run.”

“Developing our programmes in line with current research about ageappropriate learning, assessment techniques and content renewal is what the IB does well. We work with our schools to make changes and continuously improve,” she adds.

“We want to share this research with our schools so they can use it with their parents. Furthermore, we want to try to connect with experts of particular subject areas. For example, in mathematics, maybe we could connect with mathematical societies around the world and seek their input.

This keeps the IB aligned to the original promise of being that link between tertiary and secondary education.”

THE IB’S STRATEGIC VISION 2015-2019, EXPLAINED BY DR KUMARI 1. Educational research and innovation Create an IB education that inspires and enables exemplary teaching, learning and assessment, in line with the mission and values of the IB. “We will be thinking through assessments suited for today’s students, given the explosion of information, the possible delivery of assessment through the internet and the changing needs of the real world.

“We will create more value for our students undertaking the IB Diploma Programme in ways that universities can understand and credit.

“We are mindful about developing students that have both a strong cultural and linguistic anchor, and exercise critical thinking skills in solving issues that matter with the tools available in today’s world. But, how can those students survive and contribute anywhere? We want to create students who are intellectually capable of processing information, and are aware of their own biases and

the biases of others, encouraging them to form opinions and remain culturally mindful wherever they may be.”

2. Teacher leadership and the Agora Support, reward and ensure recognition of IB teachers, and work with them to build a globally recognized digital community, which will strengthen the impact of teachers globally.

“The IB believes in educators, their passion for educating students, and both their craft and their profession. We want to enable more teachers to exchange ideas with their peers around the world.

“Online, the IB has a unique opportunity to make it easy for the community to talk, discuss and share ideas about good teaching practices.”

3. Provide more ways of offering an IB education Acknowledge the different needs and contexts of our diverse community of schools and provide more flexible ways of

Embracing technology Through the delivery of this strategy, the IB is using technology as a tool to further connect the IB community. The online platform, Agora, will allow teachers to swap and share ideas wherever they are in the world, and welcome non-IB teachers to tap into this resource for their development and that of their students.

“We’ve taken a very strong view about technology in this strategy and we want to fully exploit it for the good of our schools,” says Kumari.

“We want to work in significantly different ways so we can reach far more of our schools more effectively, contain costs and better engage and connect people. We hope that, through technology, our community will continue to feel a stronger sense of connection to the IB.” “The IB operates in a creative and unique ecosystem within a community that believes in sharing, and in a mission of creating a more peaceful world,” she adds. “Our new strategy creates a professional learning community, and through Project Agora, the IB can share good educational practice from the worldwide community of schools.

accessing and implementing IB programmes to help schools achieve their best, while preserving the IB’s standards for quality and impact.

“The IB now serves a wide community of schools. We have significant volumes of international schools, state supported schools, large networks of schools, countrywide initiatives and so on.

“Now is the time for us to think about how we attend to the unique requirements of these schools.”

4. Excellence in customer experience We will provide the best possible experience to our community by adopting the best practices of customer service. We will know and understand our growing community of schools and we will make them our first priority.

“Although we don’t think of our schools as customers, we want to start thinking from their point of view. During our strategy consultation meetings,

“There are schools around the world that really need these resources, and teachers who do not have access to this type of professional development. Non-IB teachers can also benefit from a wealth of knowledge and can utilize resources for implementation in their schools.”

Although technology will certainly help the IB progress, Kumari will ensure that the organization doesn’t get caught up in the “technology tsunami” and will remain grounded and focused on what is important for students.

IB staff were very interested in cultivating stronger relationships, listening more intently and responding to our schools.

“Simply put, it’s about thinking from the outside in and focusing on how we can make working with the IB easier and more meaningful for schools.”

5. An organization suited to IB aspirations To create an organization that enables us to achieve our strategic goals, to meet stakeholder expectations and to be the global educational leader we aspire to be.

“How can we make people feel a part of one organization that operates worldwide? We need to revise our processes to ensure we always keep schools at the forefront of our minds, and that their journey through the IB is smooth.

“With everything we do, we should be thinking about how our work impacts our schools and therefore how best to work together to make this happen.”

organization that is 46 years old, has had considerable growth and completed an ambitious structural change, to re-focus.

“The mission provides a definition of education; and the purpose of the IB extends beyond getting students to tertiary education. There is also a higher ambition with the mission – to create a better world through our students, schools and our work, serving as a great reminder of the need for the IB.”

Turning a vision into reality Discussing how the strategic vision for Building on the mission 2015-19 will become a reality, Kumari The strategy builds on the IB’s mission says: “The IB attracts individuals who statement and aims to remind schools have similar values, and it needs to why they stay with the organization. continue to attract those who are striving “The emphasis of what the IB is about towards our core mission. is the most exciting aspect of the strategy,” “We have created a global organization says Kumari. “It’s about owning up with a complex structure, but the IB will to the privilege we’ve had so far and continue to pull together, irrespective the potential we have for the future. of where we are located in the world, We are reconnecting to our mission to ensure we are steering the ship and that is really exciting.” together in the same direction.

Kumari felt there was a need to “This strategy is focused on thinking re-focus on the IB’s mission, and bring about schools first and not us. I am the organization back to its founding deeply hopeful that it will make a marked principles. “It’s important for any difference for all IB World Schools.”

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We are working with the IB to gain endorsement for eight subject-specific Student’s Books, which drive meaningful inquiry through unique concept-driven narratives.

NEW FOR 2015

Visit www.hoddereducation.com/MYP for more information.

IB authorization

Young Diplomats Magnet Academy, United States

British School of Bahrain, Bahrain

Khartoum International Community School, Sudan Complexe Scolaire International La Gaieté, Cameroon

A voyage of discovery

Navigating the IB authorization process can seem like an expedition into the unknown for many. We asked four schools at different stages of the journey to share their experiences

L

anding a Nobel Prize, becoming a Rhodes Scholar, scaling Everest… all achievements that require dedication, inspiration and hard work. IB World Schools might be tempted to add the IB authorization process to the list.

The analogy might be flippant, but the rigour involved in becoming an IB World School is very real – and it’s a necessity as the IB seeks to grow its influence and maintain its high standards.The number of programmes taught has grown by 10 per cent in the last 10 years, and schools are increasingly seeing the value of the IB curriculum. But to do so, they have to complete a rigorous authorization process and staff are required to compile an application that provides evidence to support their candidacy.This process can be daunting, particularly for schools with no prior IB experience.

“We get excited when a school realizes how challenging the authorization exercise is but keeps going and then really embraces the IB philosophy,” says Pam Bender, Head of Pre-authorization Services.

Many are coming to appreciate that the process works in favour of those genuinely seeking a modern, global education.

“Schools who only want to join the IB for commercial reasons are normally weeded out for not having done their homework,” adds Bender. “They’re shocked when they realize how in-depth the process is.”

The IB actively supports candidate schools in a number of ways. “We’ve sent consultants to schools since 2010,” explains Bender. “Previously, schools did all the necessary work independently prior to their authorization visit. But many schools weren’t authorized using this method.”

Now consultants will write a report, including recommendations for the school, and this guidance can help achieve a successful result, says Bender.

After authorization, schools undergo a thorough programme evaluation every five years, which includes completing a self-study process and a possible visit from the IB.This provides fresh insight and keeps spirits high.

IB World spoke to four schools, all at different points in the authorization process, and asked what they have learned along the way.We also talked to the IB’s School Services team about how the organization’s four new enhancement services are offering additional support to IB World Schools.

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Saudi Arabia

Bahrain

INTERESTED SCHOOL Daniel McHugh, teacher of history and economics and IB Coordinator, British School of Bahrain, Bahrain In the next few days, my school will submit its application for IB Diploma Programme candidacy. I’m exceptionally busy right now.

We currently teach BTEC and A-Level courses. We feel that by offering the IB, we’ll be providing programmes that suit all of our students and challenge them appropriately.

Deciding to implement the IB Diploma Programme has been a long process. We worried we’d dilute our current offering by adding a new programme. My job was to collect all the information and create a feasibility study. The board reviewed the report and now we’re certain the IB is right for us.

The feedback we’ve had from students is they don’t know enough about the IB yet, but they are motivated to find out more.

We have got a solid number of students who like directing their own studies anyway, so they’ve already adopted an IB learning style.

Although we accept the IB might not be for everyone, we have seen enough students

Students at the British School of Bahrain are motivated to find out more about the DP

“The board reviewed the report and now we’re absolutely sure the IB is right for us” show interest and we’re confident they’ll achieve good results.

We’ve involved parents in this process too.

We considered getting their opinions using surveys but, given the complexity of the decision-making process and the questions we knew parents would have, we felt qualitative data would be more suitable, so we held focus groups. We talked through what the IB is and asked them what they thought. There’s still a healthy amount of scepticism because, quite frankly, they don’t understand it. The way the IB is delivered is a quantum leap for many parents who are used to having their children come through a British school system.

The school completely supports the authorization process. We’ve already put money into a pot that’s ring-fenced for the IB, including a substantial amount for staff training, which we feel is incredibly important.

When we become an IB World School, we want to be the best possible IB World School.

The September 2016 start date will sneak up on us quickly, and the process will be a huge amount of work. Documenting the more tangible aspects, such as what classrooms and facilities we require, are easily achievable.

18 IBWorld March 2015

But the intangible aspects are more difficult.

Can we get the philosophy right by 2016? Can we affect a culture change across the school?

We want to make our errors now and improve over the upcoming months so we don’t make mistakes when we implement the programme. We shouldn’t get our candidate application in, then relax. We need to be as ready in 2016 as we can be.

Douala Malabo

Yaoundé

CANDIDATE SCHOOL Eric Pignot, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, and Bamidele Akinbo, Head of School and IB Diploma Programme Coordinator, Enko Education Students in central Africa are hugely ambitious. They want to study at international

universities, but the national or regional diplomas that high schools award limit their chances when applying. When we realized this, we identified a huge opportunity to build a school network in Africa offering an IB education. That’s how Enko Education began.

Now we’re going through the authorization process to open the first IB World Schools in central Africa, starting in Cameroon.

Complexe Scolaire International La Gaieté, in the capital, Yaoundé, will offer the IB Diploma Programme. We partnered with this school because it’s successful and has been established for 10 years. Also, as there’s an English and a French section, it is already internationally focused. We are planning to open our first class in September 2015.

On the orientation day, we promised parents that they would see a transformation in their children within two months. After having introduced IB concepts and ideals in class, we had our first parents’ meeting recently. One parent said, ‘I don’t know what you did but my daughter is livelier and has more to say. In the past, she kept to herself.’

But a few challenges still remain. SubSaharan Africa has IB World Schools already,

IB authorization

“Our intention is to open five schools over the next year. It’s ambitious, but we’re committed!” but most of them are American and high-end in terms of the cost. We have a fantastic product and the demand is here, but how do we create a model that is affordable?

We’re trying to bring the IB to a new layer of the population.

Also, most of our teachers are from conventional schools and adapting has been a challenge for them. They’re going through the transformative experience of paradigm shifts, but they’re all passionate about delivering an international curriculum.

We’re constantly seeking improvement opportunities, so regular personal development for our teachers is essential.

We encourage them to take charge by assigning them challenging but rewarding tasks. Granting teachers a sense of ownership in the programme’s implementation demonstrates that their input is valued.

To promote the programme, we’ve been on key TV and radio stations in Cameroon, issued press releases, presented at forums, collaborated with the heads of both private and public schools, and contacted multinationals and the embassies in Yaoundé.

We also have a volunteers’ network we dubbed ‘Enko Ambassadors’ who help create awareness of the programme.

After we are authorized, we want to expand into other sub-Saharan African countries, including Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our

intention is to open five schools over the next year. It’s ambitious, but we’re committed!

In the future, we may see potential for other programmes, but for now, our focus remains on the IB Diploma Programme. It’s our students’ gateway to international studies.

Bronx

East Rutherford Manhattan

RECENTLY AUTHORIZED SCHOOL

Denise Desjardin, Principal, Young Diplomats Magnet Academy, New York City, USA

In September 2014, we were authorized as the first PYP school in the New York City public school system. We joined a group of magnet schools four years ago and the superintendent decided we should be the school which takes on the IB. I knew nothing about the IB back then. I could barely pronounce‘baccalaureate’!

I immediately began researching. I attended as many training sessions, read as many books and visited as many IB World Schools as I could.

Fortunately, many people I met were supportive, welcoming and helpful. I’d definitely recommend other teachers, who are interested in the IB, to reach out to other schools. It kept the team motivated and gave us reassurance that we were doing things right.

Our authorization process wasn’t easy. It took four years. We didn’t receive the necessary funding immediately. Staff were

SUPPORT BEFORE AND AFTER AUTHORIZATON “Recently, we’ve been asking ourselves what additional support we can provide,” says the IB’s Head of Pre-Authorization Services, Pam Bender.“We wanted to offer services which help more mature schools but would also be suitable for those going through authorization who wanted extra assistance.”

With that in mind, the School Services team has developed four new enhancement services, which began trialling in December 2014: Curriculum connections Designed to support a school, or an organization responsible for a group of schools, in making appropriate connections between the respective IB programmes and the local, state or national requirements. It provides information, support, guidance and skill development for the school’s own curriculum development process. In this sense, it has been developed as a consulting/coaching service to deliver support to a school or group of schools.

Building quality curriculum For schools who are looking for feedback on their PYP or MYP curriculum design, this service is suitable for both candidate and authorized schools. The IB will provide written commentary on the school’s curriculum proposal.

The DP will allow students at Complexe Scolaire International La Gaieté to study at international universities

Optimizing assessment analysis IB Diploma Programme schools can use assessment data analysis to help them make better decisions about their teaching methods. The service will also help schools identify areas where teachers need further professional development.

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Monkey Business Images/REX

Strengthening leadership of groups of schools This service, which is targeted at groups of schools, will help group leaders to understand, implement and optimize the IB curriculum across a number of schools. It is suitable for both candidate and authorized schools.

IB authorization

TariQintO

Khartoum International Community School is considering the MYP

training on weekends and evenings.

Then, when New York adopted the Common Core, a set of academic standards used in the USA, it was a challenge adopting two new styles at once and our test scores dropped as a result. It was very disheartening and my staff wanted to give up.

But the students and their families encouraged us to persevere. Parents would say,‘I can’t believe my first grader told me to be open minded when we were out to dinner’or‘My child actually told me to be a risk taker.’

This motivated the teachers.

Parents have also noticed changes to their children’s homework. It’s based on enquiry and research so the parents have to help.

We kept parents involved with the process by providing workshops and producing a monthly newsletter. They initially were apprehensive, but now their mindset has shifted. Everybody knows this learning style is part of our culture.

What I’ve found most intriguing about the PYP was the action component. Growing up, I learnt things just because I was told to learn them. By being held accountable for taking action, you’re not only learning, you are becoming part of the solution. I like how students research topics and the facts aren’t just thrown at them. They are taking ownership of their learning. How powerful is that?

The way of learning was a big shift for us.

Before, teaching was departmentalized.

Students did 45 minutes of reading, then 45 minutes of writing, then 45 minutes of science and so on. Now, everything is connected and more meaningful. You can really dig deeper into a topic.

Now we’ve been authorized, we’re focusing on sustainability. I’ve seen other schools in the area try to adopt the IB but, when the school’s management changes, it’s become too difficult to maintain. I want to build sustainability at the school, so if the day comes when I’m not here, everything continues seamlessly.

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Sudan Eritrea

Yemen

Ethiopia

ADDING A NEW PROGRAMME Nigel J Winnard, Principal, Khartoum International Community School, Sudan We’re dissatisfied with our current middle years offering. It feels incompatible with our vision of 21st-century learning. We already offer the PYP and IB Diploma Programme, so my school is considering adding the MYP. We’re figuring out whether we can become philosophically consistent across the school’s three sections but, to be honest, that includes questioning the PYP and IB Diploma Programme too. A lot of pieces are up in the air right now.

As the only IB World School in the country, we’ve brought a new education philosophy to Sudan. When we opened 10 years ago, we were determined to bring the PYP and IB Diploma Programme to Sudan. We discussed MYP then but couldn’t commit to it. It was too big a culture shift at the time.

There are two reasons the MYP is back on our radar. Firstly, our school is able to embrace some progressive teaching methodologies now because we’ve proved our worth to our community. Secondly, we feel that the

recent revision of the MYP means it’s worth re-examining.

Our previous authorizations went smoothly. The subsequent evaluation visits for the PYP have been useful for us, too. In fact, we’ve got a PYP evaluation visit coming up soon.

We’re hoping this will give us the fresh eyes we need.

Because there’s an explicit pedagogical framework, I’m expecting the authorization process for the MYP to be similar to the PYP. That’s what all my research is suggesting. But I think the challenge will be selling the idea to highschool teachers whose professional preparation is much more fragmented.

I expect the process to be expensive, too.

That’s a challenge schools in developing locations face. We’re a long way from anywhere so accessing training is very costly. Online training is helping but face-to-face opportunities are still essential.

Right now, we’re in a research phase and

“We’re hoping that our upcoming PYP evaluation visit will give us the fresh eyes we need” we’re busy talking to other MYP schools and teachers about their experiences. If we feel the programme is on our shortlist, the next step will be asking a consultant to talk in more detail with the board, the leadership team and parents about what an MYP school would look like here in Sudan. We expect to spend at least two years investigating before we decide whether to pursue MYP authorization.

You can never rush a good decision. It’s a two-way process. On the one hand, it’s learning about what MYP is but, on the other, it’s a voyage of self-discovery as an institution.

If you skimp on either of those two processes, chances are you’ll get a bad outcome.

IB Skills S

v

BOOKS IN THIS SERIES

IB Skills is a new series of resources for years 4 and 5 students of the MYP and aims to: • introduce students to key concepts and features of the MYP • develop interdisciplinary and disciplinary skills • help students to understand subject concepts and content

The IB Skills books include a wide variety of interesting topics which allow students to practise the skills they will need to reach the highest level of the assessment achievement.

Preview sample chapters at www.ibpublishing.org/ibskills

Agents and stockists For information about international agents, stockists and local representatives check www.hoddereducation.com/agents for your local Hodder representative Published in cooperation with

www.ibpublishing.org/ibskills sales@ibo.org

Career-related Programme

New pathways to career success The IB Career-related Programme (formerly IBCC) will provide the opportunity for more students to access an internationally recognized education as it becomes available to all schools

Illustration Mathilda Holmqvist

T

he IB’s latest programme, the IB Career-related Programme (CP), has grabbed huge interest since its launch in 2012. It’s currently taught in 14 countries, in over 87 schools and this is expected to increase to over 100 schools this year as it moves into its next phase.

All schools around the world are now allowed to apply for CP authorization.

CP schools will deliver the CP core, IB Diploma Programme courses and a careerrelated study provided by the school. As a result, more students will benefit from an internationally recognized education, while gaining the experience and skills necessary

22 IBWorld March 2015

to specialize in a career path of their choice.

Non-IB World Schools have been invited to apply for candidacy and, in April 2016, those schools will begin an authorization process, which is similar to that for the IB Diploma Programme. Successful schools will be authorized in 2018.

More flexibility “The IB has always sought to increase access to an IB education for all students and allowing non-IB World Schools to apply for CP authorization does exactly that,” explains Dominic Robeau, Acting Head of CP Development. “We’re very excited about offering the CP to all schools.

It provides flexibility that enables schools to tailor the programme to suit their particular needs and context, and specialize in career-related pathways – whether it’s higher education, internships, apprenticeships or the world of work.”

Existing CP schools have welcomed this flexibility. Paul Luxmore, Principal at Dane Court Grammar School in Kent, UK, says: “The genius of the CP is that it gives academic validity to vocational study and applied validity to academic study. It allows us to construct an offering that suits the individual needs of our students and our school.”

The IB hopes that this particular element will draw interest from a diverse range of schools and communities.

At present, the most popular subjects are related to business, engineering, visual and performing arts, hospitality, sports and IT. But the number and variety of these will increase as more schools offer the programme.

“Career-related studies are becoming increasingly important in the world,” says Robeau. “There is a growing realization in many countries that students need a more defined focus on where they are heading after their studies.”

New insights Schools currently offering the CP may be concerned that the next phase may impact them negatively, but Robeau says that this is not the case.

“With a more diverse group of schools as part of the IB community delivering the programme, current CP schools will be able to access a rich collection of experiences and opinions that may offer unique insights

into alternative methods of delivering the CP successfully,” explains Robeau.

The CP has allowed Earl Wooster High School in Nevada, USA, to reach out to even more students, exposing them to wider career choices to match their interests. Upon graduation, students are more likely to enter their desired career field equipped with the necessary skills, believes Principal Leah Keuscher. She feels that the CP also fosters community support and builds partnerships with local businesses. “I often say this is an amazing time to be in education, as we are creating

“We’re excited about offering the CP to all schools. It’s a programme for the present and the future” new partnerships with businesses, and bringing relevant experiences and realworld opportunities to our students and teachers,” she says.

Revised core To reflect the more inclusive approach of the next phase, and in answer to feedback from current CP schools, the IB has revised the CP core for first teaching in 2016. It previously consisted of approaches to learning, community in service, language development and the reflective project.

Robeau explains: “The approaches to learning course has been revised and the theme of applied ethics has been added.

Community and service has been renamed

‘service learning,’ given that this is its focus, and the reflective project has been revised.

“Previously, students were assessed at the end of the project. Now students will be asked to reflect on the process involved and these reflections will be assessed, as well as the end product of the reflective project.”

Luxmore has seen a positive change in students who are studying the CP, and credits this to the programme’s core.

“Students are encouraged, required even, to work as a team,” he says. “All employers these days want young people who can work effectively as a part of a team, who can learn from mistakes, take considered risks and be responsible for themselves when required. The CP actively develops each of these qualities.”

Scott Murphy, Principal at Watkins Mill High School in Maryland, USA, believes the CP has brought uniformity to the school’s existing programmes. He says, “It has allowed us to put the ‘IB umbrella’ over all our career programmes, which has solidified the IB culture in the school as a whole.”

21st century preparation According to research by the IB, the CP prepares students for the 21st century as it facilitates skills such as self-management, critical thinking, written communication, intercultural understanding and collaboration.

Robeau believes the CP has strong potential to become a world-class leader in career-related education. “It’s a programme for the present and the future,” he says.

“It is suited to a vast range of students and provides articulated and identifiable pathways, and that is really important.”

IBWorld 23

service learning

From the classroom to the community Teachers can use service learning to make abstract subjects real for students of all ages

123RF. Words Hayley Kirton

T

here are some issues that are difficult to address but important to learn about.

Take poverty, for example – in 2011, just over one billion people lived in what the World Bank calls “extreme poverty”, surviving on less than US$1.25 a day. And health – according to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million people worldwide died from an AIDS-related illness in 2013. But how do you teach these topics to students? By reiterating these unrelatable facts? What if you could turn those figures into something more than just numbers, by getting students truly involved with the issue?

Service learning, where classroom instruction is supported by activities to help the community, aims to achieve exactly this. A teaching method championed by the IB, service learning is formally recognized through CAS activities but is encouraged as a teaching method in all four programmes. But, with the timeconsuming demands teachers already face, service learning can be easily forgotten.

Furthermore, the process has a detailed teaching methodology, which discourages some teachers. Cathryn Berger Kaye, 24 IBWorld March 2015

president of CBK Associates, an education consultancy company which focuses on promoting service-learning activities in schools, insists the process is not dissimilar to other teaching methods and just requires some patience to learn. Kaye recommends teachers follow a five-stage process; investigating the issue, preparing for action, taking action, reflecting on what has been done and demonstrating what has been learned (see right).

Finding a real need Service-learning experiences are most effective when students are working towards tackling an authentic need in the community. But how do you identify this need? Guessing carelessly is dangerous.

“We need to replace assumptions with authentic research and engagement with the community,” says Kaye. “It’s critical students investigate the need and, once they’ve authenticated a real need, that they verify it with the community.They need to ask, ‘Is this correct? Is this what you need?’”

Researching a need can’t be done solely on the internet. “For research to occur, students need to add to the body of already available knowledge,” says Kaye. “So research

should be asking questions through interviews and surveys, and through deep observation.This heightens valuable skills.”

When IB Diploma Programme students at the American International School of Johannesburg, South Africa, talked with people already involved in service-learning projects, they found their local community lacked advice about reproductive health.

In response, they set up ‘Project Dignity’ to help spread information. Their project is successful because it addresses a legitimate need in the community, says Tara Barton, Service-learning Coordinator.

“A lot of students don’t know much about their bodies so it’s about having conversations about their choices,” explains Barton. “They also talk about other issues that are prevalent here, such as gender-based violence.”

Sometimes students’ curiosity can spark a project. When Nathalie Herve Azevedo Delgado, PYP Coordinator at Concordian International School in Bangkok, Thailand, taught her class about the school’s mission statement, they became curious about the word ‘compassion’. This inspired her to set up a ‘compassion field trip’ to a school for

Cathryn Berger Kaye’s five stages for service-learning success

1

Investigation

Students should actively research a “need”using a variety of methods, including media, interviews, surveys and direct observations. Meanwhile, teachers should get to know their students’interests, skills and talents.

2

Preparation

Students should organize a plan of action, including collaborating with other organizations, clarifying roles and building timelines. They should continue to ask questions about the need they identified.

Students from the British International School, Vietnam, playing games with children at a local orphanage

refugees in a deprived area. Her first trip was so successful, she later arranged a second trip to a school for the blind. “I thought this might be a good opportunity because we’d been talking about what it means to give to others – not donating money, but giving your time,” she says.

Delgado has a few tricks to get her students’ imaginations firing. She regularly uses books to captivate her class. “I choose books that I know have issues in them, such as prejudice or disability,” she says.

“I want to provoke students. Provocation is a great way to get them thinking about what they can do.”

For Lucy Whitfield, MYP Coordinator and science teacher at Cedar International School in Kingstown, British Virgin Islands, it was a news story that inspired her students’ service-learning project. Because of their school’s location, many people in the community regularly travel to the USA. When it was announced that there had been cases of the Ebola virus in the country, people were naturally concerned.

Her class wanted to address people’s fears, so they started a campaign about Ebola epidemiology and transmission, including displaying posters, creating

pamphlets and giving talks to the school’s younger students.

“Because the students were naturally interested in and cared about the topic, it was really easy,” says Whitfield.

Stop and reflect Documenting and reflecting on service performed is important, and teachers need to think about how to do this effectively.

“Just having students respond to prompts on demand is not reflection,” says Kaye.

“Students should have more choice and voice on how they reflect.

“If the teacher is determined to give the student cues, the students should have the ability to change or modify those prompts.

This will make them more meaningful to the students,” she adds.

Reflection should be encouraged throughout the project. Dr Graham Gisby, Director at Casuarinas International College in Lima, Peru, whose students are involved in an outreach project for young mothers, is strongly against performing reflection as a forced activity at the end.

“We don’t do something and then say, ‘Reflect.’ That’s a false way of doing it and it doesn’t get the best results,” he says.

3

Action

Students carry out their plan in the form of direct service, indirect service, advocacy or research. If third parties are involved, then any action should be mutually beneficial.

4

n on tio fleccti Refle

5

Demonstration

of Reflection is a summary ut the thoughts and feelings abo ing go on be project. It should ivity. throughout the service act

Students report back on their experiences, including what has been learned and how they learned it.

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service learning

Above: ‘Project Dignity’was started by students at the American International School of Johannesberg, South Africa Left: A student from Concordian International School, Thailand, helps serve food to local children

“Younger children have a tremendous sense of injustice, of what’s fair and what’s right.They care about the world around them” Gisby encourages his students to share their reflections. He’s found they can be effective critics. “They’ll be brutally honest so they give effective feedback,” he says.

“When they get good feedback, it gives them a better sense of accomplishment.”

Meanwhile, Delgado asks her students to keep a learning journal to aid their reflection. “It’s like a personal diary,” she says. “They have a choice if they want to show it to me or not and I’m respectful of that. The day after one of the field trips, I gave them the choice of writing in their journal or reading books and they all chose to reflect on the field trip.”

Delgado also took photographs and made a video of her field trips to help her students’ reflection.To demonstrate their knowledge, the children put on an assembly, in which Delgado had little involvement. “They wrote

their own lines,” she proudly explains. “One boy started crying during the assembly – by the end, all the teachers were crying too.”

Suitable for all ages Service learning shouldn’t be limited to older students. “Younger children are so eager to do everything,” says Kaye. “They are so excited about the world around them and they’ll naturally want to do service learning.”

As Delgado discovered, they also ask some of the best questions.While looking at the IB Learner Profile, one student asked why the word ‘compassion’ wasn’t included.

“We’d been studying persuasive writing at the time and one of my students said, ‘Who’s the boss of the IB?’” she says. “We looked it up and they all wrote letters to the IB to ask if ‘compassion’ could be added.”

Unfortunately, Kaye says people underestimate a younger student’s ability to participate in service learning “all the time.”

Even as a PYP teacher, Delgado was originally guilty of this. “I realized how much more powerful they can be, the younger they are,” she admits. “You can teach them at a very young age about tolerance and the value of giving to others.”

“Young children have a tremendous sense of injustice, of what’s fair and what’s

right,” agrees Kaye. “They care about the world around them. They care about animals and the environment and people who are lonely. All we need to do is create environments that link the curriculum to authentic action and we’ll see children do amazing work in the world.”

But, while younger students’ enthusiasm seems never ending, how do teachers deal with stereotypical moody teenagers who don’t want to participate? Results from a 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that just over one in 10 (12 per cent) of 15-year-olds in Organization for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD) countries did not disagree that school was a waste of time.

To fully engage their students with service learning, Kaye suggests teachers take the time to get to know their students.

“We need to investigate the children. What are their interests, skills, talents and areas for growth?” she says. “Children become eager to use what they’re good at in meaningful ways. They’re not able to do that in typical academic situations.”

Barton agrees it’s important to tailor service learning to students and does this in her school. “They all have a project they’re working towards.They’re passionate about it IBWorld 27

service learning

“I had one student who you could easily miss in a classroom because he’s very quiet. He has simply blossomed”

No student is too young to make a difference in somebody else’s life (top), and students from the British International School, Vietnam (above), show that you can have fun while still making an impact

because they choose it,” says Barton.

“Although the teachers help guide them, they don’t tell them what service-learning project they need to get involved in.”

But Barton also makes sure the students don’t pick something based on their existing talents – she encourages them to stretch themselves. “It’s not just, ‘I’m good at art so I’m going to do a mural.’ It’s actually, ‘I’d like to develop my creativity skills and that is one of my goals,’” she explains.

And this shows in their reflection, Barton says. “You can see the passion and how much learning has happened,” she says. “It’s because they’ve had the choice.They go out and select what they’re interested in and that’s where they get their passion from.”

Leila Holmyard, Assistant Head of 6th form (equivalent to grades 11 and 12) at the British International School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, discovered packaging 28 IBWorld March 2015

your activity cleverly can help too. Her school regularly visits a nearby orphanage to entertain and play games with the children there. While girls were keen to visit the orphanage, boys weren’t initially interested in joining in. “So we explained that the orphanage is run mostly by women, and there are many boys there who don’t have male role models,” she explains.

“The boys really rose to the challenge.”

Citizens of the future Although it may seem like a lot of time and effort, the benefits of service learning can be remarkable. It can help students better comprehend their learning. A study by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) found that 69 per cent of students who were involved in service learning believed that it helped them to better understand that course’s materials.

Similarly, a study by the National Youth Leadership Council in the USA found that children who participated in such projects performed better in reading, mathematics, history and science.

“Service learning creates an environment where students are diving deeper into enquiry,” says Kaye. “They’re becoming more engaged in their own learning process.”

It relates to the IB Learner Profile and helps students develop personally too.

Research by the IB in 2013 found that students felt they became more openminded and reflective when they participated in service-learning activities.

Kaye agrees it teaches students valuable life skills. “If we want children to be problem-solvers, we need to give them real problems to solve,” she says.

Whitfield believes the teaching method has taught her students to be more internationally minded. She hopes this will make them more proactive in the future.

“We’re hoping when they become adults and there’s something happening they care about, they actually do something about it,” she says.

Richard Dyer, who is Head of Secondary at the British International School, Vietnam, and works alongside Holmyard, agrees service learning helps to make students better global citizens. “If we don’t get to the stage where students feel they have a sense of responsibility for their community and a sense that they can actually make a difference, then the planet has got no hope,” he says. “You can’t be a citizen without taking action.You can’t be a citizen without being responsible.”

Gisby thinks service learning is powerful enough to challenge people’s views on big issues, like poverty. “Some people think the poor people are poor because they deserve it and they’re rich because they deserve it,” he explains. “That’s a very juvenile idea.”

Delgado was amazed by how her students developed during their field trips.

“I had one student who you could easily miss in a classroom because he’s very quiet,” she explains. “He’s just blossomed.

He’s so much more outgoing and taking more initiative.”

But, for Barton, the main benefit of service learning is simple: “It makes the learning authentic and meaningful.”

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opinions

International mindedness: what does it mean to me?

It’s easy to talk about international mindedness in class, but what does it mean to you, personally? Three sets of students and teachers share their views

Keegan Dennis PYP student Moreton Bay Boys’ College, Australia

“Not afraid to take risks”

Somebody who is internationally minded is open-minded and a risk-taker.They communicate and collaborate with others.

They share their perspectives.

We learn about international mindedness in class and our teacher has helped us a lot.We’re currently working on our PYP exhibition. My exhibit is about the local fishing community. I’ve had to gather lots of information and get other people’s points of view. I also had a Skype session with marine biologists in Hawaii and that helped me gain a lot of perspective for my piece.

I think it’s important to help other people become internationally minded.You can do that by sharing your knowledge with them.To become internationally minded, people should look at what’s happening in their local area and in the news.They’d gain a different perspective from it and would learn to show empathy. I think you can develop international mindedness as you grow.You don’t just get it once and then forget about it.

I think it’s important for people to be internationally minded because it will help them later on in life. It could help them in their jobs because some jobs require different knowledge.

I would describe myself as internationally minded because I’m not just gaining perspectives from inside. I’m looking out into the community and the world. I’d like to become more internationally minded by studying different languages and cultures. Later in life, I’d like to go out and study the world, and put myself into different cultures to gain new experiences.

Joseph Fumar Year 6B teacher, Moreton Bay Boys’ College, Australia

“Time for reflection”

I try to focus on teaching what I call the three big Cs – cultural understanding, communication and collaboration – and I make sure students have time to reflect on issues in the world and to consider other people’s perspectives.

In class, I ask the students questions to get them thinking in an internationally-minded manner. For example, I’ll ask if they’re actively listening to other people’s ideas and if they understand their points of view. I begin by prompting them but, very gradually, a change will happen and they’ll ask those questions automatically.You have to get the ball rolling and let it snowball.

I agree with Keegan, international mindedness can relate to risk-taking. It can be a scary process, especially if the new way of thinking contradicts your family’s own views. I thought that insight was pretty powerful.

Prisma Bildagentur/Alamy

“I ask students if they are actively listening to other people’s ideas and if they understand” 30 IBWorld March 2015

Sea-Yun Joung MYP student, Trondheim International School, Norway

“Resolves conflict”

From the beginning, the IB has shown me the way of international mindedness. If everyone were to be aware of, and follow the 10 learner profile attributes, the world would be a better and more internationally-minded place.

I believe that conflict brought about through the misunderstanding of different religions and cultures would be resolved. From my experience, learning about other cultures has helped me become more open-minded towards others.

With the exception of my homeland, Korea, the countries that I’ve been to are mainly Christian in background, but at school we are also taught about Islam and other global religions, as well as Judeo-Christian ethics.This is a good way of becoming culturally aware.

International mindedness goes beyond the understanding and knowledge learned in class, and has much more impact when demonstrated through action rather than words. I actively participate in global engagement projects and I also use social media to communicate with international communities.

Social media certainly makes it easier for people to behave in an internationally-minded way. So many campaigns have begun on social media. It has the power to change the world.

“International mindedness goes beyond the understanding and knowledge learned in class”

Stephen Rothkopf Deputy Principal and IB Director of Curriculum, Trondheim International School, Norway

“Learning new ideas”

Internationally-minded students can understand and respect other points of view and make decisions based on considering these through reflection. Learning about new cultures and ideas to broaden their views of the world particularly inspires internationally-minded students.

I would agree with Sea-Yun that international mindedness helps create a culture of tolerance, which is essential to peace and reconciliation. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy working at IB World Schools. Our central mission is designed to promote international mindedness.

I would also agree that the notion of connectedness is very current in education and underlines the place social media has in people’s lives today. The spread of ideas has never been greater. Having our own personal learning environments, which includes social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs, does broaden our views, but they must be tempered with appropriate skills to locate and evaluate the information.

Nikita Devarajan DP student, Dulwich College, Shanghai

“Appreciation of cultures” “We live in a small world”, as the saying goes, especially nowadays as we find ourselves interacting with people from all over the world, therefore it’s so important for people to be internationally minded.

To be internationally minded means to have an understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures in our world. An internationally-minded person is considered openminded, patient, worldly, and has respect for diversity and an appreciation for commonality.They are eager to spend time learning about cultures, and are often involved in events that recognize our international community.

With a multicultural background, I felt like I was internationally minded even before I lived overseas and enrolled in an international school. But the ability to understand and accept new cultures and civilizations as a part of our world was taught to me in the classroom.Teachers emphasize the importance of applying concepts and theories we learn to situations around the world.

As a service prefect, I am leading the service committee in raising awareness and funds for victims of Typhoon Haiyan with the help of fellow students, highlighting my awareness for world events. Becoming internationally minded is not something that happens instantaneously. It requires a person’s willingness to acknowledge that there is a more complex world outside his or her own. I believe that with exposure to multiple cultures, international mindedness is possible for everyone.

Shelley Swift Head of Psychology and CAS Coordinator, Dulwich College, Shanghai

“Global partnerships”

There are two sides to international mindedness: a focus on core values and a global perspective; and the skills required to live and work happily in the 21st century. I take a number of steps to ensure that students feel connected to their world through their learning. I use international partnerships to enhance intercultural understanding, and examples of this range from Skype conferences with a school in India, to discussions about ‘resilience programmes’ with a senior social worker in Wales.Technological advancements allow us to connect immediately to the world, and make learning relevant and engaging. Learning platforms such as e-languages provide opportunities for teachers across the world to engage in interesting projects, as well as simultaneously embed intercultural understanding.

Students are also given unique opportunities to explore, reflect and mould their perceptions and opinions.This is supported by the critical thinking elements of the IB Diploma Programme, which is embedded within each subject area and the core.

IBWorld 31

ınsıght

EDUCATORS’PERSPECTIVES ON EFFECTIVE PRACTICE

So, instead of assigning a real world mathematical problem, let’s show students what it means to be a true mathematician; one who sees the beauty in the numbers that make the world magical.They should see the joy we get from seeing mathematical patterns not just in the project, but also in the patterns of our lives. Our love for numbers should be so infectious that they can’t stop seeing it everywhere for themselves.

If we teach science, we shouldn’t just create an assignment asking students to develop their own solutions to greenhouse gas emissions.They need to see how the interconnected web of life affects their own everyday lives.

As an English teacher, I don’t want their analysis to end when the bell rings. I want students to understand when ‘displacement’ arises so they know to show compassion in return. I want them to see the poetry floating in the atmosphere just as the

Open up a new world

Illustration Neil Webb

Authentic learning can create a generation of thinkers – but are teachers themselves authentic enough?

What’s your definition of “authentic learning”? After speaking with many educators, their definitions vary, but it seems it’s generally defined as: “skills learnt in school that can be taken to higher education, the workforce or the community.These skills could include the ability to work well in groups; good study habits; strong writing skills; and excellent real-world problem-solving skills, just to name a few.”

This made me think. Not just about my own students’ learning, but authentic learning in general.

It’s great to have students attempt a mathematical formula connected to a real problem because it gets them thinking outwardly. But how do we, as educators, make it more than just another assignment they have to do? And ensure we create thinkers rather than employees?

We all want more for our students.We want them to do more than just be able to work well with others, prepare for an assessment, write a coherent expository piece that will be sent to the town council or research real world issues and put the findings and solutions on a poster.

By design, authentic learning requires less of our expertise. Its style aims to broaden the variety of learning methods available for students, ensuring student learning isn’t only determined by what the teacher knows.

I fully support this steer away from simply providing students

“Instead of creating doers, let’s create thinkers and lovers of knowledge” with information via lectures.

However, if we don’t know enough about our subjects, how can we know when guidance is needed?

To spark the love for passionate learning our students require, we need to know more about our subjects, and not just learning in general.We need to become what we want from our students, and wholeheartedly believe in what we teach, encouraging our students to possess the same passion.

We must live, breathe, eat, and sleep what we teach. How can we ask students to solve real world problems in a meaningful way, if we aren’t doing the same?

How can we look a student in the eye and tell them that an

author wrote something with an intended effect, if we don’t write with intention?

How can we tell a student that research is the key to seeing both sides of a historical argument, if we don’t relish the research too?

Furthermore, how can we ask them to read and think about difficult literature, if we don’t see the beauty in the difficult ourselves?

Instead of creating doers, let’s create thinkers and lovers of knowledge. As the American author Thoreau wrote: “Instead of noblemen, let us have noble villages of men.” Let’s provide our students with more than the ability to interpret what those in charge want them to accomplish.

19th-century poet Emerson did, and have an urge to write it down and share it with the world.

We need to show students the authenticity of our lives so they can see it in their own. If we continue celebrating success in students who simply know how to solve a problem because we tell them to, we are in danger of perpetuating the factory model of education, which limits students’ potential.

As teachers, we determine if students see learning as something to be done, or something to be lived. Let’s create noble villages to live in.

By Michael Vergien, English A: literature teacher, Coppell High School, Texas, USA.

IBWorld 33

communıty

Doha British School, Qatar

STEM success

Ambition and perseverance drives students to the F1 in Schools Finals

I

B Diploma Programme students from Doha British School, Qatar, were in high spirits when they returned from the F1 in Schools World Finals 2014, held in Abu Dhabi.

Describing their experience as “absolutely phenomenal”, the team designed and created a miniature Formula 1 (F1) car, as part of their CAS activity, using 3D solid modeling software and computeraided manufacturing.They then raced the car at Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the F1 in Schools World Finals.

The team,Vortex Racing, won the national stages and competed against 37 teams from 24 countries for the world champion title.

34 IBWorld March 2015

IB Coordinator Emma Tully says: “The students were absolutely buzzing about the entire experience.They were so enthusiastic to be at the F1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, and competing against other schools to see how they would perform.”

Although Vortex Racing didn’t win, it was a fantastic opportunity to represent their country and learn lifelong skills such as organization, leadership and teamwork.

Team leader Anastasiya Unnikrishnan says: “To represent Qatar at the World Finals has been an overwhelming experience. A lot of personal challenges have been met and the activities have enabled us to gain valuable life skills. From the very beginning of the planning stages to the end evaluation, the competition has given us opportunities to develop skills we never knew we had.”

It was Head of Design and Technology Kevin Bloomer’s idea to get the students more involved in STEM.The F1 challenge not only honed their mathematics and science skills, but also developed their business acumen, as students worked hard to secure their

competition entry fee and travel expenses.

They raised over £10,000 in sponsorship through various fundraising activities.

“They showed perseverance and commitment throughout,” says Emma.

“It was a fantastic experience for the students,” adds Kevin. “The prestige of the competition is amazing. Many students now want to take this further and pursue a career in engineering.”

Emma and the students have big plans for this year.Vortex Racing will mentor the 2015 team, as well as sit on the national stages’ judging panel.

Ready to race

Sha Tin College, Hong Kong

Rocky road reaps rewards

Bravely leaving behind her ropes and harnesses, Hilary Lok, an IB Diploma Programme student from Sha Tin College, Hong Kong, has taken up a different form of rock climbing as her CAS activity.

Unlike traditional climbing, bouldering is

Hilary finds bouldering a challenge

performed without ropes, relying on strength and technique. Crash mats prevent injuries from falls.

Hilary stumbled across bouldering by accident.

“I initially thought I was signing up for conventional top rope climbing,” she explains. “I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of ropes and harnesses.”

Bouldering has helped Hilary become a risk-taker and a reflective problem solver.

“I won’t complete every route in one go,” she says. “The ability to re-think different routes and address my own

weaknesses has most definitely improved.”

As the bouldering team at the college is small, the students have forged close friendships, offering each other support.

Marc Morris, Hilary’s CAS supervisor, taught her to boulder. “Students support each other in solving the physical challenge presented by routes,” he says. “It is very rewarding to see them attempting, analysing, refining and completing the climbing problems.”

And Hilary won’t stop bouldering when her IB days are over. She’s researching climbing walls near the universities she’s applying to.

Pathways School, Noida, India

Setting up shop for charity The project was a great success. After Business shouldn’t be the domain of repaying the school loan, the students city workers in suits. As one PYP class turned a Rs12,500 (US$200) profit. in India has shown, young children But the children didn’t rush out to can take part too. spend their takings on themselves.

Students at Pathways School in Instead, they selflessly used the profits Noida, India, have funded stalls using to buy blankets for people in Kashmir, a loan from their school to raise money a region in India that had recently been for charity. devastated by floods.Vandana was An inquiry into economic activity incredibly proud. sparked the idea.The class were asking “Our school was already collecting questions about production, exchange numerous objects to help flood victims. and consumption, so they decided to set For example, a dry goods collection was up shops selling a variety of goods from brownies to bracelets to demonstrate their taking place at the time,” says Vandana.

“When the students saw all the activities understanding of the unit.

“We didn’t want the children relying on taking place, they starting asking what loans from home,” says Vandana Parashar, they could send that would be useful.” the students’ form tutor. “It made them realize it’s important to be responsible for the amount that you have, and that it’s important to earn more so that you can repay your initial loan.”

Vandana was impressed to see the students taking responsibility for the project, particularly with their levels of attention to detail.

“It was really nice to see them Stalls proved popular keeping track of their sales coupons,” with the whole school she says. “They did a good job maintaining their order book as well.”

Ray Wiltsey Middle School, California, USA

Actions speak louder than words Teachers demonstrate that service-learning projects are not just for students The IB calls for students to be philanthropists who identify a need in their community and the wider world, and then take action. A team of MYP teachers decided to lead by example.

Last year, 10 teachers at Ray Wiltsey Middle School self-funded a trip to Providence Children’s Home (PCH) and Joram G. Academy school in Kenya to show underprivileged students a different, more fun side to education.They raised US$52,000, which was used to build two large playgrounds and fund various art projects, science experiments and physical education activities.

For the teachers, the Wiltsey team provided intensive staff training sessions every day, as well as counseling sessions for the orphaned students.

“This project has changed not only the way Wiltsey staff teach and how students learn; it has changed the way we perceive the world and is making us more globally and culturally aware,” says Terri Bradley, IB Coordinator and data coach.

“We realized how valued a simple thing such as reading a book or owning a pencil is to the students we met.They see attending school as a gift and are really motivated to learn,” adds Terri.

“These blessings are often taken for granted.We wanted our students back home to realize this, and we wanted them to have the same love for learning that we witnessed in Kenya.”

The relationship with PCH began 12 years ago, and over the past couple of years Wiltsey students, who study Africa as part of their 7th grade curriculum, have formed a special bond with the students in Kenya.They send letters, Christmas gifts and have raised funds to help buy a milk cow.

Although students did not travel, they started a campaign to raise money to buy much-needed school supplies as part of their service-learning project. “They engaged the entire school community and raised enough money to fill a pencil pouch for all 550 students,” says Terri.

The team will be traveling again in 2016 and hope to invite other teachers within the district.

“This way, we can spread the ethics and values of the IB,” says Terri.

IBWorld 35

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alumna “It’s nice to do something concrete that I can see make a difference” Maya Krishnan

Theories in action

The IB has influenced this scholar to successfully connect two unlikely subjects “What is art?” That is the perplexing and abstract question Maya Krishnan was asked during a class field trip to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NewYork City.

But far from being daunted by the task, Maya calls it one of her fondest moments during her time at Richard Montgomery High School, Maryland, USA, where she studied the IB Diploma Programme.

Maya’s ability to think critically has certainly paid off.

She is currently studying philosophy with computer science and classics at Stanford University, California, USA, and has been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship to further her studies at Oxford University, UK. It is the oldest international graduate scholarship and is granted to just 83 students each year.

“I originally applied for the Rhodes Scholarship because Oxford is a major centre for philosophy,” explains Maya.

“I feel so excited and honoured, and can’t wait to start classes this October.

“I’m planning to get a Master’s degree in computer science in my first year, as I’m interested in the philosophical

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Maya is looking forward to studying at Oxford University

implications of developments in computing,” she adds. “It will give me the technical foundation necessary for that kind of work. After that, I’m planning on getting a Master’s degree in either philosophy or philosophical theology.”

This may seem like an unusual combination of subjects and it’s Maya’s experience with the IB that helped her identify the link between the two. “The IB Diploma Programme taught me how to seek out the connections between different subjects I studied,” she says.

In true IB fashion, Maya hopes to reflect on what she learns during her computer science degree through philosophy coursework.

Maya’s initial interest in philosophy was sparked by her IB history and philosophy

teacher, Robert Thomas, who was a “huge influence”.

“It began when I read Plato’s The Republic as part of his class,” she says. “Every week we would have ‘Plato Friday’ where we moved our desks in a circle, read the text out loud, and debated it line by line.”

Maya’s achievements to date are impressive. She has created and maintains an online database, called the ‘POLIS’ project. This interactive searchable map correlates two separate datasets about ancient people and places.

“There’s a lot of data available about people and the locations they were associated with in ancient Greece and Rome, but it’s not in a format that is readily accessible,” explains Maya.

“The ‘POLIS’ project uses visualization to make data

analysis and interpretation much easier.”

She’s also written a book, Modern Illuminations, about the theory of knowledge, and plans to write more in the future.

“I have a couple of ideas but I’m still in the very early stages of developing them,” explains Maya. “I’m very interested in the philosopher Martin Heidegger and the possibility of using some of his ideas as a framework for understanding computer code.”

To relax, Maya likes to run, play the oboe and listen to classical music, particularly Bach and Rimsky-Korsakov.

But she still makes time for charitable causes. She has worked as a technology scientist for Horton’s Kids, an educational charity that helps some of the poorest children in Washington, USA. “Philosophy and computer science can be very abstract, so it’s nice to do something very concrete that I can see makes a difference,” she says. “When I build a new database for an organization like this, I can see for myself how it affects their daily operations. I get the feeling of being immediately connected to the community.”

And how does she get it all done? That’s something Maya attributes to her IB Diploma Programme days too.

“Balancing six courses was very difficult,” she says.

“I quickly learned how to organize my time well.”

Join Maya and fellow alumni in the IB alumni network. Visit its blog at blogs.ibo.org/alumni to learn more about this growing community.

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