Features As a result of my many years of teaching IB programmes, I have a special interest in the extent to which schools promote the attributes of the IB Learner Profile among students. For a recently completed study, I designed research tools that asked students to reflect on how well they thought they managed the attributes of the IB Learner Profile and who they thought was responsible for their acquisition and continued development. Additionally, I asked students what they understood by the term ‘international mindedness’ and whether they thought the attributes of the IB Learner Profile helped them to be internationally minded. (See Singh and Qi, 2013 for a discussion of the IB’s definition of international mindedness), The vast majority of the students involved in the research (all Colombian and mostly having been at the school since the age of 4) felt that they were stronger in some of the attributes of the IB Learner Profile than others, and believed they had acquired the attributes not only as a result of experience at school, but also because of the influence of significant others, such as parents and friends – or even through their own reflections. They felt that they tended to be stronger communicators and open-minded, and that these attributes enhanced their ability to be internationally minded – though there was no shared view as to what actually constituted being internationally minded. Students also tended to believe that the mind-set they had when undertaking service activities with the community was more important than the activities they actually undertook.
The learner is at the centre of the IB programmes. It is crucial not only that we listen to the perceptions of learners as to how school has impacted their way of being and the dispositions that they have, but also that the questions we ask are based on sound theoretical constructs. The research tools I used can not only be applied in other IB schools, but may also be adapted by schools that offer other international programmes. References American Association of School Librarians (2007). Standards for the 21st century learner. Retrieved 11 August 2015, from www.ala. org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/ learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf Cambridge International Examinations (2015). Cambridge prospectus 2015/16. Retrieved November 30, 2015, from Cambridge International Examinations: www.cie.org.uk/images/7882-cambridge-prospectus. pdf International Baccalaureate (2013). IB Learner Profile in review: Report and recommendation. Cardiff: International Baccalaureate Singh, M., & Qi, J. (2013). 21st century international mindedness: An exploratory study of its conceptualisation and its assessment. South Penrith: University of Western Sydney.
Dr John Wells is Head of Middle School and IB Middle Years Programme Coordinator at the Magellan International School, Austin, Texas. Email: wells.mr@gmail.com
Forthcoming Conferences February 6-8 AAIE Annual Leadership Conference, San Francisco, US. February 19-22 Association of International Education Administrators Annual Conference, Washington DC, US. March 3-5 ECIS ESL Mother Tongue Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark. March 4-5 EARCOS Middle School Global Issues Network Conference, Hong Kong Academy. March 24-25 ECIS Early Childhood Conference, Brussels, Belgium. March 29-31 IB Global Conference, Yokohama, Japan. March 30-April 1, EARCOS Teachers’ Conference, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. April 14-15 COBIS Wellbeing Conference, Dubai College, UAE. April 21-22 ECIS Annual Leadership Conference, Barcelona, Spain. May 6-8 COBIS Annual Conference, London, UK. May 28-June 2 NAFSA Annual Conference, Los Angeles, US. July 20-23 IB Americas Regional Conference, Orlando, US. July 30-August 5 IB World Student Conference, Rochester, US. August 6-12 IB World Student Conference, London, UK. October 6-8, Alliance for International Education World Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands (see pages 52-53).
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