The International Baccalaureate: 50 years of education for a better world, by Judith Fabian, Ian Hill and George Walker (eds), reviewed by Andrew Watson

The International Baccalaureate 50 years of education for a better world

By Judith Fabian, Ian Hill and George Walker (eds) Woodbridge: John Catt Educational Ltd (2018) Reviewed by Andrew Watson

It’s always lovely, if a little self-indulgent, to give yourself a gift for your birthday. But why not, especially when you feel you’ve earned it? Especially when it’s a special birthday, like your 50th. To celebrate reaching its own half century in rude health in 2018, the International Baccalaureate (IB) commissioned a compilation of what might affectionately be termed “academic birthday greetings”, which in four sections reflects with pride and nostalgia on its roots, reaffirms its vision, passionately endorses its pioneering role in the present, and looks forward with hope to increasing its ideological influence on an uncertain global future.

Venerable contributors tell, and indeed re-tell, the compelling story of a remarkable journey that started with an improbably small group of educators. This IB narrative makes appropriately reverential reference to a veritable pantheon of international education “greats”; pioneering visionaries who have given their lives to actively pursuing a better, more peaceful world. Peterson, Cole, Sutcliffe, Leach, Blackburn, Maclehose, Goodban, Renaud, Hill, Hayden & Thompson, Valentine, Walker, Bartlett, Flodman, et al. These extraordinary individuals collectively embraced the moral purpose and potential of international education and, through the IB, “brought some kind of order” to it, as George Walker (p19) puts it in his typically modest, understated way.

As with many a birthday card, there isn’t space for everyone to be mentioned, but there is a pervasive sense of genuine gratitude to the everyday, unsung heroes, in schools around the globe and those working for the IB organisation, who continue to make the IB a prophetic voice for positive change in the world. There are many moments in “50 years of education for a better world” when, quite movingly, one realises how much our own experience in the “IB world” has been built upon the dedication of others, and how as members of this community, we should (to paraphrase Einstein) continue to exert ourselves in order to give in return as much as we have received and are receiving. Or, to borrow from the May 2019 Theory of Knowledge (ToK) prescribed titles, we come to understand that “The production of knowledge is always a collaborative task and never solely a product of the individual”.

As this is essentially a book of celebration, it is neither the time nor the place for deep, introspective, self-critical evaluation – nobody wants to spoil a birthday party, after all. So, even in the spirit that “other people with their differences can also be right”, it would doubtless have been wrong to sift through the catalogue of well-documented struggles and cyclical dissonance between mission, vision and practice within the organisation, which have punctuated its existence. That would have to be a separate volume, for another time. There are, however, reassuring glimmers of the radical spirit and critical thinking that have inspired so many to move into international education, in chapters by Jenny Gillett, who writes with typical passion and eloquence about ToK “exposing students to ambiguity and complexity” (p83), and in Judith Fabian’s honest reflection that “principles can get lost” (p69). And there’s the rub.

The tension between pragmatism and idealism, which has characterised much of the IB’s growth and development as an organisation, is a welcome thread weaving through this compendium. Jennifer Giddings, Robert Harrison, Angela Rivière and Dominic Robeau write with verve and passion about the creative, innovative thinking that continues to shape the evolution of the four IB programmes, a truly inspirational tale of international collaboration of the highest order and a real measure of success. Then there are appropriate allusions, from Director Generals present and former, Siva Kumari and George Walker respectively, to the significant strides the IB has made to modernise, and to equip itself with the systems and structures which can support optimal implementation of its programmes.

Looking ahead to its “new challenges”, it is interesting to contemplate the extent to which the IB sees a future populated by “challenges” rather than “opportunities”. Embracing the future, much like the cherished concept of international-mindedness, implies, as Judith Fabian argues (p69), “a change of mindset – a new way of thinking, behaving and acting in relation to the world”. The IB has always been rather good at that, but if the IB is going to continue to be “as radical as possible” (ibid) it will need to nurture the spirit of

adventure that gave rise to some its greatest success stories, such as the United World College in Mostar, the articulation of “IB pedagogy” through “Approaches to Teaching and Learning”, the ubiquitous IB Learner Profile, and the evolving dimensions of assessment and professional development. These are inspirational stories, reflecting a profound belief in education as a change agent of society, which have helped to position the IB where it belongs – at the forefront of education systems thinking.

So what next? A central focus on sustainability in its broadest sense? IB tertiary institutions? In looking to the future, Howard Gardner (p193) reflects the vision of the original pioneers in proposing that the IB should “cherish the traditional values of truth, beauty and goodness”. Judith Fabian’s unapologetic vision is that an IB experience should “fill young people with joy” (p69). George Walker identifies four challenges for the IB in the next 50 years; diversity, complexity, sustainability, inequality (p170). It was he who, with prescient clarity, first referred to the IB as “an education for peace”, and here he alludes to the worrying rise of “nationalism and isolationism” to which, we can but hope, an IB education might be an antidote. In her closing remarks, Siva Kumari invokes the pioneering spirit of IB and recommits to working ever closer in partnership with schools, not least because “good IB teaching does not come easily” (p203).

Recently I had the great privilege of meeting the former editor of “Die Zeit”, who is 88 years old and full of energy and insight. I asked him what advice he might have for a slightly younger man of fifty, as he faces the future. His sage advice was “Never stop starting and never start stopping”. Sounds like good advice for the IB, too.

The book? It would make a great gift.

Andrew Watson is Co-Director of Sustainability Education, and incoming Principal at the International School of Florence. He served on the Governing Board of the United World College in Mostar between 2010 and 2016.

Email: andycdwatson@gmail.com

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