Articles show you just enough to catch your attention, but not nearly enough to understand anything. You may remember a word or two - maybe even a phrase. But overall, they leave you with nothing but vague statements you could have otherwise guessed.
It irritates me. Isnt it obvious that the worlds largest curriculums are ‘rigorous’; and I mean, dont all curriculums foster ‘personal growth’? All of us already know this.
The real question is how exactly they facilitate this personal growth, their rigour, or any of the other ambiguous and loaded statements advertisers keep repeating. With this article, you’ll understand IB’s core components and differentiators, what they actually mean, the results they yield, and most importantly, the how and why behind it all.
Some context before we start (sometimes the boring stuff is important)..
- Similar to Advanced Placement (AP), IB provides college level courses. As a result of this, thousands of colleges worldwide acknowledge its difficulty by providing college credits to those who score relatively well. They weren’t lying when they said IB was rigorous!
- IB educated students also perform better than most from other curricula. Don’t worry, these aren’t the same loaded statements; we have data. DP (diploma program) students are not only 3 times more likely to join top 20 universities, there is a significant statistical difference in academic persistence, critical thinking skills, university grades, and more importantly, global-mindedness (a 5% and higher difference), among many others.
So, how does the IB achieve such impressive results, not only in scores (university grades and critical thinking skills) but also in the development of valuable qualities such as global mindedness?
So.. How do they do it?
The secret lies in whats called the IB learner profiles. Constructed to help achieve the organisation mission, (educating students conceptually, with global perspective, values, and knowledge), the learner profiles consist of 10 values and qualities the IB encourages all students to possess. Promoted heavily in each programme, the IB structures classes, exams, core components, and various other facets of the curriculum, to embody the 10 attributes.
Let’s understand how this takes form in context to the IB’s Diploma Program (DP).
Research Heavy Curriculum (IAs) - being open-minded and an inquirer
The DP ensures students are capable of conducting higher level research, with Internal Assessments (IAs). Whether it be conducting practical experiments, analyzing existing research or articles, creating portfolio artworks, or others, the IAs challenge students continually. Required to conduct an IA for each subject, students create unique pieces of research, fostering the growth of open-minded inquirers.
Intense Focus on Communication (EE) - being a knowledgeable, communicator
The Extended Essay is the 2nd component of the DP, in which students are required to conduct and convey extensive student research. Fostering eloquent communicators with their room for only concise and clear academic writing. Within it, they must convey unique research, complex concepts, and much more, in under 4000 words, professionally. Additionally, students are expected to research beyond the IB’s already extensive college level syllabus into a niche or specialization. This guarantees that students are not only knowledgeable in at least 1 area, but they are also capable of thinking beyond the syllabus.
Theory Of Knowledge (TOK) - Being principled and a thinker
The Theory Of Knowledge makes students question the validity of the “knowledge” we rely on when making claims about decisions, statements, or even outcomes we notice in life. Required to differentiate between ethics & morality, objectivity & subjectivity, facts & myths, students must identify and justify their claim behind a debatable topic of personal interest. Examples of TOK topics can range from ‘distinguishing between good and bad interpretations of art’ to even questioning philosophies, quotes, and more. The TOK helps students define their own principles by helping base their chain of reasoning on the understanding that knowledge is multifactorial and at times is based on unaddressed fallacies. It forces students to be thinkers, having to question and justify what we already ‘know’.
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) - Being caring and a risk-taker
The CAS is the DP’s 4th component, which ensures students take up projects related to either Creativity, Activity or Service. These projects can range from learning the piano, helping out at a soup kitchen, to even starting a YouTube channel. Essentially, the CAS intends to encourage students to get out of their comfort zone and be risk-takers, as well as be caring and capable of being empathetic.
Student’s can’t just get away with not completing these components either! Here’s why..
- If you fail to submit your TOK, EE, or any of the 6 IAs, you will not receive your IB diploma.
- If you fail to meet CAS requirements you will not receive your IB diploma.
- Your TOK & EE are worth 3 marks in your final IB score.
- Your IAs are worth anywhere from 20% to 40% of your final subject scores.
Overall, the IB DP (while sharing many attributes with other curriculums), fosters the growth of well rounded global citizens with their additional components and unique structure. Built on the basis of 10 fundamental traits of an educated and meaningful contributor to society, the IB DP stands out in their approach to teaching as on that prepares its students for life.