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10 Ultimate Benefits of Pursuing IB
Every person reading this page has learning styles, that were not suited to their school styles. Tagore, Einstein, Churchill, Edison, Isaac Newton had learning styles, that were not suited to their school styles. And the same mismatch continues today, for millions of others. Every parent aspires to bring in an education, for their children to better the life for their child, make it more meaningful, with happier than their own ambience. The 21st century parents want their child to grow up as women and men of the world, not just intellectually but also want to concentrate on their holistic development and prepare them to thrive in an increasingly globalized, people and tech savvy challenging world.
Academic education alone is not enough because it deeply underestimates what our kids now, can do. It is a fundamental error to think, if we just improve their academic contents and perhaps add a few other skills, such as a sport, a language, art or chess or flying skills, all will be well. That is a mistake. We need to empower our kids further to exercise their own brain potential and thinking ~ creative and critical, to sustain and face the world.
Education is in the forefront and different kinds of International Schools are mushrooming in India and other parts of the world. Many of them are IB schools. Majority of parents are not yet aware about what is IB and what makes the education in IB schools different. International Baccalaureate (IB) was established and designed with an aim to educate children in the truest sense of development towards sustainable ‘Human excellence’. The pedagogy of teaching & learning and differentiated curriculum focuses specifically on definite areas of moral development towards attributes which are recognised, world-wide, as essential IB Learner Profile. These are characteristics, which are inculcated through the IB curriculum designed for benefiting a child’s holistic education, with an awareness ‘Every Child Matters’. We as parents, teachers, social reformers, need to be aware that our children are no longer the people, as we were in the school. Where helping others, making a winning team is more important than being individual winners. These team building and supporting others, make our children automatically, individually highly successful and outstanding performers too.
The pedagogy of International Baccalaureate (IB) was thus established and designed with expansion of human abilities, character and moral development attributes. Such an education has been gaining grounds in the recent years because of its practical orientation to face the rapidly changing technical scenarios, advancement of human thoughts, mind-set and hands-on approach towards practical, application orientated learning.
These approaches to learning (ATL) develop a different frame of mind and in turn, students become not just untiring learners, but also the discoverers of the power of ‘Self’ and truthful citizens of the world.
IB is a world leading curriculum, it fosters creativity, encourages inquiry, action and collaborative reflection-based learning to develop a range of competencies and become active, compassionate lifelong learners. This frame of mind generates a harmony, understanding that other people, with their differences, may also be right.
This article will help you understand the challenging educational territories explored by IB and how your child may benefit from IB education:
- Teaching methods and curriculums of IB are research-based and drawn from the best educational practices from round the world, including those of Vedanta of ancient India, China, Japan, Europe and so forth. It is a world-leading curricular framework that encourages students to become active and compassionate lifelong learners. Students who pass out from IB schools have a considerably higher chance of getting enrolled at top colleges and universities in India ~ compared to other boards and in top Universities of the World.
- The IB programme is more practical and application-based with a concept driven curriculum. It believes in developing skills that lead to all-round development. It’s a learner-centric approach that includes research and problem-solving skills. The focus is more on applied knowledge instead of rote learning. Students are encouraged to think independently and drive their own learning through ‘inquiry’, skilful questioning.
- Though the IB curriculum is more rigorous with application of mind, as compared to other educational boards like CBSE and ICSE. But the challenge remains in the quality of assignments, not in the quantity of work assigned or memory alone. And children too, do not feel the ‘stress’ of examinations. The approach is more student’s potential discovery centric, practical, challenging and concept driven, rather than an examination centric approach from other boards.
- The IB pedagogy focuses on facilitating the children on “how to learn” through their own hidden strength rather than sticking to “what to learn”. IB assessments test students’ knowledge and skills, and not just, as it is done through examinations, their memory or speed.
There are no prescribed textbooks as the children choose their own referral to books resources, that are more reliable, serves variety, encourages personal involvement and allows for exploration in a global context, research and widen their thinking horizon ~ with responsibility for their own learning. An IB student becomes an independent learner. They are guided to become more responsible, for their own learning. The problem solving ability gets ingrained in them, as right from primary to diploma programme, an IB student comes up with real life solutions to the challenges posed in the real world. It is a learner-centric approach that includes research and problem-solving skills. IB assesses more than knowledge. Students learn to understand, apply and evaluate which are the much-needed skills in the global world today. It believes in developing skills that lead to all-round development.
- IB has a broader spectrum of subjects and have the option of choosing the subject they prefer to pursue their further studies in. So, they can expand the breadth and depth of their subject of interest and excel in their respective field.
The learner profile is ingrained in their system, thus producing 21st Century students. A student can choose subjects like drama or cricket along with Physics and Chemistry, which is not possible in traditional boards.
- IB provides a student-focused learning environment where ‘Inquiring’ is a vital ingredient which makes children better communicators as well as inquirers. It also helps student become independent and critical thinkers. In Grade 5, they do an Exhibition where they create their own inquiry question and exhibit their learning. In grade 8, IB students do a community project which involves finding a problem in their community and collaborating with other students to try out solutions to solve these problems.
In 10th grade students make a Personal Project, where they have to make a challenging product or solution based on their prior knowledge, interest or service goals. They also have to prepare a report on the entire process. Some examples of personal project include, making a solar power electric bike/car, designing better basketball shoes, making voice-controlled robots, prosthetic body parts, tutorials, blogs, blood donation drive, Model United Nation (MUN) etc.
The 11th and 12th standards of IB, which are called as IB Diploma, is one the most rigorous programme that requires a student to do, independently researched IA (Internal Assessments) and EE (Extended Essay), a 4000 word independently written research paper on research question, takes a good student to complete in about 6 to 7 months. These assignments force the student’s curiosity into extensive research and live experiments to gain further practical insights. TOK (Theory of Knowledge) is a unique subject in IB which helps student learn how to analyse and evaluate issues critically. IB does not cater to just academics but also include CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service), letting students learn outside the classroom and develop emotionally and ethically as well as intellectually. CAS also encourages them to contribute back to the society by doing service activities to their community.
- The purpose of IB is to produce Global citizens. IB World School students have international awareness and develop strong academic, social and emotional characteristics. The IB curriculum helps them understand various global issues of significance and makes them ready to pursue higher education anywhere in the world, including India.
- IB teachers are required to frequently participate in many professional development opportunities to continually promote their awareness of current educational practices and new thinking, creating a sense of belongingness in the student, enabling the student to act ethically and become academically motivated. The curriculum of IB is also updated regularly to keep pace with the new developments in various subjects.
9. The positive school environment in an IB school, develops positive academic mind-set in students like malleable intelligence, self- confidence and a sense of belongingness, care and love for others, thus exhibiting positive academic behaviour, resulting in a successful life. IB Students volunteer in service learning projects in and outside the school better than their peers from non- IB schools – they have a ‘growth’ mindset rather than a ‘fixed’ mindset. Right from primary years, IB curriculum helps develop independent thinking and research.
- IB programmes are recognized internationally and it eases the scholastic transitions of mobile students so that their education is not adversely affected if their families relocate. Interdisciplinary Teaching method is followed to develop the students into international minded individuals. They become critical and compassionate thinkers, conscious of shared humanity that binds all people together.
The CEO of International Baccalaureate (IB) is Dr. Siva Kumari, a world-wide acclaimed educator, an Indian and to make India proud. So much thinking, planning, expectations, attitude to the entire learning, is conducted by more than 6000 professional educators in the globe, that the output to the children’s learning is deep, ever changing and not understood by many.
This lack of understanding, is primarily because of lack of knowledge and lack of adequate information available for the parents to develop an understanding, the differences. More and more IB schools are mushrooming, why? Because the true understanding is dawning, “Our children are no longer the people, as we were in the school. Neither are their professional world the same, as it was, in our times of seeking job and competency! The secret to IB’s success actually lies in its assurance to develop the human characters towards brilliance, in its higher commitment to the mission of education for a better world. According to its mission statement, through the IB schools, International Baccalaureate is endeavouring to encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners ~ where ‘learning itself is fun ~ who understand that other people, with their differences, may also be right.’
Victorious Kidss Educares, one of top IB Schools in Pune, India, is a school with a difference, where philosophy of teaching and learning of IB, is coupled with Vedanta. The intention for creating this school has been, primarily, to take away those issues, from the school teaching and learning, which were so much cause of suffering for all of us? We as the parents, teachers, educators, social reformers, challenging path makers for the next generation, need to realise and understand that our children are no longer the people, as we were in the school?
We generally think, that if we just ‘change the academic contents, curriculums and add a few other skills, such as specialization on a game, an instrument, related to the field of music, technology, etc.; all would be well?’ Well, the world of educators, including great visionaries like Swami Vivekananda, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Microsoft giant Bill and Melinda Gates, forecast that, that the current preparations, in most of the schools, placed globally, are utterly inadequate.
Victorious Kidss Educares is an IB World School in India, with its philosophy of discovering the secret power from within every child, has brought in tremendous changes, in the children’s attitude and learning. This school at Pune, has been evaluated by IB Asia Pacific Zonal Headquarter, since 2012, as a ‘Model IB World School in Asia’. The philosophy of the school has been, again and again, applauded, by the visiting evaluation teams. This a concept of applying Vedanta for building the Character, IB for international mindedness, has been achieved by almost no other schools in the Globe. As IB helps children with their external development i.e. developing a Global mind-set, we imbibe the ancient Vedantic knowledge for their internal understanding of the supreme power of ‘Self’. The school is driven by the motto of ‘Learning to Love to Learn’.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]