A GLOBAL CLASSROOM

COULD THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE BE THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION? VIRGINIA IMHOFF FINDS OUT MORE ABOUT THE GLOBALLY FOCUSED PROGRAM.

WE LIVE IN an increasingly mobile and globalised society and that’s one of the reasons that 10 to 15 per cent of senior students at Canberra Girls Grammar School are now choosing to do the International Baccalaureate. Sarah Trotter, acting director of teaching and learning and former IB coordinator at the school, says the Year 11 and 12 IB Diploma Program offers a broad education that suits students who want to keep their options open and who really want a global connection. “This year there are 19 students doing it, and some of the demand is coming from the international community who have either been to an IB school or are going to an IB school, or will be studying in a university overseas, and they know the IB Diploma is particularly well recognised.” The IB program was founded in 1968 by a group of international schools in Geneva and part of its appeal, according to Ashley Coats, the chair of IB schools Australasia, is that it’s a global standard of education that makes moving between countries easy for students. “One of the benefits of the IB is that children can travel anywhere in the world and they should be receiving the same standard of education and a seamless transition from one year to the next,” he says. The IB is made up of four individual programs, taking students from junior years through to senior education. In Australia, there are currently 180 schools authorised to offer the IB, and they vary in how many and which of the programs they offer. The Primary Years Program is for students aged three to 12, while the Middle Years Program is for children aged 11 to 16. For students in Years 11 and 12, the IB Diploma Program, is a globally recognised university preparation course and provides challenging, internationally focused education. (Also at upper senior school level, the Careers-related Program caters for those students focused on employment. In the senior years, the IB Diploma differs from the national curriculum in that students complete three mandatory core elements of learning alongside their six academic subjects of English/literature, a second language, science, maths, humanities and the arts. The three core elements involve a 4000-word independent research essay, exploration into the nature and theory of knowledge, and finally, a unit where students take part in projects relating to the concepts of creativity, activity and service. The IB’S mission is to nurture good global citizens. But there’s also a misconception that the IB diploma is for top students only, that’s not necessarily so, says Sarah Trotter. “The diploma is highly academic and is university preparation and suited to students who thrive on a challenge and want to stretch themselves,” she says. “But while it’s academically challenging, it’s also accessible... it has a lot of inclusive assessment arrangements within it for students who require that.” Ashley Coats says some students might be discouraged from taking up the IB Diploma because they’re seeking entry to a local, rather than an international university where the IB Diploma is more acceptable. However, soon this may no longer be a concern. “We’re working as an organisation with local universities to accept early entry before the ATAR [Australian Tertiary Admission Rank] comes out,” he says, “This makes it more attractive to students to do that more rigorous course, and also has that flow-on benefit to local universities.” For information about IB schools in Australia and the programs they offer, visit ibaustralasia.org