IB Philosophy:
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) focuses on a quality, high-standard pedagogy that promotes a good balance of inquiring, knowledgeable, diverse, respectful and caring communities of youth, who are not only national, but global citizens. The IBO emphasizes international mindedness and lifelong learning and represents their mission in the IB learner profile: The IBO aims to develop learners who are Balanced, Risk-takers, Reflective, Open-minded, Caring, Communicators, Knowledgeable, Principled, Inquirers, and Thinkers.
See the IB Mission Statement from the IBO.
My Philosophy:
As a pre-service teacher, I look up to the IBO’s philosophy and have internalized it to shape my own pedagogical approach. I believe that education is a lifelong journey and encourage my students to be active participants in their learning. I model respect for all, inside and outside the classroom and accept diversity as the norm. As students live the IB learner profile, they respect themselves, their peers, their community, their nation and their world. My goal for my students, therefore, is for them to become well-educated, respectful, compassionate, and responsible members of the community and the world.
IB Core:
- ToK: Theory of Knowledge is at the heart of the IB Diploma program because it focuses on promoting inquiry and open-mindedness in young learners who are forced to ask themselves why they know what they know and how is it they know what they know. ToK also promotes higher executive functions by enabling the students to delve deeper into analyzing their knowledge and making interdisciplinary links.
- CAS: Creativity, Action, and Service, also at the heart of the IB DP, allows for creative thinking, active learning, as well as serving the community, in keeping with the IBO’s mission to develop well-balanced, all-rounded, global citizens. Students engage in creative pursuits outside their comfort zones and areas of study that helps them become reflective, critical and creative thinking individuals. By engaging in an active lifestyle, they keep fit and allow their brains to perform at their finest. Finally, by serving their communities, students engage with different needs and different environments, learn to accept diversity, and find their place in the world. They learn the skills and values they need to put their priorities, and their lives into perspective.
- Extended Essay: a 4000-word research project undertaken by the student in the subject of their choice is another essential requirement of the IB DP. The EE gives the student the opportunity to conduct an in-depth study of a topic of their interest and formally present their results as an essay (like a mini-thesis). It helps them develop their critical thinking skills, research ability, and communication, and deepens their knowledge.
IB Teaching Strategies:
- Inquiry: Teaching by inquiry directly relates to IBO’s mission of developing inquirers. IBO achieves this by supporting a student-driven approach to learning, where in students independently, or with minimal guidance, formulate questions, investigate, experiment, and reach their own conclusions to acquire knowledge that is important and relevant to them. They develop a deeper understanding of the knowledge, build a foundation for lifelong learning, and learn problem-solving skills they can apply to other areas of their lives.
- Concept-based learning: The IBO has several over-arching themes embedded into the IB teaching guides that encompass central concepts such as relationships, systems, and change, which are further accounted for in the individual subject-based unit and lesson plans. Students learn the idea of the concept as being abstract, universal, and timeless; they can make intra- as well as inter-disciplinary links, and develop skills to make their education more relevant and transferrable to their personal lives.
- Project-based learning: The IBO also puts emphasis on hands-on activities and teamwork as seen in the Group 4 project. As students work collaboratively, they build relationships with their peers, interact with people outside their groups or classroom, engage in creative and critical thinking, and employ skills that will help them in their future lives as professionals.
- Understanding By Design: By outlining the big ideas, lesson goals, and learning objectives in the curriculum guides, the IBO provides teachers and educators with the tools they require to facilitate their students’ learning. The teachers teach learners to the goals outlined in the guides, and tailor their lessons to achieve the aims and build the skills as required. They develop assessments to test these aims and skills, and then build their instructional plan according to those assessment criteria.
Why IB?
As a former IB DP student, and a firm believer that IB is the best teaching practice today, I want to teach the IB curriculum to achieve my aims as an educator. Since my teaching philosophy reflects the IBO’s Mission, I want to teach students who are responsible for their learning and are able to live by the IB learner profile. Teaching IB is a challenge I am willing to undertake to mould today’s youth into becoming the well-educated, respectful, compassionate, and responsible members of the community and the world, that I want my students to be. Teaching IB also fulfills my need to be a part of the global community and serve students internationally.