Playtimes HK Magazine September 2017 Issue | Page 49
It will be the 50th anniversary of the
International Baccalaureate next year;
Freya Paleit investigates what has helped
to make it popular here in Hong Kong
F
IB?
ounded in 1968, the International
Baccalaureate (IB) is a non-profit
educational foundation offering
four programmes of international
education. Schools must be authorised
by the IB organisation to offer any of
these four programmes: the IB Primary
Years Programme for children aged 3
to 12, the IB Middle Years Programme,
designed for students aged 11 to 16,
the IB Diploma Programme and the IB
Career-related Programme for students
aged 16 to 19.
Technically, any school with an IB
programme is called an “IB school.”
Since “IB school” is used as shorthand,
it’s important to ask how students
participate in IB at any given school.
It’s most straightforward at IB primary
schools, where IB is part of every
class school-wide. But in secondary
schools that may not be the case. Some
secondary schools are 100 per cent IB,
but not all. For example, at many there
are IB programmes that kids may opt
into, much like attending a school within
a school. If that’s the case, students may
participate in IB at different levels, ranging
from taking a single IB course to earning
an IB diploma, which involves taking a full
course load of IB classes and meeting a
series of requirements.
What’s to love?
The IB has gained popularity for setting
high standards and emphasising creative
and critical thinking. As the world
develops into an ever more computer-run
and robotic place, creativity and critical
thinking – skills not easily replicated by
machines – are seen as vital for our
children’s futures. IB students become
very independent as they are responsible
for their own learning, choosing topics
and devising their own projects, while
teachers act more as supervisors or
mentors rather than sources of facts. The
IB emphasises research and encourages
students to learn from their peers, with
students actively critiquing one another’s
work. Beyond preparing students for
critical thinking and college-level work,
the full IB programme aims to develop
inquiring, knowledgeable and caring
young people who help to create a better
world through intercultural understanding
and respect.
Ruth Benny, the founder of Top
Schools, explains that “At Diploma level,
the IB’s rigour is valued by universities
so much that good students can earn
credits for US college courses and so, in
effect, fast track their degree.” She also
believes that following the IB system “can
be considered advantageous for students
as they end up with a more well-rounded
education, compared with those who
take only three A-Level subjects.”
IB has a hard-earned
reputation for high
standards of teaching,
pedagogical leadership
and student achievement
September 2017
47