IB DQ #5

Given the rigorous nature of the IB curriculum, it is likely not appropriate for all students.  What types of students are most likely to benefit most from an IB education?

How could (or should?) the IB curriculum be expanded to be more accessible to a wider range of students?  Should additional foreign language support options (Chinese, Arabic, etc.) be added?

http://www.relocatemagazine.com/education/education-articles-main/70-is-the-ib-the-best-option

DQ# 5 IB

Q1: What is special about the IB?

Q2: How does the IB develop its curriculum?

Q3: Do you think the IB will become dominant in international education? If it is to become the major player in the world, what improvements should be made?

DQ#5 – IB Programme

The number of authorized programs (of any 3) has increased from 2,641 in 2007 to 4,095 in 2011. Do you forsee continued growth, and if so, will there be competitors? How may the increase in access to IB prgramme affect or dilute the brand that IB has built with its past “elite” members? What problems may the programme face in order to meet the same standards as a high-quality product when increasing access to IB?

Recent studies confirm that IB DIploma Programme graduates have a higher grade point average and graduation rate than non IB students. Why? How might this programme contribute to higher success in a college setting?

DQ#5- International Baccalaureate

IB courses are meant to introduce high school students to college level rigor and writing demands. If students master topics, and reach a certain score on their exams, many colleges and universities apply college course credit. Should students then have the freedom to take these courses earlier on in their high school careers in order to maximize college credits and save money at expensive institutions?

What is more beneficial to a high school student, AP or IB coursework? While the IB curriculum offers a more globalized perspective, the AP curriculum offers more variety with some schools listing up to 30 different courses on their profiles.

DQ#5: International Schools

From an article in the New York Times, it states that “many schools, and many parents, see the I.B. partly as a way to show college admissions offices that students have chosen a rigorous program,” however, shouldn’t there be emphasis on the type of student IB schools are producing as well as the values it emulates? And what is the impact of IB schools on communities?

In the article it explains how some parents are actually worried about the teaching of international perspectives. Should informative classes be required for parents? Parents are often required to participate in IB schools, but how could parents be even more involved in the teaching methods so they develop a full understanding?

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/education/03baccalaureate.html

DQ #5

My article referred to the IB curriculum as “AP courses on steroids”, because students in the IB program took not just one but all courses that forced them to think critically and be well rounded students, is this an issue that should be addressed or a benefit that should be emphasized more?

Establishing IB program requires investment of time and money, are the results worth it? Should this money be invested else where? Are the benefits greater than the down falls?

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=15351

IB DQ #5

What are the policy challenges IB programmes face internationally?

– Are there challenges students face by attending IB schools, including applying to colleges internationally?

What are the advantages for IB students? What are the disadvantages?

http://jri.sagepub.com/content/10/2/123.full.pdf+html

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA5LzExLzE2I0FyMDMzMDA=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

DQ #5, International Schools…

Is education a universal human right that should be provided equally to all? Does the existence of IB schools and other similar programs further commercialize education, making access to it unequal? Does the fact that some can go to IB schools (location, money) while others can not conflict with education as a universal human right?

An article in Time magazine discusses whether schools should focus on skills such as intercultural understanding, languages, and global critical thinking, because these subjects are used routinely in a global society and they are not easily “looked up.” On the other hand, traditional subjects like science, history, math, etc. can be looked up using technology and the Internet instantly, so there is less urgency to memorize them as is done in many American schools. Do you agree with this point? Why or why not?

This is the article:

“How to bring our schools out of the 20th century” by Claudia Wallis, Time magazine, December 10th, 2006.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480-1,00.html

DQ #5: International Baccalaureate

  1. For students who have been through the IB programs, a certain culture and mindset is instilled in them. However, when they move on to a university their peers and professors and the curriculum may not support these students’ learning culture, which might pose some problems in the students’ transition. What are your thoughts about this? How might the student, the universities, or IB assist in these situations?
  2. There is criticism that IB programs are adopted in schools with already high striving students where such a curriculum design is not necessary for the successful of their students. How do you think IB can expand to help schools that need IB program implementations more? Would that benefit more people around the world, especially those who are underprivileged?