Final Chapter: My Journey in IB Education in Practice

 In this section, I will focus on what I found interesting about IB education from practical viewpoints, and how the principles valued by IB education are manifested in actions.

1.      Inquiry based learning.

I notice that there are two interesting elements in the inquiry-based approach of IB education. First is the process of finding connections between key concepts, related concepts, and Global Context as an iterative development that leads to the formation of conceptual understanding. This is a crucial step for teachers and students to conduct an in-depth analysis of learning topics. Second, it is also interesting to note that each unit plan includes three categories of inquiry questions: factual, conceptual, and debatable. These questions play key roles in guiding students to develop a deeper understanding of topics and encourage them to embrace different perspectives.

Fig. 1 Unit plan template

https://resources.ibo.org/myp/topic/MYP-unit-planning/?lang=en

 

2.      Student centeredness

To us as educators, the phrase 'students at the center of education' might sound cliché nowadays. We might wonder and ask, 'Who doesn’t know that the ultimate purpose of education is student development?' Isn’t 'students at the center of education' a value proposition of many schools? On the other side of the coin, my personal journey through six years of primary school, three years of lower secondary school, and another three years of high school tells a different story. Reflecting on these periods, I begin to question, 'Was I, as a student, really at the center of my learning journey?' At this point, I salute IB education for introducing principles of progressive education. IB education promotes elements of emancipation so that teachers and schools are empowered to return to the pivotal purpose of education - educating young people for a better future. The following three images demonstrate how IB education truly puts students at the center of its educational process.

Fig.2 MYP programme model

https://resources.ibo.org/data/m_3_human_guu_1405_9_e.pdf

 

3.      International mindedness: common understanding and mutual respect

Another interesting point about IB education is that it sets standards for students to acquire a second language through language acquisition. To my knowledge, learning a second language is an effective way to understand cultures other than our own. Language can be viewed as a gateway to new ways of reasoning and appreciating the world's beauty. In this way, students can, at the very least, have a chance to pause and put themselves in others’ shoes. This second language learning can also be understood as a direct manifestation of the IB mission, which aims to promote intercultural understanding and mutual respect.

Fig.3 IB Mission Statement

4.      Approaches to learning (ATL)

Besides academics, IB education also fosters students’ learning skills. These skills are social, communication, social, self-management, research and thinking. It is expected that students will take responsibility for their personal development and become self-regulated learners. Some other schools might understand ATL in IB Education as soft skills, nevertheless, IB provides step by step on how students might progress starting from totally dependent until fully self-regulated.

 

Finally, at the beginning of this module, the facilitator asked us to write a philosophy of education. I composed the following piece to describe my convictions.

“Every student is unique and possesses at least one inherent talent, which is essential for creating a better world. I consider students’ talent to be like a seed, from which a tree will spring, providing shade and fruit for many. Therefore, teachers need to be creative and continually explore different approaches in the teaching and learning process. Just as gardeners must be sensitive to the weather, soil conditions, and the types of seeds that they plant, so too teachers, in preparing lessons, must ensure the conduciveness of the learning settings, the selection of curriculum, and the well-being of their students.”

After completing and studying this module, I have developed the following extended version of my current philosophy of education.

“Every student is unique and possesses at least one inherent talent, which is essential for creating a better world. I consider students’ talents to be like seeds, from which trees will grow, providing shade and fruit for many. In fostering students’ potential, teachers need to embrace a student-centered approach that acknowledges the very inherent talent by catering its needs for development. This involves not only creatively exploring various approaches in the teaching and learning process but also cultivating students’ curiosity, where students are encouraged to ask questions, investigate, and build a deeper conceptual understanding of the world. Just as gardeners must be sensitive to weather, soil conditions, and the types of seeds they plant, teachers must promote conducive learning environments, thoughtfully selecting curriculum, and prioritizing the well-being of students. It is expected that students’ unique talents will grow to their fullest potential and contribute positively to communities by embracing intercultural understanding and upholding mutual respect.

 

This concludes my project for this module. I’m looking forward to starting the next one.