For parents looking for the best school for their child, there are several factors that need to be considered – with some having more weight than others. Naturally, you would have to think about the location of the school campus and its proximity to your home (and therefore, its accessibility), the tuition, and other practical factors.
But on top of all these, the quality of education that a student stands to receive is the top consideration. What methods does the school employ to teach its students? How does it plan to prepare your child for the world after graduation?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at International Baccalaureate or IB schools in Abu Dhabi so you can determine if such an institution would be the best, most preferable learning environment for your child.
What is IB?
As the name suggests, the International Baccalaureate curriculum is designed to be recognised all over the world. It provides a continuum of education for students aged 3 to 19 that encourages personal as well as academic achievement.
Essentially, students in IB World schools are trained to take responsibility for their own learning by practising critical thinking, asking complex and challenging questions, learning across different disciplines, and developing good research skills that can guide them further as they advance to higher education.
The IB curriculum offers four distinct, high-quality educational programmes:
Primary Years Programme
- For children ages 3 to 12
- This is the start of a student’s lifelong learning journey. It helps children become active participants in their own education.
Middle Years Programme
- For children ages 11 to 16
- This builds a solid academic foundation that cultivates a student’s confidence in overseeing their own learning and understanding the connection between what they learn inside the classroom and the events taking place out in the real world.
Diploma Programme
- For children ages 16 to 19
- This programme helps students develop inquiring minds and eagerness to learn, thus preparing them for the future and for excelling in their chosen careers.
Career-related Programme
- For children ages 16 to 19
- This programme is designed for a learner’s final years in school. It helps develop the skills they need to pursue their specific career paths and professional goals.
An IB education is centred on the learners. It cultivates effective approaches to learning and teaching. It explores significant and relevant content, and it focuses on the global context.
How is the IB curriculum different from others?
The IB curriculum is unique in comparison to other curricula because of the following objectives:
- Its educational programmes develop independently of national and government systems. The curriculum develops its quality practices based on research and the operations of its global network of schools.
- It teaches children, regardless of age, to think critically for themselves and to scrutinise established assumptions rather than readily accepting them.
- It develops children who are multilingual.
- It encourages students to always consider their learnings in both local and global contexts.
As a result, students of IB World schools are brought up to develop strong emotional, social and academic qualities and to excel in their studies.
What is the IB teaching style?
Teaching, as well as learning, in IB World schools highlights and celebrates the many different ways available to make sense of the world. It takes a constructivist approach that balances the interplay between three key elements: inquiry, action and reflection.
By fostering a commitment to empowered asking, doing and thinking, students become better equipped to continuously learn from life, communicate well, and perform thorough research, both independently and in collaboration with other people.
How do students benefit from the IB curriculum?
- IB World school learners take charge of their own learning and develop crucial problem solving and critical thinking skills that prove advantageous in real-life situations.
- Being educationally driven, they become eligible to pursue higher education in some of the top-ranking universities all over the world.
- IB World school students develop a heightened cultural awareness as they adopt a second language, and are thus better able to engage with a rapidly evolving global community.
What learner characteristics are developed by the IB curriculum?
Some of the key characteristics that IB students strive to adopt include:
Inquisitiveness
Developing a natural, healthy curiosity is a must. This develops a lifelong love of learning by conducting research and inquiry.
Open-mindedness
Students explore, understand and appreciate their personal culture and history while also being receptive to the values, perspectives and customs of other communities and individuals.
Risk-taking
They confidently approach unfamiliar situations with careful thought and consideration. They are also willing to take on new roles, consider different strategies, and explore new ideas.
Committing to principles
IB World school learners act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions and resulting consequences. They value honesty and fairness. They also respect the dignity of other people and groups.
Caring for others
IB learners demonstrate compassion and empathy to other people’s feelings and needs, and they go out of their way to create a positive impact on other people’s lives and on the world.
Choose an IB education for your child
Every parent wants their child to gain valuable knowledge and develop the necessary academic, social and emotional skills and characteristics that will enable them to progress to and succeed in higher learning and, eventually, function well as standout adults in real life who make significant contributions to society.
An IB education instills a lifelong love and enthusiasm for learning that continually enriches a student’s overall personal growth. Its programmes inspire and challenge learners to understand and relate well to an increasingly complex and highly interconnected world.
With the information presented in this article, it is clear to see that enroling your child in an IB World school can call forth their very best qualities and performance, and thus prepare them well for the years to come. Taking action in this direction, such as by exploring online enrolment in GEMS World Academy Abu Dhabi, can be the first step towards securing a very bright future for your child.
References:
https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/cal/pdf/what-is-an-ib-education.pdf
