The IB Mission Statement
Like all organizations designed
to impact the lives of individuals around the globe through education, the
International Baccalaureate has a mission statement that encapsulates its goals
and hopes for the future. The IB mission statement, found here, reads as follows:
The International
Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people
who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural
understanding and respect.
To this end the organization
works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop
challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage
students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners
who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
One of the many things to
notice about this statement is that it not only highlights the importance of
the academic component of the programme (something which you are probably very
familiar—or will be after completing your workshop), but it also emphasizes the
goals of intercultural understanding, compassion, and lifelong curiosity. All
IB MYP courses—not just those dealing with languages or the humanities—are
expected to integrate these concerns into the normal day‐to‐day conduct of the
courses; there is no separation between the intellectual goals of the class and
the broader humanistic goals of the class.
Mission
Statement of Lanier:
At Lanier Middle
School, we provide a relevant rigorous academic curriculum in order to
encourage students to become self-directed lifelong learners who are innovative
problem solvers, effective communicators, open minded thinkers, and caring
participants in their local and global communities.
Questions for Reflection:
1.
In what ways does
Lanier's mission statement or underlying philosophy overlap with that of the
IB?
2.
Are there ways in
which an understanding of the IB mission statement could enhance your own
classroom practices or those of your colleagues? How could it enhance the
performance of your students?
3.
What are some
ways in which you currently integrate (or could integrate) the multiple goals
of the IB as outlined in the mission statement?
1. There is quite a bit of overlap between Lanier’s mission statement and that of the IB. Both hope to produce students who are inquiring, self-directed lifelong learners. They also share a concern for helping students to become open-minded people who can understand the world from multiple perspectives and who will actively contribute to improving local and global communities.
ReplyDelete2. These principles can certainly enhance my classroom practices. In teaching social studies, I think these principles are very important to emphasize, particularly the idea that students should be able to examine and understand issues and events in history and in the modern world from multiple perspectives and that they should strive to understand and respect cultures that are different from their own.
I think an understanding of the IB mission statement could enhance the performance of students by helping them to develop a healthy and productive approach toward their education. We live in a competitive and goal-oriented society, and I think that sometimes leads us to focus on end results to the exclusion of the value of the process of learning. An understanding of the IB mission statement could serve as a reminder that the habits of mind we develop in the process of learning (to think critically, to be inquisitive, to take risks, to be open minded, to be compassionate, etc.) are among the greatest gifts that a good education can give us.
3. As a social studies teacher, I feel that the IB goals fit very naturally with my content area. I ask students to consider multiple perspectives on events in history, often by reading and analyzing primary source documents. For example, in studying the battles of Lexington and Concord, we compare and contrast accounts of the battles written by colonial militia members and British soldiers. I tell my students that history is best understood not in terms of black and white, but in terms of subtle shades of gray.
-- Carrie Roberts
1) The mission of both the IB Programme and Lanier focuses on the key attributes that will motivate students to become active curious lifelong learners. They want students to question from a global perspective and develop into individuals that are active in their communities.
ReplyDelete2) The mission statement makes it very clear that global awareness needs to be incorporated in the classroom. Practices should encompass this belief by facilitating the student’s own inquiry using different perspectives. When students walk in the classroom they should be aware they are expected to be open-minded and respectful in the spirit of good global citizen. If students follow this model and are guided through the curriculum with IB rigor and the reoccurring key concepts they will become successful.
3) The global aspects of the mission statement are seen through big unit questions that are assessed with non-traditional summative assessments. I would personally like to develop more lessons that integrate the ideas of “intercultural understanding and respect” in contrast to some of the content specific events where conflict and ignorance are the key components. Perhaps the students develop a “tolerance workshop” for the explorers, settlers, etc.
-Katie Keenan
Lanier's mission statement and the IB mission statement are similar in that they both recognize the importance of being lifelong learners. Additionally both hold being participants in the greater community in high regard. Lastly being open minded is a principle in both statements.
ReplyDeleteTeachers would be remiss if we believed that our sole responsibility is to our academic area. The IB mission statement reflects this. We teachers need to build character and engender a sense of responsibility and active learning in our students. Merely reading this mission statement reminds me of this duty. I hope to build such character, responsibility, and a love of learning in my classroom by building a classroom culture. I find that direct exercises are not as effective as weaving them in subtly through everyday practices. For instance, to promote active thinking, I never call on the first, second, or even third student to answer a question. I always wait at least 30 seconds before calling on a student. Inevitably more hands are raised as a result. Additionally after answering the question, the student is also required to share how he or she came to that conclusion. I ask that the students think about their thinking. Thus, I find that in this small way I fulfill one of the principles of the mission statement.
Nilima Vashi