Welcome to Tour Days!

Today’s Agenda

Students will tour with student guides.

Parents will remain for information session and

questions.

Sprit wear will be available for purchase after!

Welcome to International Baccalaureate:Three Reasons to Join Us on the Journey

Henrico High SchoolTour Days

March 21-22, 2012

Priscilla Biddle, IB Coordinator, HHS

History of IB

• Created in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland as a private school for children of European diplomats who desired a rigorous education that qualified them for university

• Now more than half of IB schools world wide are in state or public schools

• By the 1980’s the IB Diploma was recognized worldwide by colleges and universities as an indicator of university preparedness

Today’s IB

• Today, an IB education is available in 2,756 schools in 138 countries for 759,000 students, ages 3-19

• Today, IB in HCPS is home to – 315 MYP/DP students at HHS – over 600 MYP students at Moody Middle School – 75 MYP students at JRTHS– Over 150 students at both Fairfield and Tuckahoe MS

Is IB for me? Three reasons

IB is for you because it offers– A school where people from all over the world with many

different views and practices come together to learn and grow

– An educational model which uses higher order critical and creative thinking for the “whole child” (holistic learning)

– A program that ensures quality control regardless of size, nurturing a student attractive to colleges and universities

Reason #1: Global Perspectives

• All disciplines connect through technology, ethical issues, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the human condition

• Teaching is done through “big concepts” which connect to the larger world to model global or “big picture” thinking

• Program aspects like Mission Statement, Learner Profile, Areas of Interaction and Creativity, Action and Service point to leadership, locally and beyond

Mission Statement

• 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 programs of international education and rigorous assessment.

• These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

The Learner Profile

• IB learners strive to be:• Inquiring

• Knowledgeable • Thinking

• Communicative • Principled

• Open-minded • Caring

• Risk-taking • Balanced • Reflective

•  

International Recognition

• Of Curriculum: Regulated and periodically updated for consistency by experts worldwide

• Of Examinations: Graded by outside experts from all over the world for verifiable achievement

• Of Training and evaluation: Teachers trained by IBO approved experts. Exam and assessment results evaluated yearly to maintain highest performance in context of school and the world. School evaluated every five years.

»SO• Colleges and universities recognize IB students!

Reason #2: Modeled on Best Educational Practices

• Our curriculum– Allows for students to pursue personal interests in context

of traditional subjects– Develops whole child through creativity and critical

thinking– Fosters lifelong learning through inquiry– Prepares students for advanced study in college and

beyond

Middle Years’ Areas of Interaction

• Learning doesn’t take place in a vacuum• It must impact WHO the student is, WHAT he/she

does in the world, and HOW he/she does it• Instruction based on guiding questions which offer

real life relevance• Project-centered approach encourages 21st Century

Skills needed for the workplace

Areas of Interaction

• Approaches to Learning – How do we know? How do I learn best?

• Community and Service – How do we live together and help each other?

• Human Ingenuity – How am I creative?• Environments – What are my resources and

responsibilities? • Health and Social Education – How can I be

healthy and happy?

Diploma Program: Theory of Knowledge

• Two year course that picks up where AOI’s leave off• More philosophical and academic in preparation for

college• Guiding questions:

– How do I know what I know?– How do the ways of knowing contribute to or cause

problems of knowing as well as complement each other?– How do the ways of knowing contribute in each of the

areas of knowledge: mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, history, the arts, ethics and religion

What does this look like in the classroom?

• Why is it that mathematics is considered to be of different value in different cultures?

• Should scientists be held morally responsible for the applications of their discoveries?

• Is it reasonable to attempt to explain human behavior independently of what people claim are their intentions?

• If truth is difficult to prove in history, does it follow that all versions are equally acceptable?

• What is the proper function of the arts in society?

The World of Learning has Changed!

• Learning as “Mystery” – The Past– Discovery of new facts– Descriptive– More linear, objective– Less emphasis on application

or cross-disciplinary interaction

• Learning as “Puzzle” – The Future– Systems of concepts to

understand– Interactive and relational– Requires evaluation of

knowledge for quality– Emphasis on relevance,

application, personal development

Reason #3: Rigor and relevance prepare students for university and beyond

• Course Scope and Sequence:– Grade 9, Level 4 MYP

• English 9• Language – Year 2 or 3 of Spanish or French

• World History and Geography II• Biology

• Geometry or Algebra II or AP Stats• Arts (Theatre or Visual Arts) –semester

• Technology – semester• Health and PE

Curriculum, continued

• Course Scope and Sequence:– Grade 10, MYP Level 5

• English 10

• Language – Year 3 or 4, French or Spanish

• American Government and Virginia History

• Chemistry

• Algebra II or Extended Math

• Arts: Theatre Arts or Visual Arts (semester)

• Study Hall or elective (semester)

• Health and PE

• (Economics and Personal Finance Online?)

Assessments and Personal Project completed toward the MYP Certificate

Curriculum, Diploma Program

• Course Scope and Sequence– Grade 11, Year 1

• Language A1: English 11• Language B1: Year 4 or 5, Spanish or French

• History of the Americas• Experimental Science

– Biology SL *– Chemistry SL *

• Mathematics– Extended Math

– Mathematics SL or Math Studies SL**• Arts or Elective

– Psychology SL*, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts, Biology SL* or Chemistry SL*• Theory of Knowledge

* May take an exam ** Must take an exam

Diploma Curriculum

• Course Scope and Sequence– Grade 12, Year 2

• Language A1: English HL 12• Language B1: Year 5 SL or 6 HL/SL, Spanish or French

• World Topics HL• Experimental Science

– Chemistry SL or HL– Biology SL or HL

• Mathematics– Mathematics SL or Math Studies SL

• Arts or Elective– Psychology SL or HL, Theatre Arts SL or HL, Visual Arts HL, Biology SL/HL,

or Chemistry SL/HL

• Theory of Knowledge• Extra IB Electives: Biology, Chemistry or Psychology

• AP Electives: Physics, Calculus, Statistic, World History, Art History

Relevance for the Whole Child

• In addition to subjects, each with internal assessments and exams, each student has opportunities to design projects that meet his/her needs and interests

– Personal Project in grades 9-10– CAS Introduction in grades 9-10– Extended Essay in grades 11-12

– CAS in grades 11-12

Personal Project

• A student-centered project, research-based and interactive, after which the student reflects on what he/she has learned in a paper

– The personal project may take many forms, for example:• an original work of art (visual, dramatic, or performance)• a written piece of work on a special topic (literary, social,

psychological, or anthropological)• a piece of literary fiction (that is, creative writing)

• an original science experiment• an invention or specially designed object or system

• the presentation of a developed business, management, or organizational plan (that is, for an

entrepreneurial business or project), a special event, or the development of a new student or community organization.

Creativity, Action and Service

• Graduated involvement that focuses on Learner Outcomes:

• increase their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth

• undertake new challenges• plan and initiate activities

• work collaboratively with others• show perseverance and commitment in their activities

• engage with issues of global importance• consider the ethical implications of their actions

• develop new skills

Extended Essay

• The extended essay is:• compulsory for all Diploma Program students• externally assessed and, in combination with the grade for theory of

knowledge, contributes up to three points to the total score for the IB diploma

• a piece of independent research/investigation on a topic chosen by the student in cooperation with a supervisor in the school

• chosen from the list of approved Diploma Program subjects, published in the Vade Mecum

• presented as a formal piece of scholarship containing no more than 4,000 words

• the result of approximately 40 hours of work by the student• concluded with a short interview, or viva voce, with the supervising

teacher

Why should you join us on the journey?

• Three great “official” reasons– International education here at home that encourages

students to achieve at their highest level that will prepare them for college and beyond

– Program of instruction that is integrated, holistic, child-centered, project-based, and 21st Century motivated –

everything that is considered “best practices”– Academics personalized to meet student interest and

personal development goals

Personal Reasons – Development of YOU as a PERSON

• Diversity with the comfort of a close-knit community• Teachers and staff organized to monitor the

individual child, help him/her in every way• Pursuit of a passion with the structure of a total

program keeps your options open• Flexibility in pursuing Certificate or Diploma in

grades 11-12• Come as you are, but be all you can be!

Your Questions

Join us on the Journey!

Thank you for coming today!