It goes without saying that education plays a vital role in shaping the life of an individual. In a rapidly evolving world, children and youth need to be equipped with the skills set needed to thrive in a steadily transforming workplace and job market. This calls for an educational framework that not only provides the students the required content knowledge but also equips them with 21st century skills and global competence.
As the world merges into a global village and we adapt ourselves to a global community, the need to embed future-ready skills and competencies in the pedagogy becomes inevitable. Consequently, the choice of an educational institution is no longer driven by the brand name of the school or top subjects alone. Today’s discerning parents also weigh the pros and cos of different education boards. To help their children develop into future-ready global citizens, more and more parents are today are opting for the IB or the International Baccalaureate curriculum framework.
Offered for students aged 3 to 19 years, the IB programme challenges students to excel in their academics while encouraging holistic personality development.
With the emergence of multiple curriculums in India such as CBSE, CISCE, Cambridge International, and the IB, making the right choice could be a challenging task. Listed below are some of the key benefits of the IB curriculum:
- Broad approach towards education: The diversity that the IB curriculum offers is incomparable to any national curriculum. IB schools offer students exposure to a wide range of subject choices. While students of other boards choose between regular Science and Commerce streams, the IB curriculum offers psychology, philosophy, film, global politics and other relevant subjects not usually offered in traditional schools.
- Global Skills Development: The IB curriculum encourages a spirit of inquiry and helps students develop critical thinking and research skills that are crucial for excelling in college and beyond. Students are able to take responsibility for their own learning and understand how knowledge itself is constructed; this is further to the unique theory of knowledge (TOK) course. Students are encouraged to try different approaches to learning and to take responsibility for their own educational progress.
- International recognition: The IB curriculum is recognised by top local and international universities. Designed independent of government and national systems, it incorporates quality practice from research and its global community of schools. It also encourages students of all ages to consider both local and global contexts to develop multilingual students who appreciate diverse cultures.
- Practical teaching methodology: The most common problem among kids is understanding and retaining what they are taught. The IB curriculum is based on concept-based learning methodology where the students are taught the concepts rather than memorise facts and figures without really understanding the concept. The IB programmes are different from other curricula because it encourages students of all ages to think critically and challenge assumptions.
- Personality Development: While preparing kids to be globally competent, it is equally important to ensure their holistic development. This cannot be achieved with a rote-centric teaching-learning process and obsolete textbooks. The IB curriculum helps students develop emotional intelligence as they inquire into the world around them.
- IB programmes incorporate quality practice from national and international research and the IB global community. They encourage students to think globally within a complex and hyper-connected world. Under the IB programme, students are encouraged to accept themselves confidently and express themselves with pride and confidence. It encourages students to be active in their communities and to take their learning beyond academic study.
- Taking the right decision for your little ones should not be a difficult one. Considering the challenges that are unfurling today, you will appreciate that an educational framework that is holistic, global in outlook, transformational and timeless is all you need.
Authored by Harshita Mann, director, Lancers International School.
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