The presentation began with an introduction to the IBDP which drew particular attention to the IB mission, as well as the key components of the programme. This was followed by a term-by-term outline of the structure of the IBDP at BISS Puxi, to orientate both students and parents in order to assist them with their short, medium and long-term planning.
The IBDP is a holistic vision for education which seeks to develop the whole person, and crucially, to develop learners. After highlighting the IB Learner Profile attributes, I emphasised the importance of students developing a growth mindset (in contrast to a fixed one) to deal effectively with the challenges that they will face throughout their studies, and indeed beyond. I illustrated how deeper thinking and adopting a metacognitive approach to learning has been proven to lead to more successful academic outcomes and are, arguably, the essence of our development as a life-long learners. Furthermore, I suggested that being physically and mentally prepared for learning, developing effective strategies for organisation and notetaking, building relationships with teachers, working collaboratively with peers, and monitoring and reflecting on their own progress are some of the ways in which students could become more proactive learners and lead their own learning.
In the third part of the presentation, I outlined the support provided to students by the school both inside and outside of the classroom, as well as in our tracking and reporting processes. I introduced the members of the IB team who will be supporting our Year 12 students throughout their time with us, academically and pastorally, with the core course (CAS, TOK and the Extended Essay) and with higher education and careers guidance. This was followed by some tips for parents on how they might best support their son or daughter at home through the challenges of the next two years. I concluded by emphasising how students, parents and teachers working together and building positive and meaningful relationships would be paramount to the success of our students. I hope that it was an informative and motivational evening for students and parents alike. We very much look forward to supporting our Year 12 students throughout their time in the IB Academy.
Dr Alexander Cattell
Assistant Headteacher and Head of The IB Academy
