IB News 2012

Mr. Riad
IBDP COORDINATOR & CURRICULUM MANAGER

SIS was a smooth transition after being in Mumbai for the last six years. The welcoming staff and vibrant student body create an excellent atmosphere for great work to be done. As the Diploma coordinator, my role is to ensure that the programme is implemented as per the “Standards and Practices” laid down by the IB. My role as curriculum manager is to look at the progression of students’ learning over the years and create a framework so that there is recognition of prior learning so as to minimize gaps in learning.

The education world is going through rapid changes with the advent of technology. Conventional classrooms with “chalk and talk” methods are being challenged while students often walk in the classrooms with information from Google teachers are often unaware of. Teachers’ roles are moving more towards being facilitators rather than the centre of knowledge.

While technology is providing an independent platform for self learning, it does come with its loads of challenges to both student and parent. Social media sites such as Facebook, Tweeter and Youtube can be huge time wasters for students. Parents find it difficult to monitor the time spent on these sites by their children. Education about responsible and wise use of technology and the internet has become more and more of a need presently. The internet is bringing about rapid changes in the way we live and is affecting us in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine.

Change is the constant. We need to live with the fact that the modern world requires us to be lifelong learners and be multitalented. As we go along, students need to develop skills that go beyond the mere academic context. Getting good grades at the IB Diploma are required for universities. However, education is more than just grades on paper. The holistic aspect of the student’s development such as being excellent communicators, risk takers, principled, open minded, thinker, balanced, inquirer, knowledgeable, reflective and caring would definitely add value to them as good human being.

Globalization had brought down many geographical and cultural barriers. The world we are living in is often referred to as a “global village” where we are all inter connected. Tolerance and respect often cohabitate with conflicts. An extract of the IB mission statement is relevant in this context:  “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.”