Number ingly acknowledged, traditional grades simply do not provide enough information about the abilities and strengths of students. The GCD focuses on the abstract skills that existing programmes do not directly measure, requiring students to reflect on their growth in areas such as leadership, community service and global citizenship. Because students in schools such as NIST already take part in numerous activities that develop these skills, the GCD does not require a great deal of extra work, but rather their willingness to explore the meaning of their experiences through reflections and presentations. Through the GCD, a student without top grades could demonstrate to universities that he led an initiative to solve development problems in a small rural village. Another could showcase the photography project she undertook to raise funds for abused women in a neighboring country. Yet another could produce a video documenting
the launch of his own technology business. All too often students like these are measured by a number—a number that says nothing about their capabilities or potential for success. The GCD gives them the opportunity to tell their stories and reveal what makes them unique as learners. Since its creation the GCD has generated a positive reaction from universities, while the students who chose to pursue it alongside their IB diplomas have described an experience that enabled them to confidently express their passions and abilities to others. More importantly, it helped them develop and demonstrate the skills that both universities and employers are so desperately seeking. Though the GCD is an option for students at the participating schools, it clearly fills the existing void and offers the means for students to tell their stories, and to connect learning experiences in a way that once again makes education relevant to the needs of a changing world.
For more information about the Global Citizen Diploma, visit www.globalcitizendiploma.org. NIST International School is the first full, not-for-profit IB school in Thailand. To learn more about its programmes, visit www.nist.ac.th.
NIST International School 36 Sukhumvit Soi 15, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2651 2065 l E-mail: nist@nist.ac.th l www.nist.ac.th April 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 31