IB: MULGRAVE’S CURRICULUM OF CHOICE AND THE BEST PREPARATION FOR UNIVERSITY AND LIFE

IB: MULGRAVE’S CURRICULUM OF CHOICE AND THE BEST PREPARATION

FOR UNIVERSITY AND LIFE

BY LINDSEY BERNS, DEPUTY HEAD OF SCHOOL & ELIZABETH CALDERON, ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL

Elizabeth:

When touring prospective families, the most frequently asked questions center around our curriculum and what it means to be an International Baccalaureate school. To be honest, they are my favourite questions to answer. Committing to the IB framework means that we prioritise critical thinking and creativity over memorisation; that our students drive their own learning through goal-setting and reflection instead of through extrinsic motivators; and that our goals go far beyond university acceptances to include the development of an array of personal skills that foster confidence, self-advocacy, positive relationships, empathy, and competence.

In preparation for the development of our Strategic Plan 2021-2024, Weaving Our Future - Common Threads, we confirmed - through surveys and focus groups - that the IB framework was still the right curriculum for Mulgrave and that its focus on character development in conjunction with academic skills supports our goals of global citizenship, inclusion, and social responsibility.

Lindsey:

A PK4 student, works with classmates to build a shelter from branches in the forest, incorporating a friend’s suggestions. Back in the classroom, she proudly shares that she was open-minded like Magic the Octopus, the puppet that reminds students to listen to one another’s ideas and understand that there is more than one way to do things.

Down the hall, a Grade 11 student meets with his Extended Essay supervisor to refine the research question for his comparative study of the role of social media campaigns in different countries’ social justice protest movements.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the Makerspace, Grade 8 students refine their creativity and collaboration skills through a group project, using design thinking to develop solutions to the global waste problem posed by disposable face masks during the pandemic. These learning engagements, as different as they are, exemplify the focus on personal attributes, internationalmindedness, and transdisciplinary skills that are the hallmark of IB programmes. Mulgrave is amongst many of the world’s best-known international schools (including 20 across Canada) offering the full IB Continuum, covering a student’s journey from preschool all the way to graduation. All encourage their students “to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right” - understandings they will draw on as they navigate a world of increasing polarisation, misinformation, and structural inequality.

We must not only ensure that our students are wellprepared to excel in university, but also to adapt to the accelerating pace of change and intensifying global challenges and opportunities that characterise life in the mid-21st century. While there are many excellent curriculum frameworks, the IB stands out for its continuum of programmes with a consistent focus on the Learner Profile: attributes that not only to academic success, but also to personal and social wellbeing. These include being principled - acting with integrity and taking responsibility for your choices - as well as being risktakers - approaching new situations with courage and independence, and having the confidence to experiment with new ideas and strategies.

We develop these attributes at Mulgrave by explicitly teaching and reinforcing transdisciplinary (or ‘soft’) skills, known in IB as Approaches to Learning. In a world where infinite ‘content’ is available at the click of a button and where artificial intelligence is reshaping nearly every aspect of human endeavour, leaders in every field will need to identify problems and generate novel solutions, work with others to achieve shared goals, engage in critical reflection, and challenge assumptions and biases. IB students, whether in the Primary Years, Middle Years, or Diploma Programme, learn how to learn - how to confidently take their place in a world of complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty, and use their unique gifts to make that world a better place.

“I OFTEN FIND MYSELF EXPLAINING THAT IB IS NOT A CURRICULUM, BUT A WAY OF TEACHING ANY CURRICULUM. WHILE THE CONTENT MATTERED, IT’S MORE THE SKILLS HONED IN LEARNING THE CONTENT THAT I’VE CARRIED WITH ME. THOSE SKILLS, LIKE TIME MANAGEMENT, ORGANISATION, SELF DISCIPLINE, AND PERSEVERANCE, ARE THINGS THAT I APPRECIATE MORE AND MORE EVERY YEAR.”

CAROLINE SINCLAIR, CLASS OF 2019

“The IB education I received at Mulgrave facilitated a fantastic foundation for personal and professional development. Aside from the rigorous, internationally-recognised curriculum, which prepared me well for university, I adopted the mindset of being an inquisitive global citizen committed to lifelong learning. Since Mulgrave, I have graduated from medical school in Ireland and am now in my residency training at Lions Gate Hospital. I carry the lessons learned from the amazing IB teachers at Mulgrave with me, and believe I am a better person and physician for it. Thanks, Mulgrave! “Having an IB diploma allowed me a smooth transition into post-secondary education. Through the IB I learned and developed both research and writing skills as well as gained the experience of writing a paper or a lab report to completion. Having this knowledge prior to beginning my university experience allowed me to focus on the new content I was learning rather than how to format it.

”– SARAH BERTON CLASS OF 2020

”– ANGELA JOANNOU

CLASS OF 2015

“The ability to manage my time, write effectively, and lead a team are just a few examples of assets gained during the IB programme which have become indispensable in my day-to-day life, and I can confidently say that they will continue to do so in the future.

”– WILL COLLISTER

CLASS OF 2020