IB newsletter spring summer 2013

IB Spring/Summer 2013

The two best days of school, the first and the last.?

Where the world goes to school

Who Can IB? Cheating in Schools There was a time when cheating was rare in schools, but today it seems as if the whole “importance of learning” aspect has been eliminated. Instead, everyone is focused on passing and getting to the next step in the learning process or just graduating and we seem to have forgotten school’s purpose.

School exists so that we will be educated, not so everyone can cheat their way into being successful.

A lot of students today don’t even view cheating as wrong, and most of those who cheat have been doing it for so long that it doesn’t even faze them. This really bothers me because they probably will never stop to think how bad it truly is. When you cheat, you learn nothing, which is why cheating is so serious.

Our society seems to believe that the more material wealth you have, the more successful you are.

This frustrates me because it seems many people have become successful by scamming and cheating their way to the top. Or could it be that sometimes the pressure and expectations that have bee put on students make them feel they have no choice? Are we missing the proper role models and guidance? Whichever it is, it is still wrong.

If kids think cheating is normal, who knows what they will find acceptable as adults. Most people think that cheating on one little test doesn’t mean that you will cheat again. Unfortunately this is not true because if you can get away with it once, you are more likely to do it again. Of course we all have made a poor decision in our lives and have learned form it and that does not mean we are all cheaters. But I don’t think teachers and schools realize just how much students cheat.

In this Issue Cheating in School ..................... 1 Learning, caring and sharing ....... 2 What is blended learning ............ 2 Perfect Ending............................. 3 Challenge Accepted .................... 3 CLIL ............................................. 4 Social –toons............................... 4 Ten Lucrative Subjects ................ 5

If cheating continues in college, students will get nothing out of what they are being tested on. If a college student cheats on all the work they do for their major, when and if they get a job, that person will be totally unprepared and be a total mess at work, yet be paid for something they don’t know how to do.

I am not saying that anyone who has ever cheated is a crook, because that would mean just about every student at your average school would be one, including me. What I am saying is that cheating should be more frowned upon and kids should receive harsher penalties. This is not something you want to hear, but I truly believe that if there were consequences for cheating, students would actually focus on learning. Then we all would be better educated.

Do you have an opinion? If so please respond in 500 words or less. Send your response to Mr. Scc at k.schuck@penta.nl for possible inclusion in the new school years first edition.

Important Links ........................... 6

Learning, Caring and sharing through the classroom window.

Our project titled "Learning, sharing and caring, through the classroom window" is an opportunity to evaluate and make improvements upon teaching methods and education in general. Using the technology of the 21st century to further these goals and to give the opportunity to students and teachers to experience classrooms in different schools in 6 different countries both in a virtual and real time setting. Each of the schools would be participating in an evaluation process and be open to feedback. The information recovered would be offered to schools within Europe as well as all the materials and resources produced by the project. This would mean producing a data base for educators, parents and students to have access to many diverse and relevant materials at their disposal. This data

base would contain actual lessons as well as resources such as documentaries, educational films, classroom discussions and topic research. Hopeful this would be utilized for the greater improvement and a sharing of the best from each of the participating country's systems of education. The project would not only provide this excellent experience and opportunity for students, teachers, schools and communities to benefit but the entire educational community of Europe and the world. This unique opportunity would provide a rich resource to further both cultural, educational and environmental progress.

This will hopefully be in combination with visits to each of the partner schools in the coming two years..

The differences between people need not act as barriers that wound, harm and drive us apart. Rather, these very differences among cultures and civilizations should be valued as manifestations of the richness of our shared creativity.

What is Blended Learning?

Blended Learning What is Blended?

A blended learning approach combines face to face classroom methods with computer-mediated activities to form an integrated instructional approach. In the past, digital materials have served in a supplementary role, helping to support face to face instruction. For example, a blended approach to a traditional, face to face course might mean that the class meets once per week instead of the usual three-session format. Learning activities that otherwise would have taken place during classroom time can be moved online. As of now, there is no consensus on a single agree-upon definition for blended learning. The Resources page contains cites to several articles that provide definitions. In addition, the terms "blended," "hybrid," and "mixed-mode" are used interchangeably in current research literature. For the purposes of the Blended Learning Initiative at Penn State, the term "blended" is preferred.

Why Blend?

The goal of a blended approach is to join the best aspects of both face to face and online instruction. Classroom time can be used to engage students in advanced interactive experiences. Meanwhile, the online portion of the course can provide students with multimedia-rich content at any time of day, anywhere the student has internet access, from Penn State computer labs, the coffee shop, or the students’ homes. This allows for an increase in scheduling flexibility for students.

In addition to flexibility and convenience for students, according to research shared at the ALN Conference Workshop on Blended Learning & Higher Education November 17, 2005, there is early evidence that a blended instructional approach can result in learning outcome gains and increased enrollment retention (http://www.uic.edu/depts/oee/blended/ workshop/bibliography.pdf).

Blended learning is on the rise in higher education. 93% of higher ed instructors and admin say they are using blended learning strategies somewhere in their institution. 7 in 10 expect more than 40% of their schools’ courses to be blended by 2013 (Bonk, C. J. & Graham, C. R. (Eds.). (in press).

How to Blend?

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There are no rules in place to prescribe what the ideal blend might be (Bonk reference). The term “blended” encompasses a broad continuum, and can include any integration of face to face and online instructional content. Continued on page 4.

Perfect Ending What would be a perfect ending after 4 or 5 years of bilingual education?

Would it be being able to read, write understand, speak and otherwise achieve native speaker level in all skill areas of the language?

Would it be to be able to enter the university of higher learning facility of your choice no mater what the selection process and to not have to take an English language placement exam.

Or maybe it would be the confidence you would have in knowing that you would be able to understand all that you would need to read, listen to and produce in English no matter what the situation. Or having Task Orient-

First IB Language and Literature and Language B Exams May 2013

ed Language competency.

Maybe it would be all of the above but it could also be achieving the

With the first exams having been completed it is now time to reflect on how it went. The EXAM (s) is really a six part sequence that begins in the fall of your 6th year for Language and Literature candidates and 5th year for Language B candidates.

highest grade possible on your end

You begin with Written Assignments this can entail either on or two depending on your course and level. Written assignments are meant to demonstrate the candidates ability to use (English) language to communicate their meaning to a target audience. The first is a creative work and students may choose from a wide variety of text types to produce these may include short stories, articles, brochures, advertising campaigns to mention a few. Students are trying to use the appropriate language style , register and rhetoric to communicate their ideas and meanings. And are graded on how successful they are at doing this. The work is 800 to 1000 words with a rationale/ explanation of up to 300 words.

perfect score on any exam is unprec-

Part two is a more structured work and this is a critical respo9nse to literature which they have read as a part of the course. This is in response to a question that can pertain to context as in the importance of time and setting or character relations or it could have the student reflect on the context of when and why the work was written and how the message may or may not be the same today and for his/herself. Again this is 800—100 words with an outline defining the works intent and what information will be used to answer the question in bullet point format.

class had fantastic results. A proof of

This is just the beginning there are four more parts to follow including to orals and two seated sessions of between 1.5 and 2 hours depending on your level.

The first oral is an interactive oral meant to demonstrate the students ability to operate in an exchange of dialog with one or more people in a prescribed situation. This can be a discussion, debate, presentation with a Q&A session, even a role play with a component of spontaneity. The student needs to demonstrate appropriate language use some of the marking criterion include level of vocabulary, register, and exchange of dialog .

The second oral is a formal analysis and commentary on a text. The text is an extract from a work they have written in class and is chosen by the student and is further unseen until the day of the exam. See page 4

exams, leaving behind a legacy that can only be tied and never beaten. A edented but on a language exam where open questions can be interpretive is really an achievement. This year we have had just that Johan Trouw has received a 10.0 on his Havo English exam. In fact the entire the adage that practice makes perfect? I am very proud of you all and I am proud to have been your teacher for the last two years.

Congratulations and best of luck to you all next year in whatever you undertake.

Mr. Schuck

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Challenge Accepted from page 3 Effective Learning across subjects and languages

What is it about?

CLIL 2.0 unites a team of European experts and practitioners in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) who believe that a radical shift in practice is vital for CLIL to realise its potential. To mainstream CLIL in secondary education, [foreign] language learning must be re-modelled to not only support subject learning in cognitively challenging ways but to do so with academic proficiency in mind. For CLIL learners to become pluriliterate learners, the role of language must be brought to the fore: FL grammar-dominated approach-

At this time students are presented with six un-marked envelopes to choose from containing the extracts. The student then has 20 minutes to prepare including annotation, and outlining their oral. The oral lasts 15 minutes 8-10 of which must be filled with the commentary provided by the student, the time left 5-7 minutes, is a questions and answer discussion about the text lead by the teacher.

Students are meant to demonstrate their understanding of the content including any message or meaning from the writer as well as placing the text in context of the greater work. They must unpack or decode the text explaining how language is used to generate its purpose to the reader and how they were engaged by the text and their reactions to it.

text identifying Audience/purpose, Theme/ content, Tone/mood, structure and use of literary and/or stylistic devices. Requirements are to handle the text explaining how the writer has communicated his/her purpose or intent to the reader taking into consideration the above points as well as issues concerning context. Both those concerning the writer and the reader.

Paper two is an Academic Essay based on Literature read in the course and student will choose one question from a list of six. They will write in the appropriate register and style and include well integrated references from the works to support their claims. After all of this they will need to be patient until early July when the results will be made known.

Last but not least are Paper one and Paper two. Text analysis or comparative commentary and an academic essay on Literature.

In paper one students receive a pair or two pairs of unseen texts (non Literary) they are to analyse and/or analyse and compare the

es are not appropriate. CLIL 2.0 will reexamine how basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) can lead to

What is Blended Learning? From page 2

cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) in CLIL contexts. A critical evaluation of existing and new concepts will

The blend of face to face and online materials will vary depending on the content, the needs of the students, and the preferences of the instructor. See the section of this site titled Instructional Strategies for information on selecting an ideal blend and designing a blended course.

guide the piloting of an approach to FL learning in CLIL – an approach increasingly literacy-driven and meaning-led to develop performance-oriented competence. Shared ownership of evolving theoretical and practical perspectives with teachers/ teacher educators will involve participation in a trans-European classroom study. It will result in a working model/toolkit for transforming CLIL practice - developed, evaluated,

Considerations Creating high-quality blended instruction can present considerable challenges. Foremost is the need for resources to create the online materials to be used in the courses. Materials development is a time and labor intensive process, just as it is in any instructional medium. In addition, blended instruction is likely to be a new concept to many students and faculty. Instructional designers involved in course development or redesign will need to be able to answer questions related to: what blended instruction is why blended instruction is employed how best to leverage the advantages of a blended approach

adapted and disseminated by practitioners. The team believes there is potential to change mind-set's regarding FL learning and catalyse change in L1 practice.

Hence CLIL 2.0 will be of wide interest to decision-makers across Europe and beyond. For more info: http://www.ecml.at/F7/tabid/969/ language/en-GB/Default.aspx

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Social-toons

Here is your chance to submit your own cartoon about social media.

Penta/JVL get new Electronic Learning Environment Beginning in the fall term you will be welcomed back with a new version of (teletop) Electronic Learning Environment.

Its Learning is a K-12 digital learning platform which allows educators to create, use and manage a wide variety of digital resources to support best practices such as: blended learning, flipping the classroom, personalized learning, professional learning communities, and other innovative digital learning environments.

For more info take a look at the following link: http://www.itslearning.net/#

Andy McIntyre If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!

Ten Lucrative Degree Subjects Look at any list of reasons why people go to university, and you’ll see that making more money is never too far from the top. And after all the time and money that you invest in university, perhaps it’s fair to want to get something back afterwards.

You’re making a good start by getting a degree in the first place. A study by the Georgetown University’s Centre on Education and the Workforce found that bachelor’s degree holders in the US earned US$2,268,000 over their lifetime, while those with only a high school diploma earned US$1,304,000. Postgraduate degrees increase the premium even more.

But then, as one of the report’s authors, Dr Anthony P. Carnevale, reminds us, “It’s all down to what you take. That’s the rule in postsecondary education.” So, without further ado, here’s a list of ten lucrative degree subjects.

Accounting FAME (finance, accounting, management and economics) subjects are largely con-

cerned with money – and they can also help you rake it in. For accountancy graduates, a number of high earning options are available. In Hong Kong, for example, an internal auditor working in the financial services industry would be looking at an annual salary of US$39,000 -US$77,000, while a finance director in the corporate sector could earn US$103,000-US$180,500.

Business You got to spend money to make money, so it’s logical that a degree in the art of making money could be a quick route to any number of high earning careers. And you can start doing so from the very beginning. A UK investment banker’s starting salary is a whooping US$54,300, while a retail or commercial banker starts on US$44,250. Get further on, and the figures can get silly…

See page 6

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Ten Lucrative Degree Subjects from page 4 IB Teaching Team I. Oskam TTO/IB Coordinator K. Sloane-Regan 4VWO B. Quartero 4VWO– 4HAVO– 5HAVO K. Schuck Head Teacher 4 VWO- 5VWO-6VWO

Chemical engineering Research by Georgetown University has found that experienced graduates of chemical engineering earn, on average, US$94,000, while a graduate degree holder can earn an impressive US$101,000.

Unsurprisingly, working in the field of petroleum is particularly lucrative. Average US salaries in this industry are US$138,980, while in Australia they range from US$141,000-179,000.

Computer Science It seems safe to say that computer science graduates will be in high demand for the foreseeable future, across a wide range of industries and functions. Coupled with the complex and demanding nature of these roles, this means that remuneration is handsome. A new graduate can expect to earn US$50,000, rising to US$81,000 for those with experience or to US$96,000 for those with a graduate degree.

Dentistry Wherever you go in the world, people tend to care about their teeth – and they tend to be willing to pay for it too! Ergo, dentists are mainstays of best-paid profession lists across the world. In the US dentists and orthodontists earn US$161,750-$204,670 on average, while in the UK, a publically employed dentist performing a range of extra services could potentially earn – get this – over US$300,000!

Engineering management Engineering and management are both pretty lucrative professions, so imagine what would happen if you combined the two? Yep, that’s right: massive salaries. An engineering manager in Australia stands to earn in the region of US$163,000-217,500. In Canada the same role will earn you US$113,000, while in the US the figure is US$116,738.

Law Law is of course, one of the most prestigious degrees out there, and with prestige comes high earnings. Wherever you go in the world, solicitors, barristers and judges are among the highest earners.

A company lawyer in the UK, for instance, stands to earn over US$95,000 a year, while a judge in Canada earns US$178,000.

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Where the world goes to school

Medicine No list of lucrative degrees would be complete without medicine. Whether you choose to be a general practitioner, a surgeon or a consultant, those long hard years in medical school certainly do pay for themselves…eventually. They certainly do in Australia, where a GP stands to earn between US$166,000 and US$204,000. Be warned though, it is a lot of hard work, the hours are long and it is extremely competitive and often expensive.

Marketing The art of helping people to make money by making their products or services appealing is big business, so for marketing graduates with talent and ambition, the sky is the limit. Work your way up to a marketing director role in the UK, for example, and you would earn US$106,000 on average. It’s a similar story in the US, where the average salary for a marketing manager is US$126,190.

Pharmacy Completing our trio of high earnings health professions is pharmacy. Like the medicine and dentistry the training and work is long and hard, but with pharmacists’ average earnings standing at US$62,000 in France and a huge US$112,160 in the US, it may just be worth the effort.

Source and For more information :

http://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice/ten-lucrativedegree-subjects