What is IB?
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) is a non-profit educational foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland. Scotch College is the first school in Western Australia to offer all three programmes, allowing your son to follow through from Year 1 to Year 12.
The three programmes are:
•The Primary Years Programme (PYP) for students in our Junior School
•The Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students in our Middle and Senior Schools from Years 6 to 10
•The Diploma Programme (DP) for students in Years 11 and 12 of our Senior School.
IBO MISSION STATEMENT
The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the IBO works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
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.
DIPLOMA PROGRAMME (DP)
The Diploma Programme (DP) is a challenging two-year pre-university course, which leads to a qualification that is widely recognised by the world’s leading universities.
It offers a comprehensive curriculum, which involves the study of six subjects as well as Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay and the successful completion of the Creativity, Action and Service component. At the end of the second year, our boys complete examinations for all six subjects although some of the arts subjects are assessed through portfolios of work. All Scotch boys undertake the International Baccalaureate programmes in the Junior (Primary Years Programme) and the Middle and Senior School to Year 10 (Middle Years Programme). The academic and cultural transition to the Diploma is a smooth one.
The College is attracted by the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme’s academic rigour and development of critical thinking skills across all disciplines together with a relevant curriculum for the 21st century student.
We believe that the Diploma Programme produces well-rounded, culturally sensitive students who are skilled critical thinkers. Its curriculum is esteemed by Australian and international universities as excellent preparation for university.
The Diploma provides students with access to more than 2000 universities worldwide including the University of Western Australia. Many Australian universities also allocate bonus points to Diploma students as they recognize the importance of studying a second language and challenging Higher Level subjects.
THE CORE
In addition to the study of six subject groups, Diploma candidates must also undertake three additional requirements which are completed over the two years. These are:
•Theory of Knowledge
•Creativity, Action and Service
•The Extended Essay.
THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
The Theory of Knowledge (ToK) component of the course is designed to provide a broad approach to learning, which unifies each of the academic areas and encourages the appreciation of other cultural perspectives. Students are required to complete a 1200-1600 word essay and a 10-minute oral presentation with a self-evaluation report.
EXTENDED ESSAY
The Extended Essay has a prescribed limit of 4000 words and offers an opportunity to develop independent research skills, which is excellent preparation for university dissertations. Students have the freedom to choose their own topic of interest.
CREATIVITY, ACTION AND SERVICE
Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) is an integral part of the programme. The students take part in a wide variety of exciting activities that allow them to broaden their perspective in a range of ways, putting their learning into action. As for all students at La Salle Beit Hanina in every year group, service learning is an important element of a Diploma student’s education. It provides them with a sense of purpose in life and a strong sense of belonging to a local and global community.
At school through service learning the students:
•Develop community awareness and concern
•Develop a sense of responsibility
•Take an active part in the communities in which they live, thereby encouraging responsible citizenship
•Develop skills and attitudes that will enable effective contributions to society
APPROACHES TO LEARNING
With its emphasis on providing a broad-based curriculum of 21st century relevance, students learn more than a collection of facts.
The Diploma Programme encourages students to:
•ask challenging questions
•learn how to learn
•develop a strong sense of their own
identity and culture
•develop the ability to communicate with and
understand people from other countries and
cultures.
The Diploma Programme offers a course of study to educate a wide range of students and provide them with both moral and intellectual challenges. It is not simply aimed at the academically gifted. Research indicates that the IB Diploma Programme is accessible to any competent student who possesses a good work ethic, reasonable organizational skills and an inquiring mind.
The breadth and depth of the Diploma Programme enable students to satisfy the demands of university
courses and develop excellent literacy and numeracy skills.