IB Orientation Reflection Assignment

This week, I learned about the overall concept of the IB program. I had heard of IB first when I

was going into grade 10 and I had the chance to do IB, but I chose not to because it was

presented as the option for the “smart” kids. So, coming into this week I wasn’t entirely sure of

what exactly IB was, but I have left with a better understanding of the program and all its

branches. More specifically, I learned about the difference between PYP, MYP, and DP and how

they are related through the learner profiles.

One thing that stood out to me about the program overall is how we are preparing students to be

lifelong learners rather than traditional school where a lot of the students have the mentality of “I

just need to graduate and then I will never have to learn again”. I also found the concept of

completing CAS in the DP program significant because it teaches students about giving back to

their community. Specifically, in MYP I liked the generalized rubric system, where for each

assessment, students are graded on a 1-8 scale. I feel having a system like this helps eliminate

discrepancies that can occur when every teacher or class has different expectations of the

students. The last thing that stood out to me was how the IB program encourages

interdisciplinary studies and collaboration between different subjects. Often, students get so

stuck in one path mindedness that they forget to relate how all the classes they take are linked to

each other.

I also enjoyed the keynote presentation by Jo Chrona. One key takeaway I took from the

presentation was, how can we be inclusive of indigenous children in the classroom. I took the

chance to reflect after her keynote about the land we reside on and who it originally belonged to

and the problems they have faced and continue to face as a society. I really stopped to think

about how I can, as a teacher candidate, create an environment for all my students, that is
fostering and inclusive of all cultures and needs. To me, the biggest takeaway from the

presentation was the infographic about becoming Anti-Racist in Canada. For me, it really

visualized where I currently am in terms of being anti-racist. I also think that this infographic ties

back into the IB philosophy of becoming lifelong learners. Being anti-racist to me always being

open to new ideas and ideologies from different cultures and applying them to yourself to

constantly be growing as a person. This idea of being a lifelong learner is not always apparent to

people, especially adults, often as people get older, they get stuck in their ways and have a hard

time breaking out of their comfort zone, but in our everchanging society the most important thing

you can do is be a lifelong learner.

Overall, this week I think my biggest takeaway was adapting to the lifelong learner mindset.

While we are encouraging our students to always be learning, it is equally as important to learn

along side of them. Children are a fountain of knowledge, and it is so important to break away

from the idea that the “teacher knows all”. We as teachers can learn so much about the world

from our students and I think it is important to open that type of dialogue in the classroom.