Stephen Hawking once wrote that “however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” That has undoubtedly turned out to be true for the Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) class of 2020. Despite the unique challenges to learning posed by the coronavirus pandemic, DCB students once again achieved outstanding results in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. DCB students averaged 38 points out of 45, significantly above the global average of 29.9. Thirty-seven students out of the 103 full Diploma students scored over 40 points, and four even scored a perfect 45.

“Adversity made us stronger as a learning community this year and we believe that collaboration and the support of our whole community were key,” said Rachel Edwards, Head of Senior School. “No matter where our staff or families were located, we were very much together and support was in place every step of the way. We couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of our graduating students who are more than ready for their next exciting adventures.”

Jeffrey Harmon, director of university counseling, awards a graduation gift to a student

Celebrating perfect scores

DCB’s overall IB results are impressive, but even more remarkably, four students managed to score a perfect 45, placing them in the top 0.1% of candidates worldwide. The perfect score holders, Jennifer Z, Cherin Y, Vivian H, and Zhiyang H, described the excitement of results day. “When I first saw the results I thought there was something wrong with my eyes because I never expected to get a perfect score,” Cherin said.

Jennifer, Cherin, Vivian’s and Zhiyang’s achievements certainly stem from hours of hard work and dedication, but mastering the IB isn’t just about studying and revision. For Jennifer, passion is an underrated quality and one that helped her achieve her outstanding results. “The extent and quantity of the work in the program is quite exhausting,” she explained. “If you don’t genuinely care, then you won’t find the energy to power through.” For those embarking on their IB journey this coming year, Vivian offers some sage advice: “Do not sacrifice your sleep for an extra hour of revision or plain procrastination. It’s very, very important to have good sleep.”

Kieran Burgess, IB Diploma Program coordinator, working with students

It is worth noting that the students with over 40 points are typically those who maintained a balance between studies and personal passions – those who really embraced the CAS (Creation, Action, Service) aspect of the IB and devoted time to connecting with friends, family and the school community. “In my experience, scoring 40+ points doesn’t happen when it is set as a destination to aim for, but rather it comes as an organic by-product of a healthy, balanced approach to academics, arts, activity, and responsible action,” Kieran Burgess, IB Diploma Program coordinator, said. “These results are a real vindication of a healthy culture, one where a love of learning and a love for life work together, and all staff have played a part in creating this culture. This is a great model for our current and future IB Diploma students to look up to.”

Can’t stop, won’t stop learning

As these perfect scorers show, even a pandemic couldn’t stand in the way of DCB’s commitment to outstanding results. As soon as the coronavirus outbreak hit in late January, DCB was in close contact with the IB, keeping them informed of general developments in China, as well as the specific challenges the school was facing. Teaching was swiftly pivoted online, often across multiple time zones, and then the IB made the decision to cancel exams. While this relieved some of the pressure on students, it also raised questions about how final grades would be calculated.

Screenshot from one a senior school online maths class

However, DCB had measures in place, as Kieran explained. “As a school, we ensured that coursework and predicted grades were calculated no differently to any other year. This was key: we knew that our predictions were historically more accurate than the world average, and we knew that our results were consistently high. Therefore, we didn’t really need to add anything in most cases — simply to ensure the same processes were followed so the IB could trust our grades once more.”

This strategy paid off, as DCB’s results were even closer to predictions than last year, and they haven’t seen the turmoil that other schools around the world have experienced, such as the scandal over adjustments to predicted A-Level results currently gripping the UK.

Now, Kieran and the rest of the DCB team are busy preparing for the new school year. With remote learning likely to remain a fact of life for some time to come, the experiences of the 2020 spring semester have left DCB well-prepared to face whatever the 2020-2021 school year throws at them. “Our online learning offering is genuinely considered world-leading,” Kieran said. “The IB themselves chose to spotlight us, out of all IB schools in the world, in their global magazine as an example of how well we responded to the shutdowns.”

Even creative subjects such as music were moved online

Life beyond DCB

DCB’s perfect scorers and their classmates have received offers from some of the world’s top universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Tsinghua, and Parsons School of Design, studying everything from film to chemical and biomolecular engineering. This year also saw DCB’s first offer of admission to the prestigious Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, which only admits 40 or fewer overseas students a year.

It’s no surprise that DCB’s international cohort would choose to scatter all around the world, but with such a wide range of universities on the horizon, DCB’s university counselors have to work particularly hard to prepare students for the higher education experience. “Our students are academically prepared for wherever they may go because the IB Diploma Program supports holistic growth,” Jeffrey Harmon, director of university counseling, explains. “But beyond academic readiness, we also want to make sure our students are socially and emotionally prepared for living on their own.”

Congratulations to the DCB Class of 2020!

That means guiding students through the application process, from preparing documents to understanding what residential options or student-run organizations a university might have, but also giving them opportunities to develop real-life skills like cooking and managing their finances. Wherever they may be off to, the creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability nurtured in students by the IB Diploma Program stand them in good stead for the road ahead.

As the class of 2020 move onto even bigger and better things, both students and teachers reflect fondly on their time at DCB. “Dulwich is a community of people and not a place,” Edward L. reflects. “Regardless of where each and every one of us ends up, we will all carry a piece of Dulwich with us through the lifelong bonds we have formed with both our mentors and peers.”

This post is paid for by Dulwich College Beijing
Photos courtesy of Dulwich College Beijing

We know that picking a school is tough work. After all, quite possibly the entire future of your young learner is in the balance. With that said, we don’t want to overwhelm you any more than you already are. So here are the key points of just about every curriculum you might encounter here in Beijing, boiled down to their essence to help you determine if it will be the right fit for your family. Keep in mind that no one curriculum reigns supreme, and there is plenty of variety within each of the approaches that is listed in this guide. So make sure to keep an open mind, and happy hunting!

Reggio Emilia

Reggio Emilia is an innovative approach to early years education where children are seen as unique people who embark on a journey into the realms of research and exploration from the moment they are born, in order to find out about themselves, others, and the surrounding world.

– Acquiring knowledge and skills are considered natural human needs
– Students are active designers of their own development
– Asking questions is an essential tool for acquiring knowledge
– An environment where children are free to educate themselves is essential

Multiple Intelligences

First conceived by Dr. Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences operates on the principle that people learn and think differently, and there are numerous ways intelligences can manifest, ranging from linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist.

– Customized teaching methods
– Use of wide-ranging techniques to reach all students
– Children are taught to become self-confident, to get along with others, and to be problem solvers
– Mainly found in kindergarten and elementary schools

Montessori

Founded by Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952), the Montessori approach is founded on the belief that every child should be respected as an individual and allowed to learn at their own pace within the prepared environment of a classroom.

– Mixed-age classrooms
– Prepared physical and spiritual learning environment focused entirely on the child
– Making of individualized teaching and development plans
– Teachers are directors, supporters, and collaborators

English National Curriculum

Launched in 1988 by the British government and used by all schools in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and by thousands of British Curriculum schools all over the world. Students study the full breadth of subjects that are needed to help them develop into well-rounded citizens of the future.

– Highly structured and divided into six ‘Key Stages’
– Ongoing development of the curriculum gives the ENC high standing when compared to more linear ways of learning
– There are very few major cities where one of the 30,000 schools using the British curriculum model cannot be found.

Bilingual Approach

“Bilingual” isn’t a curriculum in itself, but is an approach used by numerous schools to deliver instruction. Parents should note that for a native pronunciation, learning should ideally take place before age 7. While fluency can be achieved at any age, the feat becomes harder as a child or adult grows older and if motivation wanes at any point.

– Puts two languages in the part of the brain that considers a language as primary
– Uses both languages beyond studying grammar and topical vocabulary
– Languages can be split 50:50, 30:70, with co-teachers, split-days, or in rare cases, simultaneous teaching
– Top jobs around the world require bilingualism as a minimum requirement

International Baccalaureate

IB World Schools are institutions accredited and authorized to offer either or all of the three programs: the Primary Years Programme or PYP (ages 3-12), the Middle Years Programme or MYP (ages 11-16), and the Diploma Programme or IBDP (ages 16-19).

– Has a 43-year history of high-quality international education
– One of the most popular – and natural – choices for expat families
– Requires study across a broad range of subjects
– IB diploma is accepted by over 2,000 universities in 75 countries

Hybrid Curriculum

This curriculum can be described as the best of both worlds. It blends the Chinese education system (in the case of China-based schools) with internationally recognized styles such as the International Baccalaureate (IB), the English National Curriculum (ENC), American Common Core Standards, and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC).

– Ever-evolving and is offered from kindergarten to high school
– A curriculum that dives deeper into Chinese language and culture
– Graduates possess intellectual, cultural, and ecological fluency
– Found all over the world, however, each tailored to the respective local system

This article first appeared in the beijingkids School Choice Guide 2019-2020
Photos: Adobe Creative Cloud, Uni You, courtesy of schools

Keana Cabrera Kormylo was born and raised in Hong Kong and has a Canadian and Philippine passport. Vivian Kormylo is from the Philippines and Roderick Kormylo is from Canada. This is the family’s third year in Beijing and has been enrolled in Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB) the entire time. The family chose it for many reasons, most importantly because it is a “positive” and “inclusive” school. Next, the teaching staff and administration are friendly and professional, and many have been at the school for more than five years. The curriculum played an important role when they choose CISB as the Kormylos are unsure of where they might go next. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program offers the flexibility of going almost anywhere. Also, as Keana is a third/fourth culture child, the curriculum and staff have a great understanding of her needs and can support her accordingly as a “global citizen.” The curriculum is designed to challenge students of every level, but more importantly, it’s the teachers that deliver it and the professional development they receive to maintain current teaching practices. The drama, swimming, and volleyball programs have made Keana more confident, responsible, and motivated to do her best.

Favorite spot in the school
I love the dance studio. My friends and I do our own choreography and the school provides us with many opportunities to perform.

Favorite teacher in the school
All the teachers in the drama department because they are so supportive, understanding, and motivating

Favorite class
P.E., which includes the swim and volleyball programs. It offers a nice break from the academic rigors and it provides me with many leadership opportunities.

Favorite afterschool activity
Drama is by far, because of the passionate teachers involved. They are the best role models I could imagine!

Favorite thing about the school
Friends! It’s such a friendly environment. I can really relax and just be myself.

Curriculum Spotlight: International Baccalaureate

Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation based in Switzerland that is administered by a board of governors and six permanent committees handling policy and best governance practices. IB World Schools are institutions accredited and authorized to offer either or all of the three programs: the Primary Years Programme or PYP (ages 3-12), the Middle Years Programme or MYP (ages 11-16), and the Diploma Programme or IBDP (ages 16-19). CISB gives us more insight into this highly popular curriculum.

What’s unique about this program?
The IB has a 43-year history of high-quality international education. IB World Schools go through a rigorous authorization and evaluation process, and IB teachers participate in a variety of professional development events. The IB has a distinct focus on international education, making it one of the most popular – and natural – choices for expat families in Beijing. The three programs have their own developed and evolving curriculum. The programs have the following core characteristics:

• They require study across a broad range of subjects.
• They emphasize language learning.
• They encourage interdisciplinary learning.
• They include a community service requirement.

How is it applied?
The IBDP is probably the best known. Over two years, students must take six courses drawn from the following subject groups: arts, experimental sciences, language acquisition, studies in language and literature, individuals and society, and mathematics and computer science. Normally, half of these subjects are higher-level courses (240 teaching hours), and the other half are standard-level courses (150 teaching hours). Other hallmarks of the IBDP include the Theory of Knowledge (TOK), “Creativity, Service, and Action” (CAS), and the extended essay. International Baccalaureate (IB) TOK is a compulsory course that focuses on critical thinking and the nature of knowledge. CAS reflects the belief that students should pursue activities outside the classroom. The extended essay is a 4,000-word paper designed to prepare students for undergraduate university work. IBDP students are graded on a scale from 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest. They can also gain up to three extra points for their combined results on TOK and the extended essay, bringing the maximum total grade to 45 points. The IB diploma is awarded to students who obtain at least 24 points and satisfy their requirements in CAS. In general, about 80 percent of students obtain the diploma after being examined; fewer than 1 percent achieve a perfect score.

How well does this education system prepare students for the real world?
The IB diploma is accepted by over 2,000 universities in 75 countries. In addition, IB provides students with an international skill set, including knowledge of a second language, advanced critical thinking skills, dedication to community service, and the ability to appreciate different cultures.

Where is it offered?
It can be found in 140 countries according to the official website statistics. Most IB World Schools are required to have the IB logo on their website and communication materials, therefore the absence of the logo would mean a school isn’t an IB accredited school.

Photo: Uni You

This article originally appeared on p18-19
of beijingkids School Choice Guide 2018-2019.

It’s a cause for celebration at Dulwich College Beijing as students and teachers are rejoicing in yet another year of marvelous IB scores as the International Baccalaureate Organization has just announced its June 2017 Diploma Programme results.

This year DCB entered 68 students (94 percent of the Class of 2017) into the full IB Diploma Programme, widely recognised as the most rigorous high school qualification globally. While the world average Diploma score is 30, DCB students achieved a phenomenal 37.63 point average (out of a possible 45), and 36.8 percent of our students scored 40 and above. Notably, four members of our Class of 2017 achieved a stunning score of 43 and five pupils attained a nearly perfect score of 44!

“We are delighted to see such strong IB results again at Dulwich College Beijing, which reflect the hard work of our talented students and staff,” says DCB Headmaster Simon Herbert. “Strong pastoral care, excellent collaboration and a well balanced curricular and extra-curricular offering are at the heart of a Dulwich education. Well done to all – we are proud of you!”

Below are DCB’s highlights from this year’s exam:

• 100% pass rate for all students registered for the IB Diploma
• Average point score: 37.63
• 36.8 % of students achieved 40+ points
• 
190+ university offers (please visit this page for the full list of university offers)

Congratulations to the Class of 2017 on the splendid achievements!

This post is paid for by Dulwich College Beijing.
Photos courtesy of DCB

British School of Beijing, Shunyi (BSB, Shunyi) is a wonderful example of how project-based learning can be implemented in a variety of ways. Throughout the school this new approach is engaging students in new ways of learning, which will help them meet the increasing demand for well-rounded learners and the unknown requirements of employers of the future.

Andy Puttock, former principal of BSB, Shunyi and now educational director of Nord Anglia, explained: “For us, project-based learning is about students gaining knowledge, skills, and understanding through projects over an extended period of time, which are multi-disciplinary and that they investigate and respond to problems and challenges which are real world, authentic, and complex. So it takes students and teachers out from their comfort zone.”

One difference we discovered in the way that project-based learning is being implemented at BSB, Shunyi is that in primary school it is used in most lessons, giving these early learners the responsibility of coming up with ways to gain proficiency in core subjects by tackling real world problems. This in our opinion is a concrete way for students early on to understand the benefits of learning rather than it being an abstract activity, to which there is no apparent purpose. This can be an especially daunting time for early learners. If they are given the freedom outside of the classroom with their homework to develop themes and problems to solve in their own time, instead of just using the “complete section 3 of chapter 12” approach, then the effects of nightly homework can become immediately tangible and more appreciated.

The fact that independent and project-based learning is slowly becoming the mainstream in educational institutions around the globe does not mean that the current system is necessarily broken, but in many ways it is in need of some modification to adapt to the new requirements of life in the future.

To this Puttock’s response was that “the true marker for change in educational systems around the globe will come from what top companies are looking for when they are hiring.” These requirements for future workers subsequently trickle down from these companies and are fed into universities, then secondary, and primary schools. For young learners, thinking about your child’s career and their future employability might seem a long way off, but it’s never too soon to start preparing children for the very different world ahead of them, and tech companies are leading the way in mapping out this unknown future.

When Puttock first arrived in Asia four years ago, this wasn’t the case and exams and grades were still the primary focus. But, recently he believes there has been a big shift taking place, and educators the world over are beginning to favor new methods that have been making a significant difference in creating the confident and creative employees of the future.

Whether it be in primary school, International Baccalaureate (IB), or the STEAM program, project-based learning concepts are actively being incorporated to grow the next crop of engaged learners. One recent success story demonstrates how presenting students with real world problems in the project-based learning framework is changing things for the better. Nord Anglia Education has just formed a partnership with UNICEF, and they are working with them to help develop their United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Each year now, they’ll be setting a challenge based on these goals which include ending poverty, ending hunger, ensuring healthy lives, achieving gender equality, and conserving and sustaining our oceans.

Tildie, Helen, Sunny and Sabrina, a gang of four brilliant IB students, decided to join in the effort of helping Grade 9 and primary school students develop projects based on these Sustainable Development Goals for UNICEF’s High Level Political Forum 2017. Like all IB students, they needed to complete a Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) requirement, and their supervisor for this very open-ended aspect of the curriculum told them that there was a great opportunity to represent Nord Anglia Education at this UNICEF conference at the United Nations in New York City.

With their combined past experience in Model United Nations and the debate team, they were the perfect addition to help guide the younger students. They worked closely with their schoolmates and developed ideas to creatively respond to these issues related to hunger and health. One was learning about compost bin systems and building one on campus, while the primary school kids created a garden on campus to grow vegetables to be used in the school’s cafeteria.

What started as a simple but worthwhile assignment has turned into a life-changing experience for these students and brought them to the UN, from July 10 to 19. This unique opportunity gave them a platform to contribute to the discussion and influence policies at the highest level. While this sort of cooperation between Nord Anglia and the UN allows students to use their project to learn about these important issues affecting countries worldwide, it also takes these concepts outside of the classroom to provide a channel for young people to communicate ideas and influence policy makers from around the globe through organized debate.

Out of the 87 students present at the forum, Sabrina was selected to address the UN, along with a small handful of other students from other Nord Anglia schools. They presented their ideas on ending hunger globally, along with a plan for how Nord Anglia Education will continue in aiding these development goals in the years to come. Sabrina described how working with this project has shaped her in becoming more aware of these global concerns: “One of the main things is that it has helped us realize the importance of these international issues. So by looking at the sustainable development goals we had to do research, and we had to talk about it, and we also had to cooperate with younger students about it, so it has helped raise awareness about these topics within ourselves concerning these issues and what we can do to help.”

As active members of BSB, Shunyi’s Model United Nations, when they return to school in the fall they plan on using this experience to create a Model UN summit at the school. This will help build another student-led experience that is sure to benefit all who are involved, continuing the enrichment of the student population with the authentic, real world experiences which are the basis for a 21st-century education.

Photos: Courtesy of BSB, Shunyi

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This article originally appeared on p 52-53 of beijingkids August 2017 issue.
Download the digital copy here.

Amy Chen, originally from the US, has been in Beijing for six years, brought here originally by her husband Adam’s job. She works as General Manager at the local office of a US software start-up called Bluestacks. She and Adam have a son Matthew, age 17, and daughter Rachel, age 13, both of whom attend Dulwich College Beijing (DCB). Matthew recently demonstrated his academic prowess by writing and publishing his own book, Easy as Raspberry Pi, which explains how to program a simple computer to access “the internet of things.”

What expectations do you have of your child(ren) academically, and how do you communicate your expectations?
I adjust my expectations based on children’s unique characters and talents.  I have two very different kids: Matthew has a broad range of interests and wants to get involved in many activities, while Rachel is more quiet and prefers to stay home. For Matthew, I urge him to prioritize and focus on a few to get the best result. For Rachel, I encourage her to stay active, get out of her comfort zone, and to try sports and other activities so she can be more open-minded and overcome her fears. I have high expectations for Matthew as he is very smart, and will have much lower expectations for Rachel as she is still working on her shyness.

Do your children do any extra schooling or have personal tuition?
Not regularly, but if our children show interest in something and want to learn more, or need to have better understanding of something that is not taken care of by their school teachers, we’d make arrangements.

How much homework do your children do? Do you think it’s enough, too much, or too little?Matthew has a lot of homework which is common for Year 12 [Grade 11]. International Baccalaureate (IB) is very demanding, requiring students to have six activities and study six subjects, with three of them at college level, plus an extended essay on a topic from one of the subjects. We made a choice for Matthew to take IB to prepare him for a top college in the US. Rachel has about one hour homework each school day, and the amount is about right.

Do your children ever compare themselves to other students in their class, favorably or unfavorably? If so how do you respond?
Matthew almost never makes comparisons, but Rachel does it often.  I am always telling Rachel that she only needs to compare to her own past, to be sure she has made progress and tried her best. This is much more important than how she compares to others.

Do you think it’s more important for your children to focus on the things they’re good at, or catch up on their weaker areas?
I think it would be great if they can do both. I’d encourage them to work on personal projects in the area that they are good at, and improve the weaker areas to an acceptable standard unless it is an elective subject.

How would you respond if your children told you they didn’t want to go to college?
I would ask them what they want to do if not going to college. What is the chance of them finding a job they like without having a college degree? How do they plan to support themselves?

What’s the best thing teachers have done for your children’s education? And the worse?
Teachers provide a stable platform for kids to learn in a set environment – but it is not very flexible. When kids have questions, they often feel uncomfortable asking them in public, and they are not confident enough to schedule a one-on-one session with the teachers. Many kids still have problems with authorities.

Should education be focused on preparing children for their future career, or for life more generally?
A holistic education should help kids to prepare for life more generally, including developing intellectual curiosity, the ability to learn on their own, the ability to work with teams and independently, and the ability to communicate with others.

Do you hope that your children will do better than you did academically?
Of course we all hope our kids will do well academically, and avoid making the same mistakes we made when we were young.  However, each child is unique and some are good at it, some are not.  I’d encourage them to do their best. In my case, Matthew is definitely doing better than me (he got a full score on the ACT) and Rachel is not (at least, not yet!)

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Keya Mu came to Beijing after graduating, because, she says, it’s “a place full of possibilities and opportunities.” She’s been quick to seize those opportunities, having founded her own company, Yeguo Jewellery. She also loves the way Beijing is such an international city, while preserving her beloved Chinese style. She’s married to civil servant Lei Zhao, and they have two children, Elsa (4) and Chloe (2).

What expectations do you have of your children academically, and how do you communicate your expectations?
Sometimes when I look at my two little girls, I imagine the academic success they will achieve in the future, although it doesn’t really depend on my wishes.I wish for my older daughter to become an architect who will design many famous buildings. I wish for my younger daughter to become an actress who will play in many great works. But I won’t express such wishes to them. I only tell them “do what you love.”

Do your children do any extra schooling or have personal tuition?
Elsa also studies drama and horseback riding after class.

How much homework do your children do? Do you think it’s enough, too much, or too little?
I think deciding on the amount of homework has much to do with the personality and studying habits of the kid, and the guidance of time management from parents. To begin with, different personalities result in different perceptions of the amount of homework. Take my older daughter, for example: she could spend a long time on reading and drawing. She has an innate concentration on things. She loves to solve problems. If she can’t write well now, she will practice until she can do it better. Therefore, she is not sensitive to the amount of homework because she will finish it somehow. As for my younger daughter, she is more active and athletic. It’s more difficult for her to focus on things. So the same amount of homework might be no problem to my older daughter, and too much to my younger one. Secondly, studying habits have a direct influence on the amount of homework they can take. Should they finish homework first thing after school, or should they play until the last minute before they have to start doing their homework? Should they finish the difficult or the easy part first? Should they do their favorite subjects first or leave them to the end? Last but not least, parents should guide kids to manage their time effectively.

Do your children ever compare themselves to other students in their class, favorably or unfavorably? If so how do you respond?
Kids like to compare with each other, especially girls. Some common comparisons between kids are not worth mentioning. For instance, my daughter has always been the youngest kid in class, the fact that there is nobody younger than she is makes her unhappy. There are other comparisons that get me thinking. Showing-off between kids is one example. It occurs fairly commonly that her friends tell her: “My dress is prettier than yours,” or “Your drawing is not as good as mine.” She is not happy about this. When the comparison is superficial, I will just help to guide her away from bad feelings. Unfriendly comments from other kids is another example. One day she was crying, and told me: “XXX said I am not beautiful”. In situations like this, it requires communication and guidance, such as telling her what beauty is, letting her understand that being polite is beautiful, helping others is beautiful, and finishing homework is also beautiful.

Do you think it’s more important for your children to focus on the things they’re good at, or catch up on their weaker areas?
I’m in favor of focusing on strengths. We have wasted plenty of time on catching up on our weaknesses, with very slim results. It’s really difficult to be good at everything! In the education field, there is a theory called “Multiple Intelligences”. Simply put, it means that every child is good at something different: music, language, sport, logic, nature, space, relationships, introspection… each individual is unique! As for the academic success we have previously discussed, strengths are surely to be paid more attention to. It’s not hard to discover a child’s strengths, but it’s hard to show understanding to a child’s weaknesses.

How would you respond if your children told you they didn’t want to go to college?
I think if she had the courage to confess to me, she must have already thought of thousands of reasons to convince me. So if someday she comes up to me and tells me she doesn’t want to go to college, I will choose to listen and thank her for letting me know, because at least she wants to talk to me about it. If she does convince me, I would give her a year of experience, to live the life she wants. But I won’t be supportive if she wants to give up college completely. Because besides study, college life itself is important. Moreover, whether she chooses to stay in college or not, she should have the persistence and ability for lifelong study.

What’s the best thing teachers have done for your children’s education? And the worse?
The best experience is with a drama teacher, whose use of language and way of interacting influenced my kid greatly. She has also inspired us parents. It was wonderful! The worst was a piano teacher who made my girl cry and lose interest in piano by using old-fashioned and boring teaching methods. This was our worst education experience by far.

Should education be focused on preparing children for their future career, or for life more generally?
Education focusing on future careers is preparing children to be bourgeois, while education focusing on life is preparing children to join the social elite. Therefore, I think the essence of education is to tell you the way everything works, to make you understand the world and yourself.

Do you hope that your children will do better than you did academically?
I hope my children will be more accomplished academically than I am, because they are living in a more diverse society, where there are more abundant resources and more options in education.

Photos: klimkin via Pixabay, courtesy of Keya Mu and Amy Chen

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This article originally appeared on p 42-43 of beijingkids August 2017 issue.
Download the digital copy here.

For our new column, Ask an Educator, we turn to educators, whether teachers, tutors, or principals, to answer frequently asked questions from parents. To send in your question, email jessicasuotmaa@beijing-kids.com.

This week, our question is:

“What is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, and how does it differ from other high school diploma programs?”

Answering for us is Anna Sophie Loewenberg is an IB Language and Literature Teacher at Beijing No. 55 High School—International Student Section.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a rigorous pre-university course study designed for students in the 16 to 19 age range. It is a broad-based two-year course that aims to encourage students to be knowledgeable and inquiring, but also caring and compassionate.

In comparison to other programs offered at international schools around Beijing, such as the U.S.-based Advanced Placement (AP) program, the IBDP is more rigorous and holistic.

The program follows a curriculum mandated by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) in Cardiff, Wales. The course presents six academic areas: language and literature, individuals and societies, mathematics and computer science, the arts, language acquisition, and the experimental sciences. In each of the academic areas students have flexibility in making their choices, which means they can choose subjects that particularly interest them and that they may wish to study further in university. Students study two modern languages (or a modern language and a classical language); a humanities or social science subject; an experimental science; mathematics; and one of the creative arts.

Students also participate in the three course requirements that make up the core, these include: the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course, which encourages students to think about the nature of knowledge and reflect on the process of learning in all the subjects they study; an extended essay (EE), a substantial piece of writing, which encourages them to develop the skills of independent research that will be expected at university; and a creativity activity service (CAS) component to the program, which involves students in experiential learning through a range of artistic, sporting, physical and service activities.

Unique to the IBDP, it is this comprehensive range of subjects and experiences that makes it a demanding course of study designed to prepare students effectively for university entrance.

I am well acquainted with the Language A: literature course, which I teach at Beijing No. 55 High School. What I like most about the course is the way in which it encourages students to appreciate the role culture plays in making sense of literary works. In the literature in translation part of our course, students have the opportunity to reflect on the geographical, historical, and ethnic context of texts, and the lives and times of their authors. During one of our most memorable discussions, a student who was a native Thai speaker–together with his Mandarin speaking classmates–discovered common ground with Franz Kafka’s linguistic and cultural dilemma: how can one inhabit a language, if he does not feel at home in that language?

The literature A course is delivered in English and our syllabus includes poetry, drama, and fiction by greats such as Yu Hua, Haruki Murakami, William Shakespeare, Robert Frost, and Alice Munro. Students have the opportunity to go beyond the mere “decoding” of texts towards a wide and humane appreciation of literature.

Overall, the IBDP offers a holistic approach to academic study, and I believe this approach allows students to flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally, as well as ethically.

Photo: courtesy of Anna Sophie Loewenberg

More than 300 people came to Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) on April 22 to listen as Grade 5 students presented the culmination of their learning in elementary xchool. Students in the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) presented projects in which they are required to select a local or global issue and spend six weeks creating real-life solutions. Throughout the six weeks, students spent hours listening to guest speakers, identifying interests and passions, finding mentors, researching, taking action, finding solutions and then reflecting on their work. Two students made a video to profile all of their classmates’ different projects. Some of those projects included: “Protect the Oceans,” “Special Kids Special Care,” “Action on Global Poverty,” “Poaching of Endangered Animals in China,” and “Bully Busting Squad.”

“The Grade 5 PYP Exhibition is a milestone in students’ learning,” Elementary School Principal Casey Cosgray told families and friends of Grade 5 students. “Many of the middle school and high school students who gave TED talks (at the recent TEDxYouth@WAB event) referred to their Grade 5 Exhibition as a milestone in their lives.” See more photos from the event below.

Photos: Courtesy of WAB

It started in Geneva as a college introductory program spearheaded by a few private schoolteachers. Now it is seen, by many, as a pinnacle of high school education — and it has taken root in Beijing’s international schools as well.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma program is no longer just a niche school stream for the children of diplomats, looking for curricular consistency as their families jet from one foreign locale to the next.

Today, children from a spectrum of backgrounds are enrolling in the highly buzzed program, both abroad and in their home countries, where the “I” in its acronym is highly touted as a prime path to becoming employable in a globalized economy.

Over time the IB has also branched out from a two-year program at the tail end of high school to offering programs at the middle and primary levels as well.

In Beijing, there are 15 schools that offer one or all components of the IB, including as WAB, ISB and BCIS, as well as Dulwich, CISB and YCIS. BSB Shunyi is also a recent convert to offering the program.

In the UK, a recent Telegraph article noted that schools offering IB around the world has grown 37% since 2005 — to a total of 3,925. The number of students enrolled in the program has leaped 43 percent in the same time span, to a total of 146,519.

The piece said IB’s key attribute is its “breadth” of sixth subjects, compared to the more rigid options in England’s A-level program that prompt students to chose between sciences and arts.

One educator was quoted in the story as criticising the A-level method, saying: “ I don’t think it’s terribly sensible to specialise at 16 [years old].”

However, for all its accolades, IB is not without its detractors.

A story that ran on candgnews.com covered an evaluation of the program at a school in the US state of Michigan. One parent said he worried that IB would not adequately ready students for the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, “…sometimes referred to as STEM in education circles.”

The parent went on to say that: “If our society had a shortage of lawyers, diplomats, historians and linguistics experts, I would have no problem, but according to the [Michigan] governor, that’s not the case. We have a shortage of STEM-trained people.”

Some American educators gripe about IB’s international focus, and how it undermined “American exceptionalism.” Jay Mathews, an education columnist for The Washington Post, dismissed such concerns in an op-ed as “raging paranoia,” that is “completely divorced from reality.”

In particular, he was referring to the rhetoric on truthaboutib.com, a website dedicated to critiquing the IB program, coordinated by one of its biggest detractors, Lisa McLoughlin, a “…real estate broker/journalist/activist from Long Island who is leading a small but vibrant movement to stop the growth of the International Baccalaureate program in the United States.”

Aside from her critiques, rooted in American sovereignty, Matthews conceded that McLoughlin did raise some legitimate concerns, mainly that many American universities continue to give more weight to Advanced Placement (AP) program courses than IB.

But Matthews chalked this discrepancy up to ignorance on the part of the universities. The aforementioned Telegraph piece, meanwhile, argues that IB’s broader course style is a more “holistic” option that better serves its students, regardless of their career choice.

It then quoting an expert who said such well roundedness is crucial in every field, before giving an example: “"It is a worrying thought that people can go on and be scientists if they’re not able to write essays and communicate effectively.”