Brad Cartwright

Understanding The Core Elements of the IB Diploma Programme

This week I’m going to break down the core elements of the IB Diploma Programme into five key parts.

But first, a thought…

Regardless of the school you are teaching, it is best to think of yourself as working for the “IB Diploma School” that happen to be stationed at your particular location.  

Why?  Because it is true.  

When you teach in the IB, you are following the same curriculum as nearly 6,000 schools worldwide.  With that in mind, it kind of makes sense that you think of it this way.  

Plus, it’s pretty cool that so many like-minded people out there are teaching and thinking and striving for excellence in the same way that you are.  

So this week let’s take a look at the five core parts of the IB Diploma Programme.

To help us, let’s remember the big picture:   When we are talking about the requirement of the Diploma Programme we are talking about the lives of 17 year-old human beings.  

This is something I remind myself of all of the time.   No matter how intelligent and capable a student may be, they are still just 17 or 18 year-old kids.  Kids.  It’s crazy what they can do.

So let’s break it down…

 

Understanding the IB Diploma Programme:

1. An Overview of the IB Diploma Programme
2. The IB Student Experience
3. Theory of Knowledge
4. The Extended Essay
5. Creativity, Activity, and Service

  

#1.  An Overview of the IB Diploma Programme

Let’s start off by looking at the IB Mission Statement.  Admittedly, I don’t usually take much time to read mission statements and such.  They’re kind of all the same, say the right things, etc., but there is a part of this one that is important to highlight because it gets to source of why I love teaching in the IB.   

Here it is….

“The International Baccalaureate® 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 organization 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.”

Pretty typical, right?  

But here’s the part…

“…lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”

Other people, with their differences, can also be right.

I like that a lot.

So, if you are teaching in the IB Programme, know that you are teaching a curriculum of tolerance, of inclusion, of equity, and of openness that has the explicit goal of creating what I call beautifully flexible minds.

Who doesn’t want that as the backbone of their educational philosophy?

I love it.  

Lastly, I think this illustration is really helpful to visualize the whole of the IB Diploma Programme.

 

Take a good long look at that illustration.  I didn’t when I first started in the IB, but it actually captures the entire program in one nice looking circle.

The student is at the center (look at their sweet faces!) and the student experience builds outward from there.  

The next ring is the Approaches to Teaching and Learning, then the IB Core Elements of Theory of Knowledge, The Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, and Service.  

Then the third ring is the student’s course work in the Six-Subject Areas, which we will get into in a second, and it finishes with the idea of International-Mindedness.  

It’s a pretty awesome illustration of the overall program.  

So now, let’s take dive into the center of the illustration to look directly at the student experience.

  

#2.  The IB Student Experience

Ok, here are the main tasks every IB Diploma Student must complete:

• Take Six Core IB Classes 
  • 3 Higher Level Courses 
  • 3 Standard Level Courses
• Take the Theory of Knowledge Course
  • Their 7th Class
• Write an Extended Essay
  • A 4,000-word research paper of a topic of their choice
• Complete their Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) Requirement 
  • Ongoing CAS Activities
  • A significant CAS Project

 

That’s their lives as students.  And that’s a lot for anyone—but especially if you’re 17.

Now let’s break down each of these into more detail.

The Six-Core IB Courses:

Every student chooses a combination of six courses in these six Subject Groups:

• Group 1:  Studies in Language and Literature (English)
• Group 2:  Language Acquisition (Second Language)
• Group 3:  Individuals and Society (Social Studies)
• Group 4:  Sciences
• Group 5:  Mathematics
• Group 6:  The Arts

Of the six courses, three of them must be taken at the Higher Level and three of them must be taken at the Standard Level.

• Key Point:  While it varies from subject to subject, don’t think of Higher Level as “harder” and Standard Level as “easier”.  Just think of Higher Level classes as having more content to cover.  In general, Higher Level equals more (which, of course, can make the course “harder”).

So, there are the student’s six core courses.  

Important point: Students are required to take courses in Groups 1 through 5.  Taking a course in Group 6 is optional.  If the student chooses not to take Group 6, they must double up in one of the other Groups.   Most students would then choose two Group 3 or two Group 4 courses.    

No matter what, students must take six courses—three Higher Level and three Standard Level—in order to get their IB Diploma.

#3.  Take the Theory of Knowledge Course 

Every IB Diploma student is required to take Theory of Knowledge (TOK).  

This course is often the most misunderstood portion of the IB Diploma Programme.  

I have taught this course for years and I’ll say one thing very clearly, it is not a philosophy course.  

Theory of Knowledge is a course designed to have students better understand why they know what they know—and where that information or knowledge came from.  

Why they know what they know and how it got there.   

That’s the course.  It’s so cool.

I love teaching this course because it really pushes students to think about why they believe what they believe, and then consider if they actually want to believe that anymore.  

It is an awesome course.  When taught well, kids really enjoy it.

The overarching goal of the course is to create what I call beautifully flexible minds.  

That is, minds that are capable of bringing in new information without judgment, think about it, form new thoughts based on their previous knowledge, and then clearly articulate them.  

Apart from learning the content of the course, each student must complete two required IB tasks:

• The TOK Exhibition
  1. This thing is cool.  Students choose three objects that connect to one of the thirty-five prescribed IA prompts provided by the IB. 
  2. The goal is to demonstrate how TOK concepts manifest in the real world through these objects.
  3. For each object, students must produce a commentary that explains the connection between the object and the prompt. 
  4. Each commentary is limited to 950 characters (approximately 200 words).
  5. The commentary should make clear how the object relates to the prompt and illustrate the student's understanding of TOK.
• The TOK Essay
  1. Check this out. Each year, the IB provides a list of “prescribed titles” from which students must choose one. 
  2. These titles challenge students to critically engage with different knowledge claims and explore their implications.
  3. The essay has a maximum word count of 1,600 words and requires students to develop a coherent argument that is well supported by real-life examples and their own critical thinking.
  4. Crazy right?   The IB gives kids titles and they have to write an essay to serve that title.  It’s a really cool and thoughtful assignment.

 

Theory of Knowledge is the lone required course for every IB Diploma student.  And therein lies it’s power.  I love this class for a bunch of reasons, but first and foremost it is true differentiator of an IB Student.

 

#4.  Write an Extended Essay

The Extended Essay is a 4,000-word essay that provides students the opportunity to extend their studies into their favorite educational field.

Think of it as an opportunity for students to investigate a specific question within a subject area that the student is particularly interested in. 

This could range across a wide variety of disciplines—from the sciences and humanities to the arts and languages.

I love this journey with students. 

Here is a breakdown of the elements of the Extended Essay:

• The Extended Essay is designed to develop students' research and writing skills through an in-depth study of a question related to one of the IB subjects they are studying. Here are the key requirements and components of the Extended Essay.
• Topic Selection:  Students choose a topic of interest that relates to one of the subjects they are studying in the IB Diploma Programme. The topic should be narrow enough to be thoroughly explored within the scope of a 4,000-word essay.
• Research Question:  Students must formulate a clear and focused research question that the essay will aim to answer.
• Supervision:  Each student is assigned a supervisor (usually a teacher in their school) who provides guidance and advice throughout the research and writing process. Students are entitled to approximately three to five hours of supervision, including discussions on the formulation of the research question and the methodology, as well as feedback on one draft of the essay.
• Research and Writing:  Students undertake independent research on their chosen topic, which must be evidenced by a range of sources. The research should lead to a coherent and structured essay, demonstrating critical analysis and a clear line of argument.
• The Reflections:  The Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF) must be completed by students to reflect on their planning, research, and writing process. This reflection is a crucial part of the assessment criteria, as it highlights the student’s intellectual engagement with the topic.
• Formal Presentation:  The essay must be presented formally, adhering to the following criteria:
  1. It should not exceed 4,000 words in length.  
  2. The essay must include a title page, table of contents, main body, conclusion, references/bibliography, and appendices if necessary
  3. It should be typed, double-spaced, and paginated.
• Assessment Criteria: Extended Essays are externally assessed by IB examiners and are graded based on specific criteria that include focus and method, knowledge and understanding, critical thinking, presentation, and engagement.

#5. Creativity, Activity, and Service 

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is the “holistic part” of the curriculum that requires students to engage in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the two years. 

It is designed to foster students' personal and interpersonal development by learning through experience.

It’s also very cool.

Here’s a breakdown of each element:

• Creativity involves arts and other experiences that involve creative thinking. 
• Activity refers to “physical exertion” contributing to a healthy lifestyle, encouraging students to appreciate the importance of physical activity. 
• Service entails collaborative engagement with a community or individuals that address the genuine needs of the community.

And then there’s the CAS Project 

• The CAS Project is a requirement within the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) component of the IB Diploma Programme and it involves students in a collaborative or individual project that spans at least one month.

That’s a lot, right?

It is and the combination of all of those elements above make this program a comprehensive curricular program that goes way beyond our role as an IB Economics teacher. 

 

So, where does that leave us?

Hopefully with a clear understanding of the demands IB Diploma Programme.

These five elements shine a light on the thoughtfulness of the IB.

1. An Overview of the IB Diploma Programme
2. The IB Student Experience
3. Theory of Knowledge
4. The Extended Essay
5. Creativity, Activity, and Service

 

Understanding the breadth of the student’s required tasks is critical for us to remember as we teach our own specific subject area.

Why?

Because as an IB Economics teacher, I must remember that my course is one-ninth of the students’ required tasks.

One-ninth.  

Keeping that in mind has given me the opportunity to sympathize and bond with my students over the years.

They do amazing things.  And they deserve our collective respect.

Be good out there!

We’ll see you next week.