The International Baccalaureate Corner

This IS happening in the IB Division.

The IB Division, students and teachers, have been actively engaged in a number of academic pursuits since the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.

FIRST major and crucial development:
a. administration of the TOEFL Test to teachers and students
b. grouping of teachers and students according to ability
c. after school support classes for teachers and students – all year round and year after year
Purpose:
a. to allow our teachers to achieve maximum score in the test and perfect control of the language
b. to facilitate the learning process of our students by allowing them to master the language and dominate the subjects they have chosen to study

Nota Bene: starting in September support classes will also be given to students experiencing difficulties in a particular area of learning e.g. Maths or Science, after school, by their own teacher, throughout the school year.

The International Environment Committee has started operating this month. It is composed of all P-12 English teachers and all Expatriate teachers. Its aims and objectives can be summarized very simply: making the school a true international school, with English as the lingua franca and students able to see beyond their immediate environment and preparing for the world we live in. Parents will soon receive an invitation to join the Committee which will also include student representatives.

Additional classroom management training will be dispensed to all teachers on a long term basis to ensure that the teachers we have are not just good teachers but great educators who can inspire our students.

More developments in the fields of:
a. meditation before classes start, both for teachers and students to help with calming the mind as well as focusing on the essential at the beginning of the day.
b. Discovering mind mapping techniques to help with efficient ways of learning
c. Speed reading to help manage study time more effectively
d. Individualized counseling for students in need of additional help with their studies inn terms of motivation and study habits.

What all the above means in that we are developing a programme and an approach which will bring tangible and visible results, both with our students and teachers and that, by doing so we are getting everyday closer to our Vision to be the Best School.

By. Joel Marcel Carre (English Teacher of IB Diploma)