The curriculum offered at the school you select for your children is fundamental in helping them hone the skills necessary to prosper in the world we live in today. It’s essential, as a parent, that the education your children receive is one that completely immerses them in authentic and challenging work, that encourages inquisition and taking intellectual risks, rather than asking them to solely memorize facts and figures.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) requires students to study six subjects – three of which are at the Higher Level and three at Standard. The DP Core includes three required areas:
- Theory of Knowledge: Students reflect on the nature of knowledge
- The Extended Essay: An independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word essay
- Creativity, Action, Service: Students complete a project related to those three concepts
There are countless benefits of the IBDP, which is why so many parents opt to enroll their children in the program – with more than 1.95 million students aged three to 19 worldwide taking part in the various curriculum opportunities across ages.
But what are the benefits of choosing the IB as a pre-university program, in addition to the ISKL High School diploma? Here are four advantages of choosing the IBDP and how each one will help further set up your children for a successful present and future.
A world-renowned curriculum
The IBDP is recognized as an academically rigorous curriculum worldwide. The IBDP is transferable, allowing your children to seamlessly integrate back into school no matter where they’re enrolled. With 5,500 schools in 159 countries offering the program as of May 2022, only the schools that are ready to provide the challenging and unique programs receive IB World School status.
Not only is this global recognition apparent from those who offer the program, the value is also greatly understood by renowned universities. The IBDP is the foundation of the academic experience at ISKL. It comprises a challenging two-year pre-university curriculum, resulting in a qualification recognized by leading universities globally, opening up a world of university options to our students.
With a more micro focus at ISKL, the graduating class of 2021 received over 280 acceptances and offers from over 130 universities in 12 countries across four continents. This class of students also had extremely impressive IB Diploma results, with a 98% pass rate – the global average is 88.96%.
Increased development of essential skills
The aforementioned benefit of the IB focuses more on the long-term benefits all families think of when selecting a school for their children. But one of the greatest advantages of the IB is that it also offers short-term benefits for students, tangible takeaways you as a parent will be able to see in real-time as your children grow within the program.
So what do these skills include? According to the IB website, learners in the IBDP are:
- Encouraged to think critically and solve complex problems
- Drive their own learning
- A core part of the education that leads them to some of the best universities around the world
- More culturally aware through the development of a second language (which we will cover in the latter part of this article)
- Able to engage with people in an increasingly globalized, rapidly changing world
At ISKL, the IBDP program broadens our students’ educational experiences. IBDP students at ISKL are constantly absorbed in authentic and challenging academic work like historical investigations, mathematical explorations, world languages and such.
IBDP learning cannot be achieved through memorization of facts and figures and provides opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and develop necessary skills that last a lifetime.
A strong focus on language acquisition
An integral component of the IB, early language learning has both short- and long-term benefits. At ISKL, our language program is designed to support students that want to pursue a bilingual IBDP. ISKL students have the opportunity to take language and literature courses available in Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
Studying multiple languages helps students’ brains grow with research illustrating brains expanding in four places (hippocampus, middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus) in just three months.
In addition to students’ minds literally getting bigger, their memories are also strengthened. Research out of Granada University showed children who learn a second language have a stronger ability to recall memories compared to monolinguals.
Finally, given one of the most essential skills post-secondary schools look for in their applicants is time management, you can rest assured knowing the acquisition of multiple languages also strengthens learners’ multitasking abilities.
According to research in The Journal of Neuroscience, learning languages increases the elasticity of brains, allowing for the students to switch between tasks in seconds – much quicker than those who only speak one language.
Helps develop a global mindset
The core elements of the IB focus on innovation, creativity, and learning how to transfer knowledge across disciplines in order for students to understand how to solve complex problems in our future – no matter where or who they’re working with. A perfect complement to this transferable skill set is the strong global mindset found in IB students.
The IBDP, and specifically the way we approach the curriculum at ISKL, includes diverse cross-cultural experiences that promote global awareness and an international mindset. It requires being inquisitive and taking intellectual risks; the hallmarks of a 21st century education.
The importance of ensuring your children are internationally minded cannot be overstated – essentially this is the skill that inspires positive change. With a global mindset, students are open-minded, empathetic, and reflective.
At ISKL, we offer a robust international curriculum that combines both leading North American educational frameworks with global best practices. To learn more about our approach to learning and what exactly it can help our students achieve, click the link below to read our interactive eBook “Unpacking ISKL’s Curriculum: Learning Stories”.
