Category: International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
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Many European countries’ fertility rates have fallen to a level where births are not replacing deaths; populations are decreasing. The economic implications are simple to see, likely to be catastrophic, and the catastrophe is years, not decades, away. In Economics, Geography, Maths, and Theory of Knowledge, we should stop treating population decline as a mildly…
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If there’s one book every IB Diploma student should read, regardless of their subject choices, it’s William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. More than just a adventurous and dark story of stranded schoolboys, this masterpiece is a study of the human experience, a thicket of ideas that dips into almost every DP subject. It’s not…
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International mindedness is inherently a mindset of openness to the world, a recognition of our shared humanity, and a genuine respect for cultural diversity. By developing the ability to see the world through multiple lenses, we help students move past ethnocentrism and selfishness towards a real state of empathy, a capability that’s as much about…
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To everyone involved in creating and maintaining IBExchange: thank you! Truly. For those of us who’ve been teaching the IB long enough to remember the OCC (Online Curriculum Centre), yes, I know, I’m showing my age, IBExchange feels like a breath of fresh air. The OCC served its purpose in its day, but IBExchange is…
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Hello Everyone, Just a quick update on how things are going with teaching the New Psychology Guide; this time focusing on Paper 1 assessment practice. The biggest shift I’ve noticed so far is how much more intentional we need to be in preparing students for the types of questions they will face with the 4, 6, and 15…
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Sweller’s 1980s Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), offers compelling advice for designing effective lessons, particularly valuable in the demanding IB’s Diploma Programme (IBDP). CLT is based on the idea that working memory has limited capacity, while long-term memory can store vast amounts of information. When tasks overload working memory, learning becomes clogged. But by managing cognitive…
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We’ve all experienced it: twenty minutes into explaining a complex economic theory or psychological concept, you glance up to find half the class’s eyes glazed over, staring into the middle distance. Then you pivot to a story, maybe about the Dutch tulip mania or Phineas Gage’s railway accident, and suddenly every eye is on you…
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If you’ve ever wondered why some of your students seem effortlessly motivated while others struggle to engage, Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (SDT) offers an explanation. SDT suggests people thrive when three basic needs are met: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy is the sense of control and choice students feel motivated when they believe their…
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Dual Processing Theory proposes that our thinking operates through two systems. System 1 is fast, automatic, and intuitive. It relies on gut feelings and mental shortcuts. System 2 is slower, deliberate, and analytical and it requires conscious effort and logical reasoning. System 1 helps us make quick decisions, but it’s also prone to bias and…
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Once again, I’ve read another article on toxic masculinity. And once again, it had all the explanations, all the answers — except it didn’t. It utterly missed the point. On behalf of boys and men everywhere: we’re getting a bit fed up. No, I am not to blame for poverty, climate change, AI, the global…
I think, therefore IB 