Category: International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Let’s be realistic: AI tools like ChatGPT aren’t going anywhere. Rather than fighting them, we should embrace how they can genuinely help students’ learning in our Economics and Psychology lessons (yes and GloPo and Geography and…) The most obvious benefits are practical. Students get instant clarification on complex concepts like elasticity, marginal analysis, ethical frameworks,…
-
The IB has updated the Extended Essay Subject Guide (first exams 2027). One of the least discussed changes is that students in Language A can now write their essay in Literature: Creative Writing. There are five approved genres: romance, science fiction, literary fiction, humour, and epic poetry. Apparently, this is to give students greater opportunity…
-
This Halloween brings a genuinely frightening economics lesson: candy inflation has reached terrifying new heights. For IBDP Economics students, this real-world example perfectly illustrates inflationary pressures and consumer behavior shifts. The Sweet Truth About Rising Prices 3 Musketeers now tops the charts at $0.93 per ounce, making it 2025’s priciest chocolate treat. More startling is…
I think, therefore IB 