6 Reasons Many Educators Love the IB Teaching Style

Born out of the need for a globally focused education system, the International Baccalaureate was conceptualized to put the learners at the center of the curriculum. This starkly contrasts the pedagogy of traditional educational systems in many places, which centers on the teachers as the primary source of knowledge and the students as passive learners.

The traditional approach to education may have worked during the Industrial Revolution as it facilitated mass education to produce workers in droves. However, in this new era of globalization, machine learning, and service economy, societies require a more sophisticated and specialized approach to education. 

The IB system of education benefits both learners and teachers as it fosters genuine interest in learning, which makes teaching easier for educators and school work engaging for students. Teachers from the best IB schools in Singapore recognize the relevance of the curriculum in today’s world. Here are just some of the other reasons why educators love the IB teaching style.

Exceptional Level of Personal Development

IB teachers can expect to be s provided with learning opportunities themselves so as to add to their skills and knowledge base. That’s because under the IB system, a teacher’s education is never considered finished. It’s ever-evolving with new theories and approaches to apply.

In an IB school system, teachers are provided with premium quality workshops and seminars about the latest and best practices in IB education. These courses delve deep into creative and innovative approaches to learning. And using the latest technologies, these sessions are delivered in a combination of face-to-face, online, and blended methods.

Internationally Recognized Certification

What attracts a lot of educators in Singapore in pursuing an IB certification is the fact that it is internationally recognized by universities and schools where IB is implemented. While it’s not the sole requirement for teaching overseas, it certainly gives teachers the edge when it comes to applying for a teaching position. An IB certificate opens up a lot of opportunities for professional and personal growth which can be had in many places all over the world.

The program offers basic and advanced certification for teaching and learning as well as leadership and leadership research. These courses introduce educators to the IB’s curriculum and pedagogy so they can apply these principles in helping students gain genuine learning.

Highly Motivated Students

Nothing delights a teacher more than a class full of motivated students. Their genuine interest and excitement about learning are contagious, which makes for a fun and vibrant learning environment. With the IB curriculum designed for kids to learn how to think critically and to be global citizens, discussions would be lively and animated. Even teachers can learn something new from the learner’s perspective.

What makes the IB system different from the traditional mainstream school systems is that it nurtures the learners’ inherent curiosity through the development of their skills for inquiry and research. To provide structure, educators can assign open tasks with clear guidelines while also giving students the support and appropriate resources to proceed. The aim is to create opportunities for retaining a  diverse and holistic body of knowledge that the students can use throughout their lives.

Respectful and Caring Kids

The IB curriculum lets the teacher be the best at what they do—teach. Instead of spending too much time disciplining students, they can focus on engaging the students and facilitating genuine learning interactions. 

The International Baccalaureate aims to provide a holistic approach to learning, which includes developing a student’s strong moral character. Ideally, an IB learner strives to be a principled, open-minded, and caring person. With the IB’s mission statement of creating a peaceful and better world, values such as empathy, compassion, respect, and honesty are integrated with the lessons and inculcated in the learners.

Access to Global Support

Singapore-based teachers working within the IB curriculum gain access to a global network of educators whenever they need support. With IB’s professional online platform, IB Exchange, educators are free to review multimedia content that tackles the different aspects and methodologies of teaching in an IB school environment. Moreover, they can continue learning from other IB educators by connecting with them through peer-to-peer coaching sessions.

Enriching School Experience

Empowering students to have a say on how and what they learn can result in an enriched learning experience for both students and educators. More than scoring well on a standardized test, students develop an authentic love of learning that they can take with them as they grow older. Educators, meanwhile, fulfill their calling to teach and to be catalysts for nurturing wise and caring global citizens.

Trusting learners to take charge of their education is a fairly new challenge that not everyone can embrace, especially in places with a rigid education mainstream system. However, much benefit is to be gained by both teachers and students through the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

Fortunately, many Singapore international schools are now championing this global and student-centric educational system. They are providing students with opportunities to fulfill their dreams wherever they may end up in the future.

*This is a guest post published on March 4, 2023*