International Baccalaureate: what it is and how to teach it

The International Baccalaureate (IB) is an education foundation that was established in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1968.

It offers an alternative model of education for ages 3-19 and, currently, more than 5,000 schools in 150 countries and territories use one of its four main programmes of study. It claims that almost 2 million students study its programmes at any one time.

The IB started with the Diploma Programme (DP) for students aged 16-19 (equivalent to A levels) and this is its most widely used programme, having been launched in 1968 when the IB began.

IB DP exam results are released each summer in early July - far earlier than A levels - and are recognised worldwide by universities for entrance requirements.

The IB also provides its Primary Years Programme (ages 3-12), its Middle Years Programme (ages 11-16) and its Career-related Programme (ages 16-19).

Currently, the IB is run by director-general Olli-Pekka Heinonen, who has promised to make major changes to core aspects of the IB, such as embracing digital assessment and driving a focus on student wellbeing within IB schools.

Find out more about the IB programmes: 

• Primary Years Programme (PYP)
• Middle Years Programme (MYP)
• Diploma Programme (DP)
• Career-related Programme (CRP)

The International Baccalaureate ethos

The IB positions itself as offering an alternative to the more mainstream curriculum and methods of assessment that most schools offer through two core elements.

The first is to develop international-mindedness so IB pupils have the skills, values and knowledge they need to better connect with their peers internationally. To this point, the IB can currently be taught in English, French and Spanish.

The second is to develop a specific set of characteristics, referred to as the “IB learner profile”. The aim is to create learners who are:

• Inquirers
• Knowledgeable
• Thinkers
• Communicators
• Principled
• Open-minded
• Caring
• Risk-takers
• Balanced
• Reflective 
   

IB approaches to teaching and learning

To achieve these objectives, the programmes focus on critical analysis, student choice and holistic education.

As a result, IB study is designed to be: based on inquiry; focused on conceptual understanding, developed in local and global contexts; focused on effective teamwork and collaboration, designed to remove barriers to learning; and informed by assessment.

For example, within the DP, students must complete what is called the theory of knowledge (TOK), which the IB says is an “opportunity for students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and on how we know what we claim to know”.

As part of this, students must curate an exhibition that requires students to use “three objects that explore how TOK manifests in the world around us”, and write a 1,600-word essay on their chosen topic, too.

Meanwhile, the extended essay is a 4,000-word essay that is designed to prepare students more suitably for undergraduate study at university and provide them with an opportunity to investigate an area of interest in detail.

A similar ethos is found in other programmes of study, such as the Middle Years Programme, where students can undertake a personal project. Digital assessments in subjects such as maths, literature and the sciences have also been introduced.

How to teach in an IB school

Any teacher with a suitable qualification in teaching can teach in an IB school - although if you are hired by a school you will have to attend a mandatory introductory workshop for new IB teachers.

However, the IB also provides an IB educator certificate that teachers can take - one in teaching and learning and one in teaching and learning research.

This makes it potentially easier to secure a job with an IB school as you would not need to attend the mandatory training course, and it would, of course, mean you are better prepared for the reality of teaching a new curriculum and assessment method.

The teaching and learning IB educator certificate is generally aimed at new teachers or those looking to move to the IB, while the teaching and learning research IB educator certificate is aimed at more experienced IB teachers looking to grow their skill set.

Find more on the IB, including resources, discussion and news