As a community, we have been considering the merits of International Baccalaureate (IB) programs in the Merici context since 2016. Our early investigations found a high level of alignment between the existing Merici Mission and Vision Statement and Principles of Powerful Learning and the IB Mission statement and IB Learner Profiles. The IB’s focus on inquiry learning also reflected Merici’s pedagogical approach to teaching and learning, while providing additional teaching resources and research-based support underpinning the programs.
During the year, Merici has steadily progressed through candidacy requirements for the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). This means that we will be trialling implementation of the MYP in Years 7 and 8, January 2019 while we pursue authorization as an IB World School and when successful with our authorisation, will be delivering the DP in Years 11 and 12 in 2020 and continuing with our MYP delivery. IB World Schools share a common philosophy- a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students. Our candidacy for the IB Diploma Programme, which we began in March this year, has been progressing successfully and our IB consultant visited us in September and was impressed with our preparation for the authorisation visit early next year.
The Middle Years Programme aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers (IBO, 2018).
The Diploma Programme provides a challenging, internationally focused, broad and balanced educational experience for students in Years 11 and 12, with a focus on equipping students effectively for university study. It will provide another pathway for students at Merici College in their senior years. The Diploma Programme also supports the development of the values and life skills needed to live a fulfilled and purposeful life, values also embodied through the Merici College Principles of Powerful Learning.
A key element of all IB programmes is the emphasis on being a global citizen and the focus on developing students’ “international mindedness”. Our children face being sourced from a global labour pool for employment, so must remain competitive in the global market. The IB’s global focus is a real draw for supporting students to have a competitive edge in this market by providing the opportunity to gain an internationally recognised and valued standard of education.
The work already undertaken in our integrated English/Humanities and integrated Math/Science courses in Year 7 will be complimented by the MYP, providing us the stimulus to explore other interdisciplinary links across multiple year groups. The MYP integrates well with the Australian Curriculum topics, allowing the school to meet national requirements while promoting a globally recognised standard of education through the IB. Students in Years 7 to 10 have engaged with the IB Learner Profile Attributes in their Flex lessons, recognising the overlap between what we already do here at Merici College and the IB philosophy.
Our teachers will be involved with whole school MYP and DP training provided by the IB so we will be well-prepared to deliver the new curriculum; an exciting opportunity for us to engage with staff from the IB and create new learning opportunities for our students.
We look forward to sharing more about our IB journey with our network of students, parents, staff and teachers as we move forward in this process.
Dr Ann Cleary
Deputy Principal Learning
