An International Baccalaureate diploma can be the brightest feather in a student’s cap and acing this curriculum can open a lot of doors to students in terms of better prospects and opportunities in their educational journey ahead.
The IB curriculum is designed to improve the intuitive learning skills of the students through self-initiation and research. At the end of the IB diploma, a student would have acquired critical thinking skills, analytical skills, and a problem solving attitude.
In this post, let’s try to understand the core subjects of the International Baccalaureate and how an International School in Tokyo designs its curriculum to provide a productive and engaging environment to its students.
International Baccalaureate Subjects and the DP core offered in International schools in Tokyo
The IB curriculum includes six subject groups and the DP core:
Six Subject Groups
● Studies in Language and Literature
● Language Acquisition
● Individuals and Societies
● Sciences
● Mathematics
● The arts
Students have the flexibility to choose subjects of their choice from each of these groups and the subjects are segregated into two levels which are the higher level and the standard level. The students have an option to choose at least 3 subjects at a higher level and the rest at the standard level.
The DP Core Consists of
● Theory of Knowledge: This core concept helps students understand how a theory is derived and what are the observations and the research that has led to the hypothesis.
● The Extended Essay: The extended essay is a 4000 word essay that is a self-directed essay on a topic of the student’s choice where the students take the initiation to research and complete the essay with their own effort.
● Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): This is a project based learning method where students are expected to submit a project in any of these three streams.
Now let’s look at the features of each of these subject groups and how they are advantageous to the students.
Six Subjects groups of the International Baccalaureate program
1. Language and Literature
Here, the students can pick a language in which they are academically competent and can also choose another language from the list of languages available in the curricula.
Advantages: Here, the students learn the understanding of the formal language, its different styles and the power of written and oral expression.
2. Language acquisition
Here, the student learns about the acquisition of the language and the cultural background and history of the language to give a clear understanding of the origin of the language and how it has been developed.
Advantages: It helps students to understand the language better in a range of contexts and enable them to use it for a variety of purposes. It also fosters curiosity towards new languages and allows them to develop an international mindedness with regard to each of these languages and their cultures.
3. Individuals and Societies
This group consists of subjects like business management, economics, geography, history, politics, psychology, etc.
Advantages: These social subjects give students an insight on the physical, social and the geographical aspects of the society and helps students to evaluate these theories , concepts and arguments.
4. Sciences
Biology, Computer science, Chemistry, Design Technology, Physics, Sports, Exercise and Health Science are some of the subjects offered in this group.
Advantages: Helps students to understand the wonders of science and its environmental and social implications. Students get to explore a range of scientific concepts and learn how best it can fit into a global perspective.
5. Mathematics
The Math subjects are divided according to their difficulty levels and students can choose any one of these options.
Advantages: Improves their mathematical skills and develops logical and creative thinking in students.
6. The Arts
Here, the subjects provided are Dance, Music, Film, Theatre and Visual Arts. The emphasis is on the creativity and the practical research of the chosen stream. There is also an option for students to replace arts with any other subject from the other groups.
Advantages: Students get a chance to learn the history, culture and the theory behind these art forms and also helps them develop their confidence and their self-expression.
DP Core
1. Theory of knowledge
Like mentioned earlier, TOK is one of the core DP concepts and is a great way to help students understand where their knowledge is coming from. It dives deep into the history behind the theory and the different steps that lead to the final hypothesis.
Advantages: It enables students to be critical thinkers and helps them to understand the cultural aspect and impact of the knowledge in question.
2. Extended Essay
This is one of the most important cores in the DP curriculum. It is a self-initiated or independent research that allows a student to pick up a topic and study it thoroughly and conclude with an essay that talks about the student’s arguments, counter arguments, refutation and conclusion.
Advantages: It develops their research skills, time management, and their communication skills.
Advantages of Studying in an International School in Tokyo
The education system in Japan is lauded by the whole world and there is no dearth of top institutions and IB world schools in the city. The International Schools in Tokyo have been successful in imparting some of the best curricula to its international students.
Apart from the wonderful culture and the safe environment Japan provides to its expat community, the education system will pave the way to better prospects for students who study at these schools.
Also Read: Why Enrolling Your Child Into An International Baccalaureate School can be a Life-Changing Decision?
Conclusion
The International Baccalaureate program can be a game changer for most students and can open doors to some of the best opportunities in the world.
Top International schools in Tokyo have reframed their curricula to create a positive atmosphere inside schools to help students cope with challenging curriculums like the IB and the IGCSE.
They have also been successful in bringing out the best results among the international student community.
