Carolyn Gedling, Director of Curriculum and IB
As a teacher and now-Coordinator of the International Baccalaureate (IB), I was fortunate enough to have seen over ten graduating classes in four different continents: Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. What I have found is that there are far more commonalities than differences among these cohorts, which leads into something that I consider to be one of the greatest strengths of the IB programme – the global appeal.
The IB demands of students to find out how knowledge is constructed. Within the critical thinking course of Theory of Knowledge (ToK), students consider various ways of ‘knowing’ and what constitutes knowledge in various schools of thought. It is a fundamental premise of ToK that personal knowledge should not be the result of simple acceptance of claims that lack sufficient inquiry and evidence. The desire for inquiry underpins all subjects and learning experiences, whether it involves writing a 4000-word extended essay or working on a community project.
I am delighted to hear Kambala parents articulate in conversation, which I witness regularly. Parents share with me their observations on how their daughters are now able to consider differing perspectives in discussions which previously they were less capable of doing. Parents often communicate to me the collaboration they see amongst their daughters’ IB cohort and how supportive the girls are of each other. While this is a quality not unique to any one school or program, the IB philosophy of experiential learning informs our practice at Kambala. This includes a tradition of generosity to others, of academic rigour and a caring environment, which are all entwined so that Kambala Girls live the IB philosophy as was intended.
With the IB celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, we are reminded of what a privilege it is for Kambala to belong to such a well-regarded community. Over a million students in 4,000 schools worldwide are part of the IB Community. So while we may make up just a small portion of this group, with just 15 dedicated IB students in Year 12 and 25 in Year 11, our passion and commitment is on par with their international counterparts. Kambala IB students are globally minded and contribute with compassion by applying those skills of inquiry to all they undertake.
The end of high school does not mean the end of learning – a sentiment that Kambala instills in its senior students in their final years of study. To learn more about IB at Kambala, please join us at the IB Information Evening, Monday 18 June, to discover how your daughter can benefit from ‘The IB Edge’. Click here to register your attendance.
