Creating knowledgeable, open-minded thinkers at our wonderful school

In January 2020, the World Economic Forum published a report addressing schools of the future. In the report, the WEF shared its vision of education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution or ‘Education 4.0’. It identified eight critical characteristics in learning content and experiences that will define high-quality learning.

I will not review all eight. Rather, I will focus on the number one characteristic - global citizenship skills. Such skills include “content that focuses on building awareness of the wider world, sustainability and playing an active role in the global community.”*

At about the same time, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published its Trends Shaping Education 2022 report. Echoing the WEF, the report suggests, ‘Creating learning ecosystems that are personalised and self-paced; accessible and inclusive; problem-based and collaborative; and lifelong and student-driven can help unlock, for example, the interpersonal and innovation skills needed for the future, much in the same way that global citizenship can help create learning that is more inclusive.’**

I won’t claim to be prescient, however, when we founded Walden we knew we had to offer programmes and an environment that would enable our young students to find their places in this world and build capabilities that would allow them to adapt and excel in a new world order.

It should come as no surprise then that we pursued International Baccalaureate accreditation for our Primary Years Programme (PYP) and that we have also sought qualification to deliver the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP).

Now, over to Shelley Charanduk, IB PYP Coordinator: 

“The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better world through intercultural understanding and respect,” observes Mrs. Charanduk, our IB PYP Coordinator. “The IB Learner Profile fits our approach to education, and it provides an effective framework for what we intuitively know works. 

“In this post, I just want to focus briefly on three of the ten learner traits, with the first being knowledgeable,” Shelley continues. “We are committed, and I mean everyone one of us at Walden, to acknowledging our responsibility to the creation of a more sustainable world. We guide the students in understanding how they, individually, can make a difference. (On a side point, our May post addresses this issue head on.) We intentionally plan our engagements to inspire kids. 

“For example, we recently undertook a project on water pollution, its impact on us and how trees and their root systems help filter and remediate pollutants in groundwater. In fact, the students got their hands dirty (we love that!) by planting Red Oak as part of the lesson.”

Of necessity, this requires the students to embrace another of the IB traits, which is to be thinkers. “While some aspects of learning involve learning by rote, we know that it’s vastly more important to implement a homework and assessment policy that is about the transfer and application of knowledge beyond marks,” Shelley says. “We are so much more about this real-world learning than teaching kids how to take a test! Marks alone do not reflect understanding.”

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people may view things differently than we do. Beyond just thinking differently, though, what are the experiences and realities that form their perspective? 

“The trait of being open-minded is critical. If we are closed off and parochial, we will not embrace alternative points of view and will not be open to experiences vastly different from our own,” remarks Shelley. 

The Learner Profile is the IB mission statement in action and provides a set of learning behaviours which aims to inspire, motivate and focus students, teachers and the entire IB School community, uniting them in a common purpose.

The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), for students aged 3 to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The PYP is transdisciplinary and flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the IB Middle Years Programme.

The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), for students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of learning which encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and to the real world.

“Just a few weeks ago, IB representatives visited our school to assess our MYP accreditation,” recalls Shelley. “While we haven’t received final approval, we hope that by Christmas 2022 we will be recognized. Why do I feel confident? Because our staff and teachers have prepared and trained so devotedly and because of something one rep said. After visiting us and putting us through the rigour of the assessment process, she said, ‘Walden is the most wonderful little school in Canada!’ So yes, I feel pretty confident.”

Many of us become educators because we are committed to young people broadening their understanding and opening their minds. The IB Programme fits Walden like a glove and we welcome you to learn more by reaching out to us. 

*World Economic Forum: Schools of the Future Report, 2019

**https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/6ae8771a-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/6ae8771a-en