Interfacing academia with industry experts

Development and potential enhancementAs a culminating activity of the developmental psychology unit, Grade 12 Psychology students had an interactive session with Dr. Vibha Krisnamurthy, Founder and Medical Director, Ummeed in October 2015.

A trained pediatrician by profession, Vibha Krishnamurthy is creating an integrated medical and therapeutic support system for children with developmental disabilities in India. Empowering and supporting families, Dr. Krishnamurthy’s organization, Ummeed (Hope), is changing the way families understand and care for their developmentally-disabled children.

She spoke to students about several misplaced notions on physical, emotional and cognitive development. She elucidated upon developmental markers and the importance of early diagnosis in developmental disorders like autism and ADHD. She encouraged students to think of comprehensive, multi-pronged approaches to address these issues.

The session was both, enriching and humbling.

- Heena Jaffer, Team Leader, Psychology, IBDP

Coffee Conversations with the Store Manager at StarbucksStarbucks has constantly been used for discussion in the Business Management class and hence, we thought it appropriate to arrange a visit to talk with the Store Manager in our neighborhood.  The idea was to link concepts to real life. The store manager spoke to students about Starbuck’s history, joint venture with the Tatas and its corporate culture including its stance on women employment. All employees at Starbucks were called ‘partners’ and students could actually connect this to different types of motivational tools that companies use. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives undertaken by Starbucks were also discussed. The session was concluded with a coffee tasting session. A great way to trigger a unit around CSR and brand management!

Follow Every Rainbow

Rashmi Bansal, alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad had a session with Y12 students to share her experiences and time she has spent with entrepreneurs across the country. The session was based on real life case studies of various entrepreneurs. It was inspirational and motivational and aimed at instilling the spirit of entrepreneurship amongst the youth. Ms. Bansal has authored six books including ‘Stay hungry stay foolish’ and ‘Connect the dots’.- Resham Bajaj, Teacher of Business Management, Y12

In February, BIS hosted Professor Daniel Faas of Trinity College, Dublin on Sociology and Migration, who spoke to the students of Year 11 and 12. Students also attended a lecture by Professor Pratim Biswas, Chair of the Department for Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University at St. Louis. In March, BIS hosted “Listening to Shakespeare” by Professor Jonathan Gil Harris of Ashoka University, one of India’s first Liberal Arts Colleges.

Connect, Collaborate and Discover through a workshop on ‘Research Methods’A workshop on Research Methodology was conducted in November, 2014 for all students of Year 11. This was the first in a series of workshops, planned to provide students with an overview of research methodology, as applicable to Humanities and to Theory of Knowledge. The first part of the session was conducted by Ms. Jaffer and Ms. Aga and focused on helping students understand the difference between natural and social sciences and to see how research in these two domains can be compared and contrasted. - Priya Aga, Teacher of Psychology, Y11

Tech @ BIS IBDPDP teachers have moved to the use of MacBooks so that a wider number of teaching apps and tools can be used. In addition to technology integration, flipped classrooms, micro-blogging and google classes are part of our lessons. We organised ‘digital literacy’ sessions for Grade 11 and Grade 12 Students covering ‘Do's and Don'ts’ of Technology, use of software effectively to produce project documents, a clear understanding of plagiarism, creative commons (copyright free content searches), attributing and creating paper-slide-shows.

- Dolphus Pereira, Technology Coordinator

Germany unwrapped

On November 20th, students of the 9th, 10th and 12th standards visited the interactive exhibition "Germany unwrapped" hosted by the Goethe Institute Mumbai. The giant "suitcases" gave learners and teachers a varied, exploratory and insightful peek into Germany and the German language – pepped up with wit and games, where students could explore the different aspects of life in Germany. Aspects included famous films and products produced in Germany, fairy tales by German authors and the nuances of the German language. Students interactively participated in a quiz and watched a German film after they were shown through the exhibition.Ein erlebnisreicher Nachmittag !

- Anuradha Sorabjee, Teacher of German B

IBDP : Inter-school Networks 08/12/14 6:34 PM

Nature of Science (NoS)BIS hosted 48 Science teachers from IB Schools in Western India on October 11th, 2014.The objective of this session was to create a platform to develop a shared understanding of NoS. The aim was to discuss NoS and share best practices within the context of classroom teaching for Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The response to this workshop was phenomenal and participants were engaged is deep discussions through the day. Dr. Sarada Bulchand, Science Communication Officer, TIFR facilitated the sessions followed by break-outs by science teachers from participating schools. The Science Faculty members at BIS supported these sessions with great enthusiasm.- Dr. Anuradha Sridhar, Team Leader, Science

Germany, the land of ideas and innovation, PASCHAs part of Pasch Schools in India, BIS was invited to participate in a two day workshop conducted by the Goethe Institute. Ms. Priyamvada Das represented the school at his forum. The focus was on studying MINT (Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences, Technology) subjects in Germany. The workshop helped understand Universities and Degree courses that exist in Germany and the qualifications required to access them.  Owing to Germany’s global importance, excellence in research and technology, study progression in this country seems rather lucrative. In addition, for Undergraduate studies, there are no tuition fees and the living cost is subsidized with ample opportunities for students to avail jobs and internships. Also, Goethe Institute supports non-German speaking students with courses to learn the language. Also, students can attend a one year of Pre-University called ‘Studienkolleg’ to prepare them for language and subject pre-requisites before they join the university. Students can approach the International Office at the University for any queries.- Priyamvada Das

CAS COORDINATORS’ MEET

The CAS Coordinators Meet organised by the Bombay International School was held on 26th April 2014 with the objective of providing a common platform to IB schools in Mumbai to share knowledge and best practices adopted in their CAS programmes. The meet was attended by CAS coordinators from Pillai Global Academy, Garodia International, Jamnabai Narsee School, Singapore International School, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Oberoi International School, HVB Global Academy, Edubridge, MBIS, SVKM, JV Parekh International and DSB International School. Participants highlighted different features of their CAS programme with an emphasis on creating in-depth reflections, linking CAS to other subjects in the IB curriculum, integrating various stakeholders within the CAS programme and bringing about a shift in students’ motivation. The session was concluded by a group activity in which schools mapped their current CAS activities to the CAS learning outcomes and then looked for opportunities to forge partnerships with other schools.

Train the Trainer!DP teachers who attended IBAP workshops in 2014: Priyamvada Das : Hong Kong, New DelhiPriya Aga, Gehna Hingorani, Vidya Vageesh, Ambica Naithani, Anuradha Sridhar, Pranali Shah, Nandkumar Menon : MumbaiRitesh Jain : New DelhiAsha Kumar : KathmanduMona Seervai, Meher Ursekar : TOK onlineMona Seervai, Supriya Atal : IBAP Conference, SingaporeBeena Gopinath : Singapore

CAS 08/12/14 6:34 PM

CAS UpdateGrade 11 students participated in a sensitization workshop organised by the Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC) as a part of CAS in November 2014. The workshop was designed to encourage inclusivity by challenging myths related to blindness that in turn arise due to lack of awareness or behaviour within socio-cultural contexts. Students did role-plays, watched films and interacted with blind students to get a better understanding of the issue. Not only was the workshop meant to sensitize all students, but was also a precursor for those students who wanted to associate more closely with XRCVC and engage with the centre regularly as a part of CAS’s service component.A talk by Ummeed, a non-profit that helps children with developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy, mental retardation and other learning disabilities was also organised for students and subsequently those students who wanted to work for the organisation will commence their service activity from January 2015. Five students from Grade 11 have registered for the dream run as part of the Standard Chartered Marathon’s Student Challenge to be held in January 2015. These students are Anirudh Gandhi, Manvi Mehta, Shiwangi Singh, Sushain Sadhu and Tanisha Narang.- Ambica Naithani, CAS Coordinator

CAS Project at Magic Bus, KarjatThe first CAS camp for Year 11 students was full of mixed feelings of anxiety, nervousness and happiness. On 1st October 2014, we assembled in school at 6:30am to embark on our journey to Magic Bus situated at Karjat. Our project was to paint the village library founded by the Principal of the local school, a humble and committed gentleman, whose mission is to ensure that the children of his village get a education and learn to dream big. Painting the library was not the only agenda but making the villagers aware of the benefits of this library to the young and budding kids was also on the list and hence we were divided into two groups. By the end of the day the awareness team came up with an idea of conducting awareness drive in the village which will comprise gathering of children, doing some fun activities with them and along with it give away the message. The camp was a lot of fun. Many students were pushed out of their comfort zones but all returned with a deep sense of fulfillment.

- Christina MacWan, Teacher of DP Mathematics

The Magical JourneyIt was dark when we reached school in the early hours of the morning. One by one, cars turned into the lane and drowsy teenagers got out, half smiling. We got into the bus and as the bus began to move, our moods began to brighten. We sang and laughed our way to Karjat. We were an enthusiastic bunch!

We marvelled at the grass that was cut so precisely to spell out the words ‘MAGIC BUS’. We appreciated the greenery as we walked to our dorms. We were more than satisfied with our dorms, the two rows of bunk beds, the big windows overlooking a huge field, that, we learnt later about, filled up with white birds in the morning.

We moved on to the dining area, where we were briefed on what the next three days were going to be like. Another thin layer of excitement was added to our cake of expectations when we were warned about scorpions lurking around. Funnily enough, this seemed to scare boys more than the girls.

We didn’t waste any time. We went to the village in rickshaws. We played games and sang songs until the rickshaws stopped in front of a worn out hut. We walked through the village to the teacher’s house. Mr Bhaskar, we had been told, was the man who had spent some of his savings to make a library for the village children, to encourage them to read and to inspire a hunger for knowledge. The little roads had chickens scurrying across and there were quiet cats observing us from behind shadows of trees and houses. Mr. Bhaskar had a little house with a little verandah where we spent our days organising and planning. He was the sweetest man, with a smile that never faltered and seemed to be a family trait. We discussed what we were to do, split into two groups and began working.

One group stayed in the verandah and started working on charts and posters to engage the children and explain to them the importance of education. The rest of us put on our caps, refilled our rapidly emptying water bottles and grabbed paint brushes. We spent the entire afternoon painting the walls of the house, and after lunch at Mr Bhaskar’s house, went back to continue painting.

For students who rarely step out of air conditioning, the steady heat beating down on them and the still air was almost too much to handle. We were red in the face, our clothes were soaked in sweat and our limbs were tired. This did not effect the constant chatter and loud laughter that was our constant companion for all three days.

When we got back and ate a little and freshened up a little and played a little and talked a lot, we ate dinner in the dining hall, after which we were told to assemble in the boys dorm, where we were told that we surpassed their expectations and finished a lot more than we were supposed to on the first day.

That had us beaming. Well, at least for a moment, until we got distracted by each other and began talking again. The second day was hopeful. We were rested, fed and ready to go, kind of prepared to face the day. When we reached the village we were told that the village children were coming today and they weren’t just twenty like they had thought, it was forty children. We were a little anxious, expecting a rowdy bunch of seven and eight years old and we mentally prepared ourselves for a long, tiring, exhausting day. We were to engage them in games that were subtly educational.

The children approached us cautiously. If they hadn’t been so curious, they probably would have kept their distance from us. But the people from Magic Bus were so warm and friendly that they faintly all gathered around. We introduced ourselves, we made them introduce themselves, over and over until they finally spoke above a coy whisper. They all had these big smiles that never left their faces. And they were infectious, because we never stopped smiling either. Never in my life have I had as much energy as I had on that day, completely fuelled by the children's enthusiasm. We played for hours, I think, I am not sure. I had lost track of time by then.

Then all the children ran to Mr Bhaskar’s house and there were over fifty of us sitting in his little veranda, talking about the importance of books and making the children promise us that they’d use the library. We asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up and were greatly encouraged by their responses: Teachers, engineers, all sitting amongst us in the guise of flushed, beaming children.

When we went back to the campus that afternoon, after lunch we were told to split into two groups and partake in adventure sports. There was rappelling and rock climbing and some team activities that had us all pumped and confused at the same time. We knew that we wouldn’t get anything at the end of it, that the time limits didn’t matter, but we still had expressions of complete concentration and we shouting encouragements to each other, telling each other it was going to be okay, we were going to get through this as a team.

I don’t think most of us get that much exercise in a year, but that day, after running around with the children for hours, then running around with ropes and walls, we still had the energy to run onto the field after eating something and playing for another hour or so. That night, we all slept like babies and woke up unable to move half our limbs.

It was our last day and although we were having more fun than I can describe in this essay, we had worn ourselves out. Nevertheless, everyone worked with dedication, including the teachers, who just could not resist the paint that the students managed to make look so tempting with splatters of yellow and pink across their clothes and faces.

We ate lunch at Mr Bhaskar’s house again and thanked his family for tolerating us. They were nothing less than adorable and actually apologised for any inconveniences that we might have had to bear. It was very humbling. The children whom we had played with on the previous day smiled and waved to us as we were leaving. I think it is safe to say that all our hearts were one hundred percent warmed, and it was not because of the sweltering heat

In spite of all the good vibes from the village, the bonding between the students, the things we learnt on so many different levels, and the interaction that we had with nature, we were happy to be going home at the end of the day. Many fell asleep on the bus out of sheer exhaustion, but managed to sustain their energy for the entirety of the bus ride home. It still amazes me that out of all the things that could have stayed with me from the trip, it was the laughter that never ceased during those three days that finally did.

It was our first trip as the eleventh grade, IBDP @ BIS. The trip was memorable and my class agrees with me.- Rabia Kapoor, Y11 student

CAS Camp to Dharampur Y12

As a part of their CAS project, students of Grade 12 attended a camp in Dharampur that falls under Gujarat’s tribal belt. Here, the BIS students engaged in activities that spanned across creativity, action and service with students of Shrimad Rajchandra Gurukul, a secondary and higher secondary science School at Karanjveri, Dharampur. Both, the Gurukul and the BIS students together formed small groups and painted the walls of classes with specific motifs and spruced the premises. During this 3-night, 4-day CAS Camp, students also played sports like football and ‘kabaddi’; while the students of BIS taught their counterparts football, the latter coached them in kabbadi which culminated in a kabbadi match on the third day. There was also a short cultural exchange programme where again, students from both schools taught each other a dance form. Students participated in a workshop called “Gwala for a day” which required them to participate in activities in a cowshed like preparing cow dung cakes, washing the shed, milking cows and feeding them. The objective of these two activities was to sensitize them to a village life.- Ambica Naithani, CAS Coordinator

Step Forward for a Good Cause! For the first time ever, The Bombay International School will be running the Standard Chartered Marathon in January 2015 as part of ‘Student Challenge’. This is also a CAS project for Grade 11 and the students have organized many activities so far to support Muktangan, the beneficiary NGO of this marathon. Muktangan works in educating underprivileged children through community-centred approach and is present in 7 municipal schools in Mumbai. BIS has pledged Rs.50,000 and will receive 5 bibs for the marathon. At the beginning of the new academic year, Grade 11 students participated in two workshops conducted by Ms. Monica Merchant that included ‘zentangling’ (doodling) and shoe painting. Subsequently, students chose to convert the zentangled art to merchandise like mats, coasters, mugs and name plates. Likewise, students urged the BIS community to place orders for ‘bespoke’ painted shoes by giving their old shoes and getting new customized shoes. Proceeds from these initiatives have been directed towards supporting Muktangan. As a part of the same projects, students also organized a bake sale and raised funds.

Building cultural sensitivity 08/12/14 6:34 PM

Fiesta HispanaA Spanish cultural evening for High School students was organized by students on February 21, 2014. The evening was full of fun, food and frolic. The school courtyard was decorated to resemble a Spanish plaza. The evening’s entertainment comprised music, dances, a quiz show and, as the grand finale, our Principal, Mrs. Seervai burst a Mexican style piñata!- Y12 Spanish cohort

Seventeen students from Colegio Internacional Torrequebrada, Málaga, Spain arrived in the last week of February 2014 for the annual Spanish Exchange Programme. They were hosted by families of Year 11 students. The students toured South Mumbai, visited the Akanksha centre and community and other places of cultural interest. They also went on a four day visit to the Fundación Vicente Ferrer in District Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh along with the students of Year 11 for a CAS camp. They were accompanied by Mrs. Seervai, Dr Meher Ursekar and Ms. Nita Row.

Spanish ab initio students visit to Málaga, Spain

Y11 Spanish ab initio students travelled to Málaga at the end of March for the annual International Exchange with our partner school in Spain, Colegio Internacional Torrequebrada. Each student stayed with the family of the student that he/she had hosted when they had visited Mumbai in February.

The students spent 9 activity-packed enriching days in the picturesque Costa del Sol, or the Sunny Coast, although ironically, they did have a couple of rainy days. The school organised a visit to the nearby town of Granada where the students were awe-struck by the magnificent Alhambra palace. They also toured the town of Málaga, the birthplace of Picasso, and visited many monuments and tourist attractions.

The students received lessons in Spanish gastronomy, dance, history and geography and one of their projects was to make a movie of their journey. Apart from improving their spoken and comprehension skills in Spanish, the students learned about the culture and formed strong bonds with their Spanish hermanos (brothers and sisters).

The German ExchangeAs part of offering German as a second language, BIS hosted an exchange programme with the Schönborn Gymnsium, Bruchfels, near Stuttgart, from October 15th to 25th, 2013. 13 students and 2 teachers visited Mumbai and our school. This formed the first half of the programme – the second half was at the end of March 2014, where 12 BIS students from Standards 9, 11 and 12, who have taken German as a second language visited Germany and the partner school.

All the visiting students were hosted by our “German” students. Preparations started many months earlier, with email exchanges and skype where all students got to know each other before they eventually met personally.

As part of the planning, the 6 students taking German in Standard 9 made a website in German, showcasing our school and the German language department. This was linked to the BIS website and is called Deutsch BIS. Standard 11 make a short film in German on BIS and its philosophy, with interviews with teachers and some of the IB students.

Standard 12 prepared presentations on the variety of food available in India and shared recipes with the visiting students.

The ten day programme was packed from the minute the German guests arrived to the minute they left. We started the programme with a guided city tour of Mumbai and a welcome dinner at the Yacht Club, where all 25 students got to meet each other for the first time and spend time with each other.

The following days were about showing our German guests the variety of life in Mumbai, pertaining to music, dance, arts, sports, culture and our school. We attended dance and music performances, visited Borivili National Park and the Iskon Temple in Juhu, hosted a Warli workshop, took them to clubs, had a dance party, visited an Akanksha school, spent a day in Mandwa on the beach, visited the docks, hosted a musical evening where they played music together and invited them to see our Primary School Variety Entertainment programme.

In addition, German students participated in class activities in school and interacted with some of our classes in their German lessons. The ten days flew past, with new friendships formed, bridging cultures, learning about new traditions and getting to gather a deeper understanding of a foreign language and culture.

08/12/14 6:34 PM

Graduation Day

The Graduation Ceremony for the second batch of IBD students was held on April 17, 2014 in the School Hall. The event was hosted by Y11 students who transformed the Hall with their enthralling decorations into a venue befitting this solemn occasion. The Chief Guest for the evening was Mr. Matthew Spacie, MBE, who is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Magic Bus, an NGO that works for disadvantaged children. Mr. Spacie made an impressive and inspiring presentation to the graduating class.

The Valedictorian’s address was made by Kahini Shah and the parents from the outgoing batch that spoke were Mr. Harshad Joshi and Ms. Shefali Shah. Shalom Palkhivala of Y12 played a lilting melody by Bach on the violin and his classmate, Dwitiya Sapre, sang “You raise me up” that touched a chord in everyone’s hearts. Outgoing seniors, Priyanka Mariwala, Vikramaditya Joshi and Kanika Basu paid a beautiful tribute to their school. The Y11 class gifted their seniors with a lovely memento that they would treasure.

Our Y12 graduates are now done with the final IB Board Exams and many of them are on their way westward to leading universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. Some of them have chosen to continue their education in India and will begin the application process shortly. We wish each and every one of them a happy future.- Nita Row, DPC

Results and Placements 2014 – A snapshot

Brain Camp 08/12/14 6:34 PM

In the spirit of science exploration, Bombay International School (BIS) recently conducted a three-day ‘Brain’storming with Science’ camp from 12th to 14th September, 2014 in collaboration with Sophia College for Women and support of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Students from 8 schools delved into the world of scientific inquiry and explored one of the most fascinating and mysterious areas of science today, neuroscience. They designed and conducted mini-research projects, and participated in a highly challenging quiz competition, collaborative laboratory activities, interactive seminars and mind games. These exciting events aimed to develop knowledge of neurobiology and skills of scientific investigation and communication in the spirit of the IB mission to create knowledgeable and inquiring global citizens. Notably, the foundation of this unique educational initiative was laid by Dr. Meher Ursekar, a Neuroradiologist and Theory of Knowledge Team Leader at BIS.

Grade 11 and 12 students intensely engaged in discovering how the brain works, how it is built and what it means to our everyday life. Through self-directed learning, students were taken along a journey of discovery into the complex brain of humans, rats and worms from infancy to adulthood. One of the highlights of this camp was the demonstration of scientific temper and inquiry by these young students. They engaged in critical areas of research by developing a research question of their choice ranging from mood and stress to memory and attention. They were mentored by scientists from TIFR and investigated their topics by designing and conducting experiments and presenting their findings through structured writing and also orally, to an audience of their peers and accomplished scientists, including Dr. Urvashi Shah, Professor Linda Richards and Dr. Ravi Ramakanthan who evaluated the research projects.

Students also had the unique opportunity to interact with world renowned neurobiologists giving them a glimpse into the world of scientists and cutting edge neuroscience research. Professor Linda Richards, the keynote speaker from the University of Queensland Australia, enthralled the audience with her story on the things that go wrong if the brain fails to form and develop normally. The highlight of her engagement with this camp was the Brain Challenge Competition, a modification of the International Brain Bee. Professor Richards conducted this extremely challenging quiz competition that tested student’s knowledge on the anatomy, physiology and function of the brain. Intriguing secrets of how the brain is wired was revealed by Dr. Vidita Vaidya through a very interactive seminar using modern day animation to demonstrate neuroplasticicty and rewiring of neuronal circuits. The area of consciousness and behavior was introduced by Dr. Anindya Sinha through his captivating discourse on the behavior of monkeys in the wild. Students engaged with him on opinions related to the ‘Theory of the Mind’ to predict and explain primate behaviour. Dr. Sandhya Koushika brought alive, the movement of substances in neurons, much like traffic on a road.

Hands-on lab sessions and demonstrations on brain anatomy left many students spellbound since it was their first experience holding and observing scientists slice through a rat brain. The session conducted by Dr. Vidita Vaidya allowed students to appreciate perhaps for the first time, similarities between the rat and human brain. Dr. Shraddha Shah and Dr. Hema Ramachandran captivated the students through various interactive games, allowing students to appreciate the power of the mind in learning and memory.

These cross-disciplinary approaches allowed the development of many attributes of international mindedness in keeping with the IB learner profile. Exposure to scientific research allowed students to appreciate the importance of lifelong collaborative learning. All the participants, as evident from their feedback, found the camp beneficial and educative in serving as an exciting opportunity to explore at close proximity, the developments in neuroscience. Seamless logistics ensured that events ran punctually making the three day event a smooth journey for everyone. Notably, in the run up to the camp, a lively buzz in the spirit of inclusiveness was created by students and teachers from all sections of the school. The active and eager participation ensured that students from K-12 benefited from diverse learning experiences including creative art work, innovative poetry, and hieroglyphic designing.

The success of this event has set the stage for future annual science camps at BIS. The theme for 2015 is ‘Artificial Intelliegence’. Students not only in the IBDP, but across all grades, serve to gain tremendously through such camps. This incorporates a new and necessary dimension to their education by increasing their awareness of the dynamic nature of scientific endeavour. This also translates in to the school being a strong institution in the sciences and as an organization that could further engage in the public understanding of science.

- Dr. Sarada Bulchand, Science Communication Officer, TIFR

For me, the Brain Camp was an incredibly interesting and challenging experience. Malavika and I had to put in a lot of hard work to complete our submissions, but the experience was, at the same time, very rewarding. We were entered both in the Brain Camp as well as the Brain Challenge. For the Brain Challenge, we had to study a 90 page book about the brain. It is an inter-school quiz about the brain. For the Brain Camp, we had to conduct a psychology experiment, and then write a research paper based on that. We did an experiment on our classmates to study the effect of music on memory. I also loved the fact that we got the fantastic opportunity to interact with Dr. Linda Richards, from the University of Queensland, Australia. As part of the labs. we saw ‘zebrafish’ embryos developing in their transparent eggs. I particularly enjoyed the talk by Dr. Anindya Sinha, who spoke about consciousness and behavior in other primates like chimpanzees. All the other talks, be it the one by Dr. Richards or Dr. Vaidya, were extremely engaging and interesting. I would say that I had a fantastic experience at the Brain Camp.

- Anshuman Mor, Grade 11

08/12/14 6:34 PM

Contents

From the DPC’s Office

IBDP : no longer a dilemma

Interfacing academia with industry experts

DP Inter-school networks

Induction and Parent orientations in the DP (annotated pics)

Enduring understandings : Training our trainers and in-service (annotated pics)

Brain Camp at BIS

Intercultural exchange and summer programmes

CAS

List of University visits

Graduation 2014 – Results and Placements

11/12/14 2:32 PM

IB @ High School: no longer a dilemma

This month, I met a parent who sought guidance on the suitability of the IBD programme for him! After some deliberation, my final response to her was, “Your child needs to spend several hours doing independent work, develop the habit of regular work, look at assignments critically and optimistically with a ‘research’ attitude and start working on them as soon as they are allotted. Success in the programme is not about brilliance but about good work ethics. Intensive study packed into the last few weeks simply does not work!”

Says a parent whose daughter completed the IBDP in 2008. “Before I made a decision to put her through the programme, I checked various websites including www.ibo.org on course content and spoke to students of IBDP Schools in India. This convinced me about the unlimited potential of this high school programme. My biggest concern was acceptance of IB in India. I verified with educational institutions in Mumbai if it would fit their eligibility criteria. I received positive responses from all.” Adds her daughter, “Post-IB, I find that I am able to think independently and am not diffident about expressing my opinion on any subject ranging from academics to morality and can justify my standpoint.”

It is not just strong academic skills that DP students bring to the university campuses, the IB aims to develop curiosity, open-mindedness, critical thinking, self-motivation and a sense of shared guardianship of the planet. With over 98 schools offering the IBD in India, more and more Indian universities are becoming aware of how the programme is more research-oriented, challenges students academically and helps them build a bridge to university education. Says a student from the batch of 2014, “The biggest take home for me was critical thinking. I am able to think more logically and perceive things differently.” Another aspect that she became conscious of was ‘plagiarism’. She developed the habit of referencing all information accessed from all sources, thereby imbibing the values of academic honesty and respect for intellectual property.

IBD helps students to tune out of the ‘rote learning’ system. Says another student, “It taught me how to think critically. I also realized that unlike many other systems, an IB learner needed to be fully committed to work throughout the two years. There are so many aspects which are more important than exams - every internal assessment, every piece of homework, every presentation mattered! Predicted grades depend on the performance over all four terms.”

This programme gives freedom to teachers in terms of how the subject should be taught since assessment objectives and learning outcomes are defined but not pedagogy. This is one key reason why most IB teachers with a genuine passion for their subject make classroom learning very engaging. Students often seek advice from their teachers in the form of discussions and brainstorming about various issues such as deciding their Extended Essay topic or career choices. However, I have observed that students of national boards do require additional academic support through tuitions as class sizes are large and faculty-teacher interaction is limited.………… an IB Diploma student now in the UK shares his experience. “It helped me mature both emotionally and mentally. I am more determined, focused, inquisitive, and liberal minded. I have developed the ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures.” Adds ……… “At the outset, I only took up the IBD due to peer pressure. I had no idea what it was! At the end of 2 years, it turned out to be a rigorous course, which needed consistency in terms of performance and high levels of concentration during class hours.” He also mentioned that if a particular topic caught his interest, there was ample scope to research it. This helped him zero in on specific subjects/topics that he wished to pursue for further education.

Students should reflect deeply about subjects their children require for the career path they want to follow; so the subject combination for the IBD is an extremely important decision. In addition, for certain careers such as medicine, engineering, law or design in India, entrance exams need to be balanced with the rigour of the IB or a student can take a gap year. A brief summary of possible subject combinations and probable (associated) career choices is given below:

Higher Level IB Subjects Undergraduation FocusBiology, Chemistry, Mathematics Medicine, Health Care, Life

SciencesBiology, Psychology Psychology, NeuroscienceMathematics, Physics, Chemistry Engineering, TechnologyMathematics, Economics EconomicsEnglish, History, Economics Law, International RelationsMathematics, Business Management BusinessEnglish, Psychology, History Liberal ArtsPhysics, Mathematics, Visual Art Architecture

The above choices are not definitive and vary across colleges and countries

The time of board examinations (May) as well as IBDP results (July) can be worrying for parents in Mumbai given the fact that HSC students in junior colleges may get admission preference in some colleges. However, the comparison of IB results with various Indian boards is very clear and Mumbai university accepts predicted grades provided by international schools. Another issue that emerges for IB students is to appear for entrance exams for Indian Medical Colleges alongside the IBDP. Students overcome this by taking a gap year.

While junior college could be less structured or demanding than the IB, students lose out on the experiential and lifelong learning skills in the DP. Is the financial commitment really worth it considering other grade twelve programmes can meet requirements for further studies? The benefits of IB clearly outweigh the negatives. The programme emphasizes all round development of the student through a cross-disciplinary approach and community service. The ‘clincher’ is the fact that IBO is a very progressive board exposing students to an internationally accepted curriculum that is reviewed every 3-5 years. I chose the IBDP for my child in 2010 because I was convinced that DP could be transformational for a 16 year old as it was a ‘curriculum’ comprising knowledge, skills and attitudes whereas other programmes were content driven examinations. Skills and attitudes are transferable to universities and are part of lifelong learning.

- Supriya Atal (alumna IIMA, Faculty, Business Management HL/SL, Assistant Examiner for Extended Essays, Workshop Leader, Site visiting team member, IB Continuum practitioner)