Parents only want what is good for their children. When it comes to looking for secondary schools, what are the criteria that define what is good? We all know that rote learning is not very effective when applied to practical uses. What parents want is an educational system that will get students prepared for the job markets of tomorrow. Since this is a fast-moving target, students need to be taught in a more holistic way. They can’t learn things in bubbles anymore. They need to open their minds to how things work in the real world and how what they are learning in school can be applied. A global approach to teaching is preferrable because the world is constantly getting smaller and career and life opportunities can come from just about anywhere. Will our kids be prepared?
Some of the specifics that parents are looking for in a school system are:
- A systematic approach to build confidence
- A way to think in both global and local aspects of situations
- Help students know who they are individually, their strengths and weaknesses
- Provide a way for students to truly know how to define their likes and dislikes so that they know what they want to do with their lives
- Have students think for themselves by building up their research and analyzing skills
- Give students plenty of opportunities to work in teams since previously, studying used to only be an “individual sport”
IB MYP is a program that will satisfy all the specifics mentioned here and a lot more because of their unique philosophies, approaches to teaching and assessments. With the right teachers, students in IB MYP are not only better prepared for the future but also have fun doing it. Now, this program is no cake walk. The students will need to work hard in order to do well but the difference is that the students can definitely see the difference in how they are learning. This creates self-motivation and allows teachers to spend less time on classroom management and more time mentoring and guiding.
And now I chime in… 😊 I have 2 children that go to local Hong Kong public school systems and I have taught at primary and secondary learning institutions across Greater China Region. I can think from both sides and understand what type of compromises need to be made in order to have realistic expectations from the parent side and realistic goals from school system side. If you want to know more about IB and MYP and the details of why it is a good program, Let’s Talk!