China - all led in mother tongue. The IB is only able to deliver high-quality professional development and authorization visits because it partners with inspiring educators who share their best practice with others. With growing interest in an IB education, we have trained over one hundred and forty new IB educators at locations across the region. It is noteworthy that thirty of these are Japanese-English bilingual Workshop Leaders who will be essential in our project with the MEXT, Japan. To facilitate further access into the IB Educator Network (IBEN), the organisation has agreed to bear all costs, including travel, thus enabling educators to attend our IB educator training and become workshop leaders and site visitors. We want to ensure that educators come from the widest backgrounds and represent the most experienced and passionate classroom practitioners.

As an organisation and as educators we have exciting challenges ahead of us in 2013. For now, it is time to rest and take stock of another successful year for the IB and schools in IBAP. On behalf of the IB, I would like to thank you for your support, contribution and dedication you have given throughout 2012. May you have a wonderful break and I look forward to meeting many of you at our Regional Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Warm Regards,Ian ChambersDirector, IB Asia Pacific

www.ibo.org/ibap

IB Asia Pacific eNewsletter December 2012

www.ibo.org page 1

Dear Colleagues,

2012 represents a milestone in IBAP as the Regional Office moves forward with its mission to improve the world through leadership in international education.

The IB is increasingly responding to government initiatives across Asia that seek to develop the skills and attributes inherent in an IB education into their national system. We are working with the Japanese government (MEXT) to widen access to the IB Diploma by translating and assessing a selected group of DP courses. In Malaysia, we will be working with ten schools to introduce MYP after a period of sustained and intensive professional development support for leaders, administrators and teachers. These projects are visible ways of how the IB is becoming involved in educational transformation in the region and are at the heart of why the organisation was founded. Along with these projects, growth of programmes is surging as more schools seek candidacy and authorisation. It is important to remember that these governments and schools come to us because of the exemplary model that IB World Schools and educators demonstrate, day in day out.

In 2012 we have delivered workshops for over thirteen thousand educators. In August, three hundred and sixty teachers attended workshops in

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The annual conferences provide an excellent opportunity for educational leaders and decision makers to engage with their colleagues in the IB community. Don’t miss the chance to present on topics that you are most passionate about, share best practices, and focus on an IB education continuum that cultivates students’ abilities.

IB ANNUAL REGIONAL CONFERENCES 2013

www.ibo.org/events

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IB Asia Pacific Regional CouncilJames MacDonald, Chair of Regional Council, Asia Pacific

Dear Colleagues,

International education means somewhat different things to different people, but one thing I think most people agree with is that it is a growing field which continues to evolve in many exciting ways. The IB, as an organization, reflects much of this change and as it

attempts to plot a course in a complex international context it has created a number of external groups to inform its decision-making.

One of these groups is the Asia Pacific Regional Council which acts in an advisory capacity to the Regional Director (Ian Chambers). The Regional Council meets twice a year to discuss topics related to the work of the IB that affects us here in Asia Pacific. The Regional Council is made up of a diverse mix of heads of IB Schools and external members. The school heads on the council are: Anne Fowles (Suzhou Singapore International School - China), Anuradha Monga (Bangalore International School - India), Richard Tangye (International School Dhaka – Bangladesh), Deidre Fischer (Cebu International School - Philippines), and Julian Whiteley (UWCSEA - Singapore). External members of the council are: Sonny Lim (Singapore), Eddy Henry (Indonesia), Jan Keightley (Australia), and Mark Wang (China). I would also like to welcome our newest external member of the council, Ms. Bea Tsuboya-Newell (Japan).

Our most recent meeting took place in the new regional office in Singapore on November 16 and 17. The meeting covered a number of topics. Some of the highlights included: a summary of various initiatives happening in different countries throughout the region (Japan and Malaysia have

been particularly active places for the IB recently); an outline of professional development trends in Asia Pacific; a look at some of the IB’s global branding communications projects; and a very interesting overview of current and future research projects. This generated considerable discussion among members as we provided feedback on these different topics.

We also conducted an in-depth case-study examining pre and post authorization services with the council exploring and debating the merit of different types and levels of service that the IB may want to consider offering to schools. Another topic of discussion was the upcoming regional conference in Kuala Lumpur, where there will be a pre-conference workshop specifically tailored for Heads of School as well another session just for those heads who are new to the IB. Also, as we did last year, there will be ‘Heads-to-Heads’ session hosted by members of the Regional Council and the global Heads Council. At this session, we are seeking feedback and input to help shape the agenda for our next Regional Council meeting in May 2013.

As I conclude this update on behalf of the Regional Council, I would also like to thank Eddy Henry, Jan Keightley, and Julian Whitely for their contributions to the Regional Council, as they are all stepping down from the group when their terms finish at the end of this calendar year. As we say goodbye to these individuals, it also reminds me of how one of the defining features of the IB is that practitioners play a central role in the organization and how this allows all of us to play a small role in helping to shape international education both now and into the future.

www.ibo.org/ibap/aboutibasiapacific/regionalcouncil/

Head of School, Yokohama

International School

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This year 140 new IB Educators have joined the IB Educator Network (IBEN) in our region. We now have 950 passionate IB Educators who so generously give their time and expertise to support the IBEN activities in the Asia Pacific. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all our IB Educators who have dedicated countless hours to support more than 1000 IBEN activities in 2012. Being a part of the IBEN provides our IB Educators a range of experiences such as delivering IB workshops, conducting school visits and working as consultants to support candidate schools beginning their IB journey. It is pleasing to hear from many of our IB Educators that they find their collaboration with the IB very enriching both personally and professionally. Ongoing professional development:As part of the ongoing professional development of our IB Educators, we have provided online trainings to update our DP Languages, Math, TOK and Visual Arts, MYP Language B and Humanities workshop leaders in the new subject guides. As a new initiative we organized refresher workshops for workshop leaders based in India and Indonesia. These workshops covered a range of topics from contextual challenges, adult education to specifically looking at category 1, 2 and 3 workshops. This was a great opportunity for the workshop leaders to come together, network, share and learn from each other. IBEN Trainings in 2013We are very pleased to announce that from January 2013 onwards the IB will cover both the accommodation and travel costs for participants who are selected to attend IBEN trainings. Being a part of the IBEN offers a wide range of experiences. The regional office will be organizing a number of training events in 2013 for those interested in acquiring the following IBEN roles:

School Services Roles• Application Reader (PYP, MYP, DP) - Application

readers will analyse, evaluate and report to the regional office on documented evidence submitted by schools with the application of candidacy and/or authorization.

• School Visits Team Member (PYP, MYP, DP) - School visits team members will participate in

programme verification and evaluation visits representing the IB. They will be responsible for conducting the visit and contributing to a final report and recommendation for the regional office.

• School Visits Team Leader (PYP, MYP, DP) - Team leaders are responsible for liaising with the regional office and the school prior to and after the visit as well as for leading the visiting team in conducting the visit and preparing the visit report for submission to the regional office.

• Consultant (PYP, MYP, DP) - Consultants will provide support and mentoring to candidate schools. Each school will be assigned a consultant by the regional office who will conduct the mandatory consultation visit and provide a specified number of hours of distance mentoring in preparation for the verification visit. Only experienced school visit team members to apply.

Professional Development Roles• Workshop Leader (PYP/MYP/DP) - Workshop

leaders facilitate professional development for teachers in regional workshops and in schools implementing the IB programmes.

• Programme Field Representatives (PYP/MYP/DP) - Programme Field Representatives will offer academic support to Workshop leaders on regional workshop events and also feedback observations to regional office IBEN Managers.

For detailed information on how to become a part of the IB educator network, please visit the IB Asia Pacific IBEN webpage.

Overall, this has been a very successful year and we sincerely thank all our IB educators on behalf of the schools, teachers and students who benefit from the time, expertise and commitment of our IB Educators. We are also very grateful to all our school heads for encouraging and supporting the IB Educators from their schools to participate in IBEN activities. Thank you!

ashish.trivedi@ibo.org

IB Educator NetworkAshish Trivedi, IBEN Manager, Asia Pacific

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Season’s Greetings from the PYP Regional Office!

Here are the PYP updates for the latter part of 2012

The PYP Review

The much anticipated PYP review begins this year and will continue until 2016. The review will look at the PYP in the light of current educational research and examine the global relevance of an international education. The aims of the review are to:

• revisit the fundamental principles and practices of the programme to ensure that the programme remains relevant and fit for purpose

• learn from the experience of ‘MYP Next Chapter’ – establish greater alignment within the continuum of IB education

• examine ways of addressing the needs of an increasing diversity of schools and explore ways of addressing access issues.

You can follow the PYP Review Update at:http://blogs.ibo.org/pyp/pyp-review/

New Material on OCC

Two new sample units of inquiry are available on the OCC in English, French and Spanish. These two samples illustrate the use of the planner in the context of standalone additional language teaching.More sample units of inquiry will be published in 2013, with a focus on Visual Arts, the transdisciplinary theme Who we are, PE and Mathematics.

New PYP Curriculum Model

The new curriculum models have been launched this year to facilitate greater alignment across all four IB Programmes. Schools are encouraged to use the new model and further information can be found on the OCC at: http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/documents/general/g_0_iboxx_amo_1211_1p_e.pdf

A promotional brochure featuring the new model can also be downloaded at:www.ibo.org/communications/publications/index.cfm

PYP School Visit Team Leader and Consultants Training

The School Visit Team Leader and Consultant Training took place in November at the Singapore Global Centre. 13 participants travelled in from China, Indonesia, Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand, India and Bangladesh to undergo intensive two day training on the new processes and systems for Authorization and Evaluation.

Regional Visits and Network Meetings

The PYP Network groups continue to expand and grow as professional learning communities. We welcome our two newest networks, South India and Sri Lanka (SIS) and Queensland. 2013 will hopefully see more Network meetings synchronised with the Regional Visits so that the regional office can offer more support to the Networks. Scheduled visits for the first half of next year include China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The yearly schedule for regional visits is available at www.ibo.org/ibap/schoolservices/regionalvisits.cfm and Networks are encouraged to make the best use of these visits to support the great work happening in the region.

The IB Primary Years ProgammeMonita Sen, Regional School Services Manager PYP

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MYP Next Chapter Updates

MYP Development Update and November’s Coordinator’s Notes have been out for a while. If you haven’t had a chance to look over these documents yet I would highly recommend taking the time. They outline in detail some of the changes coming with MYP Next Chapter.

E-assessment trialsA while back you might have seen a request for school’s interested in trialing the new MYP e-assessments which the IB has been developing. When I saw the list I didn’t see a lot of IBAP schools who indicated interest in trialing these assessments. The e-assessments will be quite different from other types of assessments which you are familiar with. I believe it would be a very interesting experience for both students and teachers to participate in the trial. They will be happening in October of 2013 and we are especially keen on southern hemisphere school’s participation. Even if you haven’t participated in moderation in the past I would recommend putting your name in for the trial. If you contact me, (curtis.beaverford@ibo.org) I can submit your school to the people responsible for organizing the trial.

Consultant / School Visit Team Member Training

At the end of November we held a consultant / school visit team member training in the new global centre in Singapore. There were six participants from around the region who will be working with the

next round of candidate schools to come on board in January of 2013 and be leading verification and authorization visits around the region. Please watch the IBEN area of our website for future training opportunities.

Indonesian Dunia Event November 2013

On November 24th the Indonesian PYP, MYP and DP coordinator networks held their annual ‘job-alike’ sessions. These events have been happening for years now but this year the three programmes combined and the event drew more than 680 IB teachers. The coordinator networks ran the event like a conference with presenters submitting proposals for presentations which were vetted by the committee. The event has turned into one of the largest gatherings of IB teachers on the planet. Hats off to the network members who volunteered their time to organizing the event and Sekola Pelita Harapan Lippo Village for hosting it.

IBIS Updates

A week or so ago you would have gotten an email from IBIS asking you to update the session information section of your school information. Schools who didn’t moderate often tended not to complete this information. As we are planning for mandatory moderation of the personal project and the start of the e-assessment’s in 2015 this information is extremely important for our capacity planning. If you haven’t already done so please take some time to complete the session information.

The IB Middle Years ProgammeCurtis Beaverford, Regional School Services Manager MYP

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MYP Next Chapter Updates on the OCC

Lots of exciting development is underway as the Next Chapter of the Middle Years Programme hits many of its developmental milestones. Keep up-to-date about milestones for schools on the OCC! Navigate to the list of school milestones (pdf) online: OCC home > MYP home > Implementation of the programme > MYP: Next Chapter

Here is a summary of items to be aware of:1. Find a detailed development report on MYP:

Next Chapter using the navigation shown above. The report details the shape of the new curriculum and assessment, and gives information for plans to support schools in terms of authorization and evaluation, subject choice, and professional development. Ongoing professional development events support teachers in starting gradual implementation of some of the changes.

2. Four expert advisory group meetings were held in 2012, involving leading global thinkers in assessment, in order to prepare for the introduction of e-assessments into the MYP. Trials will be conducted throughout 2013-14 using materials currently being designed by Chief Examiners. The e-assessments will be provided to schools electronically; candidates will sit for the e-assessments using computers in either offline or online environments.

3. Ongoing professional development for MYP educators contains aspects of MYP: Next Chapter changes for the remainder of 2012. New offerings can be found on regional calendars as well as in the 2013-14 IB catalog[+] of workshops

and resources posted online. Events such as “Global context for teaching and learning,” and MYP: Next Chapter seminars are recommended for all IB educators involved in the transition from MYP to MYP: Next Chapter.

4. Messaging about new subject group flexibility was sent to IB School Coordinators and Heads in October. Starting September 2013, new flexibility related to the number of subject groups required for MYP students, years 4 and 5 will be introduced. The IB prefers that schools offer all 8 subject groups to all students in years 4 and 5 and this is made clear in the new rule. If this is not viable for a school, the IB strongly encourages offering all 8 subject groups to allow students to choose a minimum of 6 subject groups (which must include Language A, Language B, Science, Math and Humanities). The new flexibility recognizes that some student choice is appropriate for students aged 14-16. With the new flexibility, it remains a requirement in MYP 4-5 that a minimum of six subject groups be studied concurrently at all times. Please visit the OCC and review the development report for further explanation of the new rule.

It’s an exciting journey to the MYP Next Chapter! We’ll keep you informed all along the way. If you have questions or need more information, please contact us on the OCC.

Middle Years Progamme Update

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Four conference dates are set for 2013:• Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North

Carolina, USA, 23-28 June• University of British Columbia, Vancouver,

Canada, 21-26 July• Warwick University, Coventry, UK, 4-9 August• University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 11-16

August

We look forward to welcoming you and your DP students to an IB World Student Conference in 2013! Please send your questions, requests for more information, and requests for additional posters to:ibwsc@ibo.org

Diploma Programme requirements for programme evaluation Changes previously introduced in the Diploma Programme requirements for programme evaluation scheduled to take effect beginning in 2014 may have an impact on your staff professional development planning. Schools submitting their self-study questionnaire in 2014 and beyond will need to demonstrate that the professional development requirements outlined have been met. Since the self-study process is started a year in advance, we want to raise your awareness of the requirements so you may take into account any additional PD necessary for staff in your planning.

If you have any questions regarding the new policy or would like to contact the professional development department to discuss training for your staff, please do not hesitate to contact us.

November Examinations

The regional office wishes every school and student a successful conclusion to the Diploma Programme November examination session. Whether students are sitting for their main session, anticipated subjects or re-takes, these exams will be the culminating components of all that is challenging and rewarding in the IB Diploma Programme. Representatives of the IB have visited over twenty percent of November session schools in the past few weeks, and as always, we have appreciated the opportunity to connect with schools which are implementing the programme in exemplary ways.

The November 2012 Diploma Programme exam results will be available to schools in Australia, New Zealand, Papa New Guinea and Fiji on 3rd Jan 2013 at 5pm GMT.

If you have any queries with regards to the results, please contact Briony Morath. She commences her post with the IB on 2 Jan 2013.

Email: briony.morath@ibo.org

IB World Student Conferences 2013

The 2012 IB World Student Conferences were a resounding success —so much so that the IB is offering not two but four conferences in 2013! Four universities in four parts of the world will host an IB World Student Conference; four separate weeks of fun, learning, and exploration to choose from for each IB student who registers for one of these exciting events. To be eligible to attend, an IB student must be an incoming or first-year Diploma Programme student during school year 2013-14.

The IB Diploma ProgammeStephen Keegan, Regional School Services Manager DP

page 9www.ibo.org

NEWS from Asia Pacific:

Gateways: 2 new virtual gateways have been introduced so that co-ordinators and workshop leaders have access to all the information they require at a click:1. Co-ordinators Gateway : All links and

information in one place (stay tuned TBA)2. Workshop Leaders gateway:

w w w. i b o . o r g / i b a p / e d u c a t o r s n e t w o r k /wlgateway.cfm

Regional workshops: 2013 Planning CalendarFor all your workshops in 2013, please refer to the google calendar in the right hand column of our web page: www.ibo.org/ibap/professionaldevelopment/ (This page is updated regularly).

LinkedIn: We regularly announce additional workshops and news on our workshops on IB Asia Pacific LinkedIn group. If you are not yet a subscriber, please join: www.linkedin.com/groups/IB-Asia-Pacific-3744976/about

Introduction of Twitter account: We are about to introduce a special Twitter account so that when we make changes to the calendar we can tweet the changes and you know to look for the updates. Make sure that you are following us on @ibasiapacific

2013 IB PD Catalogue: Our new catalogue is available online for you to peruse. Each workshop that we offer both regional and in-school has a description in the catalogue: www.ibo.org/ibap/professionaldevelopment/documents/new-pd-catalog-101512-v2.pdf

SSS : TOK and MYP Next Chapter:What is a subject -specific seminar ?• Subject-specific seminars help educators

understand and implement subject guide changes.

Why should I attend?• Acquaint yourself with changes to a particular

subject area, explained and exemplified through teaching and learning framework, the guidelines and requirements for implementation, the objectives and criteria,

and the assessment tools and task types.• Academic staff from the programme

development team and/or a member of the curriculum review team will be on hand throughout the workshop to answer questions and participate.

2013 Subject Specific seminars:• TOK, category 3• MYP: The Next Chapter, cat 3

Please visit here for details content and where they will be held:www.ibo.org/ibap/professionaldevelopment/Workshops/subjectspecificseminars/

2013: Special Workshop EventsIB Asia Pacific PD will be offering three special workshop events with regular 3 day workshop together with special presentations on subjects of interest to the participants and special entertainment related to the workshops• Languages Event: 18-20 January 2013www.ibo.org/ibap/professionaldevelopment/Workshops/languageevent2013/index.cfm• Arts Event: 24-26 August• Maths/Science: to be advised• Social and Emotional Learning: to be advised

IB Workshops for non- IB educatorsA number of the workshops that we offer in IB Professional Development are accessible not only by educators of IB programmes but are relevant to other educators who are interested in furthering their professional expertise in IB related pedagogy or wish to delve into a deeper understanding of the IB Mission and Vision. This is particularly the case for educators in non-IB sections of IB schools

In IB World Schools that offer one or two programmes, there is an opportunity for educators in the other year groups to familiarise themselves with the IB way of thinking and thus support a more consistent approach to teaching and learning across the school.

IB Professional DevelopmentStuart Jones, Head Professional Development, Asia Pacific

page 10www.ibo.org

We look forward to welcoming all your teachers to our IB Asia Pacific workshops. Please visit our website for case studies, details of specific workshops and how to register.www.ibo.org/ibap/professionaldevelopment/d o c u m e n t s / i b _ p d _ f o r _ n o n - i b _ t e a c h e r s _aug2012v2.pdf

Pre-conference workshops (Heads Forum)The Asia Pacific Conference will be held in March 2013. Pre-conference we will be offering workshops for Administrators and Co-ordinators across all three programmes. This is an excellent opportunity to attend a workshop and the conference.

After the workshops and before the conference, the IB will be hosting a Heads Forum. This event will bring together Heads of IB schools from around the region to focus on leadership. Please register for the event separately on REGIS. www.ibo.org/ibap/conference/2013preconference/

In addition, there will be a Co-ordinators Forum before the conference. Please can you get in touch with School Services team for more details. In-school workshops News:Payment for workshop: 2013 Fees sheet is available on the following huperlink.

Fees for in-school workshops have remained static for 2013 and Regional workshop fees have increased to cover inflation only.www.ibo.org/ibap/professionaldevelopment/documents/ibap_pd_fees_schedule_2013.pdf

Please note a change in the billing process for IB workshops:

From January 2013, in-school workshops will be billed as follows:1. Per participant fee is available on the Invoice

on REGIS which can be downloaded after the workshop when the participants list is final

2. Air travel and Honorarium of external and resident workshop leader will be billed by the

IB separately to the per participant fee.3. Expenses are to be paid directly to the

workshop leader.4. Accommodation to be settled directly with

the hotel.

Resident workshop leader policyIn IBAP we have recently announced the introduction of the Resident workshop leader policy:

www.ibo.org/ibap/policyconditions/resident_workshop_leaders_policy.cfm

As Ian Chambers, IB Asia Pacific Regional Director stated in a recent letter to all Heads of School and co-ordinators: “The first exciting change, which I know many of you will welcome, is that from next year schools in IBAP will be able to use their in-house IB Educators to lead IB in-school workshops which have been registered with the regional IB office. We recognise the value of using a resource which has deep understanding of your context and the IB and do hope that this policy change assists you further in developing excellent IB teachers.”

On line workshops:• Opportunity to mix the workshop options.

Online PD allows your staff to do workshops at times and places that best suit their needs.

NEW SERVICE:

Planning IB Professional Development:Putting a PD plan in place is key to running a successful school with educators who are continually recharged and reinvigorated. Here in the Asia Pacific we are now are available to help you plan PD for your school with various opportunities to meet your school requirements and needs. To discuss an IB PD plan, please contact Stuart Jones (stuart.jones@ibo.org) or Catherine Vogel (catherine.vogel@bo.org)

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Recognition:As students are preparing for exams and looking at applying to universities, the IB has been actively contacting universities to request for them to update policies.

Change of preferences dates for Tertiary Adminssion Centres have been published on IB website:

Australia:IBCC accreditation QSA• 3 policies were updated in IBIS account (Sydney

Institute of Business and Technology (SIBT), Australian Academy of Design, Blue Mountains Hotel School)

China:• The recognition policy for University of

Nottingham Ningbo, China is now published on the IB Website.

India:• 38 universities recognition policy statement

have been updated and published on the IB website.

• 2 recognition statements as a result of meetings in Gujarat

Indonesia:• 1 policy was published (MIBT Indonesia)

Japan: • Recognition Seminars : 24 university recognition

policy statements have been updated and published on the IB website.

Singapore:• Nanyang Technological University has

developed a recognition policy statement and has been published on the IB website.

• 1 policy was published (James Cook University)

World Student Conference:Diploma Programme and IBCC students are encouraged to apply for a scholarship to attend one of the IB World Student Conferences. A number of scholarships are available to students who apply by Feb. 4, 2013, to defray the cost of attendance. In 2012, 21 scholarships were awarded, supported by a number of IB donors, the IB Board of Directors and IB staff.

Share this information with your IBCC and DP students, and encourage them to compete for a scholarship! By visiting the IB Conference page www.ibo.org/wsc, students can see how the WSCs support work on student CAS projects and enhance their experience as an IB student.

Full instructions about how to apply, including requirements, format, and other details, are available at www.ibo.org/wsc/scholarships/

From the desk of:Priyamvada TanejaIB Development Manager, India

Recognition documents online: The IB is proactively working with Universities in India for the recognition of the Diploma programme. The IB website has been updated with policy statements from 60 Universities, governments and institutions.

Check the link for the most recent recognition updates. www.ibo.org/ibap/universityrecognition/

University Recognition Session Mumbai & Delhi:University recognition sessions with authorized

IB University Recognition & DevelopmentStefanie Leong, Head of Development & Recognition AP

page 12www.ibo.org

and candidate schools were held with the aim to have meaningful discussions regarding recognition of the IB Diploma. The session examined the emerging trends, challenges, and recognition updates around the world. The session was attended by Heads/ IB coordinators and college counselors of the schools.

Orientation sessions, presentations at various forums: To assist the schools in the application process, increase support for schools in India; orientation sessions, presentations, and regular visits of IB staff are being planned through the year.

Presentations were given at the TAISI (The Association of International Schools in India) Conference in Cochin on ‘Services for IB Schools in India’ by Stefanie Leong, Head of Development & Recognition, Asia Pacific, ‘MYP: The Next Chapter’ by Malcolm Nicolson, Head of Middle Years Programme Development , ‘IB Recognition Update’ by Priyamvada Taneja, Development Manager, India

Presentation at the Annual Conference of COBSE (Council of Boards of School Education in India) in Patna was given by Ian Chambers, IB Director Asia Pacific on International Baccalaureate Perspectives on Vocational Education: IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) to showcase the IB’s fourth programme. This new exciting programme will provide an additional dimension to the skills acquired from the qualification.

From the desk of:Jamie TanIB Programme SupportManager (China)

The IB has a reputation for educational excellence in many circles in China, and we are working on cementing this excellent reputation. We have established working relationships with the Beijing and Shanghai education commissions and are in discussions with both as to possible areas of collaboration in the future. We plan to establish similar relationships with other education commissions or bureaus in the next year; therefore, please drop us a line if the education bureau overseeing your region is interested in connecting with the IB office. If you are interested to share your experinece of an IB education with the education commissions, universities or other bodies, please consider applying to become an IB recognition ambassador.

Chinese universities have also been interested in learning about IB teacher education and professional development. The IB was invited to speak at a conference at East China Normal University in September on its IB Educator Certificate initiative and teacher professional development model.

Separately, we are reaching out to Chinese universities to ask them to clarify their admission policy for DP graduates. If a university that your student is interested in does not presently have an IB policy published on our website, please contact us so that we may rectify that situation.Some schools in China have been exploring how the IBCC may work for students who are interested in, for example, hospitality and tourism studies or fashion studies. If your school has an interest in exploring how the IBCC could work for your students, you are welcome to contact us.

For more information : www.ibo.org/ibap/universityrecognition/

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IB Global Research Departments Updates

Programme Impact

The Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) recently completed a study investigating the postsecondary enrolment, progression, achievement, and patterns of IB Diploma Programme students at two Australian universities. Findings from the study indicate significant growth in the number of DP students applying to these universities, higher rates of offers for DP students compared to the general pool, and that DP graduates progress through university studies at higher rates than non-IB cohorts and are more likely than non-IB DP graduates to complete their degree within five years. See the complete ACER report, along with other studies on the impact of the IB DP, at www.ibo.org/research/policy/programmevalidation/diploma/.

For more information on this study or other activities of the IB research department, contact research@ibo.org

There are also several new programme impact research studies just getting underway exploring the DP in such diverse contexts as China, Ecuador and Mexico, the relationship between an IB education and civic-mindedness, ToK, and more.

Programme Development

There are three new programme development research papers available on the OCC.• Academic honesty in the IB by Jude Carroll

• This paper outlines conceptual aspects of plagiarism and challenges that learners face in demonstrating honesty and integrity, and indicates how teachers, schools and learners can share responsibility for supporting academic honesty in the IB programmes.

• Discussion document for the curriculum review of creativity, action, service by Catherine Elliott, Cheryl Keegan and Cathryn Berger Kaye• The document aims to revisit the theoretical

and practical perspectives embedded in the DP creativity, action, service (CAS) framework, and explicate the implications and applications of service learning for the development of the course.

• Approaches to Learning: Literature Review by Na Li• This literature review examines theories

and practices related to learning approaches in the curriculum of various educational systems, how issues of culture and age appropriateness are addressed and unpacked, and draws implications for the implementation and development of IB programmes.

IERD (International Education Research Database)

We are very excited announce that after months of work the IB’s newly redeveloped IERD is now live! The new site has thousands of references of research related to the IB and international education generally. The site has a number of new features which will allow us to keep the database much more current as well as make for a more user friendly experience. The IERD is not only a great resource to find references on international education, but you can also find loads of published (and some unpublished) research and writing on the IB and its programmes. So have a look, search, and even upload your own references. Happy hunting! http://research.ibo.org

Jeff Thompson Research Award

There is a new completed study on language teaching in PYP classrooms, by Natascha Thompson, posted on the JTA winners page: www.ibo.org/research/resources/jeffthompson/jtwinners/index.cfm.

Review of the latest rounds of applicants is currently underway. Thank you to all of our submitters. The next deadline for applications is March 31, 2013.

IB Research Depar tmentJustine Sanders, Research Specialist

page 14www.ibo.org

IB World Schools Advancing the IB Mission:

The IB was founded in 1968 with the generous philanthropic support of a number of individuals and organizations. We continue to drive new initiatives and enable greater access to an IB education, in part, through the commitment of likeminded individuals, organizations and foundations who believe in our mission: creating a better world through education. We are grateful for their vision and leadership over the years.

We would like to acknowledge and thank three schools in this region that have given to the IB over the last quarter allowing us to broaden the learning opportunities for IB students:

• Sinarmas World Academy, Indonesia generously contributed towards the development of MYP: Next Chapter

• Fairview International Group of Schools,

Malaysia supported student scholarships to the 2012 World Student Conferences

• Global Jaya International School, Indonesia provided philanthropic support for the development of a new DP course on Indonesian Language and Literature

For more information on how you can further support the mission of the IB and our philanthropic work, contact: Andriani Winoto, Philanthropy Manager at: andriani.winoto@ibo.org or visit: www.ibo.org/donors

Access to an IB education has been greatly enhanced over the past months in the Asia Pacific and Africa, Europe and Middle East regions as we respond to country initiatives. The realisation of these projects has been made possible through the Regional Offices and Access and Advancement department working together to create tailored products which match professional development and each country’s needs to our existing programmes.

On 27 November, Jeffrey Beard, Director General, signed a Letter of Understanding with Mr Yamanaka, Deputy Minister for Education, Japan. Under this, the IB will work to develop a Dual Language IB Diploma: English-Japanese where students will be taught and assessed in Japanese across a number of selected DP courses. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan have agreed to fully fund these developments in order to reach it’s goal of up to 200 schools in Japan being able to access IB programmes.

In Malaysia, we are in the final stages of agreeing with the government to have ten schools piloting the MYP from 2013. This proposal has been further developed through Access and Advancement and Global Professional Development to include country-tailored workshops that will prepare the teachers and administrators at the selected schools for possible MYP candidacy in October, 2013.

International Baccalaureate Update

Registration opens 14 November 2012www.ibo.org/wsc/

Read the official WSC blog from IE University, Segovia, Spain

Read the official WSC blog fromUniversity of British Columbia,Vancouver, Canada

2013

“If you’re considering whether or not to go, trust me—don’t miss this!”

-Tariq Attarwala, Mumbai, India

IB World Student Conferences

Which Student

Conference will you choose?

Wake Forest UniversityNorth Carolina, USA23-28 June

University of WarwickCoventry, UK4-9 August

University of British ColumbiaVancouver, Canada21-26 July

University of Hong KongHong Kong11-16 August