A critical study into the extent that co-operative learning promotes a greater confidence and a more accurate rendering of syntax in unseen translations for Year 12 IB Higher Latinists

The ability to translate unseen passages is a skill tested in both Latin A-level and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Higher IB candidates are expected to translate a passage of 105–125 words of Latin poetry (in this case, Ovid's Metamorphoses) as the first of their externally marked papers. The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) uses unseen passages to ‘measure the [students’] ability to understand and translate texts in the original language’ (2014, p. 25). The passages are marked according to two criteria: (a) meaning; (b) vocabulary and grammar. In order to access the highest grades, the students must provide a ‘logical translation [in which] errors do not impair the meaning’ and ‘render vocabulary appropriately and grammar accurately and effectively’ (IBO, 2014, pp. 28–9).

El sistema de bachillerato internacional y su enseñanza en idioma inglés como factores claves para la excelencia académica de los bachilleres del Colegio Americano de Guayaquil

RESUMEN El colegio Americano de Guayaquil fundado hace 79 años se caracteriza por ser líder en la enseñanza bilingüe, habiendo graduado bachilleres en las especialidades de físico matemático, químico biólogos, comercio y de acuerdo a las reformas educativas actualmente gradúa bachilleres en ciencias, ciencias empresariales, y ciencias humanísticas. A lo cual debe agregarse que desde 1985 mediante convenio con la Organización de Bachillerato Internacional con sede en Ginebra, Suiza, imparte la educación IB como un agregado académico que ha dado relevancia a los graduados de esta institución, por cuanto además de ser bachilleres de calidad internacional, dominan el inglés como un segundo idioma, lo que permite que tengan acceso para realizar sus estudios superiores en prestigiosas universidades del exterior. Las autoridades de educación del país han otorgado los permisos correspondientes, autorizando que el Colegio Americano de Guayaquil enseñe su malla curricular de estudios bajo el sistema de IB en idioma inglés, lo cual lo ha convertido en el pionero y líder de este sistema de enseñanza en la región Costa. ABSTRACT The Colegio Americano de Guayaquil was founded 79 years ago. It is characterized by being a leader in bilingual education. It has submitted High School Diplomas to many students in the Physical Mathematic Science, Chemical Biology Science and Business specializations. According to the educational reforms, currently it graduates students in Science, Business Science and Humanistic Sciences. It must be added that since 1985, the International Baccalaureate Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, provides IB education as an academic added value, which has given a high relevance to the graduates of this institution since, besides being international high school graduates, they are proficient in English as a second language; this allows them to enter prestigious universities abroad. The Ecuadorian education authorities have authorized the Colegio Americano to teach the curriculum under the English IB system. In this way, the School has become the pioneer and leader of this education system in the Coast region.

Teaching Academic Honesty and Ethical Standards

The considerations presented in this paper refer to the idea of developing academic honesty and introducing ethical standards in research among high school students of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The mission of the International Baccalaureate Organization is to form a better world through education. One of the ways to achieve this is to create international educational programmes that include the development of a respectful, principled and caring attitude among their students. Teaching about academic honesty and ethical standards in research as well as introducing these principles in everyday school life is the best way to put these rules into practice. In the following paper, the regulations of the International Baccalaureate on academic honesty in general and ethical guidance for psychology in particular will be presented, followed by examples of good practice from one of the IB schools, the Międzynarodowe Liceum Paderewski in Lublin, Poland.

Approaches to improving the training of teachers working under the International Baccalaureate programs in the field of education informatization

Problem and goal. The article is devoted to studying the possibilities of working with the Moscow Electronic School project. The goal was to develop programs to improve the training of teachers in Moscow schools. This goal required to design a model for improving the training of teachers working under the International Baccalaureate programs in the field of education informatization, to develop the content of teacher training, to organize and conduct such training, based on an active study of the possibilities of the Moscow Electronic School project for teachers of International Baccalaureate schools, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed training program. Methodology. In the course of the study, a set of methods was used: analysis of normative documents related to the professional training of teachers, study of literature, including those presented by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), search and analysis of the resources of the Moscow Electronic School project library, study of the experience of using services in the system education of the city of Moscow, a pedagogical experiment. Results. The article presents a fragment of a pedagogical experiment to improve the training of teachers working under the International Baccalaureate programs, aimed at developing skills in working with the Moscow Electronic School project. The study confirmed the relevance of the problem, which consists in the need to improve the training of teachers in Moscow schools working under the International Baccalaureate programs in the field of education informatization, including in the field of work with the resources of the Moscow Electronic School project. The results of the study allowed to find approaches to solving the identified problem. Conclusion. It is proposed to supplement the content of the discipline Modern Teaching Technologies in the framework of the masters training of teachers working under the International Baccalaureate programs, with topics related to studying the resources of the Moscow Electronic School project in the activities of a teacher working under the International Baccalaureate programs, as well as a system of practical work that takes into account the specifics of the International Baccalaureate school.

Local Implementation of International Baccalaureate in the Japanese Secondary School System

Japan is moving from a traditional focus on prescriptive English education towards a more forward-looking hybrid model, melding the influences of the world-class international baccalaureate (IB) curriculum into the existing Japanese educational model. In this chapter, the authors review the background and describe developments that are framing the debate regarding secondary school reform. Specifically, they investigate how IB in Japan is shaping new practices, which will be shown to have duals aims. The first is to nurture the higher-order reasoning abilities of students, in addition to analytical research and presentation skills. The second is to promote stronger English second-language acquisition. The authors also explore in what ways the introduction of IB is engendering positive changes to the English curriculum in the non-IB sector and in the university sector. This is an issue that is being keenly observed by both policymakers, educators, and the international baccalaureate organization.

Fiji Implements Blended E-Learning as Appropriate Flexible Learning

This chapter describes a learning environment that implements a learning design that promotes an adaptive approach towards e-learning. A theoretical model describes the interactive components of an e-learning environment. This model can be used as a designing tool for implementing an effective framework to support the social aspects of human-computer interaction. It discusses the institutional and national context of the e-learning programme offered by a school in Fiji that is accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organization. A zoom-lens approach is taken by the year-5 classroom teacher to encourage her students’ experiential learning. However, alternative instructional strategies are required when the Internet becomes unstable. This means extra activities are required that do not involve computers. Some of these tasks are self-reflection diary entries that produce added interest for the students as they prepare for their presentations at the school assemblies.