International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme

DON BOSCO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL is an International Baccalaureate authorised school for the Diploma Programme (DP) of IB. Our school philosophy is aligned with that of the IBO.
Only schools authorised by the IB Organisation can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme(PYP), the Middle Years Programme(MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP) or the Career related Programme (CP).

IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.

DBIS invites the application for admissions to IBDP for session 2020-2021.

What is International Baccalaureate?
The International Baccalaureate is a non-profit educational foundation that offers high quality programmes of international education to a worldwide community of schools. Motivated by its mission, the program focuses on the students and helps them develop their intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

IB Mission Statement
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

International Mindedness
DBIS is committed to fostering the belief, values and skills that will allow our students to become compassionate and confident global citizens who can positively impact the world.
We believe that international mindedness is portrayed through:
• an awareness of one’s own culture(s) and respect for other cultures
• an understanding of and empathy for world issues and concerns
• celebration and respect of diversity, language, culture and beliefs, including host country.

Approaches to Teaching (ATT)
Teaching at DBIS is:
• inquiry based
• conceptually focused
• contextualized
• collaborative
• differentiated
• informed by assessment

Approaches to Learning (ATL)
Learning at DBIS encourages the development of:
• research skills
• communication skills
• thinking skills
• social skills
• self-management skills

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
The IB Diploma Programme (DP) is an academically challenging and balanced Programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, aged 16 to 19, for success at university and life beyond. The Programme has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities.
The Diploma Programme prepares students for effective participation in a rapidly evolving and increasingly global society as they:
• Develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.
• Acquire breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding.
• Develop the skills and a positive attitude towards learning.
• Study at least two languages and increase understanding of cultures, including their own.
• Make connections across traditional academic disciplines and explore the nature of
knowledge through the Theory of Knowledge course.
• Undertake in-depth research into an area of interest in the Extended Essay.

• Enhance their personal and interpersonal development through Creativity, Activity and Service.

The Diploma Programme Model
The course is presented as six academic areas enclosing a central core. It encourages the concurrent study of a broad range of academic areas. Students study two modern languages, a humanities or social science subject, a science, Mathematics and one of the creative arts.

It is this comprehensive range of subjects that makes the Diploma Programme a demanding course of study designed to prepare students effectively for university entrance. In each of the academic areas students have flexibility in making their choices, which means they can choose subjects that particularly interest them and that they may wish to study further at university.

Diploma Subject Groups
The subjects that will be offered at Don Bosco International School are:
Group 1: Studies in Language & Literature
• English A: Language and Literature – Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL)

Group 2: Language Acquisition
• Hindi B -HL & SL
• Spanish B – SL/Ab initio
Group 3: Individuals & Societies

• Economics – HL & SL
• Business and Management– HL & SL
• Psychology HL/SL
• Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) – SL

Group 4: Sciences
• Physics – HL & SL
• Chemistry – HL & SL
• Biology – HL & SL
• Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS) – SL
• Computer Science – HL & SL

Group 5: Mathematics
• Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches – HL & SL
• Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation – HL & SL

Group 6: The Arts
• Visual Arts – HL & SL

Choosing the right combination
Students are required to choose one subject from each of the six academic areas, although they can, instead of an arts subject, choose two subjects from another area. Normally, three subjects (and not more than four) are taken at higher level (HL), and the others are taken at standard level (SL).

The Core of the Diploma Programme Model
Apart from the above subjects, a student also needs to fulfil core requirements of the IB Diploma Programme Core i.e. Theory of knowledge(TOK), Creativity, Activity & Service(CAS) and Extended Essay(EE).

 

Additional information about IBDP

Creativity, Activity & Service (CAS)

CAS is at the heart of the Diploma Programme. CAS is organized around the three strands of creativity, activity and service defined as follows.

• Creativity – exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance
• Activity – physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle
• Service – collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need

As a shining beacon of the IB values, CAS enables students to demonstrate attributes of the IB learner profile in real and practical ways, to grow as unique individuals and to recognize their role in relation to others. Students develop skills, attitudes and dispositions through a variety of individual and group experiences that provide students with opportunities to explore their interests and express their passions, personalities and perspectives. CAS complements a challenging academic programme in a holistic way, providing opportunities for self-determination, collaboration, accomplishment and enjoyment.

CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development. A meaningful CAS programme is a journey of discovery of self and others. For many, CAS is profound and life-changing. Each individual student has a different starting point and different needs and goals. A CAS programme is, therefore, individualized according to student interests, skills, values and background.
At DBIS, CAS is as much important as any other element of the Diploma Programme and we will ensure sufficient time is allocated for engagement in the CAS programme.

Successful completion of CAS is a requirement for the award of the IB Diploma. While not formally assessed, students reflect on their CAS experiences and provide evidence in their CAS portfolios of achieving the seven learning outcomes.

The CAS programme formally begins at the start of the Diploma Programme and continues regularly, ideally on a weekly basis, for at least 18 months with a reasonable balance between creativity, activity, and service.

The Aims of CAS

The CAS programme aims to develop students who:

  •  enjoy and find significance in a range of CAS experiences
  • purposefully reflect upon their experiences
  • identify goals, develop strategies and determine further actions for personal growth
  • explore new possibilities, embrace new challenges and adapt to new roles
  • actively participate in planned, sustained, and collaborative CAS projects
  • understand they are members of local and global communities with responsibilities towards each other and the
    environment.
Extended Essay(EE)

The extended essay is an in-depth study of a focused topic chosen from the list of available Diploma Programme subjects for the session in question. This is normally one of the student’s six chosen subjects for those taking the IB diploma, or a subject that a student has a background in. It is intended to promote academic research and writing skills, providing students with an opportunity to engage in personal research in a topic of their own choice, under the guidance of a supervisor (an appropriately qualified member of staff within the school).

This leads to a major piece of formally presented, structured writing, in which ideas and findings are communicated in a reasoned and coherent manner, appropriate to the subject chosen. It is mandatory that all students undertake three reflection sessions with their supervisor, which includes a short, concluding interview, or viva voce, with their supervisor following the completion of the extended essay.
The extended essay is assessed against common criteria, interpreted in ways appropriate to each subject.

Aims of Extended Essay

  • The aims of the extended essay are for the students to:
  • engage in independent research with intellectual initiative and rigour
  • develop research, thinking, self-management and communication skills
  • reflect on what has been learned throughout the research and writing process.
Theory of knowledge (TOK)

The theory of knowledge (TOK) course encourages students to think about the nature of knowledge, to reflect on the process of learning in all their subjects, and to see and understand the connections between them. It helps the students and teachers to reflect on diverse ways of knowing and acts as a link between the different academic areas. It’s assessment comprises of an essay of 1200 to 1600 words and an exhibition.

As a compulsory element of the IB Diploma, students are required to develop skills of critical thinking, reasoning and analysis, primarily focused on an understanding of the comparative links and differences between all forms of enquiry and their subjects of study. The TOK course examines how we know what we claim to know, by encouraging students to analyse knowledge claims and explore some key knowledge questions. TOK coherently brings together all courses of study as well as reflecting on the importance of all the learner profile attributes.

Aims of TOK

The aims of the TOK course are for students to:

  • make connections between a critical approach to the construction of knowledge, the academic disciplines and the wider world
  • develop an awareness of how individuals and communities construct knowledge and how this is critically examined
  • develop an interest in the diversity and richness of cultural perspectives and an awareness of personal and ideological assumptions
  • critically reflect on their own beliefs and assumptions, leading to more thoughtful, responsible and purposeful lives
  • understand that knowledge brings responsibility which leads to commitment and action.
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