INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)

Pupils learning to learn

Advantages of IB

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop students who are enquiring, informed, educated, caring and motivated to succeed throughout their lives. Its programmes have great advantages over other curricula, offering its students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills, stimulate their curiosity and foster their ability to solve complex problems.

The essence of the IB is founded on the idea of building an internationally minded community, based on mutual understanding, intercultural respect, and a desire to learn and achieve excellence.

International Baccalaureate programmes are distinguished by:

Encouraging students to think critically and to question what they are told.
Encouraging students to examine both the local and international environment.
Developing internationally minded individuals.
Maintaining its independence from governments and national education systems, enabling it to adopt best practice from a wide variety of educational frameworks and curricula from different countries.

Primary School Programme (PEP/PYP)

The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), for pupils aged 3 to 12, enables them to develop and develop to express their opinions, make choices and take responsibility for their own learning.

The PYP offers a transdisciplinary, inquiry-based curriculum framework that develops conceptual understanding. It is a learner-centred educational approach for children aged 3-12 years. The PYP draws on the best educational research, experience and thought leadership in education.

The PYP has evolved to become a world leader in future-focused education. It exemplifies best practice in education globally, responding to the challenges and opportunities presented to the youngest learners in this changing world.

Middle Years Programme (MYP/MYP)

The Middle Years Programme (MYP), designed for pupils aged 11-16, provides a framework for learning that encourages pupils to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. It aims to help pupils develop their personal understanding, self-perception and responsibility in the community.

The MYP offers an interdisciplinary and conceptual curriculum framework, centred on 8 subject clusters and with rigorous assessment criteria, consistently applied throughout the world. It builds on the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and prepares students to meet the academic challenges of the IB Diploma Programme (DP). Ultimately, it helps prepare students for higher education, the labour market and a lifetime of lifelong learning.

As part of the IB educational continuum, the MYP is designed to help students develop the characteristics of the IB learning community profile. It offers students the opportunity to develop their potential, explore their own learning preferences, take appropriate risks, develop a deep sense of their personal identity and reflect on it. At a stage when students are establishing their identity and developing their self-esteem, the MYP can motivate them and help them to achieve success in school and in life outside the classroom.

IB learner profile

As members of the IB learning community, students at Aravaca International strive to be:

INDAGATORS

Skilled at inquiry and research, developing their natural curiosity.

INFORMED AND EDUCATED

They explore concepts, ideas and issues of local and global importance, connecting different subjects.

THINKERS

They are critical, reflective and make reasoned and ethical decisions. They develop their ability to think independently and critically.

GOOD COMMUNICATORS

They express ideas confidently and creatively. They are able to communicate in a variety of ways and languages from a young age: debating, sharing ideas and listening to other points of view.

INTEGRES

They act with integrity, honesty, fairness and respect. They are aware of and responsible for their actions and their consequences.

OPEN-MINDEDNESS

They appreciate their own culture and history and are open to others. They evaluate and respect different points of view.

SOLIDARITY

Show respect for the needs and feelings of others. They participate in different social programmes showing empathy and respect.

AUDACES

They approach situations sensibly and with determination. They stand up for what they believe in with eloquence. They face new challenges and overcome their difficulties.