INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

Critical thinking in the IB Diploma Programme

People often ask me, “what is the advantage of an IB education?” 

The development of critical thinking skills is one key distinctive. 

As mentioned in a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald, the University of Oxford conducted a study of IB and non-IB students in Australia, Norway and England. They found that IB students "exhibit significantly higher levels of critical thinking in comparison with matched non-IB students, with the effect more pronounced towards the end of the program". (Crysanthos, 2020). The article can be found here.

So, how is this an advantage? 

Critical thinking skills make students better learners. Students who think critically are more readily able to analyse and interpret information, make inferences, provide detailed explanations, solve problems, are open-minded and can consider issues from multiple perspectives. Explicit teaching of skills in each subject and the transfer of these skills across subjects via the core element - Theory of Knowledge takes place over the two-year IB Diploma Programme. It is this consistent and wide-reaching and reflective approach that effectively prepares students for university, employment and life-long learning.

If you would like to learn more about the advantages of an IB education, please contact me via email: Patricia.Humble@trac.nsw.edu.au

Patricia Humble

| Head of International Baccalaureate