INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
IB learners and The IB learner profile
Have you wondered or heard your child talking about the IB learner and learner profile?
At the centre of international education in the IB are students with their own learning styles, strengths and limitations. Students come to school with combinations of unique and shared patterns of values, knowledge and experience of the world and their place in it.
Promoting open communication based on understanding and respect, the IB encourages students to become active, compassionate lifelong learners. An IB education is holistic in nature—it is concerned with the whole person. Along with cognitive development, IB programmes and qualifications address students’ social, emotional and physical well-being. They value and offer opportunities for students to become active and caring members of local, national and global communities; they focus attention on the processes and the outcomes of internationally minded learning described in the IB learner profile.
The learner profile is the IB’s mission in action. It requires IB learners to strive to become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.
These attributes of internationally minded people represent a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond a concern for intellectual development and academic content. They imply a commitment to implement standards and practices that help all members of the school community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them.
The learner profile informs the IB’s educational philosophy and stands as a clear and concise statement of the values that inform a community that encourages the development of international mindedness.
International Baccalaureate Organisation, (2014, updated 2021) ‘MYP: From Principles into practice’, pg 9
At MESC, we endeavour to promote the IB learner and learner profile in all our students so as to develop internationally minded, global citizens. Staff at MESC do this through the teaching of and recognition of the 10 Learner Profile attributes.
Many of the students who have also come from a PYP (Primary Years Programme) school will already be familiar with the language of the Learner Profile.
For example:
“I was a risk-taker when I stood up in class first and offered to present my speech. Even though I was nervous, I overcame my fear and did a great job, I’m so proud of myself”
“Our team weren’t that great at communicating to begin with but by the end of the activity we were listening and supporting each other.”
“I was a carer, when helping support my friends during a tough time.”
Staff at MESC are constantly on the look out to recognise these attributes in students and these are acknowledged through compass green posts.
These posts not only recognise the hard work of students but also support the individual learner and their strengths. This encouragement of the holistic child is so important when supporting their social and emotional development.
Here is an example of a compass green post which may appear in your child’s newsfeed.
I encourage you, as parents and carers, to talk to your child and ask them if they have received any compass green posts this term and what it is they received them for. When they are being recognised both at school and home, you will soon see their confidence rise.
I have recently been using the attributes of ‘principled’ and ‘reflective’ with students as we reach the end of a very busy first term back. Many students have recognised the struggles in returning to school after so long in and out of remote learning and have been very reflective about setting goals to reach their potential.
As a staff we have also been recently putting our own lifelong learning practices into play. Using our own Learner Profile attributes, we engaged in a professional learning 2 day workshop whereby we explored practices of the IB, including the Learner Profile. You will see in the photos that it was a great opportunity to collaborate as a team. The staff were highly engaged and the feedback from the workshop has indicated that all staff highly value the MYP at MESC.
Please see below the 10 Learner Profile attributes in more detail for your information.
Enjoy your holidays,
Kylie Russell
MYP Educational Leader & Coordinator