From the Principal

Preshil's Approach to the IB Provides a Progressive and Compelling Alternative to the Outdated Conformity of Mainstream Schooling

At the end of last term we held our Information Night for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme* (DP) planned for 2018. This was the first real opportunity for parents whose sons and daughters will undertake the DP at Preshil as our first cohort after authorization to become familiar with the range of subjects and pathways we will be able to offer.  

It has been inspiring to work with our DP Coordinator, Lenny Robinson-McCarthy, as she has led our teachers through a comprehensive series of workshops and arranged their training in specific subject areas. The feedback from our teachers has been resoundingly positive. From a teachers’ perspective the DP is certainly demanding, requiring high levels of commitment to ongoing professional development, collaboration and planning. They have attended training courses with professionals from across the Asia Pacific region, sharing new ideas and benefitting from a wealth of IB experience which enables them to offer our students the best possible learning opportunities available.

We have been delighted to tease out the flexibility and the robustness of the DP course, confident that we will be able to accommodate each individual student to pursue a range of different pathways, while still undertaking a course that encompasses a broad, contemporary education. Since the Information Night we have responded to feedback to fine tune our offering and our teachers are looking forward to guiding students through to their final selection.

With its strong emphasis on critical thinking, collaboration and creativity the DP is strongly aligned to Preshil’s enduring approach to learning. Our students and teachers have had four years developing the research skills and independent learning through the Middle Years Programme and are now well equipped to complete the Diploma Course or Certificate in a highly supportive environment.

We are increasingly supported in this move away from the VCE as more and more evidence comes to light of the shortsightedness of focusing so single-mindedly on courses that are rigidly designed to achieve the highest ATAR possible, to the exclusion of all else. Independent research from a wide selection of tertiary institutions, both in Australia and internationally, indicates that the DP is the best possible preparation for tertiary study and giving students the skills they will need to succeed in their post-school education. Systems that rely on a simplistic ranking of all candidates who compete against each other do not generate graduates with the skills and resilience to think laterally, invent new ideas, innovate, or dare to take risks.

Two recent articles published in The Conversation, “…companies shed degree requirements to promote merit over qualifications” and “Competition as a fetish: why universities need to escape the trap” both explore the limitations of individualistic, competitive approaches in the face of our society’s need to find innovative and creative solutions derived from creative collaborations. Both universities and employers now have the means to bypass the traditional methods of identifying the ‘best’ candidates; the IB is building on the means to bypass the ATAR sheep-race by developing digital portfolios for students to showcase their capacities and achievements directly to institutions, seeking to match students with specific courses.

It seems that overseas universities are not impressed by parochial and outdated systems of exam rankings as a measure of genuine capacity. The two cornerstones of mainstream schooling in Australia - conformity and competition - will not serve the future needs of our students or our society.

Marilyn Smith

Principal

*Preshil is a candidate school for the IB Diploma Programme.