52 replies to this topic

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

I'd just like to expand on Arjun's thread by asking any International School or IB historians who wish to be in contact with similar others to post here. There are two threads already established for you to outline details about (I)GCSE options you teach and for IB/International A Levels.

This thread invites you to introduce yourself to the rest of the forum and this thread is a vote that gives statistical information about how international we are.

Here we might share information only of interest to other international school/IB teachers.

I teach at the International School of Toulouse, France (est. 1999 and owned by Airbus, nominally feepaying but heavily subsidised) I am Head of Humanities and teach History 11-18. I have complete autonomy on my 11-14 curriculum but I broadly based it on the English National Curriculum (I end up changing it every year to suit my current interests). I teach IGCSE 20th century core and the Germany option. I teach IB history (most obvious options) and some ToK. Students are largely 70% British, about 95% anglophone and very anglo-saxoncentric. I have a website which tries to explain what we do. Would love to do more international/collaborative work along the lines of this.

[Dom_Giles]

I doubt you'll get many reply's to this so thought I'd add mine, even though I'm not teaching IB at the moment.
I am currently teaching IGCSE History in The Falkland Islands and have previously taught IGCSE and IB in Argentina, Colombia and Ethiopia. In Ethiopia we did our Paper 3 on Africa which I found extremely difficult but interesting.
I am thinking of returning to the UK next year and would ideally like to work in an IB school (anyone know where I can get a list of IB schools in the UK?)
I love IB and am pleased to see that the UK is thinking of moving over to a similar system in the future.
I find ICE IGCSE frustrating( see my post on "the surprise question") but enjoy the course. Resourcing the course has been difficult in the past but the new McAleavy book is excellent.

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

I am thinking of returning to the UK next year and would ideally like to work in an IB school (anyone know where I can get a list of IB schools in the UK?)

According to the IB website there are currently 51 schools/colleges in the UK offering the IB. I had the impression that there were a lot more. Very few state schools although my old school in Whitchurch is now on the list.

0431 American Community School (Cobham) DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH Private
1211 American Community School, Egham DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH Private
5145 American Community School, Egham MYP IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH Private
7063 American Community School, Egham PYP IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH Private
0152 American Community School, Hillingdon DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH PRIVATE
0078 Anglo-European School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
1289 Ardingly College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH PRIVATE
1341 Bedford High School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED FEMALE Private
1414 Bedford School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. BOARDING MALE PRIVATE
0639 Broadgreen High School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
1210 Brockenhurst College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. BOTH State
1442 Cirencester College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
0568 City Technology College, Kingshurst DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
0866 Dartford Grammar School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH State
1383 Dartford Grammar School for Girls DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. FEMALE State
0695 Exeter College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH State
1389 George Dixon International School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
1209 Goffs School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH State
1122 Haileybury DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH PRIVATE
0930 Hastings College of Arts & Technology DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH STATE
0557 Henley College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
0815 Hockerill Anglo-European College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH STATE
0579 Impington Village College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH State
0893 International School of Aberdeen DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH Private
0057 International School of London DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH Private
1345 King William's College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH Private
1262 King's College School, Wimbledon DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY MALE Private
1290 Kings College for the Arts & Technology DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. BOTH State
1342 Kings International College for Business and the Arts DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH State
0640 Llandrillo College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
0859 Maidstone Grammar School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH State
0641 Malvern College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH Private
0128 Marymount International School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED FEMALE PRIVATE
5068 Marymount International School MYP IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH Private
1264 Oakham School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH PRIVATE
1381 Prince William School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
1045 Rossall School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH PRIVATE
0102 Sevenoaks School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH Private
0309 Southbank International School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH Private
5175 Southbank International School MYP IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH Private
7004 Southbank International School PYP IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH PRIVATE
0041 St. Clare's, Oxford DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH PRIVATE
0614 Swansea College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH STATE
1172 The Bolitho School, Penzance DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. MIXED BOTH Private
1453 The Business Academy Bexley DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. BOTH CITY ACADEMY
1451 The Sixth Form College, Colchester DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. BOTH STATE
1077 Truro College DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. BOTH OTHER
0017 United World College of the Atlantic DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. BOARDING BOTH OTHER
1213 Whitchurch High School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH State
0865 Woodside Park School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. DAY BOTH PRIVATE
1382 Worth School DIPLOMA IBAEM U.K. BOARDING MALE Private

See this page of the official IB website for further details.

[Andrew Field]

Interesting. Does this list guarantee that the school covers IB history though? I see Andy Walker's school listed above, but I'm sure he doesn't do IB history.

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

Does this list guarantee that the school covers IB history though? 

Good point, no.

IB Diploma is made up of six subject areas and students have to take one subject in each of the six option blocks. History appears in Group three 'Individuals and Society', where centres may offer: business and management, economics, geography, history, Islamic history, information technology in a global society, philosophy, psychology, and social and cultural anthropology. Most centres would (I guess) offer at least two subject choices and history would be a very popular option.

The IB website includes a directory of links to the websites of each of the schools listed above. These sites should have all the necessary information about option choices.

[Dom_Giles]

Thanks for the list and website. No excuse for me not getting a job then with all these to choose from!

[John]

Richard - I was wondering if you knew how to access the IB sylabus on the net. I've been trying to hold of the English Literature sylabus IB and I can't seem to access this through any IB site.
Last year I taught IB History which I thought was really well designed course. Next year I'm now swapping for a year to Ib English Literature, but cannot find the sylabus having left it at school in China.

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

Richard -  I was wondering if you knew how to access the IB sylabus on the net.  I've been trying to hold of the English Literature sylabus IB and I can't seem to access this through any IB site.

Sorry to take so long over this John, I'm on holiday at the moment. I have a Pdf file of the 80 page A1 syllabus if this is any good to you? It doesn't contain the list of books but I suppose this will be determined by the resources of the school. PM me with contact details.

[brunocass]

Hi, my name is Bruno Cass. I`m the main History Teacher at St George`s British International School in Rome. From 1993-01 I taught History at Anglo European School, Essex and have taught IB Diploma History in both.

We have been free to follow our own curriculum in KS3, although influenced by NC. So for example, we study the Norman Conquest of...Apulia & Sicily in Y7.
There is a great tri lingual web site called something like...Norman World

Putting an Italian/International twist in has been a major effort. As at Toulouse we do an archaelogical unit...thanks to a parent who has donated a large amount of villa debris from his garden we simulate a dig by burying these materials and the Y7s excavate them.

In Y8 we spend the whole year looking at the Church, reformation, counter reformation, renaissance and exploration. It takes about 100 mins to get into the centre so we dont go in as often as we should sadly...

When I started in Anglo European I was given the standard approach to IB...dictators...cold war...causes of ww1...the euro centric limited course which universities have been increasingly critical of. Of course the Paper 1 limits you to at least one area...I have tried to break out leaving Europe and heading to Africa & Asia...teaching Decolonization and New States. I have posted a great deal of info & resources on the IB Online Curriculum site...speak tp your IB coordinator for your password...Its a much more refreshing approach than plodding over topics already covered in IGCSE or indeed IB MYP which adumbrates the Diploma course.

Sorry must dash...
Bruno Cass

I`m sorry

[Rachel Edwards]

I've just taken over as subject leader for History at Taipei European School. we are ofsteded(?) and so follow the NC in terms of content and assessment. We teach IGCSE, 20th century, Depth Study China, but I'm sneaking in Germany next year. We are an IB school and options are the usual ones for the most part: Rise and rule of single party states, Causes, practices, effects of war. Paper 1 topic: China. Current HL option for paper 3 is East Asia. I say current because I'd rather do Europe! but must brave this option for the sake of utilising the locality. If anyone wants to link up, especially in Europe that would be great.



p.s I can't see any recent postings, does anyone read these?

[Dom_Giles]

Hi Rachel, welcome.

This is indeed and old posting but as you have added something to it it is flagged up at the top of the posts so everyone will see it!

I now work in Dubai, but still no IB. I know Richard (look at posts above) does IB. Try his website for more ideas. And keep posting here. The more International Teachers we have the better!

[mikel]

Just to keep the IB ball rolling:

1. What do you think of the Curriculum Review proposals for history?

2. What did you think of this year's exam papers? There seems to be some unhappiness with paper 3, but I thought ours (Europe) was pretty fair...

Mike

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

Just to keep the IB ball rolling:

1. What do you think of the Curriculum Review proposals for history?

2. What did you think of this year's exam papers? There seems to be some unhappiness with paper 3, but I thought ours (Europe) was pretty fair...

Mike

From what I understand they have gone back to the drawing board with the Curriculum Review. The voices on the IB forum have been heeded to some extent but it also seems that most teachers are happy with (or don't understand) the changes.

Paper 1 and 3 were good I thought, but Paper 2 was a different matter. Kids in tears again. The IB History exam does this every year. Alright if you did Germany and China. We do about 12 months on Russia and got little reward. No LoN question for the first time in years caught a lot of ours out.

I know Richard (look at posts above) does IB. Try his website for more ideas.

The site is due a long overdue overhaul in the next academic year as both Russ Tarr and I get to grips with it. In the meantime you may find this recently updated (but still incomplete) past paper section of some use. For Extended Essays and Internal Assessments I know that our students find these galleries of previous student's work of some use:IA and EE These are due to be updated soon with some excellent work produced by this year's graduates.

One other thing. I use our International School Student Forum for all things IB. It'd be great if any other international brigaders could persuade their kids to get involved.

[mikel]

The latest IB curriculum review is out... Should we discuss it or just hope it will go away?

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

The latest IB curriculum review is out... Should we discuss it or just hope it will go away?

I haven't seen it, is it really that bad? (DVDs in the post by the way )