The IB learner profile
It is our responsibility as an IB World School to place the students at the heart of everything we do and cultivate a learning environment that allows them to grow and flourish as a community of internationally minded learners. It is the ten attributes of the learner profile that drive, inspire and motivate the work of students.
Through the IB learner profile, the school community develops a common language to identify behaviours of successful learners. We strive to be: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective.
For instance, almost all DP courses deal with concepts, ideas and issues of local and global significance. Having some historical, cultural and artistic knowledge of a particular region of the world, students will be able to respond to relevant questions in a knowledgeable, thoughtful way.
As communicators, students have to be able to comprehend written and spoken texts, respond to questions, justify their answers with supporting details, give an opinion on the topics discussed. A student with strong communication skills will be able to formulate a balanced but convincing argument based on both claims and counterclaims.
They are also encouraged to become thinkers and open-minded, to consider a range of viewpoints and alternative perceptions and share their respective ideas/opinion objectively. Research should be carried out based on primary and secondary sources, so students develop the skills of an inquirer. As principled learners, they understand that they have to be academically honest throughout their research process and cite their sources.
Talking about world issues that are controversial is difficult enough in one’s native tongue. Adding to that the fact that students are expressing these opinions in a second language, it is easy to see why students should get out of their comfort zone and become risk-takers.
Through their Creativity Activity Service (CAS) portfolio and interviews and Extended Essay Reflections on planning and progress forms (EE RPPF), students actively reflect on all actions and experiences undertaken and devise strategies for their own personal growth. The study of charitable organisations and social responsibility and their involvement in projects with NGOs allows students to develop an understanding of what being caring means in practice.
It is important to note that although all IB learners will have some level of strength in each of these ten characteristics, students are also challenged to identify weaknesses relative to the learner profile and engage in experiences that will allow for those areas to be strengthened, ultimately creating a more well-rounded foundation.
Top universities, including Princeton University, University of Glasgow, McGill University and Cornell University, reflect on how they look for students that exhibit the IB learner profile traits.