It’s time to get our kids to think out of the box and see themselves as global citizens! Find out how GIIS nails the approach to international mindedness, which is a major part of its IB programme.
The world is so big, and there’s just so much for us to experience. This goes for students as well — we’re living in an increasingly globalised community, and they should definitely be acutely aware of what’s going on in the world! This basically culminates in international mindedness, a phenomenon that has taken the International Baccalaureate (IB) world by storm.
Not sure what this means? We checked out Global Indian International School (GIIS), where it’s intricately interwoven into the school ethos.
What is international mindedness?
If we distil international mindedness down to its roots, it’s one of the fundamental principles of the IB philosophy. Global awareness is key, with an emphasis on global citizenship and social responsibility. It celebrates diversity with all its might, on top of cultivating empathy and solidarity.
In a nutshell, international mindedness is all about understanding and respecting other cultures; and using different perspectives to reframe our co-existence in the world. After all, we are all living on the same planet, and we’re all in this together!
How is international mindedness manifested in GIIS’ IB programme?
Learning first starts with the environment, and we love how international mindedness is part of each classroom’s set-up and culture. Each student is greeted with global maps and timelines draped along the walls, which elaborate on historical events, cultural festivals, and geographical connections.
Psst, did you know that there are over 40 nationalities at GIIS? This is showcased in the various cultural corners (our personal favourite!), which delve into the students’ heritage and background. We’re talking about traditional costumes, artefacts, and more.
A big part of learning about different cultures is exposure to various languages and cultures — GIIS incorporates this into its curriculum with the help of multilingual and visual resources, creating a highly fun and interactive experience.
International mindedness is also reinforced by the 10 attributes of the IB Learner Profile: where students learn to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective.
Besides, what better way is there to prepare students for the future? This is all part of GIIS’ aim to offer its students a 21st-century education. In fact, more than 3,000 students (from Nursery to Grade 12), opt for an international or Indian curriculum at the school’s Punggol and East Coast campuses!
When do GIIS students start learning about international mindedness?
As early as they can! Indeed, it is a big part of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), which starts from Early Years (aged 3) to Grade 5. The PYP teachers keep international mindedness in mind for every learning engagement, engineering engaging debates about global issues, and encouraging students to deep-dive into topics like social justice and climate change. More importantly, students are constantly pushed to think about how these issues affect us as individuals, as members of a community, and eventually as a country.
Moreover, students are given various opportunities to explore and develop their personal and cultural identities. There’s a line-up of cultural immersion projects, where students learn about their own culture — as well as about other cultures, traditions, and customs. Lessons are kept interesting with collaborative problem-solving tasks too, where students are presented with global challenges that they have to work together to solve.
This is all made possible by GIIS’ experienced and passionate educators, who use a holistic educational framework — on top of a variety of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, plus collaborative learning spaces — to help students thrive.
How fascinating does all that sound? If you want to nurture your child to think and act like a global citizen, enrolling them in GIIS’ IB Early Years, which progresses into PYP, sounds like a pretty swell idea!
Psst, bookmark the upcoming webinar on IB Early Years and Primary Years happening on 26 October 2024. You’ll learn more about what makes this programme unique, the curriculum framework, and how it benefits students.
This post is in partnership with Global Indian International School.
