Challenging courses

Karen Atchison is gaining experience during her 'gap' year in Prem's state-of-the-art library.

Karen Atchison is spending her "gap year" (a year between high school and university) working in the library at the Prem Centre International School near Chiang Mai. She has just finished her IB diploma at the United World College of Southeast Asia in Singapore and will begin classes at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom next year.

I asked her how she felt about the two courses many students say are the most difficult in the IB programme, the theory of knowledge and the extended essay. Read her answers and consider whether you would like to take those courses.

The theory of knowledge

The teacher that I had, in my opinion, always took any thing you said, but then he threw it back at you. Whatever we would say he would counter argue that. And I’ve come out of ‘theory of knowledge’ doing exactly the same thing.

It’s not a good thing or a bad thing. I’m always thinking about things that come into my head in a lot of different ways. Which is good, but, it’s not what I was expecting from ‘theory of knowledge’.

It really did adjust the way you thought, how you perceived things to be – whether they are really that way or whether that’s just how you perceive them. I think it was good – very worthwhile.

Extended essay

I really enjoyed that. I wrote about the formation of beaches within a tropical environment and whether the look of beaches whether that reflected their orientation – that is, whether the formation reflected where they were within a tropical environment. I studied in Singapore and in Indonesia and compared the two. The prevailing winds. It was very good, very interesting.

I worked on my own, but in terms of consulting, I always had a teacher who I went to for advice and help throughout the couple of months in which I did my project. He was very very helpful.

The quality of Peter Duanoon's library is a key factor in gaining IB authorisation.

Becoming an IB diploma school

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It offers an internationally-accepted diploma based on its two-year curriculum for secondary students in grades 11 and 12.

Students earning the programme diploma must pass exams in a primary and a foreign language, mathematics, an experimental science, a social science, and an elective course in another social science or the arts. In addition, diploma seekers must complete a rigorous theory of knowledge course, write an extended 4000-word essay on a topic of their choice and complete 150 hours of community service.

Here is an abbreviated list of the International Baccalaureate Organisation’s requirements to be met prior to an authorisation visit.

a school must purchase IB diploma subject guides and curriculum information

a school must demonstrate a strong commitment to internationalism, the promotion of intercultural awareness and understanding, and to the IB organisation’s philosophy

a school must be fully operational

a school should register all IB teachers for IBO teacher training workshops

library and IT resources should be able to effectively support the students, teachers and program with access to internet

textbooks, library books, IT resources and equipment needed to teach the diploma program should be purchased

a strategic plan should set out chronologically (normally 12 -15 months) the various implementation stages leading to the authorisation visit

state schools need to have the approval from local or national authorities

a school should advise the regional office that it will be requesting an authorisation visit six months in advance of that visit and the application form with supporting documents and application fee (currently US$2040) should be submitted six weeks ahead of the visit

the visiting team will include the representative office and highly experienced IB teacher or administrator and the visit will occupy 2 days

a commitment to funding initial and ongoing teacher training is required (at least US$10,000 annually is recommended)

it is recommended that teacher contracts should be a minimum of 2 year’s duration

The current annual school subscription fee is US$7785

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