For parents, academic success is just one of the many focuses when it comes to their child’s development. The bigger picture includes helping children to grow into well-rounded, thoughtful, confident and capable individuals.
At SISD, our view is just the same. We believe true education doesn’t only focus on academic excellence but also character, compassion and curiosity. That’s why we choose the International Baccalaureate DP curriculum – a curriculum which has a set of core concepts designed to nurture holistic development in every student.
The IB Core consists of three main elements:
1. Theory of Knowledge (ToK)
2. Extended Essay (EE)
3. Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)
Let’s take a closer look at how these elements work to foster critical thinking, independence and global-mindedness.
The Theory of Knowledge element of the IB DP Core is less of a ‘class’ and more of a mindset. In today’s information-heavy world, the ability to question our knowledge, evaluate information and find correlations and trends across multiple disciplines is more important than ever.
The central idea behind the Theory of Knowledge IB element is the question, “how do we know what we know?”. It helps students to explore the concept of knowledge from different angles, whether that be science, the arts, history or ethics, and to understand how different perspectives shape the way we see the world.
At SISD, Theory of Knowledge is one of the most important subjects a student will experience. It helps our students to navigate uncertainty, look at problems or ideas through different lenses, and develop well-informed opinions on a broad range of topics. These metacognition skills help our students well beyond their time at SISD, after they leave as confident, thoughtful individuals prepared to face complex challenges wherever they may go.
Independent study, research and academic writing is typically something reserved for the later stages of education, such as university. The International Baccalaureate’s Extended Essay element offers students the opportunity to partake in self-guided, deep research and analysis much earlier than many of their peers.
Students choose a subject they are passionate about and dive deep into it. The potential topic base is broad and could range from the development of Artificial Intelligence to the evolution of literature throughout history, and everything in between. By choosing a subject themselves, students are immediately more immersed in the subject matter and more inspired to potentially uncover something new in their chosen topic.
While it is mostly a self-guided study exercise, students at SISD receive personalised guidance and mentoring throughout the Extended Essay process. With the right support to keep them on track, students develop superior time management, research and writing skills which will undoubtedly serve them well in the future. Not to mention the experience of working independently – this is something many students do not experience to this degree until university.
At a certain point, learning steps outside of the classroom and into the wider world, and that’s exactly what the IB’s CAS element is designed for.
CAS is not assessed by examinations or grades, instead it focuses on personal development outside of the classroom – something which is primarily assessed by the students themselves.
Throughout the CAS IB subject, students take part in a wide range of experiences which fall under the topics of creativity, activity and service. This could include a musician learning a complicated piece of music (Creativity), someone scared of heights conquering rock climbing (Activity) and a student volunteering at a local charity initiative (Service) – but the options are vast.
CAS helps students learn resilience, empathy and a sense of responsibility, whether that be to themselves or the wider community. These traits are some of the most notable differences between a purely academic education and a holistic one.
We believe a holistic education isn’t an optional extra, it’s essential for a lifetime of learning and success. At SISD, we are proud to offer an education that goes far beyond the classroom – one which shapes the thinkers and changemakers of the future.
If you’re interested in finding out more about SISD’s high-quality, globally recognised education that emphasises critical thinking, international-mindedness, and academic excellence, speak to our admissions team today.
