Your kids are starting IB, and you must be feeling nervous if they would be able to perform their best .
After all, the IB curriculum offers more practical and application based classes, as compared to other syllabuses. Frankly speaking, IB courses are more rigorous and challenging for students in general.
IB programs are designed to test the extent to which students can stretch their knowledge and expand their thinking; not the speed at which they complete their tasks etc.
IB is more focused on the way knowledge is being shared with students as compared to how much content they stuff down the throats of their students (which is ultimately unhealthy learning). A student must be active, creative and must be able to fearlessly come up with constructive solutions to solve all kinds of problems they are presented with, in order to succeed in IB.
Being a parent, you can guide your kids in the right direction to provide the best possible entry into IB. As parents, keep motivating and encouraging your children, remind them to be focused and help your children in planning the steps towards success.
All you need to work with your kids on the key areas listed below.
- Help Them Assess the IB Subjects:
First of all, help your kids identify the subjects available for the course. Question your children about which subjects are difficult; which ones need the extra attention and push to excel in. If they decide to opt for relatively new and unfamiliar subjects, help them prepare so that they can familiarise themselves with the topics. Becoming aware of the concepts and being aware of what we can expect will minimise the difficulties to a certain extent.
- Create a Study Schedule for Them:
IB is a challenging program requiring students to stay organised throughout their academic life. Staying organised helps them assess their materials easily, be clear with what has to be done and they would not waste their precious time on unnecessary matters. This helps them meet their deadlines effectively.
- How to create an effective study schedule for IB?
Make sure the schedule allocates sufficient amount of time for each subject. Not every subject requires the same preparation, so ask your children to target the subjects (as you have read in the previous point) they find difficult or the ones which are likely to take up the most amount of time, be it for content internalisation or understanding.
Organise their room in a way so that everything is accessible and arrange everything neatly. Also, make sure they can see their daily goals. For example:
- Put up a wall planner in front of their study desk.
- Watch should be visible to them.
- Items like dictionary and other stationery should be accessible.
- Keep other books and notes out of sites.
- Keep away the distractions like music player, TV and mobile phone.
- Opt for IB Tuition’s:
Well, it can be a great help if your kid gets the extra assistance. There are several benefits of enrolling your kids into IB tuitions. First of all, they get customised attention which may not be otherwise possible in a packed classroom. Besides, they can get much more clear and deep explanation from tutors. One of the biggest benefits is that tutors can work according to the learning pace of the kids.
- Emphasise on Exam Preparation:
IB exams, which typically cover essay and short answer items, require students to utilise the knowledge they have acquired during their IB courses. So cramming content is not a good idea.
Ask your kids to do the things given below while preparing for IB exams.
- Start studying at least 10 weeks before the exams are scheduled.
- Practice using past year’s test papers.
- Become familiarised with the exam pattern.
We hope that you found this blog post useful and informative. Do you have other tips to share with us? Or do you have a query regarding IB? Please drop your opinion in the comment box given below.