IB for Everyone

More than 5.000 schools, worldwide, make part of the IB program. There are many reasons why this type of formation is beneficial for the students. The academic rigor and the dedication to personal development, among others. Coherent with this process, our School makes part of this great web of institutions that form students with criteria and critical thinking.

As from the year 2020 the IB program will no longer be an option and will become the program in which all the students of Klasse 11 and Klasse 12 shall participate. “it is a strategy to line up our formative objectives; besides, it is a win-win situation for everyone”, explains Anke Käding, School Principal, and, moreover, Claudia Restrepo, Vice principal, says that besides, it a possibility for all the students to explore and develop their potential.

Besides the IB offering high-quality-training programs in which several of our teachers participate, explains Mrs. Käding, the fact that all the students make part of the program, makes the teaching and learning processes easier and promotes the integration among everybody. In this way, the schoolwork can be led much better because it is possible to begin training since Kindergarten, always bearing in mind that everyone will make part of the IB program.

Among the benefits, one must highlight that “it allows a curricular unification, which helps achieve a much more effective preparation for the admissions to universities, not only in Colombia, but also throughout the whole world”, says Mrs. Käding. Additionally, the IB offers tools for a successful performance in the formation, at a university level.

The change includes not only the possibility of the youngsters to choose receiving mathematics and biology classes in German or in Spanish, but also if they want to do it at the higher level (HL) or at a standard level (SL). Thanks to the fact that these subjects are taught in German, The Deutsche Schule Medellín is the only school with Bilingual International Baccalaureate, in Spanish and German, in the Aburra Velley. Additionally, we also count with the leaning of English which makes part of the general program. This IB form is called Gemischtsprachiges International Baccalaureate (GIB).

Students complement their formation with subjects such as History in German, Global Policy in Spanish and subjects from the Colombian high school programs such as: Physics, Chemistry, sports, Arts and Music among others. The essence remains because the three core components (Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) and the Extended Essay (EE)) remain present.

Teachers have access to:

• High quality professional development activities that sponsor critical thinking, personal reflection and a culture of continuous learning and betterment. 
• Innovative and diverse educational framework, unit planners, teaching resources and assessment tools. 
• A teaching practice recognized for forming students whose motivation is continuous inquiry and learning during their whole lives, even after graduating from school. 

The students of IB Schools receive an education in which: 

• They are encouraged to think in an independent way and to lead their own learning process. 
• They study educational programs that can help them enroll some of the most prestigious universities in the world. 
• They can interact with others in a world that is more and more globalized and rapidly changing. 
• The bilingual IB modality (GIB) is part of an agreement of the IBO with the German government (KMK), to make the students’ access to German Universities, easier.