Students taking the IB Diploma Programme (DP) are given a fantastic opportunity to study a range of subjects, to learn to apply knowledge practically, and to develop through activities and community service.
The Australian International School Hong Kong (AISHK), which offers both the IB DP and the Australian NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) curricula, provides an excellent learning environment for students to make the most of each programme, especially the IB. The teaching style and values employed throughout the school are very well matched to the IB programme.
'Our students tend to excel academically,' says Phillip Waugh, secondary principal and co-head of school at AISHK. 'This is because they're empowered and given choices over their education, and because they're given great guidance by their teachers. They learn in an environment where the focus is about making a positive difference in our community and achieving personal excellence.'
The school's IB programme offers a wide selection of subjects taught by teachers with exceptional understanding of the diploma programme. Currently, around a third of the school's senior students opt to do the IB DP. As a result, Waugh says, IB class sizes allow for more individual attention to be given to students as they progress through their coursework.
'Typically between 40 to 60 students undertake the IB programme, so you're not talking about huge class groupings, and students would have at least three subject choices offered to them in each timetable session,' he says.
'We offer a greater range of subjects than one might expect,' Waugh says. 'This is because we are creative in the way in which we do that.'