There has been a global trend away from force-feeding knowledge to students and then expecting them to regurgitate it on standardised exams. The new direction is towards inquiry-based learning and problem solving, and wider use of the International Baccalaureate (IB), which offers three programmes for students aged three to 19, reflects this.
Originally targeted at international schools around the world in a bid to offer a consistent global yardstick against which universities could evaluate potential students, IB has been gaining favour in state-funded schools in the United States and Canada in recent years. It is also being widely adopted by international schools in Hong Kong.
The Primary Years Programme focuses on 'whole child' development for children aged three to 12. A total of 21 schools in Hong Kong offer this curriculum, according to the IB.
The Middle Years Programme offers a curriculum that combines life skills with academic content in a way that 'embraces and transcends' traditional school subjects. Five schools in Hong Kong - including the Chinese International School, the Creative Secondary School, Renaissance College, the Independent Schools Academy, and Victoria Shanghai Academy - offer this course of study for students aged 11 to 16.
The two-year Diploma Programme is offered by 18 schools for students aged 16 to 19 and leads to a qualification recognised by leading universities around the world. It is also accepted in Hong Kong by the Chinese University, City University, Baptist University, Lingnan University, Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the University of Hong Kong.
'The International Baccalaureate is the most powerful secondary qualification that a student can have for getting into university,' says Dr Gary Morrison, assistant director for the Yew Chung Education Foundation. 'The number of students getting accepted into university is much higher than for any other qualification. The IB is a very challenging and difficult programme. It is more like the beginning of university.'