What are the similarities and differences? Have you experienced or observed the development of any of the IB Learner Profile attributes in your own education or experience working with children?
The IB learner profile was created as a ways “to develop internationally minded people who, recognized common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better world, more peaceful world.” This aim is believed to be made possible through the use of their world wide learning community having educators, supporters, students and their families unite under the IB name as well as their mission statement which is action reflects the traits desired in IB learner.
IB learners are encouraged to be inquirers, Knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, reflective, principled, open minded, caring, risk takers and balanced. Through the use of high quality education and encouragement of IB learner profile traits, IB believe they are helping working towards creating a better world.
The CfE 4 learning capacities – Successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributor are similar aims, for their learners, that also reflect the IB learner profile.
The first learning capacity, Successful learner, links with IB’s learners becoming inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers and communicators. It too aims for its learners to be motivated and enthusiastic for learning and determined to reach their highest level of achievement. CfE also aims to enable young people to become communicators through using communications skills in literacy and numeracy and being able to apply different types of learning to new situations.
CfE’s aims of enabaling young people to become confident individual is reflected in the IB learner profile by encouraging learners to be reflective and risk takers. This aim is shown in some of the attributes of being a confident individual. For example having a sense of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing requires reflection on whether they, as an individual, understand that concept and feel that way. The ambitious drive, learners have, comes from being self aware and assessing risks in order to make informed decisions about achieving their success in each activity.
IB traits of being caring and open minded reflect the learning capacity of being a responsible citizen. CfE aim for their learners to be caring by having respect for others as well as open minded by being willing to learn and understand different cultures and beliefs, then using that learning in helping develop informed, ethical decisions or views on complex issues.
The final learning capacity, effective contributor aims for CfE learners to build resilience in problem solving when working together as well as at times taking initiative to take lead and apply critical thinking to new contexts. IB learner profile traits principled and balanced, partly reflect and agree wit CfE’s encouragement for learners to be effective in their way of thinking and contribution given in each activity.
This shows that many of the IB learner profile attributes are encouraged in CfE classrooms as they are very much apart of the 4 learning Capacities. Encouraging pupils to work effectively together as a team or building acceptance and respect for others with differences such as culture and beliefs or physical and learning disabilities. Building open mindsets to aim for your personal best and reflecting on past work to evaluate what the next steps could be for improvement, are all situations seen in the classroom almost daily. These situations also reflect both the CfE Learning Capacities as well as IB learning Profile attributes.
