IB Parent Newsletter
Diploma Candidates
And We're Off. . .
What Candidates Should be Working On
The number one message we've been sending students is that they can include what they are already active in as part of CAS. Not every activity has to be a foray into some strange new territory.
How Can Parents Help?: Keep reminding them to take CAS bit by bit. The number one reason why students don't earn the IB Diploma is a failure to complete CAS. We tell students this not to stress them out (even more) but to motivate them to work on CAS a little at a time.
Students don't have to have CAS completed until March of their senior year, so if they nibble at it here and there , it becomes a lot less of a burden. You also might ask them if they are completing reflections and documenting their activities.
What's Coming Up
Students will get a supervisor to help see them through the process, and we will be talking about how to conduct research and write this essay in IB Literature and in their TOK class once it starts next semester.
Like CAS, the Extended Essay will not be due until after the holiday season of their senior year, so they will have time to do a good job and create something that is academic, interesting, and worthwhile.
How Can Parents Help? Like CAS, the best message here is for students to pace themselves. Students who wait until the fall of their senior year to start the Extended Essay will be less likely to turn in a quality product. Part of the supervisor's role will be to set up deadlines and make sure deadlines are met so students don't procrastinate too much.
When the time comes, parents can help brainstorm topics, keep students mindful of deadlines, and maybe do some proofreading along the way (every little bit helps).
What to do about the STRESS!
We know IB students are feeling the weight of their IB classes and are stressed. Here are some pieces of advice about stress management that you can give (like they are listening to you):
1. Get enough sleep. If necessary, use an alarm clock to remind you to go to bed.
2. Don’t rely on your memory. Write down everything—when library books are due, when a paper is due, etc. Leave reminder notes to yourself where you’ll see them. Use a daily planner book.
3.Plan ahead. Don’t let the gas tank get below ¼ full, keep an emergency shelf of supplies at home.
4. Make friends with non-worriers.
5. An instant cure for most stress: 30 minutes of brisk walking or other exercise.
6. Schedule a realistic day. Allow time so you don’t have to rush or worry. Prioritize!!
7. Instead of doing something tomorrow, do it today, instead of doing it today, do it now. Hard work is simply the accumulation of easy things you didn’t do when you should have done them.
8. Relax your standards. The world will not end if something is not 100% to your liking.
9. Add an ounce of love in everything you do.
10. Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning.
11. Prepare for the morning the night before. Make lunch, take out clothes, organize books, etc.
12. LAUGH!!! Almost every disaster has a humorous side.
13. Give yourself time. Allow 15 extra minutes to meet friends, get to class, etc.
14. Learn to say “NO”! Saying no to extra projects, social activities or other matters you don’t have time for is simply a matter of self-respect and a belief that everyone needs time to do/his her own thing.
15. Do homework for your hardest subjects first, and work for a concentrated time with no breaks.
16. Use note cards or flash cards for review. Use notecards in class to write down important items.
17. Talk to your counselor, IB coordinator, and teachers if you’re struggling. Don’t keep it all inside!
18. Have a social life! It is still possible!
IB Teacher Profile/Interview:
Mr. Brown is in his 21st year of teaching, all at RPHS. He has a masters and a specialist degree in curriculum instruction/leadership from William Woods. He enjoys a variety of outdoor recreational activities.
Describe your IB Class, Mr. Brown:
In psychology we study a variety of approaches to explaining, predicting, and manipulating behavior. In the general psychology classes, theories and supporting studies are presented to the students and classes work together to consider the behavioral impacts. In IB psychology, the approaches are introduced but students work in small cohort groups or independently to discover and evaluate the theories, studies, and behavioral impacts. IB psychology students are expected to know dozens of major behavioral studies and their applications for understanding, predicting, and manipulating behavior. IB students will replicate one of these major studies in the second semester and experience first hand, how to conduct behavioral science research as part of the internal assessment for the course.
What do students need to be able to do to be successful in IB Psych?
A successful IB psychology student must do more than be an independent thinker, they must also be inquisitive. Students must ask questions that have not been considered and/or challenge the status quo. In addition, students must be open-minded and be prepared to provide multiple solutions. Psychology is more about narrowing down the field of possible answers than finding a single solution.
What do you like most about IB?
I'm sure I will find multiple benefits to teaching IB as the year goes along, but so far I am enjoying the challenge of learning how to best facilitate education for my specific group of students. I don't think I can create a set of lesson plans that are going to work from year to year. My students and I will work together to customize this course for this year just for them.