SECTION NAME
First is about the definition of IB programme. Here is one set of skills of its inhabitants; therefore, preparing Minister of Education have set those goals for public
of the advertising posters made by IB organization in 2013: ‘global citizen’ becomes one of the mission statements schools, it does not mean they can achieve the goals. Yet
“The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally commonly claimed by many international schools. As the good intention of developing student into a better
minded people who, recognizing their common humanity Betts(2004) points out, “[g]lobal citizenship is at least person is all the same, even though public schools still
and share guardianship of the planet, help to create a better as much about attitudes and resultant behaviors than have many problems. I have been through public education
and peaceful world ” and with several attributes valued it is about content knowledge.” To put it more simply, in Taiwan since my primary school, and people always
by IB world schools, such as inquirers, knowledgeable, Buford says that this idea can be distilled into a very complain about the education system in middle school
open-minded, caring, reflective, risk-taking, and so on so simple goal: “Students should realize that there’s a big and secondary school, saying that there are too many tests
forth. In one of the required readings- the role of standards world out there and there’s more than just your own for students. Taiwan society has been deeply influenced
in K-12 international education, Tom Oden mentions that country and culture.” Yet the question I want to raise by Chinese examination culture. As we all know, the age-
IB programs are originated from the anxious mood of the is weather this concept is also the attribute that local old and long-lasting Chinese examination system used to
times fueled by the Soviet achievements in aerospace, and school strives for. If yes, than how does it present in be praised for its impartiality; people from all walks of
results in a movement to identify strict national standards the local curriculum? What’s more, is it still necessary life could take the examination without discrimination.
of learning. Excellence and equity becomes the two core to separate IB programs from the national educational However, the tradition of holding such a fair examination
principles in the USA in 1950s and finally by the end of planning? exacted a huge price out of the nation, such as the loss of
twentieth century the curriculum standard became an
creativity and the enclosure of values. The result is that
accepted feature of US public school. It is understandable One of the schools we visited is American International students only cares about grades and many teachers found
that IB programs has developed at the time when the US school, and it is obvious that they emphasize on student- themselves not teach to the subject, but teach to the test.
was tired of Vietnam War and multiple famous people center as their curriculum orientation. As for the theories Other factor that deteriorates this problem is that today
saying that the war was foolish and ridiculous, which of learning, they focus more on cognitive, constructivist parents do not believe in teachers anymore and become
leads to the vision of seeking world peace. In addition, and social learning, which is also the same goals that so suspicious that schools have to ask teachers to present
the evolving challenges of the world require a different public schools are striving to reach. Indeed, although some fruitful results by using grades and tests to measure
3 4 JULIE
U N I V LIN
E R S 林佳璉
AL MAGAZINE
MARCH 2011