International Baccalaureate: the right choice for facing global challenges

Brad Brasseur left his prestigious job working for the United Nations on humanitarian projects to become a humanities teacher at a British international school in Lima, Peru. He says the International Baccalaureate is perfect for fostering the core values of humanitarianism.

He was immediately intrigued by working at an IB school and educating 'generation Z' with the skills that they could use to fight current global challenges. This ambition led him to become a geography teacher and university counsellor coordinator at an IB school. He is part of a team of international educators that follow the IB mission statement that aims to "develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people".

By working in an IB school, Brad is part of an organisation that focuses on educating students through international mindedness and an IB profile grounded on mutual respect and cultural awareness.

The three humanitarian principles at the core of the IB

1. Community focus

Brad’s students have focused their Service Learning project on a small community called Ihuanco. Last year, he supported the student-led three-day project there, working on improving local facilities.

2. Critical thinking

As well as fostering this sense of community spirit, the IB helps create individuals who can make sense of the world around them - something that is especially important at the moment.

The IB programme places emphasis on developing independent and critical thinking skills based on quality research and applying this when scrutinising global assumptions.

3. Sustainability

The IB recognises the importance of training future generations to manage global challenges sought by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs are the foundation of the IBDP Geography workshop and highlighted throughout the Geography DP syllabus. The SDGs are the roadmap to sustainable development and, like their predecessor the Millennium Development Goals, they will need a new set of global goals in 2030.

As a teacher, Brad feels he can help to equip generation Z with skills to fight climate change, eradicate poverty, improve global education and combat social and income inequality. The IB geography syllabus includes relevant 21st-century global issues, such as cybersecurity, drone technology and trans-boundary pollution.

Go to https://www.tes.com/news/why-teaching-ib-helps-address-global-issues to find out more