InThinking

Independent
Innovative
International
About us | Visit our hub website

Disclaimer: InThinking subject sites are neither endorsed by nor connected with the International Baccalaureate Organisation.

School visits

If you are interested in Chris Wright visiting your school to work with teachers and/or students, please contact us.

Most popular

A quick guide for the DP coordinator30 November 2022

Being a DP coordinator can feel like you are wearing so many hats at once, with so many different people to support. This website gathers expertise from around the IB world, providing you with practical... more

Programme Development Plan (PDP)Free14 December 2022

What are you working on?All schools are working on improving aspects of their programme(s). For some this might be developing approaches to learning, for others it might be collaborative planning and... more

Mock examinations15 December 2022

Mock examinations are a great way to get a head start on the “real” exams that take place in May and November. They give students an opportunity to get a feel for what taking the real exams will be... more

IB Leadership WorkshopsFree4 December 2022

The IB have designed a suite of leadership workshops which provide an IB perspective on leadership and aim to help you become "an effective IB leader".On this page you will be introduced to the initial... more

IB Coordinator - Job Description3 August 2022

The IB regards the IB Coordinator (PYP | MYP | DP) as part of the (pedagogical) leadership team of the school. This is made clear in the IB standards and practices, which states that “The school’s... more

ATL - Working with staff30 August 2022

Whilst the IB approaches to teaching and learning are central to IB pedagogy they may not be foremost in the minds of colleagues who are more concerned about teaching their syllabus and preparing students... more

WHAT is well-being?7 December 2022

"Child well-being is not something you can easily delegate to families and social environments; schools need to take a more explicit role." (Andreas Schleicher, OECD).Many schools and universities are... more

Revision Strategies11 May 2022

As students start preparing for their exams what help are you giving them? Is your advice consistent across all subjects? Is it based on research evidence?I write this page as my daughter plans her revision... more

Your IB evaluation guide for staffFree5 JIB Docs (2) Teamary 2023

This page contains a PowerPoint that you can use to introduce the IB evaluation process to all key stakeholders. Please refer to the pages linked below for specific details on the stages of evaluation.... more

Establishing an ATL culture16 April 2021

The IB approaches to teaching and learning are central to delivering on the IB mission. If IB schools are committed to nurturing compassionate lifelong learners who have a passion to change the world... more

Teaching is informed by assessment2 JIB Docs (2) Teamary 2023

“As frequently as a chef needs to check a sauce for taste, teachers should check for understanding.” (TeachThought)"Assessment is the bridge between learning and teaching." (Dylan Wiliam) more

Are we inclusive?Free5 JIB Docs (2) Teamary 2023

Read the following summary:Inclusive education is about meeting the needs of ALL students in the classroom at the same time. Access and participation for every learner is an integral part of any education... more

How do you promote | market the IB?Free26 September 2022

This page provides you with materials to help you explain why students, parents, educators, and government administrators should choose International Baccalaureate.You will find theThe IB Mission ~ Education... more

Role of Head of School in an IB School11 May 2022

The Head of School is key to the successful implementation of the IB programme/s. They lead the pedagogical leadership team within a school.It is for this reason that it is mandatory for them to attend... more

International MindednessFree23 November 2022

International-mindedness lies at the very heart of the IB Mission which aims to develop young people "who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect... more

Induction of IB students23 November 2022

Do you run an induction programme and if so what do you include in it? Some schools run a 'boot camp' before the start of the IB DP in which all students are introduced to some of the big ideas within... more

Assessment Policy5 November 2022

“The IB does not publish a definitive assessment policy because a crucial process occurs when the school synthesizes its own expectations and practices with those of the IB.” (Guidelines for developing... more

Inclusion Policy30 October 2022

This page will help you write your inclusion policy - one of the five mandatory IB policies.Activities which help you work towards a common IB understanding of the following pedagogical terms: inclusion,... more

Academic Integrity (Honesty) Policy28 September 2022

The IB requires academic integrity / honesty to be embedded into the life of the school. The programme Standards and Practices state that "Teaching and learning promotes the understanding and practice... more

IB Leadership Intelligences7 August 2022

IB World Schools are often complex organizations requiring IB leaders to demonstrate high levels of leadership intelligence.Although I sometimes write of leadership as referring to individual people it... more

Coordinator's Resource16 June 2022

The IB Coordinator's Resource is the essential guide for the IB programme coordinator.The IB Coordinator's Resource (2020) is essentially a guide on how to develop the IB programme(s). The Handbook opens... more

What's new about IB evaluation?16 October 2021

A new IB evaluation schedule has being introduced affecting all evaluations from September 2021.This page helps you to prepare for your future IB evaluation by looking at what is about to change from... more

IB Approaches to Teaching21 March 2021

"Educators need to think of themselves as designers of learning...We are convinced that we need to move rapidly to the place where all learners feel connected and all learners are able to self-regulate... more

The Core30 April 2020

The core (TOK, CAS + EE) is at the heart of the Diploma Programme. It is the core that makes the Diploma a programme of study and not just a set of examination courses. How can you as a school highlight... more

DP Assessment27 December 2019

The IB approaches to teaching and learning in the Diploma Programme make it clear that teaching should be informed by assessment - both formative and summative assessment.Assessment is at the heart of... more

Leadership31 March 2017

Your leadership: Where have my concepts of leadership come from? What or who has influenced my leadership? What will guide my approach to leadership? Writing your own Philosophy of Leadership statement.... more

What is the purpose of your school?Free19 July 2022

These are not bad questions to reflect on as a new academic year starts. This page provides you with stimulus material to use with colleagues. They are also useful questions to consider when reviewing... more

Toolkit of collaborative activities30 June 2022

The IB believes that it is important for students to learn in a collaborative way and for teachers to plan collaboratively. However, in my experience many schools find providing evidence of collaboration... more

IB Learner ProfileFree14 JIB Docs (2) Teamary 2022

The IB Learner Profile is a set of ten attributes which all members of the IB community - students, teachers and leaders - should be encouraged to develop.They represent a broad range of human capacities... more

TOK for subject teachers5 May 2021

TOK and the subject groups are mutually supportive: the subjects focus on specific examples of knowledge construction and TOK is about knowledge construction in general.IB subject teachers are expected... more

Evidence informed teaching23 March 2021

Pedagogy is both a science and a craft. As teachers we make decisions every lesson: decisions about how to engage students in their learning, how to structure the learning process, how to provide students... more

Education for sustainability9 December 2022

Creating change makers is at the heart of the IB educational mission “to create a better and more peaceful world”.Listen to IB Alumni, of how they have been inspired by this IB mission. more

Language Policy30 November 2022

A resource to use with staff when writing or reviewing your Language Policy.Compulsory language learning is one of the distinctive elements of IB programmes. Why does the IB place such importance on the... more

Global issues resource bank2 October 2022

This page directs you to different resource banks, and uses videos to introduce each.Factfulness - using statistics to discover global issuesBill Gates describes the book Factfulness by Hans Rosling as... more

Writing the evaluation report17 August 2022

One of my IB Lead Educator roles has been to work with Hege Myhre (previously Rektor of UWC Red Cross Nordic) to develop and deliver the training for IB Chairs of visits: multi-programme and synchronised... more

International MindednessFree18 June 2022

One way in which the IB addresses this is in aiming to develop in each person international-mindedness in a global context. Being an IB World School is to recognize the importance of the world as the... more

IB Culture - Key Policies25 April 2022

The answer is that they establish the culture of an IB World School.Key inquiryHow can I make sure that our policies structure the learning and teaching in the school?‘Culture’ is one of the four... more

The role of the librarian30 November 2021

The IB makes it clear that the school library plays a central role to the delivering IB programs. Libraries have always been seen as a key locus for inquiry, a concept that stands at the heart of the... more

2021 IB Evaluation Crib Sheet14 August 2021

IB evaluation is based on your journey to implement the IB standards and practices and to develop your programme.The new IB Programme Standards and Practices framework (2020) invite schools to reflect... more

New evaluation from September 202114 August 2021

A new evaluation schedule, based on the revised Guide to evaluation (published in 2020) begins in September 2021.During the past six months I have been involved in developing and delivering the training... more

Graduation Speeches4 June 2021

Commencement | Graduation speeches aim to impart wisdom to students moving on to the next stage of their life. Traditionally they contain words of reflection | life lessons – to be ready for whatever... more

ATL skill progression - how to plan for it?5 May 2021

The IB approaches to learning (ATL) are an essential element of ALL IB programmes. Each programme has the same five categories of ATL skills: social | communication | self-management | research | thinking. more

CAS Coordinator - Job Description13 November 2019

The IB CAS Guide (pages 33-34) contains a description of the work of the CAS Coordinator. This is the basis for the draft job description on this page. However, it is important that you contextualize... more

Standards and Practices30 October 2019

The programme standards and practices describe what it means to be an IB World School. The standards provide the overarching themes whist the practices provide the definitions and details and show what... more

Schools as 'Learning Organisations'4 December 2022

How nimble are you to meet change and adapt to new circumstances?How do you learn as a school?How deeply ingrained is 'learning' in the very fabric of your school - not only within classrooms, but also... more

Teaching is based on inquiry13 November 2022

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." (Albert Einstein)'You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn... more

Getting ready for IB authorization31 October 2022

IB authorization is based on your journey to implement the IB standards and practices.The new IB Programme Standards and Practices framework (2020) invite schools to reflect on their development and growth... more

Toxic Service!24 October 2022

How do we ensure that our service learning is really helping the people we are trying to serve?An opening video exposes the dangers of volunteer travel and warns against traveling to far away places to... more

HOW can we teach well-being?1 August 2022

A growing number of research studies show that well-being indicators, such as happiness and what we used to consider hard-wired personality traits, are actually skills and attitudes that can be learned... more

What is leadership?Free4 July 2022

"What you permit you promote, what you allow you encourage and what you condone you own." (Anonymous)"Great leaders find ways to connect with their people and help them reach their potential. It's about... more