Transitions Between IB Programmes

Transcend –> Transit –> Transfer –> Transform 

My two children decided to keep fish at the beginning of this year. We drove around town and finally found a fish shop. They chose two tiny fish and one small fish tank. My 6 year-old and 9 year-old were so excited. They decorated the aquarium and got the water pump system going as soon as we got home. Before going to bed, we released the two fish from the plastic bag to their beautiful new home. My son woke up very early the next day and was eager to say hello to his new pet. He was devastated to discover that the two tiny fish had jumped out of the tank and died on the ground. We quickly learned about the ‘new tank syndrome, a term used to describe problems due to the build-up of invisible, toxic compounds in a newly set-up aquarium. After watching some Youtube videos and researching information on the internet, we have acquired some more knowledge to maintain the hobby of fish keeping. 

In the Twitter #MYPChat, we discussed different ways to provide smooth transitions between programmes. I quickly related my children’s fish keeping experience to the programme transitions. Transitions as points of change can make students (or any of us as an adult!) feel excited and anxious simultaneously. It requires students to adapt to their new physical, social, emotion and human environment. It’s more than just entering to a new programme, and moving between campus, buildings or classrooms. Lots of stress and pressure can not be overlooked. Just like setting up a new aquarium and avoiding ‘new’ fish dying of new tank syndrome, we need to understand the process and ensure the transition is smooth for students, the family and any adult involved.

How can we reduce students’ anxiety and develop their confidence when moving from one programme to another? As a school, we need to zoom out and involve all stakeholders to develop a holistic view of the ultimate purpose of schooling before we discuss specific action items for transitions. I reflected on the work we are currently developing at KIS International School and connected with the programme transitions.

As illustrated in the infographic below. IB mission, school mission and school’s own definition of global citizenship underpin teaching and learning. To help the KIS community understand what KIS aims to achieve, we have developed three quality learning statements: 

• strive for understanding; 
• take action ethically; 
• nurture passion in self and others.  

All teachers will reference and unpack the three learning quality statements in all three IB programmes at KIS in the next academic school year of 2018-19. I took one step further and identified aspects that we, as a school, can all work on to allow us to move from a smooth transition to effective transformation. In this process, we should aim to help students build experiences, foster self-awareness, enhance international mindedness, and last but not least, expand empathy potential. After clarifying the WHY, we can then decide what action to take in the following areas:  

• approaches to learning; 
• approaches to teaching; 
• curriculum alignment; 
• professional dialogue; 
• TOK thinking;
• pastoral care;
• contextual learning;
• action & service.  

I believe developing a holistic view will help us provide smooth transitions for students, families and teachers. Understanding the process and the learning cycle, we can promote positive emotions, contributing significantly to learning relationship building.

Instead of bombarding parents with overwhelming MYP expectations and requirements, we have decided to take a different approach. We begin our PYP to MYP orientation by asking the question, How can “we” help PYP students transition to the MYP? It is important to emphasize that a collaborative effort is required to support a smooth transition. ​