So most of the class has heard the discussion that happened today, in which I saw IB and maybe others did too, to be catering to people who knew how to jump through the most hoops. That may be a misconception or an over generalization but I feel that IB rewards those who do the easiest papers in general for each area. Taking the easy road to focus on more pressing things this may be a good skill to learn in life, but when I joined the IB diploma program I felt that it was supposed to be a rigorous course in which I saw the diploma candidates as people who took the higher road, taking the more difficult tasks and completing them while juggling everything else in their lives. Though I will not denounce the rigors of the IB diploma and everything that is learned and gained, it is a little ridiculous that it does create the easier path and rewards the ones who take it. For instance with the Extended Essays, with people shying away from the topics of lab reports and the area of math all together all because "They don't score well" I think it is ridiculous how they have the same rubric for every subject. Though a general one may be a good idea, I feel that they should have a small variation for each different area, at least in the science and math areas. There are other aspects but for now I'll put the subject to rest.
What do you all think about this thought of the IB diploma program and all its glory?
It's awesome! I don't know if the math papers or doing an experiment would be any more time consuming than doing research. I agree that it might be a little difficult but I think the reason that math papers don't score well is because math is such a definite thing (and that's why most of us love it so much). There's only one right answer and you can't really argue a point. What I don't understand is how people are happy that IB gave them a C on their EE. When I hear Mrs. Larson talk, she sounds like that's really good. Bothers me.
ReplyDeleteOne negative thought about having the same rubric in relation to extended essay: Having the same rubric takes a lot away from the person writing. Not only is Math a rigorous course to write an EE on, it also has a different form of writing. Certain grammatical rules will not fit.
ReplyDeleteAlso, IB has become really easy because it shift your thought process. Once you learn the IB way of thinking things seem simple compare to other classes.