Teachers, co-ordinators and school leaders in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program will attend an IB symposium at Flinders today, further strengthening the University’s links with the world-wide program.

The IB’s international curriculum and qualification is currently offered in 40 schools in South Australia and 144 nationally.

Flinders academic staff will lead discussions of issues such as the role of IB in promoting global citizenship, the cultural and ethical aspects of IB learning, and the development of learning strategies among IB students, as well as ways of leading change in IB schools.

The symposium will also hear the results of a pilot investigation by School of Education researchers that compares student outcomes and teachers’ work in IB schools with other schools.

The symposium will be attended by Dr Jan Keightly, Executive Officer of the Australasian Association of International Baccalaureate Schools and by recently retired Australasian IB representative Mr Greg Valentine, who gave 13 years of service to building IB programs in schools in Australasia.

Symposium organiser and Flinders education lecturer, Mr Adrian Rudzinski, said that Flinders was one of the first universities in the world to offer IB-recognised postgraduate programs.

“The symposium increases our involvement with the program, and draws on the resources of several areas within the University engaged in teaching and research that will inform and support the IB locally, nationally and internationally,” he said.