As well as teach their subject I guess most, if not all, IBDP chemistry teachers at some time also have to play the role of an IB ambassador. For many this may be counselling  pre-IB students and their parents as to which course to take. This can be particularly relevant in schools where students can opt to take either the IB Diploma or stay with their own national curriculum. It can often be a difficult decision for students and parents to make. They need to be given the correct information to make an informed choice. The demands of the IB are often higher than those imposed by national curricula and students need the benefits of an IB education explained clearly to them. It can be helpful to have some backup to support your arguments.

In December I blogged on a report  by the British Council and Think Global which had researched what 500 top executives were looking for when recruiting employees. Recently two more articles have been published which provide more good ammunition. One is an interview in Education News in the  USA with Jeffrey Beard, the Director General of the IB. I guess this could be criticised because it is effectively the IB blowing its own trumpet. The article does shoot itself in the foot a bit with statements like “students need to do a 4500 (sic) word research paper” and it contains an image (see right) showing five students watching a sixth student use a pipette with none of them wearing safety glasses. Nevertheless some good points are made comparing the IB with AP. It highlights the fact that students are assessed using the same criteria worldwide and also stresses the importance of good teaching and the professional development programme for IB teachers as well as the usual strengths of international mindedness and the TOK and CAS programmes.

Perhaps the best endorsement for the IB comes from people (like the 500 top executives) with no obvious affiliation to the IB. There is a really good recent article in the Telegraph on comments made by Dr Alice Roberts. Dr Roberts is well known to television audiences in the UK from her roles in the BBC’s 'The Incredible Journey' and 'Coast'. Previously she worked as a junior doctor in the UK before spending the past ten years lecturing on anatomy at the University of Bristol. She has now been appointed to the new post of Professor of Public Engagement in Science at Birmingham University. She praises the education that the IB offers compared to British A levels saying, “Of the students I saw applying to medical school, the ones that had done the IB seemed to be more rounded individuals. “I don’t think we should be asking people at 16 if they are an artist or a scientist and making them choose between the two”.

Armed with articles like these and with the personal experience you have gained with your own IB students you are in a good position to speak with authority on the merits of an IB education.