Teachers worldwide flock to Rice for professional development

Teachers worldwide flock to Rice for professional development
International Baccalaureate teachers receive training on campus

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News staff

More than 700 high school teachers from 294 schools around the world will come to Rice University for International Baccalaureate (IB) workshops March 1-3 and 5-7. Offered by Rice’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, the workshops aim to give new and experienced IB teachers strategies and techniques for effectively teaching high school IB courses in the sciences, mathematics, humanities and languages. Courses also cover administration and counseling.

In addition to providing the workshops, Rice has invited Suzanna Jemsby, the executive director of the Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education, to offer breakout sessions and teach a workshop that focuses on how to incorporate “international mindedness” into the IB classroom.

The IB Diploma Programme is a challenging two-year curriculum of international education for high school students that prepares them for the rigor of higher education. More than 1,900 schools worldwide have adopted the curriculum, and many of the world’s leading universities, including Rice, recognize IB diplomas and award college-level course credit for them.

Rice is the only university in the country offering teacher professional development for IB and Advanced Placement teachers.

When Rice first offered the IB workshop program in 2005, there were 100 participants. Now the program boasts more than 700 participants from 39 U.S. states and 14 countries, including Argentina, Canada, Chile, India and Peru.

The workshops will be taught by 33 accomplished high school “master teachers” who were selected from an international pool of candidates and endorsed by the IB Americas office.

The workshops also feature IB academies designed to give teachers new content knowledge in their subjects. The academies are led by 14 top researchers and higher education faculty members, including eight from Rice. The courses also include collaborations with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Rice’s academy course format is the only of its kind endorsed by the IB Americas.

More information on Rice’s IB program can be found http://teachers.rice.edu/InteriorContent.aspx?id=112. To learn more about the IB program, visit www.ibo.org.