INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS, APPROACHES TO LEARNING AND THE LEARNER PROFILE AT St. Anselm's

The ethos of ‘international mindedness’ is ingrained in the ethos and fabric of St. Anselm's. As a school, we are proud to be where we are, and students, teachers, staff and parents share common values. We recognize that our actions and decisions impact our community so we reflect and act to find solutions – individually and collaboratively. Our understanding of international mindedness is in line with child development, in that, it starts with the self, then becomes more abstract as the children understand the impact of their actions and decisions on the wider community, leading to deeper consideration of global issues. We are incredibly fortunate to have students and members of the staff from all parts of India, and we make full use of this diversity to share individual cultures and beliefs, gaining a better understanding of living in a world that is influenced by events that generate from cultures other than our own. At St. Anselm's, within the curriculum, students learn our host language (Hindi) and are also encouraged to learn a foreign language (Spanish or German). The focus is on language development and cultivating appreciation and understanding of our country, along with developing an understanding of cultures in other countries. A significant part of developing international mindedness has been the emphasis on student participation in international exchange programs with schools in other countries. St. Anselm's students are encouraged to develop competencies for the 21st century through focus on social, research, self-management, critical thinking and communications skills. These skills form our basis for ‘Approaches to Learning’ and are embedded in the program through activities, global engagements, IBDP assessments and classroom teaching.

Core aims of Teaching and Learning at St. Anselm's are:

1. to develop all talents of its students: intellectual, academic, imaginative, physical, moral and social
2. for students to grow into people who contribute positively to the different communities they become part of
3. for students to be effective learners, beyond as well as in the classroom and to engage in learning throughout their lives;
4. to contribute significantly to students’ growing sense of what is right and wrong and to support them in finding meaning in an increasingly complex and diverse world
5. to develop global awareness and inter-cultural understanding in our students that rests on a firm sense of self and individual cultural identity
6. to develop in students the competencies outlined in the IB Learner Profile
7. to ensure that every student achieves potential and is able to move on to the higher educational experience they want
8. to develop creative problem solvers who work effectively as part of collaborative teams.
Approaches to Learning in the IB

At St. Anselm's, we see ourselves not as teachers but as enablers of active learning. The St. Anselm's philosophy puts student at the centre and we believe that our students need to develop a confident voice and grow in a culture that encourages intellectual risk-taking, curiosity and open-mindedness.

Approaches to Teaching in the IB

There are six main pedagogical principles that underpin IB programmes. Teaching in the IB programmes is:

1. based on inquiry
2. focused on conceptual understanding
3. developed in local and global contexts
4. focused on effective teamwork and collaboration
5. differentiated to meet needs of all learners
6. informed by assessment (formative and summative)
(Source: Towards a continuum of international education, IBO)