Image from Grisham Middle School International Baccalaureate
Identities and relationships Who am I? Who are we?
Understanding: competition and cooperation; teams, affiliation and leadership; identity formation, self esteem, status, roles and role models; personal efficacy and agency; attitudes, motivations, independence; happiness and the good life; physical, psychological and social development, transitions, health and well-being, lifestyle choices; human nature and human dignity, moral reasoning and ethical judgment, consciousness and mind
Orientation in space and time What is the meaning of? Where? When?
Understanding: civilizations and social histories, heritage, pilgrimage, migration, displacement and exchange; epochs, eras, turning points, and 'big history,' scale, duration, frequency and variability; people, boundaries, and exchanges and interaction; natural and human landscapes and resources; evolution, constraints, and adaptation
Personal and cultural expression What is the nature and purpose of creative expression? How do we express ourselves?
An inquiry into understanding: artistry, craft, creation, beauty; products, systems and institutions; social constructions of reality; philosophies and ways of life; belief systems; ritual and play; critical literacy, languages and linguistic systems; histories of ideas, fields and disciplines; analysis and argument; metacognition and abstract thinking; entrepreneurship, practice and competency
Scientific and technical innovation How do we understand the worlds in which we live?
An inquiry into understanding: systems, models, methods; products, processes and solutions; adaptation, ingenuity and progress; opportunity, risk, consequences and responsibility; modernization, industrialization and engineering; digital life, virtual environments and the information age; the biological revolution; mathematical puzzles, principles and discoveries
Globalization and sustainability How is everything connected?
An inquiry into understanding: markets, commodities and commercialization; human impact on the environment; commonality, diversity and interconnection; consumption, conservation, natural resources and public goods; population and demography; urban planning, strategy and infrastructure
Fairness and development What are the consequences of our common humanity?
An inquiry into understanding: democracy, politics, government and civil society; inequality, difference and inclusion; human capability and development ; social entrepreneurs; rights, law, civic responsibility and the public sphere; justice, peace and conflict management; power and privilege; authority , security and freedom; imagining a hopeful future