Organizing Support

            I.    Note Taking

            II.   Planning Time

            III.  Arranging Space

There are no off-days in the Diploma Programme; you will hear that a lot and for good reason. Success in IB depends in part on your consistent, daily effort, the grind towards a goal two years in the making. In order to persevere through each day, you need to follow a schedule that is balanced and uses your time effectively.

Following a Schedule

Take a look at the week-long schedule below for a fictional student in the first semester of the Diploma Programme:

Physical vs. Academic

The first thing you should notice is the balance between physical and academic pursuits. And what's more, the physical activity is taking place in the late afternoon (after school gets out) to split up the sustained academic work times to keep the mind fresh. Studies have shown that the body's metabolism is highest and is primed for strenuous physical activity in the late afternoon between 3:00 and 6:00 PM. There is also research to show that the teenage brain is most cognitively primed for learning between 7:00 and 11:00 PM. Finally, there is also a body of evidence that suggests a positive correlation between regular cardiovascular exercise and memory.

Creative Tasks vs. Analytical Tasks vs. Routine Tasks

Another thing to notice about the schedule is the variety of tasks on the schedule and how these are placed. The brain needs variety to maintain focus and to ensure flexibility in different modes of thinking. Here the schedule alternates tasks that involve creating something, like an explanation paragraph or an essay outline, with tasks that require analysis, like note-taking or editing. Also throughout the schedule are transition times from one activity to another; these can be used strategically as "breaks" that allow the brain time to do less cogntively-challenging, routine tasks like organizing materials, checking email, adjusting the calendar, etc.

Information Consumption vs. Information Retrieval

Finally, the schedule allows for a balance of brain inputs with brain outputs. There is only so much a brain can handle learning at any one time before retention, or memory, drops off and the time used is ineffective. To combat this, your schedule needs to allow you as much time for taking things out of your memory as you have for putting things into your memory. In simple terms, this could be viewed as switching back and forth between reading and writing, or listening and speaking.