Overarching and linking all IB programs is the learner profile which defines a list of ten broad attributes that the programs aim to instill in all students beyond academics. These ten attributes are an integral part of the IB learning experience, and can be seen all throughout the KIST campus, from the classrooms of the youngest children in the Elementary School all the way through the various labs and learning spaces of the Grade 12 students. The IB learner profile provides an outline of the type of learner students strive to become, not only in the classroom, but also in other experiences at school and their lives beyond. As they learn and grow through the IB curriculum, guided by the learner profile, students develop values and moral standards that transcend international borders, helping them to become responsible global citizens.
Through the learner profile, students are encouraged to be:
Inquirers
– Being curious about the world
– Asking questions
– Showing enthusiasm for learning
Knowledgeable
– Learning about the world
– Knowing different things
– Connecting facts
Thinkers
– Solving problems
– Considering ideas
– Finding creative solutions
Communicators
– Sharing ideas
– Listening to others
– Helping others understand
– Using different languages
Principled
– Taking turns
– Completing tasks on time
– Being honest and fair
– Doing the right thing
Open-minded
– Being open to new experiences
– Accepting differences
– Appreciating others
Caring
– Showing respect
– Being positive
– Helping others
Risk-takers
– Always having a go
– Being brave
– Trying new things
Balanced
– Spending time doing many different things
– Balancing study, exercise, fun and relaxation
Reflective
– Knowing strengths and areas to improve
– Thinking about own learning
The IB learner profile in the Elementary School
Students in the Elementary School at KIST are encouraged to emulate and embody the learner profile attributes from their earliest years. Posters displaying each attribute along with age-appropriate explanations and examples are visible in each Elementary classroom from K1 through Grade 5, and the attributes are frequently mentioned and discussed in context of lessons, such as characters in books read in literacy lessons and historical figures studied in their Unit of Inquiry. Classroom teachers routinely find ways to praise student behaviors that exemplify the learner profile attributes, such as Learner Profile Awards presented to students who have demonstrated a particular attribute through choices and actions academically or socially. In this way, Elementary School students at KIST grow and develop into well-rounded, internationally minded adolescents ready to take on the next stage of their learning.
The IB learner profile in the Secondary School
In the Secondary School at KIST, students are tasked with taking the simple understanding of the learner profile developed during their time in Elementary School and applying it to their studies and lives in a more complex, nuanced way. While the ten learner profile attributes serve as ideals towards which to strive, students are also encouraged to understand each attribute more deeply and enact it in relevant, if small-scale, ways. Students in the MYP participate in a grade level-wide Learner Profile Award system where, each semester, students vote for classmates they felt best embodied particular learner profile attributes. The winners of these awards are presented with a certificate at a ceremony near the end of the semester and are given an opportunity to add their handprint to the Wall of Honor.
The learner profile is closely linked to the premise and methodology of the IB programs; each profile attribute is developed through various elements of the IB’s proscribed learning model; for example, students develop into “thinkers” through the IB’s focus on critical and analytical thinking skills; they become “open-minded” through the MYP global contexts and the DP Theory of Knowledge course; they maintain “balanced” learning experiences and lifestyles through the Health and PE and Arts curricula in the MYP and through the CAS requirement in the DP. In this way, the learner profile and the IB programs themselves are intrinsically linked to develop internationally minded global citizens.
