List of 3 items.

• Theory of Knowledge (TOK)

  Theory of Knowledge
  

  Knowledge, we know, is not learned by rote, it is acquired.  The Theory of Knowledge course at the center of Newman’s IB curriculum examines knowledge at its very core.  Together, students and teachers examine the origins and validity of various forms of knowledge.
  
  

  Content for the course originates from the subject areas the students are learning as well as their own personal beliefs.  Art, history, science and math – we interweave knowledge from all its sources, contemplating moral, ethical and scientific questions within the context of the world today.

  
  The process is critical reflection on what the student claims to know and what is professed as knowledge by others. Students of different cultural backgrounds are encouraged to compare and contrast their diverse attitudes and perceptions. With this focus on inquiry, there may not be right or wrong answers, but there are standards for judgement and defenses of knowledge claims.

  
  Course Aims and Objectives:
  

  • Students develop a critical capacity to consider and understand the importance of evaluating knowledge claims
  • Students learn to be aware of subjective and ideological biases
  • Students develop a concern for rigor in formulating knowledge claims, and intellectual honesty
  • Students make connections between personal experience and Ways of Knowing and Areas of Knowledge through linking questions
  • Students demonstrate an understanding of the influence that personal views, judgements and beliefs have on their own knowledge
  • Students can use oral and written language to communicate ideas clearly and appropriately
  • Students demonstrate an understanding of knowledge at work in the world

  
  WHAT TO EXPECT
  
  

  A student who decides to participate in the IB Program, as a Diploma candidate or as an IB Courses candidate, can expect to:

  • Be challenged to work hard to improve themselves
  • Approach tasks with a sense of purpose
  • Demonstrate self-discipline and responsibility
  • Learn from fellow students as well as teachers
  • Seek assistance, and give it, without hesitation
  • Be open to constructive feedback
  • View adversity and challenge as an opportunity
  • Share with, and contribute to, the community

  IB students should expect to be educated, amused, excited, delighted, and at times, to be disappointed and frustrated. If the student has the motivation, an IB Diploma or Course Certificate is a realistic goal. Students learn to cope with adversity and understand the privilege of pressure.

• Extended Essay (EE)

  It is an independent piece of research, culminating with a 4,000-word paper.

  What is the significance of the extended essay?

  The extended essay provides:

  • practical preparation for undergraduate research
  • an opportunity for students to investigate a topic of personal interest to them, which relates to one of the student's six DP subjects, or takes the interdisciplinary approach of a World Studies extended essay.

  
  

  Through the research process for the extended essay, students develop skills in:

  • formulating an appropriate research question
  • engaging in a personal exploration of the topic
  • communicating ideas
  • developing an argument. 

  Participation in this process develops the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.

  An extended essay can also be undertaken in world studies, where students carry out an in-depth interdisciplinary study of an issue of contemporary global significance, across two IB diploma disciplines.

  How is study of the extended essay structured?

  Students are supported throughout the process of researching and writing the extended essay, with advice and guidance from a supervisor who is usually a teacher at the school.

  Students are required to have three mandatory reflection sessions with their supervisors. The final session, a concluding interview, is also known as viva voce.

  The extended essay and reflection sessions can be a valuable stimulus for discussion in countries where interviews are required prior to acceptance for employment or for a place at university.
  
  

  How is the extended essay assessed?

  All extended essays are externally assessed by examiners appointed by the IB. They are marked on a scale from 0 to 34.

  The score a student receives relates to a band. The bands are:

  • A – work of an excellent standard.
  • B – work of a good standard.
  • C –work of a satisfactory standard.
  • D – work of a mediocre standard.
  • E – work of an elementary standard.

  Find out how points awarded for the extended essay contribute to a student’s overall diploma score.

• Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)

  Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) is at the heart of The Newman School’s IB Diploma Program. 
  
  It is one of the three core courses in every student’s Diploma Program experience.

  CREATIVITY: Experiences that encompass original thinking, including artistic activities and other learning and teaching experiences. Arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking.
  
  ACTIVITY: Experiences that contribute to a healthy lifestyle through participation in individual / team sports, as well as any other activity which focuses on physical exertion. Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the Diploma Program.
  
  SERVICE: Experiences that involve interactions with individuals or groups, which provide benefits to the community. These experiences should not only involve contributions to others, but also with others, while developing a deep commitment. An unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected.
  

  
  The course involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Program. The three strands of the course, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows:

  
  Development of Character, Mind and Body
  Creativity, Action and Service enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. At the same time, it provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of the Diploma Program. Both challenging and enjoyable, the program is a personal journey of student self discovery. Each individual student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, but for many their CAS activities include experiences that are profound and life changing.
  

   

  For student development to vccur, CAS Should Involve:
  

  • Real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes
  • A personal challenge—tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope
  • Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting
  • Reflection on outcomes and personal learning.

  
  All proposed CAS activities must meet these four criteria.