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#Written by David Tam                  #
#davidkftam@netscape.net Copyright 1999#
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                           No Sign of Intelligence
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  It is not enough to know and understand the contents of a course.  Though we
are required to do some thinking in school, it is at a pretty low level.  In
other words, we are not taught to think; I mean REALLY think.  First year
university programs, such as engineering, can reveal this weakness quite
easily.  Take the Descartes Contest as an example.  A good score is somewhere
between 30 to 40 percent.  Take a good look at this contest paper.  It is not
enough to have just the knowledge of the Calculus, Algebra, and Finite
courses.  We must be able to take those fundamentals we have learned and piece
together the answer.  High school marks in no way reflect how well students
will do.  In a certain way this shows that grades do not reflect the true
signs of intelligence.  For a high school curriculum that develops the mind to
think we must turn to the IB program.

  The International Baccalaureate Program is one method of introducing
curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving skills as
much as knowledge and understanding.  It is a rigorous education program
designed to prepare secondary students for university.  The program is an
international standard that has international acceptance.  IBEX, the IB
headquarters, deliveries specific guidelines, requirements, and materials for
the courses, registers all students, and distributes the exams which are
graded by selected university professors.  There are two options within the
program; the partial and Diploma IB program (full IB).  Similar to the
university OAC requirements, the full IB program requires a minimum of six
courses.  Three of these must be at the "higher level" and the other three are
at the "subsidiary level".  Some of the courses offered include English,
History, Chemistry, Physics, Math, and French.  Full IB also has three other
requires that must be fulfilled; the theory of knowledge component; the
community, activity, and services component; and an extended essay.

  Currently is it offered at Upper Canada College, Western C.I., and at
various schools in other provinces such as British Columbia and Alberta.  This
program should be made available to all students who wish to better prepare
themselves for university.

  There have been some informal mentions of possibly introducing this program
at Glenforest as an extension of the enhanced learning program but it
currently has no official status.  It is at a low priority because the school
board has other problems in their hands.  Introducing this new program would
be quite expensive because teachers must be trained for the new curriculum and
IB materials must be purchased.  The number of students involved in the
program should also be considered for  economical reasons.   Potential
problems include students dropping out of the program because, naturally, it
is much more difficult than regular advanced courses resulting in lower than
expected grades.  According to Dr. Brown, the Peel Board should not have any
administrative problems with this.  It would not conflict with the OSSD
requirements for graduation since it replaces this portions of it.

  Ontario needs a education standard and it should adopt the I.B. Program, a
proven international standard.  It emphasizes the higher levels of thinking
which include problem solving and critical thinking skills.  Preparation is
the key to easing the transition from secondary school to university and this
program will surpass this objective.  Think of it as a way of shaping and
training the mind for what lies ahead.