Leveraging the IB learner profile in business and partnerships
Graeme Byrd
Recently I was at the International School of Portland Board of Trustees meeting and we had a discussion around the IB Learners Profile. (ISP has been an IB World School since March 2010 and was the first school in the Pacific Northwest authorized to offer the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).)
Have you read the IB Learners Profile? It has gotten me thinking. If we are helping our children strive to live by these, how could we focus on them in business? Yes, we often talk about leveraging these in our daily lives, but what would happen if we focused on them in business and in my case, how we build tech and agency partnerships? Yes, they are words we hear often in business, but I’m going to take action and try to leverage the IB mindset with them. If our children can develop into internationally minded people who, recognize their common humanity and share guardianship of the planet to help create a better and more peaceful world, can we adults do so in business? Can we do so in building partnerships?
IB Learners strive to be:
INQUIRERS - We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.
KNOWLEDGEABLE - We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
THINKERS - We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
COMMUNICATORS - We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
PRINCIPLED - We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
OPEN-MINDED - We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
CARING - We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.
RISK-TAKERS - We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
BALANCED - We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
REFLECTIVE - We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.
Dive into this profile. Use them in your next QBR or team meeting. Which one do you identify with most? Which one does the company identify with most? Which one fits the partnership or can they line up with the stages of partnership?
What is the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)? The IB PYP, offered at over 900 authorized schools worldwide, is a guided inquiry-based teaching method that centers on student questions. Rather than working through a standard lesson and learning facts, students study a central idea by creating and exploring their own questions. Through this concept-driven process, students gain deep content understanding while learning the skills to acquire, organize, and communicate knowledge. It is those skills that enable children to become independent learners, capable of pursuing knowledge beyond the classroom and throughout life. Learn more on the International Baccalaureate website.