At Whitby we have a group of seven IBEN site evaluators and workshop leaders. We sat down with this team to gain insight on their journeys to become site evaluators and workshop leaders. Here are five things all IB schools should know about the IBEN journey:
1. The prep work before you even get to the IBEN Academy is a learning experience in itself.
- The online component runs for six weeks, and remember to factor in four to five hours of work for every week prior.
- This phase covers in detail all different areas of the IBO's standards and practices, as well as best practices in andragogy, or adult education.
- Once you've completed all the work associated with this phase, you prepare to meet with your group face to face in a central location.
I started the original application in February, found out I was through to the second round in March, made my [application] video and then was officially accepted [to the summer academy] in April.
– Alissa Helgesen, IB Site Evaluator and Workshop Leader, Lower School Science & Math Coordinator at Whitby
2. The Academy is on another level of Professional Development for IB schools.
The IB Summer Academy is a four day face-to-face conference full of other educators on the same exciting journey as yourself.
When you're accepted to go to the Academy, you basically enter another level of Professional Development.
– Bryan Nixon, IB Site Evaluator and Workshop Leader, Head of Whitby School
- There's an amazing network of people at your fingertips. In many cases, you tend to keep in touch with people from your group.
- With so many different perspectives in one space, learning is an all-encompassing experience.
- People are gung-ho about the IB and about learning, so it is a high energy conference.
3. The process continues after the Academy.
Post-Conference Reflection Period
- This is a four week-long program with approximately two hours of work per week.
- Site visitors have more extensive study of site-visits and "what-if" scenarios that are challenging.
- Workshop leaders have to collaborate with other candidates in writing a workshop plan.
We had a summative task to write a plan for a workshop. We worked in small groups (myself and two others) to plan a 10 session workshop which was then submitted for review. This part was hard because one of my partners was in Texas and the other in Hawaii. It was a great practice for how to collaborate with workshop leaders from all over the world!
– Alissa Helgesen, IB Site Evaluator and Workshop Leader, Lower School Math & Science Coordinator at Whitby
- As an individual activity, site visitors apply the accreditation process on a fictional school using the site visitor's rubric.
- All participants must complete their reflection journals that they began at the start of the pre-academy. These journals track your learning process, things that were difficult or frustrating, as well as the "a-ha" moments.
Upscaling Process - Sharing Best Practices
Why is this a new requirement?
To give you some perspective, there are 400 active workshop leaders in IB Americas. This portion of the process acts as a refresher course for all workshop leaders and site visitors to stay current with their knowledge of the IB programs and also ensures a standard of quality for all participants. Upscaling is a great opportunity for new and veteran educators to share best practices, and also serves as a required refresher course for those who have been inactive for a long period of time.
The upscaling was required for all participants in IB Americas. It was about sharing best practices and keeping your skills fresh.
– Alissa Helgesen, IB Site Evaluator and Workshop Leader, Lower School Science & Math Coordinator at Whitby
4. Even after this whole process, it may take some time before you are selected for a task.
Participation in the academy does not guarantee that you will be selected as a workshop leader or a site visitor. After candidates have completed their academy, the IBO asks that educators return to their schools, take more IB courses and seek out opportunities with site visits and workshops.
Why does this process take so long?
At the same time candidates are being trained for their potential roles, there is an ongoing evaluative process. As a global organization, the IBO has to be very mindful about how they prepare workshop leaders, site visitors and other representives from IB schools so the level of consistency in messaging and evaluating is high across the board.
5. You should get as many faculty and staff involved in IBEN as possible.
On the fence about applying? Here are a few tips from our school's IBEN members:
- Don't be afraid to try it
- Everyone's experience is different
- Trust yourself
- Take a risk
- Don't put yourself down
- Support is key
Did we excite you?
Keep in mind as you near the end of this blog post that our intention is not to deter you from applying to join IBEN. This should show you how much time, thought and dedication our fellow educators are investing into Professional Development, and how members of all IB schools can benefit from being a part of this experience.
You may be asking yourself - with all these unknowns, why should I be investing all this time and effort? Simple - the growth and opportunities that will follow are priceless.