Thesis Defense and Conclusion

The thesis did not correlate to all observations at the internship; however, much of the thesis was found to be accurate. A school’s curriculum influences a teacher’s choice of instructional delivery in a given class. With the International Baccalaureate program observed, teachers mainly apply differentiation and project-based education. In the traditional education courses that were observed, teachers mainly apply direct instruction, technology integration, project-based learning and classroom management. Both of these curricula prepare students for the professional work world with different approaches.

Throughout the internship, the observations made were very similar to that of my research paper.  International Baccalaureate’s goals are to understand other’s points of view, promote international education and understanding, and expand critical thinking and open-mindedness. The goals demonstrated in the IB class include understanding other’s points of view as well as acceptance of other cultures. Teachers who teach the within the IB program are expected to introduce main ideas and act as a mentor, not a teacher to do everything for the students. During my internship, the International Baccalaureate teacher fulfilled both of those expectations as well as kept students on task and guided student’s questions to prompt them to think critically. The students in the IB program are expected to be advanced and self-motivated. Their participation in IB allows for students to expand their knowledge and direct their own learning while adopting a global understanding. While watching the International Baccalaureate class, the students proved to be independent, critical thinkers who brought their individual experiences to class discussions.

The goal for traditional education is to do more in less time by teaching concepts that give the main ideas. I observed students being taught material through lectures and minimal assignments. Teachers within traditional programs are responsible for their students’ education, and “if the learner hasn’t learned, the teacher hasn’t taught” (Marchand-Martella, Martella, and Ausdemore). Lessons are taught sequentially and are repetitive to instill concepts.  My internship showed teachers lecturing repeating material. Teachers used simple concepts to explain complex concepts and used technology to explain main ideas. Students are expected to take notes and work both individually and in groups, which is what I observed during my internship.

A recommendation for further study regarding the differences in traditional education and the International Baccalaureate program is to observe at least one of each type of curriculum. Also, have a check list of expectations so that observations of the different curricula are more focused. The topic of comparing and contrasting different curricula could be expanded by comparing Advanced Placement courses to International Baccalaureate classes. After interning for almost two months, I have began to wonder how successful each curriculum is with different types of intelligences and how that would be measured.

I would like to thank several people for their efforts in my senior project; I could not have gone this far without them. My senior project teacher, Dr. Simpson, found a mentor for me, helped me contact teachers to intern with, and answered all of my questions. My mentor, Ms. Saunders, gave me an overview of the International Baccalaureate program that prepared me to view an IB class, and was a great help. I interned with three teachers at Riverdale High School- Ms. Hale, Ms. Murphy, and Ms. Pontiff. Ms. Hale is a Biology teacher who gave me many insiders about traditional education and allowed me to visit her class whenever I visited Riverdale. Thank you, Ms. Murphy, a social studies teacher at Riverdale who allowed me to watch her class. Ms. Pontiff teaches IB English IV and was a wonderful help in my interning process. She welcomed me warmly and provided many International Baccalaureate texts that aided my researching process. Ms. Pontiff has helped me more than I could thank her for and I hope to keep in touch with her. Thank you, Ms. Pontiff! Ms. Guillory, the only teacher that I interned with at East Jefferson High School, deserves many thanks.  She is a higher math teacher and readily answered any questions I had. She is a very sweet, smart lady who was willing to go to great lengths to aid me. Last, and definitely not least, I would like to thank my mother, Susan Nguyen, for transporting me to and from my internship sites. She gave up her days for two months just so that I could intern. Thank you, mom!